Disclaimer: not mine….nope.
A/N: please review! The epilogue should be up with this one….(sniff sniff), but I am working on my other Lucius/Hermione story and I hope you all read that one too!
Chapter 29
Rising from the Ashes
Voldemort stood up and turned accusingly to Severus and then Lucius.
"There are anti-apparation spells on this throne room! How did the Mudblood do that!"
Lucius immediately began to explain in his usual cold smooth voice, giving nothing away.
"My lord, she was whispering. It sounded like an ancient Romanian spell."
Voldemort's eyes flashed a brighter red.
"Someone taught that Mudblood ancient Romanian spells?"
Lucius nodded. Voldemort stepped down and looked at Lucius with obvious distrust for the blond man. Lucius felt Voldemort probing deep in his mind…searching for answers…searching for Lucius' betrayal. He found none.
"I'm giving you one more chance, Lucius. Bring her to me."
"Yes my lord. As you wish."
Bowing slightly, Lucius rushed from the room. As the door was closing, Voldemort turned back to Severus.
"Follow him Severus. Make sure he gets the job done." Severus nodded. "When Lucius has the Mudblood, bring her to me at Hogwarts…I will leave when the sun sets to claim what is rightfully mine." Severus nodded noticing for the first time the orange sky outside and began swiftly making his way for the door. "Oh, and Severus." Severus stopped and turned around. "Don't screw up this time."
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It was like apparation without the discomfort. Hermione reappeared right in the middle of the three boys fighting with even more fever than before. One thought running through their heads—finding Hermione, their fourth. Draco on occasion could be heard mumbling "father is going to kill me," and then another Death Eater would fall. A curse flew passed Hermione's head causing her to yelp out in surprise and duck down. The three boys looked back quickly to see her, shock clear on their faces.
"Hermione!"
Together the four of them fought through the day. The new sun of the day shone down on them taunting them with its freshness…its newness. It offered them all hope though. Hope that it would be over soon and all will be well. The four friends continued on knowing their goal…knowing they needed to find Voldemort.
She looked around. The Death Eaters seemed to be zeroing in on the four of them. Large groups of them were closing in and Hermione knew they could not continue the way they were.
"We are going to have to join slightly to get through this," she called out. She would not allow fear to take over; this was not the time. The three boys nodded.
"Ready when you are Granger!"
She nodded and pointed her wand to the darkening heavens. The three boys followed suit and together they yelled "s'unir1!" When they brought their wands down it was like an invisible whip slashing out at the Death Eaters sending them all flying back.
Hermione was leading the way, slowly backing out of the group of fallen Death Eaters, her wand at the ready. She bumped into something or someone and in a moment of panic, she spun ready to hex who ever it was. Before she could perform the wand movement, a hand reached out stopping her wrist. She looked up into Lucius' grey eyes. He held his mask in one hand and Hermione's wrist in the other. Severus stood behind him.
"We were sent to retrieve you. He is going to Hogwarts," Snape enlightened the curious group. Hermione looked around. That is why so many Death Eaters seemed to have just disappeared. All four of them knew they had to go. Lucius still had a hold of her wrist and pulled her to him, kissing her softly as if it were the last time. He let go of her wrist and she smiled sweetly as she took hold of Draco's hand and Harry's. Holding hands the four began to chant.
"a disparea…a disparea…a disparea…2"
The four disappeared from the battlefield and found them standing outside the Great Hall...dinner was in progress. With a deep sigh, the four students opened the doors to the Great Hall.
The entire student body turned when the doors opened and the occupants at the Head Table simply stopped all movement. Everyone watched as the most unlikely group, dressed for war in Order uniforms, marched as one across the Great Hall and up to the Headmistress. After a quick conversation, the Headmistress stood immediately.
"Go to your common rooms and remain no matter what."
McGonagall's voice was stern…more so than usual. Hermione could feel the panic wash through the Great Hall as the students scurried to their common rooms. It was only a matter of seconds before there was a dead silence hanging over the castle. McGonagall nodded her head as if saying, "I am ready."
Suddenly, Lucius and Severus appeared behind Hermione causing McGonagall to jump slightly.
"Sorry, Headmistress," Severus apologized.
"They are here," Lucius explained.
With a quick nod of their heads, the four ran out of the Great Hall to join the fighting, helping in any way they could. Lucius and Severus both disappeared. The two men remained close to the four students…aiding them from the shadows when they could.
Suddenly Harry stopped and his head turned toward the Great Hall.
"What is it, Harry," Hermione yelled out over the curses.
"It's Voldemort. He's here…he's in the Great Hall."
He turned and ran back toward the Great Hall. Ron, Draco, and Hermione followed him….dodging curses and jumping over the wounded along the way. The doors were shut. Lucius and Severus caught up with them in time to see them standing outside the closed door. Hermione pointed her wand at the door and without a word, the doors flung open forcefully. Despite the fights occurring in the corridor, the sound of the doors echoed.
Voldemort stood in front of the Head Table looking down at the four students walking in. Behind the four students, on either side of them, stood Lucius and Severus. Voldemort's eyes held a malicious glint as they roamed from Draco to Hermione to Harry to Ron and then back to Hermione. They all stopped walking, waiting for what was to come.
Lucius felt his heart pounding in his chest as Voldemort looked at Severus and then him. Lucius knew this couldn't be good.
"Severus, Lucius, you do know what I do to traitors?"
Both Severus and Lucius obediently replied.
"Yes, my lord."
Voldemort smiled as he laid eyes on Hermione again.
"You know…I recall that idiot Dumbledore stating something about there are things worse than death." Voldemort's eyes shifted to Lucius. "Your heart betrays you Lucius. Tell me, is this worse than death?"
With a flick of his wand, large parts of the structure of the Great Hall tumbled down to the four students. Lucius thought his heart stopped when he saw all four students tumble underneath the debris. His son and Hermione both under rubble of stone and lying perfectly still caused an indescribable feeling of loss to form in Lucius. He could feel every fiber shaking in him and for a moment, he thought he forgot how to breathe.
Then it happened. As if they were four phoenixes rising up from the ashes—they slowly rose up to their feet. Determination set on their faces as all four wands rose as one. Instinctively, Lucius and Severus took two steps back, both knowing what was coming. Fire flashed in the foursome's eyes. Voldemort's laugh echoed in the Great Hall. With each wand movement there was a piece of the spell to match.
As one, their wands whisked down at a slight angle.
"a taita…3"
It was almost like a whisper.
As one, their wands moved up at a slight angle in the opposite direction.
"…a rupe…4"
A wind began to flow through the Great Hall. Determination and the expectation of triumph settled over each of them as they held their own signature smirks in place while making the final wand movement. The wand movement that completed the same lightening bolt shaped rune that rested on Harry's forehead. Swiftly their wands moved down.
"…a ceda…5"
It was like a soft whisper in the wind and the wind seemed to carry its call through the night. Slices formed on Voldemort's skin as if they had used sectusempra on him, but these were different. They were dark like a black hole and blackness seemed to burst forth from them, exploding into light above him as he screamed.
"No!"
As the light above Voldemort burst into the closest thing to a firework display there was and faded, Voldemort collapsed. The sound of fleeing Death Eaters could be heard through the doors and windows of the Great Hall. Students and Order members flew into the Great Hall. Lucius had approached Hermione and grabbed hold of her hands, looking at them as if to make sure they were real. He dropped to both knees before her and looked up into her eyes. Her eyes shone and sparkled with what Lucius could only describe as his future. When everyone rushed into the Great Hall, that is what they saw—the four students and two spies covered in dust and ash with Lucius Malfoy on his knees before Hermione Granger, arms wrapped around her waist as she smoothed the hair on his head. Everyone slowly moved forward, on the pedestal the head table sat upon lay the broken empty body that was once the Darkest Wizard of all time as everyone and everything was covered in the debris and ash from fires burning outside the castle flew into the Great Hall through the broken windows…the world was reborn.
1 French—unite, join
2 Romanian--disappear
3 Romanian--sever
4 Romania--sever
5 Romanian--sever