Several Death Eaters attacked at once, sending a volley of spells her way.
Startled, Nicolina threw herself sideways, narrowly dodging Reducto. But there were too many of them. A spell struck her waist, and the next instant her whole body stiffened. She could no longer move.
It was Petrificus Totalus. Nearby, her sister had already fallen unconscious, struck by Stupefy.
Nicolina's heart sank.
Then, without warning, fog appeared.
Thick, dark gray mist rolled in silently from every direction, swallowing everything in an instant. It was so cold it chilled them to the bone.
The Death Eaters slowed. The madness in their eyes gave way to pain. One wizard tried to cast a spell, but his wand slipped from his limp hand; another clutched his head and groaned.
Nicolina felt it too.
The moment the mist touched her skin, a strange emptiness washed over her. She fought to stay alert, but her thoughts grew sluggish, as though she were looking at the world through thick frosted glass.
The gray mist thickened.
Nicolina watched the black-robed wizards collapse one after another, as if their bones had been pulled out. She swayed too, her vision blurring and her limbs growing weak.
Just before she lost consciousness, she saw a figure emerge from the mist.
The figure approached and crouched before her. Nicolina wanted to fight, to scream, but her body would not obey. She could only watch as a finger reached out and pressed gently against her forehead.
"Sleep," a deep voice said.
Then darkness swallowed everything.
Will looked at the two fallen Veela and confirmed they were only unconscious. He transformed them into sparrows, tucked them into his pockets, and hurried away.
Dozens of minutes later, far from the Quidditch World Cup campsite, he was inside a huge cave he had