Ginny blinked and stood in silent shock. When she finally found her voice, she snapped, "What do you mean she's your daughter? She's Draco and Joyce's-"
"No," D muttered softly, shaking his head. "No... She's mine, I'm sure of it."
"How is that possible?" she snarled, trying to wiggle free from Dean's oppressive grip.
This just didn't seem... real. Annie copied Draco's actions perfectly - she seemed so much like Narcissa that one would almost think she was a little carbon copy of her. Although yes, she didn't exactly resemble her siblings as much as they all did. Annie had always had curly hair, while the rest had straight, and her eyes were a much brighter shade of blue... and now that she looked, Ginny winced when she noticed D also shared that same shade.
"Joyce and I were... together," he explained weakly, running a hand through his hair. "Not together in a public sense, but in a private one. She didn't want her children to know she was dating me, for some dumb reason that I never found out... Maybe she was worried that if we had a fight and I left, her kids would see a father for a while, and then lose it. I never would have left, but she was a little... paranoid. I mean, after Malfoy just up and went, I'm not really surprised."
Ginny chewed through the quick bits of information, and then shook her head, "But Draco came to visit Joyce... He stayed the night, and she was pregnant soon after that."
"Yeah, I heard about him staying the night," D mused, smirking a little. "Poor bastard went over to talk about financial assistance for the kids, and then fell asleep on her couch after drinking a little too much wine. They never... 'slept' together. People just assumed that was what happened, and Joyce didn't deny it."
But why wouldn't she? It only made sense - at that time, she and Draco were still basically married. It could have been a reason to draw him back in.
"I spent a lot of my time here in England, working for the Dark Lord when Annie was born," D admitted, continuing on with his tale. "But I only did it because he was the only thing powerful at that point in time. There was no sense working for the Ministry, like Joyce, since they were kicking people off left right and center. So, I acted as a guard in Azkaban, only until Joyce told me she wanted to send Shane to Salem for schooling. She figured it would be safer there, and that school is a Hell of a lot cheaper than Hogwarts. Because if you remember, the Dark Lord was making Ministry families pay for schooling. It was building up, and she knew she couldn't afford to give all of her children an education. So, she sent Shane there, and I applied to Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher there, promising her I would keep an eye on him until he was ready to move back."
That sort of made sense. Shane had told her he knew this professor quite well from school in the States, and D was generally only lenient to him in class. It wasn't because he liked the boy, but it was because he was his lover's son, and D had sworn to look after him.
"Well, she decided to pull Shane out of Salem quite quickly after only two years there," D blurted, releasing a heavy sigh, as though he had been dying to get this off his chest for ages. "I followed, and applied for the same position at Hogwarts. The Dark Lord knew who I was, and granted me permission instantly. I think he knew why I was doing it, but if he did, he didn't say anything. Joyce sent the children off to live with Malfoy, even our baby... My little girl, Annie. I didn't know where the Malfoys lived, or I would have gone to see them. However, she said if I went, I would probably get sidled with all the children, since she had a feeling the Malfoys didn't really want them-"
"The Malfoys love those children," Ginny hissed through gritted teeth, disgusted by his lack of caring for the other three. "All of them."
D swallowed thickly, "Yeah, well... I don't know. I stayed with Joyce until the day our house was raided, and she was killed. They let me live, so long as I didn't tell anyone the reasons for her death... They simply wanted to get rid of all the old Ministry workers as quickly as possible. In the paper they marked her up for treason, but I don't remember her committing any sort of crimes."
"Typical."
"Shut up," Dean grunted, speaking for the first time in ages. Ginny glanced over her shoulder and shot him an annoyed look, then implored D to go on with his story.
"Nothing much more... to tell, really," the man mumbled, suddenly fascinated with his hands. "I mean... I saw her, and I just... I wanted to be something in her life, you know?"
"She's gone through a bit of a rough time with men who want to be in her life," Ginny stated. "I don't think you should push yourself on her."
"Oh, I won't-"
"Good... because she doesn't need that right now."
Someone cleared their throat pointedly, and all three of them turned their heads to see Voldemort standing there, large circles around his maroon eyes.
"As touching as this is," he hissed as Dean and D bowed their head. "Lock her up, and then report to my office... We're going to be under attack soon."
There was such an eerie calmness to his voice, and Ginny trembled slightly, knowing that people were coming for her, but unaware just how many.
Dean dragged her back through the hallways of her beloved Hogwarts, and then shoved her into the classroom which she had spent the night in.
"I'll be back soon," he informed her through the wooden door. She shot him a disgusted look, and then held herself in a solo hug, praying everyone else would be safe, and nothing horrible had happened to the children. She wasn't sure if she would be able to forgive herself if something happened to Annie and Eloise. Will... Well, she was pretty sure she'd get over him.
"All right," Lupin said loudly over the crowd of people. "If you are excellent at defensive spells, I want you to find someone who is good with offensive spells... They will be your partner for the Hogsmeade invasion... You will not leave their side unless one of you dies, is that understood?"
Lucius watched from his little bench as Lupin directed people - the man was a born leader. The elder Malfoy really wouldn't have had the patience to deal with so many idiots at once, and there was a chance that many would have been singed if Lucius was running things.
In several moments, the weary werewolf tromped over to Lucius, and then took a seat beside him on the bench, running a hand through his greying hair, "I think it's finally drilled into their heads..."
They had spent nearly a day and a half making people repeat the plan aloud so it would stay firmly in their minds. It wasn't a difficult one, really. There wouldn't be enough Death Eaters to fend off an attack of this size, especially in Hogsmeade where the protection spells would reach. So, a small task force would lead the masses into Hogsmeade. This consisted of Draco, Hermione, Hagrid, Molly and Arthur Weasley, along with several other members of the Order that Lucius didn't know. It was Hermione's duty to break the defense around the castle, the protective spells that they discovered were oddly common, and then lead everyone inside. Draco would assist her, seeing as she still couldn't walk properly. Her leg was healing, and although she didn't need a cane anymore, she ended up becoming tired pretty easily.
Meanwhile, thanks to Draco's knowledge of the Room of Requirement, and Harry's, another task force would infiltrate the cast ahead of everyone else. This was made up of himself, the Lupins, Minerva McGonagall, who had come down (despite being quite sick), Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Severus. They were quite a powerful little group of wizards, and Lucius knew the Death Eaters within the castle wouldn't exactly be highly skilled.
Voldemort had sent the powerful ones to work in the Ministry, in hopes that they would sort out all of his messes. This was, unfortunately, a mistake. Apparently word had leaked about the Azkaban escape, and there were riots of witches and wizards popping up in the Alleys of London, no doubt causing havoc to the 'Ministry'. Lucius couldn't be more thrilled that he had changed sides. He had really done it so long ago, the moment his dear family fell under direct threat of Voldemort. However, there was nothing he could really do about it, until now.
Once they stormed the castle, the main objective was to kill as many Death Eaters as possible, while leaving Potter to take on Voldemort. It was written in the stars that the boy and the Dark Lord should duel, and no one was ready to object to that. The Death Eaters that were alive will be locked away in Iceland, they decided. Remus had negotiated an agreement with the wizarding Minister there, and he agreed to house all the Death Eaters in his most remote prisons, from which very few people ever escaped.
"They'll be ready," Lucius mused, his eyes twitching up to the sky, taking in the rare afternoon sun. The days were a lot chillier now, seeing as it was hitting late November. However, there wasn't one single space large enough in the prison to hold meetings like these, so they had to be done outside. There were an odd amount of teenagers around, but no one asked them if they were of age. If they weren't, it was their fault. At this point in time, the only thing anyone cared about was having a massive army barreling through Hogsmeade to scare off the guards. There was a pretty good chance a lot of the young ones wouldn't even have to fire off a spell.
"We can only hope," Remus chuckled, watching as the crowd slowly dispersed, some apparating home, others going back inside in small groups, chattering excitedly about the invasion that evening. It came up faster than anyone ever expected, but they needed to act quickly and get this whole damn thing over with.
"You've done... well with them," Lucius complimented, avoiding his gaze from the man.
Lupin smiled, "You know... I never thought I'd be able to lead... It was more of James' thing when I was in school."
"Potter?"
"Hmm."
Finally, he turned to look at the man, who was actually related to him by marriage now. Tonks was Narcissa's niece, but Lucius wasn't exactly sure what sort of relation Remus Lupin had to him now. He just knew they would probably be having them over for holidays and such, seeing as they actually got along now. Bellatrix had been animate about killing the pair, but the insane bat had been pushed for far out of their lives that no one really listened to her anymore.
"Listen, when this is... over," Lucius started, the whole "family" thing still fresh on his mind, "I really think Narcissa would like it if you and your wife came to spend some of the holidays with us. Seeing as you are both... family, after all."
A small smile touched Lupin's thin lips, and he nodded, his eyes understanding completely, "I think Tonks would like that, too."
A soft breeze billowed between the two, and they sat in silence for some time, just watching the water birds circling the rocky coast line, occasionally diving down and coming back up with a fish.
A glint of blonde hair caught the corner of his eye, and Lucius glanced over to the half-restored old prison, spotting his wife strolling toward them. He frowned; she was clad in a pair of pants and a loose shirt, a dark green cloak draped across her slim shoulders. Normally she... She was normally in a bloody dress! What... His frowned deepened when he realized why she had dressed in clothes that grant her the ability to run with ease.
"I've signed on for the Hogwarts invasion," she informed the pair of them. "I'm coming with you."
Remus looked between the pair, obviously catching the angered look in Lucius's eye, and the determined one in his wife's, and then cleared his throat, "Great, Narcissa... I'm just... going to check on something with Tonks."
"Run, you coward," Lucius grunted, his eyes still fixed on his wife. "You, come here."
"Don't you dare refer to me as you, Lucius Abraxas Malfoy," Narcissa sniped, elegantly floating over to him and taking a seat on the dirty bench, taking a moment to wrap her cloak around her body a little more.
A tense silence settled over the pair, and Lucius finally decided he may as well be the one to break it, "You're not coming."
"Yes, yes I am." Narcissa's lips tilted upward into a grin, "Why do you still try to argue with me, dearest... You know I always win."
"I'm being quite serious about this, Cissa," he stated, angling his body toward her as he placed his arm on the back of the bench, casually stroking her shoulder with the tips of his fingers. "There is a lot of risk on the Hogwarts team... Why don't you go with Draco-"
"I'll do what I wish, Lucius," she reinforced icily. "My ... Our grandchildren are in that castle. Draco can watch the boys, but I want to be there when we find the girls. Is that so hard for you to understand?"
Her tone wavered as she spoke, and Lucius could tell she was worried Voldemort would take more family members from her before she could stop him. In the most comforting way possible, he pushed himself a little closer to her body, and then wrapped his arm firmly around her, giving the top of her head a soft kiss before muttering, "You never leave my sight... Understood?"
"Yes."
Harry took a small swig of his butterbeer, his feet swinging in the breeze. He, Ron, Hermione and Draco were seated on the top of Azkaban, staring out toward the open sea. It gave him hope that good would come from the night ahead. They were all just... talking. Reminiscing about school, about times where people weren't really that afraid to admit they had Muggle parents, and about what they planned to do in the future.
"Luna and I are going to enroll the boys in school," Ron explained, his shoulders touching Harry on one side, and Hermione on the other. Draco was wrapped around their sole female best friend, his head resting on her shoulder as their legs hung over the edge. Harry wasn't too sure how much of the conversation Draco was listening to, but he commented on occasion.
"Harry, I think you should go for Headmaster," Hermione added, her hands on Draco's arms as she spoke. "It only makes sense, doesn't it? Once we get Hogwarts back... Ron, you could move closer down here... It would be like old times again."
"Yeah... I can't wait for that."
It was so close. Harry didn't want to be too confident, but he knew tonight would be a victory, even if it was just a small one. The idea of becoming Headmaster to Hogwarts was definitely appealing. He planned on fixing it up, seeing as they were going to basically destroy it that evening, and then reopen it to all students, no matter their background or blood. It was a comforting thought. Still, he had to face Voldemort. That was eating away at him slowly. What if he failed? What if Voldemort killed him? He knew there was nothing he could do about it at that point in time, but he had been thinking about it for weeks now. Weeks of plotting just what spell to use at the right moment. Weeks of worrying what would happen to his friends if he died. It all came down to the next offensive attack. It had to be a good one.
"My children really like you guys," Draco said suddenly, lifting his head from Hermione's shoulder and gazing over at the pair. "I think they'd like it if you were around more often... You know, maybe my kids can... I don't know, be friends with your kids."
Ron smirked, "Wow, Malfoy... That must have taken a lot to say."
"Yeah... It did."
Hermione released a soft giggle and placed a kiss on his cheek. He smiled at her, and Harry could tell there was such a strong adoration in his grey eyes that it was slightly sickening. Letting go of her, Draco scrambled to his feet, and then asked Hermione if she would take one last walk with him, alone, before they left for the evening. She nodded, and then let him help her to her feet, slipping an arm around her waist for support as they walked across the rock strewn roof toward the hole they were using as a door.
"Maybe Cameron could marry Annie... Then you and Malfoy would definitely be related," Harry chuckled, remembering Ron's youngest son was close in age to the little Malfoy girl. Ron's face blanched, and Harry let out a barrelling laugh, clapping a hand on his shoulder, "I'm just kidding, mate."
Ron chuckled weakly, though didn't seem completely convinced.
"You think he really loves her?"
Harry sighed, knowing the question was going to come up at one point or another, "I don't know... It seems like it, doesn't it? I mean... I can't see him doing a lot of the stuff he does for just anyone, you know?"
"I guess," Ron muttered, finishing off his drink, and then hurling it out off the roof, both of the men watching as it sailed down into the water. "If he hurts her though..."
"We'll both kill him."
The two lifelong friends looked at each other, and then grinned, "Deal."
"Ron?"
They both peered back over their shoulders and spotted Luna poking her head out of the hole in the roof, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Yeah... Yeah, sure," Ron replied, patting Harry on the shoulder before jumping up to his feet, hurrying over to his wife. Harry watched as Ron sidled down and gave Luna a quick peck on the lips, and they vanished together, leaving Harry alone to his thoughts on the roof.
Smiling, he held up his butterbeer, and murmured, "To victory."
"Hey... Look at this."
"What?"
I picked up a large rectangular scale set and held it up for Will to see, "Think it could be useful?"
The castle had been oddly quiet all day long, and we knew something big was going to happen. However, we didn't just want to sit around and wait. Annie was still obsessing over the bear Mr. D gave her, which seems a little creepy to me. I won't tell her that, since she loves the damn thing, but I kind of hope she accidentally leaves it behind somewhere so we don't have to see it anymore.
Will and I are... sort of back to normal. We cuddled all night last night. I don't know if it was because I was looking for comfort, or if it was because I still had feelings for him. Actually, I think both have quite valid points in that argument.
Will hurried across the room and took the metal scales from me, weighing them in his hands, "If anything, we can use them to beat someone across the head."
Annie gave a little squeak, and I shot him a look, "Nicely done."
Shrugging, he handed them back to me, and then glanced at the door. I watched as his eyebrows slowly rose up his forehead, and I could tell he was formulating an idea.
"I've got an idea..."
I knew it.
Taking back the scale, Will marched across the room quickly, and then rammed it into the door, jamming it forcefully between the handle and the lock. Annie squealed again, and I hissed for her to shut up as I watched him slowly, but surely, pry the door open. A smile became plastered across my lips, and I hurried over to him, bending down a little to his level and giving him a kiss on the cheek, "Brilliant."
"I know, baby," he chuckled, winking at me, "I know."
"Modest too, always a plus," I snorted, turning back to see my sister. "C'mon, Annie, we're getting out of here."
She hopped off the desk on which we had placed her early this morning, and bounced over to us, "Can we find a toilet, first?"
"Why?"
"I need to pee..." she whined, crossing her legs hurriedly.
Will wrinkled his nose, and I rolled my eyes once more, "Right. Let's go find one of the girls' toilets... There's one just down the hall from here."
Moving as silently as we could, I was surprised that they hadn't placed a charm on the door to alert someone we had escaped. Not that I would sit around and ponder on it, but it was a little strange. With Will holding one hand, and Annie gripping the other, we crept down the hallway, and then rushed Annie in when we found the toilets.
"Good thinking with the scale..." I muttered, smiling up at him. Will grinned back, and then brought my hand up to his lips, giving it a soft kiss, "You're welcome."
My cheeks coloured, and his grin broadened into a full out smile, "I love it when you blush... You look adorable."
Gods, I like him so much.
"I'm all done!" Annie announced, her voice high and squeaky as she hopped out of the bathroom. I sighed, and then grabbed her hand, hoping the only reason it was wet was because she washed it, and then dragged her along the hall as we went, stopping every so often to avoid getting seen by a passing Death Eater. Thank Merlin there were an ample amount of large statues around, otherwise I'm pretty sure we would have been seen loads of time. The sky was darkening quite quickly outside, and it was safe to assume that the evening had started as we tried to find a safe way out of the castle. A lot of the windows were bolted shut, and there were at least a pair of wizards at every exit. While we still had our trusty scale, there was no way we could do anything wandless.
All of a sudden, an explosion sounded brilliantly through the night air, and as we rushed to a nearby window, my jaw dropped as we saw what appeared to be hundreds of witches and wizards appearing in the nearby village, firing off spells in all directions. My stomach did a little knot dance, and I squeezed Will's hand; our rescue had finally come.
Well, I doubt it's just our rescue, but you know... The brigade had finally come to take down the evil bastard who runs this place. Grinning at my boy and holding my sister just a little tighter, we tore off running down the halls at the sound of footsteps and panicked voices. Apparently the blast had awoken some of the lazy Death Eaters who weren't taking anything seriously. Turning a sharp corner, I let out a scream of shock when Harry Potter tumbled out from a spot in the wall, and was soon followed by his mate Ron Weasley.
"Eloise!"
"Hey!"
My voice sounded oddly high, but I didn't really care about that right now. The two men were soon followed by Remus and his wife, Uncle Severus, some people whose names were slipping my mind, and my grandparents.
"Grandfather!" Annie squealed, ripping her hand away from mine and rushing toward Lucius, who eagerly opened his arms and lifted her into a hug, stepping aside as a few more people came out of the wall. Grandmother swept over to my side, taking me into her slim arms and holding me close. Smiling, I looked up at her, and then past her, "Where's dad?"
"And where's Shane and Kev?" Annie inquired, her arms so tightly wrapped around Lucius's neck that I could almost see him going a little red. Grandmother beamed at me, "They are down in Hogsmeade, leading the attack there."
That was relieving, though only slightly. Lucius carefully set Annie down, and then stepped toward Will, his eyes slowly narrowing. Will cleared his throat awkwardly, and then forced a smile. However, before he could even say anything, Lucius punched him in the face.
"Grandfather!" I shouted, hurrying to Will's side and kneeling down. He seemed a little dazed, but otherwise all right.
"Nicely done, sir," Harry chuckled. Grandmother rolled her eyes, "How Muggle of you, dearest."
"I'm sure Draco will be tempted to do much worse," Lucius hissed, and I felt Will wince in my grasp. "So I suggest you watch yourself."
The group moved on hastily, with both my grandparents giving Annie and I a kiss on the head as they passed. Their facial expressions were those of determination, and I had actually never seen them look like that before. We were left with Tonks, who smiled meekly, "I'll be watching you... So, let's find us somewhere safe and we'll... ice his jaw."
Will let out a soft groan and I helped him to his feet.
Bloody fucking Hell. They were in the school.
Voldemort let out an angry snarl and continued pacing in his office. This had come up too quickly, and there were too many of them. He wouldn't admit defeat on a whim, but he knew things weren't going to turn out well for him and his men. Well, mainly his men - he had a feeling his escape would be talked about for years, right after he slaughtered Potter.
Save your soul, Tom. Do something good, for once...
"Get out of my head, Elodie," he sneered, glaring at himself in a nearby mirror, and then shouting for his top guards to see him. Unfortunately, all the showed up were Dean Thomas and D. Grumbling softly to himself, he grabbed his wand off the desk and continued pacing, the speed renewed as he thought, "Rally everyone in here... Hogsmeade is lost, and we've already got a group of them in the castle."
The portraits had informed him when Potter and his motley crew fumbled out of the Room of Requirement, and they had also told him exactly when the Malfoy brats had escaped the Charms room. Although he knew he should have held the children, seeing as they would have been good hostages, he had bigger things to think about.
"I'll see to that, my Lord," D grunted, turning sharply on his heel and departing. Voldemort's sharp gaze turned on Dean, and he snarled, "See that Snape's wife doesn't escape, or it's your head, Thomas."
"Yes, my Lord."
Within moments he was alone again in his office, still fuming that he had let himself lose everything so quickly. No, he hadn't lost year. The boy was weak. They were all weak. In a matter of hours, they would all be dead.
Tom, please... I'm begging you-
"Out, Elodie!" Voldemort roared, picking up a book and flinging it at the mirror, his breathing heavy as the item shattered into countless little pieces. Dumbledore's portrait clucked disapprovingly from its place on the floor. Bloody Hell, even though he wasn't facing outward, he still knew something was infuriating the Dark wizard.
Hopefully that witch would be out of his head.
When you pass on, call for me... I'll come for you.
"I'm sorry that I won't be giving you that satisfaction," Voldemort seethed, "but I don't plan on dying. Not now, not ever."
He could hear soft laughing coming from all corners of the room, but he blocked it out as he left, slamming the door behind him with all his might.
Snape had broken away from his team for one reason, and one reason only; to rescue his wife. Narcissa was very reluctant to let him go, but after several very agonizing moments of assuring her that he would be fine, and was quite the capable wizard, she gave him her blessing. Not that he needed it, but it was still nice to have. He didn't bother bidding Lucius farewell, since they both knew they were going to be seeing each other very soon.
Eloise suggested checking in the first floor spare classroom, since that was where she last heard Ginny had been taken. It wasn't exactly much of a lead to go on, but he thanked her mentally over and over again when he spotted Dean Thomas leaning on the door, his wand clutched in his left hand, and his eyes peeling the area before him. Snorting softly, he crouched down on the floor just around the corner from the idiot boy, and then murmured a stunning spell. The brilliant jet of blue light whizzed across the space between them, and there was a satisfying 'thud' as Dean fell to the floor, stunned.
Getting to his feet quickly, he rushed to the door, not caring if anyone else saw him. He knew he was just so close to his wife...
"Severus?"
"Ginny..." he breathed, leaning his head against the cold wood, seeing her eyes through the tiny window, "We've already started the raid, both in here and at Hogsmeade... Let me get you out."
"Kill Dean first."
His hand stilled as he raised it to get the lock open, "What?"
"Kill him... Please, Severus," she whispered, stepping up closer to the window, her eyes a little misty, "I can't stand to see him like this... He'll be happier dead."
Not needing to be told twice, Severus turned around and fired the killing curse at his former student, his eyes emotionless. In a moment or so, he brought his attention back to his wife, and unlocked the door with his wand. Before he could even try to open it, she shoved it free and leapt into his arms, throwing her skinny arms around his neck tightly.
"You see..." he chocked, his face buried in her red hair, "This is why I didn't want you to go."
"Shut up, Severus," she muttered. And there they stood for what seemed like eternity, just holding each other. Spells and explosions were filling the thick air, but neither cared. All that mattered at that point in time was each other.
"Should we do it, Fred?"
"I think we should, George."
The two twins huddled together on the floor, pulling out a live rat from their sac of tricks. They had covered the fur with poison before they left, and were very careful not to touch the soft exterior. Slithering along was Nagini, Voldemort's most prized possession. Sharing an identical smirk, they set loose the small creature.
The snake picked up on the soft scratching of his paws in an instant, and if you blinked, you would have missed the large beast swallowing the smaller one whole. Fred wrinkled his nose, and George gave a tearful dramatic solute to their fallen comrade, who was already doing his part. Nagini hissed a few times, and then ceased all movement.
"Well done, Fred."
"Same to you, George."
"Shall we carry on then?"
"I think we shall."
"There are several Death Eaters who need fireworks shoved down their pants."
"I couldn't agree more."
Harry weaved into the Great Hall, stopping dead in his tracks as he saw the sight ahead of him. It seemed as though everyone was battling each other at the same time. Sending out spells in all directions, his friends fought valiantly against Voldemort's men. He would have been there the entire time, but he had gone down to get rid of a few guards who stood opposing the oncoming army of witches and wizards from Hogsmeade. He spotted Draco, who was with his two sons, and Hermione in the pack somewhere, but hadn't spent too much time dwelling on it. Snape had found Ginny, and they soon hurried off to the Great Hall to take on Death Eaters.
As he stepped into the room, everything seemed to freeze. Voldemort sent Lucius and McGonagall flying back in the air, both of them landing roughly in a pile near the old Slytherin table. Sharply, the maroon eyes landed on him, and the Dark Lord snarled for the attacking Death Eaters to get away, seeing as Harry was his and his alone. In silence, people scuttled off to the side, sending a spell at one another every so often. Most were just too interested in what was going to happen to do anything.
"So here we are, Potter," Voldemort barked, "the final battle of our era... Are you finally ready to die?"
"Are you finally ready to make a wholehearted attempt at killing me?"
He heard someone snort loudly from the side, and Voldemort sneered in their general direction. Both men had their wands raised, and they began circling each other, both trying to decide who was going to attack first.
Voldemort made a move, and Harry just barely deflected it. That high, cruel laughter filled the hall, and Harry flung another offensive spell at him, hoping to throw him off the scent of what he wanted to do.
"Come on, Potter, you can do better than that!" Voldemort shouted, nicking his arm with his last spell. Harry could feel his chest heaving, and he was slowly getting worn down. There were small cries of encouragement from the crowd, mostly from Ron. The doorway to the Great Hall was suddenly with people, and Harry peered over Voldemort's shoulder to see Hermione's frantic expression, "Come on, Harry!"
"Great, Potter, they've all come to see you die..."
"I don't think so..."
They began their dance again, flinging every spell that came to mind at each other, ducking, dodging and weaving to avoid being knocked out by some trivial thing.
"Do you know what I'm going to do to all of your little friends when you die?" Voldemort inquired softly, flicking his wrist to send another spell his way. Harry had to roll onto the ground to avoid getting hit.
"I'm going to spread them out... give them to my Death Eaters, and they can do what they wish. They're all going to suffer, and it's all because they are close to you."
Harry gritted his teeth, and then decided it was now or never.
"Avada Kedavra!"
Voldemort managed to block his killing curse, but was suddenly hit with another one from behind. He fell to his knees, and then went face first into the ground, deathly still. Had they... Had they killed him?
Harry looked up to see his true killer, and his eyes landed on Narcissa Malfoy, her wand out and clasped tightly in her shaking hand, her face extremely pale.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
So. I just wanted to remind people that this is AU, and it was written before I knew about horcruxes and whatnot. Hence the easy kill. Also. No death of Fred. He's too awesome to kill.
