The End
Chapter 32: Showdown Pt. 2
Draco, Neve, and Ava turned around when they saw Professor McGonagall's face go blank. It had gotten so dark it looked like night outside. Neve winced when she felt that familiar burning in her cheek. The "X" began glowing on her face again. Draco and Ava noticed it.
"Neve, what is that?" she asked. Neve brought her hand to her cheek, rubbing the burning mark on her caramel skin.
"A present from your father from last year. Wonderful, isn't it?" Neve asked sarcastically. Ava raised an eyebrow, curious about her shortness.
"I've never seen it there before," she said. Neve smirked and looked at Ava.
"It only decides to show when Voldemort wants me to know he's coming. Right now, I can only imagine what Harry and Aurora are feeling," she said, her face emotionless.
Harry stumbled out of the portrait hole. Students were pushing past him at an alarming rate, trying to get inside the common room. Aurora, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny squeezed past the students. When they were all out, they practically slid down the railing of the stone staircases.
"We should get to the main entrance," Harry said. They all nodded and started walking quickly down the corridors.
Dumbledore walked up to McGonagall.
"Is everything all right, Minerva?" he asked. McGonagall shook her head, looking extremely worried. She glanced at Neve's cheek. Neve's face remained as calm and stoic as ever considering the pain. "Neveah, what happened to your face?"
"Long story. They are here," she said just as a jet of green light whizzed right by her face. She could feel the air being displaced. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion from then on.
Harry and Ron rounded a corner. They slid to a stop, Aurora, Ginny and Hermione knocking into them from behind. He stared at the figures before him. Hermione and Ginny looked hurt, rubbing their arms. Both Harry and Ron were pretty solid.
"What's wrong?" Ginny asked walking around them. Harry put his arm out in front of her. Ginny stopped and looked forward. She gasped at what she saw.
An army of students stood right in front of them. They all wore black robes and had their hoods up.
"Death Eaters," Harry whispered.
"SLYTHERIN Death Eaters," Ron corrected. Millicent Bulstrode and Crabbe stood in front of the pack.
"You five can't possibly take on all of us and expect to survive," Millicent said, crossing her arms. The girl was very intimidating to the outsider.
"You underestimate us, Bulstrode," Aurora said, pulling her wand. Crabbe and Millicent just laughed.
"I know exactly what you are capable of, Weasley," Millicent retorted, also reaching for her wand.
"Aurora, Harry, and Hermione, go ahead of us," Ginny said. Ron and Hermione looked at her.
"Why don't you go with Harry?" Hermione asked.
"I'm not nearly as strong as you, Hermione. Plus, you two are probably needed somewhere else. Ron and I will take care of these bastards quickly and meet up with you all later."
"And just how do you suggest that we get pass them?" Harry asked. Hermione smirked.
"Leave that to me," she said mischievously. Ron and Harry each raised an eyebrow, both curious as to what Hermione was cooking up in her head. Ginny nodded and looked back at the Slytherins. They all shifted nervously. Ron and Ginny smirked.
"Ready?" Millicent asked. Ginny's eyes narrowed.
"Bring it on, bitch," she said. Harry blinked at Ginny's aggressiveness. Ginny winked, still staring at Millicent. Hermione saw this and pulled her wand out.
"Lumos maxima!" she yelled. Ron and Ginny shielded their eyes while Harry, Aurora, and Hermione ran forward, knocking over a slew of Slytherins. Harry made sure to purposely elbow some of them in the head for added effect. When Hermione stopped the spell, she had rounded the corner with Harry and Aurora.
Millicent looked around her as the light faded. She turned around quickly. Ginny smirked at her and pointed her wand.
"Stupefy!" she said loudly. The spell burst from the tip of her wand. As she did the spell, Ron started forward, effortlessly blasting students out of his way. He was staring at his two targets: Crabbe and Goyle. All he could think of was how he now had a legitimate reason to beat the snot out of both of them. He smirked at the mere thought of it.
Millicent ducked as the curse came flying towards her. It hit some poor girl behind her. Millicent stood quickly to retaliate, yelling some curse unknown to Ginny. Ginny threw up a barrier with her wand. Her eyes widened when she heard something behind her. Unfortunately, she heard it a little too late. The barrier dropped.
"Stupefy!"a voice and Millicent said. Two Stunning spells came flying at Ginny from both sides. Ginny immediately dropped to the ground, laying flat on her stomach with her legs spread out. Millicent's eyes widened as the other Stunning spell came flying towards her. She was hit with it and flew backwards, out for the count.
Ginny stood up quickly and whirled to see Pansy Parkinson standing there. She looked extremely mad that her spell had not hit Ginny. Ginny smirked.
"That was a bit unfair, Pansy," she said. Pansy shrugged.
"You do what you have to do in certain situations. No one ever said there were rules in a battle, so I took it upon myself to take charge," she replied. Ginny glanced over at the fallen Millicent.
"Oh, you took charge, all right. That was pretty powerful spell. I'm sure Millicent won't be too happy when she is revived."
"She'll get over it. Stupefy!" Pansy yelled unexpectedly. Ginny threw up another barrier and immediately followed it up with a curse of her own.
"Paralizzare!" she said. Pansy did not have time to move. She was confused at the spell Ginny had just said. The jet of blue light flew towards Pansy at an amazing speed. She was blasted back into the wall. She glared up at Ginny and tried to move. Ginny walked over to her, smiling down at her.
"What the hell did you do to me?" Pansy grumbled. Ginny ran a hand through her red hair.
"I paralyzed you. Sweet dreams, Pansy," Ginny said. Pansy again looked very befuddled at what Ginny had just said. Before she knew it, Ginny had knelt down and punched her dead in the face. Pansy slumped, unconscious. Ginny shook her hand out.
While all this was going on with Ginny, Ron was winning the good fight. He had managed to stun six Slytherins. He was now staring at Crabbe. Crabbe stared back at him, gripping his wand tightly. Ron smirked.
"You know, I really don't want to use magic. I want to enjoy this," Ron said. Crabbe smirked.
"I'm sure you do." Both dropped their wands and ran towards each other. A brawl ensued. Ginny turned around after having stunned a few more Slytherins. She saw her brother fighting Crabbe the old-fashioned way. Sighing, she looked around for more Slytherins to render unconscious. It was then that she realized that one of them was missing from the picture.
Ron rolled over, holding Crabbe in a sleeper hold. He was smiling until he heard Ginny scream. He looked up and saw Goyle holding his sister. Crabbe was starting to lose consciousness. When Ron was certain he was gone, he stood up, facing Goyle and Ginny.
"Now what are you going to do, Weasley? By the time you get over here, I could've killed your sister," he said. Ron just smirked. Goyle's eyebrows furrowed in bewilderment. "What the bloody hell are you smirking out?"
"This is extremely funny," Ron said. Goyle pushed his wand further into Ginny's neck.
"Vincent? I was hoping that I wouldn't have to..." Ginny struggled to say. Ron just crossed his arms. Goyle looked down at her through her hair.
"What was that, Weasley?"
"I was hoping that I wouldn't have to..." Ginny didn't finish again. Goyle's grip around her neck tightened. Ron just watched this with amusement, not even the slightest bit concerned for Ginny's well-being.
"Well, spit it out already, damnit!" Goyle yelled. Ginny smirked, her eyes meeting her brother's. In one second, she had tilted her head to the side. Confused by this move, Goyle looked forward at Ron. All he saw was a leg coming towards his face. Ginny's leg hit him and he fell back. Ginny turned around and looked at him.
"I was hoping that I wouldn't have to break your fucking nose," she said. Goyle moaned in pain, blood gushing from his nose. Ginny pointed her wand at him. "Paralizzare," she mumbled.
"That was bloody brilliant, Gin."
"Yes, I know. It felt great, too."
"Come on, Gin. Let's catch up with the others." Ron finished grouping the unconscious Slytherins together. Ginny nodded and started walking off.
Harry ran directly into Neville. This time, it was Harry who went flying backwards. Neville smiled and helped him up. Aurora, Hermione and Luna stifled giggles.
"Sorry, Harry. What's the rush?" he asked.
"Voldemort and his legion are here," Harry said sarcastically. Neville and Luna looked at each other.
"Where's Ron and Ginny?" Luna asked.
"They stayed and fought that army of Slytherins. I sure hope they're all right." Hermione's voice trailed off.
"Knowing Ron, he's having the time of his life. Since he has a justifiable motive to beat the shit out of a Slytherin, he's going to take it and enjoy himself," Harry said. Hermione glared at him, showing that she did not think his joke was funny. She sighed and stormed past him.
Neve turned around, seeing Bellatrix Lestrange. She looked infuriated and ready to murder. Neve stared back at her with the same amount of malevolence. Bellatrix had more of the Death Eaters with her. Before anyone could exchange words, an explosion rocked the castle. Dumbledore and McGonagall's heads snapped to left. They looked back at Bellatrix.
"Go," Neve said, never taking her eyes off of Bellatrix. Bellatrix smirked. Dumbledore and McGonagall looked at her as if she'd said something offensive.
"What?" McGonagall croaked. Neve still did not look at them.
"I said go. I can handle them," Neve said. McGonagall was about to say something else when Dumbledore grabbed her arm. She looked over at him. Dumbledore was shaking his head.
"Ferris and Aiko, stay with her," Dumbledore said before heading off with McGonagall. The two Magi nodded and took out their wands. Draco and Ava looked at each other.
"Go find the others, Draco and Ava," Aiko said. The two students nodded and ran in the opposite direction of Dumbledore and McGonagall.
"You really think you can 'handle' me, Neveah?" Bellatrix asked. Neve just smirked.
"I 'handled' your husband, did I not? Who's to say that I can't 'handle' you?" she said. This must have really pushed Bellatrix's buttons. Before anyone knew what had happened, she had shot a curse at Neve.
"Dolore mortale!" she yelled with all her might. Neve dodged the curse with amazing speed. Aiko and Ferris blinked. Neve was never the best at dodging or speed. She was always the toughest and strongest. The curse ricocheted off a stone statue, cracking the head off.
"Nice try, Bellatrix. Maybe you should aim a little higher next time. Avada Kedavra!" Neve pointed her wand at some unsuspecting bloke. The Death Eater stopped moving and just stood there for a moment. Then he fell, dead. Neve smiled, satisfied with herself. Bellatrix was quite amazed at the girl. She could fling the curse around so freely at such a young age.
"You must harbor a deep hatred for us Death Eaters, Neveah," Bellatrix said. Neve nodded, her wand trained on her.
"I could never have a problem killing one of you. You're all scum in my eyes," she said. Bellatrix just smirked.
"Well, I shouldn't have a problem killing them, should I?" Bellatrix stepped to the side. Neve's eyes widened as Giuliana Assante, Jolie Tucci, and Gianni Assante were pushed forward, bound and gagged. Another female Death Eater walked up, holding a sleeping Santino. Bellatrix watched Neve's horrified face.
Aiko was counting the Death Eaters and doing many calculations in her head. Ferris was doing the same. They looked at each other. Aiko slowly reached behind her back, grabbing a smoke bomb. She flicked the top of it, muttering an incantation. No one seemed to notice her small movements.
"Let them go, Bellatrix. Your battle is with me," Neve said in a dangerous tone. Bellatrix just smiled evilly.
"Au contraire, Neveah. An eye for an eye..." she said, pointing her wand at Jolie's head. Jolie was very obviously pregnant. There was no telling how much damage had already been done to the baby at this point in her torture.
"You'd kill a pregnant woman?" Ferris asked, trying to take the attention off of Aiko. Bellatrix glared at him.
"I'd do what I'd have to do," she stated simply and without remorse. Jolie's eyes widened as she stared up at Bellatrix's wand. Giuliana looked at her daughter, suddenly very afraid for her eldest daughter. Neve stood there, powerless to stop it.
Aiko glanced at Ferris one last time. He inclined his head slightly. Aiko smirked and looked at Bellatrix. Bellatrix caught her eye and realized a bit too late what was about to happen. Before she could mumble a spell, Aiko threw the smoke bomb down.
Neve immediately reached in her robes, pulling out two pieces of what looked like plastic. She placed them over her eyes and looked around. The Death Eaters were shooting random spells off, most of them hitting each other. Bellatrix was looking around, a scared look on her face. Ferris and Aiko were moving her family to safety. Neve looked around, searching for the Death Eater holding her baby brother. She spotted her looking frantically around her. Neve stalked over to her and punched her. The woman fell back, releasing Santino in the process. Neve took him and ran back inside the school.
Bellatrix sighed and held her wand up.
"Chiarire," she mumbled. The fumes cleared away quickly. She looked down and growled. The Assante family members were gone and many of the Death Eaters were moaning in pain. She looked around for Neve and the others, but didn't see them at all. Growling something illegible, she stalked inside the school, some of the Death Eaters following her.
Draco and Ava rounded a corner, meeting up with Seph and Cye. They looked at them with questioning looks on their faces.
"What's going on?" Seph asked.
"We're under attack. Those Death Eaters are here. The Slytherins have all gone Dark, too. What are you two doing?" Draco said. Seph and Cye looked at each other.
"We were looking for the others. We can't seem to find anyone. Have you seen Aiko, Ferris, or Darien?" Cye asked.
"Aiko and Ferris were with Neve. They were battling Bellatrix out front. I'm not sure how they are doing right now. They sent us to find the others," Draco said.
Time seemed to pause for Ava. For some reason, her hearing seemed to be better than before. She heard the whistle of a curse cutting through the air. In a flash, she'd pushed Draco and Seph to the ground while ducking and pulling Cye with her. The powerful curse hit the stone wall, sending a chunk flying.
Draco looked over his shoulder. Ava was staring at the big hole in the wall. He then looked ahead of him and saw the two people who misguided him most of his life. Cye, Seph, and Ava all stood up.
"How did you know?" Cye asked Ava as Draco stood up. Ava did not answer her. Instead, she watched Draco's reactionat seeing his parents. Cye followed her gaze and saw the Malfoys approaching them slowly. Draco's eyes were locked onto them. Lucius smirked as he saw his son's expression.
"Draco, we're going to find the others," Cye said. Draco nodded slowly. He heard Seph and Cye begin to run off. He didn't hear Ava move at all.
"Ava, what are you waiting for?" Draco mumbled, his eyes watching his parents intently. They had stopped walking and were now content on just staring their son down.
"I'm not leaving you here by yourself. Plus, you going up against two Death Eaters is just not fair," Ava said, a hint of a joke in her voice. Draco smirked to himself.
"Fine. Just don't get in my way," he said quietly. Ava smirked herself.
"As long as you don't get in mine," she retorted.
"Are you two done plotting against us? I'd like to get this over with sometime in the near future," Lucius said. Draco frowned at his father, squeezing his wand tightly. Ava's eyes met Narcissa's.
"Let's go," Draco said in a deadly voice. Lucius smiled and pointed his wand slowly. Narcissa was the first to shoot a spell.
"Expelliarmus!" she yelled. Ava ducked and rolled to the side. Narcissa growled something illegible. Their battle began. While the two women were dueling, the two men had not even made a move against each other.
"Why do you want to fight me, Draco?" Lucius asked his son. He honestly sounded curious. Draco's frown deepened.
"I would've thought the reason would've been obvious by now, FATHER," Draco said.
"I suppose you hated the way I treated you. You don't see that you are more like me than you think you are," Lucius said. Draco squeezed his wand almost to the point of breaking it.
"No! That's it, you bastard! I hated the way you raised me! How could you raise your only child, your only son, to be an evil, unfeeling beast? I don't want to be like you! I was never like you!" Draco yelled. Sparks began flying from his wand in all his anger. Ava and Narcissa both paused for a moment to watch the exchange between father and son. Lucius bit his lip and took in a deep breath. He raised his wand just a Draco did the same.
"Expelliarmus!" both of them yelled. At the same time, both wands flew from their owners' hands. Ava and Narcissa were still watching. Ava shook her head and looked at Narcissa.
"Hey!" she yelled. Narcissa turned her head only to get decked in the jaw by Ava. She stumbled backwards and finally landed on her backside. Shaking her head, she glared up at Ava. Ava was shaking her hand out, smirking. Narcissa narrowed her eyes as she stood up.
Draco was staring at his father. Lucius was eyeing his wand, cursing why he never took up Soliopathy. Draco started walking forward, confusing Lucius. He took a step back as his son closed in on him. Draco cracked his knuckles then proceeded to punch his father in his nose. Lucius, like Narcissa stumbled backwards.
"That's for treating me like shit for eighteen years," Draco said. He punched his father again, busting his lip. "That's for forcing me to do your bidding." Draco swung one last time, knocking his father down. "And that's because I simply don't like you," he finished. Draco stood up straight and stared at his father. Lucius was reeling in pain. Narcissa was staring at her husband's bloody face.
"Draco Willem Malfoy!" she yelled. Draco glared at his mother then turned his back on them. He walked over to his wand and picked it up. Ava pointed her wand at Narcissa.
"Stupefy!" she said. Narcissa didn't have time to dodge. She fell back, stunned. Ava smiled and turned to walk off with Draco. "You're not going to stun your father?" she asked. Draco shook his head.
"He'll lose consciousness in about two minutes. I don't see the point," Draco mumbled. Ava nodded. As they walked away, Ava's hearing once again became clear. She looked down at the ground Draco was standing on. It was glowing red. Ava gasped and pushed Draco.
Draco flew backwards just as Ava was airborne. A blast of red light came up from the floor, knocking Ava into the high, stone ceiling. She hit her head hard and fell back to the ground, blood rolling down her forehead. Draco stood up quickly and looked at his father. Lucius was standing shakily and pointing his wand. Draco growled something illegible. Lucius smiled through the blood on his face.
"What was that, Draco?" he said. Draco pointed his wand at his father. Both knew exactly what curse was about to be thrown from each of them.
"AVADA KEDAVRA!" they both yelled. Two wands went flying as well as two bodies. The force of the curses shattered all the windows on the corridor. Ava's eyes drooped. She was spent. The two Malfoys lay with their eyes wide open, staring at the nothing.
Neve stumbled as she turned a corner, meeting up with Harry, Aurora, and Hermione. She looked in the direction in which the tremor had come. Aurora's eyes widened. She closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she looked very scared.
"What's wrong?" Neve asked. Aurora could not answer her. Harry felt Aurora's fright and instantly knew what she thought had occurred.
" Malfoy," he whispered. Neve and Hermione looked at each other.
"Come on." Hermione pulled them off.
Ginny almost fell as a tremor shook the castle. Ron knocked into a wall. She looked back at her brother. Ron shrugged. Ginny looked back ahead of her and closed her eyes. She tried to find everyone's mind signature. She located everyone's but two people.
"Ava and Draco," she whispered. Either both of them were unconscious to the point that they were practically dead, or they were really dead. Ginny broke into a run. Ron watched her then decided to follow.
"Professor Minerva McGonagall,"a voice said from behind the deputy headmistress. McGonagall turned around slowly, her hand clenched her wand. Nicola stood there, smiling at the professor.
"Lady Nicola Feleti. It has been so long since I have seen you," McGonagall said, holding her head high. Nicola nodded, her red hair spilling over her right shoulder.
"It has been a long time, Minerva. The last time we fought ended up in a stalemate, did it not?" Nicola said. McGonagall shook her head.
"I'm afraid that you Apparated so that I could not finish you off, Nicola," she said. Nicola's expression changed dramatically.
"Well, I was much younger then."
"I had no desire to finish you off then anyway, Nicola. You were very pregnant, even if you tried desperately to hide it. You shouldn't wear over-sized robes if you are going to duel with someone. Besides, if I had, Miss Granger would've never been brought into this world. Harry Potter would surely be dead without her," McGonagall said smugly. Nicola frowned.
"So, you figured out the girl's lineage, I see."
"I figured it out the first day I saw her, Nicola. She looks just like you. Why did you give her up again?" McGonagall asked. She knew she was definitely pushing Nicola's buttons. Nicola gripped her wand harder.
"I was nineteen, Minerva. A bit young to take care of a child on my own. Plus, I was a fugitive. By the way, what's her name now? The card I said had 'Ivi' on it," Nicola said.
"Hermione Granger is your daughter," McGonagall said. Nicola nodded. "Don't you want to see her?"
"The bloody girl probably hates me," Nicola said.
"I don't think she even knows that she is your daughter, let alone that she is adopted."
"Still, I don't think she should see me," Nicola said glumly.
"Well, I think that Miss Granger should at least know who her real mother is," McGonagall said. The two women jumped as they heard a wand drop. They turned their heads to the source of the sound.
Hermione stood there, her wand rolling around at her feet. Harry, Aurora, and Neve were all standing there, their mouths hanging open in shock.
"What?" Hermione croaked. Something came back to Harry and Aurora at the exact same time. They looked at each other.
'The daughter of the Italian woman...'
AN: For all of you who wanted to see some action between Harry and Voldemort, there will be special chapter just between Aurora, Harry, and Voldemort. It will be a very WORTHY fight sequence, I can guarantee. It's been floating around in my mind for about three months how I'm going to do it. So, keep your fingers crossed. CHAO!