Stairway to Heaven

Your head is humming and it won't go, in case you don't know

The piper's calling you to join him

~*~

Voices erupted around her, but Misty could not hear them. The flames and the wind could have screamed in her ears and she would not have heeded them. She only had ears for Lucius Malfoy's last words: We need Myfanwy Tewwdr.

Was that his plan? First he virtually abducts her, and then he forces her to use Domination Legilimency for his abhorrent code? No... he didn't plan on using force. She was expected to agree with these people; she was expected to want the life that her blood had forged for her. Lucius thought that she wanted to be a Death Eater; that she both loved and feared her father enough. Truth be told, fear had overshadowed the love altogether, poisoning it until it became hatred and disrespect.

She registered briefly that it was a good plan--had she been willing to follow it. The Death Eaters could have a swift and painless rise to unchallenged power. She need only wish for a death, and their greatest enemy was gone. She need only wish for a conversion, and the most powerful wizards were on their side.

"Myfanwy," Lucius's cold voice muttered, jerking her from her shaken reverie. "As soon as you make your blood oath, I will take off your circlet and you shall be free to destroy whom you will."

A young, unseasoned voice in the front of the pack asked eagerly, "Who will you kill first?"

Misty glared at him, so intensely that he took a small step backward. "No one," she said fiercely, her emerald eyes bright. "Because there will be no blood oath."

"What?" Lucius asked quickly, and Misty was pleased to find that he was very surprised.

Misty raised her voice proudly so everyone in the crowd could hear her. "I told you that there will be no blood oath, for I am not going to be your leader."

"Yes, you are," Lucius said, and his voice did not leave room for challenge.

"No." Misty stared him down, and she found that hatred rendered her quite capable of meeting his cold gray eyes. "For I am not a blind follower like the rest of you. My father's code is not genetic; I do not have to believe in it, and I don't. I believe," she finished, her voice now ringing clearly over the fire and wind, "in right and wrong."

"The Dark Lord was the wisest wizard of his age, for he said that there is no good and evil, only power and those to weak to seek it. Are you too weak, Myfanwy?" Lucius demanded sharply, though his voice was nothing but a murmur.

"I am stronger than you, though that does not say much," she replied bitterly.

Angry and frustrated, Lucius slapped her sharply across the face. Misty's cheek quickly paled, stinging fiercely; she bit her lip until it bled. But she refused to make a sound.

"I have not the patience," Lucius said through clenched teeth, "for the impudence of youth. Hold out your left arm."

Misty held her arms firmly down at her side. "I told you, I will not lead this pathetic group of weak malcontents. You cannot use my powers."

"Hold out your arm!"

She raised her chin. "No."

Lucius grabbed her shoulders and threw her down on her knees. Misty hit the ground sharply, and she tried to twist out of his strong vice, but her bound hands made it harder to resist. The group of Death Eaters seemed to hiss at her as Lucius reached out and wrenched her arms out in front of her.

He ignored her right arm, but stared intently at her left, thin and pale in the light from the fire. Her forearm was clean, unblemished, but Misty knew that Lucius was bent upon changing that as he raised his wand...

A moment passed for Misty in which her months of servitude flew in front of her. Her eagerness upon arrival, and her desperation to please, all seemed so trivial now. More important thoughts were of Draco--would he have to choose sides tonight as well?--and of her power, which she now hated passionately. She remembered the vivid nightmare she had had weeks before, and realized now that it was a vision of the future and the havoc she would wreak. She thought of all the things she loved--horseback riding and laughing and Wales--and wondered if she'd have to give them up.

Then the sliver of wood in Lucius' hands rose, and his mouth opened, and Misty's heart wrenched to her throat. She closed her eyes, and for the first time that night, a crystalline tear squeezed out of her eyelid, taking with it the last of her hope.

~*~

Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run

There's still time to change the road you're on

Amazingly, Misty's senses were still working, and she vaguely registered the sound of shouting nearby. She opened her eyes to see that Lucius had spun around, a look of startled disbelief on his face. The Death Eaters were parting like the Red Sea, clearing a path just wide enough for a young man.

Misty could have jumped or sang with joy when Draco emerged from the sea of pale masked faces. He looked as if he had been fighting a fierce internal struggle, but on sight of her his expression changed to one of grim determination. Perhaps it was the way Misty knelt, bruised and bleeding, before his father, her arms bound; perhaps it was because he had realized that it was time to change roads. Whatever the reason, Draco had come prepared to fight a battle against his past.

But he had not come alone. Misty's joy turned to confusion when a sleek creature bounded out from behind Draco. It circled Lucius's feet, growling a couple of times, before racing over to Misty's side and licking her cheek with its sandpaper tongue.

Misty saw then what it was: a kneazle. Graceful and elegant, it had an unusually dark coat, and its tapered tail was quite long. It turned large, lamp-like cat eyes upon Misty, and she hesitantly met its mournful gaze.

"Draco," Lucius muttered, "go back to the manor."

"I can't go back alone, Father," Draco drawled, his clenched fists belying his cool voice.

"I see... you've brought a guest." Lucius turned to the kneazle. "Angel! Scat."

The kneazle leaned protectively against Misty's arm, and its fur was soft and warm. Misty sighed, looking away from the creature to Draco's eyes.

He met her eyes and his own widened; Misty realized that he was trying to send a message. Lucius was otherwise occupied by the kneazle, still shouting at it, while Misty decoded Draco's hinting gaze.

It wasn't until he flicked his head toward the kneazle that old memories came back. What was it that Alaric had said? Ah yes... the Malfoys were bound at birth to the kneazles they bred. A spell forged their lives together...

Now Misty's eyes grew wide, and Draco knew that she had understood. She glanced sorrowfully at the creature beside her. It was so beautiful... and so innocent. Like the Muggles who had died in the village that night. And didn't kneazles identify untrustworthy people? That explained the attack upon Lucius from Alaric's kneazle, Galleon.

Misty looked once more at Draco, to be sure that she had his approval. He nodded heavily; though this would be hard, he was resigned to it. He knew it must happen...

Too late, Lucius noticed the looks passing between his son and Misty. Just as Mighty twisted ever so slight to her right, he lunged--Draco moved also, grabbing his legs--Lucius toppled forward, thrown off balance. Meanwhile, Misty had pounced, easily overcoming the kneazle beside her. It landed beneath her weight, and lay there, waiting.

Its eyes were so wide, so luminous and unresisting. Misty choked on a sob when she met its gaze. "I'm sorry," she gasped, moved that the creature--this innocent creature--almost seemed to understand.

It did not fidget. It did not writhe. It did not even bite or scratch her in defense. In a moment, the deed was done--Misty had broken the kneazle's slim, delicately arching neck.

The creature collapsed immediately against the hard, merciless ground, unblemished and beautiful even in death. The moment that the flipping tail went slack, Misty felt movement on her aching head. Clanging loudly, the emerald circlet fell away from her head, split into two perfect halves until it lay uselessly on the ground.

As soon as it hung limp in her arms, she pushed away from it, disgusted and sorrowful. Kneeling again, she turned to where Draco had been scuffling with Lucius, expecting to see the Death Eaters defending their great supporter.

But she saw only Draco, staring at his hands as he lay upon the cold stone street of the village center. Many Death Eaters had gasped or cried out, but they were silent now, and disbelieving.

Because Lucius... Lucius was nowhere to be seen.

And then Misty knew that it had worked. The death of the kneazle had brought about the death of Lucius through the bond between them. He was gone, and his tyranny with him.

Misty crawled over to Draco; he did not look up. She touched his cheek, and only then did she feel the tears. Only then did she comprehend.

Every man must mourn. Misty sat beside him, offering the only comfort she could offer--understanding. Brushing away his warm, salty tears, she sighed deeply and closed her eyes.

The picture imprinted in her memory was that of Lucius's kneazle, elegant even in death, its wide, pearly eyes finally closed forever.

~*~

Draco deserved solitary, sanctuary, and peace, but he and Misty were only given a few moments to recover. Chaos quickly erupted, Death Eaters shouting and lunging and shoving as the mass of them hastened to look for Lucius.

Their voices spurred Draco to life. Leaping up quickly, he tried to yell over the crowd of voices, but that got him nowhere. Running forward, he submerged himself in their mass, trying to catch the attention of the pale masked people.

The Death Eaters next to him froze, and Draco was relieved to have their ears riveted on him. But as he stood on his toes to speak to the whole crowd, he realized that every other Death Eater had frozen as well. Like inhuman statues they stood, hidden mouths gaping and eyes wide behind their masks.

He rushed out of the crowd frantically, but saw only Misty, kneeling beside the dead kneazle, her eyes softly shut. Her faced shot upward when he approached her, but she did not look at him and her brow remained furrowed with concentration.

"I cannot hold them like this for long," she said between gritted teeth. "I believe Harry Potter will be arriving here any moment; hurry."

Shaken, Draco did not ask questions. Instead, he obediently raced out into the village streets, jumping over smoldering rubble and skating down deserted alleys. He thought he would go insane with the silence and emptiness, always turning a corner to find the next street barren.

Finally, on the outskirts of the village where the flames were hotter, Draco sped out of a narrow alley and practically stumbled into a group of Aurors.

For the first time in his life, and most likely the last, Draco Malfoy was relieved to find Harry Potter.

~*~

"Malfoy?" Harry asked sharply, shoving aside some wizards to face his old nemesis. "Where are they?"

"Village center," Draco gasped, "Misty has them frozen... follow me." Then he sped off again, not allowing a moment for dispute or interrogation. Footsteps pounded after him, and had Draco looked over his shoulder, he would have seen a pack of eager Aurors, racing for their prey like hungry wolves.

After rushing through the labyrinthine streets and alleys, they came upon the center square, faced with the eerie scene of live statues. At least a hundred Death Eaters stood frozen, captured in grimaces or shouts or leers, and before them all knelt Misty, her knuckles white and she clenched her head.

"Misty!" Draco shouted, racing forward and falling next to her, leaning her back until she was cradled in his arms. Harry and the other Aurors rushed past them both, immediately Stunning the Death Eaters.

The landscape immediately fell into pandemonium as Misty's hold over the Death Eaters' minds slowly came away. Several of them were springing to life to find themselves bound by the Aurors' magical chains. Harry, Ron, and Hermione took charge, separating the Death Eaters into groups of twenty and Banishing them off to Azkaban with an Auror for each bunch.

Misty sat in the midst of it all, softly moaning as her head screamed in pain.

~*~

Time passed in excruciatingly slow seconds. Misty heard herself giving Draco instructions, and then his footsteps were thumping away; she sat alone now, alone except for her silent captives.

It was simple at first, only draining a bit of her concentration. But Misty was already weak and battered, and that night had certainly not been easy. The minutes of using Domination Legilimency were eating away at her fragile storage of energy. Soon, Misty's head was aching, burning and stinging with the power that it took to hold these horrible people at bay.

Misty no longer heard the movements of the outside world. The howling wind and far-off crackling flames became strangers to her. She knew only the fire that burned in her mind, the cruel torture that she faced as the terrible minutes lengthened.

When Draco's cool arms came around her, Misty could not feel it--she was too lost, too desperately hoping for release from her own power. When the Aurors took control and she knew that her bonds were no longer needed, she began the long journey back, emerging from her mind like one would swim upward from deep, freezing water.

The pain intensified, until she was unable to bear it. Her body screamed and convulsed with sobs, but no amount of tears could quench the ferocious fire raging in her mind. Just as she felt as if her skull would explode, shattering into oblivion, she awoke from her stupor.

She saw Draco's pallid face, her silver eyes wide with concern. His soft hair swam beneath her fingers for a moment, but then he was gone, and Misty knew only the cold, hollow blackness.

~*~