if one of them is dead.

chapter twenty-five.

Lilith.

"Avada Kedavr-"

"Ebublio!"

Voldemort blocked Lilith's spell at the very last second. She was really hoping to see him in a large bubble, but that wasn't going to happen, apparently.

"Is that the only spell you know?" Lilith asked out of breath as they slowly circled each other in a large, not used, empty room in Malfoy Manor.

Voldemort scoffed, shaking his head. "Don't get distracted."

"I mean," Lilith breathed, "by the amount of times you've tried that and it hasn't worked, I'm surprised you still try it." There was a smirk on her face, and she knew it probably shouldn't be there. He could easily kill her if he wanted to, even though he really did want to. He cared more about having loyal followers rather than killing her for no reason. She was useful to him, and she knew that.

Manipulation was one of his specialties when it came to his son.

"You're getting too distracted," he snapped, starting to move his wand. "Everte Statum!"

Lilith didn't have time to block his spell before being thrown back. She groaned as she hit the ground and started getting up.

"I don't think," she huffed, rolling her shoulders before starting to circle him again, "that your son would much like you trying to kill his girlfriend."

"As I see it, he suspects you're doing something without him," Voldemort said, not missing a beat. He smiled an awful smile. "Perhaps he thinks you are cheating on him? Hm?"

Lilith scoffed. "And how would you know if he ever thought something of the sort?" she asked, tilting her head. "I know how much you like to read minds." She was breathing hard from being out of breath. "I thought that Mattheo would know how to block people out. He never let me in, but he could always get in."

"You never stop talking do you?"

"I'm afraid not. You see, when you talk, it is very affective— Petrificus Totalus!"

Voldemort blocked the spell with ease. "They really are lacking their teachings at that miserable excuse for a school, aren't they?" He laughed. Though, Lilith wasn't sure if it was an actual laugh or something else entirely.

"Worked well enough when Draco used it on Potter," Lilith breathed, pointing her wand at Voldemort.

He shrugged. "Potter isn't trained as well as you and Draco, is he?"

"Fortunately, I'm afraid you are correct," she huffed. "Fumos!" she said loudly, and smoke started forming between the two. Voldemort was hardly visible to Lilith, and she was hardly visible to him. "Reducto!"

Voldemort blocked her spell again, the smoke vanished, and he started towards her. "Actu-"

"Impedimenta!" Voldemort slowed down his movements involuntarily. He grunted, trying to go against the spell.

"Everte Statum!" he shouted again, and she was thrown backward against the wall.

Lilith started coughing. She groaned and opened her eyes, reaching for her wand in front of her.

"Fucking shit," she coughed, grabbing her wand.

"Pathetic," Voldemort spat. "You can't even conjure up a real spell. You can't even block an easy spell. You can't expect to make it in the real world if you can't—"