Chapter 20: Undying Affection of a Sister
"What do you mean that it was meant for me?" Draco asked anxiously.
"It was a summoning charm. Not accio, it was a charm to get a particular person, so it bounces off the wrong person. But in my case, I guess it didn't bounce off me." Hermione replied as she healed the wound the charm inflicted. "And of course, he wouldn't want to kill you. If he does, he will have no chance in regaining power."
"Huh! As if he'll have a chance if he let me live. I will not follow him. How did he get in here anyway?" Draco scoffed irately. Suddenly, a loud crack sounded upon the fire grate and there appeared Professor Vivien, looking very disgruntled indeed.
"Professor!" Hermione squealed. "What happened?"
"We must get out of here, now!" Professor Vivien said sternly, for the first time ever.
"But what about the others?" Draco asked tensely. Professor Vivien's face contorted into a grimace.
"I'm afraid…there's no one left to save." Professor Vivien said sadly.
"No!" Hermione gasped as tears fell from her eyes.
"What happened? How did Voldemort get inside?" Draco bellowed angrily.
"I-I don't know. He just got in." Professor Vivien stammered.
"How?! The school's more protected than any other place in Britain!" Hermione cried out.
"I don't know! But what I do know is that we better get out of here before we get killed!" Professor Vivien exclaimed in frustration.
"What will we do to get out then?" Draco reasoned out. "There is no way we can get out without having to face him."
"Yes, he's right! We need to battle with him." Hermione agreed.
"I'll stall him long enough for you two to get out of the grounds and apparate away." Professor Vivien replied seriously.
"We can't do that!" Draco screamed furiously. "We will not leave you to die!"
"That is the only way, Draco! You're lives are worth more than mine!"
"No Professor, we can't leave you! We just can't!" Hermione said tearfully.
"Hermione! Are you underestimating me?" Professor Vivien said mockingly. "You've seen what I'm capable of and you know I can hold him off for you two to get a head start! I've trained you! And if ever he gets past me, which is a little impossible, I know that you'll be able to defend yourselves. Please, this is the only way."
Draco and Hermione pondered for a while and tried to make a very hard decision. Professor Vivien was laying out her life for them, but what are they to do?
"Fine!" Draco gave up. "Just as long you won't die at us!"
"I can't promise that."
"Then there is no plan." Draco replied crossly. Professor Vivien saw no other way, so she decided to agree to Draco's condition.
"Okay, I'll try not to get killed."
Slowly, they crept out of the portrait hole and proceeded to take the shortcut towards the entrance hall. They put silencing charms on their feet, so their steps won't be heard that easily. As they neared the corridor that was close to the room of requirement, someone shot out a curse.
"He's here!" Hermione cried out. The face of a snake-like man appeared out of the darkness. He was really thin and he was paler than ever. Lord Voldemort beckoned at Draco.
"So, you've finally decided to show your ugly face." Professor Vivien yelled bravely.
"What a surprise, my dear Vivien. It has been, what, thirteen years at the very least?" He hissed in a high-pitched voice.
"I do believe that I'm not that dear to you, Voldy." She snarled back.
"Trust me; I have no intentions to kill you, yet. I'm here for Draco, as you very well know." Voldemort murmured.
"Oh! Well then, you'll have to get over my rotting, dead body before you get to him." Professor Vivien shrieked in anger. "Go on, you two I can handle this!"
The two obeyed her orders and ran as fast as they could towards the entrance hall.
"So you think that you can stop me?" Voldemort mocked.
"Stop you from being a complete bastard and kill people? No. But I believe I can stop you from getting my brother!"
"Ha! You've got lesser chance than a mouse would have in facing me!"
"Please, don't compare me to such lowly creatures you would accustom yourself to! Remember that piece of vermin, Wormtail, whom you call your servant? He's a mouse isn't he? And you know better than I do that I'm much more capable than he is."
"Oh, is that what you think? The last time I saw you, you cowered in fear upon hearing my name."
"Well, who's cowering now?"
"Hmm, you never failed in amusing me, Vivien, did you know that?" Voldemort laughed sinisterly
"How very flattering, who wouldn't want to have the talent of making a madman laugh? But I'm rather curious though, how did you get in, in such a well secured place? You never failed to surprise me, Voldy." Professor Vivien told him sarcastically.
"I guess it would be rather fun to tell you a tale before I lay you in your deathbed." Voldemort remarked just as sarcastic. "As you may know, I can transport my followers anywhere I could be, and in return, I have the power to transport myself to where they are."
"It figures."
"And, you may have guessed it right now," he paused dramatically. "Your brother was my free ticket to Hogwarts. He was the one who brought me here."
"That's nonsense! You cannot apparate or disapparate inside the grounds!"
"Who said anything about apparating?" Voldemort cackled once again. "I'm on the verge of immortality! What makes you think that I cannot do anything to get past this feeble security spells, charms and jinxes?"
Professor Vivien decided to remained silent, she knew about his Horcruxes, Professor Slughorn told her about it, but what they both don't know is that two of these prized Horcruxes are already destroyed.
Hermione and Draco were out of breath, but still they continued to run outside the castle and towards the grounds. They heard noises as they approached the entrance hall. Chattering voices, they found out, of Death Eaters.
"How did they break out of Azkaban?" Hermione whispered in Draco's ear as they came to a halt to hide themselves.
"Same thing with how Voldemort got into Hogwarts, right?" Draco murmured back as he observed four Death Eaters guarding the Entrance Hall. "Wait, four!"
A number of Death Eaters swarmed around them, maybe a dozen or so. Hermione looked at Draco and Draco looked at Hermione.
"You got any good spells up your sleeves?" Draco asked with a smirk.
"You betcha'" Hermione replied as she licked her lips, ready to fight.
"Great, kill them all."
The Death Eaters fired up their curses and jinxes all at the same time at Hermione and Draco. Hermione, having been trained by the most powerful witch she's known so far, had no trouble in taking them all with one curse. Draco did the same, shooting curses at the Death Eaters repeatedly, clearly, enjoying himself.
"Expelliarmus!"
"Impedimenta!"
"Petrificus Totalus!"
"This could go on forever!" Hermione sneered. "Decerto cunctus inimicus!"
Instantly, all the Death Eaters fell hard on the floor. They were clearly knocked out and unable to stand up.
"One of your self-invented spells?"
"Yup!" Hermione answered as she brandished her wand and blew the tip.
"I never knew you the kind to invent a spell that'll kill all at one." Draco told her, sounding quite impressed.
"They're not dead. They're just knocked out, they will be unable to move unless someone will set the countercurse on them, which only I know, of course." Hermione stated proudly.
"Come on, let's go!"
They ran towards the Entrance Hall and sprinted as swift as they can to the gates that'll lead out of the Grounds. By the time they got out, both were very out of breath and panting uncontrollably.
"Where are we going to apparate?" Draco wheezed.
"To Harry's."
"So, I guess you've lived the life of a hermit after all these years. That's what you get for running around in Dumbledore's circle, you're family's dead, no more of your little friends, and now, you're going to die."
"Hah! It's not Dumbledore's fault that my family is dead. It's yours! He's always protected me, ever since I've refused to be a Death Eater! He hid me very well, and it helped protect my life for all these years." Professor Vivien cried out with dignity.
"You're just like you're pathetic and insolent father! You've both got your head up in the clouds and never know how to get them back on the ground!"
"NEVER!" Vivien roared ferociously. "COMPARE ME TO MY BASTARD OF A FATHER!"
She aimed a curse at him and it missed him by inches. Suddenly, he was gone and he felt like he was behind him. She turned around quickly and cursed him square on the chest. He stumbled a little and regained his balance. They exchanged curses for half an hour and at last, one of them hit the other.
"Aaaargghh!" Vivien screamed and writhed in pain. Her whole body was covered in deep cuts and lacerations that looked like it was inflicted by a sword.
"I got to give some credit to my ever faithful servant, Snape, for that little curse." Voldemort laughed coldly as Vivien sputtered for breath.
"Give my regards will you?"
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Harry Potter and his noble red-headed sidekick, whose name escapes me."
"It's Ron Weasley you creep!" Ron retorted angrily. "You better remember it because it'll be the last thing on your mind!"
"Expelliarmus." Harry cried out. Voldemort blocked it, and ran away, but Harry and Ron chased him.
"Oh no you won't, Crucio!" blocked again.
"Impedimenta!" blocked.
"Avada Kedavra." Really blocked.
"You have to do better than that Potter!" Voldemort cackled sinisterly.
Hermione and Draco ran towards Professor Vivien's blood-spattered body, which was right under the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy.
"Professor, are you alright?" Hermione asked worriedly.
"What a stupid thing to ask! Of course she's not alright! Look at the state of her!" Draco screamed in panic.
"Dr-draco," Vivien sputtered. "I just, I just wa-wanted to let y-you know, th-that whatever happens, I-I always loved you, an-and I always will."
Draco couldn't help it, tears were flowing mercilessly from his cold, gray eyes. Hermione was weeping too, silent tears were streaming down her cheeks, and whimpers escaped her mouth.
"You promised! You promised that you wouldn't die on me! You made a promise! Don't you dare break it!" Draco cried out as the tears still continued to blur his eyes.
"I never did learn to keep my promises." Professor Vivien smiled warmly.
"You can't do this to me! You owe me thirteen years!" Draco felt a heart-wrenching pull in his chest.
"Draco," Vivien muttered, even though she was in pain. "Keep yourselves safe. Never let your guard down. Hermione, keep my brother happy, will you?"
"Ye-yes." Hermione whimpered as she clutched her chest.
"Remember, Draco, I love you very much. So, so much." This time, tears were also falling from Vivien's eyes, but yet, she was smiling.
"I, I love you too, Vivien." Draco sobbed. Professor Vivien held his hand and kissed them.
"That was all I wanted to hear." She held his hands tighter and closed her eyes.
Suddenly, Draco felt her grip loosen, and soon, it fell from his hands. This was all Draco needed to scream his brains out and howl in grief and embrace the bloodied form of his sister.
"Nooooo! Ahhhh! Nooooo!" Draco wailed desperately. He was rocking back and forth as he held his sister in his arms.
Hermione was crying too. She embraced the howling Draco and they both wept in misery at the sudden departure of their beloved Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and…sister.
