A/N: I'm baaaaaack. I had a great time in Rhode Island and NYC over the last six days. Broke as hell with a sprained finger on my left hand but it was all totally worth it. We went to the Comedy Cellar on Monday night, and AZIZ ANSARI made a surprise appearance cause he's trying out jokes for his SNL gig this weekend. I about died. Anywho. Apologies to those of you who should've gotten little preview presents and didn't because of my travels. I appreciate your reviews :) Without further ado (more notes at the end)...
xi.
As the four teenagers reached the Great Hall and Hermione pushed open the large double doors, Voldemort's magically amplified voice filled the room.
I know that you are preparing to fight. Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood. Give me Harry Potter, and they shall not be harmed. Harry and Ginny slowly moved into the hall, and all eyes turned to them. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded. You have until midnight. Draco and Hermione, wands at the ready, stepped up behind Harry and Ginny, who were equally alert as silence filled the hall.
Trepidation filled Hermione's heart as she looked around at the students and adults convened in the hall, who were all staring back at her. The Order had arrived, as well as more alumni. Magic sparked in the air around them, evidence of the advanced wards that had been put in place around the castle. After the moment of thick silence, Professor McGonagall started moving again as if nothing had happened. She turned to Nymphadora Tonks and Neville's grandmother, instructing them to evacuate underage students using the secret passage in the Room of Requirements.
"But there he is!" Pansy Parkinson shrieked. "There's Harry Potter!" her unmistakable voice pierced through all the different sounds filling the hall. "Someone grab him! Draco!" She was pointing, her finger wagging hysterically in the air. Draco groaned audibly beside them and visibly flinched at the familiar sound. Harry, Ginny, and Hermione turned to look at him as he felt the entirety of the room follow with their eyes. He swallowed thickly before taking a step forward and to the side, standing in front of Harry. All of the witches and wizards clad in maroon and gold followed suit, and they were followed quickly by the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. The Slytherins were the only ones standing apart from the shifted group.
Professor McGonagall intervened, turning to Horace Slughorn and asking him to please lead the Slytherins to the seventh floor so they can evacuate with the underage students and to please check on the Carrow siblings, whom they had discreetly locked in the dungeons. Then McGonagall made her way to the Chosen One and his companions, staring pointedly at Draco but saying nothing of or to him. "Potter," she said in greeting, "We set up defenses around the castle, but we aren't sure how long they'll hold." McGonagall looked around them at the walls and ceiling, as if to check and make sure the magic was still holding up. "What can we do to help you?" she asked, looking back at the scraggly haired wizard.
"We need to get to the snake," Harry responded with a frown. "Which means we need to get to Voldemort."
McGonagall's mouth dropped open a little, and Draco turned to Hermione for her reaction. "I think you need to use your connection, Harry," she said, looking at her friend sympathetically. Draco's eyes grew wide. A connection? To Voldemort? He shuddered at the thought of being so interconnected to the evil wizard. He turned to Harry whose eyes had seemingly glazed over as he stared off into the distance without seeing.
"He's in the Shrieking Shack with Snape," Harry said, life returning to his deep green eyes. McGonagall grimaced at the mention of the conveniently missing headmaster. "The snake is in some clear orb thing."
"We have to go," Draco said, stepping forward and further into the group.
"You want to go with us to find Voldemort and try to kill the snake?" Ron — who had moved into the group during the great shift after Pansy's outburst — asked the blonde skeptically.
"That's my godfather he's with," Draco said, narrowing his eyes and crossing his arms defiantly over his chest. "I'm going with you."
"C'mon," Hermione said through gritted teeth as she grabbed the sleeve of Ron's robe and tugged him forward, growing tired of her friends' insistence on disbelief that Draco was willing to help them. The trio, Ginny, and Draco left the Great Hall, with significant nods toward their professor, and headed out toward the Whomping Willow. With wands at the ready, they blocked spells from death eaters' wands and sent hexes toward them. They backed up the Order and DA members they passed, helping when and where they could. Ginny growled when she caught sight of the twins, fighting the Lestrange men back to back. They were losing the upper hand. She turned to Ron, whose eyes blazed with the same fury she felt.
With a determined nod to Harry, who understood completely, the Weasley siblings went off to defend their own, leaving Draco, Hermione, and Harry to finish the trek to the Whomping Willow. They dodged spells and duels and creatures as they went, jumping away from explosions and debris. When they reached the magical tree, gasping for breath and a little worse for the wear, Hermione sliced a thin branch off and levitated it over the hidden button that controlled the Whomping Willow. When the tree was neutralized, she gestured for the two men to follow her.
After they made their way through the underground passageway, they ended up looking through cracks in the floor as they watched the two wizards speaking above them. Voldemort, with his snake-like voice, was asking the potions master why he couldn't get the Elder Wand to work properly for him. It did his usual magic just fine, but there was no trace of the legendary magic the wand was supposed to possess. The sound of the dark wizard's voice made Draco's stomach twist uncomfortably. It wasn't a good tone; it was a tone of mockery, a tone of twisted glee. Hermione, Draco, and Harry had finally created a formation beneath the floor so they could all somewhat see the events transpiring in the shack. They watched as Voldemort hissed casually, and Harry stilled beside them, his eyes going wide. Draco buried his face into Hermione's shoulder to keep him from crying out as they heard the snake move in on the headmaster. The sound of Voldemort apparating from the premises was enough to cause Harry to push himself into the room, seeing Snape on the ground covered in blood. The snake was nowhere to be found. Draco tumbled in after him and rushed toward his godfather.
"No!" he screamed, but his voice was a whisper. Harry watched awkwardly as the Slytherin reached Snape and frantically began performing healing spells over his body. "Draco," the potions master mumbled through the blood overflowing in his mouth. Snape's shaking hand moved to grasp Draco's. A tear slid down the Malfoy heir's sharp nose, dropping into the pool of blood at Snape's stomach. "Draco," he groaned again, stopping the man's healing charms, knowing it was no use. A sob escaped Draco's lips as he shook his head. "Draco," Snape said again, "I need you to take these." He held a trembling finger up to his temple, and Draco managed to hold his wand to the spot on his godfather's head, pouring the silvery wisps of memories into a vial Snape had pointed to in his robe pocket. "Harry," Snape continued, sliding his eyes around the room without being able to move his head. He found the boy in question and stared intently at him. "He must see these now," he managed, his voice coming weaker than before.
Harry stared uncomfortably back at the potions master, emerald green eyes meeting dark black ones. "I will," Draco nodded quickly, trying to keep his emotions in check. "I'll make sure he sees them. I promise."
Snape's eyes never left Harry's as Draco struggled to hold the dying man's head up. "I'm so...sorry," Snape said as his arms fell limp at his sides and his head lolled against Draco's trembling grip. His eyes fogged over. He was dead.
A/N: omg please don't hate me. I apologize to the Snape fans out there. I loved writing Snape. I hated having to do this. Ugh. Thanks to you for still following this story, and thanks to my lovely beta, JadePresley. Parts of this chapter were taken from "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by JK Rowling; I am making no profit from this story other than the kind words of my readers.