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chapter fifty two | fire & brains

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IT ALL GOT WORSE. Kaya was trapped in the maze for so long she'd lost track of time. Boggarts were appearing everywhere she turned, jumping out of corners and especially the parts where she'd thought 'I'll be okay here?'.

She felt as though she were going insane. Everything she saw, everything that appeared in order to give her a fright caused blood curdling screams to be let out from her throat. She had tears streaming down her face that she wasn't even aware of. She was shaking like crazy.

Kaya knew they were Boggarts — but the amount of things she was seeing all at once in this huge, pitch black room with a torturous amount of twists and turns was for sure turning her into a mad woman.

She was having a number of sights thrown at her whenever she turned a corner. Death Eaters, dead bodies of her friends and family, even Voldemort himself. But the things she were hearing? She wasn't sure if they were worse. The cries of agony from Jaeden and Alfie, the begs from her Fred, the echoes of Maisie and Milo sounding almost inhumane.

And whilst she knew they weren't even here, there was a small voice inside her head saying 'What if it is them?'

After all, she still didn't know where Jaeden had ended up. For all she knew, he could be in here. That could well be him screaming.

Kaya had thought she'd reached what could've been the worst possible thing for her to happen — but she was wrong.

Because it wasn't long before the real Death Eaters made their way through the Maze of Horrors, and the brunette found herself struggling with whether or not she had to use the riddikulus spell or something else.

She could not tell the difference between the Boggart Death Eaters and the real ones. She also couldn't distract herself from the agonising screams and bellows of her loved ones, bouncing off the walls and ringing through her ears. She was given a new shock every time she turned a corner, and Kaya felt it was a miracle she'd made it this far.

But she wasn't sure she was going to make it out of this maze alive.

She was losing her mind, slowly and surely.

"KAYA!" Diana's voice suddenly bellowed "TWO LEFTS — ONE RIGHT!"

Kaya didn't need to be told twice. If this was a trap, then it couldn't be any worse than what she'd just endured. She no longer had a concept of time — she might've been in here for hours, or just a few minutes, she wouldn't know.

And so, she sprinted further, taking two lefts and rushing past what could be either a Death Eater or a Boggart, before taking a single right.

A single right which brought her to a dead end.

"SILVERSTONE!" she screamed, her voice filled with both frustration and distraught.

She whisked around and could feel several footsteps making their way to her. Footsteps from many different beings — too many for a single eighteen year-old girl to fight off.

This was the end for Kaya, she could feel it.

"RUN THROUGH!" Diana bellowed back, but Kaya was too distracted by what was coming her way. "KAYA! RUN — THROUGH! LIKE KING'S CROSS!"

Wand in hand, preparing herself for the oncoming storm of Death Eaters and Boggarts, Kaya started to back into the wall, expecting to feel it's coldness up against her back any second.

Except she didn't.

Kaya fell backwards onto the floor and was suddenly blinded by a white light. She felt someone grab her arms to try and prevent her fall, but it didn't stop her collapsing to the ground.

The young Bennett sat up and let out a cry, backing away from the wall she just fell through, holding her wand out ahead in her shaking arm, pointing to the wall which the Death Eaters should be merging through any second. Her eyes were so wide anyone would think they were about to pop out from their sockets, and dark shadows were cast underneath them.

"Hey," a soft voice said, a familiar voice, trying to calm the girl down. "Hey — K!"

Kaya's head snapped to the right to see Jaeden looking down at her with the most concerned expression she'd ever seen.

"It's just me, calm down," he said. He had a huge gash across his face, running from the top of his eyebrow, diagonally across the bridge of his nose to his cheek.

Kaya's eyes proceeded to flick about the place she'd just landed in. She seemed to be back in the room from the beginning, with the many doors and moving walls.

A blonde girl and a dark skinned boy were here. Sadie and Chad. Sadie was consoling a girl with silver hair — Diana.

Diana seemed to have reacted differently to Kaya, upon leaving the maze. She was still, almost frozen, and seemed to be in a daze. She was on her knees, and her eyes were simply fixated to the floor. She didn't speak, nor scream like Kaya had.

Kaya's head quickly panned back towards Jaeden.

"Jesus," he muttered, as he stared at his best friend with worry.

Chad walked over to check on the girl.

"What happened?" he asked, crouching so they were at eye level.

Kaya couldn't speak, she could only let out short, faced paced mutters that didn't make sense. A mix of 'maze' and 'Death Eater', but nothing that she could string together into a sentence.

This panicked her even more.

"K, slow down, it's fine," Jaeden said. "You don't need to explain now, don't worry. We need to get out of here,"

He helped the brunette onto her feet, and although her entire body was still rapidly shaking, she was able to stand, her wand clenching in her fist. That was a first.

Diana got to her feet as well, and just before the group was about to leave, another door burst open. Kaya jumped backwards and let out a yelp of fear, bringing her wand to point at those who had just entered.

But it's okay, her mind told her. These aren't Death Eaters.

Harry, Jake and Neville all appeared, relief springing upon their faces at the sight of the group. Jake was carrying an unconscious Hermione.

"Sadie!" said Harry, the blonde girl being the first person he set his eyes upon — before he noticed the state both Kaya and Diana were in. His brows furrowed. "What happened?"

Kaya raised her arm and pointed to the wall she'd fallen through, but Harry did not understand.

"They were in one of these rooms," Jaeden explained. "I don't know which one. I don't know what happened. It sounded bad,"

"What happened to Hermione?" Sadie asked, her face masked with fear.

"No time to explain," Harry said.

He looked around at the doors, and Kaya seemed to notice at the same time as him that the crosses Hermione had put on them earlier seemed to have faded. They were back to square one.

"So which way do you reck—?"

Before anyone could decide, another door sprang open, and what looked like the rest of the group fell out of it.

"Ron!" Harry croaked. "Ginny — Maddie — are you all okay?"

"Harry," said Ron, giggling weakly, lurching forward and seizing the front of his shirt, gazing at him with unfocused eyes. "There you are..." he laughed. "You look funny, Harry. You're all messed up,"

Ron's face was extremely pale, and something dark was trickling from the corner of his mouth. Next moment his knees had given way, but he still clutched the front of Harry's shirt, so that Harry was pulled into a kind of bow.

"What happened?" Harry asked fearfully.

Ginny shook her head, and slid down the wall into a sitting position, panting and holding her ankle. Jess sat in front of her with a worried face, putting her hand on Ginny's shoulder.

"Her ankle's broken, I think," Maddie said. Her nose looked like it had been bleeding, and there was a mark on her forehead which suggested she'd hit it on something. "Fucking hell," was all she could add, as she panted and hung her head low, her brown curls covering her face.

"They chased us into a dark room full of planets," Luna whispered. She seemed to be unhurt. "It was a very odd place, some of the time we were just floating in the dark,"

"Harry, we saw Uranus up close!" said Ron, still giggling feebly. "Get it, Harry? We saw Uranus—" he began laughing, yet again.

Maddie raised her head and her lips curved into a small smile as she watched the Weasley boy with a soft expression.

"You're laughing?" Jake frowned at her.

"No," Maddie defended suddenly, her expression turning back serious. "Not... it was funny, leave it out Jake,"

"There's something wrong with him!"

"He'll be okay!" Maddie said. "He has to be. We'll get him out of here, to St. Mungos, and they'll fix him. He'll be fine."

Kaya felt that Maddie was trying to convince herself more than anyone else.

A bubble of blood grew at the corner of Ron's mouth and burst.

"Anyway," Ron continued. "One of them grabbed Ginny's foot, I used the Reductor Curse and blew up Pluto in his face, but..."

Luna gestured hopelessly at Ginny, who was breathing in a very shallow way, her eyes still closed. Jess was whispering to her. Words of comfort, Kaya guessed.

"And what about Ron?" said Harry fearfully, as Ron continued to giggle, still hanging off the front of Harry's shirt.

"We don't know what they hit him with," said Maddie with a frown. "He's gone mad. We could hardly get him along at all, I thought we might be stuck in there forever,"

"Harry," said Ron, pulling Harry's ear down to his mouth and still giggling weakly. "You know who this girl is, Harry? She's Loony... Loony Lovegood..." he finished with another chuckle.

Luna seemed unbothered, thank god.

"We need to get out of here," Diana spoke for the first time since leaving the maze.

She had the same dark circles under her eyes as Kaya, and something was definitely still off with her. But the Silverstone seemed to be better at hiding it than Kaya, who still had the shakes and several cold, stray tears streaming down her face as she watched the events in front of her unfold.

Jess put her arm around Ginny's waist and heaved her up without having to be told. Luna walked over to help, tucking her wand behind her ear for safekeeping.

"It's only my ankle, I can do it myself!" Ginny began, but contradicted herself almost right away as she fell sideways, Jess having to hold her up for support.

"You good to go?" Jaeden asked Kaya. She looked up, took a deep breath, and nodded.

Harry pulled Ron's arm over his shoulder and pulled him onto his feet, just as everyone else looked around. They had a one in twelve chance of getting the exit right first time.

Everyone slowly made their way towards one of the doors. They were within a few feet of it when another door across the hall burst open and three Death Eaters sped in, led by Bellatrix Lestrange.

"There they are!" she shrieked.

Stunning Spells shot across the room. Jaeden smashed his way through the door ahead and ducked back to help Jake in with Hermione — they were all over the threshold just in time to slam the door against Bellatrix.

"Colloportus!" shouted Jaeden, and Kaya heard three bodies slam into the door on the other side.

"It doesn't matter!" said a man's voice. "There are other ways in — WE'VE GOT THEM, THEY'RE HERE!"

Kaya span around. She was angry with herself, she was continuously telling herself, do something, but it was like her brain could no longer control her body. She couldn't react as quickly as she could before she was in the maze — instead of firing spells at Death Eaters, she just froze helplessly. And she hated herself for it. What was wrong with her?

They were in the Brain Room, and there were doors all around the walls (of course). Kaya could hear footsteps in the hall behind them as more Death Eaters came running to join the first.

"Help me!" Harry told those who were free from supporting Hermione, Ron or Ginny.

They tore around the room, sealing the doors as they went. Kaya almost tripped as she sprinted.

There were footsteps running along behind the doors, every now and then another heavy body would launch itself against one, so it creaked and shuddered. Luna and Neville were bewitching the doors along the opposite wall — until Luna let out a cry.

Kaya turned to see her flying through the air, and five Death Eaters surged into the room through the door nobody had reached in time. She hit a desk, slid over its surface and on to the floor on the other side where she lay sprawled, as still as Hermione.

"Get Potter!" shrieked Bellatrix, and she ran at him. Harry dodged her and sprinted back up the room.

Jaeden fired a spell at her but missed by inches.

"Hey!" said Ron, who had staggered to his feet and was now tottering drunkenly towards Harry, giggling. "Hey, Harry, there are brains in here, ha ha ha, isn't that weird, Harry?"

"Ron, get out of the way, get down—"

But Ron had already pointed his wand at the tank.

"Honest, Harry, they're brains — look — Accio brain!"

"What's he doing?" Maddie bellowed, catching up to them. "Wha— are you insane?!" she told the ginger boy.

He turned to her and smiled. "Mads," was all he said.

The scene seemed momentarily frozen. Everyone, including each of the Death Eaters, turned in spite of themselves to watch the top of the tank as a brain burst from the green liquid like a leaping fish. For a moment it seemed suspended in midair, then it soared towards Ron, spinning as it came, and what looked like ribbons of moving images flew from it, unravelling like rolls of film.

"Mads, look at it—" said Ron with a giggle, watching it disgorge its gaudy innards. Maddie was frowning, her expression almost filled with sorrow. "Mads, come and touch it — bet it's weird—"

Kaya's face filled with horror.

"RON, NO!" Harry yelled.

Maddie jolted forward and pushed Ron's arm from grabbing the brain, but that didn't stop him from raising his other. And the young Jordan was just too slow.

The moment they made contact with his skin, the tentacles began wrapping themselves around Ron's arms like ropes.

"Mads, look what's happen — no, no — I don't like it — no, stop — stop—"

But the thin ribbons were spinning around Ron's chest now. He tugged and tore at them as the brain was pulled tight against him like an octopus's body.

Maddie yelled, completely panicked.

The Death Eaters were closing in on the distracted trio now. Kaya and Jaeden rushed forward.

"Stupefy!" Jaeden yelled, disarming one.

"Ridik—" Kaya began, almost forgetting herself and thinking she was back in the maze.

"Diffindo!" she heard Harry yell, trying to sever the feelers wrapping themselves tightly around Ron, but they would not break. Ron fell over, still thrashing against his bonds.

"They're gonna kill him!" Maddie screamed, lurching forward, however Harry stopped her.

"Don't touch them!" He yelled.

"Diffindo!" Kaya yelled, and the spell hit one of the Death Eaters just as he was about to reach Harry and the prophecy.

"Harry, it'll suffocate him!" screamed Ginny, immobilised by her broken ankle on the floor — just before jet of red light flew from one of the Death Eater's wands and hit her squarely in the face. She keeled over sideways and lay there unconscious.

Neville attempted to disarm one of the Death Eaters, but nothing happened.

Kaya shot some spells at those coming her way, and managed to successfully protect herself. And then her gaze landed on Diana, who was, once again, standing still.

"DIANA!" Jaeden yelled. "HELP! Do something!"

But the girl did not move, her eyes fixed on... one of the lamps.

The lamps.

Kaya was reminded of how she'd helped them escape Umbridge's office.

"DIANA!" Jaeden yelled again, but Kaya tugged on his arm.

"Stop!" she hushed him, before nodding at the lights above.

Jaeden caught on immediately.

The lamps were glowing until they reached a burning orange — they were going to explode any minute now.

Sadie had three Death Eaters on her, Chad being the most recent person to be knocked out. Jess finally left Ginny's side to help her. Harry started to run as Bellatrix Lestrange raced right at him. He held the prophecy high above his head, sprinting back up the room as Maddie continued to find a way of releasing Ron.

The Death Eaters streaked after him, knocking chairs and tables flying but not daring to bewitch him in case they hurt the prophecy, and he dashed through the only door still open, the one through which the Death Eaters themselves had come.

And just as Harry disappeared through the door, all the lights in the room shattered, causing everyone to duck and cover their heads as shards of glass toppled over them.

But they weren't plunged into darkness, oh no.

A fire erupted, surrounding the remaining Death Eaters. Kaya could hear their cries of pain as they attempted to put it out, but instead caught fire themselves. Diana walked slowly towards them, unfazed.

Some Death Eaters got away, but most Kaya saw drop to the ground after fighting away at the deadly flame. And the silver-haired girl stepped over them, walking straight into the fire as if it wasn't even there, heading for the door Harry had just been through.

Everyone watched in awe. Jaeden sighed.

"Bloody Silverstones and their fire spells," he said.