"Only one of us can bask in the glory when we finally rid the wizarding world of Muggleborns," Salazar said to Lucius, who was writhing in pain on the ground. "And that person can only be me. Avada Kedavra."
Scorpius was completely silent as he watched the last bit of humanity leave his grandfather's eyes. In the last millisecond before Lucius collapsed to the ground, fear and even remorse crossed his wicked features, and he no longer looked like a power-hungry murderer. But there was nothing Scorpius could do but watch the man he only knew as a Death Eater and not his grandfather fall to his death.
Salazar had nearly killed his friends. Not once, but twice. Though they were only close calls, Scorpius had never screamed so loud in his life, which was terribly ironic since no one could hear him. He'd lost all control of his own body, and now Salazar was using him as a killing vessel. A killing vessel that had just used the killing curse on his own grandfather.
It shouldn't matter to him. Lucius was a monster and deserved to die. But Scorpius knew he'd never recuperate from the guilt that he was the one who murdered him. No, it wasn't his fault, but the spell came from his wand and from his magic. How was he supposed to ever forget what he'd done?
What would his friends think of him from now on? What would his parents think?
You think too much, Salazar hissed at him. He was an entirely different person than he was throughout his and Scorpius's time together. Scorpius was still having a hard time grasping that this man had been acting as a mentor and even a friend to him for all this time. Salazar was seriously an impressive man, but in all the wrong ways.
Then, without warning, Salazar Disapparated from the courtyard. You think Apparition is rough when you're actually in control of your body? Try doing it when you're not. Scorpius felt like the walls of Salazar's twisted mind were constricting his conscious-self for a few seconds, then they expanded back to normal when they landed. They were now in the Astronomy Tower.
What are we doing here? Scorpius couldn't help but ask.
Salazar let out a deep chuckle, which sounded weird coming from Scorpius's own lips. It sounded more like he was coughing something up than laughing.
"You'll see soon enough," Salazar said, pulling out Scorpius's wand and walking over to the window. Gazing out, Scorpius noticed the once impenetrable barrier that surrounded the entire school was gone, and an army of wizards in navy uniforms were charging onto Hogwarts campus. They were Aurors! A twinge of hope filled Scorpius; maybe the whole school wasn't doomed after all.
"They arrived just in time," Salazar muttered, smiling maliciously. Then he aimed Scorpius's wand out the window towards the sky and incanted, "Protego Maxima. Fianto Duri. Repello Inimicum."
Several blasts of silvery-blue light shot out from Scorpius's wand, flying all the way past the Quidditch field until it stopped, forming a massive dome that stretched across the entire campus. Aurors watched in perplexity, some even casting spells in the air to test the barrier's strength. The spells merely bounced off the dome like it was made out of spongy material.
Salazar, what are you doing? Scorpius questioned nervously, already dreading the answer.
"You ask far too many questions," Salazar replied, watching the people outside the window scatter around the courtyard in a panic. "But if you insist on knowing my plan..."
Suddenly, his plan was exposed to Scorpius, who reviewed each and every intricate and cleverly-plotted detail. It was insane. It was dastardly.
And knowing what Salazar Slytherin was capable of, it was most likely unstoppable.
* * *
"Students! Get to your common rooms! It is not safe here!" Rose heard Professor McGonagall shout hoarsely.
The first floor was in chaos. Students were running in every direction, some either too scared to move or some desperately searching for their friends and family members. Aurors had finally arrived and were trying to clear the corridors and Great Hall entryway. Rose and Natalia pushed their way through the crowd, their eyes cautiously darting around them. One thing was on their minds.
A hungry basilisk was heading their way.
"Stop standing around! GET TO YOUR COMMON ROOM!" Natalia yelled impatiently at some young Slytherin students who were lingering in the corridor. They nodded their heads excessively and scurried away.
"How much time do you think we have?" Rose asked her, referring to the basilisk.
"Not much," Natalia huffed, glancing around warily. "It's coming, though."
Rose took her word for it, continuing to weave through the crowd. Luckily, the crowd thinned out as they reached the Great Hall entrance, where Professor McGonagall was standing with...
"Mum! Dad!" Rose shouted, gaining her parent's attention. When their eyes landed on her, their faces softened with relief and they rushed over to her, pulling her into a hug.
"Rose, I'm so glad you're alright!" her mother cried, placing kisses on both her cheeks. Then she paused and looked Rose straight in the eye. "Where is your brother?"
"Don't worry, he's in the Gryffindor common room with Lily," Rose told her, making her mother let out a relieved sigh. "Wait, what are you guys doing here?"
"Hogwarts is under attack, Rosie," her father replied. "The Aurors were called to come help. Your mother and I were just about to head to the courtyard to help Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny clear the area."
Rose's eyes widened. "Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny are here too?" Was her entire family here? The thought made her sick to her stomach. If anyone died...
"Rose, Hogwarts has been invaded by Death Eaters. I know this has to do with the..." Her mother let out a sigh, "prophecy, but you and your friends can't possibly do this on your own. Hogwarts was our home too, once, and we're willing to do whatever it takes to protect it."
Her mother was right. Heck, Rose's mother was always right; she was the legendary Hermione Granger, the brightest witch of her age. Rose knew how much Hogwarts meant to her mother and father, and also her entire family. If they were willing to defend their former school, then so be it. Hogwarts needed all the help it can get.
"You're right, Mum..." Rose admitted, but was then startled when Natalia grabbed her arm.
"Rose, we have to get in the Great Hall right now," she told her, her eyes wide with fear.
"Miss Zabini, what seems to be the problem?" Professor McGonagall asked her.
"A basilisk, professor," Natalia replied without hesitation. McGonagall's and Rose's parent's eyes simultaneously widened at her.
"A what?" Rose's father choked out. "Rosie, you are not going to-"
"I have to, Dad," Rose told him firmly. "Natalia and I can handle it. Albus and Holly are taking care of Lucius Malfoy."
"Oh, Merlin." Rose's mother held her hand over her chest. "What about Scorpius?"
Rose felt a lump forming in her throat and swallowed with difficulty. "He's...technically not able to help us right now..."
Her mother's eyebrows wrinkled with confusion and was about to ask to further elaborate, but the sounds of glass shattering and screams came from inside the Great Hall. Rose knew she and Natalia had to investigate.
"We have to go," Rose told her parents promptly, kissing their cheeks and running with Natalia towards the danger beyond the Great Hall doors.
"Rosie!" she heard her father shout behind her.
"Go help Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny!" Rose shouted back over her shoulder, earning concerned looks from her parents. "Please. I can handle this."
Professor McGonagall gently grabbed one of Rose's parent's arms, pulling them along with her in the direction of the courtyard. Rose exchanged one last look with her parents before they disappeared with McGonagall down the corridor.
She and Natalia threw open the heavy doors of the Great Hall and immediately stopped in their tracks to take in the scene. Rose's body began to tremble.
Death Eaters had shattered the windows of the Great Hall and were flying around the room, shooting curses and hexes in every direction. The only students present in the room were a large group of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, most likely heading towards the exit before the Death Eaters arrived. Rose spotted Xander standing protectively in front of the group along with an older Hufflepuff boy, blocking the spells being sent in their direction. Without thinking, she broke into a sprint towards him, ignoring Natalia's shouts of protests.
"Xander!" Rose called out to her dear Ravenclaw friend. His eyes widened at the sight of her.
"Rose, what are you doing? Get out of here!" Xander told her, throwing up his arm to deflect a curse.
Rose's eyes flickered towards the young Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students cowering behind the Slytherin table. "We have to get them to safety!" She gasped when she saw a flash of red light coming in her direction. "Protego!" Rose stumbled when the curse nearly broke through her protection spell.
"How?" Xander asked. "We'd never make it!"
Another entrance to the kitchens, which led to the Hufflepuff common room, could be reached the safest if they made it out of the Great Hall. Rose knew she could get the students out, but it was going to be risky. They could easily get killed or hit with a curse or hex. But they didn't have any better chance of staying alive standing in the midst of the line of fire.
"They're going to have to make a run for it," Natalia said, out of breath from running over to join them. She was clutching her leg, which had a deep gash in it. Rose knew she didn't have time to heal it for her.
Xander pursed his lips in thought, obviously weighing their options in his calculative mind. Then he nodded and said, "That's probably our only option. If we run together as a group and protect the younger ones, they'll be less likely be killed."
His eyes lingered on Rose's, exchanging an uneasy look that read: What are the chances of this working?
A spell then crashed into the Slytherin table, splintering it in half, causing an uproar of shrieks from the young students. Rose knew they had to run now.
"Everyone get to the kitchens! Older ones, protect the younger ones!" she shouted, breaking into a sprint across the Great Hall with the students, Xander, and Natalia close behind her.
Being out in the open sent a wave of adrenaline through Rose, urging her to run faster. Death Eaters noticed the group of students sprinting and charged or flew in their direction. Rose sent one defensive spell after the other at them, not daring the look back to see if she hit anyone. The Hufflepuff boy reached the doors first, opening it and urging the students to run outside.
A green flash zipped by out of the corner of Rose's eye, and before she could deflect it, it hit a young Ravenclaw girl in the back. Her whole body stiffened and she fell to the ground, dead. Rose cried out in horror, but forced herself to keep running. She finally reached the door, where about half of the students had exited and were making their way down the corridor that led to the entrance to the kitchens.
"Ahh!" Rose heard Natalia yelp, and she fell to the ground when a stunning spell hit her. She struggled to get up but couldn't, meeting Rose's gaze with a helpless look.
"Natalia!" Rose called out, trying to run towards her but Xander caught her by the arm and held her back. "Let me go! I have to help her!"
"Avada Kedavra!" a Death Eater screeched, pointing his wand down at Natalia. Rose screamed and fought against Xander's grip when it hit the Slytherin girl she once despised. Her lifeless eyes bore into Rose's, and she swore she could see a tear slipping down Natalia's now pale cheek.
"I could have saved her!" Rose sobbed, hitting Xander's chest with her fist. Natalia's death was her fault.
"Then you would have died too!" Xander countered, appearing troubled by the idea.
Rose's grief-stricken face immediately softened. "Xander, I-"
She was interrupted by the sound of metallic groaning, coming from the center of the Great Hall. Everyone stopped what they were doing; even the Death Eaters. The room began to quake, like something was trying to burst through the floor. Rose's entire body tensed and she grabbed Xander's hand when she heard the unmistakable sound of hissing.
"Run," she ordered Xander.
"Why?" Xander's voice quivered.
Then, the center of the floor exploded, sending people, stone flooring, and pieces of the wooden tables flying everywhere. The head of the basilisk emerged through the gaping hole it created, making everyone in the Great Hall scream in terror. Whoever looked into its eyes instantly dropped dead. Death Eaters and students were falling dead everywhere. Rose had never seen so much pandemonium before in her life.
And with Natalia gone, she had absolutely no idea how to deal with the killer serpent.
* * *
Thank Merlin for Helga Hufflepuff.
Holly and Albus's feet collided hard on a stone surface, making their knees buckle. They'd just narrowly avoided Salazar's killing curse, when Helga took control of Holly's body and Apparated them away from their death. Lucius wasn't so lucky in that department. Both Holly and Albus let out the biggest sighs of relief of their lives.
"Godric's beard, that was close," Albus breathed out, leaning against the wall. Holly noticed they were in the first floor corridor, which was strangely deserted.
"Thank you, Helga," Holly whispered under her breath, smiling.
I am merely doing my job, Helga replied happily.
Albus glanced around, finally noticing where they stood. "First floor corridor. Perfect! Right where we need to be."
Holly couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not. Albus tended to naturally be a sarcastic person, whether he meant it or not. "Rose and Natalia probably need our help. Let's go."
The couple slowly made their way down the dark, empty corridor, expecting danger to pop out at any second. Where was everyone? Wasn't this corridor crowded before Holly and Albus went to the courtyard?
"Something's not right," Albus said, his wand aimed and ready.
"Maybe everyone retreated to safety already," Holly suggested. Though she agreed with Albus; she could sense trouble.
Then, Holly let out a gasp when she stumbled over something. Albus caught her arm before she could fall. They both looked down to see a battered piece of cloth laying on the floor. Holly leaned down and picked it up, turning it over in her hands before realizing what it was.
"The Sorting Hat?" Albus questioned, cautiously touching it. He probably expected it to start talking. "What is it doing laying around out here?"
Open the hat, Holly, Helga whispered.
Hesitantly, Holly obliged and her hands found the brim of the patched and frayed hat, carefully lifting it open. A shiny handle with encrusted rubies laid inside. Curiously, she reached for it and wrapped her hands around the handle, and discovered the object was very heavy and elongated. Pulling the object from the hat, a shiny blade made itself apparent, and Holly continued to pull until a beautiful sword emerged in its entirety. She nearly dropped the sword when she realized what it was.
The Sword of Gryffindor.
"Well I'll be damned," Albus said, his eyes wide in awe.
You know what to do with the sword, Holly, Helga said.
And Holly did. It became clear what she had to do with the famous sword that she now possessed.
Lucius Malfoy's cruel words from when he was about to kill her and Albus replayed in her mind. You're just as pathetic and useless as your father.
Holly grinned and lifted the sword higher, and thought to Lucius, as if he were listening, Do you think I'm pathetic and useless now?
~ ~ ~
SLAY, HOLLY, SLAY.
Wow, a lot happened in this chapter omg. I hope you guys aren't too mad at me for killing off Natalia...
So if you haven't noticed already, yesterday I posted a Once Upon A Time one-shot. If you watch the show, I'd love it so much if you'd give it a read! :) #ShamelessSelfPromotion oops
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Remember to vote, comment, and possibly share! Love you guys and thanks for reading! *infinite kissy faces*