Chapter 316 - Not True

"Malgino asked me to repair the Vanishing Cabinet in the Room of Requirement, so his people can come and take the keys from you," Jason said desperately. "He said it is the only way to save you. Those are not good for you Chris. They will destroy you. That's too much power. Just give it to them, Chris. It will be fine. They won't bother you after that."

Chris just stared at him. Confusion, anger, disgust filled her. 

This is not real. He can't be serious. This can't be real.

"Malgino can be very persuading," said Dumbledore nodding. "But Jason, I am surprised that a smart boy like you will don't think about the consequences of your actions. Haven't you thought what will happen after they take the keys and kill me?"

"Kill you? You can't be killed. You are Dumbledore," Jason said and flushed realizing how childish he sounded.

Dumbledore smiled.

"Yes, I am but I'm old and weak," Dumbledore held up his hand. "And unarmed."

Chris felt darkness wrapping around her visions. Her brain had stopped registering what was happening. Their voices seemed to come from far away. She couldn't understand why Jason wasn't thinking this through and why Dumbledore was announcing his weakness. Nothing made sense. It was like the people who were standing in front of her were different people. She didn't know this unsure, confused, deceived Jason or this vulnerable, weak, hopeless Dumbledore.

"What is going on?" she mumbled as she saw the things around her moving in different directions. She leaned back on the wall to herself from falling.

"They kept eyes on me to make sure, I was doing my job," said Jason, and he was suddenly white as Dumbledore. "I had to. We made a deal. Chris had to give them the Keys. It will save her."

"If you know Christina, then I'm afraid you know that she will not give them the Keys so easily, Jason," said Dumbledore. "But I'm not worried about her. I'm worried about you. I don't want you to get in this crossfire. I can offer help to you and your mother, as I have done to Draco Malfoy and Theodore Nott. You can still get out of here. You are not guilty of —"

But suddenly footsteps were thundering up the stairs, and a second later Jason was buffeted out of the way as four people in black robes burst through the door onto the ramparts. One of them immobilized Jason. Chris tried to stand on her feet straight. She recognised one of them as Fenrir Greyback, who attacked Bill.

"What happened to Aeneas?" One of them bent over the unconscious body of Malgino's minion, who Chris had stunned. 

Then they noticed Chris.

At once, Chris raised her wand, knowing what was coming. Still swaying a little she blocked two of the Death Eaters. They attacked again. Chris blocked and attacked back. The werewolf Greyback tried to get hold of Chris but the fourth person, who Chris guessed was another Malgino's minion shouted,

"Don't touch her. Master had order not to harm her until we get the keys. Don't use Unforgivable Curses."

"Graham, it's you?" said Dumbledore and Chris saw him sliding down the wall a little. "Great to see, you are still acting responsibly. Who is that with you? Amycus and Alecto? Charming. . ."

"Think your little jokes'll help you on your deathbed then?" The women, Alecto jeered while dwelling with Chris.

"Shut up," Chris groaned attacking her with more powerful spells. How could she threaten Dumbledore?

"Jokes? No, no, these are manners," replied Dumbledore simply.

"Well, you should teach some of it to your this student, don't you think?" The other dweller, Amycus said as Chris hit him with a hex and the side of his arm burned.

"I think Christina have lots of manners," Dumbledore chuckled pleasantly. "I think, she is just not in the mood to use them, right now. You see, you are not being very kind to her either."

And he almost collapsed down the floor.

"Professor?" Chris turned to him and two ropes twisted themselves around her painfully, binding her hands and legs. 

"At last," grinned Amycus. "Anyway, what's happened to you, Dumby?"

"Oh, weaker resistance, slower reflexes, Amycus," said Dumbledore sitting on the floor a little more elegantly. "Old age, in short . . . One day, perhaps, it will happen to you . . . if you are lucky. . . ."

"What's that mean, then, what's that mean?" yelled Alecto.

"I will show you want he means after I free myself from these bindings," roared Chris and was pleased to see Alecto flinch away from her.

"Oh, will you?" growled Greyback stepping forward, but at that precise moment, the door to the ramparts burst open once more and there stood Snape, his wand clutched in his hand as his black eyes swept the scene, from Dumbledore slumped against the wall, Chris kneeling on the floor bounded by ropes, to the two Death Eaters, two Malgino's minions (one conscious, one unconscious), the enraged werewolf, and paralyzed Jason in a corner.

Chris sighed with relief. Snape was a great dweller. He can easily fight the four of them.

"Where is Stormy? She was supposed to come with you, Severus," the minion Graham said looking over Snape's shoulder and a chill went down through Chris' spine. Stormy was there. She was too good and Chris wasn't in the condition to face her.

But somebody else had spoken Snape's name, quite softly.

"Severus . . ."

The sound frightened Chris beyond anything she had experienced all evening. For the first time, Dumbledore was pleading.

Snape said nothing but walked forward. The brother-sister Death Eaters fell back without a word. Even the werewolf seemed cowed. Graham continued to look out for any sign of Stormy.

Snape gazed for a moment at Dumbledore, and there was revulsion and hatred etched in the harsh lines of his face.

"Professor? Professor. . . Snape?" Chris chocked. All air seemed to leave her chest. This was not right.

Snape froze at her voice. He glanced at her and an different emotion crossed his face. But before Chris could understand what it meant Dumbledore whispered again,

"Severus . . . please . . ."

Snape sharply looked back at Dumbledore raised his wand and pointed it directly at him.

"Avada Kedavra!"

"NOOOO!" Chris never had screamed this loudly. Her screamed echoed in the night as a jet of green light shot from the end of Snape's wand and hit Dumbledore squarely in the chest. For a split second, he seemed to hang suspended beneath the shining skull, and then he fell slowly backwards, like a great rag doll, over the battlements and out of sight.

Chris felt her limbs go loose, there was no fight left in them as she stared at the place where Dumbledore was standing. Her brain repeating only one thing though she knew that wasn't true.

Dumbledore dodged the spell. He didn't fall. He didn't — nothing happened to him.

"Finished your work, Severus?" Stormy walked in slowly. "Good. Now please step aside and let me do my job."

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To be continued. . .