Chapter Text
Like a flame spreading across her skin, burying deep inside her, Athena could feel herself gasping for breath. Her insides ached and she wished she could bury her fingers in her belly, down her throat till the intruder was out.
She couldn't hear or feel anything around her, just the constant thrumming inside her, her magical core getting strangled by the Wards force. Athena tried to move her body sending her magic around her muscles till she finally gasped desperately at the first taste of oxygen.
Briefly, she heard her friends calling panicked at her but she couldn't mind them now, too busy with staying alive.
The Ward stone, small at it was, felt massive in her hand. Or maybe it wasn't that the object itself suddenly become bigger, it was the propose the stone had. Holding Magical Britain hidden from Muggle eye wasn't something that a normal witch/wizard would meddle with.
But Athena was always the weird one in the groups, a breed of her own kind.
Getting accustomed with the Ward stone proved itself useless after a few moments when the smell of burned meat made Athena growl, a strangled sound from her parched throat. She needed to move and now, before the stone it away her magic core and her body with it.
Licking her teeth nervously, Athena glanced at her side, relieved when the map was still floating beside her. Rita must have take control of the spell, holding it for her. Athena begin chanting the runes, feeling the Stone power at her fingertips, angry and volatile, ready to burst at any wrong move. The Stone wasn't pleasant with the intruder that breached her barrier but it know enough that Athena wasn't an enemy.
Just an unpleasant guest.
Inside the Forbidden Forest, in it's most hidden place, three students were doing something unspeakable.
Using pure magical and physical force, Athena Snape was meticulously extracting bits of magic from the Ward Stone before transferring them into the Marauders Map, vanishing the previous runes and forming a completely different Map with an unknow propose.
While holding the Map afloat with a levitating spell, Rita Skeeter was struggling to breath through the chaos, wans trembling in her hand when the Stone send another chaotic wave of magical burn.
Beside them stood, Xenophilius Lovegood who was using any and all healing or water related spells to protect them both from the Stone power and from the creatures just he could see. Beasts with no control trying to reach hungrily for the Ward Stone.
Inside the Hogwarts, everyone fall asleep not knowing of the potential catastrophe just beside them.
Breaking away from the Ward Stone, this crashing back in it's place in the tree, Athena coughed violently, drops of blood dripping from her mouth. She felt a horrible headache building under her forehead and shivers wracking her body. Glancing up at her friends she saw them just as winded as herself.
''It's done.'' she said spitting remains of blood out of her mouth before trying to get back on her feet with no luck
''Don't move.'' Xeno grave voice said ''Either of you. They are angry...'' he said with his head bowed making Athena swallow with difficulty. Around them the forest was in a horrible state, the only thing still holding, being the tree where the Stone Ward called home.
The ground was scorched, the same with the few trees and bushes she could remember being there. The sight it reminded her of the war zone and the places where the Twins fireworks hit the ground in a successful way of imitating a Muggle bomb.
Rita hitched sobs made her freeze before crawling towards her, the map and Xeno warning forgotten for the moment.
''You awful witch..!'' Rita cried trying to shove Athena away before finally leaning towards her body, still steady despite the shock her body encountered ''I can't believe we are still alive. I actually thought that was the end!''
A few seconds after her words where Athena could just comfort her, Xeno slightly crazed laugh broke the silence making them both look at him. He looked just a few seconds away from breaking point.
''The Hat must be insane.'' he mused voice airy despite the situation and the roughness from before ''We should have been in Gryffindor.''
After a few seconds of silence, Rita burst out laughing finally getting out from Athena hold.
''True! That sack of cloth must be broken.'' she laughed and for a moment Athena was still with confusion. ''Fuck Athena. Next time, I'm gonna take the information out of you just so I know if I need to hold a fucking Levitation Charm agains a force that could destroy us all.''
''Sure.'' Athena said before crawling back on her feet, holding a hand for Rita to take as well, lifting her up easily
''What about you Xeno?'' the pale boy looked at her from head to toe, smiling gently when he found what he looked for at her ''Is there a next time?''
''You already know the answer.'' she pulled him back on her feet, grinning before leaning heavily on them, almost making them fall once more
She laughed then. From relief or from extenuation she wasn't sure but in that moment, Athena finally feel like she was making a difference, like time was finally working in her favor and the memory of her father, of Harry and Draco, of her friends, wasn't as dark as before.
With a last boost of power, Athena called the Map in her pocket and slowly but steadily, she and her friends walked back to the castle. The paper burned in her pocket but it was nothing compared with the previous challenge.
''Do we still need to go to classes tomorrow?'' Rita asked when the castle come in their view making Xeno burst out laughing
''I can't even go to the Ravenclaw Tower and you ask me if I'm going to class today.''
''Let's just sleep till tomorrow.'' Athena decided making signs for them to be quiet. The two couldn't stop laughing from extenuating when they entered the castle
''And then?'' Xeno asked quietly and Athena know he was talking about the Map
''Then, we are going hunting.'' she smirked