Running Through the Raindrops

Chapter 11: Ring of Fire

Zoé POV

"Where have you been?!" I yelled at the two redheads as they approached. We were waiting outside of the meeting area where Grindelwald was supposed to be. It felt amazing to be in Paris, but not under these circumstances.

"Sorry but I had my wave on vibrate and we were out on the town." Mei said, with a small blush on her cheeks. I just hoped it was a trick of the light and that she wasn't actually drunk. The group entered the arena and the wizards (and Kowalski) entered the main area while Mei, Cody, and I waited in the shadows.

Grindelwald created a ring of blue flames around him. I had my pistols at the ready, Cody had his staff and wand in hand, while Mei had her rifle and katana. "Aurors! Join me in the circle!" Grindelwald said deathly calm. I heard some people enter and apparate away while others were screaming from the burns and fell to the floor dead. "Let's play fair shall we?"

Streams of blue fire were now being thrown from the inner circle. The three of us took this as a chance to enter the fight. I was still behind the pillar due to my leg and I was shooting at Grindelwald though none of them connected. The guy was too damn fast.

Mei was trying to get the wizards to the back of the arena and out of the line of fire, taking every chance to send a blast towards Grindelwald, some were successful. Good, this guy could feel pain. I was about to shoot again when I heard the worst sound. I was out of ammo.

"Mei! Cody! I'm out!" I yelled to them over the whooshing of the blue fire. At this point most of the wizards were out of the arena and collecting in the outer ring, the three of us were the last in the main arena. Cody and I were about to leave when I heard Mei scream.

I turned and ran to Mei, she was able to be hit with some of the flames, I pushed her out of the way and jumped to block her from the flames. My eyesight turned completely blue, and I blacked out.

---

Mei POV

"ZOÉ!" I screamed as I was thrown from the arena. I turned to run back inside but Cody was stopping me, "Cody! Let me go! ZOÉ! I can't leave her!" I was screaming my throat raw against the wind and Cody.

"There's nothing you can do now!" He screamed, moving to grab my shoulders and continued to yell at me, "Would Zoé want you to follow! Get yourself killed! It's your job to protect worlds like this! If we don't move the whole city is going to get destroyed!"

I smacked my fist against his chest one last time and cried whilst looking at the ground, I lowered my voice to barely a whisper, "It was supposed to be our job."

"Well if you go back in there it will be no one's job. Let's go!" Cody said pulling me off of the ground and pushing me with him to where everyone was congregating. "What can we do?"

An old man in white turned the two of us, "Do you have magic?"

Cody sighed softly and tilted his head, "A form of it." The man nodded and pointed to a break in the line of wizards with their wands in the ground. The blue flames were becoming dragon like creatures and were starting to move towards the city. The man turned to us and screamed "HURRY!"

Cody and I both called our wands and staffs to us from the Duat. Cody drew the protection spell in red, I drew the symbol for boundary in white.

"N'dah!"

"Drowah!"

When our spells were put out the magical barriers became almost three times stronger. The wizards watched as these two teenagers were able to save Paris from one of the most powerful wizards in history.

The battle ended and everyone was beaten and bruised. The spells Cody and I used were very powerful so we were leaning against each other so the other didn't collapse. I couldn't even summon the Duat to put my staff and wand away.

"Oh my Goodness! Mei!" I heard Queenie, though she sounded distant and looked over to see her, Kowalski, and Newt coming towards us. "Are you okay?"

"Fine. It's just... the spell... takes... a lot." I felt myself fall and heard another body fall next to me. Cody and I collapsed, though we didn't knock out. The rush of falling combined with how weak I was caused my stomach to turn the wrong way and I puked up everything I had in me onto the ground. "Shouldn't have had that extra drink." I mutter as I hear Queenie giggle softly next to me.

I heard someone yell to the other wizards, "Hey! We found someone!" My brain didn't care if I was sick, weak, and tired. I stood up and ran over to that man to see who they had found.

When I got there I saw someone walking out of the arena. With the sight of purple hair I sped up to a sprint and tackled Zoé in a hug. "I thought you were dead!"

"Still have a broken leg Mei!" She screamed in pain. I lifted myself off of her and mumbled a small 'sorry' and her up when Cody walked over still somewhat out of it. He gave Zoé a hug and whispered, "Don't you ever do that again."

"I won't. I promise."

---

*Two days later*

Cody POV

"So what even happened to you?" I asked Zoé as we were making some food at Queenie's apartment. Mei and I have been walking on eggshells around that question for the past two days but I finally wanted to know the answer.
"I don't know. The flames hit me and... they didn't burn. I don't know if it was because they were magic or what but... the flames felt warm not hot. Like you were wrapped in a blanket warm." She explained putting a plate on the table. Mei walked in after that.

"Oh, smells delicious!" She said, sitting at the table.

"Oh yeah, you totally couldn't have helped?" I asked, stirring the soup on the stove. She just put a hand over her chest in a mock hurt.

"Hey, I was training with Queenie. Apparently I'm a natural or something."

The three of us laughed at that and Zoé and I started to spoon out servings of soup when everyone came into the kitchen. "Thanks everyone!" Kowalski said to us happily taking a double-portion.

I was about to sit down at the table with my bowl when all three of us froze. "Damn. I thought I would at least be able to eat first."

I felt a now familiar sting in my right arm as Mei and Zoé gripped their respective shoulders. The pain subsided and Mei looked up at everyone's worried eyes. "I guess it's time for us to leave and go save another place."

The three of us moved to stand next to each other, I slyly noticed that Queenie slipped something into Mei's bag but I didn't question it. We said our goodbyes and left back to the Stone Circle.

"Alright... what's next?"