Disclaimers: See Chapters 1 and 2 for all disclaimers.

Thank you…

Evenstar Elanor… I couldn't resist throwing Oliver together with Serena's niece.

Mark Darcy… I'm looking forward to what you think of this chapter.

Angoliel… "Dude, this chapter was tight." How I do love to hear that. Thank you!

FINALLY! We get some action! That spell was so tight. Do more, do more!

Wyall Jared… Welcome back. Hope all the exams and such went well but no need for the double eek!

Chapter 29: Death and Justice

Serena got some small satisfaction from the pained groan that slipped past Malificus' lips, but she knew she wasn't going to get through this ordeal without some pain of her own as the ruff of fur at the base of the jackal's neck started to stand up.

"That's just the start, Malificus," she said. "The Patronus manifestations will continue to battle until one is dead. The spell draws power from innocence, and the Patronus fueled by that will win…"

As she spoke, the panther and the jackal closed again, biting and slashing, and this time it was Serena who bled. A deep bite appeared in her leg and bled freely.

"So much for the invincibility of innocence," laughed Malificus. Serena glared at him and Malificus threw all of his will and intent into the jackal. His brother may have set him up to fail, even to die, but he was a Malfoy and he was not going to submit quietly.

The panther and the jackal attacked each other again, devolving into a writhing mass of white fur punctuated by grunts and gasps from Serena and Malificus. The younger Malfoy brother cried out in pain as claw marks lanced across his cheek, opening it to the bone. Across from him, Serena was gasping as a section of her shirt ripped away only to expose deep bite and scratch marks. The gallery shifted uneasily. Most of them had expected the Patronus to bleed, not Serena and Malificus

For his part, Severus would have preferred that someone cut a piece of his own heart out rather than watch Serena become bloodier by the moment. He could still feel the vague connection between them that he'd felt when she laid her hand on his chest earlier. Each blow she suffered, Severus could feel a shadowy repercussion. He knew how much pain she was in.

The bite marks burned in Serena's side and she ground her teeth together. I'm certain he's innocent. I'm sure of it, but why is Malificus still so strong? He falsely accused Severus. The fight shouldn't be this hard… And she wasn't the only one wondering that exact same thing.

"Why in blazes isn't he finished?" growled McGonagall.

"How can Serena keep going? She's bleeding so heavily!" Molly Weasley covered her face with her hands and Arthur put his arms around her. Next to them, Dumbledore said nothing, but he steepled his long fingers and looked from Malificus to Lucius and back again.

"What are you thinking, Headmaster?" asked Kerry.

"I think Mr. Malfoy may be stuck between the proverbial rock and a hard place. If he had really accused Severus, his Patronus would have failed by now… but he had the chance to admit his folly before and he didn't. What would make him choose this path?"

"Death before dishonor?" offered Jeremy, who had drifted over to stand with them as well.

Albus peered over his glasses one more time. "I think there is more to it than that, but I doubt we will ever know what it is." Hogwart's Headmaster watched the conflicted emotions flicker through Lucius' eyes. Hate. Sadness. Anger. Regret. Fear. Sorrow. Satisfaction. Each lasted only a fraction of a second.

Another cry from Serena filled the courtroom as deep scratch marks ran across her face. The crowd gasped collectively. The marks went from the middle of her forehead diagonally down across her cheek.

"Bloody hell," shouted Fiona, "she nearly lost an eye!" She turned away and buried her face in Oliver's shirt. Dumbstruck for a moment he didn't respond. Then he put his arms around her gently, but he never took his eyes off of Serena and her Patronus.

Severus' knees buckled and he had to grip the railing surrounding him for support. If she'd been able to help him, Tonks would have offered to let him lean on her, but she was his guard and for now, she couldn't touch him.

"Serena…" he whispered.

"Finish this," said Tonks under her breath. "Be done with that fool."

"Why are you fighting so hard?" gasped Serena. "You know you're going to lose; you know Severus didn't do the things you accused him of. Your jackal is getting paler, weaker…"

"Sometimes you have no choice in the matter…" Malificus grimaced as Lucius' spell kicked in, preventing him from saying anything else about being compelled or who may have compelled him.

While watching all of this, Narcissa kept her face neutral, nothing more than a porcelain mask. Lucius glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. Perhaps he had punished her enough for her indiscretion, but then again, maybe not… "So much for your lover's pretty face," he whispered. She looked at the ground and refused to meet his eyes.

The battle lasted for another 20 minutes with both Malificus and Serena earning serious wounds for their pain. Serena's clothes were covered in blood and she finally sank down to her knees, exhausted and weak, still trapped by the grip of the moldering hands.

"Why can't you just admit the truth?" she whispered. Her weak voice was so soft, she could barely be heard. And then Malificus stunned the entire room.

"You're right, Serena. He didn't recruit me to be a Death Eater. I lied about Severus."

"Why, Malificus?"

He opened his mouth but no words came out until he slowly said, "Sometimes the things we must do are not the things we wish to do…" And I am tired of bleeding to death and being unable to die. Death is better than being enslaved by my brother.

With a twist that was nearly faster than the eye could follow, the panther turned and pounced, landing on the jackal's back. It dug its claws into the jackal's shoulders and sunk pointed fangs into the flesh around the jackal's neck. With a blood-chilling yelp the jackal twisted away. Malificus felt the pain in his neck and knew.

Staggering a few steps, the jackal dropped to the ground. It lay still on the floor, a jagged piece of its throat torn open, growing paler by the moment, fading away as a shadow fades before the dawn. Severus looked at Malificus, expecting him to be dying on the floor but he was disappointed. Malificus stood straight and defiant.

"There," shouted Serena through her tears to the judges. Blood ran freely down her face and her arms. Deep bite marks dotted her thighs. "There is your truth through blood; Severus is innocent! Release him and end this travesty of a trial!"

Malificus stood quietly, resigned at last to his fate as he felt the blood start to run swiftly down his neck and pool under his feet. He felt lighter, thinner, and a small part of him was grateful that the end wasn't going to be horribly painful. He had his moment to think back on his life, and there actually wasn't much he would change. He had enjoyed his wine and his women, had been respected by most of the other Death Eaters, and feared by his enemies. He wouldn't even change the affair with Narcissa. Despite Lucius' fury, it had been worth it to give his brother such a comeuppance.

But there was one thing that the clarity of impending death illuminated for Malificus, and that was the crux of his contentious and often violent relationship with Serena.

"You win, Serena." Malificus' laugh was choked with bitterness. "All these years I tried to hurt you, to destroy you, when I was really only running away from the fact that I loved you… I wish I had known how to make you love me. No one else does." He deliberately looked over towards his brother.

Inside his chest, Malificus heart began to beat wildly, vainly searching for blood that no longer came to it. His eyes rolled back in his head and he slumped to the floor and with a final rasping breath, it was finished. Without a word or a glance back, Lucius left the room with Narcissa following in his wake, but the few people who saw him leave didn't miss the misty film that covered his eyes.

I hope you liked it! Please read/review and let me know what you think! (and don't worry; I haven't forgotten that Voldemort is back…).