“Incendio!” Kendis roared over the groans of the shaming bodies. Fire erupted from her wand, and she took a group of inferi that were closing in around them.

“Confringo!” Hermione shouted, and the blast of the spell split the inferi into pieces.

“Stupefy!” Ron cried out, but there was no effect on the group of Inferi.

One reached out and grabbed Ron’s ankles! He did his best to shake it off, but another inferi caught hold of his arm. 

“Ron!” Hermione and Kendis screamed as they rushed forward to help, but a growing swarm of inferi stopped them.

The floorboards splintered all around them as soon inferius were crawling out of the ground.

“Incendio!” Hermione and Kendis called out in unison, but the flames from their wands couldn’t wipe out all the inferi; more animated corpses instantly replaced the ones they destroyed.

‘Where are all these bodies coming from?’ Kendis thought hysterically to herself, but she didn’t have time to think more on it as she cast a volley of offensive spells at the horde.

Unlucky for her, only a few of the spells worked. And Dumbledore certainly hadn’t taught her to battle them when they were going after Hufflepuff’s cup.

In a sudden move, Jason sprang into the air, bypassing the inferi’s grasp to land in front of Ron, who was being overwhelmed by the undead. 

Ron was doing his best to push them back, but it wasn’t working. Jason grabbed two inferius and threw them across the room to land on top of a nearby swarm.

One after another, Jason tore off limbs with his bare hands. Kendis knew that he was strong, but she had forgotten how strong her friend really was. 

Kendis swore as an inferi’s nails raked down across her chest, thankfully her armor protected her. There were a few things that dragon hide couldn’t protect her from.

 With a strong front kick, she dislodges the inferi and immediately casts another confringo. Kendis didn’t have time to feel satisfaction as another two inferius lunged at her.

Kendis was just destroying another group of undead when she heard Hermione shout, “expulso” from behind her.

Spells, fists, and swords were flying as the five friends worked their way through the growing horde. Unfortunately, the battle seemed endless. 

Kendis realized the inferi would overwhelm them soon, no matter what they did. Her priority was to get her friends to safety and then go after Tony.

The doors to the main theater were not that far away, but old furniture and the horde of inferius blocked them, making it seem almost impossible.

And then suddenly an inferius jumped on her back, and another grabbed her ankles. She felt the press of sharp teeth on the skin of her neck as the pungent scent of rotten meat and decay from the corpse’s breath threatened to consume her senses.

Kendis saw something twinkle in the corner of her eye and suddenly got an idea. 

“Bombarda!” Kendis shouted as she aimed her wand at the chandelier.

The ceiling and wall violently shook, and the chandelier fell to the ground with an explosive crash. Abruptly, parts of the ceiling fell all around them.

Kendis ducked and rolled and sat up just in time to see her friends go flying around the room.

“Hermione! Ron! Ian! Jason!” Kendis shouted.

“We’re okay!” Ron shouted. “But I don’t think we are going to last much longer.”

“Get Ian and Jason and get out of here!”

“What about you!” Hermione asked as she cast incendio at another horde of corpses.

“We can take them,” Ian shouted as he stabbed one Inferius with his sword and then beheaded another.

“Get them out here!” Kendis demanded as she cast another round of spells at the undead coming her way.

“I thought we agreed we are doing this together!” Jason shouted over the noise of the collapsing lobby.

Kendis turned to see Jason stabbing a piece of rebar into the heart of an inferi before he delivered a brutal roundhouse kick to a corpse that tried to jump him from behind. 

“Kendis!” Ian shouted as he lopped one inferi’s arm before lopping off the head of another.

“Just go!” Kendis shouted before she threw another volley of spells at a few advancing inferius.

Hermione and Ron shot her an agonizing look, but they had to have known Kendis was right.

The couple split up and made their way through the horde to Jason, then Ian.

And with a pop, they disappeared, leaving Kendis alone with the horde. The only spell capable of vanquishing such a large number of inferi was known to her, but it was risky.

In theory, the dragon hide could give her some protection, but Kendis never tested it before.

“Incendio diabolica!” Kendis screamed, then dodged and rolled into the newly spotted alcove.

Suddenly, there was a roar as the shape of a phoenix emerged that was entirely made of fire. In that moment, Kendis thanked Merlin that fiendfyre only inspired this spell and that she didn’t have to use it.

She froze, staying as still as possible, when suddenly a blast of heat rushed by her hiding spot.

“Finite incantatem!” Kendis screamed, and the spell ended, leaving a lingering heat in its wake. She crawled out of her alcove and noticed that the lobby was a mess of broken ceiling, piles of ashes, and scorched marks.

Kendis dashed to the theater doors and cleared out as much rubbish as possible before using a quick spell to get in. She swiftly cast a charm to stabilize the foundation, giving her enough time to get Tony and get out.

The lighting in the theater was dim. Most audience seats were torn or missing. 

As Kendis walked down the aisle, she took in the rest of the theater. As she walked; Kendis noticed the peeling paint, rotted floorboards, and the smell of decay and the lingering scent of something burning from her use of Incendio diabolica.

Kendis stepped carefully, scanning the place for any inferi. She immediately noticed that the theater was unusually clean compared to how the lobby had looked. The stage’s scarlet red curtains were also strangely pristine.

Yet, there was no sign of Tony or Coil.

‘Was I wrong?’ Kendis panicked. If Coil and Tony weren’t there, how did Coil cast such a powerful spell remotely? 

Suddenly, there was the sound of a slow clap that echoed through the theater. And then the curtain parted, and standing on stage was Tony, gagged and tied to a chair.

Kendis felt her heart drop as she stared at her husband in horror. The theater filled with the sound of heavy boots, and Kendis watched as Coil swaggered triumphantly onto the stage.

“What a magnificent performance,” Chester said with a bright smile. I see now why you were such a threat to the Dark Lord. Although I admit I am disappointed that you disobeyed me, I can teach you obedience later.

Tony thrashed harder against his bonds, shouting again through the gag.

“Speaking of obedience,” Chester gave a put-upon sigh, “crucio!”

Tony gritted his teeth as he writhed in pain. 

“This pitiful creature is the best muggles have to offer?” Chester scoffed, “pathetic.”

“Finite —” Kendis tried to break the spell.

Chester approached Tony, wand at his husband’s throat, said, “Aha, aha, aha.”

“Don’t move or I am going to cut his neck.” Chester grinned manically at her, “I’m sure he bleeds as beautifully as your last pet.

Kendis froze, replaying the memory of Josefa’s throat slit as she lied in a pool of blood.

“Drop your wand,” Chester demanded, pressing his wand harder against Tony’s throat.

Kendis eyes went to Tony, and his eyes were wide as he vehemently shook his head, but she didn’t have a choice.

Kendis dropped her wand.

 “Expelliarmus!”

The wand levitated, crossed the room, and then smacked into Chester’s unoccupied hand.

Kendis could only watch in horror as Chester snapped her wand—his smirk growing impossibly wider with his victory.

Even when the ministry was threatening to snap her wand when she was fifteen, Kendis never really believed that it would ever happen to her. But she could only stare in disbelief as her holly and phoenix feather wand was now split into two. 

“Cheer up, Harry,” Chester soothed, discarding her wand as if it were trash. “You won’t be needing it where you are going.”

A shiver of fear ran down her spine, but Kendis refused to show it and give the bastard the satisfaction.

“Now, come here,” Chester ordered. “You have postponed this reunion long enough.”

Kendis climbed the stage stairs with her back perfectly straight, her composure hanging by a thread.

“I am here,” Kendis said. “What do you want?”

“I have waited an eternity for this moment,” Chester quickly crossed the distance between them. He stroked her face, and Kendis fought back a shudder of disgust at his touch.

“Although, I will admit that you are lovely as a woman,” Chester shook his head. “But your former self was much more to my liking.”

Kendis remained silent, only offering him a glare.

“I don’t know what madness took over you to indulge such madness,” Chester shook his head sadly. “I will mold you back into the man you were always meant to be.”

Kendis said nothing. She felt like screaming on the inside, but couldn’t speak for fear of what would happen to Tony.

Coil’s word shouldn’t bother her. After being openly trans for so long, she was no stranger to those type of insults. Most of the time, Kendis simply would brush off those words and ignore them. Yet, right now Coil’s word cut sharply into her like a knife. 

The night had worn heavy on her nerves after her meltdown and the battle with the inferi. And now she was helpless without her wand, and even the few wandless spells she knew couldn’t help her now. Not with Tony’s safety at stake.

“Why are you so quiet?” Chester taunted, “I would have thought you would have more to say.”

Kendis took a deep breath and did her best to push down her rage and helplessness.

“Just let Tony go,” Kendis pleaded with him. “You got what you wanted. You’ve won. Just let Tony go.”

“You really do care for the vermin,” Chester sneered. “You are worth so much more than that, Harry.” 

“Let him go,” Kendis pleaded again. 

“And why should I?” Chester taunted. “Give me one good reason I shouldn’t just slit his throat and be done with it.”

 Tony’s wide, pleading eyes met Kendis’s gaze once more. All the time they spent together came flooding back to her. 

Kendis remembered waking up in that hotel room in Vegas. Tony had been so cocky and so goddamn sexy. And then she got to see how the sweetness underneath his cocky fuckboy façade. It was in the way he looked out for her from the start, even when it didn’t make sense.

Tony was ready to defend her from the start, even when they were arguing over that first black envelope in her office when she had been nothing more than a stranger.

Tony Stark had such a huge heart that cared way more than he let on, with the inherent need to make the world a better place.

And by Merlin, Kendis loved Tony so much it hurts.

She loved the way his brown eyes lit up when he was excited about his inventions, the way he cared for his bots and his friends, the way he could recite the entire Godfather movie in fluent Italian. And how he would whisper sweet nothings to her at night, the sound of his native language a solace she hadn’t known she was missing.

Kendis even loved his horrible jokes and his arrogance. Even when Tony was every inch, the cocky rich boy, she still loved him deeply and irrevocably. In a way that both terrified and comforted her. And while Kendis could withstand many things, she could not deal with watching another person she loved have his life snuffed out in front of her

Kendis knew deep in her heart what she had to do.

“Tick Tock, Harry darling,” Chester sighed. “I am getting bored.”

“I’ll obliviate him,” Kendis blurted out, finding each word painful. “I’ll wipe his memories.”

The betrayal in Tony’s gaze felt as if her heart was being ripped from her chest. “Just please let him go,” Kendis begged, her eyes stinging with unshed tears.

Kendis expected Chester to see reason, but the growing fury in his eyes shocked her. Kendis reacted instantly without thinking, her combat instincts taking over.

Time seemed to slow down as Kendis leaped in front of Tony as she heard Chester shout, ‘Avada Kedavra!’

Kendis only had time to see a flash of poisonous green light, and then everything went dark.