When All is Lost One is Found

Chapter 116: Death Knoll

When All is Lost, One is Found

Author: Rinoaebastel

Chapter 116: Death Knoll

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and gain no profit from this fanfiction other than writing practice. JK Rowling owns Harry Potter.

AN: This story may contain scenes taken from the Harry Potter movies and books, but it's not exact dialogue, just rewording of dialogue or omission. It is not marked.

He easily sailed over the battle below him, taking in the massacre. Everything was so chaotic he couldn't tell which side was winning. His wings stopped flapping when he saw a man he recognized in the distance fighting a Death Eater.

Dolohov.

With a violent movement, he landed near the fighting men. Lupin was on his knees and his wand was about to fall from his hands. His head was bleeding and his clothing torn. But he was doing this as revenge for Hermione, not to save the mutt.

Lupin looked at him wide-eyed as he cast an incantation that paralyzed Dolohov. The Death Eater never saw him.

Lupin attacked, Dolohov fell to the ground, and satisfaction struck him. He would be hurting no one else.

After recovering for a few seconds, Lupin rushed back into battle. He continued to stick to the shadows, in search of the serpent. He could easily avoid the battles, but the spells shooting through the air, the ones that missed their targets, were dangerous.

When he reached the Death Eater forces, they let him through without protest. Since they didn't strike at him, it meant the Dark Lord didn't know about his betrayal and how he aided in destroying a piece of his soul.

"Severus!"

His steps halted when he heard his name. When the blond man stopped in front of him, the first thing he noticed was the panic on his face. This man was the one who loved his pureblood superiority, but he was acting as if he'd never fought or tortured anyone in his life.

"Lucius. What do you want?"

"The Da—dark Lord wants to talk to you. He's waiting at the shrieking shack. H-he...B-be careful, Severus."

The warning sent hope for Draco and his old friend through him. "I appreciate your concern, Lucius." He placed a hand on Lucius' shoulder. "Get out of here. Take your family and protect them." The man shivered and lowered his head.

He was proud that he'd done such a good job in even fooling the people he'd once considered close friends.

"He—he'll kill us," Lucius' voice was only a whisper, but he was able to hear it amongst the sounds of battle.

He licked his lips, trying to ease the dryness he felt on them. He remembered the kind things Lucius had done for him. It was likely he would die that day regardless of what he said to his old friend, and Lucius didn't seem as if he wanted to tell the Dark Lord anything anyway.

"He'll die today, Lucius. So get your loved ones away from here." He rushed away from the man and toward the Dark Lord's location.

He would try to kill the serpent at the first opportunity, and then tell Potter what he needed to know. He wished he'd had time to find something. A spell or potion that could've changed the path of death that the boy walked since his birth.