Chapter 14: Ultimatum

The Opposite

Chapter 14: Ultimatum

Aurora sat, barely listening to Fionnula talk about causing pain with telepathy. Harry and Ginny seemed very interested in what she had to say. Aurora glanced outside. There were 4 ½ weeks left before Voldemort's set day of attack, and all they did was eat, sleep, and breathe training. Aurora saw a single butterfly fly by the window of the greenhouse. The snow was starting to melt, and spring was on its way. Then something clicked in Aurora's mind. She turned toward Fionnula.

"Fionnula?" she asked, standing up. Fionnula looked over at her and crossed her arms.

"You haven't paid attention to a word I've said, Aurora. What is it that you want?" She sounded annoyed that Aurora had interrupted her.

"Is it possible to lock on to another person's mind even when they are a substantial distance away from you?" Aurora asked. Fionnula squinted at the girl for a second. She seemed to be searching her mind for an answer.

"I can honestly tell you that I have no idea. Aurora, you have shown more talent at this than Soliopathy. Do you think you can reach my sister at Hogwarts? I assure you that you will not kill her. Catriona is rather skilled. I would imagine that you could. I have never tried it. Go on and imagine Catriona's mind," Fionnula said. Aurora closed her eyes. Harry and Ginny exchanged uncanny looks then looked at Aurora.

Aurora concentrated, and she passed a whirlwind of thoughts. In her mind, there were different flashes of people going past and their thoughts calling out to her. Finally, she pictured herself at Hogwarts and found Onsu's mind.

At Hogwarts, Professor Onsu was grading papers when she looked up and around her class. She felt a faint sense of euphoria that only came when Fionnula tried to read her mind on occasion to help her remember something. But, Fionnula was in Ireland. She returned to her papers.

'Professor Onsu? Professor Onsu? This is Aurora Assante. Can you hear me?' Aurora's voice said in her mind. Onsu looked around. Aurora couldn't possibly be here in Hogwarts, could she? Aurora hadn't severed the connection yet, so Onsu tried her hand at thinking back.

'I can hear you, Aurora. How are you doing this? Are you near Hogwarts?'

'No, I am still out past Dublin. This is just an experiment. Is there anything you want me to tell Fionnula?'

'As a matter-of-fact, yes there is. Tell her she owes me twenty Galleons.' Onsu laughed. Aurora did also.

'I'll be sure to tell her. Bye.' Aurora severed the connection. Back in her own mind, Aurora opened her eyes. Her head was killing her. It was immensely difficult to do what she'd just done. Fionnula was peering down at her.

"Well?" she asked impatiently. Aurora smiled, squinting from the headache. Harry and Ginny watched her with wide eyes. Suddenly, Harry got a headache also. It wasn't from his scar, though. Ginny noticed him rubbing his head.

"Well, Professor Onsu said that you owe her twenty Galleons." Aurora laughed. Fionnula crossed her arms and cracked a smile. Ginny clasped her hands together. Harry and Aurora both were still wincing in pain.

"I think the downside to that is the headache," Harry said, a little strained. Aurora looked over at him. She smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry, Harry. I forgot about that little connection," she said. Fionnula and Ginny looked confused.

"Connection? What connection?" Ginny asked. Harry and Aurora looked at each other, and then looked at Fionnula and Ginny.

"Well, sometimes, since we are opposites, Aurora and I can both experience the same emotion at the same time. Right then, Aurora was experiencing a pain in her head. So, I also experienced it. It wasn't a very comfortable feeling. There is a major downside to this. There are instances when Aurora might be doing something that I really don't want to share with her..." Harry's voice trailed off as Aurora blushed a deep red.

"Like what?" Fionnula asked, clearly confused. All three teenagers looked at each other and started laughing hysterically. "What is it?" Fionnula demanded to know. Aurora and Harry couldn't help themselves.

"Use your imagination, Fionnula," Ginny said, gathering her things and heading out of the greenhouse. About three hours later, Fionnula would finally get what they were talking about.

Neve tackled Neville to the ground. Neville used his strength to flip her off of him. Neve stood up quickly. Her lip was bloody. Drake watched them closely. Neve was quicker than Neville when it came to fighting, but not when it came to dodging and reloading. Neville threw a punch. Neve grabbed it and spun around, her elbow catching Neville in the jaw. She tripped him up. Neville landed on his back, and Neve took out her wand. She held it to his neck. Drake started clapping.

"Well done, Neve. Since you won, you can fight Draco," Drake said. Draco was standing on the far wall. At the sound of his name, he looked up. Neve was eyeing him smugly. Draco unfolded his arms and walked up. Neve pulled Neville off his butt, and Neville ran off; to where, no one knew. "Face each other and shake hands," Drake said. Neve and Draco stood and stared at each other. They shook hands slowly then parted. Drake clapped his hand.

Neville ran outside where Sloan was launching the Bombe Boule De Feus at Ron. Neville paused for a second next to Sloan.

"What is it, Longbottom?" Sloan asked, sounding a little irritated. Neville held his hand up a second longer, gasping. He'd run as fast as he could. Ron looked up, rather shocked that the balls had stopped coming.

"What gives?" he asked, holding his hand out. Aislin and Hermione walked up. Aislin was watching Neville gasp in a horrible manner. "Neville, are you okay?" Ron asked, walking up next to his friend.

"Malfoy and Neve are about to fight," Neville said. It took three seconds for his words to sink in. Then everyone started running towards the large room where Draco, Drake, and Neve were. Aurora was almost run over by Hermione, and Ginny succeeded in running into Neville.

"What the bloody hell is this all about?" Harry asked, helping Ginny up. Ron turned and smiled.

"Malfoy's fighting Neve. This I gotta see!" Ron continued running. Like before, it took ten seconds for Ron's words to sink in, and then Aurora, Harry, and Ginny were off.

Draco stared at Neve. Neve lunged forward, trying to tackle Draco. Everyone entered as she did this. Draco grabbed her around the waist and tried to hoist her up. He saw her smirk, and she put her hands on the ground. She wrapped her legs around his neck and flipped him over. She ended up on top of him. Draco smirked.

"If you wanted me, Neveah, all you had to do was ask. I would've been happy to oblige you." Draco kicked her in the back of the head with his knee. Then he pushed her off of him. Neve stood up quickly, as did Draco. She tried to punch him, but Draco caught it and twisted her into a sleeper hold. Neve struggled.

"You bloody bastard," Neve said, barely able to breathe. Draco smirked.

"Ooh, I love it when you talk dirty," he said. Neve smirked also and moved her head to the side. Draco wondered what she was doing until he saw her leg come up. He was knocked backwards off of her. Neve bent over, gasping for breath. She turned around to catch a kick to her stomach. Draco then punched her. She fell back.

Neve rolled over, coughing up blood. She looked up at Draco, who was wearing an arrogant smile on his face. His normally combed hair was as wild as Harry's. Neve spat blood to the side. She stood up. She beckoned Draco and smirked. Draco frowned and went towards her. Neve did a roundhouse, and Draco knocked into the wall.

"Do you think they are hurt?" Aurora asked, worry in her voice. She loved both of them to death, and it looked like they were going to kill each other. Ron giggled.

"They won't let this go that far, Aurora. But, who cares if Malfoy's hurt?" Neville said. Aurora hit him in the head.

"I care, you idiot!" The group laughed as Fionnula walked up to see them standing there like a bunch of little kids who were waiting in line to see Santa Claus. Then she saw Draco and Neve going at it. She sighed.

By now, Neve had a black eye and Draco was missing a tooth. They stared at each other, both very tired and worn. They both ran towards each other and swung. Both fists connected with their intended targets. Neve and Draco fell backwards, too tired to even move. Drake clapped his hands.

"That's enough," he said. Aislin walked over to them and began working her magic, literally.

"That was awesome. That had to be the third greatest thing to happen since we've been here," Ron said like he was in heaven. Hermione looked over at him.

"What's the first and second?" she asked in wonder. Ron smiled and looked at her.

"Well, number two is finding the wine cellar. Number one is..." Ron whispered it in her ear. Hermione blushed and giggled like she was ten. Harry and Ginny rolled their eyes.

Late that night, Aurora was thinking while Draco was lying next to her. He was reading a book on the hardest and most powerful curses. Aurora rolled over to face him.

"Draco?"

"Hmm?" he said, not looking at her. Aurora sighed and put her hand in the book. Draco looked over at her. Her greenish-gray eyes stared back at him. She looked worried. "What is it?"

"I can reach people miles and miles away from me with my mind. Do you think I could find the ones that were kidnapped that way?" Aurora asked. Draco looked thoughtful for a moment. She looked back at him with her glassy eyes. "Well, do you?"

"You just might. Sounds like a damn good idea. Dumbledore is supposed to be coming tomorrow. Tell him about it. How did you find this out?" Draco asked. Aurora smirked.

"I tried reaching Fionnula's sister, Professor Onsu, at Hogwarts. I succeeded. Onsu is a telepath like her sister, so it did not hurt her. The only side effect is that it hurts like hell afterwards. Harry can attest to that," Aurora said. She slid her wand under her pillow. Draco did the same. He put the book down and blew out the candle. "Draco?"

"What is it now, woman?" he asked, sounding aggravated. Aurora giggled a little.

"Ti amo, Draco," she whispered and closed her eyes. Draco's eyes snapped open and he looked at her peaceful face. He moved a short piece of hair out of her eyes.

"Ti amo anche, Aurora," he said. Unbeknownst to him, Aurora smiled as she slipped into a dreamless slumber.

The next day, as everyone filed out from their meeting with Dumbledore, Aurora stayed behind. Dumbledore noticed her. The old man looked more tired and worn than ever.

"Um, Professor Dumbledore?"

"Yes, Aurora?"

"I found out just yesterday that I can communicate with people hundreds of miles away using telepathy. I talked to Professor Onsu while she was in her class. It hurt a lot afterwards, though. I was thinking that maybe I could reach one of the people that were kidnapped. Maybe we could find something out about where they are hidden," Aurora said. Dumbledore looked at her over his half-moon spectacles as if examining her. Aurora tensed under his gaze.

"You, Miss Assante, are something special. Maybe we could try this. I will be back tomorrow. Tonight, I want you to rest well. Maybe you should go to bed early without any distractions, eh?" Dumbledore said. Aurora stared up at the old man and blushed.

"What do you mean, headmaster?" she said, trying to sound innocent.

"Aurora, I may be old. Yes, I am very old. But, I was once young like you. In some cases, I may have forgotten what it was like. But, in others, I have not. As the saying goes, Miss Assante: I may have been born at night, but it wasn't last night. Good day to you." Dumbledore touched his trophy, and with that, he was gone, leaving Aurora feeling quite ashamed. Then she ran off.

The next day, Neve was working at dodging and throwing spells. Neville, who was usually her partner, was learning medical charms with Aislin. So today, her partner, yet again, was none other than Draco Malfoy. He was malicious when it came to his onslaught. He was unnaturally good at throwing the spells and curses in a quick succession. Neve wasn't even sure if most of them were legal.

A jet of white-hot light went zooming past Neve's cheek. A thin red line appeared on her face, and blood trickled down it. Before she could react, Neve was blasted backwards. Draco then stood over her, his wand pointing at her chest.

"You really should work on your reaction time. It's too terrible for words," he said. Neve stared up at him malevolently. She smirked.

"Oh yeah?" she asked. Draco nodded. Neve lifted her leg right between his legs and hit him in his groin. Draco's face turned red, and he fell over to the side. Neve stood up. "Well, at least I got the last hit in," she said, dusting herself off. Sloan marched up to her.

"Come with me, Neveah," he said. Neve still held a deep disliking for him and would gladly throw the Killing Curse at him. The curse would most likely work because she would mean it whole-heartedly. Neve followed him into an all black room in the castle. Neve had never been in here.

"What is this place?" she asked. Sloan apparently did not hear her. He turned to face her.

"You took a really cheap shot. Obviously, your greatest strength isn't casting spells or curses. You seem bent on physical contact. Well, if you hate me so much then fight me," Sloan said. Neve looked at him with one eyebrow raised. "What are you waiting for? Hit me," he said. Neve still looked at him like he was crazy. Then she sighed. Sloan, tired of waiting, threw a punch at the small girl. Neve caught it and succeeded in breaking his arm. She then kneed him in his stomach. Sloan bent over and coughed up blood. Neve backed away from him.

"That felt really good. You don't know how long I've been waiting to do that," she said. Sloan chuckled and lifted his head. He held his broken arm out. He pointed his wand at it and a white light surrounded it. After the light was gone, he grabbed Neve with it. He yanked her harshly over to a table with a plate on it. Neve looked worried. She couldn't get out of his grip. "What the hell are you doing?" Neve yelled. Sloan laughed maniacally. He let her go. She backed away. She reached for her wand but found it to be gone. She looked over at Sloan, who held it in his hand.

"Looking for this?" he asked. Neve frowned.

"Give it back! What the bloody hell do you think you're fucking doing!?" she yelled as loud as she could. Her words seemed to echo off the black stone walls.

"There is Silencing Charm on this room. No one can hear you. The Dark Lord will be very pleased to see you. Yes. VERY! Now, I think you'll go better unconscious. But first, I want you to feel pain, real pain." Sloan laughed maniacally. Neve realized something.

"It was you...You sold us out," she whispered. Sloan nodded.

"A little slow on the uptake, aren't you? Enough talk. Now, feel pain. Crucio!" he yelled. Neve was still in utter shock at Sloan being the snitch. She flinched as the curse it her. Then all she felt was unbearable pain. She screamed and screamed and screamed. Then the pain subsided momentarily. Her breathing was ragged. "That, Neveah, was the Cruciatus Curse. Do you want more?" Sloan asked. Neve looked up at him like a lioness ready to pounce on her prey. Sloan smiled. "Crucio!" he yelled again. Neve screamed again, feeling the pain. After it subsided, she couldn't keep her eyes open.

'Aurora, lo aiuta. La spia è Sloan,' she thought before passing out. Sloan smiled and picked her up. He touched the plate, and they were gone.

Aurora dropped a plate in the kitchen, making Hermione and Ginny jump. They pulled their wands and were pointing them at Aurora, until they noticed her face.

"Neveah," she whispered. She ran out of the kitchen. Ginny and Hermione exchanged looks, and then followed her out. Aurora ended up on the field. She knocked into Draco. "Where is she? Where is Neve?" She shook him violently. Draco looked down on her short form. Her grayish-greenish eyes were becoming glassy with tears.

"Sloan took her inside about fifteen minutes ago. What's wrong?" he asked. Aurora thought for a second. She then ran back inside with Hermione, Ginny, and Draco following her. The four of them stopped in front of the door where Sloan and Neve had gone into. Aurora touched the knob and turned it slowly.

Inside the black room, Neve's cloak lay on the ground along with her wand. Aurora passed completely out and Draco caught her.

Professor Minerva McGonagall ran in front of Dumbledore's office.

"Ferret feces," she said hurriedly. The gargoyle didn't seem to be moving fast enough. When she finally got up the stairs, she nearly knocked down Dumbledore's door. He was sitting, stroking Fawkes' feathers. She put a letter on his desk. It was addressed to both of them, so McGonagall had taken the liberty of opening it herself. Dumbledore looked at her, and then picked up the letter.

Dear Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall,

Lord Voldemort

Dumbledore threw the paper down. He grabbed a trophy and tapped it with his wand.

"Minerva, stay here. I am going to Dublin. If anymore owls come, send an owl to me."

"Yes, Albus," McGonagall said. With that said, Dumbledore was gone.

Ti amo = I love you.

Ti amo, anche = I love you, too.

Aurora, lo aiuta. La spia è Sloan = Aurora, help me. The spy is Sloan.