The FBI's Secret Involvement

Ch. 11

Voldemort let out a earsplitting screech, "I can't understand what is so difficult about guarding a few Aurors who are heavily chained and tied to begin with. This negligence is absolutely ridiculous!"

The two watchmen Jade had slammed into the wall were cowering at the Dark Lord's feet.

"What use do I have for such incompetence?" Voldemort hissed lethally. The two guards begged for mercy at his feet, but he only stared down at them imperially. With a lazy flick of his wand, he muttered, "Avada Kedavra," and the two men dropped dead in a heap.

Voldemort heaved a sigh as he sat on his dark throne in the Underground Lair. "I suppose the adage is fitting: if you want something done, you have to do it yourself." He turned towards Sullivan and said, "This time, I will not risk these fools destroying my plans. You and I alone will return to Hogwarts. Wormtail--" he barked at his servant, "fetch our cloaks immediately! And perhaps you should come as well and try to redeem your meager worth for your laziness this afternoon."

~*~

"So, which one is Sirius?" Jade asked.

She was laying in his arms on the tower under the canopy of stars. Sirius took her hand and pointed towards the dog star. Then he pressed her hand to his lips. She smiled.

Thick gray clouds began to roll across the sky, blocking out the full moon. A clap of thunder announced the arrival of a large storm and a sharp wind whistled through the forest.

"Jeez, that storm came in fast," Sirius remarked.

Jade whispered, "Ignore it. A little rain can't hurt us. And I really don't want to go in yet."

He grinned and they kissed again. He was inclined to agree with her, just to lay as they were and let it pour all it wanted, but he felt her shiver as the rain and wind chilled the skin. Sighing, he got up and offered her his hand. They dashed down the stairs and into the warm hall.

~*~

Harry had just changed into his pjs and was about to climb into bed when his scar began to suddenly burn. Never before had it sizzled this badly, as is his skull was about to split in two. And then he heard a voice beckoning him, "Harry...Harry...come out, come out wherever you are..." A pair of scarlet, serpentine eyes glowed in his mind.

Then the pain receded, but the voice grew clearer. "Harry...I'm waiting for you..."

The seventeen year old snatched up his wand with his jaw set and dashed out of the Gryffindor common room. He followed the disembodied voice while it grew louder and clearer in his mind. "Get outa my head, Voldemort, if you know what's good for you. I'm sick of my scar being your personal pager!" he snarled.

He flew passed Cho and Mildred as they were heading towards their own rooms. "Harry, are you all right?" Cho called after him. The boy never paused to even glance at her. The two women exchanged a quick look before following him.

~*~

Sirius and Jade made their way towards the Auror quarters. He whispered in her ear, "Your room or mine?"

"Yours is closer."

Just then, Harry came striding down the hall in front of them. He was scowling and was clenching his wand so hard his knuckles were white.

"Man, he looks pissed off about something," Jade commented.

"Hey, Harry, what's wrong?" Sirius called after him. When his godson didn't answer, Sirius frowned and dashed after him.

Jade grumbled to herself, "Yeah, sure, just leave me here without even taking the time to say 'bye. I don't mind, Sirius, not at all."

Cho and Mildred came around the corner. Mildred was fingering her topaz pendant nervously and Cho shared a look similar to Harry's. She also had her wand out.

Jade asked, "Hey, what's going on?"

Cho answered her briefly, "Something doesn't feel right. I have a really bad feeling. Harry knows something's up..."

A clap thunder boomed, shaking the castle.

And Jade finally put two and two together. Trelawney's prediction said Voldemort would attack on the full moon. The battle last night wasn't the one foreseen. The real battle was going to happen this night.

~*~

Harry followed the voice that called him. It was growing louder. Part of him was saying, " This is a trap. Get Dumbledore. Don't be an idiot!" But Harry felt too vengeful to run and get help this time.

He wanted to kill Voldemort all on his own.

Harry reached the Great Hall and pushed open the double doors.

"Thank-you, Harry, for joining me and not bringing that ancient fool Dumbledore with you." Voldemort hissed venomously. He was standing in the middle of the hall, fingering his wand. Sullivan stood off to one side, watching with amusement. Wormtail shifted uneasily from one foot to the other as he leaned against the wall by the doors. Harry approached Voldemort, scowling and gripping his wand.

The Dark Lord continued. "You must realize how much I've looked forward to meeting you again since you ran away at our last encounter three years ago."

Harry eyed the skeletal wizard defiantly, "Are you going to try talking me to death or can we just duel and get it over with."

"Oh, very well, if you insist. We really don't have much to say to each other, do we?" He said calmly and lifted his wand.

Sirius came bolting into the hall. His eyes widened as he saw his godson advancing towards Voldemort. "No! Harry, get back!" He drew his wand and moved to block Harry.

Voldemort paused just as he was about to fire his first spell and eyed Sirius coldly. "This fight is between the boy and me. We have no need of you!" He shouted and with a snap of his wand, sent Sirius flying into the thick doors. Sirius groaned and slumped onto the floor.

Wormtail, who had been watching the battle build nervously, whimpered and ducked out of the door. He took off running down the hall.

Sirius grunted and slowly stood up. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a figure dash by him. Sirius watched the figure race clumsily down the hall and then he spotted a flash of silver at the end of his sleeve. Sirius froze, his blood turning to ice. Then he bolted after the fleeing wizard.

No sooner had he left when Jade dashed into the hall alongside Cho and Mildred. Immediately, the three women ducked as a curse smashed into the wall inches above their heads. Harry and Voldemort were in a full-fledge battle now. Stray hexes crashed into tables and chairs, obliterating the House banners and crests. The enchanted ceiling mirrored the tempest brewing outside.

Jade suddenly spotted the lone figure slouched on the side wall. His metal fingers strummed lazily on his crossed arms. Jade's lip curled into a snarl as she advanced on the tall DE. He didn't seem to notice her as he watched Voldemort fire the hexes continuously. Only when she blocked his view of the battle did he take any notice of her.

He growled, "You're in my way." Sullivan swung his metal claw towards her head like a club. She ducked easily, and without preamble of discussion, she snapped her fingers and sent a chair slamming into his chest.

Finally, this had the impact of drawing Sullivan's full attention towards the glaring young woman in front of him. "You just signed your own death warrant, bitch."

He grabbed her suddenly by the throat and hurled her against the wall. His steel fingers dug into her flesh as she hung several inches above the floor.

Gritting her teeth, she swung her knee into his groin. With a grimace, he dropped her and retreated a step or two in pain.

Jade rubbed her sore throat and snarled at him, "My sister's dying words were to kick your ass. I guess my aim was a little off, huh? Oh well, mere technicalities."

~*~

Peter glanced over his shoulder and saw to his horror that Sirius was gaining on him. The pudgy wizard yelped and ducked down the hall. Sirius pelted after him. Pettigrew transformed into a rat and scurried under the door beside him.

The rat stood motionless on the cool tile until he heard Sirius thunder pass. Wormtail breathed a sigh of relief and morphed back into human form. He realized immediately where he was: the hospital wing. The long, silent corridor, lined with occupied beds, was bathed in tranquil moonlight. Several minutes went by and still there was no sign of Sirius.

Wormtail scuttled from bed to bed, not believing his luck. He was away from Voldemort and the violent American, and God willing, the boy would finish them off. He had escaped from Sirius amazingly, too, the chubby wizard realized, euphorically.

Or so he thought.

Suddenly, the hospital wing doors burst open and Sirius came striding in with a scowl that would have scared the crap out of anyone. Wormtail yelped and ducked behind the nearest bed.

"Peter, Peter, do you really think that bed will stop me from ripping every one of your limbs off? I doubt it," Sirius growled. He advanced towards Peter's hiding spot.

Wormtail whimpered as he huddled by the bed. Just as he was about to transform and make a run for the door, Sirius jumped stealthily out of nowhere right in front of Peter. "Boo," he sneered, leering inches from his face.

Sirius grabbed Pettigrew by his robe collar and chucked him into the foot of the bed. Peter's nose smashed into the metal rail and snapped; a thick trickle of blood dribbled out of his nostrils. Bleeding and on his knees, Pettigrew began to scurry away from Sirius. But he wasn't quick enough. Sirius snared his ankle and dragged him down the waxed floor. Planning on inflicting as much physical pain as possible, Sirius grabbed a broomstick leaning idly against the wall, and gripping it by the bristles, hurled it like a bat into Peter's ribs. The wizard sprawled on the floor, coughed and curled into a fetal position.

"Go on, Peter, beg for mercy. I dare you to-- give me an excuse to laugh hysterically in your face."

Sirius slammed the broom handle into Peter's throat. The wizard gagged and sputtered. Sirius reached down and yanked him to his feet. Then, grabbing the broom again, he swung the handle with a bone shattering crack into Pettigrew's ribs. Peter fell backwards threw the dividing curtain.

Behind the curtain in the corner of the hospital wing, Moony lay fast asleep. A muzzle covered his snout and he was tethered to a heavy hook on the wall. But these precautions weren't very necessary since the wolfsbane worked as a powerful sedative. The wolf opened one bleary eye and slowly pulled his feet under him to stand up. Extremely groggy, Moony swayed almost drunkenly.

Pettigrew reacted quickly and dashed for cover behind the wolf. Using his supernatural silver hand, he yanked Moony's chain from the wall with one pull. The wolf barely noticed.

Sirius began to laugh hysterically. "Peter, do you honestly want to be that close to a werewolf? What? You think you can use Moony as a shield or something?"

Pettigrew gave a narrow smile. "Some.. something like that, all right."

And then he laid his silver hand against Moony's exposed throat. Suddenly, the medicated werewolf howled, snarled in pain and strained to snap at Wormtail but was hindered by the muzzle. He twisted and yelped as the silver hand burned his skin.

Sirius stopped laughing immediately and pulled out his wand. "Let him go now!"

Wormtail smiled menacingly, revealing his sharp, yellow teeth. He began to walk backwards toward the door, keeping Moony held in front of him to block any curses Sirius might fire. The wolf snarled and howled, and Pettigrew was forced to hold on tightly as he struggled towards the hall.

Sirius watched with growing alarm as the silver hand began to sizzle the wolf's fur and the smell of burning flesh filled the corridor. Moony whined and whimpered, loosing strength by the moment. "Let him go, Peter! For God's sake's, man!"

~*~

"Do I know you?" Sullivan growled, standing up slowly.

"I guess you don't remember me. You killed my mom and sister at Memorial." She pointed at his claw and mentally controlled it to wave in his face. "My muggle mom, being such a generous woman after all, thought you might appreciate a mutant stub of a hand."

Sullivan did indeed remember. His eyes flashed violently as he barreled into the FBI agent, knocking her against the wall. She grimaced. Sullivan's face was inches from her own and she could smell the scent of decaying teeth and alcohol on his breath as he growled, "Ah, yeah, and you're the little bitch I warned that one day I would kill you. Well, mark your calendar, for today's the day."

Jade narrowed her eyes at him. "Do you realize I have looked forward to meeting you everyday for the passed sixteen years?" Instantly, a table skidded across the floor at her command and smashed into his legs. She deftly climbed on to it as his knees buckled and a stream of four-letter words burst forth. She jabbed her fist into his nose. "I have pictured exactly how I would kill you down to every detail." The agent slammed his head savagely into the stone wall repeatedly. Thick, dark blood erupted along his scalp.

"Believe me, Sullivan, I will enjoy this greatly," Jade said calmly, pulling out her gun and leveling it against his bloody forehead.

"Hang on a second, Harry," Voldemort suddenly said, interrupting their duel. With a flick of his wand, the Dark Lord created a flurry of tiny white particles that appeared to be ice crystals that descended on the three Heirs. Instantly, Harry, Cho and Mildred became frozen in mid-motion as the ice blast touched them. They became living, human statues in the middle of the Great Hall. Then, Voldemort approached Jade and Sullivan. "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. My, my, what a charming little history there is between you."

Sullivan peered through the blood dripping into his eyes at the Dark Lord. The agent tried to keep her breathing under control as she watched the ruler of the Death Eaters near her. She hadn't thought she would ever have to deal with him. Part of her screamed, "This is your last chance. Pull the trigger and finish Sullivan once and for all," but she stood almost as frozen as Harry as Voldemort stopped beside her.

Voldemort reached out and pushed her gun down from his head.

"Thank-you, sir," Sullivan said thickly, his eyes glazed and unfocused.

Voldemort ignored him and faced Jade. She shivered slightly as his cold red eyes studied her. "I think I understand. You have been planning your revenge for years and now you can finally kill him as you've longed for."

She swallowed nervously. She was no match for Voldemort, she knew obviously, and she had no idea what to do.

Then Voldemort smiled sardonically. He raised his wand and Jade flinched. But the spell didn't hit her. The green blast slammed into Sullivan's throat, illuminating the dragon tattoo eerily, and then the Death Eater collapsed, dead.

Jade watched him fall in horror, "No! I'm... I'm supposed to kill him!"

The Dark Lord laughed maniacally and laid a condescending hand on her shoulder. She shivered involuntarily. "Of course you were. I could see that stealing your revenge would cause you more pain than I could cause with any spell. Foolish Auror, in your next life, don't ally yourself with the losing side.

And then, he walked away. Voldemort left her alive. But she couldn't tear her eyes off of Sullivan's body. "No! This can't have happened. I'm the one...not Voldemort...I'm supposed... to kill him..." she muttered incoherently.

Voldemort lifted the spell off the Heirs and calmly resumed the duel. Bright-colored spells began to smash into the walls and furniture once more.

Jade stumbled along the wall on autopilot. She couldn't think straight; her insides felt cold, raw and empty. She reached a corner and couldn't take another step. Her legs folded and she sank to the floor.

~*~

The commotion in the hospital wing had drawn Snape's attention from his dungeon study. The potions master, grumbling as the racket continued, swept up the stairs and planned on reading the riot act to any student he came across. When he entered the chaotic scene in the hospital wing, his black eyes widened in surprise. He quickly took in the scene as Pettigrew advanced clumsily backwards towards him, dragging the werewolf with Sirius snarling at him from across the room.

A bright green hex shot from the end of Snape's wand and smashed into the back of Pettigrew's head. The pudgy wizard fell dead instantly.

Sirius stood frozen in shock a moment before howling, "NO!! Damn you, Snape! I was supposed to kill him -- I've wanted that for only sixteen years!"

Snape glowered at him, " You're welcome, Sirius. Oh yes, it was so obvious you had the situation under control, too. No wonder he almost escaped." He looked down at the injured werewolf passed out on the tiles.

Moony lay still on the floor. He breathed shallowly. A brilliant red blister was burned onto his flesh on his throat. Snape peered down at him and snarled at Sirius, "He'll live, unfortunately."

This only registered distantly to Sirius. He felt lost and confused. He didn't know what to do. There was no way to avenge James' and Lily's deaths now. He swallowed, and felt empty and chilled.

Snape snapped: "I'll get the Headmaster and why don't you--"

"Harry!" Sirius said. He had left his godson with Voldemort alone. A blind panic filled him and he took off running out the door.

A few moments later, he dashed into the Great Hall. He breathed a sigh of relief to see his godson still alive. In fact, he noted with a quasi-paternal pride, that Harry was dueling very well.

Just as he was about to pull his own wand, his eyes fell on Jade, curled in her corner. Quickly, he hurried to her. "Are you injured?" he asked, sitting beside her.

She glanced at him with glazed eyes and said thickly, "I'm okay."

"What happened?"

Jade swallowed and choppily explained Voldemort taking away her revenge. During her tale, she pointed her finger dazedly at the stormy ceiling, tracing the dark clouds that flashed with lightning.

"Now what am I supposed to do?" she asked him. He shook her head, lost for an answer. He felt just as she did: hopeless and meaningless.

Jade continued to point at the ceiling. The storm was growing intense outside, rain rattling the windows and the enchanted ceiling mirrored the wild weather entirely.

Sirius rubbed her shoulder consolingly and turned back to check on Harry. The boy and the two women were quickly losing their edge. Voldemort was advancing towards them, backing them into the opposite corner.

Sirius was about to stand up and join the fray when Jade squeezed his arm. He glanced at her quickly. She had her hand extended towards the ceiling and instantly a brilliant bolt of lightning crashed across the buttresses.

An idea struck him. She continued to will the lightning to her control. Sirius pulled his wand and began to mimic her. The lightning exploded from cloud to cloud with a sudden force that illuminated the entire hall.

Sirius glanced at her and she immediately understood. Working together silently, they directed the lightning with a growing ferocity along the ceiling.

The tempest overhead was ignored by the four Heirs. Voldemort purred, "Alright, enough is enough. This duel is boring me," and he raised his wand lethally. Harry tried to rally Cho and Mildred: "C'mon, altogether now!"

And just as the final spells were about to be cast, a gigantic bolt of lightning struck Voldemort. It held him rooted to the floor. The smell of burning hair, cloth and flesh filled the room as Voldemort sizzled and crackled. The enchanted ceiling's clouds were swirling a violent shade of green around the major bolt of lightning as it electrocuted the Dark Lord. And then, before anyone could have drawn breath, Voldemort suddenly burst and a pile of ashes was all that remained.

Jade swayed slightly from the effort of controlling the lightning for so long. Sirius wrapped his arm across her shoulders to steady her. Neither spoke.

~*~

"The Dark Lord has Fallen! The Heirs Save the World! Long Live Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived!" the Daily Prophet's headline rang out.

"Do you think we should ever tell them the truth about who actually killed Voldemort?" Sirius asked Jade as she curled up next to him on the hammock. The white sand beach stretched for miles and the warm, emerald waters greeted the land with thundering waves. A cool breeze tousled their hair and the sun glittered on her red toe nail polish.

Jade leaned in and kissed him. "Nah, who would believe us? Besides, it's fun watching them make such hilarious stories." She laid her head on his bare chest and he wrapped his arm around her tanned shoulders.

"And we don't really want to share the island with the paparazzi, do we?" Sirius grinned.

"Exactly."

They swung gently in the shade from the tall palm trees and lazily listened to the crash of the waves. The breeze fluttered her brightly colored sari and tugged at the edges of his frayed cargo shorts. Jade took a sip of the margarita he held and closed her eyes with contentment.

An owl swooped down and dropped an envelope on Sirius's chest. A short letter said:

Hope you're enjoying plenty of drinks with the little umbrellas down in the tropics. Don't hurry back. Try not to get too sunburned, Padfoot; I doubt your pale British skin could handle it. Wishing you the best weather on your honeymoon,

Lupin and the Hogwarts Staff.

The End!!!!!!