Half Dead
A plot bunny chewed my head off, so I am sorry but this isn't the Survivor's Guilt update it should be. This is something new. It's post OotP, Weasley twin-centric, and there is character death, so be warned and please do not kill me. This is only the beginning....
It was not a good idea to venture into Knockturn Alley. Not with the war on, and their flaming red hair declaring their loyalties as well as a Dumbledore's Army teeshirt might have. But Fred and George Weasley were risk takers, and they wanted to test out their new Invisibility Draught.
If it worked, it would be a major breakthrough for the Order. Invisibility cloaks were rare and expensive, and spies risked life and limb in the field every day.
It did seem to be working. So far, they had encountered no less than five Death Eaters whom they knew personally, and each pair of eyes had simply slid over the two young men, visible only to each other.
"This is great!" whispered Fred, dodging out of the path of a tall and sinister looking witch.
"We should get out of here," George hissed back nervously. "We have no idea how long this stuff will last."
"I know," said Fred. "This is just so much fun! Hey look!" he pointed towards a shop doorway some way down the alley. "It's Malfoy's mum and that horrible Lestrange woman. Let's go see what they're talking about."
George reluctantly agreed and followed his brother, careful not to come into contact with any of the witches and wizards thronging the narrow street. It had been several months since the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, and he wanted to stay as far from Bellatrix Lestrange as possible, but he wasn't about to leave without Fred.
As they drew nearer, the two witches' conversation became audible to them. "... must be so proud of Draco. Thank the Dark Lord that at least one of his generation believes in the sanctity of the Blood."
Fred smirked and rolled his eyes at his brother.
Narcissa shook her head sadly. "We are proud of him. Standing up to that Potter boy at his school when everyone else fawns over him, and standing up for Pureblood ideals when such views seem to have become so unpopular."
Bellatrix looked sympathetic. "I never thought I would see the day when I would be ashamed of the name of Black.... When I saw that blood traitor cousin of mine in that Ministry fiasco last Spring, well, I'll tell you Narcissa, it crossed my mind that I had an opportunity there to clear our family's good name."
Fred growled softly at this take on Sirius's heroic death, and George elbowed him sharply in the ribs.
"You did the right thing, Sister," Narcissa replied, patting her arm. "You know our Master was very impressed that you took him out. He was very popular with Dumbledore's lot, you know. The rest of them will try to hunt you down for vengeance. It will be easy to pick them off, one by one.
Bellatrix's smile marred her otherwise attractive face. "I'll bet the Potter boy and that poofter werewolf will be the first to try. It will be my pleasure to deal with them. In fact, I've come up with the perfect plan ..."
Fred and George leaned in closer simultaneously, and their heads came together with a resounding clunk.
"What was that?!" screeched Narcissa Malfoy, flailing at the air as if it were attacking her.
With a quickness that seemed inhuman, Bellatrix's white arm flashed out, and one twin watched in horror as her long fingers closed around his brother's wrist.
"A spy!" she shrieked. "I've got it!"
Her wand was in her hand. Everything moved in slow motion before his eyes. Why hadn't they thought to keep their wands at the ready? So stupid! Two pairs of wide, matching brown eyes met.
His brother's mouth formed the word, "RUN!" just as the terrible word "crucio!" passed the perfect, red lips of Bellatrix Lestrange.
A sound like an animal in pain came from his own throat as he watched his brother go down. Everyone not transfixed by the scene unfolding before them looked around for the source of the noise. I have to hide. No. Can't go. Can't leave without him!
Apparently the curse had forced the invisibility potion to wear off, for now Bellatrix crowed, "I've got a Weasley!"
"It's one of the twins," Narcissa said disdainfully. "The other won't be far away."
"Where's your brother, you little red weasel?" Bellatrix hissed.
Face pale and resolute, the young man on the ground declared, "I'll die before I tell you!"
"You'll die anyway," she said, then faced the gathering crowd. "Find him! He's here somewhere! He's invisible."
He tried to run, tried to avoid the blindly flailing hands all around him, but it was no use. Within seconds, half a dozen hands had come down on his arms, and he could not fight them all off.
"We've got him!" called one of his captors.
Bellatrix pointed her wand at him. "Reveal!" she shouted. Then her horrible smile returned as she re-trained her wand on his fallen brother. "So. The infamous, inseparable Weasley twins. Fighting the good fight, are we, boys?"
"Always!" declared his brother from the ground.
"Shut you, you!" she spat, kicking him. "Now. How to deal with our young spies?"
"Kill them," suggested Narcissa. "They're too young to know anything useful. Send their bodies back to Dumbledore."
"Now, Sister," said Bellatrix silkily, "where would be the fun in that? No," she continued. "There's no need to expend that much power. And after all, what good is one twin without the other? I say we separate them."
She looked directly into his eyes as she said this last, wand still pointed at his brother's chest.
"What are you going to do with us?" he asked, trying to sound as brave as as he could.
"You?" she asked scornfully. "I'm not going to do anything with you. I'm going to let you go run home to your blood traitor mummy and daddy."
"What?" Now he was confused.
"Yes. Run along home, little weasel. Unless you want to die too?" And without taking her eyes from his, in the coldest voice imaginable, she spoke the words, "Avada kedavra!" And then she laughed.
His twin lay, pale and still at her feet. It's like looking in a mirror, he thought numbly. A dead mirror.
His brain was screaming at him, though his mouth was clamped tight shut, and he would have flown at her, if not for all the hands restraining him. And then he was being pushed away by the crowd. They were all sneering and laughing and forcing him back out of Knockturn Alley.
He couldn't see his brother's body anymore beyond the crush of people. At last, he broke and ran. No one gave chase. He had to put as much distance between himself and what had just happened as he could. He stumbled and fell and got up and kept running. He only knew that he had to get to Grimmauld Place.
It was not a good idea to venture into Knockturn Alley. Not with the war on, and their flaming red hair declaring their loyalties as well as a Dumbledore's Army teeshirt might have. But Fred and George Weasley were risk takers, and they wanted to test out their new Invisibility Draught.
If it worked, it would be a major breakthrough for the Order. Invisibility cloaks were rare and expensive, and spies risked life and limb in the field every day.
It did seem to be working. So far, they had encountered no less than five Death Eaters whom they knew personally, and each pair of eyes had simply slid over the two young men, visible only to each other.
"This is great!" whispered Fred, dodging out of the path of a tall and sinister looking witch.
"We should get out of here," George hissed back nervously. "We have no idea how long this stuff will last."
"I know," said Fred. "This is just so much fun! Hey look!" he pointed towards a shop doorway some way down the alley. "It's Malfoy's mum and that horrible Lestrange woman. Let's go see what they're talking about."
George reluctantly agreed and followed his brother, careful not to come into contact with any of the witches and wizards thronging the narrow street. It had been several months since the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, and he wanted to stay as far from Bellatrix Lestrange as possible, but he wasn't about to leave without Fred.
As they drew nearer, the two witches' conversation became audible to them. "... must be so proud of Draco. Thank the Dark Lord that at least one of his generation believes in the sanctity of the Blood."
Fred smirked and rolled his eyes at his brother.
Narcissa shook her head sadly. "We are proud of him. Standing up to that Potter boy at his school when everyone else fawns over him, and standing up for Pureblood ideals when such views seem to have become so unpopular."
Bellatrix looked sympathetic. "I never thought I would see the day when I would be ashamed of the name of Black.... When I saw that blood traitor cousin of mine in that Ministry fiasco last Spring, well, I'll tell you Narcissa, it crossed my mind that I had an opportunity there to clear our family's good name."
Fred growled softly at this take on Sirius's heroic death, and George elbowed him sharply in the ribs.
"You did the right thing, Sister," Narcissa replied, patting her arm. "You know our Master was very impressed that you took him out. He was very popular with Dumbledore's lot, you know. The rest of them will try to hunt you down for vengeance. It will be easy to pick them off, one by one.
Bellatrix's smile marred her otherwise attractive face. "I'll bet the Potter boy and that poofter werewolf will be the first to try. It will be my pleasure to deal with them. In fact, I've come up with the perfect plan ..."
Fred and George leaned in closer simultaneously, and their heads came together with a resounding clunk.
"What was that?!" screeched Narcissa Malfoy, flailing at the air as if it were attacking her.
With a quickness that seemed inhuman, Bellatrix's white arm flashed out, and one twin watched in horror as her long fingers closed around his brother's wrist.
"A spy!" she shrieked. "I've got it!"
Her wand was in her hand. Everything moved in slow motion before his eyes. Why hadn't they thought to keep their wands at the ready? So stupid! Two pairs of wide, matching brown eyes met.
His brother's mouth formed the word, "RUN!" just as the terrible word "crucio!" passed the perfect, red lips of Bellatrix Lestrange.
A sound like an animal in pain came from his own throat as he watched his brother go down. Everyone not transfixed by the scene unfolding before them looked around for the source of the noise. I have to hide. No. Can't go. Can't leave without him!
Apparently the curse had forced the invisibility potion to wear off, for now Bellatrix crowed, "I've got a Weasley!"
"It's one of the twins," Narcissa said disdainfully. "The other won't be far away."
"Where's your brother, you little red weasel?" Bellatrix hissed.
Face pale and resolute, the young man on the ground declared, "I'll die before I tell you!"
"You'll die anyway," she said, then faced the gathering crowd. "Find him! He's here somewhere! He's invisible."
He tried to run, tried to avoid the blindly flailing hands all around him, but it was no use. Within seconds, half a dozen hands had come down on his arms, and he could not fight them all off.
"We've got him!" called one of his captors.
Bellatrix pointed her wand at him. "Reveal!" she shouted. Then her horrible smile returned as she re-trained her wand on his fallen brother. "So. The infamous, inseparable Weasley twins. Fighting the good fight, are we, boys?"
"Always!" declared his brother from the ground.
"Shut you, you!" she spat, kicking him. "Now. How to deal with our young spies?"
"Kill them," suggested Narcissa. "They're too young to know anything useful. Send their bodies back to Dumbledore."
"Now, Sister," said Bellatrix silkily, "where would be the fun in that? No," she continued. "There's no need to expend that much power. And after all, what good is one twin without the other? I say we separate them."
She looked directly into his eyes as she said this last, wand still pointed at his brother's chest.
"What are you going to do with us?" he asked, trying to sound as brave as as he could.
"You?" she asked scornfully. "I'm not going to do anything with you. I'm going to let you go run home to your blood traitor mummy and daddy."
"What?" Now he was confused.
"Yes. Run along home, little weasel. Unless you want to die too?" And without taking her eyes from his, in the coldest voice imaginable, she spoke the words, "Avada kedavra!" And then she laughed.
His twin lay, pale and still at her feet. It's like looking in a mirror, he thought numbly. A dead mirror.
His brain was screaming at him, though his mouth was clamped tight shut, and he would have flown at her, if not for all the hands restraining him. And then he was being pushed away by the crowd. They were all sneering and laughing and forcing him back out of Knockturn Alley.
He couldn't see his brother's body anymore beyond the crush of people. At last, he broke and ran. No one gave chase. He had to put as much distance between himself and what had just happened as he could. He stumbled and fell and got up and kept running. He only knew that he had to get to Grimmauld Place.