The Unusual Slytherin

Chapter 5: Voldemort's Arrival

Mina and I were stunned. I was just about to speak when a silver Stag floated into The Three Broomsticks. "Death Eaters and Dementors are attacking Hogwarts! Voldemort is here." Harry's voice emitted from the Patronus before it dissipated.

"Oh dear, he's come faster than I thought." Dumbledore mused silently as he stood up. He was now back to his natural state. "Come now, we must go." He put out his hand and Mina and I put ours on top of his. We Disapparated from The Three Broomsticks and Apparated into Hogwarts.

"I didn't know we could Apparate into Hogwarts." Mina said.

"Before I left, I took off certain enchantments. I wanted to be able to get into Hogwarts quickly if times were dire enough." Dumbledore said quietly.

"Bloody hell...." I muttered as I looked around. "This is definitely one of those times." Hogwarts was in ruins. We were in the Great Hall. The floor had large cracks in multiple places, the staircases were severely broken, dust fell from above as small pieces of the ceiling rained down on us.

"Where is everybody?" Mina whispered. It was as if she'd summoned them, because as soon as she spoke, screams and the sound of thousands of feet erupted ahead of us. Nearly all of Hogwarts' students were running towards us and, leading the pack, was Harry and Ron.

"We tried to fight! All of us: students and teachers." Ron panted, holding up Harry. Harry's eyes were scrunched shut in pain, his hand holding his head. "But, there's too many of them. Dementors and Death Eaters, even Trolls and the spiders from the Forbidden Forest!"

"Is Hermione ok?" Mina asked.

"I don't know! We tried to get to her, but, the hall to the Hospital Wing is caved in!" Ron looked to be on the verge of tears.

Mina's hand flew to her mouth. Dumbledore grabbed us both. "We must go now, to my office. Ron, Harry— meet us there." Dumbledore Apparated to his office with Mina and I. Ron and Harry appeared seconds after.

Snape stood by the window. His robes were ripped severely and hung in tatters. He turned to us and we all, except Dumbledore, gasped in shock. On Snape's forearm, was the Dark Mark.

I pulled out my wand and pointed it at him. "You're a Death Eater! I should've known!"

Dumbledore calmly put a hand on mine and lowered it. "Yes, Astarte, he is. But, not really."

"Professor, that makes absolutely no sense at all." I said as I glared at Snape.

"Oh, but it does. See, Severus here was lost as a youth and for lack of a better judgement, he joined Voldemort. But, later he realized his monumental mistake and came to me for help. I've employed him as sort of a double agent. He works for me under the pretense of a spy for Voldemort."

This information was a shock and hardly believable. But, I trusted Dumbledore. "Ok, ok." I said.

Snape, who'd been silent since we entered, finally spoke. "Voldemort is here. In the Forbidden Forest, waiting for Potter. He has sent me here to bring Potter to him—personally."  He paused. "If I fail to do so, he will kill us all."

Dumbledore chuckled and we all looked at him with bewildered expressions. How can he laugh at a time like this? "Ah, Voldemort shouldn't think we'll give up so easily." Dumbledore said.

"But, Albus! He'll kill us all!" Snape said frantically.

Dumbledore held up a hand. "You will take Mina and Astarte to Voldemort. I will take Ron and Harry somewhere safe."

"Albus!" Snape started, but, Dumbledore interrupted.

"Go now, Severus." Dumbledore said sternly.

Mina and I looked at each other before walking over to Snape, who put a hand on each of our shoulders.

"And, Severus," Dumbledore spoke before we Disapparated.

"Yes, Albus?" Snape responded.

"Remember: Love always wins." Dumbledore smiled.

Snape nodded his head. "Always." And we Disapparated.

x x x

We were just outside the Forbidden Forest. I looked back at Hogwarts: half the castle was in ruins and multiple fires burned around and throughout the school. Black smoke billowed from every window and screams filled the night.

"Come," Snape said. "We mustn't keep him waiting."

Snape, Mina, and I made the long and tiring walk through the Forbidden Forest. After what seemed like hours, Snape stopped and turned to us. "Walk behind me, stay hidden." We followed his orders and resumed walking.

We stopped again at a clearing. The full moon bathed the clearing in bright, white light. We couldn't see much, as we were hidden behind Snape, but, we knew the cold, airy, voice of Voldemort when we heard it.

"I don't see him, Severus. Where is he, the boy?" Voldemort questioned.

"I haven't got him, Voldemort." Snape said.

"You will say My Lord when you address me!" Voldemort hissed. "And why haven't you brought him when that's what I told you to do?"

"You are no longer My Lord. You were never My Lord. I'll never answer to you again." Snape said.

Voldemort yelled in frustration and a bright flash of light lit the clearing. Snape fell to his knees.

"Professor!" Mina kneeled down by Snape, who was clutching his neck.

"You two must kill the snake." Blood trickled from Snape's mouth as he spoke. "Kill the snake..." He whispered and his eyes closed.

"No!" Mina cried.

I grabbed her arm. "Mina, he's gone, stand up." I said. Voldemort had noticed us now.

"And, who might you two be?" Voldemort asked as he slowly walked towards us. His snake, Nagini, slithered alongside him.

"Your worst nightmare." I said through clenched teeth.

Voldemort laughed. "I do wish I could spend time to torture you two, but, I must get to Harry Potter." He raised his wand at us. "Avada Kadavra!" He yelled.

Mina's hand squeezed mine tightly as I stared into Voldemort's eyes. His curse seemed to hit an invisible wall just inches in front of us. The immense light of the spell seemed to shatter into millions of pieces as it rushed back towards Voldemort.

"NO!" We heard Voldemort yell, accompanied by a loud hiss. A blinding light flashed the clearing and a great force knocked us back. After a moment, we stood up. In front of us lay Nagini. It's body flat like a deflated balloon. And, laying next to it, was Voldemort's robes.

"Where is he?" Mina asked.

Before I could respond, the robes started moving.

"There's something moving." I muttered.

A small, white, shriveled up creature crawled out from his robes. It resembled a very skinny, ugly, baby with a rather large head. It turned towards us: it had the face of Voldemort.

"What do we do?" Mina whispered.

"We kill it." I said.

"Together?" Mina asked.

"Together." I nodded and we both pointed our wands at Voldemort.

"Avada Kadavra!" We said in unison.

The green light from my wand mingled with the yellow light from Mina's wand. Our combined power hit Voldemort and obliterated what was left of him.