The Savior and the Scourge

Chapter 19

Spike stumbled back from Voldemort, hands clutching the chair leg sticking out of his stomach. He tugged on the wood but it barely moved, it was wedged between the ribs near his spine... and directly beneath his heart.

Red light filled the room and, looking up from his wound, the vampire saw his mate was awake – awake and surrounded by a blood red glow. He really didn't need the tingle at the back of head– his 'oh-shit-o-meter' – to tell him something nasty was about to happen, Harry's face sort of said it all.

Everyone else in the room stopped fighting and backed up against the edges of the room; so afraid of the diminutive teen that they paid no mind to the enemies standing near them, equally immobile.

Voldemort turned his back on Spike to face Harry but the blonde found himself unable to take advantage of that fact, too entranced by the graceful destruction embodied in his mate.

Killing curse green light leaked from the edges of Harry's eyes, the color bright even behind the red glow and the Gryffindor's sneering mouth exposed delicate fangs sliding into place over his eyeteeth.

The red shield around Harry engulfed the Dark Lord just as Spike felt several of their vampiric allies run down the stairs and were also struck motionless by the ensuing tableau.

Harry snarled – that monstrous, lion-like sound that all vampires could make in times of stress – and Voldemort...

... shattered.

A deafening sound rocked the room... as if the world had broken... and the Dark Lord shattered into pieces so small that there was no evidence he had ever been.

The red glow around Harry faded and after a moment his eyes returned to normal.

"William," the teen whispered before his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed.

Spike leapt forward – or tried to, rather – but Angel got to Harry first, just in time to protect both Gryffindor and unborn child from the impact.

The blonde nodded his thanks to the older man.

An Asian looking vampire jogged down the stone steps, "Master Spike."

Grimacing and still plucking at the stake Spike turned, "Yes, Childe."

The vampire seemed shocked at the title for a second before blanking his face and Spike held back his own tired smirk. The exotic vampire was the favored Childe of the Head of the Chalcean Order and by referring to him as Spike would his own Childe was making a proclamation of loyalty and protection. It was an honor to the Chalcean Order and something that would go a long way toward cementing his ties among the other Masters. Of course he would now have to make sure the vamp didn't get dusted under the blonde's watch.

"We have found captives above and have nearly all of the Death Eaters in custody."

Spike glanced over at the few Dark Wizards in the round chamber now being herded up the stairs, and then over to his pale mate cradled in his Sire's arms.

"Take the captives outside and turn them over to the Aurors," Spike growled the last word, disgusted that the Wizarding police force had been all too happy to have the vampires be the ones to take the castle. "After that, kill the Death Eaters."

The oriental vamp merely nodded and jogged back up the stairs, ignoring the spluttering Amelia Bones.

"You can't do that," she screeched.

Spike paid no attention to the woman and asked Dumbledore to summon the Medi-team waiting on the grounds above them before moving closer to his mate and running his fingers through chestnut locks. The feeling of relief that poured through him was so profound that he nearly collapsed against his Sire.