Disclaimer: Unfortunately none of these characters belong to me, although I do have a plan to change this...but currently they don't. So if they do belong to you, please don't sue me! Thanks!

Warning: Male x Male relationship. Don't like. Don't read as always. Um...there's a few character deaths in this chapter. Sorry. But there will be an authors note at the end (just a short one) which relates to this because I'm not sure what to do next but I don't want to give away the death now and all... anyway this has been beta-ed by one person but not my other normal beta as she is currently incommunicado. So! On with the story!

Chapter 7

The journey down to the Slytherin common room didn't take too long even though they were trying to keep their presence unnoticed and so were keeping to the less used corridors. They went out of their way to avoid both the Headmaster's and McGonagall's office. Draco led Harry through the maze of passages in the dungeon to reach the stone wall that served as door to the Slytherin common room. Draco gave a furtive glance towards Harry who rolled his eyes, "I hardly think keeping the password secret matters now. D'you?" Draco shifted uncomfortably, "I guess. But it's so wrong. You're Gryffindor." Harry gaped at the blond who hurriedly placed his hands on the shorter boy's shoulders, "Look I know it shouldn't matter but old habits are hard to break ok?" Harry gave a small frown that he would deny was close to a pout, "Fine." He turned his around to face the opposite way as Draco muttered the password and when he turned back the door had begun to grind it's way open.

As the door slid shut behind them, a voice rang out that made their blood freeze in their veins. "Nephew! How nice you've brought me a present to make up for your treachery!" Bellatrix Lestrange had her wand levelled steadily at the two young men. Her lips twisted into an expression that could probably be loosely described as a smile. She jerked the wand and her voice lost its sickening sweetness, "Toss your wands out." Harry did so and she turned her heavy lidded eyes towards Draco. "You too." Draco stared back at her, determined to show no fear. "I left it in the common room." She gave a short laugh and talked slowly as if she thought he would be better able to understand her that way, "We are in the common room." She gestured wildly with her free hand and her black robes parted to show a dress underneath that was a green almost as dark. Draco shook his head, "No. The Gryffindor common room." The women paused, a few stray wisps of her dark hair had escaped the complicated style at the back of her head and settled gently around her face. Her lips stretched in a tight smile and she blinked slowly, "And what, pray tell, were you doing in the Gryffindor common room, dear nephew?" Draco gave an exaggerated sigh and Harry glanced at him nervously as if willing him not to antagonise her. "Well," Draco affected a thoughtful look, "I'm not really sure." His storm grey eyes met her charcoal ones as he continued, "It could have been when I was making out with Harry on the floor, or it could have been when I was up in his room…" He left the last sentence unfinished as his aunt's eyes flickered erratically between the two young men. Draco watched his aunt carefully; maybe that last bit had been a bit much. He had hoped she would make a mistake and he'd be able to get his wand, which he could just see poking out of his trunk off to one side of the room. Finally her dark eyes settled on Harry and Draco tensed.

Bellatrix's eyes blazed as she addressed Harry, "Unfortunately, you are worth more to me alive and untouched than dead. But I will make a petition to the Dark Lord to be allowed to weave my revenge on your flesh." She smiled unpleasantly and raised her wand with an air of finality. Draco looked at Harry, their eyes met for a second and Draco tried to convey everything he felt and all his plans and the hope that they would both come out of this alive in that one moment. Then his aunt was screeching out the stunning spell and he was diving for his wand. He grabbed his wand and turned in time to see Harry hitting his head on the floor with a crack for the second time in so many days. By the time he had swung his wand and gaze around to face the older woman she had also focused both attention and wand on him.

Draco stood awkwardly while keeping his wand pointed. Bellatrix laughed, "So my dear nephew, you have turned even further from the Dark Lord than I had suspected." She glanced at the prone form of Harry, and affected that sickeningly sweet baby voice, "Oh dear. I do so hope he's ok." She smiled evilly as Draco snarled at her, "He's a lot better than you're going to be, Aunt." She cackled, "Oh my darling, dearest nephew, you've certainly got the Black confidence haven't you? Something my sister did right then." Draco tensed at the mention of his mother and Bellatrix morphed her expression into a warped parody of innocence, "Oh, did you hear what the Dark Lord did to her once you left?" Draco shook his head; he knew he couldn't let her taunt him into making a mistake. Silently he cast a stunning spell but almost as soon as the red jet left his wand it was dissipated. Bellatrix shouted at him, "I taught you Occlumency!" She laughed again, "Did you really think you could hide your intentions from me?"

She silently flung a curse at him and Draco furiously tried to deflect it without success. At the last moment he pitched himself to one side, not sure what awful curses his aunt would know. It would have been a strange sight to anyone witnessing the duel, both participants silently hurling curses at each other and either dodging or dispelling those that were aimed at them. Draco was doing more dodging than dispelling and was thanking whichever gods were listening that he had seeker-quick reflexes. However the drain both mentally and physically was beginning to take its toll and he knew he couldn't hold out much longer. He began to murmur the spells under his breath and they seemed to become slightly more powerful, seemed to move that little bit more quickly and an new surge of hope rushed through Draco bringing with it renewed energy. He hurled stunners furiously at the tall woman but frustrating she deflected them all, although she did seem to be having some trouble with the sheer volume of them. Finally, snarling she made a broad sweep with her wand and what seemed like a shockwave rippled through the air, spreading out in a semi-circle from her wand. It dissipated all the spells it came into contact with and when it reached Draco it passed through him like a ghostly knife and brought him to his knees with a cry.

Bellatrix stood over him with a cold expression. She gestured almost casually with her wand, "Crucio." Draco's back bowed with the agonizing pain and his head hit the floor but the pain from that was nothing compared to the spell wracking his body. When the spell stopped it took him a good few seconds to realise. He opened his eyes, not having realised he had closed them, and looked up into the dead eyes of his aunt. She smiled crookedly at him and bent closer so he could hear her better, "I'm going to keep you both alive." She laughed at the shock that appeared on his face. "Don't think you're escaping your fate, nephew. I'm going to keep you alive so I can make you watch him," she jerked her head at Harry's still unmoving form, "at our Lord's mercy. Maybe that will teach you the error of your ways." There was a vicious fire burning in her eyes, "If our Lord is so gracious as to grant me some time with the boy maybe the three of us can have some fun together." She watched Draco's face hungrily for any trace of a reaction. "You'd enjoy that right?" Unsatisfied by his stoic expression she casually crucioed him again, a short burst of almost haphazard power from her wand, as if the spell was as natural to her as blinking. When Draco was back to breathing raggedly on the stone floor she pressed her wand under his chin, tilting his head to look at her. "You think this is pain?" she spun away lost in her own delusional thoughts. Just as Draco had gathered his own thoughts enough to look around for his wand she turned her attention back to him.

"I can perform spells you've never even seen in your most horrible and twisted nightmares!" Her eyes blazed with the twisted passion she had for her topic, "I know hundreds, thousands of ways to inflict glorious pain on my victims. You and Potter would provide me with an excellent opportunity to perfect my techniques. If I bring him Potter my Lord will allow me to make a display of you both, I am sure." She twirled her wand between her fingers and smiled dreamily before she seemed to remember where she was and what she was doing. She pointed the wand back at Draco, "Well do you have nothing to say?" Draco stayed silent, he wasn't sure what to say, and his aunt had obviously descended to levels of insanity that he had not anticipated. She sent a crucio at him again and he had just enough presence of mind to roll out of the way. She frowned and sent the spell flying at him again. This time he rolled to his feet to avoid it. She stamped her foot like a petulant child. "You are spoiling this." Her eyes scanned the room for something she could use against him more effectually, while Draco was looking around desperately for his wand. Draco spied his wand behind one of the sofas. A quick glance at Bellatrix showed her busy with something over the other side of the room, however she kept glancing at him. For some reason the fact she was over there sent a wave of panic through Draco but his mind was still fuzzy from the crucio and all he was sure of was that he needed his wand. As he stumbled across to it he thought he heard his aunt mutter something.

He turned to face his aunt with the length of Hawthorn clasped triumphantly in his hand only to find her clasping something far more important. Harry, rennervated just moments ago Draco realised, was stood a little unsteadily in front of Bellatrix. She had her wand pointed at his head. "Let Harry go." Draco spoke slowly and his voice was low although still shaky from the spells. She was smiling still but her eyes kept darting around as if she was keeping tabs on multiple enemies. She shook her head in mock disappointment, "Nephew, you must learn to accept the consequences of your actions." Her smile was sickly sweet. "If I cannot have my fun with you I must find someone else." Here her smile and tone turned venomous, "And you boyfriend was the only other one here." She spat out the word boyfriend, and emphasized it further by jabbing Harry's head with her wand. Draco lowered his wand slightly, "Look, Aunt Bella?" She jerked her roaming eyes back to Draco when he said her name, he smiled encouragingly, "You can't harm Harry can you? You need to give him to the Dark Lord right?" He nodded slowly and she copied the gesture. Suddenly she jerked her head to a stop and looked at him contemptuously, "I know that, idiot child. But I may still use him to make you comply with my wishes. Crucio."

Harry crumpled and let out a cry of agony. Draco watched Harry fall and the curse was on his lips before the other boy hit the floor. Vaguely Draco reflected that it was true that time slowed down in moments like this. He watched the stream of green light leave the end of his wand. He frowned, strange, it looked like the light was coming back towards him. Too late he saw his aunt, fiercely joyful as she pointed her wand at him, just a second before his spell hit her full in the chest and spread like verdant veins across her body. Too late it occurred to him he should have moved out of the way. Almost too late he remembered to look at Harry. To meet those eyes as vivid as the spell hitting him in the shoulder, those eyes that were wide with horror as they watched Draco spin backwards to lie unmoving on the floor. Harry let out an inhuman noise. Still recovering from the after effects of the crucio curse he pulled himself onto hands and knees and crawled across to Draco. Harry pulled him into his lap and smoothed the platinum stands of hair off of his forehead. The once silvery eyes stared blankly upwards, a dull ashen grey. Something dripped onto his still warm cheek and Harry moved his hand to brush it off with a frown. A drip landed on his hand, it was warm. He lifted his hand to his own cheek, silent tears were running down his face and he hadn't even noticed. He let his hand drop back to clutch the blond to him tighter, trying to somehow force the life back into him just by his proximity.

He felt the presence of someone else through the blanket of sorrow on his mind and senses. When his green eyes scanned the shadowy room frantically they finally rested on a patch of shadow that seemed to be slightly denser than the rest. The patch seemed to move forward and into the light, finally coalescing itself as the figure of the Headmaster. He was smiling. Harry moved without thinking, putting himself in between the man and Draco. Dumbledore continued to smile peacefully, "Well done my boy. I had every faith you would survive." He sat on one of the sofas and glanced casually at Bellatrix's body. "I'm pleasantly surprised she's been taken care of for me." He misunderstood Harry's look of pure terror, "Don't worry my dear boy. I was at the ready to step in once she had disposed of our little problem." He chuckled to himself, "Fortunately my assistance was not required. I guess that boy turned out to have some use after all." He smiled at Harry as if they had just shared a private joke. Harry was just staring at the deranged man in revulsion, "You engineered all this?" Harry could barely contain the fury in his voice. Dumbledore frowned, "Yes of course." The headmaster looked thoughtful, "I didn't plan on you being here though. When I allowed Bellatrix here through the wards," He smiled brightly, "A stroke of genius on my part I must say, I made it look as if there was a small overlooked weakness that she could slip through, anyway, where was I? Oh, yes, I didn't plan on you coming down here with that boy to get his possessions." The headmaster shook his head ruefully, "It is most regretful he put you in so much danger."

There was a fine tremor to Harry's fists, clenched at his sides as he stood up. "He put me in danger? That's what you regret?" His voice was low and dangerous, "I don't think I quite understand what you're saying Professor." Dumbledore was smiling up at him bemusedly, "Harry, my dear boy, I allowed that woman in to the castle to eliminate him. It was obvious you didn't want to reject him. Quite admirable really, but I really did need him gone. When I brought you here I assumed you would befriend him and be able to get the secrets of the Death Eaters out of him." Harry couldn't quite believe what he was hearing, he was still reeling from the fact he had just seen Draco killed in front of him and now he was finding out the man he had thought of as some kind of grandfather figure had engineered the whole thing. Dumbledore continued with his speech on how he had saved Harry from corruption and how lucky he was that the "Unfortunate obstacle" as he kept referring to Draco had been removed. Harry was unsure what exactly he should do when some of Dumbledore's ranting got through to him, "You never really liked the Malfoy boy anyway did you?" Harry took a step forward and Dumbledore looked mildly alarmed, appearing to take in for the first time that Harry wasn't exactly happy at the moment. "Actually, sir," Harry managed to make the word him sir seem like a curse, "I liked him a lot, and I don't think the ministry will take kindly to you allowing a Death Eater into the school to kill a student."

The smile instantly disappeared from the old man's face, "Now, Harry. I don't think there's any need to tell them. This has all worked out for the best after all." Harry inched around the sofa Dumbledore was sitting on to get to Bellatrix's body; she had still had his wand when she had died. There was a long low coffee table strewn with random books Draco must have brought down from the library before he moved up into Gryffindor between him and the woman's body. He began to edge between it and Dumbledore, "I really don't think everything has worked out for the best. My boyfriend," Dumbledore flinched at the word, "is dead. You killed him." Harry was almost half way down the table, just past the headmaster when the older man drew himself to his impressive height and pointed his wand at Harry. "I can see I have judged you all wrong." He said coldly. Harry realised he'd never get to his wand in time. Not that it would be much use against Dumbledore, kind of like using a toothpick to fight someone with a sword. Harry did the only thing he didn't think Dumbledore would expect. He lunged at him. The old man managed to stay on his feet as Harry tried to knock him over, however Harry did manage to knock the wand out of his hand. It clattered to the floor and rolled away under the sofa. Dumbledore pushed forward on Harry, trying to stay on his feet, unfortunately Harry unbalanced and fell backwards. The coffee table snapped under their weight leaving Harry lying amongst the splinters of wood and scattered books with and angry Headmaster still trying to subdue him.

Dumbledore was fighting to hold Harry's flailing arms still. His blue eyes were surprisingly vicious as if in the absence of magic he had reverted to some feral form. "I can't let you tell the ministry Harry!" he managed to force out between clenched teeth. Harry cast his hand around looking for some kind of weapon as Dumbledore gave up on trying to hold his arms and got hold of his throat, trying to strangle to boy. Harry coughed and choked as his hand closed around a thick volume. He swung it at the Headmaster who was so intent on choking the life from Harry that he didn't notice the heavy book moving towards him. It collided with the side of his head with a dull thud sound and the hands around Harry's neck loosened and finally let go altogether as the Headmaster toppled slowly to one side. Harry scrambled out from the debris of the table and looked down at the book in his hand. Hogwarts: A History now had a slight red smear across its cover and Harry absurdly wondered if Madame Pince would punish him for defacing a library book. He caught a glimpse of silver blond hair out of the corner of his eye and the book dropped from his fingers unnoticed. He made his way over to Draco's body and sank to his knees next to it. He closed paper-thin eyelids over empty silver eyes and laid a gentle kiss on his cool but still supple cheek. Harry felt strangely empty, as if he wasn't quite connected to the world outside his skull. He gave a small sad sigh and stood up. He walked out of the common room and somehow managed to find his way to McGonagall's office. He knocked on the door and she called out, "Come in." He pushed the door open, "Um Professor?" She didn't look up from her papers, "Yes? What is it Potter?" Harry paused trying to find the words, "I think that I may have killed Professor Dumbledore." McGonagall's head shot up, her eyes were wide and her mouth opened and shut several times.

Author's Note: Ok...so I killed Draco. I'm sorry. I pretty much have two ending chapters set out in my head but I don't know which one to use really. Either I bend the rules of canon and allow people to be brought back to life, Yay! Happy Ending! OR the rules of magic stay in tact and Draco stays dead, Yay! Angsty Ending! So as the readers do you mind if I break canon (with a reasonable explanation) to bring Draco back? Or do you all wish Harry to suffer prettily? Opinions would be very welcome, if none are forthcoming then I'll post the first one I write. Thanks!

The spell rennervated was apparently changed by JKR. I was under the impression it was Ennervate but according to "The Harry Potter Lexicon"she changed it so there we are :)