#hecking finally

A pop and quick sizzle signaled the imminent arrival of dinner, and a moment later a tray, laden with bread, pumpkin juice, a bowl of stew, and a treacle tart materialized over your legs as you lay in bed in the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey managed to mend your collarbone within a few days, but the bruising was more stubborn. After Zacharias’s visit, during which he’d asked no less than five times when you’d be cleared to resume Quidditch practice to gear up for next year, she’d extended your stay out of spite to “monitor” the bruise that painted your chest from shoulder to shoulder.

All told, you weren’t complaining.

You ripped a slice of bread apart and dipped half in the stew, practically salivating.

The door to the hospital wing banged open, and you startled at the noise, cursing quietly at the hot stew splattering your blankets. Hushed voices argued in a hurry; you peeked out from behind the privacy curtains around your bed.

It was Draco Malfoy. And he looked terrible. Worse than usual. Professor Snape drug him over to a bed, where he slouched over, barely conscious. You took an unsteady breath in - his tidy, white shirt was pink with bloodied water.

Madam Pomfrey flitted about around him, preparing various concoctions.

“He needs dittany,” Professor Snape commanded, eerily calm. “Immediately.”

“What happened?” Madam Pomfrey asked, already halfway to her apothecary cabinet.

“He was attacked.” Your heart stuttered, and you almost stepped out into view.

“No!” she gasped.

Professor Snape’s eyes swept over the room, and you ducked back behind the curtain just in time. He said something else you couldn’t hear, and swept back out the door.

You continued to listen intently as Madam Pomfrey prepared the dittany for consumption, and grimaced at the sound of Draco’s incoherent groaning at having to take it. Then, his groaning stopped, and Madam Pomfrey left the hospital wing at a trot.

You took your chance, snuck over to where Draco had been laid, and slipped behind the curtain. He was sleeping now, sort of. But his face had been sliced in several places by something thin and sharp, and the rips in his shirt suggested the same had been done all over his torso. If you had to guess, you’d say he’d been set upon by an unnaturally large bowtruckle.

The dittany seemed to be taking effect quickly, though, and you pulled up a chair to watch as his flesh knit back together over the wounds. You pulled your knees up to your chest and waited, unsure what else to do, but unwilling to return to your own bed.

A clock ticked relentlessly as the minutes passed.

Eventually, the lines marring Draco’s face were only silvery scars, and his eyes fluttered open with a groan. He set his eyes on you and started.

“Sorry!” you blurted, rising from your chair.

He took a shaky breath and sat up. “Merlin’s bloody beard,” he swore, feeling the lines across his cheeks.

“Professor Snape said you’d been attacked.”

“I-“

Before he could answer, a shrill voice wailed down the hallway, “Draco! Don't worry, I’m coming!”

You shared an alarmed look, and as footsteps grew louder just outside, he grabbed your hand and pulled you with him behind the curtain along the wall behind the bed.

The door burst open, and you recognized Pansy Parkinson’s voice as she continued to wail, “Where are you hiding him?”

Madam Pomfrey huffed in behind her. “Please, Miss Parkinson-“

Pansy continued to badger Madam Pomfrey, while you became acutely aware of how close you were standing, looking up at Draco’s face, and the unnerving fact that he had not yet dropped your hand.

He noticed a moment later and released you. With a pleading look, he pressed a finger to his lips and whispered, “Shh.”

You raised your eyebrows at him, but complied. Unsure what to do with your hands, you crossed your arms in front of you. He frowned at your chest; you glanced down, self-conscious. By crossing your arms, the neck of your jumper had puckered. Your bruise was on full display.

His fingertips reached for you, face full of concern, and lightly brushed your skin. You shivered.

“Does that hurt?” he mouthed.

You shook your head.

“What did this?”

The tension in your arms relaxed. “Bludger.”

Pansy and Madam Pomfrey continued to bicker, but you could barely untangle their words amidst the ebb and flow of your pulse that you were sure Draco could hear. There was no denying it, not now that he was here, touching you so casually, gently, even.

His jaw tensed, and his fingertips traced over your collar bone.

You knew you could spend minutes, hours maybe, behind this curtain.

Then, Madam Pomfrey’s tone reached its limit. “Miss Parkinson. Mr. Malfoy is not receiving visitors at the present time. Please, return to your dormitory at once, or I shall have to involve Professor Snape!”

Pansy huffed, and stomped away, declaring, “I know he must want to see me! I’ll be back in the morning, mark my words.” The door slammed shut.

Madam Pomfrey sighed. “You may come out now, both of you. She’s gone.”

Draco followed you out of your hiding place to face Madam Pomfrey, and asked, “How did you know?”

“Please,” she said, waving a hand, “you weren’t in bed, and Miss Y/L/N never came out to observe the spectacle. I am glad you have recovered so quickly, Mr. Malfoy, now kindly lay back down. And Miss Y/L/N, you may return to your own bed for the rest of the night. Do I make myself clear?”

Madam Pomfrey provided Draco with a clean shirt, and put fresh sheets on your bed, grumbling about stew, then locked you in for the night.

Inside your privacy curtains, you couldn’t manage to take more than a few bites of dinner; your stomach squirmed. Once you finished the bread, you gave up, and pulled out your Transfiguration textbook to prepare for your impending O.W.L.

There was a quiet whistling above your bed, and a piece of parchment that had been folded into a bird flapped its paper wings into your lap. You smiled and unfolded it, where Draco had written, “Who was it? Crabbe or Goyle?”

Well, that answered one question. You scribbled back, “Urquhart, actually,” and sent the bird back across the hospital wing.

He sent another bird, which said, “Who won?”

“Who do you think?” you wrote. “It knocked me off my broom, and Summerby’s got butterfingers. Why didn’t you play?”

This time, a thestral alighted on your open textbook. “I was preoccupied, Prefect stuff.”

Now that sounded like a lie if you’d ever heard one, but you didn’t press the issue, and simply replied, “I wish you’d been there.”

Draco didn’t respond for a few moments, during which you considered how difficult it would be to sneak out a window and flee the country. Then, “Me too.”

“Are you gonna tell me what happened to you?”

“I can, but you won’t like it.”

“Why not? Was it someone I know?”

“It was Potter.”

You gasped. “What did you do?”

He tsked from across the room. “Why would you think it was me and not him?”

“Well, was it him?”

“No. I may have attempted to curse him.”

“Draco!” you said aloud, then covered your mouth with your hand. Before you could write a response, a paper dragon appeared that said, “In my defense, he was eavesdropping.”

“And so he sliced you open? I’m sure he didn’t mean to do that. You looked awful.”

“Why is it that you assume the best of him and the worst of me?”

“Am I wrong? And don’t get so jealous, you’re the one-“ You stopped yourself. You’d almost written ‘the one I kissed,’ but neither of you had spoken about it since it happened. “I’m passing notes with like we’re eleven again.”

“Lucky me, and I only have Potter to thank for that.”

You could hear the sarcasm dripping from his voice, and smiled as you wrote back, “And Urquhart. We’ll have to send them fruit baskets.”

“I’ll get right on it.”

“So, who was that? Girlfriend?”

“No. Pansy wishes.”

“Clearly.”

A paper dragonfly flitted around your head. “I should have let you talk about it. I’m going mad trying to figure out what you were going to say.”

“Talk about what?”

“You know what.” Oh, you did. He spelled it out anyway. “The kiss.”

You stifled a groan, and buried your burning cheeks in your blankets, overwhelmingly grateful Draco couldn’t see your face. At least you weren’t the only one still thinking about it. “I’m not sure I knew what I wanted to say then, let alone now,” you wrote back.

“Now now, don’t lie. Tell me.”

“I’ve made an awful mess of things.”

He only responded with a single question mark.

You bit your lip and scribbled, “Well, we’re friends, right?”

“All the evidence seems to suggest it.”

“And friends don’t usually go around snogging each other.”

“I’d hardly call what we did snogging. Was that your first kiss?”

“No! What makes you think that? Was it that bad?”

He snorted, and wrote back, “No, no. Sorry, continue.”

“For goodness sake, you’re really going to make me say it?”

“Y/N. Say what? You’re killing me with the suspense.”

“You’re about to be impossibly smug.”

“Am I?”

You shook the tension out of your hands, preparing yourself for what you had to write. “I kissed you because I wanted to.” Then, much smaller, “I still kind of do.”

You sent the enchanted bird flying with your wand, and pulled your legs against your chest to wait for a response. However he’d respond. But he’d wanted to know. So you’d told him. Merlin’s beard, he was taking a long time to reject you. Or maybe he’d fallen asleep? You padded to the edge of the curtain to peek over, when it was wrenched aside.

“Oh!” you yelped.

Draco had appeared, indeed looking incredibly smug, and without a word slipped an arm around your waist to pull you into him. You melted together as his lips came down upon yours. His mouth tasted like blood and dittany, but you weren’t about to complain.

Then, his wrist brushed a sore point on your bruise and you winched. “Ouch.”

“Sorry,” he mumbled against your lips.

You drew your own hands up his chest, where you must’ve brushed a tender scar, and he hissed.

“Ouch.”

You pulled back and laughed. “Maybe now’s not the best time.”

“I thought you regretted it,” he accused quietly

Still coming out of a bit of shock, cheeks still burning, you looked up at him and asked, “Why would you think that?”

He gave you a look. “You kept apologizing and ran away, what was I supposed to think?”

“Well, why didn’t you tell me?”

“You may recall I kissed you back, I thought that was sufficient given the circumstances. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Herbert may have suggested you’d only been surprised.”

“Herbert should focus on his own feelings for that mu-ggleborn friend of yours. The chaser.”

“Feelings, eh?” you teased, sliding your fingers into his snowy hair.

He rolled his eyes. “Obviously. You’re about to become insufferable aren’t you?”

“No more than you are, I’d bet.”

“Fair enough, now keep your hands where they are. That’s the only part of me that doesn’t hurt.”

The door to the hospital wing banged open once again, and Madam Pomfrey stomped in shouting, “Mr. Malfoy! Are you going to return to your own bed or am I going to have to confine you there?”

Thoroughly chided, you untangled yourselves from each other, apologized to Madam Pomfrey, and retreated to your respective beds.

“Teenagers,” she muttered, before exiting the hospital wing once again.

There was a part of you that felt embarrassed for breaking the rules and being caught, but most of you still crackled with excitement as you tried to stop thinking about what this could mean for you, for Draco, and when you’d get the opportunity to kiss him again.

In the morning, after a night of tossing and turning, Madam Pomfrey came by to check on both of you and pull the curtains back for the day. She gave you a knowing look, and the same one to Draco. It was clear what she meant - she’d be watching for the duration of your stay.

He winked at you from across the room once she went into her office, and you smiled, face burning again. Then he sat up, clearly in pain, and your face fell. You pulled on a pair of slippers and pulled up the chair by his bed.

“Good morning,” he said with a grimace.

“Should I get Madam Pomfrey?”

He shook his head. “No, it’s not so bad when I don’t move. But, listen. Pansy will be back, and if she finds out about this,” he gestured between him and yourself, “she will not hesitate to make your life very difficult.”

“Ah,” you said. “So you’re saying we should keep this a secret.”

“For the time being, I think that’d be best.” You frowned and crossed your arms in front of you, feeling quite small. He saw your expression and clarified, “This will also make my life easier, but it’s ultimately for your benefit. I’d like nothing more than to strut about the castle with you, but…”

You nodded. While he could easily reign in Crabbe, Goyle, and Zabini, anyone else from his house may make themselves a problem for you. Not to mention Ginny, or anyone else you knew who’d been in the D.A., and if that friendship was still salvageable you didn’t want to throw it away.

“Okay then, for now. But if this is going to go anywhere,” you said slowly. Draco’s eyebrow quirked. “We can’t hide forever.”

“I know, just give me a little time to figure something out.”

Quick footsteps approached the hospital wing, and you retreated to your bed just as Pansy burst through the doors for the second time in twenty-four hours. You pulled your curtains shut again, and tried to ignore the jealousy roiling in your gut as you listened to her fawn over him.

Once you had been released from the hospital wing, you threw yourself back into deciphering Castle Fortifications in the Medieval Magic Era, and studying for your O.W.L. exams. The Quidditch Cup went to Gryffindor, again, since Ginny had taken Harry’s place as seeker so the latter could complete a mountain of detentions for cursing Draco.

Donna was the only one who noticed immediately that something had gone on between the two of you, and pestered you until you relented.

She looked at you slyly once you confessed. “Their Quidditch captain has been looking rather green at breakfast. I wonder why.”

You rolled her eyes at her back as she retreated, still smirking, but you couldn’t stop the warmth blossoming in your chest. That Draco’s willingness to punish slights on your behalf made your cheeks heat and stomach flip in such a delicious way was something you resolved never to tell him. It’d go right to his head.

Draco himself had been content to milk the concern you had for his recovery, and once his own stay in the hospital wing drew to a close he insisted on resuming your study sessions in the Room of Requirement. They had, in part, become a welcome opportunity to snog each other, since you’d both agreed you wouldn’t on the stairs, or the great hall, or by the lake, or anywhere else someone could catch you. It was the season for snogging, apparently, and on more than one occasion you’d stumbled into the common room with a grin and swollen lips to find Donna and Wanda curled up together by the fire. Rumor had it, Ginny had recently begun dating none other than Harry Potter, but she hadn’t spoken to you since the night of Slughorn’s Party.

Just as the chill lessened from the spring breeze, every fifth-year received an appointment to meet with their head of house for career planning.

Professor Sprout was pleased to see you, and began by asking about your mum’s garden shop.

“It’s doing well,” you said, sitting in her office, watching an enchanted pair of pruning shears go to work on an overgrown vining plant.

“Good, good. Now then, what would you like to be when you grow up?” her eyes twinkled.

“I know I’d like to do something with magical creatures, but I’m not sure what my options are.”

She waved a hand. “There are reserves for dragons, unicorns and the like all over the world. If you wanted a more administrative role, there’s also the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures with the Ministry. I know dragons are a favorite of yours, and they have an entire team dedicated to their study and conservation.”

You nodded. “That sounds good.”

Professor Sprout began writing. “You’ll want Care of Magical Creatures, of course, and Herbology, History of Magic, and Transfiguration - it’s a good thing you’ve been doing extra studying there, I’ve heard from Minerva that you’ve improved significantly. I wouldn’t worry about Astronomy, Arithmancy, or Potions. But, Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts wouldn’t hurt, especially if you’d like to do any field work.”

You nodded again, all of that had been what you expected. “That sounds doable, Professor.”

“Excellent. Now, is there anything else I can do for you?”

“No, Professor.”

“Well, then back to studying with you!”

You received your exam schedule shortly after, and while Ernie and Wanda both made efforts to encourage you and the other fifth-years, you approached your first with trepidation.

Draco noticed your falling spirits the next time you met him in the Room of Requirement. He frowned at you over a teapot you’d been trying to vanish.

“You’re distracted.”

You tried again, and the teapot turned transparent so you could see the liquid inside. “What gives you that idea?” He gave you a look. “Fine, my Defense Against the Dark Arts exam is in two days. I’ve barely had time to study for it, and we’ve wasted way too much time snogging.”

He tsked. “’Wasted’ she says. I thought Professor Sprout said you didn’t need that one, and you didn’t learn enough from Potter last year?”

Nerves rolled through your shoulders. “I thought I had,” you confessed, “but I just feel rusty. And she said it wouldn’t hurt. I want to do well.”

“Well, alright then.” He waved his wand and the teapot vanished. You rolled your eyes - show off. The room popped, and suddenly instead of a cozy parlor, you stood on a dueling platform. “Show me what you’ve got.”

You grinned and flourished your wand. “Try not to get too sad when I kick your arse.”

He smirked and raised his eyebrow at you. “In your dreams. Do you know how to duel?”

You bowed low, wand upright at your face. He returned the gesture, and you both settled into a dueling stance.

Before you had a moment to remember you should have a plan, he cast the Disarming charm wordlessly.

“P-Protego!” you stuttered out at the last moment, and countered, “Expelliarmus!”

Draco swelled, pleased, but he was anything but deterred, and continued to outmatch you. He deflected your attack with a wave of his wand.

“Well this isn’t fair,” you remarked. “We haven’t gotten to wordless magic yet.”

“You could give it a try now.”

“Isn’t that dangerous?”

“Of course, that’s what makes it fun,” he quipped with a wink.

You laughed, and his distraction worked. Before you understood what was happening, your wand was plucked from your hand by an invisible force and you landed a few feet backwards on your behind.

Draco laughed as he caught your wand. “Point mine.”

Well, that had been impressive. Despite all your bravado, you’d expected to lose, but maybe not quite so decisively. He offered you a hand and pulled you to your feet.

“Let’s go again.”

All told, your O.W.L. examinations had gone about how you’d expected them to. You didn’t hold out much hope for Astronomy, but all of your Transfigurations succeeded within the three attempt limit, and your full bodied wolf patronus served to impress the evaluators for Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Which left you with one more problem to solve - the common room. Try as you might, Draco was still being incredibly tight lipped about the whole thing, and you still hadn’t determined how to hide an effective trap in plain sight.

The common room had emptied for the night, and you sat slouched over the great cherry wood table, listening to the roaring fire, watching the candle light get lower and lower as the wax melted. Wilbur curled himself into your lap, and purred contentedly. Idly, you swirled your wand, making the flames undulate.

Then, an idea came to you.

You waved your wand again, and the flames hopped off their wicks and swirled together, spiraling up and up, until pop! A little ball of fire exploded.

Alright, this could work. You lit the candles again and prepared to cast the spell. A simple version should do, just to test it out. Wilbur sniffed and tossed his tail in annoyance when you removed him from your lap, then slunk off to wait for you in bed.

You repeated the incantation over the candle, then over the door to the common room. When you swung it open, the magic triggered, and the candle flared. You ducked just as a bolt of candle light hissed over your head and splattered on the stone wall in the hall. Finally, you were getting somewhere.

Summer term was drawing to a close, and you’d taken to spending most of your evenings in the Room of Requirement. Draco had his head in your lap while you read in companionable silence. The Room had taken its usual shape as a parlor, but the armchairs had slowly been replaced by cushioned benches, and eventually the plushy couches you lounged on now. The fireplace across from you burned low, since the castle had warmed significantly in the summer.

Draco had given up pretending to read, and splayed his book open on his chest. His eyes were closed, and even though he looked more disheveled than usual, his tie loose and off center, the sunken look of them had lessened in the last week. Disheveled wasn’t the right word, he looked like he’d finally gotten a full night’s sleep. The corners of his mouth quirked up.

“So,” he said, eyes still closed, “who was your first kiss then? Should I be jealous?”

You continued reading. “Justin Finch-Fletchley.” Draco snorted. “I went with him to the Yule Ball, we kissed, then I started laughing, and we’ve not spoken about it since.”

“Y/N,” he groaned, smirking, and clutched his chest like you’d wounded him. “You eviscerated him. What is a man without his pride?”

You snapped your book shut. “Oh, like you wouldn’t have brushed it off and been flirting with someone else within the hour.”

He sat up. “Did he do that?”

Your cheeks heated, and you reopened your book. “Maybe.”

Cold silver pressed against your chin as he turned your face towards him. His storm grey eyes bore into you as he said, matter-of-fact, “I would have faked my death and fled the country.”

His eyes held you in a trance with the sincerity of his words. Then, a slow smile crept across your face. “No, you wouldn’t have. You’d have been sulking quietly, plotting your revenge.”

He barked a laugh. “You’re right.” He shifted to throw his right arm over your shoulders. “I wish I’d known you back then. We could’ve gone together instead.”

“We wouldn’t have gone to anything together; you didn’t even like me when we met.”

“I didn’t like anyone when we met,” he corrected. “There’s a difference.”

“Yeah, yeah, ok. There should be another dance next year, think we’ll still be hiding then?”

He frowned and took a deep breath. “I don’t think I’m coming back next year.”

You sat up, out of his grasp, and turned to him. “What? Why not?”

He shifted uncomfortably under your stare. “I won’t need to take any N.E.W.T.s, and… well.”

You were afraid of the answer, but you asked anyway, “What does that mean for us, then?”

“I don’t know,” he said softly, fingers lifting your chin. “It’ll be your sixth year, you’ll be busy.”

“Ah, so it’s my fault then?”

“No,” he snapped, then deflated slightly, desperation creeping into his voice, “but, I’m trying to be realistic here. It’ll be even more difficult to see each other once I’ve left Hogwarts.” You crossed your arms. He had a point. His mouth quirked into a half smile. “Now, don’t tell me you’d wait for me.”

“Would you wait for me?”

He shrugged. “If you asked nicely.”

You took both his hands. “Let’s wait then. What’s one more year?”

He raised his eyebrows at you, pulling you in. “That wasn’t asking.”

You grinned. “No, it wasn’t,” you said before putting your lips on his.

He hummed and sucked your bottom lip into his mouth. Heat ignited between you, and you drew your hands up his arms, aiming for his neck, when your fingers brushed over his forearms and he jerked away from you.

He leapt from the couch, barely avoiding the low table between it and the fireplace.

You reached for him instinctively. “Did I hit a scar? I thought they’d all healed.”

“No, no,” he said, shaky.

“Let me see.”

“No,” he said forcefully.

You leaned away from him, surprised, “But, Draco if you’re still hurt you should see Madam Pomfrey.”

“Drop it, Y/N.”

Something in your gut twisted, and you asked, “Why?”

“Why?”

“Why?” you repeated. He blinked at you, anger mixed with something else knitting his eyebrows together. “Why won’t you show me your arm?” You stood, noting with frustration he stood between you and the door. But not between you and your wand.

He tracked the movements of your eyes and sighed. “Go ahead.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re going to want it. Your wand.”

Your eyebrows narrowed, and you angled towards your bag, plucking your wand from where it stuck out of the top. As Draco rolled up his left sleeve, you felt your stomach fall to your feet.

A dark tattoo had been branded into his pale skin. A Dark Mark.

Your pulse pounded in your ears, and you raised your wand.

Draco’s hands came up in surrender. He spoke calmly, “I didn’t mean for you to find out this way.”

You laughed mirthlessly, “So you planned to tell me, then? Are you planning to tell Dumbledore?”

“No, and you can’t either.”

“Why not? You have to know, if you let me live, that’s where I’m going.”

“Y/N, I’m not going to hurt you. Just listen-“

“Did you curse Katie Bell?”

“Huh?”

“Did you. Curse. Katie Bell?”

He waffled. “Technically.”

“Shit. I defended you, you arsehole! And now Ginny won’t even speak to me.”

“You’re better off without that Weasley anyway.”

You stamped your foot, furious. “She’s my friend! At least, she was, before you had to go cursing people!”

“I know how it looks, but I have only been trying to keep you safe.”

You blinked. “’Keep me safe’? You are a Death Eater. You are what I need to be kept safe from!”

“I know, I know, just. Will you stop talking and listen to me, please?”

The Room around you faded quickly, torn between your need to escape and Draco’s need to keep you here, and soon it became a void of white walls, a white floor, and a single door behind Draco’s back. The absence of the fireplace set you to shivering, and your breath came in short bursts as you reeled. He was unarmed, you could take him. Until he got his hands on his wand, which he would, and then you were done for.

You cursed your own stupidity over and over. That you’d let him touch you, kiss you, into your home, where you’d unleashed him on everyone you loved. Who all remained suspiciously uncursed and alive. Unless he’d placed them under the Imperious Curse.

You lowered your wand an inch. “Start talking,” you said coldly.

“He has my mother.”

“Who?”

“Who do you think?”

“Oh. I thought she-“

He shook his head. “Once my father was thrown in Azkaban, the Dark Lord saw his opportunity, and he took it.” He laughed bitterly. “All this time, the Ministry’s been hunting for him, and he’s been right under their noses.”

“At Malfoy Manor.” He nodded. “And without your father there…”

“He’s as bad as a rabid dog. He bites anything that moves, friend or foe.”

“The peacock feather?”

“A reminder of the cost of disobedience,” he spat. “I’ve been given a task I’m meant to fail, punishment for my father’s shortcomings. But I’m not going to fail.”

“Dumbledore could help you.”

He gave you a look. “I’ve taken every opportunity, given him every hint I could think, and the old man hasn’t spoken to me once. Dumbledore can’t save me.” His brow softened into something like sadness. “Neither can you. But I can keep you out of the crossfire, and I plan to.”

“What have you done?”

He shook his head. “You know I can’t tell you.”

“You asked me to fortify the common room, you’ve known what’s coming this whole time because you bring it with you, is that it?”

“Yes. I know you think you can’t trust me, but you can.”

“Just tell me, and it’d better be the truth, whose side you’re on.”

He stepped towards you, hands still up. “I am on your side. I will be on whichever side I need to be to get us both out of this mess alive.”

“I’ll need you to prove it.”

He nodded. “Anything.”

You poked your head into the common room. Yvette looked up from her place on the sofa where she’d been polishing the handle of her broomstick. She quirked an eyebrow at you. You waved her over.

“What?” she whispered.

“Can you get everyone out of the common room but us?”

“Uh,” she waffled, scanning over the groups of second and first years trading chocolate frog cards and playing gobstones. “Sure, give me a sec.” She approached the first group. “Oi! Go enjoy the sunshine you loafers, yeah I’m talking to you, get lost!” They filed out of the common room past you and where Draco had hidden himself in the shadows beside the casks.

Herbert looked up quizzically as you came in, Draco just behind.

“Hey, Malfoy,” he said slowly. “What’s up with you two?”

“Don’t freak out.”

“That’s usually what people say right before they do something that makes me want to freak out.”

“Yeah, I know.” You pointed at the fireplace. “Draco, if you would.”

You readied your wand. You’d have to time this right.

As he rolled up his sleeve, Herbert’s eyes narrowed. He moved protectively towards Yvette.

You looked at him and said, firm, “I know what I’m doing.”

Donna and Yvette shared a look, but said nothing as you cast the spell on the fireplace, then on the Dark Mark, then on the door. When you uttered the last incantation, and the spell was fully cast, the fireplace undulated as if from a strong wind.

“Time to go,” Draco said, yanking his sleeve back down. You followed him out of the common room quickly, before the spell could loose a fireball. “Be ready, be safe, don’t leave the common room more than you have to.”

You nodded. “Don’t do anything too stupid.”

He smirked, then pecked your cheek before disappearing down the hallway.

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@k1tk4tkatsuki

@sleeplessskeleton

Copper moved silently through the halls of Dealer’s base, doing his best to put together a map of the facility while keeping his eyes and ears peeled for any sign of trouble.  He carefully poked into a few rooms, finding nothing of particular interest in any of them. Thus far, he’d yet to encounter even the slightest resistance…and that struck him as odd.

This place is a ghost town.  I remember Ace saying there were only a handful of operatives left, but I still expected more Wizards and viruses.  Did they really use all of them up in the recent attacks? And if they’re that willing to throw their forces away, then—

“I thought I sensed something over here…”

Copper started.  He quickly sank into the floor as footsteps drew closer, barely making it underground as someone rounded the corner.  It was Jack who appeared.

What?!  What’s he doing here?

Jack glanced about the hallway.  Tia stepped out behind him, saying, “Focus, Jack.”

With some reluctance, Jack followed her, and Copper relaxed just a little.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Jack said as they moved on.  “Finally we’re putting an end to this farce!  I was sick of waiting.”

“I told you: we would not be able to defeat Joker.  We must let WAZA handle him while we claim the Crimson.”

They quickly moved out of earshot.  Copper thought, So they’re here after all.  It still doesn’t sound like they’ll be an obstacle, but we can’t be too careful.

“Plesio,” he murmured.  “Let the others know that Jack and Queen Tia are here pursuing their own objectives. I doubt they’ll cause trouble for us unless we engage them, so I suggest giving them a wide berth.”

The PM-ian set about composing the message.  Copper moved forward slowly, considering his next move.

That being said…if I can successfully tail them, I’d be able to make sure they don’t cause a problem.

He paused at a branch.

Well, the way they came from probably doesn’t have anything worth investigating.

Keeping his head underground, Copper headed in the same direction Jack and Tia had gone, hoping it was the right decision.

***

Freezing cold permeated the entire room.  Missiles flew about at random, and the floor shook sporadically under the heavy footsteps of Strong; several tanks of Crimson had now been broken open by stray attacks, leaving small clouds of the stuff to float about freely.  Pat took a deep breath as he did his best to stay calm.

“You alright bro?” Rey asked, standing in front of him with his arm transformed into a shield.

“Yeah, I’ll manage.”  Pat steeled himself.  “Let’s give it another try!”

The two of them ran forward, Pat hurling a series of lightning bolts as he went. Up ahead, Ice wove between the blasts and summoned two large chunks of ice, sending them out to meet the boys. Rey reinforced his weapon arm to punch through one of them.  Pat slid underneath the other, and then resumed his attack.  Ice was still too fast for him to hit.  Hyde suddenly appeared in front of her to swing his cane—she narrowly spun around the attack, doing her best to stay on the edge of Pat’s range as she did, and Rey took the opportunity to fire a rocket punch. Finally, they hit her.

“Yes!” Rey exclaimed, rushing forward in excitement.  “Take that, you—“

Ice darted straight at him.  Rey tried to dodge, but the floor was too slick for him to get his footing.  Skates kicked him in the face, knocking him flat; Hyde summoned a shadowy hand to try to grab their foe before she got away, but she slipped right through his fingers.  Pat nearly hit her, a snowflake spawning between them just in time.  He dodged the icy wind as best he could, falling down in the process.  As Pat started to get up, Rey suddenly jumped forward and pushed him back down, keeping them both low as Ice swung a massive hammer in a wide arc.

“Ah, thanks,” Pat said.  “I thought this was going to be easy…”

“And are you going to let a little challenge discourage you?” Gemini asked. “Get to it.”

“Shut up,” Rey said.  “We don’t need you to tell us that!”

Hyde worked to keep Ice distracted, constantly moving and throwing his hat in her path to keep her boxed in.  Levitating above the ground, he remained unaffected by the hazardous conditions that had been laid down, yet still he was finding keeping up with Ice to be a difficult task.  As Ice dodged his next attack, she skated up a wall that had frozen over and leapt through the air towards Hyde, generating three icebergs around herself as she came crashing down.  Hyde dodged back, and was pushed away when the icebergs spiraled outward.  Ice tracked him but couldn’t chase—Pat and Rey had moved in with their swords ready, so she rolled back and onto her hands. Kicking out with her legs, Ice swung her skates to deflect both swords before flipping back upright and clapping her hands together.  The icebergs were pulled back in at her command.  Pat avoided them, but Rey was blindsided and sent flying through the air. Ice grinned…until a bolt of lightning arced around her defenses to strike her.

Rey ultimately collided with Spade Magnes, unknowingly stunning the Wizard and giving Dubius the chance he needed to pelt him with precise feather bullets. Wolfe ducked in quickly to pick the boy up and get him clear, and then slashed the air to send a cutting shockwave at Magnes.  With a roar, Magnes fired a series of missiles at the two of them while charging headlong at Dubius, but a line of Libra’s weights materialized to block the projectiles.

“You alright, Rey?” Shepar asked from nearby.

“Fine,” Rey snarled, “but what about Pat?!”

He looked back to see Pat still locked in combat with Ice, swinging his sword over and over as she continued to spin around and parry his blows with careful kicks of her skates.  Rey was about to charge in when Hyde suddenly appeared and swatted Ice away.  Pat looked over at him with a grin.

“I’m fine, Rey!” he said.  “See if they need help while you’re there!”

Groaning, Rey glanced back at Magnes.  Dubius and Wolfe had summoned a small group of ducks and wolves to charge their enemy, who shot one red missile forward before swinging his sword of the same color.  An energy field spawned from the missile, engulfing the lackeys, and when the sword was swung the entire group was sent flying back at Dubius and Wolfe by a powerful repulsive force.  Magnes transformed his body into a rocket and launched himself at the two of them. More weights blocked him, and as he transformed back, Shepar switched places with one of them and spun himself into a spiral of fire and water, catching Magnes by surprise.  It didn’t last long, however: the Wizard swung at Shepar’s arms, keeping him from attacking, and managed to push him back a bit. A rocket punch from Rey knocked him out of it.

“That’s all the help you’re getting!” the boy called as he bounded back towards Pat.

Shepar switched places with a nearby weight to buy enough time to charge one scale with fire.  He smacked Magnes with it, and then enlarged the other to serve as a shield when the Wizard counterattacked.  Dubius flipped over the weights to land a diving kick, and Wolfe wasn’t far behind, though the blow he dealt with his claws didn’t seem to do much.  A cluster of missiles came their way—Dubius scattered them with a gust, and then Shepar extended the cords of his arm to smack Magnes again before all three retreated.

“What’s the matter with you?” Wolf asked.

“Nothing,” Wolfe said.

“Nothing?  You barely scratched that guy.”

“It’s nothing.”

Wolfe pressed himself against the floor as Magnes shot by overhead.  While he was still in rocket form, Dubius rammed into him from the side to send him careening straight into one of Shepar’s weights.  Wolfe got up and ran at his dazed target, delivering a shallow cut, but his follow-up came slow enough that Magnes was able to catch it on his sword.  Magnes slashed Wolf and immediately repelled him. He then attracted a magnetized weight to his arm, spun it around, and repelled it with such force that it buried itself deep in the wall; only the timely intervention of Dubius enabled Wolfe to avoid it.

“If you’re gonna hold back, then what’s the point of us even being here?” Wolf asked.

As he set Wolfe down, Dubius asked, “Um…are you alright, Damian?”

“Fine,” Wolfe said, running past him without another word.

Dubius prepared to follow, but Cygnus said, “Tom, on your left!”

Three small whirlwinds of Crimson were moving towards him.  Dubius quickly spun around with his wings outstretched, generating his own whirlwinds to counteract the intruders, and then watched as the Crimson gradually settled in place.

“We really need a way to clean this stuff up,” he murmured, glancing past the cloud to see Strong raising his club.

Amy bounded to the side to avoid the weapon, and then up onto Strong’s shoulder, kicking him in the side of the head.  She hung on tightly as he tried to shake her off, and looked down to see Kidd throwing Claude up with all his might.  The boy enlarged his claw as much as he could so that when he connected with Strong’s jaw, it actually stunned him for a moment—seeing her chance, Amy beat her fist against Strong to call down an avalanche that knocked him off balance. Kidd fired a barrage of energy blasts while Claude shot a stream of water at the same point, and together they managed to send Strong toppling over with a mighty crash.

“Take that!” Claude cheered.  “This guy may look like Strong, but he ain’t so tough!”

“Nice job!” Amy said.  “Now let’s see if we can keep him down!”

Strong waved his arm blindly as they continued to pelt him with attacks. None of them damaged him all that much, but together they proved enough of a nuisance that he was unable to get back to his feet.  Eventually his fingers closed around a small cloud of Crimson.  With a bellow, he smashed it into the floor, and it exploded into a radial burst of Noise shrapnel that hit all three of his opponents. They stumbled back, waiting for the stinging pain to die down, as Strong rose up once more.

“Owowow,” Claude grumbled.  “Great, back to square one…”

Kidd took a step forward, saying, “I shall draw his attention this time.”

“Huh?  You sure about that?”

“Absolutely.  You and Amy wait for an opportunity to restrain him.”

Kidd ran at Strong.  The lumbering Wizard spat out several acorns to impede him, but they barely even slowed Kidd down.  As he drew near, he began creating doppelgangers in a trail behind himself—when Strong swung his club, they all evaded and grouped together.  When they separated, Strong was no longer sure which was the real target.

“I’m ready,” Amy said as she slid up next to Claude.  “Just tell me as soon as you are.”

Claude snapped his pincers anxiously as he watched Kidd circle around Strong.  One of the doppelgangers leapt high and shot an energy blast, its form looking far less solid once it did.  Strong destroyed it with his club, and then Kidd and his other doppelgangers leapt in, hitting Strong all over his body before he could pull back from the swing. Grunting, he waved his arm, but accomplished little.  Strong raised both hands above his head, shouted, and then slammed them both down, fragmenting the ground around him, destroying Kidd’s doppelgangers, and sending the real one flying a short distance away.

Claude winced, but threw his arms up and said, “Now!”

A great tidal wave came up from the floor.  At the same time, Amy reached out and exuded as much cold as she could muster. The wall of water was part-way through breaking over its target when it froze completely, leaving the majority of Strong’s body trapped in an enormous block of ice.

“Whew,” Amy sighed.  “Hopefully this’ll hold…”

Claude yelled and ran at Strong, throwing one of his claws to punch him in the face.  He alternated his left and right as he continued, and soon Kidd was at his side, adding quick blasts between the punches.

“Take this!” Claude said.  “And that! We ain’t afraid of you, right Kidd?”

“Not at all!” Kidd said.  “We will not allow this monster to continue disgracing Lord Strong!”

Amy chuckled.  “Maybe I should leave it to them.”

“Beg pardon miss,” called Hyde, “but if you are not busy we could use your assistance!”

Amy turned to see Pat and Rey frozen while Hyde desperately fended off Ice by himself.  Sliding over, she collided into Ice shoulder-first, sending her crashing into the wall.  Ice immediately sent out an iceberg, but it was pulled into a snowball Amy rolled and returned back to its maker.  Amy turned to say something and frowned: cracks were already spreading across Strong’s prison.

“What do we try next?” Yeti asked.  “That guy’s defenses aren’t gonna be easy to bust through.”

“Sort of wishing Bud was here after all,” Amy mumbled.

Hyde tugged on the brim of his hat and tapped his cane against the floor. “Not to worry, miss.  The curtain is about to rise on a scene that I think you will find most thrilling.  Heh, heh, heh…”

Pat and Rey finally managed to free themselves at about the same time Ice did. They took up fighting stances as the Wizard looked around in a rage, but rather than take them on, she darted off in the opposite direction.

“No you don’t!” Rey said, raising his arm.

“Wait a second!” Pat said.  “Look at Hyde!”

Rey glanced his way—the man was grinning to himself, watching Ice make her way over towards Strong.  The immense Wizard shattered the remains of his cage and smashed the ground with his club, narrowly missing Kidd and Claude.  He pulled back for another swing, only to find two large icebergs crashing into his shins.  Turning, he saw Diamond Ice skating right at him, and tilted his head in confusion. Ice wasted no time in generating a massive hammer and bludgeoning him in the face with it.

“Huh,” Rey said, “guess that works…”

“If they’ve got that handled, let’s help the others,” Pat suggested.

“You sure you don’t need to rest?”

Gemini scoffed.  “Show some initiative, boy.  Lazing about in the midst of battle is hardly what I’d call productive.”

Pat was off before Rey could respond, so he just followed quietly. Dubius was currently driving Magnes back with a series of kicks—the Wizard evaded each one, sending missiles out at random while he waited for an opening.  When he did make a swing, Dubius crossed his arms to block, and Magnes smirked and readied his second blade.  Dubius just narrowed his eyes, and the tip of his hat suddenly sharpened into a fine point that extended forward, piercing Magnes’s helmet and interrupting his attack.  A swift kick to the chest sent him reeling.  That was when Pat and Rey dropped down on either side of him and attacked with their own blades.

“You two?” Wolfe asked.  “What about…”

He turned to see Ice assisting in the fight against Club.  Before he could ask, a mighty roar from Magnes prompted him to return his attention to more pressing concerns.  Magnes retaliated ferociously, Pat and Rey only barely able to parry, and then he leapt backwards and exerted his power.  Pat and Rey’s weapon arms were drawn together by magnetism. Rey laughed as they blasted Magnes with Gemini Thunder.

“Heh,” Wolf said, “maybe they don’t need us after all.  Good thing, since you weren’t much help anyway.”

Wolfe scowled.  Shepar approached him then, asking, “Damian, what’s going on?  If you don’t mind me saying, you don’t seem to be giving it your all.”

Quietly, he replied, “It’s…Magnes.  I know it isn’t really him, but…it’s a Wizard I know.  A harmless school Wizard.”  He looked at his claws.  “I spent a long time learning to control myself so I wouldn’t hurt innocent people.  Guess part of me can’t help but think that’s what I’m doing now.”

“I see.  Then in that case, you’d better leave this to us.”

Wolfe looked up.  “I appreciate that, Mitch, but I can’t.  You and Tom are still new to this—Pat and Rey too.  I can’t just turn tail and leave you all to fend for yourself.  You guys need my help.”

Shepar nodded.  “So then…you’ll fight Magnes to keep the rest of us safe?”

After a short delay, Wolfe sighed.  “Yeesh, it’s really that simple, huh?  Gosh, I’m an idiot.”

“Haha, we all need a little push every now and then.  Just focus on who you’re defending, not who you’re fighting. You can do this.”

“Right.  Thanks, Mitch.”

Wolfe turned to Magnes.  Pat, Rey, and Dubius had him surrounded, but his attacks were too wild for them to land a solid hit.  Wolfe lengthened his claws and glanced at Shepar.

“You mind?” he asked.

“Not at all.”

A weight appeared over Magnes.  He realized in time to jump away, and that was when Wolfe pounced.  Before Magnes even saw him, he dealt a blow that threw him up against the side of the now-grounded weight, and then followed up with several more claw slashes before Magnes finally got in a lucky shot.  Magnes switched to his rocket form to escape, weaving through weights as he did; Pat used precise lightning blasts to limit his running space even further, and Dubius swooped down from above to send him straight towards the ground.  Rey was waiting with his arm in the shape of a hammer.  He smacked Magnes so hard he went flying off to the other side of the room, where Strong’s club accidentally hit him dead-on, and he was ultimately launched straight into Ice, leaving the two of them in a tangled heap.

“Good job, kids,” Wolfe said.  “Come on, let’s keep on him!”

Pat chuckled.  “Whatever you say, Mr. Wolfe!”

Strong was vaguely aware of Magnes, but didn’t have time to do much about it. A tidal wave nearly knocked his club from his hand, and as he was struggling to keep hold, Kidd dealt a pinpoint blow to his opposite shoulder.  Strong’s arm went limp for a moment, leaving him even less able to defend himself.  He roared in frustration as the attacks just kept coming.

Nearby, Hyde turned to see Pat, Rey, and the others chasing after Magnes, greeting, “Well…bang-up job, I suppose.  But, there is a slight complication…”

Ice threw Magnes off and leapt to her feet.  Her eyes were burning with fury, and they were now fixed squarely on Hyde. Pat acted fast: he generated a few dozen orbs of lightning that hung low to the ground, and they all gradually moved in on Ice’s location.  Wolfe extended his claws to try swipe at her from afar, but she ducked and put both hands on the floor, willing sharp icicles to jut up all around her and offer some defense against the minefield closing in on her.  Shepar shot a fireball to obliterate them instantly.

Magnes was back up now, looking worse for wear but not defeated yet.  He roared weakly, and then fired a barrage of missiles that absorbed the lightning orbs Pat had made and forcing him and his allies to scatter.  Ice rushed forward at the chance.  Pat shot a rocket punch, but she generated a snowflake in her hand to block it and then rammed into him with it.  He slid across the ground, barely noticing Magnes fly by overhead, but his attention was drawn to Ice, who was rearing back with another hammer.  Pat’s eyes widened.  He scrambled futilely to get up off the slick floor, and braced himself as Ice swung down.  At the last second, Rey dove in and pushed him out of the way.  The hammer struck his brother with enough force that the ground beneath him cracked, drawing a quick shout of pain from him before the strength completely drained from his body.

“Rey!” he shouted, finally rolling back up on his feet.  “Rey, are you okay?!”

Shepar dropped a weight to snap the hammer in two.  Moving towards Ice, he shouted, “Hey, over here!”

As he forced Ice back with a shower of fireballs, Pat ran over to Rey, who lay sprawled out on the floor with his teeth clenched.  “Rey…!”

“Heh…sorry, Pat,” Rey said.  “I’m…not so sure…I can move…”

“Not only that, we’ve lost quite a lot of energy from all the hits you’ve been taking,” Gemini said.  “We may not be able to maintain Wave Change much longer.”

Panic began to swell in Pat’s chest.  “Well…what do we do?  What are we going to do, Rey?!”

“Calm down,” Gemini said.  “I will be able to conserve energy if I gather it into one form—dismissing Rey’s body will allow me to focus my power upon maintaining Wave Change with you. And, mangled as he is, it’s the better idea anyway.”

“What?!  But I need Rey!  I can’t do this without him!  There has to be another way, I—“

“Hey,” Rey said, slowly reaching up.  “Pat…c’mere.”

Pat took Rey’s hand, leaning down to listen.

“It’s gonna be…okay.  I’m not…gonna be much help…in this state…I gotta rest…regain my energy…so I’m sorry…but you’re gonna need to finish this…without me.”

“But…I still need you, Rey!  I’m not ready to do this myself!”

Rey grinned.  “I’m not gonna be gone forever…I’m always here for you, whenever you need me.  Thing is…right now?  You don’t need me, bro.”

Pat shook his head.  “Rey, I…”

“I know…you can do it.  You’ve gotten…so strong, Pat…and you’ve got plenty of others watching your back too. I…I trust them.  And I know that you can do this…without me.”  He cringed as his body spasmed, but then chuckled. “’Sides…even if I’m not out here…I’ll always be a part of you.  You’re never really alone, Pat.  So…go get ‘em.”

Rey tightened his grip.  In a flash, his form vanished, and then Pat’s right arm began to glow.  A second later, it was encased in the same gold metal as his left, but rather than a + on the shoulder, it bore a – symbol.  He gently grabbed the arm, and bit his lip.

“…Right.  You’re still with me, Rey.  And right now, you need me to protect you.  So…I’ll take the lead this time.”

Pat turned around.  Shepar and Hyde were holding off Ice—they weren’t having much luck hitting her, but Hyde was similarly evading her attacks, while Shepar took very little damage thanks to his armor.

“How dramatic,” Gemini said.  “If you’re quite done, then—“

“Shut up, Gemini.”

The FM-ian was taken aback.  However, he said nothing more.  Pat headed off across the icy floor, raising his right arm and firing each of its fingers individually while his left crackled with electricity.  Ice dodged the projectiles and skated towards him. As his fingers regenerated, Pat hurled a lightning blast; Ice easily avoided it and sent out an iceberg, circling around to keep an eye on her target.  Turning his arm into a clawed gauntlet, Pat jumped and clung to the iceberg, firing more lightning bolts to keep Ice on her toes.  Hyde and Shepar had caught up now to assist him, and together they boxed Ice in.  Pat leapt off the iceberg and formed his arm into a drill, pushing Ice back as he created another electric orb behind her—she was stunned, allowing him to knock her back with a hammer.  Ice quickly jumped up and cut him with her skates, but stumbled when she came back down. Both Pat’s hands crackled.

“This is for Rey!” he said, clapping them together.  “Gemini Thunder!”

He opened his palms and thrust them forward.  A spiraling torrent of lightning poured forth, colliding headfirst with Ice and tearing her body into shreds of Noise near-instantly.  Pat let out a long breath before smiling.

“Hm…well done,” Gemini said.  “You truly have improved.”

Pat nodded.  “Thanks. But we’re not done just yet.”

Meanwhile, Dubius and Wolfe had continued to beat down a rapidly-weakening Magnes, one of his arms now completely severed as he floated back cautiously.  He fired a missile that exploded into an energy field, allowing him to repel the both of them, but not before they summoned a handful of minions just beyond the field’s limits to keep him occupied.

“Hey, Tom,” Wolfe said.  “Whaddaya say we finish this guy so we can move onto the big one?”

Tom chuckled nervously.  “Ah, well…sure.  Why not?”

Magnes looked up to see Wolfe extending his claws across the room. They pierced him like a group of spears, pinning him to the wall, and he flailed his remaining arm against them as Dubius danced towards him.  Magnes managed to cut through one of the claws, but that was all he could do before Dubius smashed his head into the wall with a kick.  A few seconds later, his body too disintegrated into Noise.

Everyone’s attention was now on Strong.  He surveyed the room, realizing that his allies were down, and scowled. After enduring a few more hits, he clenched his fists and shouted—slowly, all the Crimson in the room converged on him, soaking into his body until none of it remained.  A red glow enveloped Strong, and he glared down at his foes with new malice.

Shepar was quick to act, peppering Strong with fireballs.  Wolfe ran forward to swipe his claws through one of them, lighting them before slashing at Strong’s chest, but even that only stopped Strong for a second.  He swung his club, and a massive tornado moved forward to toss everyone about. Opening his mouth, he began spitting out acorns, and each one exploded as soon as they hit something, causing even more damage to the room.  One of Hyde’s shadow hands reached out from the wall and grabbed Strong’s club—it tried to wrest the weapon away from him, but it was no use.  Strong simply ripped it free and bashed it against the floor, sending cracks shooting all across it.

“Uh-oh,” Cancer said.  “This is really, really bad!  We could barely touch this guy before, and now…”

Claude gritted his teeth.  “I know…but we can’t give up!  He’s taken a lot of damage already, we just gotta keep pushing until he finally breaks, no matter how much it takes!  We’re not running away this time, right Kidd?”

Kidd nodded.  “…I do believe a change of strategy is in order, however.  Allow me a moment to gather my energy.”

Claude turned to him and, after a short delay, said, “Wait, are you gonna try that new technique?  Are you sure about that?”

“Perhaps not sure, but I have decided.  That is, if you agree, Goat?”

“I do,” Goat said.  “Claude is right: we must do whatever it takes.”

“…Alright then,” Claude said.  “I’ll make sure you have all the time you need!”

Kidd smiled, and then closed his eyes and breathed deeply.  Claude turned back around to see how the others were doing: Amy was pelting Strong with snowballs while Dubius flitted around his head battering him with feathers, and Hyde, Wolfe, and Pat hacked away at his ankles. Shepar alternated fire and water blasts as he slowly circled the field, dropping a weight on Strong’s head when he saw a chance.  Strong spat an explosive acorn at him, but he had already switched places, and spun himself into a whirlwind right on Strong’s back.  With a heave, Strong threw himself back into a wall, smashing Shepar into it, and then summoned another tornado that swept up Dubius.  Strong peeled Shepar off the wall and threw him across the room—Shepar was barely able to switch places with another weight, ending up safe on the ground while he caught his breath.

“Can you put him in an illusion?” Pat asked, carefully avoiding Strong’s swing.

“Unfortunately,” Hyde said, “I put so much energy into Miss Ice’s show that the budget won’t allow for another performance.  Dreadfully sorry about that.”

Wolfe lengthened his claws and swung them upward, slashing Strong’s chin. The Wizard responded by kicking him, putting him in the opposite wall.  Pat distracted him with a wall of lightning bolts as Amy came closer, Hyde offering what help he could; Amy tried freezing Strong’s damaged shoulder, but he whipped around as soon as he felt a chill, dealing a powerful hit that sent her flying.  Strong swatted at Pat, but Hyde managed to get him away in time.  That was when Strong finally noticed Claude and Kidd. He spat an acorn at them, but Claude acted quickly, catching it in a bubble before it exploded.

“You kids need to move!” Shepar shouted.

“He can’t!” Claude said.  “He’s focusing his power for a last-ditch move right now!  I gotta keep him safe so he can finish!”

Shepar grunted.  Strong was rearing back, so he focused on the space in front of Claude and dropped a few dozen weights as fast as he could.  Just as he finished, Strong threw a hundred punches, releasing a hundred precise shockwaves that battered against the barrier and slowly but surely rattled it apart.  Still, not a single hit reached Claude.  Strong prepared to fix that just as Dubius kicked a clawed foot into his eye.

“Thanks, mister!” Claude said.

Shepar rolled over to them, asking, “How much more time does he need?”

Claude looked back at Kidd: a subtle glow was emanating from him.  “He should be close…just a little more time!”

Wolfe and Hyde were back in the fight.  Amy shook her head before limping over, and noticed the pile of dented weights lying around.  She grinned.

“Hey,” she called, forming a snowball, “heads-up!”

With a push, the snowball went rolling into the pile of debris, absorbing them all to grow far larger.  It rolled to a stop, now looking a bit too heavy to be thrown, so instead Claude slammed his pincers into the floor to summon a tidal wave, the wall of water picking up the snowball and carrying it forward to break over Strong.  The Wizard was stunned—even more so once Pat fired off a Gemini Thunder, using the snow around him to strengthen the effect. Claude looked back again to see Kidd’s eyes open.

“I’m ready,” Kidd said.  “Here we go…”

The glow surrounding him grew brighter.  Gradually, Kidd began to increase in size, growing until he was about the same height as Strong and then taking a moment to exhale.  Strong immediately took notice and grunted at him.

“This ends now!”

Kidd lunged and bashed Strong in the chest before he had time to react. The Wizard was slammed back against the wall, nearly breaking through it, and watched wide-eyed as Kidd pressed his advantage.  After taking another punch, Strong managed to catch Kidd’s fist in his hand—he twisted the boy’s arm, giving him time to kick him back, but Kidd rolled up onto his feet and right back into his stance.  Strong jumped forward to throw a punch, and when Kidd blocked him, he backed away and readied his club.  Kidd retreated, the weapon narrowly missing him.  He saw Strong getting ready to spit more acorns, so he moved in, dealing several hits in rapid succession to stun his enemy and whittle down his endurance. Kidd raised his fist for the final blow, but without warning, Strong’s aura burst, throwing him off-guard for a moment. That was all the time Strong needed to floor him with his club.

“Kidd!” Claude shouted.

Strong reared back for another blow, but before he could swing, a snowball blinded him.  He cleared it quickly, whirling to send a tornado after Amy, but Dubius appeared to dispel it, sticking him with a few feathers at the same time.  Wolfe leapt onto Strong, and as the Wizard struggled to pry him off, Hyde teleported just behind his neck and kicked up a shockwave. Strong shooed him away and tossed Wolfe aside, spotting Shepar wheeling over.  He was about to strike when Pat appeared, stunning him with a drill strike to the ankle, and Shepar was able to close in and generate a column of fire and water right in front of Strong.  The Wizard was fuming by the time he could move again.  He didn’t realize Kidd was back on his feet until the boy drove both fists straight into his chest, flinging him into the wall once more.

“There,” Kidd panted.  “That should...do it…”

Kidd rapidly shrank back to his normal size, falling over in exhaustion. Everyone watched carefully to see if Strong would get back up.  He did.

“We need a new plan!” Shepar said.  “I’ll get Kidd out, the rest of you keep Strong back!”

They readied themselves as Strong took a slow step forward.  The giant hefted his club high above his head, growling weakly as he did.  Then, one of Claude’s pincers came flying through the air, striking his fingers and making him lose his grip.  The club fell directly onto Strong’s head, dropping him instantly.  As his body finally began to fade, Claude reattached his pincer and ran over to Kidd’s side, and the others all collectively breathed a sigh of relief.

“Kidd, are you alright?” Claude asked, gently grabbing him the shoulders.

“I’m fine, Claude,” Kidd said.  “Nice throw.”

“Hehe, yeah, I guess.  We did it, huh?  All of us did!”

He grinned at everybody as they undid their Wave Changes one by one.  Hyde clapped his hands slowly, saying, “Bravo, bravo to all!  Seems the troubled production of Project-TC came together quite nicely in the end! The question is, what do we do now?”

“I think we should rest up,” Shepar said.  “That battle took a lot out of us.”

“I agree,” Dubius said.  “Besides, the others haven’t requested backup…and, really, I don’t think it’s likely they will.”

“Wouldn’t hurt to go see if they need it, though,” Wolfe said.

“Oh, we can discuss that later,” Hyde said.  “For the time being, I believe Mr. Shepar has the right idea. We’ve earned a brief intermission. Whatever comes next can wait at least a few minutes, don’t you think?”

There were no complaints.  As they all found somewhere to sit in the rubble, Pat glanced up at the doorway that led deeper into the base; despite the relief he felt at his own battle being over, a strand of worry was gradually creeping over him now that he had the chance to think of something else.