ONE WAY OR ANOTHER
-CHAPTER EIGHTEEN-
BETA: Green eyes
INFO: www. livejournal. com/ users/ draycious
When Draco and Raven arrived at Malfoy manor, they were surprised to see Dracula, Midnight, Fire, Blade, Ancius and Scarce sitting in silence in the living room, waiting for them. They were all looking unusually grave and Raven didn't like that one bit. Whenever Ancius was sitting silently in a chair, something bad was going on. Draco came and stood silently by his side as they surveyed the room.
"What's going on?" Raven asked in a strong voice, this was no time to be a pussy.
"Voldemort is attacking Hogwarts tonight," Dracula said in his gravest voice.
"What?" Draco yelled. Raven winced again and sat down next to Midnight who discreetly passed him a hangover potion which, conveniently, happened to be lying around. The other had obviously had had hangovers as well, because empty vials were littered around the room.
"I guess you're in a need of this," Midnight whispered dryly to him.
"Thanks," he smiled weakly. After he had drowned the potion he immediately felt more alert and fit for fight.
"You're serious," he stated. Dracula nodded.
"Oh whatever! Bring him on!" he said flippantly. He was tired of talking about Voldemort like he was he most contagious and lethal decease in the room. Draco looked at him incredibly.
"He'll kill you" he said.
"Hell no! I'm better than he is, thanks for the vote of confidence," he said sarcastically. He then added: "Don't worry about me. So, do you have any plans because there will be lots of death eaters and most students won't stand a chance against his army." Raven continued to the adults.
"I've got a simple solution. Gather the whole school and order members in the Great Hall. We'll let them think they're there for some information about a visit from a bordering school and Blade will hold that 'meeting'. But once they are all gathered inside and blissfully unaware of what's going on outside, Blade will lock them in the hall. In the meantime our troops will go up against Voldemort. We've got enough people, Voldemorts forces isn't nearly as big as ours. According to our sources, mainly Lucius, the reason why he attacks now is simply because he's eager and he only counts with fighting against the Ministry and the order worthwhile, which I might add, is a shame to admit that Voldemort and his 1000 death eaters are enough people to beat the Ministry. He won't beat us of course," said Midnight smugly.
Midnight was always the war strategist and leader among their own private army. He had trained Blade and Raven during the summer and he was extremely intelligent. You had to give him credit, for that even if he always had childish squabbles with Fire. Fire was a warrior trainer, very good in defense and attack. They worked very well together when it was serious, and they were serious then as well.
"Go for that. It's an easy and quick solution," Dracula decided after thinking it through quickly.
"Raven, you know how to kill him, right?" Scarce asked him. Raven nodded even if he didn't exactly know exactly how he was supposed to do it. There were a lot of 'what ifs' to the theory he had studied about various killing curses.
"They mustn't know we're vampires. As soon as someone is hit with Avada Kedavra we have got to pretend to die. Then we attack from behind if necessary," said Fire. Everyone nodded. It was a clever solution indeed. They would get back at their enemy when they least expected it, and in the least expected way as well.
"We don't need your forces Scarce, but make sure that they're available just in case there is a surprise waiting for us," said Dracula. It was then decided they would follow this easy, but highly lethal plan.
Blade didn't show anyone how restless he really felt when he stood waiting silently in front of the whole school inside the Great Hall. He really wanted to be outside fighting with the rest of his comrades, but he had been assigned to this post and he would follow it through. He didn't feel any need to play hero, even if it was slightly disappointed to be stuck with a bunch of kids and some adults. Without as much as a word he warded and locked the doors in four ways.
Wandless
Vampiric
Elven
Wizarding
Dumbledore would never be able to break the spells. His power wasn't even enough to break the wandless magic ward. A few students began to whisper but most teachers only raised an eyebrow at his actions. He was satisfied with the fact that he hadn't caused a mass panic yet. It was distrustful times, and people didn't take kindly at being locked in.
He cleared his throat and the hall silenced almost immediately.
"As you saw with your own eyes I locked the doors in many different ways. None of you, as of now, will able to get out." The teachers began to shift slightly in their chairs when they heard that announcement. "Outside this castle things are about to happen. Many people will gather on the school grounds today and this day will go down to the history books. I brought you here to discuss a school visit, or so you thought. I'm afraid there is no school visit!" He announced and Snape angrily stood up.
"What are you playing at? Where on earth is Cercis?" he said and looked around the hall. Other people looked around the hall too, to see if they could spot Cercis.
"Cercis is not here. He's outside the school. You see, Cercis, Raven, belongs to an organization with consists of some very powerful people. These people are very, very powerful and wise. They have information about a certain Death eater attack which will take place any minute now. Outside of this school there are 1000s of warriors gathered, all waiting to go up against Voldemort and his forces. Cercis is one of the main people out there. As I speak in this moment, they should be arriving," he said.
Just on cue the whole castle shook on its grounds when Raven arrived with all the men. It was a serious piece of advanced magic going on outside, and it affected the castle's protective walls. The order tried to get out but to no avail. In order to stop the chaos which broke out Blade performed a several wandless high pitched sounds.
"I know that you wish to be out there and do part but you'll only get in the way. I will however allow you watch the battle from inside this hall," Blade said. A screen not unlike those on a muggle cinema emerged in the front of the hall so everyone could see it. On that screen they could follow Raven, since he was the main person in this whole drama. They could follow his very move, and hear everything he said. It was like they were right beside him.
Raven stood in silence on the Hogwarts stone stairs right outside the main door. He was unaware that Hogwarts inhabitants were watching him from inside the hall. He looked out over the troops that were stationed out over the grounds. Raven, Dracula, Midnight, Fire, Ancius and Lucius stood tall on the stairs together. They were the main core of this operation. Scarce was on standby with his troops back in USA.
"Remind me again of why I'm out here with you instead of hiding inside the Great hall like a coward?" Lucius asked Raven and at that moment he behaved very much alike Draco.
"Because you're a Malfoy with pride and because you begged on your bare knees to be out here with us," Raven answered dryly.
"Malfoy's never beg," Lucius replied snootily and received snorts form all around him. "If that part of the Malfoy pride is so true, then why the hell is my brat in safety inside, huh? He's a Malfoy too, isn't he? No wait a minute! He isn't!" Lucius exclaimed with a surprised look.
"He isn't? Did 'Cissa cheat on you?" Fire asked and leaned in curiously and Lucius swatted him away annoyed.
"Not that I'm aware of, no", Lucius said absently. "But my mother did!" he exclaimed.
"What are you-oh!" Raven said when he caught on. "So what are you Ancius?"
"Huh?" the vampire responded. For being so clever he really was slow on the catch up.
"If you say Weasley I will kill you," Lucius murmured and Raven laughed.
"I'm a DeSilva", Ancius shrugged and didn't sound the least arrogant.
"DeSilva? Wow," said Lucius and whistled when he heard it.
"Did you expect any less than one of the first pure blooded wizarding families?" Ancius asked, and this time he was snobbish about it.
"I didn't know what to expect," Lucius said honestly.
"Soon you'll have thousands of names to be referred as," Raven teased Lucius. Lucius really did have a one of a kind heritage tree. It was complicated like few, and the intrigues between ancient family members made it even more so.
"You're one to talk! Mr. Raven Potter, Blood, Snape, Black, Lupin, uh... Dracula?" Lucius asked and stumbled over the last name. Raven laughed at him.
"Actually it's Tepes, my last name. Dracula means devil's son and Tepes means pole slayer... I think. Isn't that right?" Raven asked Dracula.
"Yes but Tepes was given to me. My real last name is actually Herine."
"Herine?" Raven gasped. It didn't sound very royal, and it also sounded suspiciously like heroin.
"Yes, that is correct," Dracula nodded.
"B-but! You're a count!"
"So? Didn't affect my name you know," Dracula said dryly and perhaps a bit defensively. His members of his clan sniggered softly at Raven's gob smacked look. Perhaps they were simply making small talk and fooling around because they wanted to take their mind of the battle. Just standing there in silence and waiting seemed too macabre.
"Guess not," Raven murmured.
"So you're unofficially Raven, Harry, Cercis, James, Severin, Ravial, Snape, Black, Lupin, Potter, Tepes, Herine... hell I see why you stick to Raven only," Midnight laughed.
"Dracula? DRACULA IS OUT THERE WITH MY SON? WHAT THE HELL? And why the fuck does he have his last name?" Severus Snape yelled in the hall. He was in a really bad mood. People around him had withdrawn as far away from him as they could get. Even Albus was keeping a safe distance. Snape was positively seething with rage, at the prospect of not being able to fight the final battle. He had spent most of his life waiting for this day and now he wasn't allowed to attend. It was like giving candy to a child and then taking it back, just tenfold worse. A billion times worse!
"Um... Dracula sort of made a father-son blood bond between them..." Blade said timidly.
Severus Snape actually feinted when he heard that. It all became too much for him and his blood pressure had reached its limit. His body shut down completely.
Raven sighed.
"Where is the fucker?" he asked irritated. Suddenly right after he asked the earth shook just like it had when they had arrived.
"Guess the fucker is here now," Midnight spoke dryly.
"About damn time!" said Raven and hid his nervousness when their forces attacked the surprised and unprepared new comers. This was it.
Raven laughed when he killed his fifth death eater. He had so much fun out on the field. He was having the time of his life, or perhaps he was simply telling himself that in order to go on.
The death eaters wasn't easy to fight with but nor were they hard either so he had a good time. He had never been in any serious trouble yet. He looked over at Fire and saw him wring the neck of Goyle the elder death eater. The vampires went forward brutally, since they were used to blood and death didn't become them very much as long as it wasn't about them selves. Raven swore rather loudly when he was stabbed in his shoulder from behind by a different death eater than the one he was actually fighting with. With a kick in split they were both out of the game.
"Now where is Voldemort?" he asked in a sing-song voice and scanned the grounds with his eyes. He stunned a few death eaters on his way through the fighting crowds. His side was superior to the others and everything was looking good so far. So vampires that had 'gone down' were lying still on the ground, pretending to be dead until they would get the signal that they could rise again. Raven had never doubted that his side would be better than Voldemorts. Voldemort had no good structure, and the cunning wasn't on a high level.
He found Voldemort minutes later.
"Tom!" he yelled sharply and Voldemort spun around.
"Well if it isn't baby Potter? What a lovely day for you to die on, don't you think?" Raven actually snorted at that and wondered if Voldemort spent all his time hidden away reading cheesy books and watching corny muggle movies. He wouldn't be surprised. Voldemort was the biggest damn hypocrite he had ever had the misfortune to meet.
"Funny, I thought the same thing about you. Me dying is against the odds, you know," he said calmly with his wand firmly pointed at Voldemort. Nothing could stop him now; he could feel it in every fiber in his body. This was it.
"Against the odds you say?"
"Indeed. I'm the boy-who-lived. I can't very well be the-boy-who-died, now can I?"
"I fail to see the difference," Voldemort stated in an almost smug voice.
"Then you need some English lessons love," he smirked.
"Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort hissed. Raven jumped to the side and a death eater behind him was hit instead.
"Why thank you Tom! You saved me the trouble!" he said happily and kicked the dead death eater to the side. Raven had a theory of how to kill Voldemort. He had no idea if it would work practically but he had to try.
"Avada Kedavra," Voldemort yelled for the second time. This time Raven made no move to prevent getting hit from the fatal curse.
"Ow, this shits gonna hurt," he said before he was hit. His scar sprung open and the green light reflected and shot back at Voldemort in an incredible speed. Raven screamed in pain as Voldemort was hit.
"No!" Voldemort said in disbelief. "Not again," he shouted before he screamed in pain and his body began to burn to ashes. With a great effort and incredible strong willpower Raven ignored his pain and lifted his wand.
"Soulero catchu," he whispered (AN: soul catcher) "Soulero destructo," he continued. (AN: Soul destroyer) and Voldemort was no more. Just history.
Raven laughed madly in both pain and relief before he passed out. He woke up only minutes later still outside on the battle ground with Dracula hovering over him.
"How do you feel?" he asked.
"Fine," he said truthfully and felt with his fingertips over his forehead. His wound was healed. Dracula's work no doubt.
"Thanks," he said gratefully as he tried to sit up from the dirty ground. Since the weather hadn't been on its best, the ground was muddy and cold. Dracula nodded in acceptance and helped him sit up.
"I'm not even going to ask you what the hell you were thinking," Dracula said and stood up and turned around and walked away, killing a death eater casually whom happened to cross his path.. Only meters away he turned around however.
"WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING? You didn't know if it would work! You just fucking winged it!" Dracula roared while shaking madly. Raven had truthfully never seen him so mad and shaken before.
"I did think," he argued. He didn't think it was fair to say otherwise. "It's true that I didn't know whether it would work or not but I had to try something!" he said heatedly. Dracula walked over in a few long strides and hugged him tightly to his chest.
"Fuck Raven, I could have lost you forever. You're not undead you know," he said and kissed his forehead and smooth Raven's hair lovingly. No, I am not undead but the legend about me will be, Raven thought, safe and content in Dracula's arms.