Chapter Four
"Rosie?" asked Hermione, her voice seeming to echoe and fade around her.
"Hi, 'Mione. What's happening, why am I here?"
"Yeah, I'll second that one," butted in Fabien "what the hell am I doing here?"
"It's too complicated to explain. Read this." she added, as the thought popped into her head. Her cousin took the piece of parchment and began to read, Fabien being polite for once and only reading it over her shoulder.
"So, it's pretty simple really. Out of the three of us, one must die." stated Fabien.
"And I have to choose. But I can't. Fabien, you killed my best friend in cold blood and have been killing innocents ever since, but you're still a person and I can't kill you."
"Why not?"
"Because, unlike what I've heard of you, Fabien, Hermione isn't morally bankrupt. She wouldn't kill anyone, no matter what they'd done."
"I've got an idea. We'll duel to the death. Whoever wins gets to go home and take Rosie here with them. Deal?"
As if in answer, Hermione pulled out her wand, stood her ground and pointed her wand right at Fabien's heart. He did the same. They then bowed to each other, walked ten paces back and began duelling. Hermione fired as many spells as she knew at Fabien, while he continually fired Dark curses at her.
"Stupefy!"
"Imperio!"
"Reducto!"
"Crucio!"
"EXPELLIARMUS!"
"AVADA KEDAVRA!"
These two curses bolted out at the same time, meeting in a green and red battle in the centre of the room. The green was winning over the red, but then it stopped suddenly and Fabien fell to the floor, gasping for breath. Hermione walked over to him, her wand still pointing towards his heart.
"I never meant to kill Maisie, you know."
"Then why did you join the Death Eaters? You've been one of them since you were my age, that's four years, Fabien!"
"I was scared. I needed protection."
"Then you should have come to Dumbledore. He'd protect anyone who was scared. Even you."
"I just didn't think."
"No, that's your problem. You never did and you never will."
There was a long silence while Fabien contemplated Hermione's words.
"Do it."
"What?"
"Kill me."
"No."
"You have to. Otherwise you and Rosie will never get out. It has to be you."
Tears welled up in Hermione's eyes.
"I'm sorry, I'm so so so sorry."
"It's okay, I forgive you."
"Ava...no, I can't do this."
"Yes, you can, you can do this, 'Mione. You just have to believe that you can."
"Alright...Avada Kedavra." she gasped, shaking so much it was surprising that she could still stand.
And Fabien was dead. Rosie ran over and pulled her cousin into an embrace. But a cloud of smoke was appearing in Hermione and she saw the white, marble-like skin and the scarlette, snake-like eyes. And she knew that this wasn't over yet.