Devil's Snare {A Sequel to The Adventures of a Death Eater}

Chapter 14: A Duel with the Headmaster

Hey fans! I apologize for once again posting late. But I promise this story is going to be my top priority. I am fairly sure I only have 2 more chapters in here before it's over. I know, I know. Seems terrible, and even I feel like I'm rushing. But I know if I don't finish this book soon I'm going to lose all inspiration for it like I did with Family Ties. >.< So I'm trying to keep my deadline as September 1st so please, hold me to it. =) You guys rock!

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Artemis

           I felt the wind whipping through my hair as I stood outside the Great Hall’s door. This was it, the final frontier. Tonight was the night we either defeated Voldemort once and for all, or we died trying. At this point, I was unsure of which one was going to happen first. Admittedly the group of people standing behind me was a good reason I wasn’t sure what to think about the situation…

           We had Audrey, a brain and quick-witted like myself. However, with her past torturing I was doubtful she’d be so willing to go through it again; I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to go through her being tortured again either. Other than that, I knew her magical abilities were the last thing I needed to be worried about. She could hold her own, and definitely take care of whoever else was in her group.

           Then there were Draco and Pansy. I rolled my eyes at the thought. I knew Draco possessed a lot of power, especially so when he was mad, but I was unsure if he would be able to deal with his on-and-off again girlfriend while attempting the tasks we had to accomplish this night. They were almost certainly going to have to be separated if we split up.

           Sebastian was another thing entirely. He was already going to be a wreck once his father found out he was helping us. I didn’t know too much about him, so he was frankly the wild card; he could either benefit us or harm us, it was just yet to be decided.

           The Golden Trio. I still failed to see what was so golden about them. They weren’t any different than Audrey, Draco, and myself, except they argued far more. Ron was too busy being infatuated with Audrey to be useful, and Hermione was as always an insufferable know-it-all, but she at least knew her magic. Harry… words could not describe how much I wanted to hit him up side his thick skull. Chosen One or not, there was a time and place to be arrogant, and when you’re only moments from death is not the time.

           And last, but certainly not least, there was Holly. I knew for certain she was the last person, or rather elf, I had to worry about. I had seen Holly pull herself out of incredulous situations unscathed. She had battled trolls alone and came out on top… though I won’t mention she destroyed an entire building in the process. If anyone wanted to pick a fight with Holly, well… I was fairly certain she wouldn’t hesitate in shooting them.

           I stood in silence for a few moments. My nerves were seriously on the fritz. Never in my life had I been this stressed out about anything; I wasn’t even this distressed when I wrote my own will out before my somewhat death about two years back. It’s different when you know for a fact you’re going to die, or even that there’s a chance. You can prepare for it. Now, I had no clue what to expect. I didn’t know if Voldemort was already sitting on the other side of the door ready to ambush us, or even if we were going to come out on top. The only thing I knew was that I could very well be enjoying my last few hours on Earth.

           “Are we all ready?” I finally asked, drawing my wand from my pocket. I had to be ready for whatever was thrown at me. I glanced at the rest of the group from over my shoulder, watching everyone else draw their wands as well. I took their silence as a yes, so I took a deep breath before opening the door to our school.

           The group slowly stepped inside, and I noticed we had interrupted probably the most awkward talk a head master could’ve been giving. I remember before Dumbledore’s death when he had to tell the student body something, he spoke to us as friends, not as inferiors as Snape was doing so now. The students all stood in straight, single file lines facing him. Or least they had been until we walked in.

           “Well, well, what do we have here?” Snape glared at us. “I thought we had finally rid of you all months ago.”

           “Think again Snape,” I hissed, remembering how he hadn’t stood up for us when Voldemort declared war against us. “We have business to attend to, so I would suggest you stay out of our way.”

           Before he could respond to me, I led the group passed him; we were about as far as the next doorway before I felt a spell narrowly miss my ear. I took a deep breath before I turned to see who dared challenge me. Of course I shouldn’t have expected any less than that from Snape; he stood there in a defensive stance, wand aimed at me. Oh let the games begin, I thought.

           “You guys go on; I’ll catch up,” I instructed. “Let me take care of this fool.”

           I didn’t wait for them to reply before I made my way back towards Snape. He had seriously fired a spell at me. I remember once upon a time I felt a great deal of respect towards my godfather, but now… all I wanted to do was teach him a lesson. He had forgotten who I was, and that was surely the last mistake anyone should ever make.

           “So this is how you want to be, Severus?” I asked aloud, taking my stance against him. “My father tells you to watch over me and protect me, and you try to kill me? You ought to be ashamed of yourself.”

           “Your father’s opinion of me is the least of my worries, boy,” Snape retorted. “You children have been meddling in business that isn’t yours to be meddled in.”

           At the same time, he and I both cast a spell. The two entirely different hexes ricocheted off each other, cancelling out the other in the process. Frustrated, I cast another spell at him, only to have him deflect it once again. “Fight back you coward!” I screamed at him. Why did he all of a sudden stop fighting?

           Before I could get too carried away, McGonagall stepped in, but essentially she got the same results as I did. After watching my former teachers duel for only a few moments, Snape essentially turned into smoke and went out the window, shattering it in the process. I had nearly forgotten about the Death Eaters ability that allowed them to travel like that, mostly because I had never had a reason to use it myself.

           As I began to get lost in my thoughts, McGonagall approached me, a stern look on her face. “Mr. Fowl, I’m not quite sure why you and your friends are back here, but you surely cannot cause a ruckus here in a school.”

           “It’s time for war, Professor,” I answered. “We’ve figured out how we’re going to defeat Voldemort, and something we need is somewhere in the school. We don’t have much time; Voldemort could show up any minute.”

           “Very well. Do as you must. I shall take care of the students and prepare the castle for the impending battle,” she sighed. “I do hope you know what you’re doing.”

           I nodded, though deep down I wasn’t quite sure any of our group knew exactly what we were doing. I tried to shake the thought as I began my trek to the seventh floor, where I was sure to be able to find the Room of Requirement. I was just hoping the rest of the group made it there without incident.