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Chapter 21

He closed the drawing room door behind him. He needed to get Draco here before getting Narcissa, but he had to act fast. He disapparated to Harry Potter's tent, immediately hearing laughter as he crossed the threshold.

'So that was the time when Severus actually enjoyed Christmas, but after Father transfigured his hair pink, Sev stopped showing up at the Manor...'

He cleared his throat and saw as Draco visibly tensed.

'You didn't hear that did you?' Draco asked shifting uncomfortably.

He had to give a painful smile, he had no time. 'Draco, can I talk to you for a moment?'

He saw that Harry, who looked close to tears from laughter gave him a very suspicious look. 'Stay here Harry, I just need to test Draco's tracking spell.' Severus knew it was an awful lie, but it was the best he could come up with at this instance.

Draco got up and Snape took his arm, guiding him towards his potions lab. He sealed the door behind them in a hurry, ran towards the cupboard containing various potions he thought might come useful and began rummaging as fast as he could.

'What are you looking for?'

'Your escape route Draco.' He continued to search until he finally located a small green bottle. Taking out two silver goblets, Snape poured the gelatinous grey contents into the goblets. 'I need some hair Draco, make it quick.'

Draco looked bewildered. 'Why?'

'There is no time to explain!' Snape hissed, realizing that his time to bring Narcissa already ran out. Severus stretched out his hand and pulled on one of his Godson's blond locks.

'Ouch!' Draco yelled, looking scandalized.

The Potions Master added the hair into the potion which turned completely white. He raised his eyebrow at the color of the potion but drank it nevertheless.

Draco could only watch shocked as his Godfather morphed into a polyjuiced version of him. His mouth was still hanging open when he noticed a second goblet shoved in his hand.

'Draco, quickly, there is no time. I will explain on our way there.' The fake Draco basically forced the real Draco to drink the midnight blue mixture in the second goblet. Draco swallowed his confusion just as he swallowed the potion, experiencing the painful transformation. Wasting no time, the fake Draco grabbed his arm and disapparated.

They appeared in the middle of a dark, deserted hallway. The real Snape pushed his Godson towards the corner, beginning to whisper hurriedly. 'You will go upstairs, fetch your Mother and bring her to this room.' Snape pointed his hand at the gleaming ornate door. 'Do not say anything, just tell her to not worry.'

'Why? Who is in that room?' Draco asked, although he sensed he knew the answer to that question. Gulping visibly, Draco looked at his Godfather. 'What are you going to do?'

'I am going to wait here until you bring Narcissa, then I am going to make my entrance.' The fake-Draco was looking unnaturally pale. 'Draco, you must act your part. Address the Dark Lord as "My Lord" and pretend to be happy that I am about to show up.'

'Why, what is he going to do?'

The fake-Draco sighed in frustration, there realty was no time. 'Draco, there is going to be a dark ritual performed in that room as soon as you bring your mother there. They will take her blood. You will have the urge to drink the potion containing your parents' blood. Do not drink the potion!'

'My parents' blood?' Draco asked, puzzled more than ever.

'Draco, I know it sounds crazy but your father is alive, he is in that room. Just go and get Narcissa and wait for me.' Snape gave his Godson a shove towards the stairs. 'Draco, go now! They will be suspicious why it took so long, just tell them that Narcissa resisted.'

'I...I...' The fake Snape had no choice. His head was exploding with questions, why was his father alive? Why would he want to drink the Potion? How is he supposed to lie to Lord Voldemort?

'Draco!' The real Draco heard a hiss, turning around.

'Yeah?' He asked fearfully.

'Do not forget to bow!'

The real Draco gulped, knowing that he had to maintain a cold facade in front of the Dark Lord. Nodding but realizing that Snape could not see the nod, Draco crept up the stairs. He reached the third floor and pushed on the door.

Draco was completely unprepared to see his mother.

'Severus?' Narcissa looked confused. 'What are you doing here again?'

The fake Snape gave his mother a very stressed look, noticing his mother's gaunt face, her visibly bruised side and her fearful tone. Draco was not feeling braver than his mother. Taking another large gulp, Draco muttered: 'You need to come with me.' His own voice sounded shaky; this was not going to work if Draco let his nerves get the best of him.

'Why?' Narcissa asked, looking more and more confused.

'Please!' Draco had a hard time not crying now. 'Please just come with me.' This was definitely not going according to plan.

Narcissa was observing the polyjuiced Draco's distress. She gave sigh and walked towards the man. 'Is it going to hurt?' She asked.

Severus gave her a shaky look. 'I...I don't know.' He didn't want to know. Ten minutes ago he was sitting on the couch, laughing with Harry and now he had to act like Severus, and face Lord Voldemort himself. All he wanted was to hug Mother, tell her that it was going to be alright; but he couldn't, he had to do as Snape told him.

Very gently, the fake Snape grabbed his mother's arm and led her towards the door. Walking downstairs, Draco gave a quick look around the hallway. The polyjuiced Snape was nowhere to be seen.

Draco took the largest gulp yet and pushed the drawing room open, quite forgeting to knock. He didn't realize that his hold on Mother's upper arm was so tight.

'What took so long?' Voldemort's high cold voice reverberated around the room.

Draco looked up, meeting the red eyes for the briefest moment. He tried to remember what Severus has told him. 'My Lord.' He almost sighed with relief, there was no stutter in his voice.

'Well?' Voldemort looked dangerously demanding.

'She put up resistance my Lord. She tired to run away.' He could feel the beads of sweat in his black hair. His voice was growing weaker by the second and he knew that if the Dark Lord prompted more talking he would not be able to keep up his glamor. He looked up into the red eyes for the moments, seeing that they were watching Narcissa.

'Bring her here.'

Draco almost sighed with relief, watching the black cauldron simmer.

'Lucius did his part already.'

Draco finally noticed his father's form on the ground, he appeared to be barely alive. This was when aunt Bella shoved a dagger in his hand. Thoughts were once again racing in Draco's troubled mind, what did Snape say they were going to do to Mother? He finally recalled something about Mother's blood. Very gently, the fake Snape led his mother towards the cauldron and made what he hoped was a painless cut. After three agonizing seconds and three drops of blood, Draco led his mother away from the cauldron, his eyes on the Dark Lord's horrible forehead.

'Severus, do you know why I asked you to brew me the Magical Concealment Potion?'

Draco had not been expecting more questioning. He did not know why the Dark Lord asked his Godfather to brew the Magical Concealment Potion. Feeling horribly trapped, Draco knew he should not say anything; his voice would ruin everything. He jerked his head, hoping that would suffice as no.

'When Draco Malfoy comes bursting through here, he will not know that it is I calling him - your potion diminishes my magical signature. He will think it is his parents summoning him. All is left now is to wait for him, this Blood Summoning Potion will force Lucius' brat to be here whether he like it or not. Potter should come along too, but even he does not I am sure the loss of his beloved' Voldemort jeered at the word 'will prove to be a crushing blow to the Boy Who Lived.'

This was when Draco felt the urge to pick up the cauldron and drink its contents. He managed to resist, although it felt almost as bad as a Crucio. Where was Snape?

Meanwhile in the hallway, Severus Snape, concealed as Draco Malfoy, sent out a Howling Hex right outside the drawing room. He knew that he would attract their attention, but he hoped that the Dark Lord was not going to send out the concealed Draco; he needed Draco, Narcissa and Lucius in one room so that he could apparate away.

The door opened, Bellatrix peered outside, her wand out.

'Come out, come out little Draco, there is a potion waiting for you.'

Polyjuiced and now under a Disillusionment Charm, Severus sent a Stupefy at Bella, who managed to react in time. Snape terminated the Disillusionment Charm and began to send streaks of silver lightning at Bellatrix. He was actually enjoying himself, he always wanted to inflict pain to Bellatrix.

The witch sent her own lightning streaks. Snape chose to shock her and disapparated, instantly appearing next to Bellatrix. Momentarily confused, Bella had no time to wonder how Draco Malfoy managed to apparate inside the warded of Riddle House. One wand stroke later, Bella was flung across the hallway, hit a wall with a sickening crunch and lay quite still, knocked out cold.

The fake Draco strained his ears, however there was nothing but silence. He waited a little longer, knowing that the Dark Lord was about to do something. Sure enough, Snape felt the force of the Exploding Spell knocking him back towards the unconscious Bellatrix. He had a Shield Charm up in time however, watching the Dark Lord.

Snape reacted instantly as he saw his own polyjuiced self raise a wand at him. Draco, concealed as Snape keeled over, bound by the real Snape's Incarcerous and disarmed by Expelliarmus. Catching Draco's wand, Snape ducked in time to avoid the Killing Curse. He knew that the Dark Lord was enraged, mystified about why his polyjuiced self did not feel compelled to drink the potion.

Assessing the situation, Snape realized that he may not be able to get them all out at once. He decided to get Draco out first, made a move for him but was stopped by Nagini's vicious fangs.

Unknown to anyone in the drawing room, Harry Potter apparated into the Little Hangleton's graveyard five minutes ago. Harry began running towards the manor situated on the top of a little hill. He ran as hard as he could, mad at Snape for kidnapping Draco like that. He was nearly at the grounds of the manor when he felt a curse graze the back of his neck. Wheeling around, Harry saw three masked Death Eaters running at him. Dispatching of them, Harry continued to run, he was in the entrance of the Riddle House now. Hearing the commotion on the second floor, Harry made it just in time to witness how Nagini sank her teeth into Draco.

Dazed and bleeding, the concealed Snape did not see Harry Potter make his entrance. Harry, who of course thought that he was helping the real Draco send a Repulsing Curse at the serpent.

The Dark Lord suspended Nagini in her protective encasing and turned towards Harry.

'Draco, grab the others and go!' Harry yelled, not realizing that he was actually speaking to Snape or that Snape was badly injured.

'Potter!' Voldemort hissed, casting another Exploding Spell beneath Harry's feet. Harry managed to conjure up a Shield Charm rapidly, breathed out a sigh and yelled 'Expelliarmus!' at Voldemort. The Dark Lord knew he had to react and even as he cast his own Shield Charm, he felt the wand cores connect again. The phoenix song was as loud as three years ago.

Laying on the ground and facing exsanguination, Snape knew that he had to free Draco. He wheezed out the Relashio at Draco's bonds.

Draco, still polujuiced as Snape jumped up and ran towards the bleeding, concealed Snape. His thoughts were not on his Godfather however, he snatched the two wands out of fake-Draco's slack grip and ran at Harry. He could not lose Harry, not now, not when he found him. Not thinking about what he was doing, Draco sent Stunning Spells at Lord Voldemort.

'No, Snape get Draco, get Draco!' Harry yelled, watching as the fake Snape raised his wand on Voldemort again.

Draco ran towards Narcissa and Lucius, screed up his face in concentration and disapparated with them. He appeared inside the tent, dumped his parents unceremoniously on the floor and did not untie them. He screwed up his face in concentration yet again, praying that Severus was right when he said that Draco could apparate inside warded houses. It seems that Snape was not mistaken, the Blood Ritual worked and Draco managed to apparate back into the drawing room.

Draco saw Harry curse the ceiling right above Voldemort, causing it to collapse.

'HERE!' Harry yelled, clutching at what he thought was Draco's hand. The real Draco twisted both of them on the spot, just about to apparate, but instantly tensed as he saw the Killing Curse rush towards them.

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What do you think about the plot twist?