Lendoren

Disclaimer : the characters belong to Jo Rowling, the story to kelokelo, the translation to septentrion

I haven’t heard from my beta for a while. I don’t know if it’s an email problem, or maybe her real life needs her attention. I'm very sorry that it has caused you to wait that long for an update. Since you’ve been waiting for three weeks, I thought I’d publish this chapter without it being beta’ed to give you something to read. Feel free to point me any mistakes you might notice.If anyone wants to beta the final chapters—the story is 46 chapters—please contact me at septentrion at laposte dot net. The next chapter will probably be up in two weeks at most.


Chapter 36. The Final Face to Face, First Part.

Hermione, Harry, Ron and Ginny were going up slowly. Hermione had kept the Invisibility cloak around her so that nobody would see her. They came across a few Death Eaters, but Harry, Ron and Ginny were overwhelmed by rage, and they managed to defeat them rather easily. They were making their way through the castle to reach the Great Hall, right on the Death Eaters’ heels.

In the middle of the Great Hall, Severus turned around to face the Dictator. He felt anxious and terribly alone. However, he put on an ironic smile: midnight had just struck. Hermione now had received all her powers, and the “being” in front of him knew it too. Dumbledore, the professors, the Community and the Order took place behind him. Voldemort was behind the Dictator, with the Death Eaters. They were all very tense, and one could have heard a pin drop. Nobody dared to attack. Severus because he was alone, and the Dictator because he didn’t know where his most powerful opponent was, and because he was wary of Severus’ cunning. After all, the man had been Voldemort’s best Death Eater.

A sarcastic voice in the vicinity of the Great Hall doors made the most nervous of them jump.

“It seems you’re waiting for us.”

Harry was taunting them. He was standing at the entrance of the Great Hall, flanked by Ron and Ginny, the fists on his hips, but with his wand firmly in his grip. He and Ginny looked like they were in good form. The Death Eaters, who had seen them unconscious or prostrated, were gobsmacked. Ron was concentrated, and Ginny had a face as mocking as Harry’s. But there was no sign of Hermione.

Severus thought he’d felt something brushed him, but he was concentrated and his eyes never left the Dictator. But where was Hermione, for Heaven’s sake? What was she waiting for?

“I’m in front of you,” she whispered without using magic, “under Harry’s Invisibility cloak. I’m going link us as quietly as possible. I don’t want him to notice. Make him believe that he’d won by arguing with Harry.”

An Invisibility cloak? Potter owned an Invisibility cloak? But who was the imbecile who had provided him with it? Severus was so furious with this discovery, even though the cloak was very useful right now, that he responded at once.

“Potter, what have you thought? And what did you do with my dear companion?”

He sounded perfectly insulting, and the Lendoren showed stupefaction. On the contrary, smiles appeared on Voldemort’s and the Death Eaters’ faces. Even the Dictator made a noise, which could be construed as a snort.

Harry exulted inwardly. Nobody, except for his Potions Professor, Ron and Ginny, knew exactly where Hermione was. Yet, she must have been just between Severus and the Dictator. Severus was a really good actor: he really looked furious. Well, for once, he would be able to hold out on his teacher without risking a detention!

“Your dear companion? Seeing how you treat her, I think you’ll be very pleased to know that she’s reconciled—physically—with Ron. Ah, true, you only know his family name, Weasley.”

“What?” Severus yelled. He was clearly getting into the deception. “And where is she, so that I can teach her her companion duties?”

“She needs a bit of time to recover. Ron was, it seemed, very enthusiastic.”

“I didn’t know how enthusiastic he could get, come to think of it,” Ginny added, smirking.

Ron had eyes like frying pans, he was gaping, and he was looking from his teacher to Harry and Ginny.

“But … I thought it was a secret.”

For the first time since he’d come to Hogwarts, Ron had understood what was happening. Was it out of anxiety? No, terror was more the word for what he was feeling. Anyway, they wanted to let everyone believe he’d made love with Hermione in such a moment? Well, so be it.

“Secret, Weasley? How long did you think you could hide your … relationship with my dear companion?” He’d grimaced with disgust at the end of his sentence.

The Death Eaters had begun to openly laugh at the scene that was unfolding in front of them. It seemed victory would come easily to them. On the contrary, the professors sported worried faces. They doubted the couple would be so divided, but who knew what happened between a man and a woman? The Order members were on the verge of panic: the only real defence they were promised was crumbling in front of them, even before the fight. The Lendoren were more nervous than worried. They suspected that the quarrel was only a stratagem, but they wouldn’t start to fight as long as they wouldn’t see Hermione by Severus’ side.

“As long as Hermione managed to hide her disgust for you! You didn’t think she would change her opinion of you so easily, after everything we’ve suffered from you?” Ron said.

While they were sparring, Severus felt Hermione linking them, and he nearly gave himself away when he felt how powerful she was. He already found her impressive before, but now … He could also feel a terrible thirst for justice for what Harry and Ginny had suffered … in the Chamber of Secrets? That was where they had been?

The Dictator started to speak again. “The game is over now. The Lendoren are finished, Snape, and you’ll be the first victim.”

A green light shot up from his hand toward Severus, only to rebound toward a Death Eater behind him.

“What is …,” he started, while sending several jets of green light in Severus’ direction. Yet, all of them turned back at the same point in front of Severus and finished their courses into Death Eaters.

The Death Eaters’ laugh had gradually fallen silent. The professors and the Order members were astonished. The Lendoren relaxed. They couldn’t see her, but they knew Hermione was there. Severus took a mocking face and said in an insulting tone, “You seem to be too old to cast your curses as they should be, Sheetaz.”

The Dictator’s eyes blazed at the mention of his name.

“How dare you pronounce my name?”

“I’ve been taught it is considerate to call the senile old people by their name.”

A faint growl came out of the Dictator’s throat, if he ever had one.

“Where is she?” he yelled, while his eyes swept the Hall. “Where is this slut who has cheated on you and who still dares to protect you?”

“Mmm, I think I know,” Harry said while coming closer to his professor. “But I don’t know if your old heart could bear it.”

“Potter, you’re not going to die at that miserable Riddle’s hand, but at mine.”

He was holding out his hand to cast a curse on Harry when a calm and determined voice came out of nothing.

“No. You’re going to face me, Sheetaz.”

A breeze passed in front of Severus, taking the Invisibility cloak away right to Ginny who donned it before anyone could react.

The Dictator stepped back. As soon as the cloak was blown away, Severus had moved closer to Hermione and snaked his arms around her waist. That was the way they were the most powerful. Severus felt her releasing her power to create a shield. The Dictator stepped back once more, and the Death Eaters did likewise. To see their master’s master to step back … They were terrified. Who could confront him?

Hermione wasn’t trembling. The horrible face she could see beneath the hood didn’t frighten her. She was supported by a solid body behind her; she was ready for the fight of her life. It would be unique in her life, whatever its ending.

The fight began, but it wasn’t visible for the other ones who were in the Great Hall. Waves of horror tried to weaken them, but they answered with waves of pure love. Sometimes, they grimaced in unison, their eyes widened, but the next second, their features were serene again, and the Dictator’s eyes weren’t as red. He discovered to his utter amazement that he would have to face a perfectly united Lendoren couple. Contrary to what he’d been led to believe, his enemies were at their most powerful. He’d been duped, though he was supposed to be a master in trickery.

She was directing their magic like a virtuoso. He was the perfect support for her. They united the Gryffindor bravery with the Slytherin cunning to hit the Dictator with disturbing and unexpected pictures. They didn’t reveal their real potential, they were just disclosing by little bits their moments of happiness together, as an answer to the horrible things the Dictator was sending to them. Severus managed to reach a further stage and started to mock the Dictator non-verbally. Hermione knew he mastered that art perfectly, so he was the one to provoke the evil creature.

“So, Sheetaz, are you still convinced that Hermione cheated on me? Who did she trick? Aren’t you the one who couldn’t see her in the Chamber of Secrets, while she was only a few feet away from you? How low you’ve fallen not to feel her contacting me. And what about your hundreds years of experience, which has been deceived by four teenagers?”

Answer to reviews:

firewall: thank youfor your constant support. They all paly a dangerous game here, with possible terrible consequences. Ron and Hermione Apparated in the Potions storeroom to take the vials of potion for Harry and Ginny.

FLBanshee: I believe the original author enjoyed putting her readers through the suspense indeed. I fear you'll have to go through a bit more suspense in this chapter.

catysmom: I'm sorry that I couldn't update sooner. I hope you'll stick with this story.

sheedy: here is more!

loveeyourhatee: here are more hysterics ;) thanks for reviewing.

snapescat: I'm sorry to be so late in updating. I'll try to be more constant, but I really don't like to publish something unbeta'ed.

Anon: here is more. I hope you like it.