Set during the First Wizarding War - A wizard comes to a witch's aid

A sense of surreal calm settled over the courtyard. The rubble atop Salvynia pressed into the small of her back, her body flattened into the ground. She could almost taste the earth beneath her. The initial pain had been exquisite; sharp, almost hot. As she lay pinned this gave way to a more sinister dull sensation which instinctively she knew meant her body had been mangled beyond repair.  

The rain quietened. A small rhythmic drip began to fall onto the nape of her neck; it was this sensation above all others that made her wish she could move her hands. Her head swam with concussion and for a brief moment she felt she could be sick but the vibrations of its footsteps snapped her attention back into focus with whiplash intensity.  

Her vision was obscured by shards of shattered tile but she could still make out the silhouette of the beast as it slowly paced, like some soldier guarding an invisible perimeter. Green, foul-smelling liquid sprayed from the wet tattered area where its arm should have been. In all her years she'd never witnessed the effect a blasting curse could have on flesh. She had now. Still the beast roamed. 

Its attention moved to the entranceway; it lumbered past the spot where her friends had fallen. It ignored the bodies with an ugly indifference. Anger ricocheted through every inch of her. She wished she could scream. 

At the edge of her hearing she could make out a distant rumble reminiscent of thunder. She dismissed this at first as a trick of the mind, the kind of white noise she imagined you heard before fainting. But the sound grew louder, nearer, and Salvynia was now aware that the earth was vibrating with increasing frequency. Her ears pulsated. The noise was fast becoming unbearable.  

A sharp metallic taste filled her mouth but there was no blood, not here at least. The noise reached a violent crescendo. The ground beneath her moved. The very foundations of the buildings around her groaned under their strain. Then, silence.  

In the reflection of a puddle she saw an orange scar flash overhead. It was as if the sky itself had cried enough and torn itself apart from the punishment of the noise. Light punctured the scar which suddenly burst to reveal a firestorm burning towards the ground at ferocious speed. Through gaps in the rubble intense heat singed her robes which began to steam and sizzle yet her skin felt cool. The puddle in front of her evaporated with a sharp hiss as the courtyard around her glowed white.  

The floor of the courtyard fractured beneath Salvynia. Then the almost imperceptible pause of a delayed fuse. A shockwave blasted across the entire hillside.  

Directly in front of her flame poured from the sky. It spread across the broken floor charring columns which now cooled to reveal a deep golden residue. It pulsated and cast soft, wandering shadows all around.  

Wisps of smoke gently dissipated revealing a deep crater. Then, she saw him. The man slowly rose from the hole. His long silvery hair and beard were aglow with fragmented embers of magical fire. A patch on his left cheek fizzed and twinkled as if wire wool had been set alight. The hair smoked and sublimated but the man neither noticed nor cared. He stretched out his right arm and ignited the tip of his wand which let out a soft hum. As her eyes adjusted, they confirmed what she already knew. Albus Dumbledore had arrived.