Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Unhinged 2: Til the Flame Burns Out	By : nikki13088 Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Ginny Views: 3348 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 25
- 26
- 27
A/N: OK, so finally an update! So sorry you guys have been waiting so long lately. I usually update sooner than this but my mom's been in and out of the hospital so its been a bit hectic.
If I used chapter titles this one would indeed go something along the lines of "A Long Night" LOL because most of this chapter does take place the night before they head to Adwell Labs.
Hope you enjoy!
Ginny had been sitting on the bed beside Riley for the last half hour just looking her over. She wiped the few tears that still streamed down her face at seeing the horror her daughter had been going through this whole time. She had been in this lab for so long now that she forgot what it felt like to hug her children or hear the sound of their laughter. She missed her mother and how she hoped she was ok after her father's death. So many things just broke her heart to pieces, and she didn't know how much longer she could keep it together. She was starting to think that allowing her powers to take over her mind was the only relief she might feel from all the pain in her heart... to just forget everything.
She quickly wiped the new tears from her face when she saw Riley's eyes flutter open and look up at her.
"M-Mum?" she choked out in a small hoarse voice.
Ginny smiled down at her. "Yes, Sweetheart."
She saw Riley sink back in her pillow a bit and attempt to move away from her. "What's wrong with you?" she asked in a frail voice.
Ginny's heart sank a bit. "It's ok... nothing is wrong." She said as she tried to sound confident in her statement.
Riley sat up, letting her mother help her a bit. "You look different... your eyes. Are you really my mother?" she asked through her cracking voice.
Ginny slowly reached up with one hand to cup the side of her face. She could feel Riley relax as soon as she felt her mother's touch and then threw her arms around her tightly.
Ginny pulled back a bit when she felt Riley's neck device against hers. "Have they... surfaced?" she hesitantly asked, unsure of what she wanted the answer to be.
Riley looked down at the burn marks on her hands and arms and held them up for her mother to see. "Fire... like you." She said softly.
Ginny looked at her daughter's pained expression before she took in her burns and gently traced one of them with her fingers. "I don't understand... why do you have these then?"
"Because they were forced out of her." Came Jade's voice from the doorway before she entered the room. "Her powers didn't naturally surface so her body doesn't know how to respond to them, so they are causing her more harm than anything."
"That's barbaric." Ginny scowled, getting up and taking a step towards Jade out of anger.
"Well, that is Father's style so I wouldn't expect anything less." She shrugged. "It's time to go, so say your goodbyes."
Ginny turned back to Riley and grabbed her face in her hands. "You stay strong my Sweet." She bent down and leaned her forehead against hers. "Own those powers of yours... you are amazing, and I love you so very much."
Riley looked at her with teary eyes as she felt her mother's kiss on her forehead and watched her leave the room.
She pushed herself up from the wet grass so fast she barely had time to think about the burn mark on her neck. She got right in Ember’s face before shoving her backward in anger.
“You did that on purpose!” Raven yelled as she roughly shoved her again.
Ember took a step towards her again, her fists tightly clenched. “It was an accident, they slipped!” she yelled back.
“You’ve had your powers for how long and have been practicing for weeks with them and they just suddenly slipped and almost burned my face off?”
Ember shrugged. “I guess so.”
“Ember, no powers! Just hand to hand combat right now!” Hermione yelled from the porch as she took a sip of water. “I swear those two are going to kill each other before tomorrow comes.”
Blaise just watched the two girls from the porch steps as he shook his head. “Ember has a lot of anger towards her... rightfully so.” He admitted.
Hermione threw her hair up into a messy bun before she sat down beside him. “She’s not a bad person Blaise, she just made a bad decision and unfortunately her mistake hurt more than one person. She’s going to get a lot of shit for it for a while... but she’ll be ok.” She said as she gave him a soft pat on the knee before she joined the others on the field again.
She walked over to Eve as she watched her become deep in thought as she watched the rest of them practicing.
“What are you thinking Eve?”
The sound of Hermione’s voice made her jump. “Oh, I’m just observing...” she trailed off.
“Observing...?”
“Hey guys, let’s take a time out real quick!” Eve suddenly yelled out to them as she wiped the sweat from her brow.
They had been practicing for over twelve hours nonstop except for the occasional water and food break. They were working together a lot better than they had previously besides the snide remarks between Ember and Raven. Eve had used her powers to project a very similar layout of the lab and so far the plan seemed hopeful.
“What’s up? I was just about to kick Jake’s arse all over this field.” Scorpius teased, slapping Jake on the back before he threw his arm over his shoulders.
They all huddled in a small circle, Ember’s eyes quickly glancing at Jake as she felt his eyes on her.
“I just want to give you a few tips that I think will maximize our chances of putting up a strong defense. You guys need to pay attention to what powers are being used around you and build off them. When you guys work together while using them it will be the most powerful. Also, I think it will be best to make sure we keep James from getting hit with a disablement charm in there. If one of you get hit with one then James can just use his powers to help you shake it off.” Eve explained.
“You mean purposely use my powers on one of them? Like a jolt to get their powers to surface again?” James asked hesitantly.
“Yes.”
“I can’t, I mean practicing is one thing, but using it to stir up another’s powers? I don’t want to be responsible for hurting someone.” He doubted himself.
“You won’t.” Aurora suddenly spoke up. “I remember when you first showed me your powers, you have more control of them then you think.” She walked over to him and gently took both of his hands in hers. “You were the most confident person when it came to your powers and then you only started questioning them after everything with Noah and Scorpius happened. Believe me... you just have to stop being afraid of them or afraid of hurting someone with them.” She finished with a smile.
Her words meant everything to him and gave him that confidence and boost he needed. He watched her stumble back a bit when someone hit her with a disabling charm.
“What the hell?” she snapped at Scorpius.
“Well, I figured we should test this out and you’re the obvious choice.” He shrugged. “If he hurts you then fuck the rest of us.”
“Gee thanks,” James mumbled.
“Ok, James, go ahead but remember... don’t overthink it.” Hermione reminded him.
He nodded before he looked at Aurora and into her sparkling eyes. He let out a long breath before he held his hand out in front of her as he felt the tingling sensation reach his fingertips. His mind went to that night on the Astronomy tower with her when they shared their first kiss. How he revealed his secret to her and how beautiful their powers really were. He suddenly felt all the pressure he had been feeling subside and trusted his instincts as a web of electricity danced through the air and hit her.
She immediately felt the ice run through her veins stronger than she ever had before. The ground beneath her freezing and the air around them turning cold. She quickly regained control before a smile stretched across her face.
“Whoa, that was amazing.” She said through her heavy breaths.
“This is a huge advantage,” Eve said. “If we keep you from getting hit with any sort of disabling charm then it won’t matter if the rest of us get hit. You are the key to that dilemma.”
“Why is it that we’re all listening to you? You could be leading us right into a trap.” Raven snapped.
Eve just glared at her before her expression softened a bit. “You’re right, I could be...none of you have to listen to anything I say. I’m just trying to help by offering what I know.” She said quietly as she suddenly grew timid.
“I think you’ve been more than helpful Eve. You’ve even helped Ellie develop her powers and provided an almost accurate layout of the lab which will be extremely beneficial when we enter it.” Hermione said to her as she placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
“Yeah, a layout that could be totally wrong.” Raven shot back. “You’re so willing to trust her when she could be playing us all.”
“Why don’t you shut your damn mouth,” Ember growled taking a step towards her. “If anyone seems like a spy amongst us it's you. After all, it’s not the first time you’ve betrayed one of us.” She stated angrily, her eyes narrowing a bit as she glared at her.
Raven fell silent at her comment before she glanced over at Scorpius and walked off.
Riley heard a knock on her door later that evening that she tried to ignore until it became more insistent and she finally gave in to see who it was.
“What?” she snapped as she ripped the door open.
“I want you to come fly with me,” Harper said.
“No.”
“Why not? Everyone is freaking out about tomorrow and I’m not much help to any of them. I just want to have a bit of fun, please?” she begged her sister.
Riley just looked at her. “I hate flying and I’m too busy worrying about Mum and Dad.” She said as she sat down on her bed.
“They’re going to be fine, that’s what Grandma and Aunt Hermione said,” Harper reassured her as she sat beside her.
“I think they’re dead.” Riley bluntly stated as she looked at Harper.
“Don’t say that!” Harper yelled angrily, her hazel eyes desperately trying to hold her tears in.
“I’m just saying, if you prepare for the worst... then you won’t be disappointed if they really are. You need to grow up Harper and stop acting like a little kid all the time. You can’t just go flying around on a broom to solve all your problems.”
She watched Harper’s bottom lip tremble, but her eyes narrowed in anger. She quickly ran from the room before any of her tears could be seen falling.
“Damn, that was harsh.” Came Noah’s voice from the hallway as he was passing.
Riley got up and followed him into his room. She looked his condition over and his rundown appearance. “You know... if you’re fighting whatever is inside of you... you shouldn’t. It will stop hurting once you let it out.” She said from his doorway.
He looked at her. “Yeah, well that’s easier said than done since I’m not quite sure what I’ll be letting out.” He said as he threw himself down on the couch and laid his head back.
Riley walked over to his window and looked at the sun setting. She whipped his curtains back to let the warm rays of sun hit his face and creep into his room.
“I think there might be a full moon tonight.” She said looking at him. “You don’t want to miss seeing that.” She said with a small smile.
He barely paid attention to her through his coughing and the pain he felt; his body did nothing, but throb and he was completely exhausted all the time. She watched him close his eyes and start to doze off before she walked over to him and ran her fingers through his hair.
“Everything will be over soon.” She whispered.
Scorpius was sitting on his bed with his hand out in front of him holding a small ball of ice. He concentrated on it for a good while trying to absorb it back into his hand but couldn’t seem to do so before it started melting. He tossed it in the small garbage can in his room before he saw Eve pass his room and he quickly poked his head out.
“Hey, can you help me with something?” he asked her.
“Sure.” She simply said before she made her way into his room.
He saw Raven making her way down the hall as well and quickly shut the door before she could talk to him, making Eve let out a small giggle.
“I just can’t right now with her.” He sighed before he walked over to Eve. “Anyway, I want to be able to absorb this.” He said as he formed another small ball of ice in his hand. “But no matter how hard I try... it’s not working.” He explained as he held his hand out in front of her.
He was a lot closer to her than he intended to be, his eyes piercing into hers. She noticed with each passing day how the color in his eyes changed from a light brown to hazel and now to a light gray. Whenever she felt his eyes on her she felt so vulnerable, when he looked at her she actually felt like a real person for once.
“Can I?” she asked him as she held her hands up to the side of his head.
He nodded.
“Just focus on trying to absorb it.” She said softly.
He did as she said before he noticed her eyes turn purple for a quick moment as she tapped into his mind. After a few seconds, she took a small step back and looked at him with a small smirk.
“You’re focusing too much on the physical part of it and not enough on the mental part. Just think that you want to absorb it, don’t actually physically try to absorb it... because you’re just overthinking it and then you just keep forming more ice. Make sense?”
“Pft, no,” he said as he looked back at the ice.
“I mean, that ice in your hand right now wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t for you. Now that the ice is formed you can control it just as you would if we were out there on the field. It’s yours, do whatever you want with it.” She tried to further explain.
He just looked at the ball of ice in his palm before he cleared his mind and quickly made a fist. He was surprised when the solid ball of ice was more of a mushy pile of slush and it spilled through his fingers and down his arm.
“See, it’s a start, a little more practice and it will be second nature.” She said with a smile.
“Awesome, thanks. You’re good at this shit.”
She scoffed at his comment. “Yeah, well, when you’re forced to study people your entire life or expect to perform and perfect your powers for experimental purposes... one tends to pick up on a thing or two.” She said softly, looking at the floor.
He saw the sadness in her eyes and her defeated demeanor. “What’s wrong?”
She looked back up at him and just shook her head.
“Something is wrong... I mean more than the usual. I can’t read minds, so you’ll have to actually share your feelings with me.” He smirked.
A small smile crossed her lips before she looked down at her fidgeting hands. “It’s just... tomorrow if all of this goes well... I don’t know what will happen to me. Let’s say we succeed in rescuing your parents and Harry and even maybe take down my father, what do I do? I have nobody... no family... I mean, I have Noah of course...” she trailed off. She could tell he was listening for her next words as she looked up at him. “What about you? I won’t see you anymore.”
“Eh, I’m not that special.” He said waving his hand.
She hesitated a bit before she spoke again. “You are to me.” She said locking eyes with him.
“Me? Why?” he asked in amusement.
“Because you’re kind to me and treat me like a real person and not some sort of outcast. I know it may not mean much to you, but it does to me. I’ve missed so much of my life... I just keep thinking if I die tomorrow-“
“You’re not going to die; we’re all getting out of there... alive.”
“But if I do... I just keep thinking about how many things I haven’t experienced, like normal everyday things that someone who lived a regular life would have experienced. Something so simple as just getting a hug from someone that loves you... a parent’s embrace. Even having a friend or laughing until I cry or even a kiss.” she stopped and shook her head at how pathetic her life was.
His heart ached for her, he really liked Eve... a lot actually. She was so different than anyone he had ever met. He found her inexperience with normal day-to-day activities and interactions quite amusing but also found it somewhat beautiful to watch her adapt. The fact that she was the daughter of Jack Adwell was unbelievable, she was too nice of a person... too beautiful of a person to be related to somebody so evil.
“Listen, you’ll have plenty of time in your life to experience all of those things. As for having a friend, I’m your friend and I am more than capable of making you laugh until you cry.” He said smugly, making her give a small giggle. “I’m also definitely capable of hugs and as for a kiss, I can definitely help you out with that. I mean, I’m a single man now so... “
She snapped her eyes up to meet his, surprised by his offer. She wasn’t sure what to say but apparently, her face and eyes gave him the go ahead as he took a step towards her. She was completely frozen in place as he approached her and looked down at her. She felt like her body was trembling, but it was completely still.
He leaned down closer to her, his face only a few inches from hers. “Ready?”
“Am I supposed to be?” she asked.
“I don’t know, I’ve never kissed anyone on cue before.” He joked, making her smile. He noticed her gently grab the stone around her neck and run her thumb over it. “Nervous?” he smirked.
She just locked eyes with him. “Something like that.” She whispered.
He gently placed his hands on her shoulders for her to properly face him and then slowly lowered his lips to hers. Eve watched him getting closer to her and she swore her heart would beat right out of her chest at any moment. The feel of his hand on her shoulders alone was a feeling she had never felt before. She felt her stomach fluttering and he hadn’t even kissed her yet.
Finally, she felt his lips against hers and she softly pressed hers to his. Her eyes were barely closed before it was over, and she felt him pull away slightly. She opened her eyes to see him staring at her, everything had completely stopped around them. She swore time was standing still as his eyes pierced into hers.
As soon as Scorpius felt his lips on hers he knew he was in trouble. When he pulled back and looked at her with the taste of her kiss still on his lips, it was as if some great mystery in his life had finally been solved. Like the pieces to some imaginary puzzle he didn’t know existed were standing right in front of him. Her big brown eyes just stared back at him, he could tell she was terrified by whatever was going through her head right now and as much as everything seemed to suddenly make sense for him, he too felt scared at what his heart was telling him.
He looked at her bottom lip tremble a bit before he locked eyes with her once more. “Fuck.” Was the only thing running through his head as the realization hit him and he crashed his lips to hers again.
This time she met him halfway as his hands moved from her shoulders up to her face to pull her closer to him. He kissed her with such force he felt her grab onto his shirt to keep herself from falling back. Once he started passionately kissing her and noticed she was more than ok with it by the way she kissed him back, he didn’t think he would ever stop. He hadn’t realized how he really felt about Eve until this moment.
One of his hands traveled to the small of her back where he slipped his hand under her shirt. The feel of her silky-smooth skin beneath his fingers made him kiss her even harder, making her step back until she hit the wall. He felt one of her hands slide to the nape of his neck and the other under his shirt. The feel of her hand on his chest made this moment so much more real. He started to question where this moment was going, and he would be lying if he said he wasn’t thinking about screwing her senseless against his bedroom wall right now. He searched for some sort of self-control as he pressed his body harder against hers.
He pulled back finally and looked at her again, her lips red and swollen from his forceful kisses. He looked at her purple eyes as she completely let herself inside of his mind, everything he was thinking was on display right now for her to read. He could see that she was questioning every movement she did and this moment all together. Reading his mind was the only guideline she had on what to do next and with that, she slipped her top off.
The last thing he wanted to do was take advantage of her, but her actions were pretty powerful and were turning more confident with every passing moment. He locked eyes with her again before he picked her up and pinned her against the wall. Her legs wrapping around his waist as he kissed her chest and neck. The amount of heat and passion between them right now was unstoppable and there was almost no turning back.
He felt a coldness beneath his skin start to surface and his heart raced even faster than it already had been. His hands and fingers turned ice cold as they traveled her body and she didn’t mind it at all. Although she didn’t mind it he panicked a bit and went to reach up to her necklace for the stone. Before he could touch it, he felt Eve pull his hand away and look at him before her purple eyes studied his face for a moment. He could feel her body start to turn cold also until just like him, her fingers and hands were ice cold too.
He couldn’t help but think about the advice that Ember gave James about trusting the other if ever his powers surfaced during a moment like this. He didn’t know why, and he couldn’t help his feelings at all, but he completely trusted Eve in every way possible right now. He knew she could tell how bad he wanted her in the most sinful way and surprisingly he knew she was more than willing.
As they continued to grope each other, and his hand slid up to unclasp her bra he suddenly stopped and just looked at her. She was breathing heavily from how riled up they both were and there was just something in her eyes and on her face that told him to not go any further. As much as he wanted to continue, there was this innocence about her that he didn’t feel he should tamper with... not now anyway.
He started to shake his head. “We can’t.” he breathed out, his forehead against hers and his hands still holding her close to him. “You need to go.” He suddenly said as he finally released his hold of her.
He didn’t even look at her, he couldn’t... mostly because he knew he would just pick up where he left off, but also because he knew the look on her face was probably heartbreaking right now. He could tell she was just staring at him in shock at his abrupt stop. He tried so hard to not look at her but after a moment of silence between them he couldn’t take it and glanced up at her and immediately regretted it.
She slipped her top back on and broke all eye contact with him altogether as embarrassment set in. “Sorry.” She whispered before she quickly left his room.
“Eve, wait!” he called after her, but she was already out of sight.
He cursed under his breath at how stupid his actions were. Why would he do something so inconsiderate? He knew how fragile her feelings were right now and to act on his own selfish ones was wrong. He almost thought about running after her, but he was still shocked at his own feelings towards Eve that he decided to leave things alone for now.
It was a little after midnight when Eve’s eyes snapped open from a loud crash she heard in another room. She sat up and the sound of whimpering could be heard from afar which prompted her to open her door and stick her head out into the hall. She wasn’t the only one that woke up from the noise as she saw a few other people come out into the hallway also.
“What’s going on? Is everyone ok?” Hermione asked as she quickly scanned the hall to make sure nobody was injured.
Eve met Scorpius’ gaze for a brief moment across the hall before she turned her attention to another sound coming from Noah’s bedroom. As she approached his room she had this sinking feeling in her stomach. She hesitantly turned the knob of his door and slowly pushed it open all the way to reveal a dark bedroom with just the light of the moon shining in. She could tell the room was trashed as she took in the debris all over the floor.
“N-Noah?” she softly called out into the dark room.
She looked around the room and saw nobody until a pair of big yellow eyes appeared in the dark corner and locked with hers. She felt all the breath leave her body as those yellow eyes came closer to her. Her eyes widened as he stepped into the light and she found herself staring into the eyes of a werewolf.
Her body stiffened as he stepped towards her and she found her back against the wall.
Scorpius grabbed his wand and went to help when Hermione grabbed him before he could attempt it.
“Wait. Don’t rile him up, if you go in there with the intention of harming him this could turn deadly.” She warned him.
“Deadly? There’s a fuckin werewolf in the house and he could kill Eve any second.” He snapped as he tried to rip his arm free of her grip.
“Stop!” she yelled before she pushed him back and had Ron grab a hold of him. “Listen to me, don’t be stupid.” She gave him a hard glare.
Eve became paralyzed by fear as Noah walked closer to her, she could tell he was confused. He just kept sniffing her until he was face to face with her and his yellow eyes pierced into hers. She noticed throughout his body there were parts that were covered in metal and that’s when she realized what had been inside of him all this time. One of her father’s experiments were staring her right in the face.
“Noah, it’s ok... you’re ok.” She tried to reach him.
She thought she had reached through to him when he suddenly released this loud roaring howl in her face. She couldn’t help the terrified scream that left her mouth as she felt the heat of his breath and bit of saliva from his roar hit her face. She bolted from the room as fast as she possibly could, grabbing his door behind her and slamming it shut in some poor attempt to keep him in.
It was only a moment before he busted through the door and a loud roar filled the house.
“It’s like bloody third year all over again,” Ron mumbled to Hermione as they all made a run for it.
“Yeah, except this one is bigger, faster and is protected by a considerable amount of impenetrable metal.” Hermione quickly stated as they made a quick turn down a hall away from it.
Ember felt Jake’s hand firmly wrapped around her wrist as he dragged her downstairs behind him. Noah jumped from the balcony of the stairs onto the floor below and landed right in front of them making them stop in in their tracks.
Jake could feel Ember get behind him, her fingernails digging into his arm in fear as Noah approached them with a raised hand ready to rip them to shreds. They barely had time to make a run for it as Noah swiped down and caught Jake’s upper arm and flung him across the room. Ember wanted to run over to help him but if she didn’t keep running she would surely be mauled to death by him.
She ran out into the field as Noah barreled behind her, she could feel him on her heels snapping his jaws as the very tips of her hair kept getting caught between his teeth as she ran for her life. She suddenly dived forward letting her entire body engulf in flames and glided through the air so that it made Noah slow down and stop.
Once he realized Ember was out of reach he turned his sights on someone else and ran full speed at them. As he ran towards Aurora and James a shard of ice grazed his shoulder and made him turn more aggressive. He turned to see it was Scorpius who had injured him and went to attack him when his legs started to stiffen as ice formed up from the ground and around his legs.
It didn’t hold him for long as he busted through all of Scorpius’ efforts to keep him still. Scorpius braced himself for the rapidly approaching beast when Eve’s voice rang out.
“NOAH!” she screamed to get his attention.
Noah stopped and looked at her as she walked up to him, any fear she had before was pushed aside as her eyes turned to a deep purple. Noah just looked at her and then at Scorpius, a part of him wanting to tear the blond before him apart and the other was fixated on his sister. Eve held her hand up in front of her as her fingers trembled with that fear that came trickling back.
“Noah don’t fight it... let me in,” she said softly to him as she desperately tried to control his mind.
He let out a small whimper before he backed away from Scorpius and walked over to her. Eve was shocked when Noah allowed her hand to touch his head and after he blinked at her a few times she could see those yellow eyes start to fade and so did the form of a werewolf. She just watched Noah’s body collapse to the ground before she was by his side and calling his name to wake up.
Jake let out a muffled scream as he bit down on the towel that Scorpius handed him.
“I’m sorry Dear, I know it stings.” Mrs. Weasley said as she put a few more drops of a healing potion over the large claw marks across his arm.
Ember squatted down in front of him and laced her fingers with Jake’s as her grandmother continued to work on his wound. She didn’t care who was or wasn’t a spy right now, all she knew was that Jake got hurt protecting her and she felt horrible for being so cold towards him lately.
“Luna is getting a pain relief potion for you, it will help a great deal, so take that and then try to rest,” Molly said softly as she patted his hand. She got up and walked over to help Eve finish stitching up Noah’s wound from Scorpius’ powers. “How’s he doing?” she asked.
Eve finished the last bit of stitching before she looked up at Molly. She let her question sink in a bit before she looked down at her brother. Of course, her father succeeded again and of course, he made another one of his children’s lives a living hell. She was so angry, she never really knew what it felt like to hate someone, but she had a good feeling it was this exact feeling she had right now. She wanted him to hurt... to pay for everything he had done to so many innocent people.
“Eve, you didn’t know-“
“Of course not.” She cut Blaise off before he could ask her. “I knew something was off, but I didn’t know what and this was the last thing I ever thought it would be.” She said as her voice cracked a bit.
Noah jolted out of his unconscious state suddenly and looked around the room in confusion. After a few moments, everything he hoped was a dream became a reality as he took in the cut on his arm and Jake’s injury across the room.
“Noah, calm down.” Eve attempted to gently put her hands on his shoulders to push him back down on the couch as he fought to get up.
“It really happened. That was fuckin real? I can’t be here, I have to get away from everyone, there’s no way-“
“Noah, stop!” Eve said firmly as she gave him a hard shove backward. “You’re not going anywhere; we’ll figure this out.”
“Figure this out? I’m a bloody fuckin werewolf, I really do belong locked inside of a lab!” he yelled out in anger as he laid back again and rubbed his face to wipe any emotion that threatened to surface.
The room grew silent.
“Noah, I’m wondering if maybe you’re able to transform yourself at will, rather than wait for another full moon,” Hermione said as her voice broke the silence.
“At will? Why the hell would I do that?”
Hermione looked at Eve, she could already tell Eve had figured out the kinks of Noah’s new ability. “I’m just saying, once Eve tapped into your mind you changed back, which is a good thing, even though I know it doesn’t seem that way. If you were a true werewolf you wouldn’t have turned back yet until the full moon was no more.”
"So, kind of like an Animagus?" James asked.
"Basically."
“Then why did he turn into one tonight of all nights?” Blaise asked.
“Because a full moon is what completed the process of whatever serum my father injected him with. Just like I have powers... these are your powers now.” Eve said to Noah. “Now it’s just learning to control yourself whenever you’re transformed.” She explained.
“Learning? There’s nothing to learn, what do you think... that I’m just going to embrace these powers? I’m a monster.” He said through clenched teeth as the reality of what was inside him now kicked in.
“I think it’s kind of cool.” Came Ellie’s voice from across the room as everyone looked at her. “What? I’m just saying.” She mumbled before she walked into the kitchen away from everyone’s glares.
Noah started to tune out the conversation around him as he realized what he had become now. He felt a pair of eyes on him from across the room and glanced up to see Riley looking at him. He locked eyes with her for a few moments before remembering the words she said to him earlier in the night.
“It’s you.” He barely whispered.
“What?” Eve asked him as she leaned in closer.
“Riley... you’re the spy... it’s you.” He said a bit louder as he continued to stare at her.
“Ok, I think you need to rest a bit more,” Molly said as she attempted to have him lay back again.
He ignored her persistent hands. “You told me earlier to not fight what was inside of me. You knew what I was.” He said in disbelief.
Riley just looked at him and then saw the eyes of everyone else in the room on her. “Surely you don’t believe that?” She scoffed.
“Of course not, he’s just delirious from earlier,” Ember said defensively as she stepped in front of her sister.
“Eve, go ahead, read her mind and see for yourself.” He said nodding towards Riley.
“You don’t have to read anything because you’re fuckin crazy.” Ember spat.
“I believe Noah.” Came a small voice from the stairwell.
Scorpius walked over to Harper when he could tell she was upset. “Harper, why don’t you go back upstairs. I’ll be up in a few to check on you.” He said softly.
“She’s different... she’s not Riley... not our Riley,” Harper said as angry tears filled her eyes.
“Harper, you know Riley has been through so much and-“
“So what? We all have, but we’re still the same... just look at her Ember.” She cried as she pointed a finger at Riley.
Ember hardly ever seen Harper cry and seeing her try to hold back her tears was breaking her heart. She broke her gaze with Harper to turn around and look at Riley and looked into her eyes. They were her normal eyes, but there was something off about the way she stared back at her.
“Ember, it’s me... Riley... your sister.” Riley said as she took Ember’s hand in hers.
Ember looked down at her hand in Riley’s and she couldn’t help the sinking feeling in her stomach at the feel of her touch. She slowly slid her hand out of her loose grasp and stepped back before she turned to Eve and gave her a small nod.
Eve just shook her head. “I can’t.”
“You can, I’m telling you, it’s her.” Noah snapped.
“No, I mean I can’t read her mind, something is blocking me.” She said as she took a step towards Riley. “Move your hair back.” She said.
Riley took a small step back before she dashed from the room and went to run out the front door before a spell hit her and she fell to the floor. It was Aurora who straddled her and pinned her down to hold her still as she looked for the implant behind her ear. Aurora was so shocked when she saw it that she jumped back off of her as the reality of what Noah accused her sister of set in.
“That’s why I haven’t been able to read your mind this whole time,” Eve said as she pieced it all together. “Riley... when did they put that in you?”
“When they made me.” She said as she sat up from the floor.
“Made you?” Scorpius asked.
“I’m not really Riley... I mean I am, but I’m a clone. The real Riley is still at the lab, I was only switched out with her when Adwell knew Beckett wanted him to release me. Then, of course, escaping with Eve, Noah and Matthew was just a very happy accident.” She explained.
“You need to rip that damn implant out and get into her head. Maybe she has information that could help us.” Blaise said.
Riley reached into her back pocket and pulled out a small knife. “I can’t let you do that.”
Ember and the rest of her siblings were just in a state of shock about Riley. Knowing she had been in that lab this whole time having the most horrible things done to her made Ember’s stomach turn.
“Riley, I know you’re a clone, but I know you are a good person deep down because our Riley is. If you are her clone then that goodness must be inside of you too.” Ember tried to coax her to their side.
“You’re wrong. I may have her personality and even some memories to play the part, but I have been made for the sole purpose to serve Jack Adwell and to make sure none of his secrets are ever let out.” She said as she brought the knife up to her neck. “No matter what.” She said in barely a whisper before she slid the blade across her throat.
The action was so quick and unexpected that Ember barely had a chance to attempt to stop her. She knew this wasn’t really Riley before her but seeing someone who was an exact clone of her sister was just as devastating to watch die as if it were the real thing. She couldn’t help herself from catching Riley in her arms and trying to help her in some way. It didn’t matter how much pressure she put on her throat in a pathetic attempt to stop the bleeding, it just kept pouring freely. Her hands were covered once again in her sister’s blood as she watched the life drain from her eyes.
Scorpius squinted his eyes as the rising sun hit his face as he sat out on the porch. He could make out Ember’s copper strands across the field sitting beside the spot they decided to bury Riley’s clone. It was difficult to have witnessed something so tragic and burying her seemed like the only right thing to do. He watched his grandmother put her arm around her and hug her closer as she still spilled tears from the events earlier.
“Hey, we want to go over some stuff before we head out.” Came Eve’s voice from the doorway.
He nodded and saw Eve quickly turn to leave. “Eve!” he called out to stop her.
She stopped and looked at him through the screen door.
“Can we talk?”
She slowly opened the door and walked out onto the porch and followed him to the side of the house.
“What’s up?” she asked as casually as she possibly could.
“Last night when-“
“It’s fine, we don’t have to talk about it.” She quickly cut him off as she turned to leave.
“We do have to talk about it,” he said as he gently grabbed her arm to turn her back to him. “I didn’t mean to make you feel any type of way. Kissing you was a mistake.” He could see the emotion in her face at his choice of words. “No, that’s not what I meant, I just...” he trailed off as he tried to find the right words. “What I meant was that I enjoyed the kiss, very much so actually, it was great... you were great, it’s just...” he trailed off again as he grew more nervous with each passing second of rambling.
He gently grabbed her shoulders as he saw her wanting to just run away from this conversation altogether. As he held onto her and looked into her eyes he felt a bit more confident and he tried to find his words once more.
“Listen, Eve... I like you... a lot. I just didn’t want to take advantage of you and hurt you in any way. I didn’t want you to do something you’d regret, and I would hate myself if I ever made you feel that way.” He stopped talking and took in her reaction to see if his words made any kind of a difference to her.
She kept her head down at his words, he could tell she wasn’t sure how to respond.
“Eve, if we were to die to today at that lab I just don’t want you to think that you did anything wrong, that you weren’t good enough... because you are. I thought I was doing the right thing by backing off but I guess I just kind of hurt your feelings anyway... I’m sorry.”
She looked up at him, memories of the kiss she shared with him swam through her mind. If she had enough confidence she swore she would grab him and kiss him again, but she feared these feelings she had for him now. Were they genuine? Or were they only because she was new to the moment they shared last night? She wanted a peek inside of his mind so badly right now, but she fought the urge to enter it without his permission. When she focused on his eyes a little longer she felt the tiniest of smiles form on her face for a quick moment before she gave him a small nod.
“It’s ok, I just... really like you too. We need to really be focused today so let’s just put all that stuff aside for now?” she suggested.
He nodded before he pulled her into a hug. She was surprised by his action and didn’t think he realized what he was doing either. The feeling of his arms around her made her want to completely melt into a puddle at his feet. His scent filled her nose and she didn’t think she would ever forget it or how it made her feel.
He quickly pulled back and looked at her. “Uh, sorry... so yeah... I’ll see you inside.” He said before he walked back into the house.
Eve watched Luna and Molly hug everyone goodbye as they got ready to leave. It was heartwarming to see how much they all cared for each other. It made her yearn for a family of her own one day. She turned to Noah beside her who seemed to be thinking the same thing before he caught her looking at him and he quickly turned away.
“You ok?” she asked him.
He just looked at her with a look of hatred on his face. She knew it wasn’t towards her but towards their father and what he had turned Noah into.
“You’re going to be fine. We’ll get through this.” She said with a small smile before she laced her fingers with his and gave his hand a small squeeze.
“Alright guys huddle up!” came Hermione’s voice as everyone gathered around. “Before we Portkey over-“ she paused and looked at Scorpius’ outfit. “You don’t think you’re overdressed for this particular occasion?” she asked him as she looked over his well-dressed form.
“Hell no, if I die, this is the outfit I’ll die in so I’d look to look decent.” He stated as if it were obvious to everyone else, causing a few snickers from the rest of them.
Hermione just shook her head before she continued. “Anyway, the goal is for nobody to die and to get Harry, Draco, Ginny, and Riley out of there safely and as quickly as possible. It is imperative that we all work together and stay on track like we’ve been practicing. Raven... Ember, are going to have a problem?”
Ember and Raven exchanged a quick look before they both shook their heads.
“Good. Aurora as soon as you give yourself up we should already be inside by the time you get to where your parents are.”
“Should?” She asked, some worry in her voice.
“We just need to be ready for the unexpected. With Riley being a clone and feeding information to Adwell this whole time... we don’t know how much he knows.” Hermione explained.
“We will Portkey in two groups and when we are inside we will split up into smaller groups on each floor. The floor that blocks out all magical ability will be our biggest challenge.” Kingsley chimed in. “Eve, was there anything else you wanted to add?”
She nodded. “I know this is easier said than done, but I would try to block out all emotion while you’re in there. We have no idea what condition any of them are in or if they are even still alive, but finding out or seeing them will be hard to take in. Don’t lose your head, you need to stay focused until we are completely out of there and off the island. Do you understand?”
There was a silence that filled the air around them before they all nodded.
“Another thing worth mentioning.” Noah continued. “If Eve and I know our father, then we know he will have some of his experiments waiting for us there. He might even use Ginny against us, so... just be ready for anything.”
“And also, as horrible as this is going to sound, if things get crazy and we need to leave, then we take who we can and get out of there... even if that means we can’t save them all right now. That is the most crucial advice... it’s a different world in there and an opportunity to get out of there once inside is slim to none.” Eve finished.
“Alright... it’s time,” Kingsley said as he pulled out the two Portkeys.
Ember gave one last look up at the porch where her grandmother stood with Ava on her hip and Harper and Bella beside her. She locked eyes with Harper and gave a reassuring nod that she would be back before she felt a tug behind her navel.
Aurora’s feet hit the ground and her heart started racing as anxiety filled her. She let out a shaky breath to try and calm herself. The last thing she wanted to do was have everyone see her so distraught about what she was about to do. She wanted them to feel confident in her abilities to get her part of the plan done.
She could hear the water from the shore in the distance as they started to walk through the woods toward the lab. There was something quite eerie about this place, even the sounds around them didn’t seem the same. She hadn’t realized her continued silence had lasted for almost fifteen minutes before she took in a building in the distance. If she thought there was an eerie feeling before, seeing the building that her parents and sister had been stuck in for months now was even more unsettling.
“Hey, are you sure you’re ok with this? Because I’m not.” James said quietly to her as they continued walking.
She couldn’t even answer him, she just looked at him with wide eyes.
“Aurora?”
She snapped out of it before he started to panic. “I’m sure, I’ll be fine. I’m nervous, but I need to do this. I’ll do anything to save them.”
“Aurora.” Kingsley softly called to her and motioned for her to come over.
She gave James a small smile before she quickly made her way over to him and the others.
“That’s A LOT of guards... there’s no way we’re getting inside,” Aurora said as she peeked through the trees to see the perimeter of the lab.
“That’s why you’ll make an attempt to sneak in and get caught. Then when you’re inside and you cause a distraction they will call for back up... and believe me, most of these guards will have no choice but to leave their posts once we get the rest of you guys inside.” Eve explained. “Be careful, my father uses both magical and Muggle weapons for defense so put up a decent fight for the act, but don’t get yourself killed either.”
Aurora nodded at her words before Hermione gave her a long hard hug. Aurora felt her slip a small knife into her back pocket and then one down in her sock. She held up one more and gave it to her.
“Where do you want me to put that one?”
Hermione looked down at Aurora’s chest and gave a small smirk.
“Gotcha,” Aurora mumbled before she slipped it into her bra.
“Don’t forget, you can’t use your powers until after they take you down to the lab. And remember your hand-to-hand combat we’ve practiced. You’ll do great... let’s get your parents back.” Hermione said to her before she gave her a kiss on the forehead and one more hug.
Aurora pulled out her wand and held it so tightly her knuckles turned white. She walked a bit ahead of the others to the side of the building and quickly laid her back against it as a guard walked by. Her heart was racing, and her mind was becoming a frantic mess. It was the feel of a raindrop on her cheek that made her look up at the stormy sky and it somehow gave her the reassurance she needed to keep going and focus.
She hugged the wall a bit until she got to the corner and peeked her head around the side to where one of the entrances were. There were two guards standing outside and then another two that kept patrolling this side of the building. She let out a frustrated growl as she knew she wouldn’t get too far before they captured her, but it made her that much more determined.
She felt the rain starting to come down a bit harder and she took her chance at the sound of the rain falling to slowly run up to the two men. She whipped her wand as fast she could and sent one of the men back into the wall and then quickly dodged a spell that the other man sent her way. She went to throw another spell when she felt one hit her back and flew forward onto the ground. She quickly turned around to see one of the guards standing over her ready to bend down and grab her when she leg swiped him to the ground.
She quickly jumped to her feet and ran right at the guard that was closest to her and slammed herself and him into the wall. She hit him with a Confundus charm before he could regain himself. She grabbed the keycard off of his belt and went running towards the door when a blast from right beside her flung her hard into the concrete wall of the building. She let out a growl of pain as she got on her hands and knees and tried to pull herself up. All she could hear was a ringing in her ears as she saw multiple people approaching her. It took everything in her to not let her powers out as she felt threatened by the crowd surrounding her.
She felt someone grab her roughly by her hair and pull her up. “Don’t worry Sweetie, you don’t need a keycard to get inside. We’ll be more than happy to escort you in ourselves.” A man said as he snatched the keycard from her.
She blinked a few times as she tried to recover from the blast. She could see the others in the distance still hiding. Scorpius’ hands tightly gripped on James from trying to run out and help her. The last thing she could make out were James’ eyes locked on hers before she was yanked into the lab.
A/N: OK, so there you are, what did you think? It is indeed showtime now, lol. There will be a lot more action in the next chapter and I don't plan on making you wait as long for that one like I did with this one, lol.
Would love your feedback and thoughts on this chapter. How do you think this is all going to play out?
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Thanks guys!
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Unhinged 2: Til the Flame Burns Out