Part II - Grand Finale
I heard a sound. Just when I put down my pen, I heard a soft yet enchanting sound. It was outside my window. Should I sleep or should I go outside and see?
I went to see it. A door has appeared on my room's wall. How strange! Voldemort, my father, came over when he is available and talked to me for sometime, during which I would stay silent for most of the time. But he never came this late. Who could it be?
My thought leaped to Professor Lupin. But that could not be…
Someone was banging on the door! A voiced told me to turn the golden knob, and I did. I felt I was dreaming! I saw the familiar features of Professor Remus Lupin! His eyes were brightly shining with urgency.
"Hold on to me and come!" He yelled.
Without hesitation, I wrapped my arms around his neck and with right hand he held my body up.
I was delirious with happiness. I do not remember how he rescued me. But with a wave of wand, we were in the same woods where we were about three years ago. I did not need to look around to make certain.
I then scrutinized him. He looked the same as ever, with a patched robe and the wearied face. He did not age. He did not change. He was still the Professor Lupin I knew.
"You came!" I said in rapture. "How did you do that?"
"With Professor Dumbledore's help. Sirius and he are on the other side, fighting against Voldemort. I was to find you and leave you in a safe place. Now that you are secured, I need to go there and help them."
"Don't!" I said, both recalling his sufferings under Voldemort the last time we were together and afraid that he'd leave me alone. "Don't go yet! I can't walk, and I don't know my way here."
His eyes shone suddenly as if knowing my thoughts. "Do not worry. You should be safe here. Wait for me… us, to get back to you." He turned around and headed the opposite way.
"Wait! I am coming with you! And as you know…"
"There is no use resisting. But I have to insist this time." He finished the sentence for me.
"No, you don't. At least you can keep me company. I am afraid that Voldemort may find me and take me back again."
He frowned. "Although Voldemort is powerful, Professor Dumbledore is no worse."
"Then they don't need your help!"
"I will help with the death eaters. There are plenty of them around. Sunny, you have not been in contact for three years. Rest and wait here."
"No! I am coming with you!" I said firmly.
"Expelliarmus!" A voice cried from a distance. Professor Lupin's wand flew immediately away toward the grinning and advancing Voldemort. "There is no need for that."
"So once again you have come, Lupin," he said with a steely coldness in his voice as he easily snapped the captured wand into two, which my professor watched in silence and tranquility. "How nice to see you, to be with my daughter, a traitor and your lover."
"She is not my lover, just as she is not a traitor." Professor Lupin said in the same calm voice he always kept.
Voldemort laughed and waved his hand. "No need to defend yourselves. I know very well what has happened! Dumbledore thought he had me there, but he didn't. Right now he is probably too busy fighting against my servants instead of looking for me. Your friend Sirius is quite a fighter, along with that Harry Potter and his schoolboy friends. But they are no match to the great lord himself."
"We shall see about that." Said Professor Lupin quietly but steadfastly.
Voldemort, in turn, shifted his attention to me and narrowed his scarlet eyes. "Now what am I to do with my little traitor here?"
"I did not betray you, because I never was loyal to you anyways!" I said, stepping out. But Professor Lupin secretly grabbed me back by my sleeve and stepped up himself.
"Admit it, Voldemort, you have lost against us. Why not surrender?"
"Lord Voldemort has never lost and will never lose. Step aside till I deal with you later."
"You are holding grudge against a young girl, Voldemort. That is hardly a thing to do for someone who calls himself a lord. Why not face me or Professor Dumbledore for a change?"
I smiled at this comment while Voldemort hissed in anger.
"You wretch! You dared to laugh at me!" He cried in a horrifically cold voice at the same time he raised his wand toward me. I stepped out in the meanwhile looking at him as Professor Lupin put himself in front of me.
A bright light shone from the wand. It did not hit me, but hit Professor Lupin on the back.
"It was the Cruciatus Curse" in case you did not know." Said Voldemort, grinning.
"How could you, first stabbing him in the back without a warning then hurting him?" I hissed in fury, watching Professor Lupin, who staggered from pain and struggled to stand on his feet.
"Aside, Lupin!" Voldemort waved his wand and my professor flung aside, facing down.
"You see, Isis, I knew that he would protect you, being protective he is. So I intentionally pulled back my killing curse to put it on you…"
"Come on then! No one is afraid of you!" I yelled without thinking.
Voldemort did not wait for a second challenge. He raised his wand, "Avada Kedavra!"
Just as I prepared to think of Remus for the last time, a body covered me and received the curse. It was Remus.
"No!" I cried out in panic and surprise.
Remus fell aside onto the grass. Blood was flowing from the corner of his mouth.
Voldemort laughed wildly in a shrill tone. "So that's how it goes! Lover dies for lover! Well, since he would have it, let it be so! He wouldn't be alone for long…" he then raised his wand toward me.
I got on my knees beside Remus and looked at his peaceful face. And I smiled. "How wonderful to have had him protecting me over and over! Could it be that he loved me as well?" I thought.
"Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort cried out again at the same time Remus shouted "no". A strong ray of light shot out from the wand straight toward me.
I watched at it flew closer and closer in a split of a second. For a moment, my thoughts were distracted from the curse to the "no" that Remus just yelled out. He was not dead, not dead after all. Joy rose inside my heart.
The light approached me. I could feel its obliterating force. Yet, it froze in right front of me, an inch away from my skin.
Voldemort first stared in consternation. I could tell plainly that he had expected anything but that. He might not even have thought that Remus was still alive.
In a quick moment, nothing moved. The universe was paralyzed inside my vision. Then, I saw a look of horror upon Voldemort's face.
"No!" he cried and raised his wand as if to disappear. But the light caught him just a split earlier. The killing curse had been reflected back upon him. His body burned as flames turned him into nothing but a puff of smoke. Only at that time, did I feel a speck of pity for him. After all, he was my father.
This feeling only lasted for a short moment. I looked back upon the face of dear Remus. He was deathly pale, but was breathing. I felt tears of gratefulness and sorrow gathering in my eyes and slowly rolling down my cheeks. For that wild moment, I held his upper body up and covered his face with kisses. "I love you, Remus. Please don't go! I love you, Remus; I love you! Don't leave me!" I thought and perhaps muttered it repeatedly. "Oh someone please come and help! Professor Dumbledore! Harry Potter! Just come, just come quickly and help!"
As if he had heard me, Remus opened his eyes and looked into mine. It lasted forever.
Professor Dumbledore, Mr. Sirius Black, Harry Potter, and the others came not long after. The others were surprised to find us in such a frenzy, but Professor Dumbledore only smiled knowingly and offered me his last few lemon drops, of which I took two, one for me, one for Remus. We went back hand locked in hand, Sunny and Remus.
Concerning the death of Voldemort my father: I have heard many times that the killing curse could not be blocked. It was hindered but once, when Voldemort tried to kill Harry Potter long time ago. I have heard that he failed that time because Harry's mother loved Harry, and that love was the sole impediment to Harry's death. In both my mind and my heart, I could find no other explanation more likely other than the fact that Remus loved me enough to block the curse and that I loved him enough in return for him to have lived it as well.
By Margaret Wang
6/11/2001