Chapter 45: True Family

"We're winning, guys!" Claire said once she saw what was happening on the battlefield. "Keep up the good work!"

"Stupefy!" Peregrine called.

In a flash, everyone was stunned by the blinding light from Peregrine's wand. As it died down, Claire looked behind and saw Peregrine running on the bridge toward Hogwarts.

"Go after him," Ben insisted. "I'll lead the charge here."

Claire hesitated. "But — "

"Don't argue with me! Rowan died for me, so I will continue fighting for her."

Realizing Ben wasn't going to back down, Claire nodded in understanding. "Thank you."

As Claire pursued her father across the bridge, she saw him stop less than a few meters from Hogwarts' main gates. Once she got close enough, Claire saw Verucca and Merula standing in his way.

"Verucca, you are no longer part of my plans because of your incompetence!" Peregrine snapped. "So why are you here?"

"To get rid of you," Verucca said calmly and then glared at Claire. "And I'll deal with you after I'm through with your father."

"You can't fight her alone, Dad," Claire said to Peregrine. "Please, get rid of the amulet. That's what Verucca really wants. If you get rid of it, you can be free of your curse and we can avenge Jacob together."

"Quiet, you!" Verucca clamped her hands tightly. "You're trying my patience!"

"And so are you!" Peregrine responded. "Now step aside!"

"No!" Verucca's harsh tone sent a chill through everyone's spine, including Peregrine's. "I don't take orders from you anymore. You jeopardized our primary mission, Peregrine, and let your love for those children of yours mess things up! So I'll be leading 'R' from now on, and my first order of business is to see you dead!"

Peregrine chuckled upon hearing this. "You'll never be half the leader I am!"

As Peregrine raised his wand, Verucca took hers out quicker and used Expelliarmus to send Peregrine's wand flying off the bridge. While Merula watched this, she tried to move but couldn't due to the power of the Unbreakable Vow. Claire gritted her teeth and stood in front of Peregrine with her wand raised.

"Claire, what are you doing?" Peregrine said nervously. "You'll hurt yourself."

"I don't care," Claire responded. "As long as I'm here, you won't harm my dad, Verucca."

"You think you have a chance against me?" Verucca let out a low menacing laugh. "I'll show you how a real Snyde deals with pests like you."

As Claire traded spells with Verucca, she noticed Merula was reluctantly healing her aunt using Episkey. This forced Claire to cast spells faster than Merula could heal Verucca. But while Claire's throat was dry and her arms ached, she managed to disarm Verucca using Expelliarmus followed by Flipendo which knocked Veruca down.

"What are you standing there for, idiot girl?" Verucca said to Merula. "Protect me! You took a vow, remember?"

Merula looked between Verucca and Claire.

"Fight your own battles, Auntie," Merula said as she walked away from Verucca. "You're not worth protecting."

Claire was surprised by this, expecting Merula to drop dead any second. Yet as Merula stood beside Claire, nothing happened.

"My Unbreakable Vow was to be loyal to my true family," Merula explained. "Up until now, I thought my aunt was it. But you've taught me that family is not decided by blood, Claire. It's whoever cares for you and supports you no matter what. So you are my true family, and the Circle of Khanna. That's why I didn't die."

"Ungrateful brat!" Verucca snapped. "Accio wand!"

From nearby, Verucca's wand flew back into her hand.

"You're all going to pay for what you've done to me!" Verucca raised her wand.

From her wand came a fiery blast that set the bridge on fire. Luckily, Merula pulled Claire back to one side of the flames while Peregrine stood on the other. Yet as Verucca got up, she manipulated the fire to attack Peregrine like a snake forcing him to stand on the railing of the bridge. He looked back at Claire for one moment before jumping off into the chasm below.

"DAD!" Claire tried to head towards him, but she was held back by Merula.

"We need to get out of here!" Merula insisted.

As the morning sun began to pierce through the thick fog, Merula dragged Claire back across the bridge towards the cliff where the Circle of Khanna had been fighting the other members of 'R'. Yet when Claire and Merula got there, all the 'R' members were tied up and had wands pointed at them by several Aurors led by none other than Mad-Eye Moody with Ben standing next to him. Though when Ben saw Merula and Claire, he immediately ran over to them.

"Claire!" Ben said breathlessly. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you're okay. And Merula, you're…here for once."

"Don't get too excited, Copper," Merula responded in her typical sarcastic voice.

"She saved my life again, by defying her aunt," Claire said.

"What?" Ben exclaimed. "But wouldn't that have broken Merula's Unbreakable Vow? How is she still alive?"

"It's not that big of a big deal," Merula said casually. "All I did was decide Verucca wasn't my 'true' family."

"And what is your true family now?" Ben asked.

Merula scratched the back of her neck in embarrassment. "Does it matter?"

"Not really, but good on you for doing the right thing."

"Um, thanks," Merula said sheepishly.

"So when did Moody and the Aurors get here? And where's the rest of the Circle of Khanna?" Claire asked Ben.

"Oh, that's easy to explain," Ben responded, shaking off Merula's surprising gratitude. "But what happened on the bridge?"

Remembering what just happened, Claire unleashed the tears she had been holding back. "My father, he…fell off the bridge."

"Verucca used Fiendfyre on him," Merula added. "There was nothing I could do to stop her."

"Fiendfyre?" Ben exclaimed. "That's a nasty Dark spell that produces living flames which attack like serpents and dragons, right?"

"Exactly."

To be continued…