The Fall Of Darkness
by kittenvks
warnings: SLASH YAOI MALE MALE HOMOSEXUALITY! - can't get much clearer than that o.0 also, there will be a bit of angst, lots of fighting, laughing, flamers to the left.
disclaimer: I own nothing, especially not Harry Potter and co.
Chapter Eleven: An Attack
The higher the level of the Ministry, the more people recognized Draco and the more glared at him. He quickly became self conscious, reaching up to grab the hood of his cloak. Hermione's hand shot out, grabbing his arm,
"Don't. Don't worry about them, Draco. They won't pull anything, they're just ignorant. Everyone knows Harry had you cleared of charges."
"Still... it's disconcerting." Draco replied, choosing to ignore them. He still held his head high, his shoulders back. He still looked the Aritrocratic part that his father had. Draco was a Malfoy, afterall. It didn't take them long to reach the Auror department, the doors swinging open in front of them in recognition of Hermione's magical signature. Not as many memos flew about here, it was a large room, filled with around fifty oak desks, each one for a different Auror. Two desks sat at the front of the room, for the Head Auror- Harry, and his second in command- Ron. Yet they weren't there. Hermione frowned, scanning the room and the other Aurors, no one had noticed them yet.
"That's odd," she mumbled, "they weren't supposed to go out in the field today..."
"Maybe something came up?" Draco asked, looking around. No one seemed to be particularly busy, no serious emergency anyway.
"Oi! Hermione, how are... you?" An Auror asked, approaching. Draco recognized him as Seamus Finnigan.
"I'm fine, Seam. You remember Draco, don't you?" Hermione replied, acknowledging that Seamus was unabashedly staring at her companion.
"Finnigan, nice to see you again." Draco said cooly, staring straight back at him. Seamus' mouth snapped shut.
"Yeah, Malfoy, I guess. Harry and Ron aren't here right now, 'Mione. There was a large fire not far from the Burrow Ron said. Magical fire, caused by Veelas. They can control fire," Seamus said, informing Draco who smirked.
"Oh? Interesting," he replied, not bothering to point out that he very well knew that.
"Are you sure it's safe?" Hermione asked, looking about worriedly, "it doesn't look like many Aurors went with them."
"Ah, you know Harry. When the reports came in, they said there was no one there now. Two Veelas had flown off. Harry was worried they might attack again so he and Ron went alone. They just went to see what they were burning and put it out. No big deal, so don't be too hard on them." Seamus said jovially.
"There was nothing anyone knew of there to set on fire?" Draco asked suspiciously. Seamus nodded,
"Yeah, nothing there but an old shack or two. Probably be a dead body in there or something," Seamus replied, looking a bit taken aback by Draco's sudden interest.
"Why would they do that? Way out in the middle of nowhere?" Hermione asked, feeling Draco's suspicion.
"To not get caught," Seamus replied as Draco said the exact opposite, "to set a trap." Hermione gasped, reaching for her wand.
"Where's the location?!" she asked, just as alarms went off- signalling an attack on Auror's in the field. Hermione didn't have to look to know Ron and Harry's faces were on the alarm clock.
"I'm not sure!" Seamus yelled over the alarm, "Harry and Ron took the reports- it'll take a bit to figure it out!" He was yelling over his shoulder, already running to the front of the room where Harry and Ron's reports would be.
"The Burrow? Where is that?!" Draco yelled over the commotion, "Can you apparate with me there?!" Hermione nodded, reaching out to grab him as they disapparated.
Draco landed lithely, much like a cat, crouched down, fingers on the ground. Talons had already sprouted, his tail was cracking in the air behind him. He reached out to grab Hermione, pulling her down in the tall reeds. They had apparated just outside the wards of the Weasley's Burrow. Draco could feel them burning behind him, reacting to where he'd had a dark mark. Ahead of him, he could see smoke billowing into the air- a large fire, though still some distance off.
"We'll have to apparate again," Hermione said, eyeing the smoke as three winged Veelas burst from it, pausing a moment in the air as a spell barely missed one and another hit it's mark, pushing a Veela back. Draco nodded curtly and they disapparated again, just far out enough to be seen. They went seperately this time, because Draco could see his mark. There was no need to side apparate and when Hermione landed, crouching instantly, she did not see him. They had chosen different marks.
Harry's voice screamed out a spell, pushing another Veela back and Hermione could see that they were both taking shelter in one of the shacks, the other one, not far off blazing with flames. Nearby another Veela lay dead, sliced to pieces. Hermione snuck around, trying to enter the shack from the back. There didn't appear to be any Veelas there and she stood from the reeds, moving quickly and bravely toward an open window.
"ALIABICIO!" was all she heard, Draco's voice ringing clear from somewhere to her right, a Veela falling, wingless and broken with a terrible wail right in front of her. She watched in horror as it's wings seemed to break and wither, shattering as it screamed and died. "GO GO GO!" Draco was yelling. She snapped to, diving through the open window and nearly getting struck by a curse thrown from Ron.
"It's me!" she cried, diving away.
"What are you doing here?!" Ron cried, pulling her to him in an embrace, "it's too dangerous!"
"Draco's here too! He just brought one down!" Hermione yelled back over the roar of the fire and the shrieking of the Veelas. They had discovered their missing member.
"Where?!" Harry yelled, trying to peek out the window they'd broken. Hermione shook her head,
"I don't know! I thought he'd follow me!" Hermione cried back, glancing around frantically. The blonde was nowhere to be seen. A blast of fire burst through the window, singing Harry's hair and robes as he dove away. Ron sprayed him with cool water while Hermione tried to put out the blaze.
"We can't hold out here forever! There are still five out there!" Harry yelled, the shack was old, dried out. It would make excellent kindling. Hermione didn't doubt it that they'd spent the most of the fight putting out fires and just keeping the Veelas at bay. This did not look good. There was another shriek.
"That was my CHOSEN HARRY POTTER! You will PAY!" a Veela shrieked, obviously mourning the death of her lover that Draco had just maimed. Another burst of flames headed toward them again, bursting the door open. All three of the Golden Trio dove away from it, spraying it with water.
Then there was a sound none of them had ever heard, a sort of wail that sounded a lot like an eagle attacking and a Harpy shrieking, all mixed into one.
"LEAVE!" Came the call, they recognized Draco's voice and they all scrambled to the open and broken door, looking out.
"We do not fear you, dear inpennatus!" one of the female Veelas, the one that had screamed at Harry called from the air, laughing.
"What can *you* do, inpennatus? You have nothing but your bravery!" Another called, also laughing.
"I SAID LEAVE, LAST CHANCE!" Draco roared, his fists clenching, a wand in one.
"You leave, leave us to the wizards!" the third one called, pulling back a bit and looking confused. He was questioning Draco's bluff.
"THEY ARE UNDER MY NAME!" Draco roared, a very low growling sound coming from his chest. Ron snorted and Hermione elbowed him.
"DRACO! GET in HERE!" Harry yelled, looking as though he was going to rush out. Ron held on to him.
"MALFOY! ARE YOU NUTTERS?!" he yelled out, holding tightly to Harry even though he wasn't struggling. Draco ignored them.
Realizing that Draco was, in fact, familiar with the wizards in the shack and the one that had killed her mate, the first one dove in attack. Draco easily evaded her, stepping to the side and grabbing her lashing tail, wrapping it around his arm as Harry had done his. Then, he slung her, pushing her to the ground as he deftly let go of the tail- blood dripping down his fingers. She shrieked, lashing with her talons but Draco caught her arm with his, his other coming around to slash her. Her wings beat forward and he pushed back, releasing her. The wings just barely missed enveloping him. She pulled them back, smiling evilly and he lunged again, this time he hit his mark. His talons ripped through her lower stomach, blood spurting everywhere. His tail cracked around with a sickening crack and tearing sound, ripping a wing from her body- severing it cleanly at a joint. She fell, writhing, to the dirt.
Covered in blood and grinning in such a way that all three Gryffindors found they were holding their breath, Draco turned, glancing up at the other two.
"How many more will die before you leave?" he asked, his voice cool and calm, "That's two. Don't think I don't smell you either," he hissed, turning to look at a large nearby oak. Hermione hadn't seen the two Veelas in it's branches until then.
Another Veela, one they recognized to have been a Slytherin ahead of their class laughed.
"Did your chosen rip your wings from you, Draco? You are weak, as you have always been!" he laughed. Draco just shrugged.
"If I am so weak, McClain, please- come take me out. Show me what a disgrace I am!" The Veela shook his head, gesturing for the two treed Veelas to come forward with a wave of his hand,
"Orion! Tibbault! Show our *dear* inpennatus what he's made of. Litterally." Draco spun on his heel as the swept down to him, two matching sets of black wings and talons and fangs bearing down. Draco took his attack stance, his hands pushing outward and a stream of fire seemed to enveloped one of them like a snake, dropping it to the ground- wailing.
"Ah! So you *have* been near your chosen!" McClain called, rolling and laughing in the air as he landed. The other Veela did nothing, watching coldy as her companion burnt and did nothing to put him out, waiting. As McClain approached the other Veela- the doubtful one- landed as well and together they began their slow walk toward Draco. He sneered at them, backing up toward the shack. They stopped, their wings poised back behind them except for McClain who wrapped his around himself like a cloak. "Your wings were so pretty, Draco. You could have defeated me then, you can not now. I will find out which one is your Chosen and kill the others. I will then spend the rest of the day with them, letting them slowly bleed to death." Draco let out a sharp laugh, grinning.
"My Chosen is not here, no one knows them, you'll never find them," he cooed.
At that moment, the two Veelas flanking McClain raised their hands, flames catching the entire roof of the shack ablaze. All three Gryffindors rushed out, realizing the flames were too much to put out. Draco hissed, his tail cracked.
"We want Harry Potter, Draco. You may have the other two," McClain said, as if this were all a business deal. Draco smirked, moving himself to the far right of the Golden Trio. "I'll not follow your distractions either." McClain added, lunging forward a bit towards the Head Auror. Harry jumped back, wand drawn and flung a hex that merely slid off the magical wings. Draco snarled, and like a flash he yelled the same incantation, dropping the doubtful Veela as he raced forward and placing himself between the three and McClain.
"Seems doubtful, Draco." The other Veela said, rushing forward to grab Hermione. Draco seemed to flip over, tackling her and grinding her to the ground as Ron and Harry hit her with a string of hexes. McClain lunged forward, grabbing Draco and flinging him off of her, his wings beating hard and hitting the blonde. The Veela on the ground screeched, writhing in pain, one of her wings lay limp at her side- broken. Draco fell to the ground hard, rolling and crying out. McClains tail lashed out as he dove for Draco and Harry Ron and Hermione stood united, casting spells in his direction. One finally struck and he fell limp, laying on top of Draco who was making the strange eagle sound again, struggling to get out from beneath him.
The three Aurors rushed forward to him as he stood, holding his tail to him and looking dejected. He rose his wand toward the and they stopped dead, confused.
"ALIABICIO!"
Another Veela, one they hadn't seen, fell writhing and screaming behind them. They turned in shock, watching as her wings twisted and tore apart as she died. Nearby in the bushes a Veela took off, taking flight and crying out. Two black swirls- Death Eaters- took out after her, laughing. They were too far away to strike.
"I'll give you two choices," Draco hissed through clenched teeth. "you can all either stay with me, or I can stay with you. *That* was not normal." He staggered forward a bit, Ron catching him deftly before he fell and he hissed in pain, straightening himself. There was the sound of yelling as Aurors apparated in, wands drawn. Harry calmed them, holding up his hand, and went forward to tell them what had happened.
"Draco, we've got to get you to St. Mungos!" Hermione said. Ron nodded,
"You need medical attention Malfoy." Draco scowled at him, sitting down hard in the dirt.
"I will need no such thing. I knew what I was doing and I'll be fine. I will wait here, with you lot. You will go nowhere without each other and myself. They're not just attacking... there's some sort of plan..." he hissed again, wincing as he adjusted himself. Harry was rushing back over, kneeling beside him.
"Draco, how bad are you hurt?" he asked, looking concerned.
"I'm fine. Or I will be."
"He's insisting on staying with us." Ron said, "says we all need to stay together- there's some sort of plan, or something."
"Then we need to stay together at St. Mungos!" Hermione said, kneeling beside Draco as well.
"No. I'll be fine. Too many people there, if they followed or attacked, lots of lives would be lost. I make healing potions, remember? I'll be alright once I get to my shop." Draco snapped, looking irritated.
"Then, go." Harry said, leaning back for Draco to disapparate.
"You lot go first, I'll follow." Draco said, looking around at the small batches of bushes and trees, some blazing with flames as the Aurors began putting them out. There were a lot of hiding places.
"Draco-" Harry began.
"I am not so hurt, Mr. Potter, that I can not defend myself. If you don't go first, I won't. And you are incapable of *making* me do anything, short of an Unforgivable." Draco cut him off. Hermione sighed,
"let's just go, then!" and with a soft pop she was gone. Ron sighed and was the next to go. Harry glared at Draco who just glared back.
"Fine. But we're going to talk about this- it isn't over." Harry snapped, giving in and disapparating away. Draco smiled and was gone.