This story is set in a timeline where the forces of good lose the Battle for Hogwarts and where many of the surviving main characters have scattered to form resistance cells to continue the fight.

It has been four years since the Ministry of Magic fell to the forces of Lord Voldermort…

His heart beat hard against his chest as it fought to keep blood pumping through his body. A deep searing pain was ringing in his sides but he dare not stop. If only he could apparate away. His pursuers had made sure that was not an option. The whole forest had been blanketed in a blocking charm that not only prevented him from apparating away but also meant that if he tried he would be apprehended and suffer a fate worse than any death he could have imagined in his darkest dreams.

The sound of hooves galloping behind him seemed to get closer and closer with each step he took. No matter how hard he was running his pursuers were gaining ground on him. His only saving grace was that like him they were not able to apparate through the blocking charm either but that seemed of little advantage now.

Suddenly he stumbled. He fell face first into a ditch, his blond hair becoming stained from muddy water that splashed all over him. Unable to breath he lurched himself upwards gasping for air as his head broke the top of the water. Exhausted and frightened Draco Malfoy, once the heir to one of the Dark Lord's most trusted families, knew he had to muster the last scrap of strength he had left to haul himself up. Being a traitor he knew his fate would be worse than most but his energy was all but depleted. He knew he had to make a stand here and now for he could not run any further.

Draco reached into his jacket and took out his wand, a small figurine and an odd shaped Snitch. He knew he had one chance and one chance only. He raised the wand and held it against the figurine.

The hooves of the four Centaurs thundered through the forestry following the trail left behind by their quarry. The arms of each Centaur had been magically severed and around their heads was a large muzzle that prevented them from biting their riders; not that they had much spirit left in them anyway. Upon their backs rode the Death Eaters, each of them as excited as a pack of wolves chasing down their prey. Their eyes were poised forwards searching for any hint of the distinctive blond hair of the young man they had been pursuing.

"Hold!" yelled the lead Death Eater and he quickly tugged on the reins of his Centaur causing the beast to leap with its front legs up into the air. The four Centaurs and their riders stopped just ahead of a small ditch laying face down in which was the body of Draco Malfoy. Draco's face lay flat in the puddle of water and his body showed no signs of movement.

"He's dead!" said one of the Death Eaters.

"Lucky 'im," said another hinting that this was a kinder death than the one he had planned for him.

The lead Death Eater who had first spotted Draco climbed down off his Centaur and began to walk towards the young man's body, his wand drawn and held threateningly in his right hand.

"Carvus!" called out the second Death Eater to their leader. "What are you doing?" The Death Eater known as Carvus leapt into the ditch beside Draco landing feet first into the murky water which splashed over the dead man's head. Carvus leaned down and grabbed hold of Draco's shoulder. In one quick move he lifted him over.

As the body of Draco Malfoy was rolled over Carvus was met by a rather odd expression on Draco's face. It didn't look normal. It just seemed vague almost uncaring as if it didn't know it was dead and the eyes were open. Having deliberately drowned a few people in his time Carvus had usually seen them with their eyes closed upon death. It was then he noticed something glistening in Draco's right hand. Clumsily, he kicked it free and out popped an odd shaped Golden Snitch. It was more oval than a regular snitch and once it was free its wings immediately outstretched and began to whiz up into the air. It flew in a zig zag pattern until it hovered over the group of Death Eaters.

"What the hell is that?" asked the second Death Eater absent mindedly.

Within a split second his question was answered. The Snitch exploded in a brilliant flash of orange and red. The blast disintegrated the nearest Death Eater while the shockwave broke the bodies of the other three sending them and their Centaurs crashing to the ground. Carvus was the last to fall landing over the Geminious Doll that was a replica of Draco Malfoy.

The real Draco Malfoy was less than twenty yards away hiding behind the deep gnawing roots of a tall tree watching, waiting to see if any of them had survived. His wand was outstretched in the direction of where the Death Eaters had been standing. Staring down his wand he searched for movement but couldn't see any. Only the howling of a dieing Centaur indicated any sign of life.

Satisfied that they were dead and he was safe, Draco slumped with his back against the tree. The feeling of relief quickly subsided. In his exhausted state he rolled onto his side trying to catch his breath. His lungs sucked in oxygen faster than he seemed to be able to absorb it and he choked through a tired cough.

Soon, frustrated tears ran down his cheeks and he began thumping his right fist against the ground until his knuckles began to bleed. The sharp pain stopped him from continuing and he rolled back over onto his side.

"How much longer?" he asked himself. "How much longer will I have to do this?"