Author's Note: This chapter is extremely gory and bloody, so don't read it if you have a weak stomach. Seriously. It's pretty bad.
Harry landed gently on the forest floor. He glanced to his left and right, making sure that the others had come in too. They were all staring at the trees around them, trying to find their bearings. He took a step forward and planted his foot down softly to test the ground. It was firm and wet, as if it had rained the night before and the ground had soaked up the water. He took another step to assure himself that the ground was safe and exhaled loudly. So far so good. Where are we?
The trees surrounding the teenagers were some of the largest he had ever seen in his life. Standing next to them made him small. Their trunks were wider than he was tall, and the branches that started ten feet off the ground had leaves the size of his head. He wondered where on Earth they were. He had never heard of trees this big before. The Whomping Willow wasn't half the size of these behemoths.
"Harry, Ron, Fred, George, over here!"
Harry turned towards the voice and saw Neville a ways off, sitting by a ledge, waving urgently to them. They started off towards him, picking their way carefully through the jutting roots and overhanging branches. Neville was not far off, but the forest floor was so cluttered that it took them much longer than it should have. Fred and George kept tripping, whether by accident or design, and Ron and Harry had to stop to help them up several times. On one of those times Fred scared Ron with an exploding snake that he had placed as he fell. Neville warned them to stay quiet though, so they hushed and hurried to catch up with him.
"Where are they?" Ron asked as they approached Neville's position. Neville put a finger to his lips and pointed downwards from the ledge. In the clearing were three figures. Two of them Harry didn't recognize, but the third was unmistakably a younger Vandermine. He looked bright and cheerful, something that boggled Harry's mind as he stared at the youthful face below them. From the way he paced about the clearing, eyes darting to and fro, Harry could tell he was anxious for the duel. The other two, Frank and Alice Longbottom, were standing side by side, watching him concernedly.
"We got here in plenty of time," Neville whispered. "You'll get to hear what they said before the duel.
"Can they see us?" Harry asked carefully, fingering the Invisibility cloak in his pocket. "Should we hide?"
"No, Harry, we're fine.," Ron answered, giving him a look of mild amusement. "We're watching his memory. We could jump up and down right in front of them and they wouldn't notice us."
"Amazing what we can do with magic," Harry muttered to himself.
"Quiet, here they go."
Frank Longbottom patted Alice on the arm and detached himself from her grip. He strode over to Vandermine, who was busy scouring the skies with his eyes. He did not notice Frank until the older wizard's arm descended lightly on his shoulder.
"You are impatient, my friend," Frank began. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Johannes needs to be stopped," Vandermine replied. "Surely you of all people realize how necessary this is."
"We could leave, Lucas. You do not need to fight him here. Why not wait, and fight him on our own ground? It would be much wiser to fight him with more allies behind us."
"I can't do that." Vandermine shook his head disapprovingly. "I issued the challenge, so I am honor-bound to keep it. To do otherwise would be shameful and cowardly."
"Challenges are no longer a sacred pact, Lucas. You know that as well as I do. The Ministry removed the laws in an effort to prevent this very situation. It is foolish to duel him here."
"Foolish?" Vandermine removed Frank's arm from his shoulder. "You said yourself that I have the best chance of beating him. He killed a whole team of Aurors on his own. Imagine what he could do with his servants at his side. We need to end this now, right here, right now."
"Lucas, listen to me. I said that back in England, when we had not met him yet. He is far beyond any of our abilities. No five of the Aurors back home could bring him down."
"That may be true, but I've got a plan." Vandermine reached into his jacket and produced a pair of pistols. "Silver bullets, my friend. They'll kill him before he can fire off the first spell."
"You put too much trust in Muggle weapons, Lucas. One day they will fail you."
"Maybe, but that day has yet to come."
"Lucas." Alice approached him from the other side. Her face was creased with lines of worry. "Please don't do this. Think about everyone else. What will we do without you?"
"You speak as if my death is assured."
"If it comes across that way, I am sorry. Use your head, Lucas. Johannes has been alive for hundreds of years. He is more powerful than any of us can imagine. He's a master of magic at more levels than one. You saw him in the caves, when he tore that boar in half with his bare hands. You will not stand a chance, even with you Muggle weapons." She grabbed his arm and held it tightly, tears glistening in her eyes. "Don't do this."
"It's too late to turn back now."
"No it isn't. We can leave before he arrives."
"And then what? The news will spread that I ran from a duel with him. That will be great for the Ministry. Their star Auror turned tail and fled from an ancient werewolf. No thanks. I'd rather take my chances fighting Johannes."
"Are you sure?"
"How many times do I need to say it?" Vandermine frowned and pointed up at the sky. "Here he comes. Find cover."
Frank and Alice scrambled back to their original spot. Once they were behind cover, Lucas strode into the middle of the clearing. He raised his wand in defiance as three dark clouds rushed towards him. The clouds were black as midnight and shaped like spears. Smoke trailed behind them as they zoomed between the trees, leaving inky patterns between the branches.
"We'll guard your back," Frank whispered from his covered position.
"No you won't." Vandermine flicked his wand back toward Frank and Alice. Harry heard the words "Petrificus Totalus," and, "Silencio!"
"What did he just do?"
"He just pinned my mom and dad down. He's taking this one on his own."
"Why did he do that?"
"Maybe he wanted to test his skills? None of us know."
The three clouds swirled around the edge of the clearing, moving in a fast closing circle above Vandermine. The smoke trails thickened and mixed as the clouds tightened together until the sky was blotted out. Only then did Johannes reveal himself.
The clouded figures plummeted from the sky with a blood-chilling roar. When the smoke faded, Vandermine was facing not only Johannes Outrider, but two hulking werewolves. The werewolves snarled and growled at him, but he ignored them, focusing only on the middle figure.
Hundreds of years of Dark Magic and the werewolf curse had altered Johannes Outrider beyond humanity. He was a giant half-man, easily nine feet tall. His body had been irrecoverably twisted. Now he looked more wolf than human. Although he stood tall on two feet and wore clothes as a human, his skin was covered in fur. His face had taken a distinct canine appearance, with a snout and large ears to boot. When Harry thought about it, Johannes looked more like a nine-foot tall wolf than a human.
"So," Johannes began, in a voice that was surprisingly deep and humane, "the pride of the Ministry kept his word. For that you must be rare among your kind."
"They are your kind too."
Johannes let out a rough barking laugh. "My kind! They are not worthy of such a distinction. They are weak, and deserve to die."
"All of the Ministry?"
"The Ministry is a sham, it deserves to fall! The scum all deserve to die!"
"Even the innocent? Do they deserve this?"
"There is no innocence in the Ministry! They are all the same. Them and their justice," Johannes spat out the last word as if it pained him.
"I spent forty years working for them, hunting down 'law-breakers' and 'criminals.' Then what happened? I was bitten by a werewolf. Those who I had served so faithfully turned their backs on me, throwing me out to the wild. They sent my own children after me!"
"You cannot blame the current generation for the faults of their ancestors."
"I can do what I want. Just watch me."
Johannes lunged forward, hoping to crush Vandermine in one move. Vandermine dove to the side, avoiding his swiping claws. He hit the ground in a somersault and came up with a brace of pistols in his hands. He pulled each trigger once, and the werewolves that had accompanied Johannes screamed in pain as the silver bullets penetrated their skin, burning away their flesh. They twitched in agony and fell lifeless to the ground.
"Your reign of terror is at an end, Johannes!" Vandermine shifted his aim to Johannes, but the wizard was too fast. Both bullets missed as he hurled himself thirty feet straight upwards. Vandermine leapt after him, firing continuously at the fleet figure. Johannes dodged most of the bullets, twisting and spinning in the air. One of the bullets caught him in the shoulder however, and he fell to the ground with a cry of agony.
Vandermine holstered his pistols and approached the fallen form confidently, grinning smugly. He rolled Johannes onto his back and stared into his empty eyes.
"Better luck next time, Johannes."
A single muscle twitch was all the warning Vandermine received. Johannes' right arm was a blur as it flew from the ground, connecting solidly with his stomach. The force of the blow threw Vandermine across the clearing. Vandermine cast a Feather charm in midair, coating the incoming trees with pillows. He hit them hard and dropped the ground, gasping in pain.
"I thought you were a smart wizard," Johannes snarled. "I am only half-werewolf. Silver is nothing more than an annoyance." He roared loudly and charged forward again.
Vandermine emptied his remaining pistol rounds into the approaching hulk, grimacing as the rounds punctured Johannes' skin without doing any damage. He dropped the pistols when his clips ran dry and scampered up the tree to get some breathing space. Three seconds after he reached the first branch Johannes slammed into the tree. The tree swayed dangerously, shaking like a blade of grass in the wind.
"You cannot hide up there for long, Vandermine!" Johannes rammed into the tree a second time. The trunk cracked and splintered from the impact.
"I won't need to." A blue jet of light streaked down form the tree and exploded on Johannes' head. He screeched in pain and stumbled back from the tree, clutching his aching skull. "How much can you take?"
Johannes backed away from the tree and planted his feet determinedly. In one explosive movement he pushed off the ground and threw his body full-force into the tree. The tree held for a moment before snapping completely in half. Vandermine dove from the tree as it fell, landing on Johannes' back and leaping off again before he could respond. Johannes howled angrily and spun to face him.
"They will turn on you too," Johannes shouted. "The day will come when Lucas Vandermine will be an outlaw and a fugitive!"
"I doubt that, Johannes." Vandermine shot off a handful of Stunning spells. Johannes sidestepped them and spat contemptuously at the ground.
"Using spells now? Too afraid to fight man-to-man?"
"Are you kidding? You'd have all the advantage there."
"Do you not like a challenge?" Johannes reached into a pocket and pulled out a long, black wand. Harry instantly recognized it as Outrider's personal wand. "Let's see how you can dance."
Johannes shot a flurry of spells towards Vandermine. Vandermine rushed towards the incoming projectiles and raised his wand. At the last second he lashed out with his wand, creating an opaque shield. The spells shattered on the shield, creating a mini-fireworks display. When the lights cleared, Vandermine was gone. Johannes snarled at the spot and turned around, searching the trees.
"Hiding, are you? Two can play that game!"
Johannes waved his wand in the air and howled. He took a step forward and disappeared with a loud bang.
'What just happened?" Harry asked Ron.
"He Disapparated."
"What?"
"Just watch."
For the next minute they saw and heard nothing except for the occasional bang as one of the two wizards moved from place to place in the forest. Then, suddenly a torrent of spells rained from a large oak tree on the near side of the clearing. Two figures leapt from the tree, hurling spells at each other while falling away in different directions. Vandermine was firing off spells faster than Harry could count them. A rainbow of light was issuing from his wand as he fired every spell that Harry knew and more. Just before he hit the ground Vandermine disappeared in a small cloud of white smoke. The cloud zipped after Johannes, who had also transformed into a cloud-like figure. Spells shot back and forth as the two clouds flew in and out of the trees, sometimes with Vandermine chasing Johannes, sometimes the other way around. Harry stared openmouthed as the two masters fought. Both were so good and so powerful that neither could hit the other.
They dropped their cloud forms after several minutes of fruitless flying and resumed the fight on the ground. Vandermine and Johannes exchanged volleys of spells at near point blank range, sometimes so close to each other that they were slapping aside the other's wand as often as they were firing. Harry saw Vandermine duck under a particularly vicious punch and roll between Johannes' feet. He came up behind Johannes with his wand aimed square at the wizard's back. Before he could fire however, Johannes spun on his heel and knocked the wand aside so forcefully that Vandermine was thrown to the side. He landed on his feet and fired off a quick spell, which Johannes dodged. Johannes jumped up in the air to get above Vandermine, firing spells blindly. Vandermine leapt up to meet him, and they clashed in midair, punching and kicking as they descended.
Vandermine untangled himself from the resulting spill and ran backwards, firing off spells the whole time. Most of the spells just bounced off Johannes' hide. Johannes charged after him and dove, caws extended and ready for blood. Just before he hit him Vandermine Apparated with a bang. Johannes hit the ground hard and swore. He pushed off the ground and shot after him, moving with inhuman speed from tree to tree. Vandermine stayed one step ahead of him, Apparating in and out of trees and in all directions. Johannes stayed hot on his tail, launching a spell whenever he caught sight of Vandermine's body.
Finally, Johannes caught up with Vandermine. He batted him up in the air with a single swipe and leapt after him. Vandermine recovered from the hit midair and became a blur of motion. As Johannes closed in, he pulled out another wand and faced him head-on. They collided in the air with a dreadful crunch, fighting in the air with wands and fists. Vandermine's body flashed before Johannes' eyes and he appeared behind him, lashing out with his wands. They connected solidly on his head, exploding violently. As Johannes' twisted in mid air to reach him, Vandermine Apparated again, appearing where he had been a moment before. He punched Johannes' in the same spot where he had just hit him with his wands. Johannes tried to turn around again, but Vandermine was gone, appearing to his side. Johannes lashed out with his arm, throwing Vandermine away. As Vandermine flew through the air Johannes Apparated right after him, launching punches and kicks just like Vandermine had done. Vandermine was ready for it though, and he blocked or dodged most of the, Apparating in and out of the danger zone right with Johannes. Soon they were Apparating so quickly that none of the teenagers could follow their movements.
Eventually Vandermine, seeing that this was getting him nowhere, detached from the fight and dropped back to the ground. He stood in the middle of the clearing, chest heaving with exertion. Johannes landed just a few feet away, snarling viciously. They were both bleeding in several places, although Johannes seemed to have received most of the damage.
"You fight well, Vandermine. This is the first good scrap that I've had in a hundred years."
"It'll also be your last."
"You seriously don't think that…" Johannes halted mid-sentence. "What's that?"
Vandermine looked up carefully, not fully taking his eyes off of Johannes. Dozens of black creatures were circling overhead. They were the size of birds, but when Harry looked closer he saw that they were bats. Lots of bats.
"Are those the-"
"Yeah. Those are the vampires."
The bats descended on the two combatants, hissing furiously. They touched down in a circle around them and transformed. In a few seconds Vandermine and Johannes were surrounded by forty vampires.
"You have trespassed on our grounds," one of them declared. It stepped forward and waved its arms dramatically. "These grounds are sacred to our kind."
"Sucks for you then. We're kind of busy right now." Vandermine raised his wand and aimed it at the vampire's chest. "Impedimenta!"
The vampire flew backwards and landed ten feet away with a sickening crunch. The other vampires recoiled, hissing at him dangerously. More than one drew a wand.
"That was a mistake, human." Another one spat. "You will pay with your blood for that."
"I doubt that," Johannes growled. He blasted the vampire with a stunning spell. "He's all mine."
Several of the vampires launched spells at the two figures, but Vandermine and Johannes had already moved. They threw themselves into the nearest vampires, wands flashing like swords. A handful of the vampires fell before they even realized they were being attacked. The rest scattered, leaving a few behind to cover their retreat. What followed was one of the most bizarre three-sided fights any of the teenagers had ever seen. Vandermine and Johannes fought the vampires side-by-side, but they took potshots at each other in the midst of the fray.
Vandermine's movements were graceful and deadly as he moved through the vampire horde. His attacks flowed smoothly from one to the next, creating a dazzling display of combat moves that left nearly every vampire he faced dead within seconds. Johannes used a more blunt approach. His massive arms pounded through the vampire's meager defenses. He batted them aside two at a time, ignoring their feeble attempts to reach his throat. One actually slipped through his guard and was poised to bite his throat, but Vandermine beat it to there, flipping over Johannes' back and shoving his wand down the vampire's throat. The vampire screamed in pain and collapsed to the ground, where Johannes promptly grabbed it and used it as a club to take down two more of its kind.
The vampires' numbers thinned quickly, but they fought with a rugged determination that surprised Harry. When one fell another would step in to take its place. Harry glanced at the sky and noted that more vampires were arriving every minute. Evidently they had stumbled upon some vampire ceremony. This would not be good. He started when he noticed a slight rustle in the brush below them. Frank and Alice were still frozen in place, watching the whole thing with terror. He understood their feeling of helplessness.
Turning back to the battle, Harry caught the tail end of a series of brutal kills by Johannes and Vandermine. Johannes had grabbed Vandermine by the arms and swung around in a circle. Vandermine had used the momentum to kick down any vampires that strayed to close. His boots had metal cleats as the bottom, and several vampires had fallen with broken necks or punctured faces. Johannes let Vandermine go with a jerk and Vandermine sailed into a mob of fresh vampires, wand in one hand, a sharp branch splinter in the other. Screams of agony told Harry that he was putting the wooden splinter to good use.
The battle went on for nearly half an hour. The vampires kept coming until at least a hundred had arrived. By that time though, over half of them were dead. Ashes from the dead vampires had been kicked up so thickly by the struggle that the air had turned black, and Harry couldn't see anything but what happened on the outer edge of the battle.
Suddenly Vandermine and Johannes appeared from the cloud of ash. Both were bleeding profusely and limping with exhaustion. A dozen or so vampires followed close on their heels, giving them no time for rest. Johannes and Vandermine went back to back, each wielding a wand and a wooden stake. They moved in a circle as they fought, blocking up front and striking to the side. Whenever a vampire rushed in for a bite, either Vandermine or Johannes would stab it in the side with a stake. Soon the odds were even, with two vampires facing Vandermine and Johannes. These two vampires were obviously leaders, because they were faster and appeared stronger than the others had been. Vampire patriarchs, Harry thought.
Each vampire faced off against a wizard. All four held wands in their hands.
"You will be valuable additions to our family," one of the vampires hissed. "I will enjoy drinking your blood."
Vandermine glanced at Johannes, who was looking at him determinedly. "I'll take the talker. The other's all yours," he said. Johannes growled in acknowledgement and licked his bloody hands.
Four streaks of light shot between the men and an enormous explosion rocked the clearing. Fire and mud flew in all directions, showering the entire area. When the smoke cleared, none of the combatants were still standing. A massive crater filled the clearing, where they had been a moment before. Then, as if in slow motion, the four men rose from the ground, each in a different part of the clearing. All of them were burned and battered, but they showed a resolve to continue the fight that belied their physical appearance.
"You will join us, whether you like it or not!" screamed one of the vampires. "You will be ours!"
"Not on your life!" Johannes bellowed a war cry and lunged for the nearest vampire, closing the gap between them before he could unleash another blast. The other vampire countered his charge with a fireball. The fireball hit Johannes right in the side, hurling him sideways and into a large tree. The tree snapped in half as his body tore through its trunk.
Vandermine was onto the fireball-sender before he could turn. A Stunning Spell caught the vampire in the face. The vampire's head snapped backwards and it toppled to the ground. The other vampire was over it in an instant, straddling the body to protect it from wooden weapons while it recovered. Vandermine launched a pair of hexes its way, but the vampire waved them aside with a Shield-spell.
"Impedimenta!" a streak of light hit the vampire from behind and it stumbled forward. Johannes followed the spell up with a barrage of branches taken from the tree he had felled. The vampire shrieked repeatedly as wooden splinters pierced and flayed its skin. Before it could muster a response, Vandermine had slipped in behind it and finished it off with a thrust from his wand. The vampire faded into ash as it fell, coating his boots in gray dust.
"That was my kill," Johannes growled. He sheathed his wand and stared at Vandermine expectantly.
"My bad," Vandermine wiped the blood off his wand but held it at the ready. He met Johannes' gaze with his own. "What now?"
Johannes held his hands up to show he was unarmed, which did not say much, considering his muscular physique. A low growl escaped his lips.
"It would be a shame to kill you after a fight like this. I actually started to like you."
"The feeling isn't mutual." Vandermine lowered his wand a touch, just enough so that it was not immediately pointing at Johannes' chest. "That was a good scrap though."
"The world is cruel." Johannes sat down on the ground and licked at the wounds on his shoulders. He pointedly ignored the wand aimed at him. "I wish we could have met on more favorable conditions."
"Like what?"
"We could have been a team, you and I. Imagine the power that we could have wielded."
"I would never use my powers against the innocent and helpless."
"So you say now. You are young and foolish, my enemy. In time you will see the difference between revenge and murder."
"There is no difference, Johannes. Revenge is just a name, a cover and excuse for doing evil."
"Ah, but there is a difference." Johannes indicated the ground beside himself. Vandermine made no move to join him.
"You might as well rest before we continue the fight."
"What makes you think I won't take you down right now?"
"You're too honorable. You couldn't strike me down, not while I am sitting here speaking with you."
Vandermine gave no answer to this, but he sheathed his wand and sat down opposite Johannes. He breathed deeply and pulled a flask of medicine from his belt.
"Why did you do it?"
"Why did I do what?"
"Why did you murder the wizards who exiled you?"
Johannes shook his head and gave Vandermine a reproving look. "Isn't it obvious? I was once an Auror, not unlike yourself. I was powerful, an idealist and a do-gooder. I captured hundreds of criminals for the German Ministry. Thanks to my work the Black Death was eradicated from Central Europe and the vampire population was kept under control. I was their… Albus Dumbledore, right?"
"What happened?"
"I took a mission that was too big for me. In my arrogance I chose to tackle a werewolf colony on my own, without help."
"Sounds selfish."
"Not at the time. The Ministry had been under attack from the werewolves for some time. They had few Aurors at their command, and I did not want to risk others' lives. I wanted to handle it myself. Less bodies, less chance of infection."
"So you went in alone."
"All on my own. In fact, I had ordered all the other wizards in the area to leave. That way I could go in without worry of collateral damage. I went in sword swinging. I thought there would be a few dozen of them, I was wrong. There were hundreds of werewolves in the colony. That did not stop me though. I plowed through them like a scythe through wheat, killing all in my path. At the end of the day I had worked my way through the entire colony. Very few escaped alive."
"But you got bitten."
"I didn't realize it until weeks later. At first I thought I was sick. I tried to heal myself through different potions and spells, but nothing worked. Then I realized that the full moon was coming and put the pieces together. I went to the Ministry to explain the problem, to ask for help…" Johannes' voice hardened and he spat at the ground. "The scum arrested me on the spot. They hauled me off to a holding cell to await execution, just like any other werewolf. They did this to me! I had been there right arm for forty years! Without me, the land would have been overrun with vampires and werewolves and rouge wizards! They turned on me like I was a, a Dark Wizard."
"What happened next?"
"I broke out that night. One of the guards got in my way and I accidentally killed her. The Ministry put a death sentence on my head, so I had to flee. They hunted me with most of their forces. I had to live as a scavenger for months, constantly avoiding patrols."
"What did you do with your disease?"
Johannes' mouth twitched at the word disease. "I learned to embrace it to survive. I allowed it to control me utterly. It gave me power that you cannot comprehend."
"So you used that power to murder those you held responsible for your exile."
"Murder is such a harsh word." His eyes flicked slyly at Vandermine's wand, which was resting comfortably in its holster. "I did nothing to them that they did not deserve. They ruined my life, so I ruined theirs."
"That's pretty twisted semantics."
"Enough of this." Johannes rose from the ground and brushed the dirt off his clothes. "Your talk is beginning to bore me. My past is not your concern, nor are you in a position to judge me."
"So we will end it now? You are ready to die?"
"On the contrary, I have never been more willing to live." Johannes drew his wand and saluted Vandermine. "Let us end this unusual and interesting duel."
"If you insist." Vandermine bent forward to get to his knees. "This'll take a whi-"
The last vampire, the one that had been knocked out by Vandermine's Stunning spell, had lain patiently throughout their discourse. Now, seeing Vandermine vulnerable and within reach, the vampire struck. Razor sharp fangs bit into his throat. The vampire began drinking the blood immediately, sucking desperately to infect him as much as he could. Vandermine struck it in the fave with his wand, but the vampire was latched on too well. A moan escaped his lips and he fell to the ground. The vampire continued sucking up his blood, determined to turn him before it died. And die it did, as Johannes' muscular hand encircled its throat and yanked. Bones snapped and arteries burst as the wolf-man ripped the head clean off the body, howling in rage at the attacker who had stolen his kill. He hurled the headless body at a pile of broken wood.
"What to do with you?" Johannes asked Vandermine, who was lying on the ground gasping for breath.
Vandermine's face was pale from the loss of blood. He struggled to speak, choking on words that refused to come out. Already he could feel the vile disease spreading through his body. Horror was etched on his face as he felt his body changing. It was nearly midnight, and the disease was spreading through his veins like wildfire.
"Kill…me," he croaked. "Make, do it quickly."
"Looking for pity?" Johannes snorted in disgust and grabbed Vandermine by the throat. He lifted him bodily so that they were face to face. "A minute ago you were ready to kill me without mercy."
"So… you." Shudders coursed their way up and down his body.
"Why should I make it quick? No…" Johannes grinned evilly, showing his canine grin. "Imagine the humiliation and irony. Johannes Outrider all over again. I think I will let you live."
"No…" Vandermine's voice had a pleading edge to it. "I'd rather die."
"Then maybe it's best that you do." Johannes reared his head back and laughed. "I will give you an honorable death, Vandermine. You are lucky, for I am rarely so charitable."
Before Vandermine could reply Johannes' head snapped forward. His teeth cut into his throat and he yanked his head back, ripping his throat out. Vandermine's head lolled to the side and Johannes hurled his body aside, chuckling carelessly.
"Lucas!" Frank and Alice Longbottom sprung from their cover, no longer held down by Vandermine's spells. They raised their wands in unison and fired a stream of Stunning spells at Johannes. Johannes stumbled blindly as he took hit after hit until he finally fell, overcome by the barrage of spells. Frank and Alice rushed to Vandermine's side. They cried over his body as they surveyed the damage.
His throat was a bloody mess. Barely enough of it was left for Frank and Alice to know where to start laying down healing spells. They tried anyway, placing potions and applying medicinal bandages in an effort to halt the bleeding. Their work was futile though, and the blood kept pouring out faster than they could replace it.
"Lucas, no!" Alice grabbed his head and cradled it in her arms, trying to stem the flow of blood by keeping it above his chest. "Why did you do it?"
Frank swore as a bandage slipped off the wound, so slick with blood that even the magical adhesives were overwhelmed. He looked around the ground searching for something to help. He paused in horror when he saw part of Vandermine's throat lying on the ground between him and Johannes' body. He stared in horrified fascination at it. Never in his life had he seen such a gruesome sight.
"Frank!"
If he heard the voice he gave no acknowledgment of it. His gaze was fixed on the throat lying on the ground within arms reach. A plan began to form in his mind as he looked from the throat to Vandermine.
"Frank, do something!" Alice's voice was shrill and panicked. Frank snapped out of his shock and tried to suppress his urge to vomit. Wordlessly, he picked up the shredded mess and placed it back in Vandermine's throat. Something like a prayer pushed its way to the background of his thoughts while he searched for the right spell to use.
"Guttrem Resarci!"
Harry gasped in surprise as the bloody mess in Vandermine's throat healed. The skin and internal organs in his throat shifted into their correct position and mended back together. The bleeding stopped immediately, but Vandermine was still as pale as a ghost. He had lost so much blood that even with his throat healed he would probably still die. Even as Harry watched, Vandermine's eyes rolled up into his head and he shuddered one final time.
Alice screamed in helpless rage and hugged his body to herself, crying hard. Frank sat motionless, his eyes brimming with tears. A sob escaped his mouth and he leaned forward to comfort his wife.
"Why did he do it?" she asked aloud. Frank did not answer, but held her close, allowing her to bury her head in his shoulder. She sobbed freely, too overcome to do anything else. He hugged her tightly, whispering soothing words in her ear, but tears of his own mingled with hers as he looked into the blank eyes of their friend.
"He didn't deserve this," she whispered in a hoarse voice. "Why did it have to happen to him? Why not one of us?"
They stayed there for several minutes, too overcome with grief to move. None of the teenagers moved either. They watched silently, knowing that he would live but too shocked by the fighting that had taken place in the small, now-ruined patch of forest.
Suddenly, Harry felt a tug on his back, and the scene before them started to fade away. His feet left the ground and he flew upwards. He struggled to stay in the memory, but something stronger than he was pulled him inexorably upwards. The image of the forest grew blurry, and then it disappeared in a swirling mist.
"How did you survive that?" He heard Ron ask. His face was a sickly green color, as if he had just thrown up. Harry looked to his side and saw that Ron had indeed done just that. The smell made his stomach turn, and he gagged as his own lunch tried to force its way out.
Vandermine strode past Harry and replaced the Pensieve in the cabinet. He ignored their questions, brushing them off with grunt. The door back to the hallway opened and he stood by it pointedly.
"It's time for you to leave."
"What happened?" Ron folded his arms over his chest and faced Vandermine stubbornly. "I want to know how you survived that."
"That's a personal matter." Vandermine returned Ron's stare with an intensity that melted his resolve. He lowered his arms and shuffled out of the room with his head low, muttering something about "adults and their blasted secrets." Harry left the room and caught up with Neville, who had left as soon as Vandermine told them too.
"Do you know what happened?"
"Yeah." Neville did not appear to have been nearly as disgusted by the scene, but his eyes were red at the edges. "Lucas made me promise to not tell anyone though."
"Why?"
"Like he said, it's personal. There aren't any big secrets or anything, but he wants his last words with Johannes to be known by as few people as possible."
"His last words with Johannes? Didn't we just see that?"
"No. He recovered in the clearing, before Johannes woke up. He woke him up and spoke with him some more before he killed him."
"What did he say?" When Neville gave him a cross look, Harry shrugged and held his hands up defensively. "I mean, can you tell me the gist of it?"
"Johannes just said some things about his future. He seemed happy when he died, Johannes did. Anyway, he told Lucas some things that… it was almost as if he had prophesied his future."
"How?"
"Simple stuff mostly. About how the Ministry would turn on him and all, but frankly, it wasn't that amazing of a prophecy. Most of it was logical and obvious."
"Can you tell me what he said?"
"Yeah, he said-" Neville stopped abruptly and laughed. His laugh surprised Harry. The old Neville rarely laughed, especially not in a situation like this.
"Nice try, Harry. You almost got me on that one."
"It was worth a try. I'll drop it now, I promise."
"Good."
They slipped back into the reception room seconds before the Ministry officials came back in. They all looked extremely satisfied, although a little shaken. Harry wondered what Judder had shown them. The officials said their goodbyes and left en masse, eager to get back and report their findings to the Ministry. Once they had gone, Judder changed out of his Vandermine-disguise and grabbed a set of keys from behind the front desk.
"Ready to go?" he asked Harry. Harry nodded, albeit a little regretfully. He was not anxious to get back to the Dursleys.
"After you then." Judder indicated the elevator and they took off. Harry could not remember ever feeling so relieved when they crossed the threshold into the parking lot. It felt good to be out of that building.