Chapter 22

/How dare you say Harry would do what you said he did?!/

Shh, Ginny, you're gonna ruin it for the readers.

/I don't care!/

If you don't shut up I'll do something bad. Like pair you with Crabbe or Goyle.

/You can't do that, the storie's almost over!/

Key word being almost.

"Someone's outside." Ginny whispered.

Harry nodded. "I know. Probably Voldemort."

"Harry, I don't want to die."

"Ye're na gonna die, Ginny. At least, na yet." Aine strode in, and looked around. "I mus' say, Voldemort's taste 'as improved since we las' met."

"Aine." Ginny spat, putting as much hatred and venom into the words as she possibly could. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, ye left these be'ind," Aine tossed them their wands. "Jus' thought I should brin' 'em te ye. Ye shouldna 'ave left withou' them. 'Oo kens when ye migh' get inte trouble. Well, bye." She went to leave.

"Aine, wait!" Ginny blurted. "Was that really the reason you came?"

Aine turned around. "'Course na, ye dafty! We all came te rescue ye!" She huffed, exasperated. "Now c'mon, we've gotta go before-" She was interrupted when the rest of the Alphas burst in.

"You-Know-Who's coming." Luna reported.

"Too bad." Aine said. "Looks like we're goin' ou' the back way, then." She gestured for everyone to grab her hands, and warped them outside, appearing in front of Khalidah, who blinked, surprised.

"You have no idea how close you just came to extinction, Aine." The Vampiress said. She nodded to Harry and Ginny. "The rescue was a success, then. That's good. The name's Khalidah, Vampire and fighter of the good fight. Which, when you think about it, is kind of oxymoronic. Oh, 'scuse me for a moment." Drawing her knife, Khalidah decapitated two Death Eaters and came back, licking her fingers which were now drenched with blood. "Not bad for slimeballs." She commented.

"I think I'm going to be sick." Ron muttered. Annie was already losing her lunch.

"I don't get sick when you mortals eat all that food!" Khalidah snarled. "Even though the majority of it smells like yesterday's dirty socks! Don't be so rude!" She dodged just in time and a wooden stake hit her in the shoulder rather than the heart. She bared her fangs at Bellatrix. "Bitch!" She growled, pouncing on her and tearing her to shreds.

"Now I know I'm, going to be sick." Ron groaned.

"Stop it." Aine snapped. "We don' 'ave time. Spread ou' an' 'elp take ou' this scum!" Her team followed her orders. When Harry and Ginny went to follow she stopped them. "Ye las' ate when?" She demanded.

"Yesterday, at lunch time." Harry said. "We never got around to our picnic."

"Well then ye need te eat. It's already past tea." Aine said pragmatically. "Ye'll 'ave little magic otherwise." She pulled a bag of sweets out of her pocket. "'Ere ye go, instant energy."

Harry and Ginny devoured the candy eagerly, both a lot hungrier than they had previously thought.

Aine smiled. "Feelin' better?" She asked.

Harry nodded. "Yes, thank you."

"Well, go on, then!" She shook her head laughing. "Go kick some arse or somethin'!"

Harry and Ginny leapt into the fray, leaving Aine to stand on the edge. She hung back, watching the fighting, occasionally shooting a spell at someone. She cried out in pain when a spear was shoved into her side. Her blood boiled, and Aine felt iron spreading through her body with each beat of her heart. Pulling out the spear, she looked at the pointed head, gleaming with her own blood. She turned around to face her attacker.

Cleo bared her fangs in a snarl. "I told you to join us." She said. "I told you to forget your immortality. Too bad you didn't listen to me."

Aine jabbed a stake through Cleo's heart, watching calmly as Cleo coughed, hands scrabbling at the hawthorn stake ineffectually, trying to remove it and stem the flow of blood. The Vampire crumpled to the leaf-strewn ground and Aine kicked her, not at all sad to see her one-time friend dying. "Too bad ye love te gloat so much." She replied. "Inflagro." The Vampire burst into flames.

Feeling something brush against her ankle, Aine looked down to see Voldemort's pet snake about to bite her. "Give it a rest, Nagini." She sneered, pushing Cleo's spear through Nagini's neck, pinning the green beast to the floor.

"Uncle Lucius!" Aine turned around just in time to see Annie run into her uncle's open arms.

"Harry, watch out!" Ginny yelped.

Harry turned, ducking a curse. "Thanks, Gin." He said, retaliating with a tantellagara hex. The Death Eater danced around, unable to stop himself.

Ginny grinned, pushing her hair out of her face. "I've always got your back, Harry."

"I know. And I've got yours."

"How sweet." Wormtail sneered.

Harry glared at the ratty man. "You." He spat.

"Me." Wormtail agreed. "Crucio."

Harry moved out of the way, and the curse hit the Death Eater who'd been sneaking up on Ginny.

"Thank you." Ginny sang, calling Khalidah over. The Vampire happily devoured the twitching, screaming Death Eater.

"Much more of this and I'll have to go on a diet." Khalidah said, relieving another Death Eater of his head.

Harry didn't reply. He'd just spotted Voldemort standing very close to Draco Malfoy. It looked as though he was about to curse him. Harry bit his lip. What should he do?

searching4romeo: mmm, yeah, I love Bill and Charlie. Boy oh boy, I'd like to get with those two hotties! Send me the fic! Send it! Now!!! Thanks for reviewing.

malicorejewel: thanks babe, glad you liked it.

eViL pHaRiE pRiNcEsS20: thanks so much for the review. Sure I'll send you a story. What type would you like?