Chapter 11

The war was to begin. Rodolphus and I dressed and grabbed our things, including our wands. We contacted Cissa to let her know of her niece's disappearance and to keep an eye out for anything. Also, that we were going to find her, and she was to prepare for a possible tragedy. We didn't want to leave so quickly, we went back to the Leaky Cauldron, asking about the children who stayed there only nights ago. They never checked out, but they were gone. The portkey was used. It was about time too. We had to leave that night.

"Ouch, Ronald you're stepping on my stomach!" Hermione whined. The trio had landed in the cemetery which Harry visited years back. They stood and dusted themselves off, looking around the dreary, wet home for the forgotten relatives of past lives. Harry couldn't have imagined his part in defeating Voldemort was to be so easy. Two mysterious figures writing and appearing incognito, giving him hints and a portkey, a room to stay at night. It was all too easy. The idea of him defeating Voldemort would be much harder, could he do it with only himself and his two friends? "Harry..." Hermione spoke softly, watching the crows fly from tombstones. The trio walked forward, Harry didn't bother to stop at the grave of his enemy's parents, but his friends did, only to realize that Harry didn't care about the loss Voldemort went through.

He stood outside of the seemingly abandoned home, screaming through the roar of thunder that deafened Hermione and Ron. "COME OUT AND FACE ME! I CAN'T BELIEVE I'VE WAITED SO LONG FOR THIS AND YOU'RE A NO SHOW!" Hermione ran over to Harry and pulled him back. "Harry you're mad!" "Let go of me!" He struggled and shouted, throwing himself from Hermione's grasp and grabbing his wand. "YOU'RE SOME GREAT WIZARD! Can't even stand up against a CHILD! LIKE SO MANY YEARS AGO!"

"Harry stop it you're going to get us all killed!" Hermione pleaded. "It's bad enough you had to drag us here, why can't you just keep your mouth shut!" Harry didn't care, he grabbed a rock and hurled it at the house, it only smashed through a window and rolled on the floor. Nothing happened after that. "Harry, let's just go hide and rest up for energy. We're here, that's all that matters. " She grabbed Harry's arm, leading him away from the house, resting behind a grave, Ron was all ready there. He looked a ghastly white, shivering in his clothes.

"Ron, what's the matter?" Hermione asked, Harry didn't care, he would have rather gone into the home to throttle that wizard who call himself greater than the late Dumbledore. Ron looked at Hermione, he looked as though he were to puke up more slugs like in his second year. "Ron, answer me."

"...While you were with.. Harry.. I..I saw him." He spoke slowly and brokenly. "He strode towards me, he was going to kill me Hermione! "

"Ron, I hope you aren't lying to us. If he were going to kill you, why would he have just vanished?"

"Because he saw you turn around with Harry! He didn't want to be seen just yet. He wants to play with us, we have no time to rest." Ron held himself, stroking his wand. "It's come down to this. We're going to die like we're pawns in a Wizard's Chest game. This is it."

"Voldemort is out here?" Harry perked up, not caring that his friend was almost killed. He almost shot to his feet, but Hermione held him down. "Damnit Hermione!"

"Stop being such a hard head and listen to your friends! Voldemort is going to play with us, he wants you to run out there for him! Harry struggled against Hermione, knowing it was true but not caring.

"And what if Voldemort knows that we know he's playing with us and expects us to purposely stay in one spot?" Harry stared at Hermione, she stared back, having not expected that, almost preparing to move out into the open.

"That's a very good assumption, Harry." Rodolphus spoke up, standing behind the tombstone with me at his side. We were in our cloaks, to play the role of mystery again for the three of them. "But the Dark Lord wouldn't think like that. We need to prepare fast though." Rodolphus and I sat down with the three of them, I of course stayed the farthest from them, keeping a look out.

"Do we ever find out who you two are?" Hermione asked, trying to calm Ron down.

"I'm afraid that if we were to tell you, you wouldn't follow our advise, and wouldn't trust us as far as you have already had. It doesn't matter. After tonight, who knows what will happen with us. As far as your friend goes.." Rodolphus gestured to Ron. " I'd keep him out of battle, if he were to get so easily rattled like this."

Suddenly, Death Eaters swarmed out of the building, a mess of black cloaks and wands. "Where's the boy!" Lucius bellowed. Harry looked up, looking around and grabbing his wand. "And where's the one who threw the rock that hit my head?" Another Death Eater shouted. Voldemort joined their group, standing infront of their crescent shape. "IT'S TIME! And the boy is with us...Harry Potter, come on out! It's time for your show, give us your final performance!" Harry looked at me and Rodolphus, grabbing his wand, standing slowly and approaching his stage.

"Oh no.. We should go help him." Hermione almost stood, I grabbed her and held her down. "Don't go out there just yet." Hermione looked puzzled, I didn't realize it, but I spoke, Rodolphus nudged me. "She's right, just don't go out there."

"...Who are you? I've heard that voice before?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Apparently we aren't alone. Harry's brought himself some cast members!" Voldemort spread his arm out, bringing it through the air in a grand gesture. "Say hello to Hermione Granger!" And his wand flicked, Hermione screamed and felt her body curl up, arching and standing out of her control. She walked forward, standing next to Harry, falling to her knees as Voldemort released the spell. "And what would be a show without, Ronald Weasley!" He did the same to Ron, he screamed, but he wouldn't budge, until the spell was more unbearable than designed and he followed in his friends' footsteps. "Ah yes, three cast members and such a large audience for them to perform for."

"You treat this like a game!" Harry shouted.

"No! Not a game! A theatrical performance, young Potter. One that will kill, might I add." He curled those lips that I once kissed and wrapped his smooth fingers along his wand. I couldn't take it any longer. I hated how smooth he was and how elegantly he spoke his words of death. He took my daughter and caused more pain than any dementor in Azkaban could ever do. I stood, Rodolphus held me back but I fought forward and went up behind the three children.

"Oh, what's this? A secret cast member? Too bad we all know who she is. Ladies and Gentlemen of my special audience, allow me to introduce, BELLATRIX LESTRANGE!" He struck me, I fell forward and dropped my hood, holding onto my stomach, the trio looked at me.

"You! You killed my god father and all this time I've been taking help from you!" Harry glared, turning his wand on me.

"Only because the Dark Lord tried to kill my husband, and now I'm here because he has my daughter! Where the hell is she you psycho path?" I rose, grabbing my wand and shoving Harry out of the way. The audience of other followers began muttering and whispering to each other.

"Psycho path? Weeks ago you were calling me your master, your Lord, your savior. Some change of tone, eh Bellatrix? And I didn't try to kill your husband, I did kill your husband." Rodolphus strode forward, removing his hood.

"I'm alive. Now where the hell is our daughter?"

"Your daughter, my niece?" Lucius removed his hood. "The one Cissa has been gushing about ever since you gave birth to her? He's got her?"

"Took her while we slept. WHERE IS SHE?"

"She's inside." He curled his lips into that irritating smile. "But we'll worry about her in the second act of our show. First, Harry Potter wants to step out into the spot light!"

"You seperated a child from their parents once before, why do it to us?" Rodolphus spoke up. "Because we cheated you out of your chance to spread your hatred? You're more selfish than we thought you were!"

"Rodolphus and Bellatrix had a baby?" Hermione spoke up, rubbing her stomach and leaning against Ron. I was helped up by Rodolphus, he held me close but I couldn't bare his restraint. I couldn't cry because I didn't want to show that man, that creature, that monster, that what he had done thoroughly affected me, and that he could use it at any given time he wanted. It was then that I had just realized instead of a war between the children and us, that I had predicted, wasn't happening, but rather, there was a stir amongst the followers. Voldemort was surprised himself, he turned to the audience and glared, his temper evident.

"What's the matter with all of you? You think I would have let them get away with revealing our plans! We could have been finished off by now!" A Death Eater stepped forward and pulled off her hood, throwing her mask to the ground. He glared furiously, "What, are you going to propose a noble deed now?"

"That child of their's is a pureblood. You're going against all that we've worked for." And with that, she stepped across, coming over to my side, placing her hand with mine. Voldemort sneered and clutched his wand tightly in his palm, almost to the point of it snapping like a twig. "Oh, and I suppose the rest of you are now going to leave my side and take their own just because of what THEY started! You know what happens to traitors!" He swung around, screaming the death curse, the woman who spoke was hit. I returned fire, grabbing Rodolphus and running from our spot. The children screamed, and the other death eaters scrambled in their positions.

But when the smoke cleared, and the rumble of thunder and traveling clouds passed, it were as though she wasn't gone. But I noticed that the followers had shifted in their stances, not to defend but to attack, their eyes were on the Dark Lord.

"You have to be kidding me! The way I've serviced you throughout the years and you're going to kill me over a little baby!"

"NO!" Harry bellowed. He grabbed his wand, going over infront of Voldemort, stretching forward his arm and taking a stance. "It's about what you did. It's about the families you've killed and the lives you've destroyed. It's about all of these years thinking you were better than everybody else and placing yourself on a perfect petistol. Well now, Voldemort, they've realized that you're nothing."

His lips curled, I saw that look in his eyes. He was up to something. "Is that all? Is that your... great speech, your final words, Potter, or the noble monologue that we should remember years from now by the hero who defeated me?" Suddenly, his arm came out, slapping Potter across the face and forcing him to the ground. His wand was free and Voldemort stepped on his wrists. I realized that it wasn't just an attempt to be noble but a chance for someone to come in from behind and seize the man. I lept forward, grabbing onto his back and wrapping my arm around his neck, my legs swinging on his hips. He fell, as I did, and Harry got up, taking his wand. "GO ON POTTER, KILL ME!" He screamed. "And while you're at it. Take Bellatrix with you! After all, she took your god-father." He laughed, I struggled, was almost pinned under him.

"Potter, don't!" I shouted. I saw his glare, he had every right to kill me, but he hadn't the strength. At the same time, I however was underneathe and in the striking distance of the man he did want to kill. One swish and flick, and I would have found myself a new life. I managed to get somewhat free. "I helped you." He shook, gritting his teeth.

"And you think that will make it all better! I'll kill the both of you! AVADA KEDAVRA!" He screamed, a green flash surrounded the entire area. Screams for the Lord came from followers, screams for me came from my lover, and screams from my baby came from the house.