A/N- So I know I said this would be up earlier but school started and I'm so busy already. Plus, this chapter took forever to write, so I tried to make it a bit longer than usual.

This is the 'climatic chapter' in this story, there will be two or maybe three more chapters in this story and then it's done! I really liked writing this, even though it's taken me almost a year.

Thanks for reviewing/ following! It's awesome to hear what you think.

Enough ranting. Enjoy

(oh and by the way does anyone watch Fringe? I know the show is done at this point but I started watching it recently and it's really good! I'm on season 2 and I love it! None of my friends watch it, so I'm looking for someone to talk to aka fangirl about it)

Chapter Twenty Four

Jasmine fiddled with the stove, her shoulders tense. She asked in as relaxed of a voice as she could manage, "Do you want something to drink?"

The woman cackled, the sound sending chills up Jasmine's spine, "We don't want your pitiful refreshments, muggle,"

The dark-haired woman spun on her heel, crossing her arms, "Did you just insult me? This is my mother's house, and I won't tolerate—"

The young man, Theo, stepped forward, his eyes narrowed to slits. "I wouldn't be so quick to speak, if I were you."

Jasmine swallowed thickly under his enraged glare. She was used to being in control of any situation she wound up in; and she was definitely not in control here. Especially because these people had abilities that she didn't.

The thought had never crossed her mind, that the Wizarding World her brother belonged to could have criminals. She assumed that it was all spells to turn her posters into butterflies (a long story, one that was definitely not worth thinking of now) and pictures that moved. It was foolish of her to think so. These people were probably dangerous. And if that was the case, then Evan might be as well.

Except for the fact that Jasmine knew Evan. She knew that he was antisocial but always kind. She knew that he didn't own much but was a hard worker, which allowed him to put down a mortgage on a house just a few years after moving into town. She knew that he had been stuck up when he first came into her life, but in spending time with other people he'd slowly began to loosen up. She knew that he didn't understand many culture references, but he pretended to so he wouldn't look different. She knew that Evan was a complicated person with a complicated past, but it was okay because he had a good heart, and a soul worthy of redemption.

But what if he's one of them. What if he's a wizard, and this man is really his father. What if he ran away from them, because of something they did? What if it was something he did? What will I do then, if Evan is a weirdo? What if, what if, what if.

"Good morning. Jasmine, who are these people?"

Jasmine blinked.

Lucy was standing in the doorframe, a pleasant smile on her face. Benjamin must've gone out, then.

"Oh, these are… some of Evan's friends. They decided to visit him," Jasmine improvised, smiling back at her friend weakly. Lucy turned, as if to greet the trio of people, but froze. Her eyes were wide, her mouth slightly agape.

"Problem?" The blonde man asked, resting his hand on his chin. Lucy managed to shake her head, the bewildered expression still plastered on her face.

"Er, no… I'm just… surprised. You seem familiar," She said at last, the smile reappearing on her face. It looked fake.

"I get that a lot,"

The woman snickered.

Just as Jasmine was trying to think of something to say, the doorbell rang. She had never been so glad to hear that sound in her life. Before she could move, however, Lucy stole the opportunity.

"I'll get that," She said swiftly, turning on her heel and rushing from the room.

Several tense, quiet minutes later, Lucy walked back into the room, Evan trailing behind. His back was stiff, to the point where it looked uncomfortable to move. His eyes swept the room; calculating and cold. He didn't look like the Evan she would exchange words with while weeding the garden.

Perhaps there was more to Evan than the pieces she saw.

Lucy waved awkwardly at Jasmine, as if to say goodbye, "Well, I'll just be upstairs if you need me. Have a nice, um, reunion," She scurried out of the room, and for a moment Jasmine wondered if she should do the same. Something held her back though, the feeling that she might be the only sane one in the room.

"Evan," Jasmine released the breath she was holding, along with his name. The blonde turned his head sharply, staring at her. She smiled, tentatively.

Evan didn't return the favor.

It didn't matter, because the blonde man was standing up from his seat at the head of the long table. He opened his arms slightly, as if he was expecting Evan to run into them.

"Draco," His voice had dropped an octave, a look of regret on his face. Or what could be considered regret.

Evan regarded the man, his dad, with a cold disposition, "Father,"

Jasmine almost shivered; Evan's voice was icier than the look in his eyes. He was glaring at his father now with an expression that was far from forgiving.

"Don't be like that son," Evan's father took a step toward him, "I only want to help you,"

Evan scoffed, crossing his arms, "You want to help me. That's comical, father. I was unaware that you were a jokester. Perhaps you would like to put on some makeup and dance around,"

Evan's father sighed, looking at Theo.

"Theodore, have I ever betrayed you?"

The question came out of nowhere, and it seemed to startle Theo, whose eyes widened, and for a second Jasmine almost felt bad for the boy. He'd obviously got caught up with people he hadn't meant to, "Er, no, Lucius. You haven't,"

Evan's father, Lucius, faced the woman next, "And Bellatrix. Have I ever wronged you?"

"Of course not," Bellatrix grinned widely, showing off her rotted teeth.

"You see, Draco, these people are faithful to me. They will never leave in the dead of night without warning,"

Evan (or was it Draco?) scowled and broke eye contact with his father. Lucius' sickly sweet smile dropped from his face, and he stepped forward, furious scowl set in place.

"They will not abandon me, without heir! The Dark Lord had made me a promise; if something were to happen, you would be the next one in line to rule!" His words were making far less sense by the second, "We were going to be important, we were going to rule beside him! We—"

"Voldemort is dead!" Evan screamed suddenly, violently, startling everyone in the room, "The war is over, and you're taking orders from a dead man,"

The silence was deafening. It stretched on for what was most likely minutes but it felt like hours. Lucius' face was frozen in a horrid, twisted sort of smile. Jasmine dared to look at his eyes, and she saw nothing but insanity. Evan's lips were pulled down at the corners, a sneer set in place. His usually pale skin was flushed a peculiar shade of pink. Bellatrix looked ready to attack anyone at any time; her hand fisted in the pocket of her dress.

Theo appeared to not be breathing.

"What," Lucius' words came out quick, shattering the quiet and all it represented, "Did you just say to me,"

For a split second, it looked as though Evan was going to back down. Remorse flashed across his face, and his shoulders relaxed. No, they didn't relax, they lost their strength. As did the rest of his body. Evan McDermitt seemed to collapse in on himself, and in that second, he seemed to be a young teenager being chastised by a disappointed parent.

Just as Evan was opening his mouth, his trembling mouth, Benjamin walked into the room.

Walked wouldn't be a good enough word for it. Jasmine's brother was sprinting, breathing hard as he skidded to a stop.

"Jasmine," Benjamin panted, "I… I… Who the hell are they?"

Whatever Benjamin was going to ask his sister, it was forgotten upon seeing the people in the room. The looked oddly familiar, like he'd seen them in a newspaper or on T.V. once.

"No need to be vulgar, Benny," Jasmine attempted to convey normalcy in her tone when, in reality this was the most bizarre situation she'd ever been in, "These are Evan's… friends,"

She chanced a look at Evan, and was relieved to see the furious mask that had replaced his defeated expression.

He wasn't giving up. That's a good sign.

Right?

"They are not my friends," He snapped immediately, not moving his eyes from his father, "They are criminals,"

"Like you, Malfoy,"

Benjamin said the word like it was a curse, something dirty to be disregarded immediately. Evan's neck nearly snapped with how fast he turned his head to look at Benjamin. The fury was increased by a tenfold, Evan's usually calm grey eyes hard as stone.

"Shut your fucking mouth," He hissed, "Do you want to make it worse for you than—"

"Excuse me," Lucius interrupted, moving toward Benjamin with his hands clasped behind his back, "I hate to be rude, but I must ask, did you just suggest that the Malfoy's are criminals?"

Shit.

Benjamin nodded, "Oh yes. Do you know about them? They're horrible, apparently. In the war against Britain, well I suppose you know about that if you're from there, but anyways. They supported Voldemort and all that pure-blood crap, in fact they were Death Eaters—"

Lucius had Benjamin pinned to the wall so fast it was almost unnatural, "How dare you insult the Malfoys you mudblood piece of scum! You are a disgrace to your entire kind, wizard and muggle! You deserve to—"

"Get off of him!" Jasmine screamed, reaching for a kitchen knife she remembered washing in the sink, which was lying out to dry on the counter, "You stay away from—"

Bellatrix drew her… wand and pointed it at Jasmine, throwing her head back to cackle loudly, "You think you can defeat us with that pitiful—"

Evan too had his wand out now, pointed at his father and Benjamin, "You dare hurt any of them and I swear on Merlin's magic I will—"

Theo was looking sick now.

It was at that very instant when Orion skipped into the room, unaware for a split second as his high pitched voice sang out, "You're here, Zoe, I knows it—"

He froze, staring up at Lucius in horror.

And Lucius was grinning right back.

X

Draco stared down at his son. His terrified son, who had just unknowingly stumbled right into the middle of a dangerous, possibly fatal situation. His son, who wasn't supposed to be here.

"Orion," He gasped, reaching to touch the boy's shoulder. When he did, Orion flinched, as though he was expecting to be hit. Draco gently tugged his on toward him, away from Lucius. Away from the danger.

"W-Wha—"

"What are you doing here, 'Ronnie?" Draco whispered, not like it made a difference either way. Everyone's attention was on them now.

"I was p-playing w-w-with Z-Z-Z—"

"Don't stutter!" Lucius snapped suddenly, his hungry eyes trained on the boy. Orion squeaked and grabbed at Draco's legs.

"Don't talk to him," Draco's tone deadly, eyes never leaving his father's, he reached down to smooth Orion's hair back from his forehead. The child was shaking like a leaf in a fall storm, clutching far too tightly at his father's legs. Draco didn't mind for the moment; if he could provide the boy with some comfort the awkward position was more than bearable.

"What were you doing here, Orion?" You were supposed to be at the park with Clara. Which I set protective wards around. Before coming here.

"Ms. Clara had to go home. S-she was sad," Orion told Draco, his eyes wide, "S-she took me 'ere. Zoe was sittin' outside, just sittin' so we started playing,"

Lucius rolled his eyes, "Well isn't that touching. Now if you'll excuse me—"

He drew his wand so fast it was impossible to predict. Benjamin struggled, grunting but unable to move under Lucius' hold. Bellatrix laughed again, her voice reaching new levels of pitch. Theo swayed on his feet, looking torn. Orion gasped, and Draco reached for his own wand.

It was too late.

There was a flash of green light and Benjamin fell to the kitchen floor.

Jasmine screamed. Bellatrix giggled. Orion hiccupped.

Draco had his wand pointed at his father now, holding his gaze steadily.

"That man had nothing against you,"

"That man was a mudblood and insulted our family name. Honestly son, have you really dropped this low in status? Have you forgotten who you are?" Lucius looked appalled at the notion, the notion that Draco was no longer a foolish teenager who could be swayed by his father easily. A boy who was unable to do anything but follow.

"For your information, father," Draco bit out, "I no longer care about blood status. I no longer care about what our family once stood for. I don't give a damn about what I once was! What I once did!" With each word, each syllable, the air in the room thickened with tension, "I am a better person, a good person, after living with these people! They've made me see that you were never right. Muggles, muggle-borns, can be superior to us, to you. These people here certainly are. And you've just killed one of them,"

Lucius sneered, "Don't pretend you haven't killed innocents. I was there, Draco, I know. I saw you, I saw what you did. You're a Death Eater, son! Despite what you might tell yourself to sleep at night you have, and always will be, a filthy, skiving, Slytherin Death Eater, just like me—"

The window to the kitchen exploded, showering a startled Jasmine with glass. She ducked right as the light bulbs overhead started to flicker, each one shattering with a burst of energy. The kitchen drawers began to rattle and shake, as did the faucet in the sink. Draco grabbed for Orion blindly, trying to shield him from the sparks and potentially dangerous pieces of glass.

The moment Draco's skin made contact with Orion's, the commotion stopped. There was a moment of absolute stillness; no one moving or speaking. Draco made eye contact with his son and the look in the boy's eyes was nothing but anger. Slowly, his small shoulders sagged, as if the weight of the entire world was on them. Orion ended up pressed into Draco's legs, his small face wet with fresh tears.

Orion did that. He just exploded the windows and light bulbs. My son is four years old and is already more powerful than I ever will be.

"Orion," Draco whispered, holding the tiny boy against his him. Orion whimpered in response.

Lucius stood, absently kicking the dead body of Benjamin. His hair was wild, strands sticking up in weird places. His teeth were bared, eyes focused on his son and grandson. He no longer looked sane.

In fact, he barely looked human.

"Crucio!"

Draco ducked, the curse sent by his father's wand crashing into the wall behind them. The blonde drew his wand, which was already in his hand, and replied with a loud Stupefy.

Lucius sidestepped it; the curse hitting Theo instead. He fell to the ground, body rigid.

Bellatrix was standing now, laughing like a mad woman. Jasmine was cowering in a corner, eyes wide.

The back door flew open, and standing in the door way was Hermione and Blaise. Draco had never been happier to see anyone in his life. They had been waiting for a cue, but perhaps explosions were enough to cause alarm in them. The last thing Draco wanted to do was get them involved, but he needed a backup squad should something bad actually happen. Obviously it had.

"Well if it isn't Blaise Zabini. I suppose you are a traitor to the cause as well?" Lucius bit out.

Blaise smiled, almost sadly, "Yes, Lucius. Things have really gotten out of hand, haven't they?"

"Avada Kedaver—"

"Protego!" Hermione countered, and the green spell hit the shield harmlessly.

Orion had shuffled behind his father's legs, no longer holding on to them as if his life was on the line. Which it was, but the small child seemed to realize that his father needed to be mobile. In fact, Orion all but ran out of the room when the fighting began happening.

"Petrificus Totalus!" Blaise shouted, aiming for Bellatrix. She ducked and sent a 'Crucio' back, which Blaise blocked.

"Ava—"

"Expelliar—"

"Incarcerous!"

Blaise gasped as the ropes wound their way around his body. They tightened, causing him to wince and stumble over his feet. He fell flat on his face, the sound of Bellatrix laughing echoing through his ears.

"Crucio!" She screamed, and Blaise was on fire from within. His veins were simply burning up, as were his organs. His blood. His bone. And despite the torturous fire, there was another sensation, like having claws drawn across his face, marring his features and bringing the fire-blood to the surface. He was on fire. He was on fire.

"N-no I… a-ah!" Was what slipped out, before his misery was suddenly, almost violently, put to an end.

When he opened his eyes, Blaise saw Hermione standing over him, wand pointed at an unconscious Bellatrix on the ground next to him. Cutting the ropes with a quick spell, the brunette helped him to his feet. Without warning, Blaise turned his head to the side and was violently sick. He groaned and wiped his mouth on his shirt sleeve.

"T-thanks," He whispered, leaning heavily against the counter. Lucius, who had been fighting Draco with all his might, turned as if to shoot them with a spell. Hermione was instantly on defense, wand drawn.

The two stared at each other for a second; grey meeting brown. Something passed between them, an unpleasant shiver that caused Hermione to glance away in terror. Bad memories flew to the surface of her mind, of being tortured at Malfoy Manor. In those few seconds, Lucius surged forward, murder in his eyes.

"Avada—"

"Petrificus Totalus!"

The spell froze the sneer Lucius wore, and the blonde tumbled to the tiled kitchen floor.

Draco was panting hard, wand arm outstretched and pointed at his father. Choking back a sob at how close she'd gotten to death, how easily she'd let her guard down, Hermione fell to her knees. She was confused and her senses were muddled. She felt anger, that Lucius would dare try and harm her son. She felt fear because he was still alive and, though it was an irrational thought, he might wake up and hurt her again. She felt relief. Because it was over.

It was over. It was finally, at long last, done.

Hermione felt an arm wrap around her shoulder, pulling her body toward a larger one. Her head rested against the chest, the heartbeat steady, calming her own, which was racing. Hermione was aware that she was being rocked gently back and forth, like a baby in a cradle. Her eyes were growing heavier and heavier. There was a pair of smaller arms working their way around her waist, snuggling close.

Hermione Granger could hear voices, loud shouts of confusion and anger. But they did not belong to Lucius or Bellatrix. They were normal voices, voices of the boarders.

The boarders she could handle.

The chest was awfully warm, the heartbeat relaxing her. There was the murmur of a familiar voice in her ear, whispering, "Rest, Hermione. It's all over now,"

And so she did.