Blood Ties
Part 23
Rating, summary and such are same as before.
Note 1: Sorry for taking so long for this update. I'm actually at the airport right now, doing some final editing so i can send for beta-read once i arrived back in Melbourne. So, big thanks for my big sis borrowing her laptop to me (not really borrow cos she probably won't be seeing this laptop for couple of years) cos mine when all boom (well, not 'boom' boom but my laptop cannot be taken out of my house...)
Note 2: Second, I've to thanks for everyone's supports and reviews for this fic, espeically since i updating it so not frequently... so, BIG THANKS!
Note 3: Of course, big big thank you to JOAHN for beta-reading the story!
Willow stared fearfully at the man in front of her as she slowly crawled backwards. "Is that fear I detect from you, freak?" Hotlz asked, satisfied from the horror that had displayed on the youngster's face. "I would have thought that people like you do not know fear... such a disappointment."
"W-why?"
"Why? A meaningless question, coming from a freak, that why should they be killed. Should you not ask why we should let you live? Why a monster like you should be allowed to have a future when my innocent wife and daughter died for nothing?" Holtz asked, his tone unnaturally light and with a hint of confusion, as if asking a simple calculation, sending cold chill down Willow's spin. The older man took a deep breath, his arms opened wide and his eyes closed. "Can you smell it? The smell of justice..."
Willow was about to snort, to scream, to shout at this madman, but she bit her lips from any comeback, and took the chance as she pushed herself up and started running away. But before she could put much of a distance between herself and Holtz, she heard two loud bangs, and the next thing she knew was her face hit the ground, burning pain at the back of her right leg. She looked down, and found blood oozing out from the wound behind her leg.
"You're even more stupid than I have expected." Willow looked up and found Hotlz slowly moved towards her, a gun in hand. "Did you honestly think I'll just let you run away like that? After years of planning?"
"I did nothing..."
"You don't have to. Your existence has been a mistake from the start, and I will correct it." Holtz then pointed his gun at Willow.
Willow held up her hand instantly. "DEFENDO!" She shouted and waited. And waited. Hotlz looked at her with amusement as the young redhead retreated her hands, stared at them for a second, shaking them, and held it up again. "Defendo!"
Hotlz opened fire, and the bullet hit her left leg this time. Willow screamed. "Told you to smell the justice... anti-magic spells are so hard to find, you probably couldn't find it anywhere in Diagon Alley. Curiously enough, I did not only managed to find one in an old muggle book store... one of the main ingredients is actually a common muggle incense stick? Ironic, don't you think? To have you bound by muggle magic, to have you killed by a muggle weapon. I wonder-" Holtz halted and spun when he heard a growl from behind him. Willow looked over, and found Shacklebolt slowly pushing himself up. "Shacklebolt." His face darkened, and his gun instantly pointed at him.
"Stop this madness, Holtz." Shacklebolt said, his eyes focusing on the man in front of him. "I know how much you loved your wife and daughter, but it's not worth it."
"I'm just doing God's work. Do not try to stop me, Shacklebolt. I wish no harm on you, but I will not allow anyone standing in my way."
Shacklebolt took another step forward. "Holtz-"
Another gunshot echoed the courtyard, and Shackletbolt fell onto the ground, his hand holding onto his left shoulder as blood spread through his shirt. "Only a wizard would be foolish enough to walk towards a man pointing a loaded gun." Holtz shook his head in amusement before turning back towards Willow. "Now, where were we?"
Willow lay on her side, holding her two legs as she stared at Holtz through her blurred eyes.
Holtz studied her for a moment, amusement never erased from his face. "Do you know in some countries muggles will slash the tendons of the back legs of cattle so they can't run away before being slaughtered? They said it's cruelty, I say they're just animals." He opened fire and shot Willow in her shoulder. Willow cried out. "Their deaths mean nothing but a meal. Be thankful for your own death, freak. Yours does not mark as a meal, but a beginning: beginning of God's justice."
Holtz pointed his gun at Willow's head. Willow closed her eyes, waiting for the gunshot, but it never came. Instead, when she opened her eyes, Holtz was spread on the ground with Shacklebolt on top of him, the gun dropped from Hotlz's hand and landed in front of Willow. Ignoring the black spots that were spreading in front of her, Willow crawled towards the gun, and picked it up.
Holtz rolled over and pushed Shacklebolt away. "You are beginning to irritate me, Shacklebolt." He jumped up and delivered several kicks at the man's head, knocking him out. "No one can stop God's will."
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Holtz looked down at his shirt, and found wetness on it. He pressed his palms against his chest, and stared at the blood covering them. Slowly, he turned towards the pale redhead behind him, the same redhead who was now holding his gun.
BANG! BANG!
Holtz looked down at his bloody chest again, before focusing on the redhead, who kept pulling the trigger even if there was no bullet left. "See you in hell..." He then fell, lying motionless on the dirt.
Willow stopped pulling the trigger, her hands let go a bit of the gun and let it dropped onto the ground. She stared at the body in front of her for a moment. "I'm Jewish, stupid." She whispered, her shaky voice betrayed the bravado of her words, before falling into unconsciousness.
And it was how Giles and Snape found them minutes later, the girl and the man lying unconscious on the courtyard of Daniel Holtz's house, and the body of Holtz lying in the pool of his own blood.
Harry sat up, rubbing his sleepy eyes as he smiled at Xander who just walked into the dormitory room they shared, his hands holding his toothbrush and towel. "Good morning Ron. Good morning Xander."
"Good morning." Ron yawned from his bed.
Xander eyed Harry for a second, his face un-readable. "Good morning." He offered and reached for the bag at the end of his bed. "I'll see you later." He told Ron quietly before leaving without another word.
Ron blinked at the door closed behind Xander for a moment. "What's that all about?" He asked Harry.
Harry shrugged with a deep frown on his young face.
"Hi guys!" Harry and Ron reached their usual spots in the Great Hall when they were greeted by Buffy and Hermione. Xander, on the other hand, stared hard at the food in front of him without sparing a glance at the newcomers.
Ron quickly sat beside Xander, not noticing the rather usual behavior of the usually goofy Gryffindor, and started digging into his food. Harry frowned at Xander again, when Buffy suddenly stood and gave him a quickly hug. "Thanks."
Harry turned towards Buffy and cocked his head. "What for?"
"You know... last night..."
"Oh." Harry smiled warmly at his friend. "No problem."
Harry and Buffy were about to sit down when Draco's voice carried through out the Hall. "Got yourself another girlfriend, Potter?" He smirked. "Didn't know you had a thing for bunny." The Slytherins laughed.
"Shut up, Malfoy!" The blond Gryffindor shouted, even though her cheek turned crimson.
And what happened then was something that no one could even imagine. Xander, who had been quiet for the whole morning, suddenly jumped out of stool, drawing out his wand, and pointed at Draco. "Sil- Silen- Grr!" He growled at his own failure of recalling the silencing spell. "Just ZIP IT!" He ordered. To everyone - including Xander's - horror, Draco's lips transformed itself into zipper - tightly shut zipper.
"Holy crap!" Dawn, who was sitting opposite to Draco, was the first to react. She jumped out of her stool and back away, which the action was quickly followed by her fellow Slytherins.
Draco, in panic, tried to open the zipper - only to hurt himself as blood started spilling out through the zips. He tried to scream, but his voice was muffed by the shut zipper.
Professor McGonagall, who finally gotten over her shock, quickly took charge. "Quiet!" She ordered, moving towards Draco and started pulling him out towards the hospital wing. Crabbe, Goyle and Parkinson quickly followed.
When the professor and the group of Slytherins finally left, everyone turned their attention towards Xander, only to find the boy had already disappeared from the Great Hall.