Now that Rachele is back, the dark forces don't stand much of a chance. Let's find out what she has stored up her sleeve to help end this war once and for all.

Enjoy!

Chapter Five – Turn Of Events.

Voldemort felt his knees buckle at the livid glare Rachele was shooting at him. He could feel the rage emanating off her, and every ounce of it was directed at him.

"You've been a naughty boy Tom." Her voice turned his veins to ice. "There's much blood on your hands."

Voldemort scoffed. "I only delivered the deserving into Death's hands." He grinned. "That includes Harry Potter."

Rachele turned her gaze to the still form of her friend. Even from where she was, she could sense the energy of life coursing through him. She mentally smiled; Harry was alive. 'Oh Tom...you poor stupid fool.' She looked back towards Voldemort. "Well I hate to burst your bubble but it looks like one of your parcels got lost in the mail."

Voldemort frowned. "What does that mean?"

Rachele grinned. "Oh nothing. But enough dawdling, I actually have a surprise for you."

The Dark Lord took a step back. "What?"

"You're probably wondering where I've been for several hours." She grinned. "Well I'll tell you. I have some allies I'd like you to meet."

Voldemort glared. "Allies?" What was this girl up to?

Rachele held out her arms, the light around her increasing tenfold. "Come forth my friends! Protect Howarts! Rid the world of this putrid evil!" The air around her shook violently, dozens of indescribable shadows seemed to shimmer slowly into view, cloaked behind an invisible portal. Then all at once, it burst, allowing countless large creatures to charge through. All matter of creatures suddenly materialized next to her, Griffins, Hypogriffs, Unicorns, and even two or three Dragons came through with scalding flames gusting from their roaring jaws. Surprisingly, a few dozen Acromantula's were apart of this strong allegiance; how Rachele persuaded these spindly arachnids, no one will ever know.

The Death Eaters scattered into a disarray of panic. A small handful managed to disapparate away from danger. Most of them were the unfortunate casualties as the new enemy collapsed onto them. Some were trampled or mauled by Hypogriffs and Griffins. Some were impaled by the deadly horn of the Unicorns. Others were chomped in half or ripped to shreds by the giant spiders. The victims of the Dragons, however, became nothing more than piles of ash. Disintegrated in an instant as their bodies were engulfed by a pillar of fire.

The moment she had let the creatures loose, Rachele yelled out to the boy in Hagrids arms. "Harry! NOW!"

Voldemort, who was barely defending himself, watched in disbelief as the boy he thought was dead, flung himself to the ground and sprinted full pelt to the castle. He shot the killing curse several times towards the teenager, each one missing it's mark by several meters. When Harry disappeared from sight, he let out an enraged howl.

With the Dark Lord distracted, Rachele descended down to her friends in the courtyard. Once on the ground, the bright light and her wings disappeared. The first to greet her was Ginny, who flung her arms around her and hugged her tightly.

"Where the bloody hell have you been?"

Rachele hugged her back with a chuckle. "Sorry I took so long. I was a little busy."

"RACHELE!" Hermione raced towards her and gave her a crushing hug that put Ginny's to shame.

"It's good to see you sis." Rachele wheezed out. "But I need to breathe!"

Hermione rapidly let her go. "Sorry, sorry."

Next to her, Ron was gawking at the scenery. "Blimey Rach. Where'd you find these guys?"

"And how'd you persuade them to come here?" Hermione added.

Rachele smiled. "It takes a particular kind of influence to win them over."

Ginny looked thoughtful. "Why couldn't you have just summoned them here telepathically instead of leaving?"

Rachele nodded. "With a few of them I probably could. But despite my powers, some species are very strong willed and require a LOT of convincing. I even had to duel a couple of them."

Ron gawked. "Which ones?"

She shrugged. "Mostly the dragons. If you want their help, you need to prove your worth. Bunch of stubborn, scaly buggers they are." She shook her head. "Enough of that though." She looked over her friends. "Where are Robbie and Claudia?"

Three faces exchanged look. "We're not sure actually." Hermione answered. "Claudia was with us when Harry left, then she was gone. We didn't even notice her leave."

Rachele ran a hand through her hair. "Yeah she always was a little ninja."

"GUYS!" Harry was sprinting towards them after outrunning multiple curses. Ginny moved towards him with a sob and the two met in the middle in a tangle of arms.

"You idiot." She sniffed into his shoulder. "I thought you were dead."

Harry just smiled and held her close. "I was for a minute." His emerald eyes shifted and locked onto two bright green ones. Rachele smiled and nodded at him. There'll be time to talk later. She was sure of it.

She turned back to Hermione. "I have to find Robbie and Claudia. You guys stay and help Harry."

Hermione nodded. "Good luck."

"You too."

Rachele retreated from her friends and raced into the school, entrusting the Death Eaters to her new allies. It had only been a few minutes and already the dark forces had either retreated or were dead. Only a small handful skilled enough to fight remained by their masters side; one of them included the deranged Bellatrix Lestrange. But she would return to all this in due time; she had other priorities to attend to. Switching on her senses, she scanned the walls and crevices around her. For a moment, nothing, then suddenly a strong energy source erupted a few corriors away. She recognised Robbie and Claudia instantly, but when she focused onto the third person, her eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. With tightly clenched fists, she phased ghost-like through the wall, her amythest flames cascading in her wake.

Robert gritted his teeth as another spell grazed his arm. Claudia leaned against him with her left leg bloody and broken, but still unwilling to back down. Opposite them stood Gertrude without a scratch on her. It seems, in her absence following her expulsion, her power had reached immense levels since recruiting herself with Voldemort's ranks.

"Sweet little lambs." She chuckled darkly. "All ripe and ready for the slaughtering."

Robert cursed to himself, whatever spell she threw next, it would definitely kill one of them. He was prepared to protect Claudia, even it meant sacrificing himself. He would keep his promise to Rachele to the very end.

"GO TO HELL!" A writhing black curse followed this hate-filled shout. Robert planted himself in front of Claudia who protested with a horrified 'NO!'. He ignored her and waited with closed eyes for a painful death. It never came. Confused he opened his eyes slightly before they widened. Claudia too stared open jawed, unsure with what had just transpired. Gertrudes spell was half a metre from colliding with Robert's chest when a mysterious light filled entity shot towards the darkness and obliterated it into oblivion.

Gertrude growled irritably. "Who dares interfere?" A figure stepped from the shadows causing her to stumble backwards in shock. "Y...you."

Rachele Sullivan stepped between her and her two injured friends. "Clarken." She wasn't in the mood to hold back anymore and it was definitely showing. Her rapturous green orbs shone more menacingly than ever, contrasting the soft white aura that protuded from her in thick waves.

Gertrude studied the girl thoughtfully. "I knew there were something about you Sullivan. No wonder you're always so arrogant."

Rachele didn't even crack a smile. "Enough bullcrap Clarken." She snarled. "I'm not here to play games. I'm giving you two choices. You can leave now and never show your face again. Or..." She held out both palms as angry green flames erupted from them. "...you can find out just how arrogant I can be."

Gertrude was no fool, she knew better than to take on someone with this level of magic. She could feel the raw power flowing from her and she wasn't so much as lifting a finger. If she wanted to kill her disgrace of a sister , she needed to live to fight another day.

"You haven't seen the last of me Sullivan!" Gertrude proclaimed. "I will not rest until her dead body is lying broken at my feet! I promise!"

Rachele's eyes flashed. "GET OUT!" A strong shockwave shot outwards which plowed into the the other girl, almost knocking her off her feet.

Gertrude staggered backwards but was quick to recover. That example of power alone was enough to let her know her time had expired. "As you wish your highness." She growled as she finally vanished in a swirl of black smoke, her sinful laugh being the last trace of her ever being there.

Rachele let out a tired sigh. "I hope I don't see you for a veeery long time." She scoffed. "Or never...that would be better."

"Rach..."

Rachele whipped around at the sound of her boyfriends' voice. "Robbie!" She rushed over to him and wrapped her arms around him. "Merlin...I was worried sick." Robert returned her hug without hesitation, his face buried into her neck.

"I'm okay...we're okay."

She backed away slightly and leaned back in to claim his lips with hers. Robert's hold tightened as he reciprocated, the two lovers losing themselves in each other. Behind them, Claudia turned away with a blush but chose not to disturb them; they deserved it after the turmoil they had all suffered.

Rachele finally pulled away and took in both of their injuries. "Holy hell, what did that psycho do to you?"

Robert shrugged. "Don't worry about it. We're alive. That's what matters."

Rachele kneeled down to examine Claudia's leg. "Merlin...this is broken in several places. Give me a sec." She placed her hand on the bruised skin. There was a warm glow for a few seconds. Then it was gone and Claudia's broken limb was good as new. With the use of her legs back, Claudia wasted no time in raising up and hugging her best friend. Rachele returned the gesture and stroked the younger girl's hair.

"I missed you." Claudia whispered.

Rachele smiled tearily. "Me too. I'm so proud of you." She pulled her away to arms length and beamed. "You were brave to take on Gertrude by yourselves."

Robert grinned. "Actually at first Claudia wouldn't let me help. She was fighting her alone for a long while. I eventually took over because she was too badly hurt. So I sent her to Madam Pomfrey. After a while she came back and we fought her together."

Rachele's jaw dropped. "You took her on alone? Both of you?"

Claudia looked down. "We were still no match for her though. We couldn't get land a single shot on her."

Rachele patted her shoulder. "She must've received months of training living amongst the Death Eaters. It doesn't surprise me she's extremely strong in the ways of dark magic."

Robert smiled. "And then you come along and she's runs away after just a few minutes." He chuckled. "She may not have shown it, but she's definitely terrified of you."

Rachele pondered carefully. "The fear was there, but it was overrun by another emotion." She looked at Claudia. "You know what that is."

Claudia nodded grimly. "Unfortunately."

Robert stared. "And that would be..."

"Pride." Rachele finished. "She loves herself too much to be truly afraid of anything. Some part of her may be scared of me, but her vanity is too strong to let it control her. That's why she remained completely calm throughout our entire conversation..." She coughed. "...If you can call it that."

Robert exhaled deeply. "Damn...that's a hell of a lot of conceitedness."

Claudia hugged herself. "She was always like that, even when we were younger. Even when other kids were frightened by anything remotely scary, she would hide it by smiling and laughing. She considered any emotion like fear...or even kindness a sign of shame and weakness. No matter what situation we were in, her reputation always came first."

Rachele put an arm around her. "Well she's gone. Hopefully for good this time."

Robert stared ahead of them. "We should get back. Doesn't sound like the fighting is over yet."

Rachele nodded, helping Claudia to her feet. "Let's head back then."

Robert led their small group back the through the school, the echoes of war thundering through the walls. They ventured to the courtyard since Rachele wanted to check up on her 'friends'. It was mostly deserted. All of the creatures were gone save for a few Acromantula feasting on what was left of the Death Eaters.

Rachele shrugged. "Figures. They only agreed to the fighting. They weren't obligated to hang around and socialize."

Robert looked around. "Where is everyone then?"

Suddenly there was a bright flash, followed by a scream. It was coming from the Great Hall. The trio raced back inside and into the hall. It was complete mayhem. Only a small handul of Death Eaters remained, but the destruction they were causing was highly extensive. Rachele's eyes narrowed when she spotted Bellatrix Lestrange directly opposite from them.

"Robbie." She spoke to her boyfriend without breaking her gaze. "Take Claudia and help the others. I have a personal vendetta to take care of." She walked away without waiting for a response. Robert watched her go and noticed who she was heading for.

"Damn...we better stay out of the way."

"LESTRANGE!"

Voldemort's right hand witch grinned wickedly when Rachele approached her. "Hello little Mudblood. How I've missed you child."

Rachele's eye twitched. This deranged witch made Gertrude look like an sweet fluffy kitten. "Pity the feeling isn't mutual ya psycho." Her brow furrowed when Bellatrix laughed maniacally. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

The insane witch smirked at her. "You think you've won girl, but you couldn't be more wrong. You can torture me all you want...hell you may even kill me. But nothing can change fate!" She continued to cackle loudly. "You will die tonight Mudblood. And it will be by my hand! How glorious!"

Rachele just stared unimpressed. "I didn't come hear to listen to you brag. You tortured my sister." Her green eyes flickered. "I'm here to return the favour."

Bellatric waggled her finger. "Tsk tsk tsk, now, now don't be rash. Let's take our time, have a little fun." She suddenly unsheathed a long blade, it's ebony steel glinting from the rising sun.

Rachele stepped back in shock. 'The Shadow Blade'. "Wh...where did you get that?"

Bellatrix smiled widely. "The Dark Lord has been searching several years for a way to destroy you. And once he found the documents containing this..." She dragged a finger down the blade in a seductive manner. "...He spent months journing throughout desolate wastelands looking for it. It was a joyous time when he at last found it." She smiled widely. "It's even better you knew instantly what this special blade was. It'll make it so much enjoyable to watch you scream."

'Damn that reptile bastard sure is persistant.' Rachele glared. "Do you really think I'm just gonna stand here and let you jam that thing into my heart? How stupid do you think I am?"

Bellatrix laughed louder. "Poor, naïve child. I said I wanted to watch you scream. I never said from what kind of pain."

Rachele's stomach twisted nervously; something was wrong. "What are you...?" Before she could ask, Bellatrix flexed her arm and threw the blade hard. Rachele followed its trajectory across the hall, trying to figure out who she was aiming for. She quickly found it's mark and she felt her heart drop to her gut. It was Robert. And it was aiming straight for his head.

"NOOOOOOO!"

Neither her legs or wings would get her there in time, so she used the fastest method she had. In a split second she teleported from one end to the next, appearing in a flash in front of her boyfriend just in time for the blade to sink hilt deep into her stomach.

Robert had heard the scream, but realized too late what his girlfriend had done. He turned in time to see the blade strike her and watched in terror as she sunk to her knees.

"RACHELE!"

He dashed over and caught her just as she fell backwards. The corruption from the blade had tainted her blood black as it oozed from the wound like spilt ink. Robert brushed her fringe from her eyes to see if she was still conscious.

"Rach...Rachele! Damn it! Look at me!" He cried out desperately.

Rachele coughed and smiled weakly at him. "H-hey...You're okay. T-than-(cough)- thank Merlin."

Robert shook his head. "Stupid. Why did you do that?"

She gazed up at him lovingly. "It would've killed you instantly." She flinched in pain. "This way...is better."

Claudia appeared and knelt down next to her. "Rachele..."

Rachele smiled at her. "Claudia. Remember what I told you."

Claudia grasped her hand. "I do. It'll be okay Rach...you can trust me." She reached over and grabbed the hilt. With a nod from Rachele, she quickly yanked it upwards, ignoring Robert's horrified protests. No one paid any heed when Claudia tossed away the blade; it turned into dust and became one with the wind. It had served it's purpose, it had no more reason to exist.

Claudia looked worried when Rachele cringed from the pain "Are you okay?"

Rachele grinned. "Yeah...thanks...just stung a bit."

Rachele looked back to her boyfriend who gazed at her sadly. "Rach...please don't..." She used what strength she could muster to lift her hand and gently stroke his cheek. "I love you..." She breathed out before she went limp in his arms.

Tears were now pouring down Robert's face. "NO! Damn it! Don't leave me! I love you! Do you hear me? I LOVE YOU!" He bent over her unmoving form with uncontrollable sobs. "You...you can't do this to me."

Several metres away, Ron Weasley was regarding the forlorn scene with new revelation. Up until that point, he had always judged Robert and had never fully trusted him merely for being sorted in Slytherin. But as he watched this broken man cry over his lover's body, he realized he had done him wrong. Robert was never a bad person. He may have been in a corrupted house, but his heart was as pure as they come. The tears coming from him were sincere; he truly loved Rachele. Ron felt like a humungous prat for not seeing all this sooner.

Back with Rachele, Robert held his beloved close while whispering loving words into her ear. He only stopped when a small hand squeezed his shoulder. He didn't have to look to know it was Claudia

"Robert. You don't have to worry." She said kindly.

He glared at her. "How can you be so calm?" He held up Rachele's body with fury etched into his face. "SHE'S GONE! AND YOU'RE ACTING LIKE YOU DON'T CARE!"

Claudia just smiled. "If you let me finish. You don't have to worry...because she's not dead."

Robert gave her a look of disbelief. "What are you talking about?"

Claudia gestured to her chest. "Look. She's breathing." They both watched Rachele's chest rise up and fall back down, albeit somewhat slowly. But her breath was there, which meant she would live. Robert's whole body deflated with relief. "S...she's alive."

Claudia nodded. "Don't you remember what she told us about the Shadow Blade? In order to kill her, it has to strike her heart. That's where the main source for her power is. If it was anywhere else, she'd just be unconscious for a while."

Robert's gaze fell to the wound on Rachele's stomach. "So...she deliberately knocked herself out?"

"She had to. The darkness from that blade has buried itself into her mind and her soul. To rid herself of it's corruption, she needed to go into a self-induced coma. She's gone to the deepest depths of her subconscious to fight this thing."

Robert wiped his eyes. "How long will she be under?"

Claudia shrugged. "She wasn't clear on that. It could be days, weeks...even months. It all depends on Rachele's will power."

Robert's grip on Rachele tightened. "Then we need to protect her until she wakes up."

Claudia stood up. "I need to find Hermione and tell her what happened. It would be bad for her to see Rachele and assume the worst."

Robert scanned the Great Hall. "Where's Harry?"

Ron had overheard their conversation and walked over. "He's somewhere in the castle fighting Voldemort. We need to find the snake. Can you help us?"

Robert nodded and rose to his feet, his girlfriend clutched tightly in his arms. "You can count on us." Before anything else, he needed to make sure Rachele remained safe. He briskly made his way over to where the school nurse was fussing over some patients.

"Madam Pomfrey."

The woman turned to him before glancing at the girl he was holding. Her expression turned to one of horror when she recognised her and she immediately rushed over. "Good gracious! Miss Sullivan!" She looked at Robert. "What in heavens name happened?"

"Shadow Blade." He answered through clenched teeth.

A look of understanding crossed her old features. "I see. And where was she hit?" Robert nodded to where her wound was and she nodded. "Anything's better than her heart."

Robert gazed over his lover with soft eyes. "So you know who she is then. What she is."

Madam Pomfrey smiled. "My boy, all the teachers here have known this girl since she was a wee one. We know very well what she's capable of." She studied his expression. "You love her very much, don't you?"

Robert nodded. "I do...more than life itself."

She patted his arm. "She'll be okay Mr Kordellus. You just need to be patient."

Robert smiled. "Thanks. May I leave her in your care? The others need my help."

Madam Pomfrey nodded and gestured to a vacant futon. "Of course, lay her down here." When Rachele was settled onto the bed, she covered her with a thin blanket. "She'll be safe here."

Robert leaned down and planted a soft kiss on Rachele's forehead. "I'll be back soon." He whispered before forcing himself to turn and walk away. It took all his resolve not to go back and stay by her side. The battle wasn't over yet. There was still much to be done. He met up with Claudia, Ron and Hermione and the group set of to track down Nagini. Kill the snake and finish offVoldemort. Do that and the war was over.

How hard could it be?

"HERMIONE BEHIND YOU!"

Said girl whipped around and ducked in time to avoid the strike of two sharp fangs. The quartet of teenagers had successfully found their target and, with Harry's help distracting Voldemort, seperated her from her master. But killing her was an entire different matter. Ron had attempted to stab the scaly beast with a Basilisk fang he and Hermione had retrieved earlier from the Chamber of Secrets; they destroyed Hufflepuff's cup the same way. But the snake was smarter than anticipated. With a whip of her tail, she had smacked the fang out of his hands causing it to tumble several stories before shattering to pieces on the cold stone floor.

Robert stared at the remains of their only hope of killing Nagini. "Well bugger me. Now what?"

Claudia tugged on his sleeve while looking over his shoulder. "I don't know but we better run."

All four teens turned as one to the staircase. There was Nagini, slithering towards them at high speed with her jaw open and ready for the kill. The friends bolted away, taking turns to pelt curses at the virtually indestrucable snake.

"This is ridiculous!" Robert panted as their sprinted down the stairs. "It's four against one! Why are we running?"

Ron looked at him flabberghasted. "Because it's bloody Voldemort's snake that's why! He made it a damn Horcrux!"

Robert gawked at him. "Okay that explains a lot. No wonder we can't kill it."

Hermione shot the boys a look. "Less talking more running! Let's get to the courtyard!"

They jumped the last few steps and raced towards the door with Nagini hot on their tail. Robert turned and fired the killing curse as a last desperate resort. The snake launched towards them, phasing through the spell as though is was nothing. It opened it's mouth wide with bared fangs, giving them no option but to take cover.

Robert threw himself over Claudia while Ron held Hermione close as they waited for death to claim them. Then out of nowhere, Neville charge forward with a loud battle cry, swinging the Sword of Gryffindor up and through Nagini's neck. The snake was obliterated in an instant. The last remnant of Voldemort's soul writhed angrily into the sky and vanished with an agonising howl.

The four friends looked up cautiously at Neville who grinned at them. "Hey guys. That was close ey?"

Ron grinned at his old housemate. "Blimey Neville. That was bloody brilliant!" He turned to Hermione who was gazing at something in the distance. "Hey...what's wrong?"

She pointed. "Is that what I think it is?"

They all glanced to where she was looking. Above the pile of debris, there was small black fragments fluttering into the sky. They were continuous for a minute until they faded away into nothing. Shortly after that, Harry Potter emerged from that area, his face pale and exhausted, but he was smiling.

They all cheered and rushed over to congratulate him, exchanging hugs, handshakes and high fives. They were soon joined by other survivors who emerged from the Great Hall. They surrounded the boy-who-lived, hailing the boy who freed them from the curse on the wizarding world. Harry took in his friends and families with a victorious grin. He had done it. He had fulfilled his destiny. Lord Voldemort was finally dead. The war was over.

Back inside the castle in the far quiet corner of the Great Hall, Rachele Sullivan lay peacefully while the cheers of the people echoed from outside. She could not hear them. She had no awareness of the happenings around her. And yet with the world beginning it's new journey towards a new era of peace, golden rays of sun shone down on her, illuminating her soft features with it's gentle light.

And if you tilted your head just the right way, you could see her pink lips curve into a peaceful, amorous smile.

End of Chapter

I know it seems like Rachele didn't really do much, but she did exactly what I had planned for her. Protection. She gave their side an advantage by bringing reinforcements, that alone brought down a high percentage of Voldemort's army.

She drove Gertrude away saving Claudia once again from her evil sister. And finally, she risked her life to save Robert, even though she knew how fatal it could've been for her to be stabbed by the Shadow Blade.

Her role was small...but significant. And it gave Harry the space and strength he needed to destroy Voldemort once and for all.

The war is over. So what could possibly be left? Read to find out!

Enjoy!