An Heir

Part Thirty Five- Fought in Desperation

The wand that had been in Harry’s had leapt across the dimly lit room, towards the newly appeared dark figure. A crooked smile flashed upon his thin lips that peeked from behind the slimy curtains of hair surrounding his face.

“I warned Dumbledore that you weren’t to be trusted Lupin and look, here’s the proof. And I'm sure the Dementors have been missing you Sirius, why I do think they may even give you a little kiss.” Sirius shuddered.

“Severus, don’t be foolish, if you will just listen. Sirius is innocent.” Lupin pleaded the greasy man but he turned from Sirius who was looking ragged and vengeful and pointed his wand at Lupin. “Be quiet Werewolf.” And with a small flick of his wand, ropes shot from the tip and roughly bound Lupin who fell to the ground, struggling against his bonds.

“Stop it!” I shouted, rage filling me up like a balloon until I felt as if I was about to explode, Snape whipped around and dug his wand into my neck painfully. “I’d be silent if I were you Miss Hydrus, I’m sure that the Ministry would not look so kindly on you, being who you are and given that you were conspiring with a known criminal to kill a fellow pupil.” He glowered at me and I returned the look twice as coldly, with far more malevolence than I even thought that I could muster.

The filth that I’d called a teacher for a year turned to Harry and sneered. “After you.” He gestured with his chin at the door and with his wand now fixed on Sirius, and Lupin floating in the air still fighting the ropes that held him, I dropped behind Hermione who had both her and Ron’s wands in her back pocket. I picked it carefully without her noticing and managing to hide my intentions as I grasped it firmly in my hand and pushed past her as Snape was about to do to Sirius as he had to Professor Lupin. I directed my wand at Snape and thought, with much hatred. “Stupefy!”

I caught him so off guard that he didn’t even realise that I’d just stunned- and consequentially catapulted him out of the room, through the banister, out into the main body of the house and eventually falling down into the living room in a heap of wooden boards and dust. I flicked my wand at Lupin and he was gently lowered to the ground, the ropes falling slack and disappearing with a satisfying puff.

“Thank you Imogene.” He muttered as I helped him to his feet, though his attention was concentrated on the doorway that Snape had just shot through.

“You attacked a teacher!!” Hermione cried and I turned to look coolly at her.

“He deserved it.” I murmured cruelly.

“Why? And what did he mean by, ‘who you are’?” She asked and I sighed.

“He was referring to my lineage, and what being Salazar Slytherin’s multiple great-granddaughter incurs.” I had been watching Harry through the corner of my eye and I was surprised to find him looking slightly relieved. Ron and Hermione on the other hand looked positively shocked.

“You’re-”

“Yes Ron.” I interrupted.

“Imogene.” Lupin began, making me turn. “Perhaps you’d best go check to see if Professor Snape is alive after that fall.”

“Wouldn’t be much of a loss if he wasn’t though.” Sirius grunted begrudgingly and I smirked at him.

“Okay.” I limped out of the room and noted that the golden light streaming through the windows wasn’t quite enough to illuminate my way anymore.

Professor Snape lay sprawled out underneath a section of the banister and on top of another, the fragile and rotting wood had given away under the force of the spell that I’d used to unintentionally catapult him backwards. I smiled wickedly and took the wand that had fallen out of his hand on impact with the ground, cautious as I stepped over some of the splintered wood all around me.