Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Just to warn everybody, this chapter is more gruesome than it's been in a while. Well, enjoy!
Chapter Twenty-One
Harry sat up with a start, certain that he'd heard the tell-tale crack of Apparition. But of course, that was impossible, since Hermione had warded the area against Apparition with the exception of Harry, Draco, Ron, and herself.
Draco. Draco wasn't in bed with him, wasn't in the tent…and someone had just Apparated. Fighting back a mixture of fury and panic, Harry pushed out of the covers and placed his glasses on his face, just in time to see the tent flap open.
Draco started noticeably when he saw that Harry was awake, as he'd probably assumed that Harry had slept through the whole thing. And, judging by the guilty expression on his face, he'd likely been planning to keep Harry in the dark about his midnight liaisons.
Draco broke eye contact with Harry, nonchalantly replacing the tent flap.
"I thought you'd still be asleep," he said carefully. "I know how hard it is to wake you."
Harry gave a sharp laugh, pulling himself to his feet to stand facing Draco. Suppressing the urge to shake him harshly by the shoulders, Harry managed to ask between gritted teeth, "where did you go?"
Draco looked at him dully for a moment. Oddly enough, none of his usual defenses seemed to be clanging to the surface as they were usually apt to do. He sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly.
"I think you know, Harry," he said quietly, yawning as if it were an afterthought. "So, please yell at me quickly, because I really would like to get some sleep. I wasn't lying about that." He pushed past Harry, jostling him slightly, and quickly threw his robes into a haphazard pile on the floor.
"Why?" Harry demanded harshly. Draco, midway through removing his second shoe, shrugged.
"I wasn't aware I needed your express permission to leave, Harry." He rolled his eyes. "I'll consult you in the future, not to worry. I won't make the same mistake twice…"
Harry rounded on him furiously, knocking him off-balance to land on their bed. Draco glared up at him, his breaths ragged. "Quite a temper you've got there, Potter."
Harry pounced on him, gripping his shoulders tightly enough to leave marks, yet not caring. Draco winced, but didn't attempt to pull away, merely staring up at Harry with glassy eyes.
"You fucking idiot!" Harry all but yelled, glad for the sound proof barrier between them and Ron and Hermione. "You could have been walking into a trap, you could have been killed or captured…and I would have just been here, wondering where you were, not knowing…"
"I was meeting my father, Harry," Draco spat, a spark of anger finally flashing in his eyes. "And I didn't just go there blind, I knew what I was doing."
"And if something had gone wrong? If it had been Voldemort waiting for you instead of your father?"
Draco rolled his eyes again, finally trying to jerk away from Harry's steadfast grip. "Just stop it, Harry. I knew it was safe because the blood magic on the parchment had a Malfoy signature, and the meeting place he chose is warded to prevent non-Malfoys from passing without permission. So you see, it was perfectly safe."
"Perfectly safe?" Harry asked incredulously. "Then why sneak around at all? Why not just tell me upfront, or even let me go with you?"
Draco attempted once more to squirm out of his grasp. "I'm tired, Harry," he said in resignation. "Please, just let me go."
"No. You didn't answer my question."
"Why, Harry? You're always saying how much you trust me. Maybe you should prove it."
Now it was Harry's turn to roll his eyes. "Don't change the subject."
Draco shuddered, then fixed Harry with a determined glare. "It wasn't safe for you, you idiot."
"Draco," Harry said quietly, finally letting his grip loosen. "I…"
Draco wrenched his arms free, rolling out from under Harry and curling into a ball. "Just leave it, Harry," he said in a scratchy voice. "There are things I need to tell you…but I'm just really tired."
Clearly, something was wrong, and when Harry climbed over Draco to face him, he was unsurprised to see tears streaking his face. Draco made a furious sound, swiping at his face with the heels of his hands.
"Draco," Harry murmured, running a hand soothingly down his spine, his anger abating into relief and concern. "What's wrong? Did something happen to your parents?"
"My mother," he said hoarsely, leaning against Harry. "He - Voldemort - is going to kill her, I know it. And there's not a single fucking thing I can do about it."
Harry felt a wave of regret wash over him. They had both known Lucius and Narcissa's lives were more or less forfeit the moment of their escape. But now, being confronted with it, Harry could only imagine the pain Draco was feeling.
"But they've been alright this far, right?" he asked gently, forcing hope into his voice, though mostly devoid of it himself. "I mean, your father managed to meet you, so that's good…"
Draco snorted even as his eyes brightened with fresh tears and he looked away. "My father is more concerned with the survival of the Malfoy line, Harry, than ensuring his own, or my mother's, life," he whispered bitterly. "Meeting me, giving me the information he did… helps us considerably more than himself… He told me…" Draco trailed off and swallowed thickly before continuing. "Apparently my mother has been saying things – about me, maybe even you – at rather unfortunate times. She's been punished for them…"
Harry closed his eyes briefly, an image of Narcissa's haughty face – so very like the one before him – swimming to his mind. Even during his brief encounters with Draco's mother at the Manor, Harry had been witness to the fiercely protective instincts she held concerning her son. How she must be reacting now…
"I'm so sorry, Draco," Harry murmured, resting his head beside Draco's, mere centimeters away. "If there were anything I could do…"
Slowly, Draco's gaze met his and Harry was momentarily taken aback by the shuttered, detached, grey eyes staring into his. It was as if all emotions had been tucked away in the length of a few seconds, leaving only half-dried tears as evidence to his anguish. Harry blinked.
It's a defense mechanism, Harry reminded himself after a tense moment. It's what he does when he's hurting too badly. In fact, Draco wore this look all throughout last year. I was just too stupid to notice.
"Draco…" Harry leaned his forehead into Draco's, feeling him shiver slightly with the intimate contact, but didn't back off. "Look, your parents are smart, they're resourceful, and I'm quite sure they'll avoid dying the best they can if it means seeing you again. You can't give up hope, alright?'"
Draco closed his eyes with a shuddering sigh that vibrated throughout his whole body. Harry tightened his arm around Draco's back and continued stroking soothing patterns into his flesh, hoping it was doing some good.
"That's the problem, Harry," Draco whispered several minutes later, startling Harry, who thought he'd fallen asleep. "I don't want to have hope… That only makes it harder, in the end…"
Silently pitying Draco for feeling he had to go through life that way, but also realizing pity would be the very last thing Draco wanted to hear from him, Harry remained quiet. At the same time however, he vowed to work on that with issue with Draco. But nothing had to be solved tonight.
Moments later, Draco's breathing evened and deepened enough that Harry was sure he'd fallen into an exhausted sleep. Releasing a soft sigh of his own, one mixed with affection, frustration, protectiveness, and so many other emotions, Harry allowed his mind to drift back into slumber.
The morning arrived all too soon, and with a wave of frigid air Harry had been expecting to greet them any day now. Shivering slightly, he wrapped a blanket around his shoulders and made his way to the campfire where Hermione and Draco already sat.
"Morning," Harry said tiredly, plopping down on the ground. He yelped in surprise and shot back to his feet.
"Honestly, Harry," Hermione scolded before casting what was no doubt a warming charm on the patch of frozen ground Harry had just sat on.
Feeling decidedly sheepish, Harry smiled slightly and sat back down. He then noticed Draco giving him an amused sideways glance.
"I suppose you thought of a warming charm right away?" Harry asked incredulously.
Draco raised his eyebrows. "Actually, yes." He glanced at Hermione and smirked. "But maybe you just prefer slightly unusual sensations down there, Harry. Am I right?"
Hermione coughed loudly and attempted to look terribly busy tending to her cup of tea. Harry rolled his eyes.
As they each prepared and ate a light breakfast, Harry spent the time surveying Draco. He seemed alright. But then again, that didn't mean anything necessarily. Draco was a master of hiding, or at least masking, his emotions - and Harry had never been particularly good at reading other people. Especially Draco.
"Does Weasley ever plan on joining us?" Draco said after nearly half an hour had passed. Hermione and Harry both shrugged.
"Why?" Hermione asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "It's not like you two enjoy each other's company."
Draco sneered. "I have to tell you all something."
Harry raised his eyes curiously. Draco had said last night that Lucius had given them something important, but he'd nearly forgotten about it this morning.
"Besides," Draco went on snidely, "I'd rather not have to explain it twice. And having you here, Granger, means you can translate for him."
"Translate what?"
Harry greeted a tousled-hair Ron and quickly cast a warming charm before his friend could make the same mistake he had. Ron smiled at him thankfully.
"Translate what?" he repeated, glancing at Draco.
Draco took a breath and Harry crossed his arms, aware Draco would first have to confess to his impromptu trip last night before anything else.
"I left the camp and saw my father last night," he announced.
Harry blinked in surprise. Well, that was certainly direct.
"Draco!" Hermione gasped, eyes bulging. "You said you didn't know what that letter meant!"
Draco shrugged slightly. "I lied," he replied simply.
Harry started when he realized Ron had reached for his wand.
"Ron, stop it," he hissed. Ron glared at him angrily and swung the glare over to Draco.
"If I find out you betrayed us, I'll kill you!" Ron growled dangerously. "You know, I had just started to trust you, and then you go and pull something like this, you lying bastard!"
"Oh, get a grip, Weasley," Draco said, rolling his eyes. "If I'd betrayed you, then why would we all be sitting here right now?"
Ron spluttered. "I - I don't know! You probably planned - I bet - "
It was Hermione's hand on his shoulder that shut Ron up. "Calm down," she said firmly. "I'm sure Draco had a good reason for not telling us everything." She looked up at Draco with an expectant look on her face.
For a moment, Harry didn't think Draco would oblige them, explaining about the meeting place and how it wouldn't have been safe for Harry - although Harry himself was still less than thrilled that he'd gone without saying anything - but eventually the stubborn look on Draco's face lessened slightly and he recited all of what he'd told Harry last night. The parts concerning his mother, Harry noticed, he kept to himself.
Draco reached into his pocket, pulling out a slip of paper. Ron started slightly, his hand going back to his wand, and Harry frowned at him in spite of himself. Ron had been his best friend for years, yet there were times, such as now, when Harry would have liked nothing better than to tell him to grow up.
"I can't read this out loud," Draco said quietly, passing the paper to Harry. Harry's breath hitched slightly as he realized what it was. "Because the location is protected by the Fidelius Charm. But we can Apparate to Godric's Hollow and go to the graveyard, and since we have the location…"
"And why would we want to do that?" Ron cut in, crossing his arms over his chest. "After you lied to us last night, why the hell would we want to listen to anything you say?"
"Because, Weasley," Draco snapped, his lips twisting into a sneer which Harry should have found familiar, but instead found strangely foreign. "As I was saying before you interrupted me, the Hufflepuff cup will be there. My father didn't give me any clue as to how to destroy it, but…"
"Draco, that's wonderful," Hermione gasped, her eyes widening. Then, as if noting Ron's deepening scowl, she cleared her throat, replacing her composure. "But - and don't take this the wrong way, please - but can we be sure it's safe? I mean, obviously it's not safe, but how can we know that we aren't walking into a trap? Not that your father would do that to you," she added hastily. "But he'd have little choice if, for instance, he was under the Imperius Curse…"
Harry saved Draco from having to speak, as he noticed him pale slightly at the mention of the Imperius Curse. Apparently, the thought hadn't even occurred to him.
"There's only one way to know," Harry said firmly, wishing he, and not Hermione, was sitting beside Draco so he could take his hand. "We took a risk when we went to the Smith mansion, and if it weren't for Tonks, we might have been caught. If it's a trap, then, it is. I know I was caught before, but this time I'm not alone…I have people that I trust, that I l-love…" Harry looked down, feeling his face burning slightly, then looked up resolutely. "We'll be okay."
Harry snuck a glance at Draco, who was looking at him with something akin to awe. Harry smiled at him, then looked away.
"I love you too, Harry," Hermione said with a slight sniff and the start of tears in her eyes. Harry worked to suppress a smile; for someone as rational and level-headed as Hermione, it took very little to make her tear up.
"And you're absolutely right," she continued firmly, giving Ron a stubborn look. "If we want to destroy the Horcruxes and get rid of V-Voldemort once and for all…" she shot Ron an annoyed glance when he cowered slightly at the name, "then we have to take risks. And we have to trust each other." At this she gave a pointed look not only to Ron, but to Draco as well.
"So, I'm coming with you. Obviously." She smirked slightly. "After all, you need someone there who can keep a cool head and listen to sense."
"How about you, Ron?" Harry asked softly. "I won't think less of you if you decide not to come, you know."
Ron flushed a deep crimson. "Of course I'm coming! Bloody hell, Harry, what sort of friend would I be if I let you lot go alone?" He looked reservedly at Draco, giving him a small nod. "I don't know that I trust you entirely, Malfoy, but I don't think you'd do anything to hurt Harry." Now Draco flushed slightly, looking down. "Just don't muck it up," he finished.
"So," Hermione said primly, easily falling back into her role as leader. And for this, Harry was immensely grateful. "Let's take an hour then, so we can all finish breakfast, get dressed, shower, that sort of thing…"
"Wait!" Draco said, startling Harry slightly. "One more thing…I'm not sure what he meant, exactly, but my father said that the Horcrux will be guarded by 'old fans', whatever that means. But considering it's in a graveyard…"
"Inferi, maybe," Harry said, gulping slightly. "But if that's the case, they aren't so bad, really. They're afraid of fire…"
"We'll be fine," Hermione said, reaching forward to pat him on the leg. She smiled reassuringly, then rose to her feet. "Come on, Ronald," she said, pulling Ron up by his arm. "A shower would do us good, I think." Ron, predictably, turned red, but followed after Hermione nonetheless, leaving Harry and Draco alone.
"Well, they aren't subtle in the least, are they," Draco said wryly, after a moment.
Harry groaned. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear any of that." Draco laughed, then, unexpectedly, lunged forward and kissed Harry, hard. He pulled away shortly after, resting his forehead to Harry's with a contented sigh.
"Hey, are you okay?" Harry asked, tugging Draco's hair gently.
"Just fine," Draco said softly, tugging Harry's hair in turn, his other hand lying palm-down on Harry's chest. "Better than fine." He kissed Harry once more, than pulled himself upright.
"I'm going to go take a shower myself…hopefully far from the amorous activities of Granger and Weasley…" he cringed, then gave Harry a meaningful look. "You're welcome to join me, of course. Unless you're still adverse to showering," he smirked.
"Shut up," Harry said, unable to suppress a grin. Draco grinned back, then began walking away. Harry stared after him for a moment, undoubtedly wearing a most incredulous expression. Sometimes, other people truly baffled him.
Draco stumbled slightly upon Apparating, earning a concerned look from Harry, who immediately steadied him.
"I'm okay," he reassured him, attempting to quell his shaky breathing. The truth was, the weeks of inadequate sleep and food, along with the more recent pain of his arm, were finally starting to take a toll on him. But, as he knew it was all basically self-inflicted, he was loathe to mention it, silently vowing to do something about it in the near future.
They had all used various glamours to alter their appearances slightly, as was prudent in broad daylight; Harry had the red hair befitting of a Weasley, to Draco's utter amusement and dismay, a slightly longer nose, and no scar.
"Well, here we are," Hermione said with forced cheerfulness. Her hair appeared shorter, straighter, and lighter, rendering her almost unrecognizable to anyone accustomed to seeing her bushy head of hair.
"Is it always this deserted?" Harry asked, frowning as he looked around the town square. "Oh," he breathed, his eyes widening. Draco spun around, seeing that Harry was staring at a war memorial very closely, yet he could see nothing terribly special about it.
Draco was just opening his mouth to ask, when the statue changed. There, in the middle of the town square, was a statue of James and Lily Potter cradling an infant Harry between them.
Harry made a choked sort of sound, moving closer to the statue without another word.
Draco moved tentatively to his side, touching his arm lightly. "Harry?"
Harry managed to smile weakly. "It's okay. I just…I didn't know this was here. I…it sounds stupid, but I miss them."
"It's not stupid," Draco said firmly, clasping his hand tightly. "They're your parents."
Harry nodded, gripping Draco's hand back. "When all this is over, I'd like to come back here; see where we lived, go to their…grave," he gave a tiny shudder. "Would you…do you think you could come with me?"
Much like earlier, Draco felt as though he were basked in warmth. "Of course," he said softly.
"Thanks." Harry gave his hand one last squeeze before letting go, then walked back to Ron and Hermione. Hermione had a hand on Ron's arm, as if having restrained him from following Harry, and for this, Draco was grateful. He gave her a tiny nod, and she gave one in return.
"You okay, mate?" Ron asked quietly, his brows furrowing in concern.
"Yeah," Harry said, accepting Hermione's embrace with a tight smile. "I'm fine. Let's just get this over with."
Draco couldn't help the growing sense of dread that invaded his mind as they made their way through the town. It wasn't that anyone seemed to be following them, or even watching them, for that matter; what was most unnerving was that he didn't see anyone at all.
"Does anyone find it strange that nobody's outside in the middle of the day?" Ron piped in, his voice timid. Draco glanced at him and scowled slightly.
"I'm sure there's a reason," Hermione murmured, patting him on the arm.
Ron snorted softly. "Yeah, a reason like no one wants to live in this creepy town."
"Funny, I thought all this vacant real-estate would excite you, Weasley," Draco muttered, rolling his eyes and wishing Ron would shut up.
"Hey!" Ron began in an offended tone. "You - "
"There's the graveyard."
Harry's quiet words cut through Ron's indignant reply better than any insult Draco could have come up with, and he immediately shut his mouth with a nearly audible snap.
"So…" Harry gazed around the quiet landscape for a moment. "What do you think we should do? I mean, this just seems way too easy."
Draco didn't reply. Instead he took a step forward and glanced at the run-down graveyard, his eyes catching briefly on several out-of-place mounds of dirt, but other than that, it looked entirely ordinary.
"Hmm." Hermione cast a spell in the general direction of the graveyard, but it didn't react as it had at the Smith Mansion, bouncing back and alerting them to the presence of any wards. It simply sailed through the air for a moment before vanishing into a distant tree-trunk with a soft pop. "That doesn't make sense," she said softly, and re-cast the spell. Again, nothing happened.
The wind suddenly gusted around them, tearing at their hair and robes. Draco shivered and wrapped his arms around himself, but then smiled reassuringly when Harry cast yet another concerned glance his way. Harry raised his eyebrows and turned back to the graves.
"I guess we should look for - the address," Harry said, clearly stumbling as the Fidelius Charm took his ability to speak the actual name away.
They all agreed and started forward, with Hermione just barely in the lead.
Her startled gasp was the only warning they had before all the light abruptly vanished.
Draco had never been so aware of his other senses before as the dark pressed into him with the force of several tons. Nearly crushing Harry's hand with his own, he fought to calm his breathing.
"Lumos," Draco whispered furiously. Three matching spells were cast almost simultaneously and then they were able to see again, even if the light only extended to a small bubble around them. Draco's eyes widened when he realized that what, or more importantly, whom, he was seeing was not correct.
"Our glamours are gone!" Ron exclaimed, running a hand through his own hair, dazzlingly red once more.
Hermione began nervously explaining the mechanics of how that might have happened when Harry made a gesture for them to be quiet.
"I don't think that's our biggest problem right now," he whispered.
Not sure he wanted to look, but unable to refrain, Draco followed Harry's gaze.
Draco had never seen Inferi. Nor had he ever wanted to. Yet here they were, dozens of them, milling around like obscene, grotesque puppets, their jerky movements and rotting faces leaving little doubt as to what they were. Almost unconsciously, Draco moved closer to Harry and raised his wand.
"Don't cast anything at them," Harry warned in a soft, strangely calm voice. "Last time they didn't bother us until we disturbed them."
Ron whimpered.
"How are we supposed to get through them, Harry?" Hermione hissed under her breath.
"They don't like the light," Harry went on, edging forward slightly. As if to prove his point, the absently moving Inferi changed their courses to avoid the slight glow of Harry's wand.
"They probably don't even realize why they're moving away," Draco murmured, taking a step as well. "They're like animals, reacting to stimuli."
Harry shook his head without turning around. "No. They're not even animals. They're… they're just things."
"Okay, Harry," Hermione said. "Let's move then. Really slowly. Our destination should be over there." She indicated a direction with her wand.
Draco stuck as close to Harry's shoulder as humanly possible without actually touching him, seeing as unexpected contact right now would be disastrous if one of them were to fall and therefore alert the Inferi to their presence.
"I wonder if this is why no one lives in the town," Ron whispered nervously as they moved slowly forward. Draco resisted the urge to snap at him since, after all, he was nervous as hell, too. Only, Ron chose to alleviate his nerves in a much more annoying manner than anyone else there.
"I still don't know how I missed the spells around this place," Hermione answered in a fretful voice. "Maybe I should've - "
"Granger," Draco growled softly. "You're a bloody genius and all, but I think whoever set this place up might have been slightly more advanced than you. Now will you two please shut up?"
Harry suddenly gripped his arm tightly. "Do you think your father helped with… with whatever it is they've done here? How else would he have known the address and all…"
The same thought had already occurred to Draco though he'd been afraid to voice before now. He nodded jerkily.
Harry gave his arm another squeeze, meanwhile the Inferi surrounding them seemed to be moving closer and closer, like flies buzzing around a corpse, despite their lit wands. Draco shuddered in spite of himself as the sickly sweet stench of decay pervaded his nostrils. A couple of them made strange hissing sounds, which of course would be all their decayed vocal cords would allow.
"I think they see us," Hermione whispered shakily, giving a tiny gasp as a small Inferius, a child prior to death, moved inches away from her and gave a raspy growl. Ron whimpered again and for once, Draco couldn't blame him.
"It's because we're getting closer," Harry said hoarsely. "It was like this before, with Dumbledore. They're guarding the Horcrux."
"They're afraid of fire, though, right?" Draco asked, his voice more squeaky than he'd intended. "We can just send fire at them or something…"
"Not yet," Harry breathed. "Let's not really piss them off until we have to…" his voice trailed off, and he drew in a harsh intake of breath. He stumbled, landing roughly on his knees.
"Harry!" Draco cried out in alarm, crouching beside him with his wand drawn.
"Keep him surrounded!" Hermione said sharply, as she and Ron quickly scrambled to do so.
"Harry, what's wrong?" Draco demanded, perhaps more harshly than was warranted. But it was hard to be calm with dozens of reanimated corpses milling eerily around them. In fact, it was hard to be anything other than terrified as fuck.
Harry shuddered convulsively, his hand raising to point at something. "My parents," he moaned, then dropped his hand and promptly vomited on the grass.
Oh, fuck. Perhaps not the most eloquent thought, but as Draco forced himself to look at the two Inferi standing closest, it was the only thought that came to mind. Lily and James Potter, war heroes, parents of the Boy-Who-Lived, now were merely vessels to do Voldemort's bidding. Only it wasn't really them, he reminded himself hastily, forcing his gaze away from their grotesquely decaying faces - Lily's eye sockets were completely empty, one side of James's face was teaming with maggots - it was merely their shells. He thought about conveying this to Harry, who was presently leaning forward to vomit again, but realized there wasn't enough time. In his current emotional state, Harry was too much a danger to himself, as well as the rest of them.
"Incendio!" Draco cried, forcing the fire from his wand to surround the four of them. The Inferi immediately drew back, a few of them screeching and hissing. Hermione whirled around, and Draco met her eyes, inclining his head toward the two Inferi. Her eyes widened in horror, and she gestured towards Harry.
The message was clear enough to Draco, and he pointed his wand at Harry without a second thought. "Stupify!" Harry slumped forward immediately, and Draco reached out to catch him just in time to prevent him from falling face first in his own sick, which Draco hastily spelled away.
"What the fuck, Malfoy?" Ron screamed, raising his wand at him.
"Ron, stop it!" Hermione clutched his wand arm, forcing him to lower it. "Harry's parents are here." She swallowed, looking as though she could be sick herself. "Voldemort probably thought it was amusing, the way he's got them moving together, side by side…it makes it even worse for Harry."
"Fuck," Ron said angrily, his fists pounding against his own legs. "That evil, snake-faced, fuck."
Draco nodded hastily, brushing Harry's hair gently away from his scar before rising to his feet. "That he is, Weasley."
"Ron," Hermione said quietly, her eyes narrowing as she appeared to survey the increasing number of Inferi surrounding their ring of fire. "I need you to stay with Harry, keep him safe. He can't…we can't ask him to go through this."
Ron nodded gravely, gulping slightly. "Yeah. I can do that." He bit his lip, looking at Hermione anxiously, then shook his head as if changing his mind.
"I won't ask if you'll be okay," Ron said with a sheepish smile. "Because you're the best, Hermione. So I know you'll be fine. Probably better than usual since you won't be looking after me," he added with a self-deprecating smirk.
Hermione gave a small sniff, flinging herself into Ron's arms - and kissed him fiercely, whispering something to him. Whatever it was, Draco decided, he'd probably be better off not knowing.
"And look after Malfoy," Ron said, giving Draco a nod after Hermione had pulled away. "He's not as bad as he seems."
Now, Draco had no idea what to say to that, so he simply stared at Ron incredulously for a moment, until Hermione tugged him on the arm.
"Come on," she said firmly.
Taking one final look at Harry's limp form, Draco nodded, and together he and Hermione moved forward. He forced himself not to turn around when he heard the sound of Ron and Harry Disapparating behind them, though his stomach gave a soft lurch. He hoped they would be safe.
"It shouldn't be much further," Hermione spoke softly.
As if confirming her statement, several Inferi moaned wetly and lunged toward them. Hermione screamed as one of their hands scraped her arm.
"Incendio!" Draco waved his wand in a wild arc around himself and Hermione, driving the Inferi back in a tumbling, burning mass of flesh. Their moans grew louder. To Draco, they now sounded more like snarls and growls than anything.
"Are you alright?" he asked, sparing a glance for Hermione. Her eyes were wide with fright but she nodded quickly.
"Let's keep moving," she said, obviously fighting to keep her voice from wavering too badly. Then she whispered, "Incendio!", her own fire joining with Draco's in a single, scorching blade of flames.
They stepped in time with each other for several feet, each careful to keep the barrier burning on either side. Draco fought the urge to be sick when he glimpsed corpses of James and Lily Potter clawing along with them. They'd been caught in the latest casting of Incendio. He could tell because half of James's head had collapsed in on itself in a writhing mixture of charred, decaying flesh and teeming worms. Lily's hands were nothing more than blackened stumps. Draco swallowed and forced his eyes elsewhere.
"I think I see it," he said, suddenly glimpsing a large, stone mausoleum, one that surely stored the bodies of dozens of ancient families.
"You really think he would store a horcrux in a mausoleum?" Hermione asked. She stood close enough that their arms brushed each other.
Draco nodded slowly. "If Voldemort's greatest fear is death, what better gesture than desecrating a place for the dead with a piece of his own immortality?"
With a quick glance around them, he took a step forward, tentatively reaching out a hand to lay on the closest pillar -
- and was flung backwards into the mass of Inferi.
Hermione screamed, Draco imagined he was screaming too, as slimy, rotten hands grasped at his arms, his legs, even his head, nearly overwhelming him with the stench.
"Draco, duck!" Hermione cried.
Draco didn't try to think, he only reacted, and then the air above him scorched with heat. The Inferi screamed and begin to fall away, nearly dragging Draco with them but, by that point, he had recovered his wits enough and wordlessly joined in with his own spell.
Hermione shrieked. Draco turned his head sharply and saw one of the Inferi literally hanging off Hermione's shoulder, its head and teeth buried deeply in her skin. Draco swung his fire around and shot a jet of flame directly into its body. For a moment, he feared it wouldn't let go as the Inferi shook its head viciously back and forth, but then it stumbled back with a tremendous moan and faded into the darkness.
"My shoulder…" Hermione gasped, stumbling into Draco's side. He caught her with his free arm, though it was the left one, and steadied her trembling body.
"Can you keep going?" he asked, simultaneously eyeing her torn shoulder and swinging another jet of flames around them.
Hermione nodded jerkily and raised her wand again. "I'll be alright."
"I don't think we can go into the mausoleum," Draco said, glaring at the pillar that had just thrown him back.
"Your Mark!" Hermione exclaimed. She gently grabbed his arm and took it off her own. "Your father sent you here, so he had to know you'd be able to get through. Wouldn't it make sense that your Mark would, I don't know, identify you or something?"
"What if the masking spell hinders it?" Draco asked, absently tugging his arm closer to his chest. Hermione shook her head vigorously.
"No, it shouldn't. That only - never mind! There's no time to explain right now!" She indicated at the swarming Inferi. "Just try it! I'll stay here and keep them back."
Not allowing himself time to truly think about what he was doing, Draco thrust his left arm toward the pillar. This time, he wasn't thrown back. Instead he felt himself being pulled forward, as if yanked by an invisible rope around his wrist, and he stumbled into the mausoleum, tripping on some unexpected stairs and landing roughly on his knees. Directly in front of him, sitting primly on a glowing stone tablet, was the Hufflepuff cup.
"Draco!"
"I'm alright. And I see the cup," Draco called back, answering Hermione's anxious cry. He realized he'd fallen down at least a couple feet and she probably couldn't see him at all from her current position.
Draco stood slowly, eyes never leaving the illuminated cup. Knowing it couldn't be this easy - if any of this classified as easy - but daring to hope so anyway, he reached toward it. Nearly his entire left hand was immerged in the liquid-blue light of the tablet when a fine line of blood appeared across his wrist and Draco yanked back his hand with a surprised hiss. He stared at his arm, which now contained a thickly bleeding cut directly across the veins of his wrist.
"Episkey," he muttered. The wound began to close immediately but something else happened as well. The blue light of the table, though unnoticed a moment ago, had retracted ever so slightly as it caught several falling drops of Draco's blood. And now, as the wound healed, it inched back to its former position and continued to glow fervently. Draco closed his eyes briefly.
"Hermione?" he called, trying to keep his voice and breathing steady.
"I'm here," she replied quickly. "Did you get it?"
"Um," Draco took a breath. "I think I know what I have to do. And I don't think I'll be able to help with the Inferi very much when… when it's done."
"Okay," Hermione said quickly, obviously putting on a brave front for his sake. "I'll handle them for the both of us, then. Just…be careful, okay?"
"I will," Draco said, his tone hopefully conveying more assurance than he currently felt. Taking a deep breath and steadying himself for the pain, he reached his left arm back under the blue light. Immediately, he felt a sharp sting as his wrist was once again sliced open, and he fought back the urge to wrench it away.
All in all, the pain wasn't so bad. In fact, it was nothing compared to the agony he went through with his Mark, although he could feel himself becoming increasingly weaker as his blood continued to pour out of his cut wrist, pulsing in time with his heart beat.
Draco caught himself just as he felt his consciousness begin to fade - passing out was simply not an option. Instead, he gritted his teeth and stomped his feet, hoping by sheer will that the blue light would begin to retract.
And it was retracting, slowly but surely, and just as the buzzing in his head seemed to reach a crescendo, the light was gone altogether, and the Cup was within reach of his trembling fingers. With a lunge forward that was undoubtedly pure adrenalin, Draco wrapped his fingers around the Cup and grabbed it, stepping back clumsily.
Quickly muttering a healing spell to close his wrist, Draco slumped to the ground, panting sharply and fighting the urge to close his eyes.
"Draco?" Hermione's voice cut through the haze in his brain, and he managed to pull himself upright, the Cup clutched firmly in his hand.
"I'm okay. I've got the Cup. I'm coming," Draco said hoarsely, unable to raise his voice above a whisper. He then half walked, half crawled up the few steps, stumbling and staggering until he reached the entrance of the mausoleum, falling against Hermione as he left the building.
"Oh, Draco," she murmured in a tremulous voice, putting an arm around his waist to steady him. Hazily, he was aware of the fire around them, of the stench of the Inferi, but it seemed suddenly less important than his all-encompassing need to sleep, and he felt his legs turn rubbery in spite of himself, and he stumbled to his knees.
"Draco!" Hermione said in alarm, and he felt her slap him lightly on the face. "Draco, we've got to keep going, okay? As soon as we're back I'll give you a Blood-Replenishing potion, but you've got to help me out a little. Even if I did a Lightening Charm to carry you, I don't think I'd be able to hold my wand and the Cup…at least not with my shoulder like it is. So we'll just…we'll help each other out, alright?"
Draco nodded, and with Hermione's assistance, pulled himself to his feet, leaning on her heavily. Dimly, he was cognizant of the fact that he was much taller and heavier than Hermione, and that with her shoulder as it was, he was taxing her greatly.
"Sorry…" he slurred, lacking both the energy and the inclination to say more.
"It's okay," she said in a soothing tone. "You're doing great, Draco." They began walking forward, step by shuffling step, the Inferi stalking beside them all the while. Hermione kept her wand waving in a wild arc of flames, and occasionally the gruesome scent of charred, rotten flesh filled the air.
Draco's head rushed suddenly, and he nearly fell forward - right into James Potter. He screamed weakly, his hands scrabbling for purchase. Hermione yelled something and grabbed his arm - the left one, as luck had it - and shot a ball of fire at James.
"Come on," Hermione said quickly. "We're almost there." Draco nodded, the pain in his arm exquisite. But luckily, the intense pain served to rev up his adrenalin, and he managed to walk the last few yards to the entrance without leaning as heavily on Hermione.
Finally, they reached the gate and walked through, the inky blackness quickly dissipating into midday light. Draco collapsed onto the grass and closed his eyes, and in spite of Hermione's yells, quickly slipped into unconsciousness.