In The Fight To Survive (Golden Trio Era) {4}

Afterlife Orders

CW: Blood

Mikayla sat up on the sofa, silently requesting that Fred sat down beside her as they discussed their next move. Fred picked up on her inquiry, slipping onto the cushion next to her, allowing her to cuddle into his side. "Are you okay?" Mikayla asked him in a whisper as Remus and Tonks shared that they found traces of magic on the rock she had dug out, Fred simply shook his head no. Mikayla grabbed a hold of his hand, "what's wrong?" Fred frowned as he leaned towards her to whisper in her ear, "I can't shake this bad feeling I have about what is inside the canister. I know it is important we open it, but it feels like nothing will be the same once we do." Mikayla understood the feeling, she hadn't foreseen this happening and she wondered if all the predictions of the future were false truths to trick her into the trap Dumbledore laid out for her.

"Then we need to focus on what is constant, not what can be taken from us or we'll go mad with anticipation and suspense." Mikayla brought Fred's hands up to her lips, placing a gentle kiss on the back of each hand, "I love you." Fred tells her as she turned his hands over to kiss the palms, pausing her action to look deeply into his eyes. "I love you." She promises before dropping a kiss on the palms of his hands. "It will be us against the world forever." Fred spoke confidently, no doubt in his mind or heart that it was the truth, Mikayla hummed in agreement, "forever and ever and always." She promised with a soft smile, her eyes never leaving Fred's to prove that she firmly believed in what she was saying, which brought a gentle smile to his face.

"We need to open this canister and it's vital that we do whatever instructions it may contain, Alina said it is vital for us to win the war." Molly voiced pulling Fred and Mikayla out of their little bubble as she held the canister she must've summoned from the kitchen towards Mikayla. "Wait, we don't even know what was carved into the door. I wrote it down for Mikayla to translate." Fred reaches into his pocket to retrieve the piece of parchment from his pocket, "carved into what door?" Mikayla asked, her eyebrows furrowing into confusion, "weren't you two listening? It was carved into your old bedroom door by a time set enchantment." Arthur informed her, sounding a bit annoyed that the young couple hadn't been following their important analysis conversation.

Fred handed Mikayla the piece of parchment that read; Libera mentem, fac vacuam, actum exsequere nullo repugnante. Imperio. Her lips turned down as she read the words, that certainly wouldn't give Fred any peace of mind about the intention of the canister's contents. "The first part means; Free the mind, make it empty, to carry out the act without any objection. And we all know what Imperio means, I don't understand why it worked on me though, I'm immune to it." Molly sighed at her words, clearly not happy with having to repeat herself as she explained for a second time to the room that Dumbledore had possessed Mikayla. Pointing out the Imperius curse was used to lock Mikayla completely out of her mind and physical body, not to control her since Dumbledore's spirit was already doing that.

"So whatever is inside this canister is bad news." Mikayla groaned, a part of her wished that she had gone insane or manic and accidently discovered a time capsule or something, of course, she wouldn't be that lucky. "Why do you say that? Are you getting a negative aura from it or something?" Tonks asks, causing the older Order members to stare at the canister more intensely. "Nope, it's not an Aevus thing, it's a Mikayla observation. If dear old Dumbles thought the only way I'd ever come in contact with this canister was by him manipulating me from beyond the grave to force me to uncover it, then I know whatever it is, I'm not going to like it and none of you probably will either."

The room became silent following Mikayla's explanation, all of them now creating terrible theories of what the canister may contain. Mikayla picked it up, wanting to get the experience over and done with, wandlessly pricking her finger to bleed. She squeezed her finger to create a pool of blood from the tiny wound before swiping it across the Phoenix emblem. They watched as the canister began to glow a brilliant red, becoming so hot to the touch that Mikayla had to put it down on the coffee table in front of her. The metal peeled back like petals bursting from their buds into bloom, a letter addressed to the 'leader of the order' was left on top of a small locked compartment with a crown symbol on it.

Remus picked up the letter, passing it over to Kingsley, who scanned its words, a frown forming on his face as he did so. "The Order is to be temporarily disbanded until the final battle. From 6pm tomorrow, March 22nd Mikayla is to interfere with Death Eater attacks alone." Fred was on his feet in a second, snatching the letter from Kingsley to read it. Mikayla felt her stomach drop when Fred's eyes began to fill with tears. "It advises that you go back to Grimmauld place and live there independently until the last fight. You can keep up communications and contact with us but only brief interactions. And we have no choice but to do it." Mikayla's eyebrows furrowed at Fred's words, how could they possibly have no choice on how they choose to perform the wishes in the letter.

"This letter has been made an Unbreakable bond, if we don't follow the orders it gives then you will die." Kingsley informed the room, outrage sounded milliseconds later by everyone but Mikayla. The young blonde had fallen silent, terror momentarily paralysing her as she was being stripped away from not only her safety net, but her loved ones. "It says to open the small compartment with the key he bequeath to you, after saying some Latin phrase, for the specifications of your orders." Remus whispers as he hands Mikayla the letter which caught alight in her trembling fingers leaving only the phrase behind.

A silvery cord of magic wrapped itself around her wrist, coiling up her arm before disappearing into her chest. The bastard had tricked her into agreeing to an Unbreakable Bond by setting it to activate once she touched it. She should've left the canister unopened, it gave her just under 24 hours to pack up and leave her home and boyfriend to face the brutality war alone. This was her final test of Dumbledore's twisted games, and she was still left with no answer to the questions that have plagued her minds for weeks. "What does the Latin mean?" Molly asked, trying to get Mikayla to say something as her silence was deafening and devastating. "I will sacrifice my soul and my mind to protect what I have left behind."

Her tone was rather robotic, as if she had flipped a switch to turn off her emotions to lose herself to the heartache of loneliness. Molly let out a cry at her answer, Arthur moving to wrap his wife up in his arms for comfort. Tonks settled down in the seat next to Mikayla, placing a supporting hand on her shoulder, while Fred rushed to sit on the other side of her, grabbing a hold of her hands. "Where- How long will it-'' Fred tried, his words getting caught in his throat by the lump that was blocking it. "Six weeks, at Hogwarts." Mikayla responded unable to provide any more information than that or it could alter reality.

She was already exhausted, how was she supposed to keep on top of things alone? "The key is in my bottomless blue bag." Mikayla announces as they watch as most of the metal melts away, reshaping itself into a small sheet of metal which reads; In solitude, the lone wolf finds strength. Prove yourself worthy to be followed into battle or become the martyr that fuels the fight. Mikayla tutted at the unhelpful advice, if you could even call it that, while forcing herself onto her feet. Deciding not to summon her bag, wanting to dispel some anxious energy by making the trip to the office where she had left her blue bag. The others follow behind her, Arthur carrying the locked small compartment left of the now melted away canister.

Mikayla believes she has already proved herself worthy to fight alongside, even after her encounter with Sergi. How could her putting herself into dangerous situations alone prove that she could lead an army? If anything she believed it would make the impression that she couldn't be trusted to watch your back or that she had some sort of god complex and believed that she was invincible. The latter would make her out to be incredibly stupid and dangerous in the height of battle, or at the very least a very unlikely person. Also Mikayla had no intention to lead anyone into battle, that is Kingsley's role, as the appointed leader of the Order, she was meant to be the advisory foot soldier at best.

She is seventeen, no one in their right mind would submit to her rule, and rightly so, she wasn't a leader in any way, shape or form. Even in school, she was never a sole leader of any organisation, always a co-leader, a secondary one in fact, usually taking the backseat while her partner took the brunt of the responsibility, using her as a second option most of the time. "We'll figure it out, there has to be a loophole or something." Fred whispered to her, pulling her out of her thoughts as they arrived at the office door. "If anyone can find one it's us." Mikayla tried to smile, but it fell flat as it felt forced and dishonest. Mikayla summoned the necklace out of her blue bag, setting down on the main office chair behind the desk, not wanting to wait any longer. "Let's get this over with, shall we?"