Awakening

I felt as though I had spent eons in a void, adrift in an endless, suffocating darkness. Then, something cold brushed against my cheek.

"Where... am I?" I groaned, the words a weak rasp.

A flood of questions followed: Who am I? What was I doing? How did I end up on the floor?

I managed to crack my eyelids open, though the effort felt monumental. The world around me swam into focus, a ruined room, moonlight filtering through shattered windows. I pushed myself upright, my hands trembling.

A sharp, maniacal laugh broke the silence.

"Oh! Aren't you impressive, kid?"

The voice belonged to a woman with disheveled black hair and wild eyes. Her grin was cruel and unhinged as she twirled what looked like a thin stick, no, a wand, in her fingers.

"Or… could it be that you like this kind of thing? Hahahaha!" she cackled, her voice shrill and piercing.

Five figures stood behind her, their faces partially obscured by shadows, but her voice and appearance were unmistakable.

'Bellatrix Lestrange,' I thought. The realization sent a chill down my spine. If this wasn't a dream... And that wand… Oh, Merlin, I was in trouble.

"We've got time for a little more fun," Bellatrix said with a wicked gleam in her eyes. "Though we really must be off to our next guest." She turned her wand toward me.

Just as my mind began to clear, she shouted, "CRUCIO!"

Pain erupted like wildfire, searing every nerve in my body. My screams were ripped from my throat, the agony all-encompassing. The world faded to white-hot torment.

But as the pain coursed through me, something stirred, a spark buried deep within the fog of my mind. Fragmented images began to surface: a woman with silver-streaked hair, her stern gaze softened by a kind smile, a warm fire in a cozy study, her hand resting gently on my shoulder.

Melina… Grandma.

The memories came rushing back all at once, piercing through the haze like sunlight breaking through a storm.

"Nero! No!"

The pain suddenly vanished, and I collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. A shimmering wall of magic stood between me and Bellatrix's spell, pulsing with soft golden light.

I turned toward the source of the voice. My grandmother, Melina Ravenclaw, stood in the doorway, her wand raised. Her silver hair glinted in the moonlight, and her expression was fierce, a sharp contrast to the gentle woman in my memories.

"Grandma…" I whispered, my voice hoarse and weak.

"Glacius! Diffindo! Arresto Momentum! Avada Kedavara!" she shouted, her wand a blur of motion.

The room erupted in chaos. Two Death Eaters fell almost instantly, ice encasing one followed by a slicing curse, while the green light struck the other down. Bellatrix and the remaining Lestranges, Rodolphus and Rabastan, dodged the attacks, their expressions shifting from arrogance to grim determination.

My grandmother, Melina Ravenclaw, had raised me, assuming the role of my parents. She was both protector and mentor, a formidable witch who carried the weight of our lineage with quiet strength.

But now, standing before me, she wasn't the calm, composed woman I remembered. 

She was a storm.

"She's dangerous!" Rodolphus hissed, deflecting a curse.

"She's manipulating space, we cannot apparate." Rabastan muttered, eyes narrowing as Melina disappeared in a swirl of white mist, reappearing instantly in front of me.

Bellatrix's grin faltered for the first time.

Melina's voice was like steel. "Are you sure you want to continue? Reinforcements will be here any moment."

Bellatrix sneered but didn't respond. Instead, she locked eyes with me, her grin returning, more sinister than ever.

"Let's play again soon, little boy," she cooed, her voice dripping with malice.

The Death Eaters retreated toward the shattered window. With a series of cracks, they vanished into the night.

"Grandma!" I turned to Melina just as she crumpled to the floor.

I rushed to her side, catching her as she fell. Her robes were damp with something warm and sticky, blood. My stomach twisted.

"Don't worry, Nero," she said, her voice soft yet steady. "I took care of them. They won't hurt you anymore."

Her breathing grew shallow, and her hand trembled as she reached for my face.

"You're so much like your father when he was younger…" she murmured, a faint smile on her lips. "The same brilliance. If only he hadn't…"

Her words faded into a faint whisper. Her head grew heavier in my hands as her life slipped away.

A faint crack echoed behind me, followed by hurried footsteps.

"Melina!" a gruff voice shouted.

I turned to see three figures entering the room. Aberforth Dumbledore led the group, his expression a mix of urgency and grief. Behind him, the figure of Alastor Moody scanned the room, his magical eye whirring wildly. Several other Aurors followed, wands raised and ready for action.

Aberforth knelt beside us, his gaze softening as he looked at Melina's lifeless form.

"She was a great witch," he said quietly, his voice heavy with sorrow. "And she loved you fiercely."

Moody's gruff voice interrupted. "The Death Eaters are gone for now, but they'll regroup. We need to move. Let's chase them."

Aberforth placed a firm hand on my shoulder, his blue eyes piercing yet kind. "Come with us, Nero. You're not safe here."

I nodded numbly, the weight of everything pressing down on me.

As Aberforth helped me to my feet, I felt something shift within me, a warmth spreading from my chest. It wasn't grief or fear but something deeper. The memories of my grandmother, her voice, her magic, lingered like an echo in my mind.

I didn't understand it yet, but her magic had left a mark on me, something ancient and powerful.

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