Nearly every night for weeks now there have been attacks in the Valley of Roses, and perhaps they've been done by Death Eaters and perhaps they've been done by hopefuls but that doesn't really matter now. Tonight the fires are brighter. The fires are brighter and there's green in the air, a skull with a snake in its mouth, so Viktor is going down to the valley.
(He wears a noncommital black. Everything he owns already smells strongly of ash.)
The first village he walks through is already empty of all life. Bodies on the street, blood in the gutters. Somewhere a child cries. Krum passes a dog chewing on a dead woman's leg, and walks on.
In the second there's much of the same, though down one alley he spies a figure in black with a bone-white face. Their eyes meet, just for a moment, and Krum turns away. He walks on.
The third is wreathed in fire. Here people scream and run through the streets, entire families carrying whatever they could grab. Krum transfigures his throat to make breathing easier. Smoke makes it impossible to tell friend from foe, but maybe that doesn't really matter now either.
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Nearly every night for weeks now there have been attacks in the Valley of Roses, and perhaps they've been done by Death Eaters and perhaps they've been done by hopefuls but that doesn't really matter now. Tonight the fires are brighter. The fires are brighter and there's green in the air, a skull with a snake in its mouth, so Viktor is going down to the valley.
(He wears a noncommital black. Everything he owns already smells strongly of ash.)
The first village he walks through is already empty of all life. Bodies on the street, blood in the gutters. Somewhere a child cries. Krum passes a dog chewing on a dead woman's leg, and walks on.
In the second there's much of the same, though down one alley he spies a figure in black with a bone-white face. Their eyes meet, just for a moment, and Krum turns away. He walks on.
The third is wreathed in fire. Here people scream and run through the streets, entire families carrying whatever they could grab. Krum transfigures his throat to make breathing easier. Smoke makes it impossible to tell friend from foe, but maybe that doesn't really matter now either.
Krum walks on.
Dawn is a long time coming.