The Kill Shot

A/N: Here we go again! Lucius and Hermione are back, trying to find each other in spite of themselves. This is kinda canon, kinda not. I have a need for Snape, so I don’t have him involved in any of the stuff he was involved in during the course of the last two books. I’ve also kept him alive, because I like having him around; he’s fun to play with. I like Dobby and I need him, so I have resurrected him, as well. The rest of it… I try to keep the background of the characters fairly true to form, but figure that I am free to do with them as I wish (to a certain extent – you’ll never see Snape in pink bunny slippers, fr’instance. Well, unless some brave soul sneaks them on him while he’s sleeping… Hmmm… *brain starts churning*). Anyway, it’s all in fun. As always, feedback is appreciated.


Prologue

Hermione advanced through the undergrowth, no more than two yards off Harry’s right flank. Although she couldn’t see him in the dark and the tangles of vegetation, she knew that Ron was on Harry’s left flank. Backed by members of the Order and squads of hastily trained wizards, they advanced toward the Varian Glen. Both sides knew that the final battle would have to entail a direct fight between Harry and Voldemort – or, as Harry was hoping for, a lightning strike from him before Voldemort knew what hit him. As forces massed, the strategists identified the Varian Glen as the optimal site for the final showdown. Neither side had made a formal declaration of the location, but it was centrally located and thus universally accepted as the site for the Final Battle. Hermione could see flashes of red, silver, and green lights as the forward troops engaged each other, jinxes, hexes and Unforgiveable curses flying.

The moon was bright in the night sky, and she could see the trees thinning out as they reached the outer edges of the Glen. Hermione grasped her wand firmly and glanced over at Harry. She and Ron would be protecting Harry and providing him with intelligence while he sought out and, with luck, destroyed Voldemort. Catching Harry’s eye, she gave a quick nod and moved into the edge of the glen.

The wind rustled the trees, drowning out the muted voices of wizards and witches on both sides of the battle. Hermione focused on picking out Death Eaters; much like Harry was protected by his closest and most trusted friends, it was extremely likely that Voldemort would be protected by a squadron of Death Eaters. There had been much debate as to who would comprise the Death Eater guard. There was little doubt that Bellatrix Lestrange would be among the Dark Lord’s personal guard, but the Order had spent much more debate about whether a Malfoy – any Malfoy – would be considered worthy enough to be that close to Voldemort, given the family’s recent history of failures in carrying out the Dark Lord’s wishes. The general consensus among the Order was that none of the Malfoys would be in close proximity to Voldemort. Hermione, however, was quite certain that Bellatrix would be too obvious a choice, and that Lucius Malfoy would be present and would ultimately be the indicator of Voldemort’s immediate presence.

“Like he’s going to trust any of those Malfoys with his life,” Ron glowered at Hermione in one of their late-night, pre-battle conversations. “What’s left of it,” he had added hastily. “Lucius lost any authority he had when he botched the job at the Ministry, and Draco – well, Draco proved that he couldn’t follow through with anything. So there’s no way he’s going to let either of them within a hundred yards of him. No way.”

Ron spoke with a certainty that allowed for no discussion, and Hermione spoke, looking pointedly at Ron. “You’re wrong. Mostly. I mean, I don’t think Draco was ever part of Voldemort’s inner circle, but Lucius is different. Voldemort got him out of Azkaban for a reason, and I don’t think it was just to use him as an example of a bad Death Eater. Lucius is renowned for his skills with a wand, and not just curses and hexes, but all sorts of useful battlefield spells and charms. Even if Azkaban sapped him a bit, he’s still a powerful wizard. I can’t see Voldemort not taking advantage of that. Not for something this crucial.”

Ron scowled. “Fine. You can look for a blond-haired git. Just keep an eye on Harry, and I’ll look for Voldemort.”

Hermione pursed her lips and said nothing. Ron was wrong. She knew it. Ultimately, Ron was still convinced that the Final Battle, as everyone was silently, and hopefully, calling it, was no place for Hermione. He felt that she would best serve the Order by working with the medi-witches to reverse curses and hexes. When she raised the issue with Molly Weasley, Hermione discovered that Ron was not the only member of the Order who felt this way. It was only Harry’s insistence that found Hermione in the bushes on the edge of the Varian Glen, scanning the darkness for a Death Eater with blond hair.

Several squads of wizards and witches moved from behind them and rushed into the center of the glen, firing curses and warding off others as they drew the attention of the followers of the Dark Lord. The result was instant chaos as spells and curses were cast from all directions. Anticipating this utter confusion, Hermione, Harry, and Ron were able to scan the glen for any group that wasn’t immediately reacting. Ron spotted a small group on the far side of the clearing, and motioned to Harry and Hermione. They moved quickly through the turmoil, employing strong shield charms that protected them from cross-fire.

As they got closer to the small group, Ron began motioning that it was a false alarm; he didn’t see Bellatrix anywhere and was motioning for them to keep moving. Harry, however, had paused, his index finger briefly rubbing the scar on his forehead. Hermione took the time to look more closely at the group. The moonlight caught strands of long blond hair cascading out from behind a Death Eater’s mask. Hermione motioned to Harry and they surreptitiously moved toward the small group, its members standing in a loose formation.

“He’s here. I’m positive,” Hermione whispered to Harry, who was rubbing his scar again and nodding in agreement. Harry motioned to Ron, while Hermione moved to Harry’s side and began scrutinizing the figures closest to the blond Death Eater. Within seconds she motioned and whispered loudly, “Harry! Third from the right.” She pointed to a slighter figure in a hooded cloak and not visibly wearing a mask. It had to be Voldemort. Harry scanned the group for a few more moments, not wanting to give away his own position with a poorly-chosen shot. Hermione knew this was how they had practiced for this potential situation, but she wanted him to hurry, and for this to all be done with.

The dark-haired witch was about to urge Harry to do something when he raised his wand. But as he paused for a split-second to summon the determination to cast the Killing Curse, Hermione saw a bright green flash coming from the wand of the blond-haired Death Eater. Hermione gasped silently as she saw the hooded figure receive the full blast of the curse. Fractions of a second later, Harry’s own Avada Kedavra hit the already crumpling figure.

Hermione stood frozen. Had Lucius Malfoy killed Voldemort? Why would Lucius Malfoy, of all people, have used the Killing Curse on Voldemort? Her brain raced around the fact that someone, possibly Lucius Malfoy – no, she was certain that that was Lucius – had fired the first shot at Voldemort. Harry had fired second. Hermione was about to say something when she was engulfed in green light. Then the world went black.

A/N part deux: I don’t have enough words to thank the Most Excellent Mamacita-san for beta-ing this. She is extremely patient, good-humored, and amazingly willing to put up with my horrible grammar, and extraneous use of words and punctuation. Any mistakes that you see are my fault, not hers. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mamacita-san!!! (*grin*)