DISCLAIMERS: I own absolutely nothing. Well, except Lili. And the plot. And a bunch of other stuff. Oh, just read. And then review. Only the authors know how good reviews feel... like a big bowl of chocolate ice cream... with whipped cream... and cherries! Mmm... cherries....
CHAPTER SIX: THE BATTLE OF EARTH
"What the hell are you doing here, Malfoy?" Ron growled.
"Why, following orders, of course, Weasley. And if you have to ask whose orders, you're even dumber than I thought."
Harry pulled out his wand. "I'd let her go, if I were you, Malfoy."
"Well, Potter, obviously you're not me. If you were, you'd be a whole lot better-looking. And don't think you can just curse me and be done. Just because I'm using a Muggle weapon doesn't mean I don't have my wand with me. I simply prefer Muggle ways of killing. They have a tendency to be more painful." He pulled his wand out of his pocket and pointed it at Harry.
While Harry and Malfoy were involved in this little exchange, Hermione noticed Lili's free hand, slowly inching toward the sword still resting on the altar. As Malfoy's attention threatened to turn back to Lili, Hermione desperately spoke up.
"Why? Why do you have to be so cruel? Why are you with You-Know-Who?" It was a stupid thing to say, but it caught Malfoy's attention, buying a little more time for Lili.
"Good question, Mudblood," he said tauntingly. "I suppose it's because I was raised with the Dark, to be a Death Eater; and oh, yes, there's no real reason for me to work with Dumbledore and his little pets."
"There is reason, though!" Hermione's voice rose higher, as Lili's hand grew nearer to the sword. "You could help people! You could save lives! You could make people happy!"
Malfoy laughed, a cold, sneering laugh. "Mudblood, why would I care about making people happy? Saving people? There's no such thing as happiness. But power... ah, yes, there is power. And I'm going to have it. And-"
At this moment, Lili's hand closed around the hilt of the sword, and she spun around, knocking Malfoy's knife out of his hand. The second she was away, Hermione whipped out her wand and shouted "Expelliarmus!" Malfoy's wand went flying out of his hand, and he was thrown back against the altar. Lili pulled the sheath off the sword, and pointed the blade directly at Malfoy's throat.
"Thanks for the help, Hermione," she said casually. "But you were promising him the wrong thing. Listen to me Malfoy. You've seen what Voldemort" Ron flinched at the name, "does to his followers. When they mess up, they get tortured. Friend and foe alike under the Cruciatus Curse. Do you really want that? If you join Voldemort, sooner or later you will be tortured. It's a definite thing. If you join the Light, you have the chance that you will never have to be under that."
Malfoy sneered at her. "Do you think I'm afraid of a little pain? I can take it."
"Fine. Whatever. But that's not the entire point. The point is, if you join us you can get revenge, Malfoy. Revenge. On Voldemort. Admit it, you want it." She moved to Malfoy's other side, her blade still at his throat, and switched topics just as easily.
"You must love your mother. Everybody does, no matter how horrible their mothers are to them, everybody has at least a tiny core of love for their mother. And you know, that at some point, Voldemort has probably put the Cruciatus Curse on your mother. Tortured her. Get revenge for your mother. And your father, too."
"I have no love for my father at all, no matter what you say," he spat.
"That's not what I was going to say. You say you were raised to be Dark, to be a Death Eater. To be raised like that, you have to have undergone pain. To toughen you up?" Although it sounded like a question, it definitely wasn't. Lili moved around him in a circle, her vivid blue eyes never leaving his icy gray ones. "If you join us, you have the opportunity to get revenge for your mother, revenge on your father. And be careful what you answer. This is the kind of thing that will be offered only once."
But Malfoy seemed to have made up his mind. "I'll join you," he said. But Lili shook her head.
"Ah, but it's not quite that simple. We have to know for sure that you mean it. And so here is what I propose: a swordfight. You and me. One on one. If you win, you join us. If I win, I kill you. You do not try to kill me. I will walk out of this alive, no matter who wins. But if I win, you will be dead. And don't count on me not killing you."
Malfoy looked her in the eye and spoke steadily. "That is the worst deal I have heard of in my
entire life."
Lili shrugged. "I could just kill you now..."
"Fine. I accept," he snarled. "Swordsman's duel." He transfigured a rock on the ground into a sword with a copper pommel.
Lili turned her back to Malfoy and spoke to her sword. "Now, no funny stuff. You are a regular sword, until I tell you otherwise. Got it? Good." She turned back around to find them all giving her strange looks. "Hey, gotta let them know who's boss."
She turned to Malfoy. Hermione stepped forward, she would be judging. She nodded, and the two bowed to each other. And, with a clap of Hermione's hands, the battle began.
Draco Malfoy had been studying fencing since he was able to hold a sword. He had fought many excellent swordsmen, and defeated most of them. But he was having a hard time with simply holding onto his sword while fighting this girl. Her attack was relentless, he had no time to throw any blows of his own. But luck was with him.
She tripped, not quite falling, but throwing herself off balance enough to give him time for an attack. As she steadied herself, he struck. She blocked it, as he knew she would, but now the tide had turned. Now he was the one dealing out all the blows, and she was working to simply block them.
Then, and even Draco himself was not sure how, Lili's sword was knocked out of her hand, and his was pointed at her neck. He had a moment of internal debate; he had been sent to either steal the sword or kill a Mage, if he killed her, he would be doing what he had sworn to do. But, if he let her live, he would have his chance for revenge, the thing he wanted most. He lowered his sword.
"I win," he said, breathing hard. "I get to join you."
(A/N) Pumpkins! Go review!
CHAPTER SIX: THE BATTLE OF EARTH
"What the hell are you doing here, Malfoy?" Ron growled.
"Why, following orders, of course, Weasley. And if you have to ask whose orders, you're even dumber than I thought."
Harry pulled out his wand. "I'd let her go, if I were you, Malfoy."
"Well, Potter, obviously you're not me. If you were, you'd be a whole lot better-looking. And don't think you can just curse me and be done. Just because I'm using a Muggle weapon doesn't mean I don't have my wand with me. I simply prefer Muggle ways of killing. They have a tendency to be more painful." He pulled his wand out of his pocket and pointed it at Harry.
While Harry and Malfoy were involved in this little exchange, Hermione noticed Lili's free hand, slowly inching toward the sword still resting on the altar. As Malfoy's attention threatened to turn back to Lili, Hermione desperately spoke up.
"Why? Why do you have to be so cruel? Why are you with You-Know-Who?" It was a stupid thing to say, but it caught Malfoy's attention, buying a little more time for Lili.
"Good question, Mudblood," he said tauntingly. "I suppose it's because I was raised with the Dark, to be a Death Eater; and oh, yes, there's no real reason for me to work with Dumbledore and his little pets."
"There is reason, though!" Hermione's voice rose higher, as Lili's hand grew nearer to the sword. "You could help people! You could save lives! You could make people happy!"
Malfoy laughed, a cold, sneering laugh. "Mudblood, why would I care about making people happy? Saving people? There's no such thing as happiness. But power... ah, yes, there is power. And I'm going to have it. And-"
At this moment, Lili's hand closed around the hilt of the sword, and she spun around, knocking Malfoy's knife out of his hand. The second she was away, Hermione whipped out her wand and shouted "Expelliarmus!" Malfoy's wand went flying out of his hand, and he was thrown back against the altar. Lili pulled the sheath off the sword, and pointed the blade directly at Malfoy's throat.
"Thanks for the help, Hermione," she said casually. "But you were promising him the wrong thing. Listen to me Malfoy. You've seen what Voldemort" Ron flinched at the name, "does to his followers. When they mess up, they get tortured. Friend and foe alike under the Cruciatus Curse. Do you really want that? If you join Voldemort, sooner or later you will be tortured. It's a definite thing. If you join the Light, you have the chance that you will never have to be under that."
Malfoy sneered at her. "Do you think I'm afraid of a little pain? I can take it."
"Fine. Whatever. But that's not the entire point. The point is, if you join us you can get revenge, Malfoy. Revenge. On Voldemort. Admit it, you want it." She moved to Malfoy's other side, her blade still at his throat, and switched topics just as easily.
"You must love your mother. Everybody does, no matter how horrible their mothers are to them, everybody has at least a tiny core of love for their mother. And you know, that at some point, Voldemort has probably put the Cruciatus Curse on your mother. Tortured her. Get revenge for your mother. And your father, too."
"I have no love for my father at all, no matter what you say," he spat.
"That's not what I was going to say. You say you were raised to be Dark, to be a Death Eater. To be raised like that, you have to have undergone pain. To toughen you up?" Although it sounded like a question, it definitely wasn't. Lili moved around him in a circle, her vivid blue eyes never leaving his icy gray ones. "If you join us, you have the opportunity to get revenge for your mother, revenge on your father. And be careful what you answer. This is the kind of thing that will be offered only once."
But Malfoy seemed to have made up his mind. "I'll join you," he said. But Lili shook her head.
"Ah, but it's not quite that simple. We have to know for sure that you mean it. And so here is what I propose: a swordfight. You and me. One on one. If you win, you join us. If I win, I kill you. You do not try to kill me. I will walk out of this alive, no matter who wins. But if I win, you will be dead. And don't count on me not killing you."
Malfoy looked her in the eye and spoke steadily. "That is the worst deal I have heard of in my
entire life."
Lili shrugged. "I could just kill you now..."
"Fine. I accept," he snarled. "Swordsman's duel." He transfigured a rock on the ground into a sword with a copper pommel.
Lili turned her back to Malfoy and spoke to her sword. "Now, no funny stuff. You are a regular sword, until I tell you otherwise. Got it? Good." She turned back around to find them all giving her strange looks. "Hey, gotta let them know who's boss."
She turned to Malfoy. Hermione stepped forward, she would be judging. She nodded, and the two bowed to each other. And, with a clap of Hermione's hands, the battle began.
Draco Malfoy had been studying fencing since he was able to hold a sword. He had fought many excellent swordsmen, and defeated most of them. But he was having a hard time with simply holding onto his sword while fighting this girl. Her attack was relentless, he had no time to throw any blows of his own. But luck was with him.
She tripped, not quite falling, but throwing herself off balance enough to give him time for an attack. As she steadied herself, he struck. She blocked it, as he knew she would, but now the tide had turned. Now he was the one dealing out all the blows, and she was working to simply block them.
Then, and even Draco himself was not sure how, Lili's sword was knocked out of her hand, and his was pointed at her neck. He had a moment of internal debate; he had been sent to either steal the sword or kill a Mage, if he killed her, he would be doing what he had sworn to do. But, if he let her live, he would have his chance for revenge, the thing he wanted most. He lowered his sword.
"I win," he said, breathing hard. "I get to join you."
(A/N) Pumpkins! Go review!