445 The First Light

Hello, my favorite readers,

I am here to ask you all something. In case, you all didn't notice my last author's note, I was thinking since our Fortunate Queen is coming to an end, would you all like a new fantasy story with a similar premise as this one? And by similar, I just mean there will be a girl, who finds herself in the middle of the world of magic and magical creatures. It will have its own plot and story and different characters but since all of you liked this story so much, I thought why not write an original story like this? So what do you all think? Please please please comment on your thoughts on it. It would mean the world to me.

Anyway, on to the story.

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"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Maligno."

The voice resonated all around at once and everybody looked around. For a moment, Draco thought – or rather hoped – it was Chris. Because Draco knew she was the only one brave and crazy enough to actually stand between them and Maligno. 

But it wasn't Chris. It was a tall, lean, pale woman standing at the top of the astronomy tower, and even from that distance, her voice was loud and clear. Draco turned to Ginny and saw her eyes widen when she saw that woman.

"Rosaline is alive," Luna whispered with tears in her eyes as if they were already saved, and it didn't take long for Draco to put two and two together. 

It was the vampire Princess Ginny told him about. Princess Rosaline.

"You –" Maligno's eyes narrowed as he looked at Rosaline but he quickly gained his composer. "What will you do, Vampire Princess? Look around, the sun is already up and honestly, you shouldn't run around in the middle of a war, considering you just recovered from almost deadly injuries, I heard."

Rosaline didn't move even slightly at the insult, her voice was as cold as before, "Yes, I took a hit by one of your men, not once but repeatedly but I am still standing here while all the men you sent are dead. So tell me, Thief, how long can your men hide in the sun? How long can your dear friend sacrifice others to save himself and how long can you run before I eventually catch up to you all and snap open your necks?"

"Even with all your savage powers, wizards are superior beings!" Voldemort looked furious, it was clear that Rosaline's words about him sacrificing others to save himself struck a nerve. "And not to forget, we still have an army of giants and we outnumber your forces greatly!"

"I thought you watched us fight, wizard," Rosaline insulted Voldemort further. "Do you still not understand how one vampire guardian can easily defeat 20 of yours. . ."

"Lady Ginny, Lady Luna, you need to listen to me."

Suddenly a tall red-eyed man appeared behind Ginny out of nowhere while Rosaline kept talking.

"Oziyat, what's going – where is Chris?" Ginny asked panicked.

"I don't know," Oziyat, the vampire suddenly looked equally worried as his red eyes scanned the surroundings but his eyes didn't find what – or who they were looking for, disappointed he turned back to Ginny. "But we don't have time to ponder that. Listen very carefully, Rosa had found ancient runes around the school and she thinks Maligno had put those here to do something to the school. 

"What –?" Ginny began but Oziyat didn't stop talking.

" . . . She also thinks it has something to do with Christina's disappearance, and that's why she asked me to evacuate all of you while she and our guardians handle Maligno and Voldemort. I will help them as soon as you all–"

Oziyat stopped wincing and Draco noticed burn marks appearing wherever sunlight hit Oziyat's pale skin. So did Ginny, Luna, and Colin.

"Oziyat, you cannot fight like this," muttered Colin. "None of the vampires can. I know you all are strong but this –"

"But we don't know what they are planning. You saw his powers, didn't you? Maligno could take everyone's life force here, Colin. You all need to escape now," Oziyat said gritting his teeth. The burns on his skin were getting worse but he kept fighting it.

Now Draco was getting really worried because even though these vampires were fast and powerful, currently under the sun they were looking weaker than wizards. Draco didn't know how well they would be against Maligno's army and Voldemort's Death Eaters.

Draco was to tell Ginny that when suddenly out of nowhere Neville broke free from the crowd and charged at Voldemort's snake.

"Neville!" 

Ginny and many other students screamed as Voldemort raised his wand. There was a flash of light and Neville hit the ground.

"THAT IS ENOUGH!" Voldemort shouted readying his wand.

"Neville is trying to kill the snake. Harry or Chris must have told him about it too," Ginny spoke hurriedly as she took a few steps back. "Oziyat, Luna get Colin and everyone out of the castle now. I will help Neville and distract them so you all can leave."

"Ginny, no –" Oziyat began but Ginny cut him off.

"When we were in your home, we listened to you, right Oziyat? Now you listen, this is our school. We will do everything to protect it."

"If you are staying then I am staying," Luna shot back at Ginny.

"No, get Colin out of here. He is in no shape to fight," Ginny said stopping Colin who was about to protest. "I will follow you. Now go. Go, go."

"Ginny, what are you –" Draco started confused and worried but before he could finish his thought, Ginny had changed into a tiger and pounced towards the Death Eaters standing at the front.

"Ginny, NO!" Draco screamed realizing it was a stupid decision to distract Voldemort.

"GINNY!" 

The Weasley family shouted and cried her name seeing her Animagus form while Draco ran after her. 

"DRACO!" Screamed Draco's parents but Draco didn't look back, his focus was on the enemies in front of him.

At first, the Death Eaters looked too shocked to react to the sudden appearance of a five-foot-tall huge tiger but as soon as they gained back their senses, they raised their wands to defend themselves, Ginny dodged most of them and Draco stopped the ones she could not. However, just as Ginny was about to reach the Death Eaters, she froze mid-air and Draco wildly looked around to find Maligno's finger pointed at Ginny in her tiger form. His insane eyes were still on Rosaline as he spoke,

"Do you know why every time, the Wizards will win against your kind, Princess?" Maligno smiled creepily at Princess Rosaline, who glared at him. "Because no matter your magic, strength, speed, and long-almost immortal life, your kind will always be - as my friend said - savages and animals compared to wizards. Deep down your animalistic nature outweighs the rational part of yours. Just like some wizards."

Maligno spat out the last words looking at Ginny and his expression clearly indicated that he was completely out of patience by now. Then suddenly, he moved his hands in the air and the next moment, four of his men just dropped dead on the ground.

Someone screamed and even a few Death Eaters looked alarmed. Draco watched in horror as he realized what just happened as Maligno looked more powerful and alive. He just took the lives of those four people and became stronger. That was what he was about to do to Colin a few moments ago, that was what he could do to them next.

Maligno's eyes glowed with power as he turned back to Ginny, still frozen in mid-pounce, and then to Draco's surprise, Maligno locked eyes with him. Draco's body went rigid instantly, not out of fear but out of realization. Realization of his death. Realizing that Maligno was going to suck out his life next.

The moment seemed to slow down when Maligno smirked and Draco felt something grabbing his core, his life force. He couldn't describe exactly how it felt but he guessed maybe that was how one felt during a Dementor's kiss when they suck one's soul out of their body or maybe it was different because Maligno wasn't touching his soul, no he was tearing apart the source of life and magic inside of Draco.

And Draco couldn't do anything. His eyes rolled back in pain and his body already accepted the truth.

Then everything exploded.

At first, Draco thought his inside exploded, considering how unexpectedly the unimaginable pain stopped in his body. But he realized he was alive and it wasn't him that exploded but the lake. The middle of the black lake had exploded drenching all of them in water as something burst out of the water. 

Not something but someone.

A figure burst out of the water and was now floating in the middle of the air well above 400m over the lake. The figure felt like it was a woman's but it was difficult to know who it was considering she wasn't just glowing but she was made out of light, pure light. Her hands were glaring bright with light and power. Her eyes weren't normal either even they looked like two glowing orbs. First, she looked pure white light, then it changed slightly to blue, green, red, and then yellow, before returning to white again. 

And that's when Draco realized who it was.

Christina Norton.