A/N: ok, me bin on a VERY long break, I know. Blame it on my PC. It rarely works. anyways, on with the story

Warning: emotional moments.

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"Home?" asked Hermione, titling her head.

She watched Draco get up and took his hand. He pulled her up and brought her close.

"Yes, home," he said.

The top arch of the sun had broken out over the land. The pinkish shade of the sky merged with orange and as the phoenix took flight, the sun came up completely, basking the whole forest with golden glory.

Hermione watched the river grow smaller and smaller, now orange in colour with sunlight.

The bird took off into the lowest layer of cloud, from over which Draco and Hermione saw the sun as a giant orb of fire and the sky around it blazing. They witnessed the most beautiful sunrise ever, flying through the clouds, over an enchanted forest and across The Great Ocean…

Chapter-7: Return Of The King

Fawks glided low among the clouds, allowing them to soak in the scenery as it passed over the hundreds of forests and plateau-like regions off the coast of the Great Ocean. It took a dive down when it reached the ocean water and skimmed its surface with its creature claws, then, soared back up into the sky.

Hermione passed over the land of the river for one last time before the phoenix left for their homeland. She smiled, for the river had disappeared, shifted its place. The forested land filled with tops of giant trees and rocks was all she saw in place the foaming, swirling water body.

She tore her eyes away from the forest and looked straight ahead at the blazing sun.

"Where exactly are we?" she asked Draco, who sat in front, holding onto the body of the bird.

"I don't really know," he answered, squinting his eyes due to the direct sunlight.

"But you must have some idea! After all, you are a…a deatheater!" accused Hermione, holding her hand up over her eyebrows to create shadow.

"The forest of Czars is a legendary place. It cannot be located on maps and globe. For all I've heard, it's a place somewhere off Scotland, near the isles, but researches have shown no evidence of such a place."

"What, are you saying its existence is a myth and we're living in some kind of mythical dream right now? – Or mythical nightmare, whatever!"

She eyed him curiously. "No, seriously?"

"We may very well be living in myth right now."

"But I don't understand! You've been here at your gatherings and stuff! You must be knowing-"

"I know how to get here and go back. That's it. The Dark Lord never told us anything more about this place, only that it was the safest, most secure hideout ever imagined in the history of wizard kind. External penetration was considered impossible as there was no means of reaching the hideout through ordinary wizarding transportation."

"-And that's why I had to visualize the forest to get here."

"Exactly. Not many except the deatheaters have seen the forest. That's why it's so safe. And you – you're the first one outside the realm of dark magic to it. I'm guessing you were led by the dead aurors."

Hermione sighed. "How are we going to get back to the Order?"

The mention of the Order made Draco's heart ache.

What was going on there now?

He didn't want to imagine the scene awaiting them at their return. Blood, gore, flashes of light, screams… all because of him

"Guess we'll just have to rely on the bird," he answered, patting the silky feathers on Fawks' neck. "If we use land, we'll probably be out of time…"

"We already are out of time," corrected Hermione, pressing softly on the meaning. "You established that in the cell."

"Don't remind me," he sighed.

The phoenix took a sudden plunge for the clouds, to the highest strata of sky which was foggy white and empty except for vapours. The air currents on top were strong, pushing them back, but the phoenix cut through like an arrow.

Draco felt a hand on his shoulder.

It was Hermione and she was trying to get a hold of him before she could slip off.

"You'll be okay, won't you?" she asked softly, leaning in.

He knew what she was implying. He did have a magical connection with Voldemort, binding his life to His. And the minute he'd fall, Draco would fall too…not that they had any hope that things would happen that way.

He chose not to answer her question and focused on the white clouds ahead.

Hermione gripped the cloth of his robe over his shoulders, crumpling it with her fingers. She really didn't know what to think. It was a dead end for him, and they both knew it.

"Maybe you can get down somewhere and run away. In that way, they'll never catch you," she told him, trying to sound hopeful.

"I'm not afraid of dying, Granger," he said sharply. "Lets face it, its going to come anyway and I've got to be ready for it sometime or the other! Just why do you care so much?!" he sounded irritated and angry.

"I don't know, but its not fair!" she asserted, emotion choking her voice. "You tell me, you're going to help us fight this war and then, you're going to die if we win or lose? That doesn't make sense!!"

"What doesn't make sense, Granger?! Hasn't it sunken into your stupid head that I'm a good-for-nothing, dark side worshipper?"

"But, you're not! You're with Dumbledore. You're with us and-and-"

Hermione wrung her hands, stopping in mid-sentence. Tears stung her eyes and for a very long, unrealistic moment, she thought she was going to cry.

But she didn't, holding on to every bit of sanity she had left.

"There's got to be a way out," she said finally. "Dumbledore, I'm sure he'll come up with something."

Draco breathed in a long, tired sigh, "look, its not important if I die or not, but you've got to bring down the Dark Lord and his followers! If you don't, well, you don't have to think of how the world is going to be like then! Side with Potter, fight with the Weasleys, they'll protect you …"

The bird soared higher and higher into the clouds, where grey fused slowly with the sheer whiteness of the sky. Rain clouds were forming.

Hermione leaned against Draco, resting her head on his shoulder.

Draco, startled by her action, loosened his hold on the bird and turned his head back. He could see the long brown curls flying in the current and at once, started to feel extremely down, as if he'd reached rock bottom at an emotional level.

He remembered all the times he'd insulted her and called her a mudblood. The many times he'd taken relish in thwarting her at school, the fierce enemity he's formed with her friends.

God, how he wanted to erase the past! He wanted to build a new past, if that was possible, where he'd never chosen to be a dark servant and where the sun was always shinning for him, like it was now before him, where he'd learnt to love and get over petty differences…where he could have felt the concern and care of a young, valiant Gryffindor for some more time and in some strange way, befriended her…

(xxx)

Harry commanded like a master.

"Up at the forefront, Tonks! You, Dawlish, go to the towers. Do a round-check and then, patrol the third floor! Hagrid, how're you doing there?"

"Might as well say I'm doing me job well," chortled the large form in the armchair by the fire. "Keeping a close eye on the flames! Ain't no pesky death squad gonna get past me that easy!"

Harry didn't have the time to roll his eyes at the half-giants assuredness, having heard a large explosion outside in the street. He moved quickly to the window and peered outside.

The whole street was in ruins: houses burnt, shops raided. A furniture store at the end of the street had erupted into flames.

Enraged, Harry turned to the remaining aurors, "find those deatheaters now and lure them here! Our plan should work perfectly!-go! Go!"

Through the corner of his eye, he spotted Ginny slipping out the hall to the entrance fireplace. "Hey!" he called after her, but she'd already disappeared around the door.

Alarmed and frightened about what she was going to do and angry that she was not guarding her post, he ran towards the opposite end of the room and caught up with the girl. He grabbed her arm and turned her around.

"And just what do you think you're doing?"

"Oh, I'm just going to take a walk outside in the park. Its kinda stuffy in here with all the aurors and the creepy goblin king and all. Wanna come?"

She rolled her eyes and said, "I'm going to the houses, to check on the muggles."

"Check on the muggles?" cried Harry, looking at her like she was crazy. "Look, we've already dispatched people for them. We need you here!"

Seeing that Ginny's intentions remained unchanged, Harry softened the tone of his voice and said, "Ginny, you want to fight for them, I understand. You can't stand the families being wrenched apart – me too! But we've got to deal with it and stay together to work our plan! Please, this is important to me! – To us!"

The red haired girl stared back defiantly. She asked him to let go of her arm so that she could continue with her own plan. "I know what I'm doing. Trust me."

"But what if you get hurt? Death eaters are not toys you know. Its not easy predicting their moves-"

Ginny clicked her tongue and leaned on the fireplace with one arm, scowling. "You still take me for a child, don't you?"

"I just don't want to see you hurt – or injured – or anything else for that matter!"

Harry, she knew was being honest. His big-brother fear of losing her overcame every other feeling in him and he had posted her near the back door with Bill so that she'd have backup in case anything happened. But she wasn't a child anymore, and she didn't need backup! She wanted to fight by herself.

Why couldn't he see that? She was really sick of him treating her like a child!

"Ginny, please," he said with a sigh. "You're Ron's sister, he's going to go barking mad if I let anything happen to you-"

"So, its about Ron then? You're afraid to let me out because he might blast you if something happens to me!"

She folded her hands in front, scowling. What had she expected anyways? It was not like Harry had seen anything else in her other than a small, gullible child – she was a younger sister to him and everyone else.

Shame at even hoping for something more burnt her cheeks and face.

Ginny turned around and grabbed a handful of floo-powder. Whatever happened, nothing was going to change her mind about saving the muggles!

"I'm taking the floo network to the Wingston abode," she told him, stepping up in front of the flames. "See you-"

"Stop!" shouted Harry. He suddenly stepped up beside her, saying, "I'm coming with you. Hold on."

And he dashed towards the other to tell them of their sudden change of plan. He returned a second later.

Ginny smirked, watching him scoop up some floo powder from on top the mantelpiece, vexation written purely on his features.

You're so predictable, Harry. I knew you wouldn't be able to resist jumping in with me when my life was on the line. After all, you saved me once. You'll do it again…

"Wingston abode!" she shouted, dropping the powder into the burning flames…

(xxx)

When they fell out of the fireplace, dirty with ashes and half burnt charcoal sticks, the first thing they heard was a shrill scream of a woman. Harry got up quickly and after helping Ginny get to her feet, ran for the door behind which he'd heard the scream.

Before he placed his hands on the knob, Ginny caught his arm. "Be careful," she whispered.

Harry nodded with a half smile. Patting her hand, he reached for the doorknob and turned it.

Through the small space in between the door and its frame, he could see two frozen bodies. One of a grey haired man in glasses and the other of a large, portly faced woman. They were lying still with their unmoving hands held up in defence before them.

"They're both dead," he told Ginny in as hushed voice. He asked her to come closer to the door and listen to the two men conversing inside.

"Muggle scum, its better they're dead. They can't possibly do the Dark Lord's bidding for long…" one of them was saying.

"Keep your voice down, Coloso!" ordered the other man, "we mustn't wake up the child in the bed room. Come on."

"They're going to murder a child! Harry, we must stop them!" Ginny said frantically.

"I know."

Harry turned back and sealed the fireplace. He then waited for the room to empty.

Once the two deatheaters were gone, Harry and Ginny slipped into the room quietly.

Ginny immediately rushed to the woman and checked her pulse.

"Gone," she sighed and followed Harry out the door into a hallway. The men had gone down the carpeted stairway and were heading for a side way opening in the wall.

Once they disappeared through it, both of them crept downstairs and listened to their conversation.

"There's a safe down there! Under the toy box!"

"Leave it, Coloso."

"Its not guarded by any spells, we can break it and take all the money and jewellery! It'll be worth a fortune!"

"Its not worth anything! Don't you remember the Dark Lord saying that money is useless! Only fools go after it! Wise men go after power. Where's the baby? Ah…there it is…"

Ginny's heart began to beat out of her chest, or so she felt. She clenched the wand in her hand tightly, cursing them silently.

They're going to murder a baby? A new born who hasn't even had the chance to do anything to them? What kind of monsters were they?!

"Would you look at its piggish face? Isn't it adorable….? Too bad, it was born to die…"

Ginny suddenly shot out from behind Harry to the wall opening. Inside the bright coloured, curtained playroom, leaning over a wooden cradle was a black hooded figure with his back towards her. The other was kneeling on a rug, furiously tampering with the seal of a rectangular safe.

"That child is going to live a long life, mister," she declared.

The two men turned sharply to face her, but before they could strike, Ginny had already said the words and the man next to the cradle fell numb onto the floor.

Coloso stood up, wand pointed at her. "You pathetic road rat! Avada-"

A jet of green light flashed across the room from behind Ginny and soon, Coloso joined his partner on the floor, the wand dropping from his pale, whitish hands.

It was Harry.

"Thanks," she said, pocketing her wand and smiling.

"No problem."

He passed by her, across the room to the cradle and peered inside. "He's awake…"

Ginny rushed over to the baby, stepping over the two dead bodies, and looked into the cradle.

There, wrapped in a plain white sheet, was a pink-faced baby. Its arms were bent over the cloth, striking the air incessantly with curled fists. It was smiling – and drooling. Bubbles formed at the corner of his lips.

Gosh, it appeared so happy…even when its parents were lying dead upstairs…

Ginny sighed and touched Harry's shoulder, knowing he was thinking the same thing.

"Come on, let's go," she said, patting him.

"I can't ever think I was like this when my parents died," he said, sounding far away.

Ginny looked up at him, surprised to see that his eyes were rather watery.

He was reliving that moment many years back…he was reliving the moment his parents died and he was faced with Voldemort for the first time.

"You were only a baby," she said, "you didn't know."

"How could I not know that the darkest wizard of all time was staring me straight in the eye after killing my mom and dad?" he asked, raising his voice a little. "I was probably gurgling over some toy bear when I heard them screaming…."

"I understand, Harry. Its difficult…but it's the past, remember? Its over and you've got to continue your battle against the one who murdered your parents."

Ginny shrugged, biting her lips. "He's still after you and he's not to going to rest until you join your parents in their graves."

"Yeah…I shouldn't let that happen, right?"

He sighed.

The baby stuck its thumb into its mouth and began chewing on it, watching them with its small, black eyes. It kicked the blanket off, wobbling away with excitement at meeting the two strangers.

Ginny readjusted the blanket and stepped back.

"We've got to go," she told him, casting a shield charm on the cradle. Slipping a hand into his, she pulled him with her. "Come on."

(xxx)

Dawn looked like the middle of the night. The sun had not risen and the sky was dark grey, readying to bring on a storm. The stars had disappeared among the clouds and a pale moon glided slowly towards the west.

Through the windows, Ginny could see the mass destruction of houses and quarters. Smoke arose from the top of many a burnt stack of bricks. Flames fed on the wooden remains of posts and fences, spreading quickly to nearby areas.

People rushed out of their houses, screaming after having seen magic being displayed. The instant they stepped out their front door, jets of light from nearby shadows would take them down.

Most of the muggles were in their nightshirts, frightened to no hell that they'd seen a ghost when they'd actually seen a deatheater. Some had come out due to curiosity. One particular bald, stout muggle stepped into the balcony with a handgun, searching for the source of violence. But the wand was quicker than the gun, and he fell dead from the railing the next second….

The aurors were fighting a losing battle it appeared. The activities of the deatheaters varied from place-to-place, some attacks were large scale, some were limited to a few stores in a line. Due to the disturbances from the muggles on the street, it became difficult to hunt.

Kingshley had taken down two suspicious characters hovering around a playground, but the Inner Circle members were still at large. Lucius, Travers, McNair, Bellatrix and the others were conducting their activities in secrecy around the site of the Order. Aware of its existence between no.11 and no.13, they worked in secret to get past the muggles and the spying aurors until they were close enough to perform their attack.

A few rows of houses away, Ginny screamed as the newly materialized Order headquarters suffered an explosion at the back, sending wood and splinters many meters into the air.

The scream from the empty, raided house caught the attention of Fenrir Greyback, who lifted up his wolverine face to the darkened window. His yellow eyes narrowed to slits when he spotted the patch of red hair quickly disappearing behind the frame.

He bared his sharp teeth at the muggles outside, forcing them to make way, then, took a gigantic leap towards the front porch of the Wingston house.

By the time he crashed through the door and landed firmly on his paws, the girl had apparated and the house was enveloped in blank darkness.

The werewolf sniffed around and found there to be still some humanly inhabitation. He howled through the boards so that the others could be alerted. Soon, he was joined by two others of his pack. Together, they began hunting for the girl…

"The flesh of human child does not deserve to live, remember," he rasped to the two other werewolves. "You see her, bite her neck and make sure she's dead."

They nodded and bounded up the stairs.

He took the sideway opening and found himself to be in a brightly coloured room, filled with replicates of bears and tigers. Hungrily, he ripped through them with his teeth and nails, taking out the cotton and smelling it.

His eyes then turned towards the cradle.

Human meat lay inside, sucking itself with joy.

The wolf threw himself at it, but hit the invisible dome around it.

He slid to the ground and growled angrily, admitting defeat.

The shield charm was too powerful for him and he had no magic of his own other than his physical strength.

The baby gurgled inside, kicking restlessly. It rolled to its side and lay on its stomach, looking the werewolf in the eye.

But it didn't fear, it didn't even understand.

It gurgled and laughed, drool coming out of its mouth and wetting the cradle bed…

(xxx)

Arthur had Travers cornered this time. The passageway was behind him, and Arthur wasn't intent on letting him slip by.

"Even if I lose my life at this point, Arthur, I know that it'll be for my master and not for myself," said the deatheater, crouching into a corner with his wand held loosely in a shaking hand. "I'll be given a share of eternal life with the glory of my master, and you wait and watch! You'll all be treated like slaves once he comes back into power!"

"I would rather die than be a slave to your master," said Arthur, his lips quivering. He took a step in front, holding out his wand and pointing it straight at him.

"What if you shared his eternal life and was bound by all time to do his bidding?" asked Travers, a mad gleam in his eyes. "Then, what would you do, Arthur? What would you do?"

"Shut up I say!" shouted Arthur, trying to keep his cool. "SHUT UP!-"

He suddenly went still and dropped his wand. Trembling, he reached for his head and felt the blood oozing out from the back of his skull.

"No…" he said, fell motionless to the floor.

Behind him stood a large womanly figure, holding a board hammered with iron nails. Bellatrix stepped over the fallen body, carefully lifting up her robe. Once on the other side, she turned his head with her shoe.

"He's dead, is he?" she asked Travers.

The deatheater, still shaking from the auror's confrontation, stood up unsteadily. He looked at Bellatrix and shrugged. "I don't know."

"Must be," said the woman carelessly.

She pushed his head once more and turned to Travers. "I can feel the Lord coming…. can you?"

"Yes, I can," replied the man, rubbing on his arm. "Wait, he's here…"

(xxx)

A sudden stillness descended upon the entire town. The wind died. The destruction ceased.

A random creak from a broken post or unhooked door echoed through the streets.

The clouds had gathered overhead, swirling into a dark mix. Thunder sounded from above the formation, lighting up the layers of sky for a brief second.

A tyrannical force ripped through the clouds and shot for the ground.

No one could catch what it was. Its appearance and descend was so quick, so frightening, even the aurors held their breaths.

The force dived for the bottom ground of a large abandoned playground, made a U-bend and started ascending to the sky again.

Flashes of blue light erupted from seven different spots in the town.

Seven distinguished members of the Inner Circle convened their powers for the materialization of their Lord.

The blue jets grew thicker and stronger, congregating at the point of sky where the force was, shrouding itself in black mist. It absorbed more and more power, drank the life out of the seven wands and grew into its humanly form.

Through the mist, a hand could be seen forming, then an arm, a bluish chest…

Lord Voldemort descended down to the ground with the support of the blue jets of light, in full human form, in a black misty robe that disappeared into the surroundings. He hovered above the ground for a moment, head bowed, hands outstretched, then, he spoke in a language unknown to wizard kind.

A ring of blue fire appeared around him. It circled around, then multiplied above one another. Soon, his entire body was shielded with the glowing blue fire.

He shouted a command and the rings of fire joined into one single beam circling around his body.

"I don't understand…" said Tonks to a nearby auror who stood alert with his wand. "What's he doing?"

In a split second, the beam divided. It expanded a thousand miles in diameter, passing through the houses and the people and disappeared around the end of the town.

It then, reappeared and moved back to its central location.

Every house through which it passed exploded into thin air. Wooden boards and splinters were thrown up into the sky and the remaining muggles lost their lives.

The beam was a silent killer…

It passed through the houses, one by one, killing its inmates and destroying it completely.

"No!" said Tonks, "no, we have to do something about this!!"

She turned around the tree she was hiding and sneaked up to the nearest spot of jet light.

Voldemort is surviving on the power of his deatheaters. I must at least knock one unconscious…

The circle of fire was soon nearing the Order headquarters, destroying everything in sight. Tonks ran to the point from where she estimated the flow of power was coming and hid behind some bushes.

Through the leaves, she saw Bellatrix pointing her wand in the direction of Voldemort, blue light erupting from its end.

"finite incantem," she whispered, but the beam continued to flow.

She tapped her wand furiously and repeated the spell, but it didn't work.

She turned back and could see the ring's light being reflected in the dark grey clouds. It was reaching the Order real fast.

Come on, Tonks, think!

Think!

Suddenly, she was struck by an idea!

She pointed her wand at the tip of Bellatrix robe and whispered, "incendio."

A spark of fire appeared at the end of the cloth.

This distracted Bellatrix and she tried to stamp it out, loosing control of her wand. The jets of light began to flow discontinuously.

The fire caught on to the material quickly and she withdrew her wand, thus breaking the flow of power.

One of the seven beams of light reaching Voldemort disappeared and the ring of fire collapsed to the ground.

Tonks breathed a sigh of relief, wiping sweat off her forehead: she'd saved the Order.

Voldemort raised his head. "what happened to the seventh one?" he asked, looking around. "What happened, I say!!"

"Well, if you must know, one of your Inner Circle members got attacked by my trusted aurors and she's too busy fighting her off to remember that you need her at the moment," said a cool, husky voice. It was Dumbledore.

He smiled from a nearby bench.

"Albus…" Voldemort acknowledged him with scorn. "What a pleasant surprise-"

He held out his wand and wiped it through the air. "You were warned, I presume of my attack?"

"No," answered the headmaster, getting up and walking towards him.

"But you were prepared."

"You can say that."

"So how did you know?" growled Voldemort.

"I used my common sense," replied Dumbledore simply.

Voldemort's face darkened. "Where is the stone…?"

"I have no idea."

"Do not lie to the Dark Lord, you fool!" a voice shouted from a nearby raided house.

Dumbledore smiled and looked towards the top window, where he spotted movement. He raised his wand and blasted the wall next to the window. Out fell a deatheater, screaming and kicking until he reached the cemented ground below.

Crack.

"hhhmmmm…he is badly trained," noted Dumbledore. "Now, where were we-? Ah!"

He looked towards Voldemort. "Shall we begin?"

Voldemort raised his head proudly. "Of course…"

(xxx)

Locked in an endless duel, the two powers were challenging each other. Light from their wands reached up to the clouds and could be seen against the sky from many miles away.

The phoenix returning from its journey emitted a low cry seeing the odd spectacle of light.

Hermione pointed. "Oh-no!" she gasped.

Draco looked straight ahead to where the bird was descending and gulped…

The town was in ruins. Houses crumpled into their basements, the roads were strewn with logs of wood, damaged furniture and…bloodied bodies.

Hermione cringed behind him after seeing the scene. "All those people, they're…"

"Dead…" he finished, feeling his heart beat faster and faster. "He used the Ring of Fire…"

In the middle of the town where four streets met at a large cul-de-sac, the battle raged.

He saw werewolves tearing through the roads, hunting on young human flesh. They bound into houses through windows and came out drooling. Apparently, all the people were already dead in there… as they soared low above the rooftops, one of them looked up. Its bright red, bloodshot eyes narrowed into slits as it spotted the phoenix. It took in a deep breath, scrunched in its chest and emitted a long, dog-like howl.

"Oh, no! They're coming after us!" Hermione cried, pointing at the creatures raising their heads towards the sky and following the movement of the bird. "We're attracting too much attention!"

Draco steered the phoenix away from the cul-de-sac. He had to find some place the werewolves couldn't reach…like a water body or something. Or the top of a standing building or something. But where could he find one? Everything in town was destroyed.

He circled the town, looking for a secure place for landing, but there was not a single place free of fights or duels and werewolves teamed under their shadow wherever they went.

(xxx)

The glinting gold of the bird's feathers against the dark grey sky caught the eye of Lucius and Harry, both who were on fighting in different areas of the same town.

Harry knocked unconscious the deatheater in his arms and looked towards the sky, smiling in relief.

Hermione! She was back!

He put his hands around his mouth in an O-shape and called out, "HERMIONE!!"

Hermione looked down from the bird. Spotting Harry, she waved frantically to him.

"Look, there's Harry!" she told Draco in a happy whisper. "He's alright-!"

Draco's lips curled, hearing the bouncing joy in her voice.

He steered the bird away from him and dove behind a large, three floored, half-wrecked house.

"She's okay…" Harry told himself.

The joy and relief at finding his friend safe, even if it was in the arms of an enemy, overcame him completely.

"Ginny!" he called out to the red haired girl fighting a little away, "Its Hermione, she's okay!-"

But this call, on his part was the biggest mistake ever, because the minute Ginny turned towards him, the deatheater she was dueling with struck her in the chest with a powerful spell. She was blasted back and he heard her screaming before she fell onto the ground, unconscious.

Harry's senses literally went numb watching her collapse.

His heart seemed to stop beating and every passing split second appeared unreal.

"No. Ginny…"

Sound refused to come out of his throat and he was left mouthing like a fish, staring down at her unconscious body.

An odd kind of buzzing sounded inside his brain.

"You…" he looked towards the deatheater. "You – what've you done to her?!!"

The man in the hood laughed, laughed so loud, so boisterously, that he failed to see the spell coming his way…

The clouds roared with thunder. Rain started to pour.

Harry stepped over the man's body on the wet ground and leaned down next to Ginny.

He took her head in his lap and wiped the blood from the tiny scars on her face. "Ginny, please, talk to me," he urged, shaking her. "Please, talk…"

The rainwater fell over her face, washing on the wounds and wetting her hair. She looked pale and so weak.

"Please. Please, say something."

Harry shook her harder, tears forming in his eyes. "Please, Ginny. Ginny!"

He hugged her in his arms, soaking up the rain. Tears began to fall freely across his cheek as he planted he kiss on the top of her hair.

No, he wasn't about to lose her, he tried to assure himself.

She was strong, she was a fighter. She wouldn't give up her life so easily…

"Please…please…don't go…"

Like a miracle, he heard a weak cough.

(xxx)

Hermione put an umbrella charm over both of them and the whole bird to keep the water off them. She cast a special visibility charm on herself and Draco to allow them to see through the rain.

They had been flying for five whole minutes now, circling the town. The wolves kept on following them wherever they went and they couldn't land unless they could find high ground.

"Hey look!" Hermione pointed suddenly towards a cluster of burnt trees, where a few goblins were battling with werewolves. Her heart leaped at the possibility –

She spotted the goblin tribe marching its way into the town at the very end of the road.

The goblins were small, ugly and boisterous, but extremely powerful. Each and every goblin in the fleet carried a weapon and they seemed to want a go with the wolves. She called out to them, asking them to follow her.

"What're you doing?" asked Draco from the front. "You'll only draw more attention to yourself!"

"Turn the bird around, Draco. I'm going to lead the goblins to the werewolves!"

"And what do you think will happen then? The goblins have not taken sides."

"Neither have the werewolves, but they're mortal enemies…."

Draco smirked, seeing the situation in new light.

"Smart girl," he said and turned the bird around.

Sure enough, the plan worked! The goblins and werewolves fought among themselves and Draco and Hermione were free to land on the ground.

But all was not well on the ground.

Lucius was waiting for his son to get down from the bird. He stood composedly by a broken post, watching him help the girl down and spoke only after the bird had returned to the sky.

"Well done, Draco! You've managed to slip past the Dark Lord once again!"

Draco turned to him, an expression of pure loathing written across his face. "Yes I have, Father. And I'm sure He admires me for the clever use of occlumency taught by our dear old Serverus. None have been lucky enough so as to have passed every question of the Dark Lord deceptively, not even you, Father. You should be proud of me for having come this far…"

Lucius' lips twisted in a crooked smirk. "I should be proud of you? I don't think so…you're an embarrassment to me, you know that?"

He looked at Hermione and took her in with keen interest. "You said you had taken her to get answers, once in a while, that is. I'm not sure you remember."

"Of course, I remember. But I wasn't sure if you'd bought the story…"

"Well, I had and it was simply the biggest mistake I ever made! I shouldn't have let you go there!"

he walked coolly towards them, circled Hermione, and looked towards Draco. "She got you out?" he asked him coldly.

"Yes," he answered, shaking off the funny feeling that something bad was about to happen.

"Why?"

"Because-"

"Because he had saved my life-!" stared Hermione.

"Do not speak unless you are being spoke to, stupid girl!!" snarled the man, smacking her across the face.

Hermione gasped and touched her cheek. "Why, you monster-!" she was about to say, but then, caught sight of Draco's wand being pointed at Lucius' chest.

"Back off," he said sharply. "That's enough. She may have got me out because of whatever reason, but you, you're a father, and you're only son was about to be sentenced to the dementors and you didn't even come to say goodbye."

"Even if I came, would you have wanted to see me?"

Lucius raised his eyebrows at him. "You wouldn't want your last memories to be about someone who taught you how to kill, would you?"

He looked down at the girl once more. "You did this to him. You made him want to betray his real master," he told her.

"I told you that was enough!" said Draco with more force, tapping the wand on his chest. "Now, back off!"

Lucius smirked and took a step back, holding up his hands. "Now, Draco, you wouldn't be wanting to do that to your father, would you?" he looked at the wand and back at him. "You've always been my best buddy…"

"Shut up. I was never your best buddy. All you cared about was your wealth and blood. You never gave a damn about any friend of yours!"

"Now, you're starting to hurt me. Remember all the presents I used to send for Christmas? The pretty jewellery case and all?"

Draco's hand began to waver. "I know what you're trying to do to me, Lucius! But its not going to work this time!"

"Oh really? But it is working…you're putting your wand down…"

Lucius laughed menacingly.

"Draco, don't put it down!" urged Hermione, from beside him. She could see through the man's intention better than him. He was trying to sweet-talk him, then, get him defenceless so that he could kill him. She couldn't imagine anyone being so cold-hearted so as to kill one's own son. Carefully, she pulled out her own wand and hid it behind her.

Draco had brought his hand down, unable to curse him. There was distinct contempt and loathing written on his face.

"Draco! No! You must defend yourself!" Hermione was saying.

Suddenly, Lucius stopped laughing and brought out his own wand. There was a twisted expression on his face when he looked Draco in the eye. "I'm sorry, son-"

He was about to say the curse when he suddenly went numb. A jet of green light flashed around him from the back and he fell motionless into a wet puddle on the road.

Draco closed his eyes, clenching his fists.

Father, you're gone too…

He breathed a deep sigh and opened his eyes.

Standing before him was Harry Potter.

"Thank you," he said, trembling slightly.

Harry nodded and moved aside so that he could pass and look at the body of his father. He watched him crouch down beside the deatheater in the rain and take his hands in his.

He was so cold, even in death, thought Draco, feeling his hand. He rested it over his abdomen and sat by him silently.

You'll join mother. I know where she is. And you two will be happy again…

He looked into the dead, unmoving eyes of his father. The malicious glint in them had disappeared. It struck him only now that they had the exact same pair of eyes, except that he had seen beauty while his father had seen only wealth.

Sighing, he touched the face at the temples and closed them forever.

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A/N: eventful chapter ain't it? Eventful and exciting… ok, now I put this chapter up in a bit of a hurry, so there'll be plenty of mistakes(esp spl & grammar mistakes) to go around. Point them out and I'll gladly correct them

Next time: someone we love breathes his last breath….