I'm pleasantly surprised with myself. It has been no more than two weeks since I posted the last two chapters. I have to thank my sister for this though. If it weren't for her constant badgering for an update, this wouldn't have been written out so rapidly, ha! I intended on making the battle one chapter, but it grew far too long that I had to stop it at a certain point. Forgive me for any spelling or grammatical errors. I gave this a twice over to check for mistakes as my beta is far too busy to be able to read through it for me.
Draco was laying in bed, his eyes wide open as his stomach twisted with nerves. The sense of foreboding had never left him since the Easter holidays and over the past week it had grown worse. He wanted it to be over and done with already. He was exhausted, drained of energy both physically and mentally.
Ever since he had been forced to watch Hermione be tortured by his mad Aunt, every night had been punctuated with nightmares that had him sleeping fitfully and waking his class mates. After the first few nights following the torture, he began to cast a Silencing Charm before bed and since returning to Hogwarts, he had taken to sealing the curtains around his four-poster bed. After a week, he put off going to sleep for as long as he could, sometimes lasting a few days in which he did not sleep a wink, instead poring over another book he borrowed from the library.
It was impossible to cope with the same nightmare flashing before his eyes and no amount of Dreamless Sleep Potion would allow him a night of peaceful rest.
Tonight, the feeling intensified as a rumour spread like a virus at dinner within minutes. Potter, Weasley and Hermione had broken into Gringotts and had taken something of importance from the Lestranges' Vault before escaping on a dragon. Or so he had heard. He had watched as the news were whispered from one child to another and the students grew curious, excited, fearful and awed by the break-in. A chunk of the students were missing from the feast and Draco knew that they had not left the Room of Requirement. How they were getting their sustenance, he had no idea.
Nonetheless, he had not heard from his parents today so he could not verify whether the rumour was indeed true. He could only hope that it wasn't. Otherwise, the Dark Lord would be pissed beyond relief and was very likely to retaliate in the worst way possible.
I hope Aunt Bellatrix dies by his hand.
He turned to his side, and in the light from the end of his wand, he eyed the barrette nestled in his left palm. Having the hairpin with him at all times gave him little respite which he was thankful for, as he felt lost without it on his person. Whenever he laid his sights on the deep cerulean stone in the middle, he felt marginally less tense as the memory of icy snowflakes and faint music soothed his aching soul.
He bolted upright as soon as he felt it. The Dark Mark was burning, the meaning behind it as clear as day.
Harry Potter was in the castle.
And he knew, he wasn't dense enough to think otherwise, that the war would begin tonight.
He threw aside the bed coverings, unsealed the curtains and leapt out of bed. He had to hurry, he had no idea how long it would be before the Dark Lord arrived at the castle and he wanted to be prepared for battle.
He tore off his bedclothes, and put on yesterday's attire of black trousers and shirt. He hastily shoved his feet into the nearest pair of shoes he could find and made sure to double tie the laces. It would be the most idiotic, not to mention fatal, mistake to trip over his own boots in the middle of a duel with a Death Eater.
He stood up and scooped the hairpin up, deciding where best to store it. There would be no way on Earth he would leave it behind, in case he had to make a run for it. He daren't risk putting it in the pocket of his trousers. What if it flew out in mid-sprint? Or it got crushed under his weight should he be sent flying through the air.
Not seeing any other choice, he applied a Permanent Sticking Charm to it and attached the accessory to his inner ankle, securing his sock over it. The dragon-hide boots guarded the area of his ankles well enough so the accessory wouldn't be damaged by the motion of rubbing his legs together. He double checked the laces then clutched his wand. He checked his watch and found it was just after 11.
Undoing the Silencing charm he had cast on himself earlier in the night, he woke up the rest of the boys, Goyle proving to be the most difficult.
"Wake up, you giant lump. Potter's here!" Draco barked, poking the beefy boy in the arm with his wand. "Do it or I'll hex you into next week!"
"Is he really here?" Blaise Zabini asked sluggishly after yawning, rising from his own bed with the grace of a sloth.
"The Dark Mark burned. Unless the Carrows screwed up and summoned the Dark Lord for nothing, Potter is here!" Draco spun to face Goyle who was beginning to show signs of awaking. "Move it!"
"Calm down, Malfoy." Theodore Nott said from the other side of the room as Crabbe slunk over to Goyle's bed. Draco watched bemusedly as Crabbe pushed Goyle off the bed and onto the floor. Goyle swore at the rude awakening and made to grab his friend by the lapel of his flannel pyjamas.
"There's no time to be fighting like a married couple," Draco spat and Goyle froze in confusion. "War is coming."
Draco had no idea what to do now. Should he wake and the rest of the House or head out there and look for Potter? Where Potter went, Hermione was sure to follow. But where would they be? The castle was far too large for him to comb through in the span of a mere few minutes.
His nerves rattled, he heaved a sigh and settled for waking the other Slytherins, feeling every bit as useless as a Knut.
Soon enough everyone had been roused from their beds and gathered in the Common Room, most having pinned their travelling cloaks around their necks while the rest donned dressing gowns or casual attire. Quite some time passed with all of the students staring at the door in terse silence, the air thick with apprehension as yelling and crashing could be heard through the floors above their heads. Draco could have sworn he heard a stampede of metallic footsteps against stone. Were the suits of armor alive?!
He contemplated taking Crabbe and Goyle with him to investigate beyond the dungeons when
finally the door swung open to reveal Professor Slughorn.
"Oh, good! You're all up!" Slughorn exclaimed. "Head count, everyone! Line up, single file, please."
Slughorn located the prefects and beckoned them over.
"What's going on?" A second-year asked as it became apparent that Slughorn was trying to delay an inevitable announcement. They all had the general idea that Harry Potter had been sighted in the castle.
"We're evacuating from the castle. Y-you-Know-Who is coming." Slughorn panted. "Please form a line. We must convene with the others in the Great Hall in…"
Slughorn checked his watch, gasping, "Oh! Seven minutes! Hurry, you lot!"
In an orderly fashion, the entire Slytherin house marched to the Great Hall and Draco fought the urge to look over the head of the younger years in search for a particular somebody. His efforts were in vain as he was ushered across the Entrance Hall and into the Great Hall, his neck craning so far it almost hurt. They were commanded to sit at the Slytherin table as the rest of the Houses filed in.
At last Professor McGonagall swept into the Hall and took her place in the middle of the raised platform at the top of the room. Behind her stood all of the teachers and what Draco assumed to be the remaining members of the Order of the Phoenix. It appeared that they too had come to the castle with intent to fight. Surprisingly enough, the former Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Lupin, was present, standing almost directly behind McGonagall, next to the Weasley matriarch.
It hit him in that very moment just how serious this war was and how very likely so many lives would be lost this very night. Who knew how long the war would last?
"Good evening, students. As time is of utter importance, so that being said, I will make this rather short and quick." Professor McGonagall began. "All students must be aware that a battle will be taking place shortly here at Hogwarts and we wish no harm to our students. We, the teachers of Hogwarts, have decided that for all your sakes, we must send you away from the castle. Therefore, the evacuation will be overseen by Mr Filch and Madam Pomfrey. Prefects, when I give the word, you will organise your house and take your charges, in an orderly fashion, to the evacuation point.
Draco craned his neck, continuing his search for Hermione. He found Luna sitting at the Ravenclaw table, easily recognised by her dirty blonde tresses, and he was relieved to find that she was looking much healthier and livelier than when he had seen her last. He sought to make eye contact with her but she had her attention glued to the area of the platform.
"And what if we want to stay and fight?" A boy rose from the Hufflepuff table and a smattering of applause followed.
"If you are of age, you may stay."
Draco's hand tightened around his mother's wand, his mind made up. He was going to stay back and fight to the best of his abilities.
"What about our things? Our trunks? Our owls?"
Are you daft?!
"We have no time to collect possessions. The important thing is to get you out of here safely." Professor McGonagall replied, her tone even and devoid of impatience.
"Where's Professor Snape?" A girl's voice rose up from somewhere to the right of where he sat and he whipped his head around, finally noticing the Headmaster's absence.
"He has, to use the common phrase, done a bunk." As the professor said this, a great cheer had erupted from all tables except Slytherin. The Great Hall quickly quieted down as their attention was drawn by a movement by the great doors.
He heard, rather than saw, that Harry Potter had come in. But only him. Hermione was nowhere to be found. Nor was the Weasel? Had Potter left them behind, hopefully somewhere far, far away, to keep them safe? Is she safe?
"We have already placed protection around the castle, but it is unlikely to hold for very long unless we reinforce it. I must ask you, therefore, to move quickly and calmly, and do as your prefects-"
Professor McGonagall was drowned out by another voice that Draco recognised all too easily and the hairs on the back of his neck stood at end.
"I know that you are preparing to fight." the disembodied voice of Lord Voldemort spoke and several students began to scream, searching for the location. "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."
A pause.
"Give me Harry Potter, and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter and you will be rewarded. You have until midnight."
The silence that accompanied Voldemort's speech was deafening and Harry Potter was pinned under the sights of several hundred students, teachers, ghosts and warriors combined.
"But he's there! Potter's there!" Parkinson screeched, pointing. "Someone grab him!"
Before Draco knew it, there was a great movement as not only the Gryffindors, but also the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs stood up in waves, facing the Slytherin table, their wands raised in Harry Potter's defence.
"Thank you, Miss Parkinson." Professor McGonagall said in a clipped voice. "You will leave the Hall first with Mr Filch. If the rest of your house could follow."
Annoyed at Parkinson, all the Slytherins, Draco included, trooped out of the Great Hall like ants. Draco glared daggers at Pansy's back as he tried to formulate a plan. As they made their way up the stairs, Draco closed his hands over the shoulders of Crabbe and Goyal walking on either side of him. He shot them a look and they returned it with subtle nods, slowing down their steps until they were right at the end of the line. As soon as the group approached the evacuation point, Draco motioned for the boys to follow him and together they slunk along the wall and slipped behind a tapestry he knew held a secret passage.
He had no concrete plan. This passage led to the floor below them but the exit was too close to the staircases where they would come out in plain sight to all the evacuees.
"What now?" Goyle grunted.
"We wait." Draco said simply. "We can't risk being seen or else they will force us to leave the castle."
Draco sat on a step. "Goyle, be on the lookout. Merlin forbid, don't be obvious. Let me know when they're all gone."
More than twenty minutes had passed before Goyle announced that the floor had been clear for a little while. Draco checked his watch. Midnight was only a few moments away. The arm that counted down the seconds seemed to be going too fast for Draco's liking.
"Let's go downstairs." Draco said and just as he had pushed himself up from the steps, a chorus of bangs and spells erupted. "It's begun. Let's go!"
Together the three Slytherins hurried down the steps and Draco pushed the tapestry to the side and hastily let it fall back in place as a person flew past it. " Back! Back! Potter is heading for the Seventh floor!"
Tentatively, they crept their way out of the secret passage after casting Disillusionment charms at each other. They hurried along as quickly as they could without alerting Potter of their pursuit.
"Where the hell have you been?" Potter shouted as he skidded around yet another bend in the corridors.
"Chamber of Secrets." said a male.
"Chamber- what?"
"It was Ron, all Ron's idea!" Hermione's memorable voice made Draco freeze. "Wasn't it absolutely brilliant? There we were, after you left, and I said to Ron, even if we do find the other one, how are we going to get rid of it? We still hadn't got rid of the cup! And then he thought of it! The basilisk!"
"What the-?" Harry asked dumbly.
"Something to get rid of Horcruxes,"
Chamber of Secrets? Basilisk? Horcruxes? The cup?
'But how did you get in there? You need to speak Parseltongue!"
"He did!" Hermione whispered. "Show him, Ron!"
A hissing noise quickly followed. "It's what you did to open the locket. I had to have a few goes to get it right, but we got there in the end."
"He was amazing!" Hermione gushed. "Amazing!"
"So…" Harry struggled to keep up, and Draco felt the same too, amidst the swirling thoughts of rejection and envy. He told himself he was silly. He had known all along that he never stood a chance with the Muggleborn witch. In the end, he had no right to envy Ron Weasley. The only right he had regarding Hermione Granger was to watch over her from a distance, and protect her to the best of his ability throughout this war. Or die trying.
"So we're another Horcrux down." said Ron. "Hermione stabbed it. Thought she should. She hasn't had the pleasure yet."
"Genius!" yelled Harry.
"It was nothing. So what's new with you?"
As soon as Ron finished his sentence an explosion broke out overhead and the ceiling began to rain down dust upon them. Draco heard a distant scream, eerily reminded of his nightmare.
"I know what the diadem looks like, and I know where it is." Harry rambled. "He hid it exactly where I hid my old Potions book, where everyone's been hiding stuff for centuries. He thought he was the only one to find it. Come on."
Draco saw the faint outlines of his fellow Slytherins start following the Golden Trio and Draco followed after them, desperately trying to connect the dots.
A great door faded from sight and Draco paced along the wall three times, thinking. "I need to enter the Room of Hidden Things."
Potter, Weasley and Hermione had disappeared into the Room in order to find this diadem thing. Surely the Room would grant them access.
No such luck, he found. They moved to a place some ways away from the expanse of wall and knelt down, waiting.
Before long the door reappeared and one by one, in slow succession, an old woman trotted out of the room, then a woman that was vaguely familiar though he was sure he had never met her before in his entire life and finally the youngest of the Weasley brood stepped out. The door faded away again and they were forced to wait a little while longer as the battle took place several floors below them.
"Look!" Crabbe hissed, and sure enough, the Golden trio emerged out of the Room, clutching what looked like curved yellow cones. Draco watched as Potter and the rest glanced out of the nearest window into the grounds beneath them. As much as he'd like to see what the fuss was about, he stayed where he crouched.
Hermione looked healthy, Draco observed. Her clothes looked to be freshly laundered and her hair tied back tightly, perhaps to stop it from falling in front of her face. He couldn't see a trace of the scars Bellatrix created.
"Let's hope he steps on some of them!" Ron shouted.
"As long as its not any of our lot!" the woman from earlier shouted from the next window over.
"Good girl!" A bearded man, faintly reminding Draco of a rather rotund version of Professor Dumbledore, roared as he led a small group of students past them and the Slytherins had to flatten themselves against the wall lest they get trampled by the horde. "They look like they might be breaching the North Battlements. They've brought giants of their own!"
"Have you seen Remus?" the woman asked.
"He was duelling Dolohov! Haven't seen him since!"
"Tonks," Weaslette began as the woman apparently named Tonks followed after the old man. "Tonks, I'm sure he's okay-"
Draco finally realised that he had clapped eyes on his only cousin on his Mother's side for the first time in his life. He turned this information over in his mind.
"They'll be all right." said Potter. "Ginny, we'll be back in a moment, just keep out of the way, keep safe - come on!"
Potter let Weasley and Hermione to the wall, pacing across it three times and the three Slytherins strayed very close to where the door appeared. Draco waited until the door swung closed before jamming his foot in the way, effectively stopping the door from closing on them. This was far easier than trying to ask for entrance.
Crab pushed past Draco with every intent of barging into the Room and Draco halted him. "Hold it! I want to listen!"
"He thought he was the only one. Too bad for him I had to hide stuff in my time… this way." Potter said. "I think it's down here…"
The three young men, with Draco at the forefront waited until the sound of footsteps grew faint before slipping in fully. The others were barely in sight, their position given away by a flash of red hair. They crept softly on their tiptoes after them, the large room echoing their footsteps.
"Accio diadem!" Hermione summoned to no success apparently for Potter suggested they split up and gave them a description of the location and the diadem.
Together they set off, trailing after Potter as Draco steadfastly tried not to be affected by the sight of Hermione and the Weasel clasping hands before splitting up into different aisles. They went on for quite a while until Potter stopped in front of an old cupboard and for the first time tonight, he recognised his own wand in Potter's grip.
Draco beckoned the boys backwards a little bit more so they could remove the Disillusionment charms. Once the removal of the charms rendered them fully visible, they turned the corner once more.
"Hold it, Potter." Draco called out coolly, surprised at his composure. Potter whirled around in shock and his expression darkened, no doubt cursing the fact that he was thwarted by a bunch of Slytherins this so very close to the end. "That's my wand you're holding, Potter."
"Not any more." Potter jeered, tightening his grip on the hawthorn wand. "Winners, keepers, Malfoy. Who's lent you theirs?"
"My mother," said Draco and Potter laughed dryly.
"How come you three aren't with Voldemort?" Draco internally winced at the mention of the Dark Lord's name.
"We're gonna be rewarded." Crabbe grinned. "We 'ung back, Potter. We decided not to go. Decided to bring you to 'im."
"Good plan," Potter said sarcastically, and Draco could see that he was edging backwards towards the stone statue. It was then he noticed the tiara sitting lopsided on top of the ratty wig. Potter needed the tiara, and Draco needed to help him stall for time before Crabbe and Goyle attacked him. "So how did you get in here?"
"I virtually lived in the Room of Hidden Things all last year," he said, disappointed by the way his voice sounded so pathetic. "I know how to get in."
"We was hiding in the corridor outside," Goyle grunted. "We can do Diss-lusion Charms now! And then you turned up right in front of us and said you was looking for a die-dum! What's a die-dum?"
"Harry?" Weasley called from a little ways away, separated by a wall of junk. "Are you talking to someone?"
Seeing his chance, Crabbe shouted "Descendo!" at the bottom of a 50 foot pile, which then began to topple over to the side where Weasley surely was.
"Ron!" Potter bellowed as Draco turned, furious at Crabbe. Somewhere a little further away, he could hear Hermione screaming. Potter shouted,"Finite!"
Draco saw Crabbe aim his wand at the bottom of the same pile and lunged for his arm. "No! If you wreck the room, you might bury this diadem thing!"
Crabbe wrenched his arm free from Draco's grip. "What's that matter? It's Potter the Dark Lord wants, who cares about a die-dum?"
"Potter came in here to get it," Draco began, "So that must mean-"
" 'Must mean'?" Crabbe repeated fiercely, turning on Draco. "Who cares what you think? I don't take your orders no more, Draco. You an' your dad are finished."
"Harry?" Weasley shouted again. "What's going on?"
"Harry?" Crabbe mimicked as Draco watched as Potter leapt for the tiara. "What's going- no, Potter! Crucio!"
Draco could only watch as the curse missed Potter by mere inches but it hit the stone bust behind him, sending it flying through the air and with it, the tiara, until it could no longer be seen.
"STOP!" Draco shouted, latching once again on Crabbe's thick arm. "The Dark Lord wants him alive-"
"So? I'm not killing him, am I?" Crabbe threw off his grip. "But if I can, I will. The Dark Lord wants him dead anyway, what's the diff-?"
A red jet sped past their faces and Draco tugged Crabbe out of the way from the Stunning Spell sent by Hermione as she revealed herself. He admired her aim though, for had he not moved Crabbe out of the way, he would have been Stunned squarely in the forehead.
Crabbe snarled as he rounded on her. "It's that Mudblood! Avada Kedavra!"
Draco's eyes bulged out of his skull as he followed the jet of green light speed across him. He stopped breathing, filled with paralysing fear that only abated when Hermione dived out of the way from the curse's path.
Filled with rage, Potter aimed another Stunning Spell right at Crabbe. Crabbe tumbled into Draco knocking his mother's wand into the midst of the junk. He was beyond furious with Crabbe and he could feel the hatred spread through his veins hotly. He was going to kill Crabbe!
"YOU IDIOT!" Draco hissed as he scrabbled around quickly, looking for the wand, before giving up. He saw that both Goyle and Crabbe were now pointing their wands at Potter and he was reminded of his true purpose. "Don't kill him! DON'T KILL HIM!"
"Expelliarmus!" A wand flew out of Goyle's hand at the same time Draco ducked to avoid Hermione's second Stunning spell. A full Body-Bind curse whizzed in front of him and narrowly missed Crabbe. Crabbe whirled around in retaliation and fired another Killing Curse, this time directed towards Weasley. The green jet missed its target as the red-head leapt out of the way.
Cursing the fact that he still could not find his mother's wand, he almost failed to notice Hermione charging towards them. He twisted around a wardrobe as he avoided another red flash.
He panted, blinking as he struggled to wrap his head around the events.
"It's somewhere here!" Potter called. "Look for it while I go and help R-"
"HARRY!" Hermione screamed and Draco chanced the opportunity to peer around the side of the wardrobe, just as a roaring noise erupted from the end of the aisle. He found Weasley and Crabbe running full speed up to them, just as monstrous flames, the biggest he had ever seen, began to swallow everything in its cursed path. Draco roared as he heard Crabbe say, "Like it hot, scum?"
The fire could not be controlled, Draco saw, and there was no choice but to run through the labyrinth and hope not to be caught in the vicious heat. Potter was uselessly shouting 'Aguamenti" at the flames.
"RUN!" Potter roared and they did not need to be told twice. Not one to leave anyone behind, Draco grabbed Goyle and dragged him as fast as he could. Crabbe outstripped them all, now fearful of his spell casting.
Draco looked behind him to find that the fire was mutating, taking on the appearance of beasts and the word 'Fiendfyre' crossed his mind. He could not wait to get his hands on Crabbe and strangle the hell out of him!
All of a sudden, he had lost the Golden Trio and he began panicking, glancing quickly around them, hoisting Goyle's unconscious body up properly against him as he desperately tried to think of a solution. The flames were hot on their heels and he strained to pull Goyle up onto a short tower of junk.
Just as he did so, he heard the familiar rumbling of broomsticks and looked up to Potter circling above him. Draco desperately raised an arm, tightening his hold on Goyle. Potter dived, but Draco's sweaty hand slipped through his grasp.
"IF WE DIE FOR THEM, I'LL KILL YOU HARRY!" Weasley yelled and Draco snorted just as the red-head dived down, Hermione clutching on for dear life. Hermione reached out and Draco lifted Goyle's arm so that she could hoist him on the broom behind her and up they went. Potter dived one last time and yanked Draco onto the broom.
The smoke was much, much thicker up here and it was almost impossible to see. Breathing was becoming a chore too and he vaguely registered the fact that he was screaming in Potter's ear as they searched for the exit. Draco felt the broom turn around and descend and he began screaming again.
"What are you doing? What are you doing? The door's that way!"
He caught a glint of silver as it looped around Potter's wrist. Potter swerved again just as a fiery serpent lashed at them, singeing the broomstick at the very end of the twigs. Draco grabbed onto Potter around the waist so tightly for fear of falling off the broom. He shut his eyes as he begged for his life.
And then they collided with something very hard and Draco was relieved to feel the cool air against his skin. He coughed, gasped and then began to retch rather unattractively as he grappled against the stone floor for support.
Crabbe! Draco scanned the nearby area as he did not remember seeing him on a broom.
"C-crabbe" Draco choked, as he dragged himself over to Goyle's still-unconscious body. "C-crabbe…"
"He's dead." Someone said harshly. He blinked as he tried to process that information. Instead, he decided to focus on Hermione as his mind was far too jumbled by now. She was covered head to toe in soot, her lovely hair burnt at the ends, slightly smoking. He wondered if he looked the same too.
Draco continued to cough up a lung, feeling like his chest was on fire due to the smoke inhalation. He did not want to see fire, or feel such scorching heat like that, ever again for the rest of his life.
He passed out.
Here's a note for a particular anonymous reviewer that complained of how this fic was in the Severus/Hermione folder when this was a Draco/Hermione fic and instructed that I edit the settings. I want to address this, not just for the other writers, but also the readers too. This fic clearly has Hermione and Draco as a pairing, as the names are in a bracket with each other, and Severus and Narcissa were outside the bracket. I included them as I felt they had a significant part in Draco's development. I am not going to change any of the settings, because I am happy with the way it is. If you searched for a Severus/Narcissa fic, this would show up. If you looked for a Draco/Severus fic, this would also show up, but the brackets containing Hermione and Draco's names will still be visible. There is nothing I as a writer can do. Only the admins of the website can deal with this issue so please take it up with them.