The Last Horcrux

Fiendfyre

Dudley ducked out of the tent and along the white chalk path, moving cautiously. The courtyard was lit with the flashes of many spells, red and green and white. One of the tents had caught fire and was illuminating everything in a lurid red glow. Dudley clutched his wand. He felt the magic that Mr. Sev had put into him crackling in his bones. He felt lighter than normal, as if his blood were filled with tiny bubbles. He sniffed the air. All his senses seemed sharpened, his vision clearer. Overhead, thunder rumbled and lightning flashed. A storm was coming.

The courtyard was a mess of dueling bodies, fighting hard. Dudley paused a moment, not sure where to go.

Then he spotted Lucius Malfoy. He was dueling with Narcissa, Andromeda and Minerva. There was another bloke helping him, tall and heavyset, with a thick greying black beard. Dudley recognized him from grainy old photos he had seen of him in The Daily Prophet - Rodolphus Lestrange! They were joined by a couple of other masked Death Eaters in black robes. The three women were hard pressed, backed against the black and white stripes of one of the tents. The hood of one of the robed figures fell back and Dudley saw the thuggish face of Gregory Goyle, Draco's old mate from school.

Dudley ran across the courtyard to join the battle. Narcissa looked up and gave him a look of pure gratitude.

"Is Draco alright?" she gasped.

Dudley dodged a green killing curse and nodded.

"Thank you," Narcissa whispered. "I'm glad he has you." And she went back to dueling.

There wasn't time to talk. Dudley put his wand to good use, casting a steady stream of stunners beside Narissa. This was something he was good at, something he understood. The foreign magic that Mr. Sev had put into him made him feel lithe and super aware, as if he could sense the curses that were coming at him before they hit him, giving him time to duck. Professor McGonagall was on the other side of him, her glasses askew. Her grey hair had come out of its usual tidy bun and was whipping wildly around her face. Dudley felt the power coming off of her. Andromeda, bleeding heavily from a gash in her forehead, stunned one of the Death Eaters, a huge fellow. He fell to the ground with a heavy thud. She wiped the blood out of her eyes and grinned. Dudley was reminded of her daughter Tonks, with a sudden pulling at his heart, and then she went back to fighting.

It seemed as if they were winning, pushing the others back toward the cauldron, where the inert form of Bellatrix Lestrange lay stunned. Next to her was the rat man, chained and whimpering. Across the courtyard another multi-person duel was taking place. Amanda and her friends from school, with Mr. Moony, Harry, Ginny and Blaise were fighting a horde of Death Eaters who were after that blasted glass vial that seemed to be the crux of everything. Somewhere behind him, he knew Mr. Sev was watching the battle, keeping Draco, Oakley and Delphi safe. Dudley felt the occasional warmth of one of Mr. Sev's protection charms, coming from the direction of the tent, enfolding him as he battled on.

And then, beside him, Narcissa let out a soft sound, a tiny gasp. Dudley watched in horror as the green killing curse hit her. He caught her as she started to fall. She was limp, lifeless. A deadweight in his arms. No, not Narcissa! It couldn't be!

But it was.

Dudley laid her on the ground, his throat tight, ignoring the battle raging around him. Her beautiful grey eyes, so like Draco's, stared lifeless at the dark sky. She was dead.

"Avada Kedavra!" The spell was cast in a voice heavy with grief and fury. It came tearing out of the tent where Draco had lain in hiding, shooting straight for the satisfied face of Lucius Malfoy, who stood looking down at his wife whom he had just killed. It missed him by inches.