Fred and Ron landed with a dull thump in the grass. Harry tripped over Ron's arm and crashed to the ground. By the time he got up the red heads were nowhere in sight. Harry looked around with wide eyes. He'd felt himself trip over something but he hadn't been able to tell what it was before it disappeared. Harry took a step forward and looked at the grass. He only saw his own footsteps and the spot where he'd fallen. Deciding he had more important business to tend to Harry turned and headed into the castle.
Ron and Fred stayed completely still for another two full minutes just in case the Death Eater decided to come back. When he didn't they slowly stood, careful to keep the cloak covering their feet. The Weasley boys glanced at each other and nodded simultaneously before making their slow, silent way up to the castle.
Once inside Harry dropped the glamour charm Pansy had put on him and headed straight to where they were supposed to meet Snape when they returned.
"Where is she?" Harry snapped as he threw the door open to the small room before the library. Snape raised an eyebrow.
"Where is who?" he asked.
"Pansy! She left me completely uncovered back there! There were aurors everywhere. If the crowd hadn't been so confused, I would have gotten captured or killed!"
"So it wasn't as simple as you believed it would be." Snape said smoothly.
Harry glared at him.
"I could have done it alone but Pansy ruined everything. She went and cut off the editors fingers and he pressed a panic button. Why wasn't I told about a panic button?!" Harry ranted as he began to pace back and forth angrily.
"I was not aware of a panic button. It is obviously new." Snape said thoughtfully.
"No shit." Harry spat. Snape narrowed his eyes and Harry grunted. "Sorry."
"In answer to your question, Ms. Parkinson returned moments before you did. She decided to freshen herself up before dinner tonight." Snape said.
Harry's hands rolled into tight fists.
"Where is she?" he growled.
Snape gave the teen the directions to Pansy's temporary quarters which she shared with Bellatrix. Harry stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Snape left shortly after.
Harry practically flew through the halls. When he finally reached the door Snape had described, Harry pounded on it with both fists. The door opened a crack and Pansy peeked out. She wore clean casual robes and a towel around her neck. Her short black hair dripped water on the floor as she held the door open.
"What the bloody hell do you want?" she demanded.
Harry glared at her.
"What were you thinking?! You left me back there, completely exposed!" he shouted. Pansy rolled her eyes nonchalantly.
"Last I looked I wasn't your babysitter."
"No you were my partner. You were supposed to cover me."
"You're the one who left without me in the first place!" Pansy retorted.
"But you abandoned me while we were surrounded by aurors!" Harry snapped. "How did you get past those two in the alley anyway?" he questioned.
Pansy shrugged.
"I didn't use the alley. I used the floo to get to my house once all the aurors had gotten through and then portkeyed here."
Harry shook his head.
"You shouldn't have left me. Draco never would have done that."
"Well thank Merlin I'm not him or I'd be in the dungeons and you'd be having a fit in front of someone else."
Harry froze.
"Dungeons?" he said.
"Did I stutter?" she snapped.
"Draco's in the dungeons?" Harry asked, ignoring the snide comment.
"That's what I said. God Potter they said you'd lost your memory, not your common sense."
Harry's glare deepened.
"You're dripping." He hissed.
Pansy looked down and saw that she was standing in a small puddle from her hair. She used her towel to squeeze her hair's ends to stop the dripping.
"Let me help you with that." Harry said. He snapped his fingers and the tips of Pansy's hair burst into flame. The witch screamed and sprinted into her bathroom.
Harry smirked and pulled the door closed before turning and heading towards the stairs.
Ron froze as the sound of footsteps echoed through the corridor. Fred stopped as well but didn't know why until a split second later when a Death Eater rounded a corner just in front of them. Eyes wide and heart pounding the brothers dove against the nearest wall.
"Ow!" Ron gasped as his head collided with the concrete surface. Fred threw his hand over his brother's mouth as the footsteps paused. The Death Eater looked around and the Weasley's were able to get a look of their face just before another Death Eater came up beside him.
"Do you think he's really in the dungeon?" Blaise asked.
Theodore shrugged.
"Why else would they have been talking about it?" he said.
Blaise nodded and the boys continued walking down the corridor away from where Fred and Ron stood motionless. Fred waved his wand in the air and yellow sparks formed the word follow. Ron nodded as much as he could with his brother still holding his mouth shut. Fred lowered his hand and cast a silencing spell on his shoes. Ron did the same.
The Gryffindors followed the Slytherins down two long corridors before they paused outside two large oak doors. Blaise lifted his wand and tapped the right door three times fast and then twice slow. The doors creaked and swung open slowly. Torches burst into life on both sides of the passageway. Their flames lit the way down several antechambers but Blaise and Theodore knew better then to go into any of them. Instead they walked straight.
Ron and Fred followed making sure to keep a good distance between themselves and the Slytherins but suddenly Ron froze. Fred stumbled when he tripped over Ron's foot and almost pulled the cloak off them both. He threw his hands in front of him as he fell and they clapped against the smooth stone. The echo resounded through the corridor.
Blaise and Theodore whipped around with their wands held out in front of them. Fred silently cursed as the Slytherins moved closer to where Fred and Ron stood hidden.
"Who's there?" Theodore demanded.
Blaise glanced at him.
"What makes you think anyone would answer?" he asked.
Theodore shrugged and Blaise shook his head.
"Maybe it was just a rat or something." He suggested.
Theodore nodded once.
"Yeah, maybe." He said.
The pair continued walking down the corridor, throwing occasional glances over their shoulders.
Fred stood and fixed the cloak so that it was still covering his feet. He turned to his brother and smacked him across the back of the head.
"What the bloody hell did you stop for?" he hissed.
Ron raised a shaky hand and pointed at a huge, black spider, the size of saucer hanging on its web. If Ron would have taken two more steps he would have walked face first into the spider. The red head's body shook violently and his eyes were wide with fear as he continued to stare at the hideous creature. The spider flicked its front legs and shifted on its web.
Fred grabbed Ron's arm and slowly pulled him around the spider web and farther up the corridor. Once the spider was out of sight Ron's breath slowed and color began to return to his flushed cheeks. He wiped sweat off his brow and turned to his brother.
"Sorry." He muttered.
Fred nodded and gestured for his brother to continue.
The brothers strained their ears for Blaise and Theodore's voices but it wasn't until after almost two minutes of walking blind that the Slytherin's made themselves known. A few feet ahead of where Fred and Ron stood the passage way forked out. The way to the right was lit but the left was completely dark. Thankfully voices could be heard coming from the right. Sure enough it wasn't long until Fred and Ron saw Blaise and Theodore standing outside a cell. From where the Weasleys stood they couldn't see who they were taunting but could only guess who it could be. Who else would be in the Dark Lord's dungeon?
Ron heard Blaise use the cruciatus curse and the lack of screams confirmed the red heads suspicion of who was in the cell. There was only one person Ron could think of who wouldn't cry out under the torture spell. He looked up at his brother and Fred nodded. The brothers tightened the grip on their wands and readied themselves to attack. Fred tightened his grip on the edge of the cloak so that he wouldn't accidently drop it and held his wand at the ready. He counted backwards from three in his head before ripping the cloak away.
"Stupefy!"
"Expelliarmus!"
Ron caught Theodore's wand while Blaise fell to the ground under Fred's stunner. Theodore spun around quickly but didn't have a chance to see his attackers before Ron dropped him with a stunner.
Fred and Ron sprinted to rest of the way to the cell Theodore and Blaise had been standing at.
"Harry!" Ron cried but froze.
Inside the cell was a figure chained to the wall farthest from the door. His hands were bound above him and his feet were chained to the cell floor. The prisoner didn't seem to have the strength to lift his head but he didn't have to for Ron and Fred to realize who it was.
"Malfoy." They said together.
Draco wearily lifted his head. His exhausted and pain filled face contorted in confusion.
"Weasley?" he said.
The trio was stunned into silence but Draco was first to recover.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
"We're here to save Harry. What are you doing here?" Ron responded.
Draco hesitated.
"About Harry…" He began but froze. Ron and Fred stiffened for a moment before throwing the invisibility cloak over themselves. Fred quickly threw disillusion charms on Blaise and Theodore. Just as the last bit of them disappeared Snape came around the corner.
Draco tensed as the potions master stepped uncomfortably close to where Blaise was lying. Snape entered the cell and closed the door behind him. Draco glared at his godfather.
"It is not me you should be angry with Draco. I'm not the one who told you to go against your direct orders not to say anything about Potter's past."
Draco's eyes flicked over to where he'd seen Fred and Ron disappear and hoped they wouldn't do anything stupid if this conversation should take an uncomfortable turn. The Slytherin looked back up to Snape.
"He would have figured it out eventually anyway. I was just helping him remember faster. That potion can't last forever." Draco spat.
"Crucio." Snape snapped.
For the umpteenth time since arriving in the dungeon, Draco felt pain rip through his body. He thrashed against the chains and only succeeded in having them dig deeper into his skin. Snape released the curse and Draco leaned his head back against the wall, breathing heavily.
"Do not speak unless spoken to." Snape said icily. "The potion need not last forever. With the healer's cup in his possession the Dark Lord can administer it whenever needed. I do not believe that will be necessary however." Snape smiled coolly and Draco felt a shiver shoot down his spine.
"Potter has gained magnificent power that the Dark Lord wishes to have for himself."
"Well it's a good thing he's brainwashed Harry to be on his side then isn't it?" Draco snapped.
"Crucio."
Draco thrashed against the curse but bit back cries of pain.
"I believe I told you not to speak out of turn." Snape said. "Merely having Potter on the dark side is not enough. He could turn at any time. He could be captured. Anything could happen and the Dark Lord wants to leave nothing to chance."
Snape ended the spell and leaned close to his godson's ear.
"So after the Dark Lord has dealt with you. He is going to steal Potter's magic and once he's got every ounce of power for himself, the Dark Lord will kill him. There will be no one left to oppose him and all those who do will die. The war is ending Draco and the dark has won."
Snape straightened back up and left the cell. The last of his footsteps faded away before Ron and Fred dropped the cloak. Draco could see they were both extremely pale and shaky. Ron unlocked the cell door and walked in.
"What was all that about?" he asked.
Draco could see it in the red head's eyes that he was not completely in the dark about what he'd over heard. Pieces were falling into place in his mind but Ron refused to let them fit.
The Slytherin sighed heavily.
"The night Harry was attacked he lost his memories of the past seven years. I was told he didn't even know he was a wizard. The Dark Lord has managed to corrupt his mind enough to make Harry think he's fought as a Death Eater all this time." He explained.
Ron stared at him in disbelief.
"That is a sick joke Malfoy. I knew you were low but this..." Ron spat.
Malfoy glared at the red head.
"It's not joke Weasley. I'm not down here because I choose to be. You just saw my own godfather use crucio on me twice. I tried to make Harry remember who he was, what he fought for, and how wrong all of this is but he wouldn't believe me. Snape dragged me away before I could finish explaining everything to Harry and I've been down here ever since."
Ron growled and in a flash his wand was aimed at Malfoy. The blonde glared from the wand up to the Gryffindor.
"Ron." Fred said but his brother ignored him.
"Tell me where Harry is or I'll kill you." Ron hissed.
"He's upstairs, probably waiting for his next assignment." Draco answered.
"DON'T LIE TO ME!" Ron shouted.
Sparks shot out of his wand and Draco's glare deepened. Fred reached out and laid a hand on his brother's shoulder.
"Ron I think he's telling the truth. Harry's in trouble and he doesn't even know it. We have to help him so that we can get out of here when the Order comes." He said.
Draco turned to Fred.
"The Order?" he said.
Fred nodded without looking at the Slytherin.
"George and Hermione tracked us here. They will have gone to Dumbledore and are probably on their way here right now."
All the anger vanished from Draco's eyes and was replaced by sheer desperation.
"Dumbledore's coming?" he asked.
Fred and Ron nodded.
"Probably."
"Oh Gods Harry will try to kill him!" Draco cried.
"What?!" Fred and Ron exclaimed together.
"He has it set in his mind that he will be able to do what Sev couldn't last year. Harry thinks he's powerful enough to kill Dumbledore and I can guarantee if Dumbledore crosses his path Harry will try to do just that."
"Harry would never kill anyone!" Fred shouted.
"Come on Fred let's get out of here and find Harry. The Order should be here soon." Ron said with a final glare at the Slytherin in front of him.
"You have to believe me Weasley! Get out of here before Harry finds you!"
Fred and Ron slammed the cell door shut and disappeared down the corridor without a comment or another look back at Draco. The blonde growled in frustration and hit his head against the wall behind him.
Suddenly a huge explosion shook the walls of the dungeon. Dust and cobwebs floated down from the ceiling, forcing Draco to squeeze his eyes shut tight until the cloud settled. He pulled against his chains, hoping against hope that they'd break off. When they didn't he sagged back against the wall wondering what was going on upstairs as a second rocked through the castle.
"Draco!"
The Slytherin looked up and gasped.
"Harry!" he exclaimed.
"What happened to these two?" Harry asked.
The disillusion charm had faded and Harry was now staring at the two unconscious forms of Theodore and Blaise.
"What's going on upstairs?" Draco asked, ignoring Harry's question.
The raven haired boy flicked his hand once and the cell door opened. He flicked it again and Draco's chains fell of his wrists and ankles. The Slytherin stood and rubbed his sore wrists as Harry began his explanation.
"There are aurors all over the bloody place. They're blasting the front doors, trying to get in. No one can figure out how they even knew how to get here. Voldemort is calling everyone to the main foyer so that we're ready in case the aurors should make it in but I've got other plans in mind." Harry said darkly.
Draco looked at the other boy uneasily.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
Harry shook his head.
"You'll see." He said.
Harry turned his back to Draco and summoned Blaise's wand which he handed to the blonde. Draco looked at it uncertainly.
"I'm going to need someone to cover my back so you'll need a wand. This will have to do since I don't know where yours is." Harry explained.
Draco looked from the wand up to Harry's eyes.
"Harry…" he began but the raven haired boy cut him off.
"Come on before we miss all the fun." Harry said excitedly.
He turned and started running back through the corridors he'd just come through. As he followed Draco wondered how the Weasley's had managed to make it out of the dungeons without seeing Harry.
Upstairs Ron and Fred were just finally leaving the dungeon. They'd heard footsteps coming towards them and had dived into an empty room to hide since they hadn't thought the put the cloak back on after they left Malfoy's cell. The brother's waited until the footsteps faded before they jumped out of their hiding spot and sprinted the rest of the way out of the dungeons and into a war zone.
Death Eaters were running around wildly, trying to throw up barriers over doors that they didn't want the aurors to go into. In all the commotion no one noticed Fred and Ron disappear under the invisibility cloak. It became increasingly difficult for both of them to remain covered, walk quickly, and avoid colliding with any of the Death Eaters.
Both of them stopped walking as the third and most violent explosion yet shot through the castle walls. Large chunks of ceiling crashed down on the crowded Death Eaters. A few threw shields up just in time to save themselves from being crushed, others weren't so lucky.
"What are we going to do? There's no way we'll be able to find Harry in all this." Ron asked.
Fred was silent for a moment.
"Maybe we should get outside. Dumbledore needs to know what Draco said."
"Why! None of it was true!" Ron exclaimed.
Fred looked around quickly to make sure his brother wasn't over heard and was relieved that all the Death Eaters were still running around, trying to get into defensive positions and keep the main doors from caving.
"Then why isn't Harry in the dungeon?"
"He's being held somewhere else?"
"What about what Snape said to Draco about Harry gaining more power? How else would Harry have done that if he wasn't able to train?"
"He's always been good at dueling and stuff."
"Snape actually said that Harry was on their side now! He had no idea we were there. He would have had no reason to lie! Look at the facts Ron. Something's happened and Harry has switched sides. That's the only thing that could explain how Harry's managed to survive for so long." Fred said.
Ron stared at his brother for a long moment.
"Now come on. We have to tell Dumble….RON!"
Ron ripped off the invisibility cloak so that it was only covering Fred. The Gryffindor took off running along the wall, in clear view of any Death Eater that happened to look in his direction.
"Harry!" Ron shouted.
He threw up a shield as more chunks of ceiling crashed down around him. Ron waited for the dust to settle before continuing on shouting out his best friend's name.
Harry and Draco emerged from the dungeons right as Ron burst out of the invisibility cloak. Harry been looking in the opposite direction at the time but he was slowly scanning the room Draco quickly pushed him away from Ron.
"What are you doing?" Harry snapped.
"We were standing under a weak spot in the ceiling, another explosion would have brought it down on us." Draco explained.
Harry thought for a moment before nodding and accepting the lie.
"Alright."
A split second later the boys were thrown off their feet as the castle doors were blown to bits. Draco hit the wall. Harry slammed hard into Draco. The pair slid to the ground but Harry quickly hopped back up and extended his hand to help his partner to stand. Draco took the offered hand and rubbed a sore spot on his shoulder. Harry didn't have a chance to make sure his friend was alright before at least 50 aurors swarmed into the main area. Death Eaters shot a long stream of curses at their attackers but the aurors threw up a powerful shield that absorbed it all. Things quickly got violent as rogue curses soared past one target just to strike down another. Harry shoved Draco to the side just before a huge chunk of the ceiling came crashing down.
The boys stood and Draco had just enough time to thank Harry before the raven haired boy took off running.
"Where are you going?" Draco shouted, his voice was all but lost in the sounds of the battle but Harry managed to hear him.
"To find Dumbledore!" Harry shouted back.
Draco felt his heart constrict. If Harry found the old man he would almost certainly kill him. Dumbledore wouldn't want to harm his favorite student and shields couldn't block the killing curse. Draco hesitated for a moment before running after his friend. To his surprise Harry hadn't gotten very far before he'd been picked up in a battle with an auror who was as confused as Draco had ever seen anyone. Harry was ruthless with his attack but the auror just shielded himself, unsure of what else he should do. He knew he was against Harry Potter and he also knew the wizarding world would have his head if he did anything to the boy who lived but by the way the teen was battling the aurors choices were grim; either take out the young hero or be killed by him.
Draco watched as realization settled onto the young aurors features but didn't wait for him to act.
"Stupefy!" the blonde shouted.
The auror crumpled. He hadn't noticed Draco appear and wasn't able to throw up a shield in time to protect himself. Harry turned to his partner.
"I was handling it." He said.
Draco nodded.
"I know I just thought I'd help things move along." He lied. In truth the Slytherin knew that if the auror had taken his shot Harry would have easily blocked it and possibly attacked with something that would kill his opponent. Draco knew Harry would never be able to live with the knowledge that he'd killed someone.
If he ever goes back to himself that is. Draco thought grimly.
Suddenly Harry grabbed Draco's shoulder and pulled him close while he pointed with his other hand.
"Look over there! That's one of the aurors that tried to attack me at the Daily Prophet." He said.
Draco followed where Harry was pointing and felt his breath catch. Harry was pointing at Ron who was locked in an intense battle with one of the few junior death eaters Draco had never met before.
"Forget about him. Let's get out of here." Draco urged.
Harry looked at him curiously.
"Have you lost your mind? I'm going to take care of that blood traitor and then I'm going after Dumbledore."
For a moment Draco was taken aback by the ugly title Harry used. The Slytherin guessed Harry must have picked it up when he overheard senior Death Eaters talking. Harry started walking towards Ron but Draco reached out and grabbed his wrist. Harry looked from Draco's hand up to the blonde's eyes.
"What do you think you're doing?" he asked.
"I can't let you do this Harry." Draco said.
Harry's eyes narrowed. He jerked his arm free of Draco's grasp but didn't move away.
"I don't need your permission Draco." Harry hissed. "You know, I thought Snape was lying about your brain being scrambled because of some accident or what not but you're beginning to make me think he's telling the truth. All that garbage about me not being on the Dark side and whatever else you said didn't make any sense but I decided not to hold it against you. Now you're standing here trying to keep me from a battle against someone who attacked me and a man who's trying to bring down our Lord." Harry shook his head. "Somehow I'm beginning to think it wasn't Snape who's been lying to me."
With a final glare at his former partner Harry began making his way through the crowd. For a moment Draco stared openly after him. He couldn't believe anything he'd just heard. Snape had convinced Harry that it was Draco's mind who as addled. Draco watched Harry's slow advance towards Ron and quickly realized what he was going to have to do.
Draco threw a shield over himself with Blaise's wand and then started weaving his way through the battle that raged all around him. A few times the blonde thought his shield would fall when multiple curses struck it at once but Draco was able to poor enough power into it to keep it up. As he ran Draco had to force himself to ignore the bodies strewn across the floor. He tried not to step on them but at the same time couldn't allow himself to slow down or Harry would reach Ron long before he did.
Draco craned his neck and could just make out Ron still battling with the same death eater. The red head seemed to have the upper hand in the duel but that would change as soon as Harry got a hold of him. Draco scanned the area and saw Harry a few yards to his right and barely a few feet behind him. The pair would most likely reach Ron at the exact same time.
Harry elbowed and blasted his way through the crowd, his sights never leaving the red headed auror. If anyone crossed his path Harry simply swung his arm and sent them flying thirty feet into the air. Harry smiled as the crowd broke and he finally had an open shot at his target. He raised his right hand and took aim.
Draco stumbled forward when the tight crowd around him finally broke. The wand slipped out of his hand but Draco saw that he wouldn't have time to pick it up. Harry had made it first and was now taking aim. Forgetting the fallen wand Draco took three huge strides forward.
Harry watched the scene unfold almost in slow motion. The powerful cutting curse left the tips of his fingers and shot through the air towards its target. A split second before it sliced through the unsuspecting auror Draco threw in front of the red head, taking the full hit of the spell in his chest and stomach. By now Ron had ended the duel and had turned just in time to see a spell get fired at him and then Draco jumping in the way before it hit.
Draco collapsed to the ground and didn't rise. One hand shot to his chest, the other to his stomach, still leaving a large part of the wound uncovered. Ron fell to one knee beside the Slytherin who was struggling to breathe through the excruciating pain coursing through is body. He clenched his teeth and hissed in agony as blood gushed out of the wound. Ron could only watch the blonde suffer, not knowing what else to do. He looked around, trying to find someone who could help him but everyone was engaged in battle. Suddenly he spotted someone that made his spirits and heart soar.
"HARRY!" Ron exclaimed.
Draco barely registered the name and even when he did he couldn't bring himself to warn Ron. The red head stood and moved to take a step towards Harry but froze at the expression on his best friend's face.
"All you alright Harry?" he said uncertainly.
Harry's eyes were narrowed and burned with anger. His hands were at his sides as he slowly walked forward.
"That curse was meant for you." He growled.
Ron looked as if he'd been slapped in the face. He even took a step back as if the words had physically plowed into him.
"What?" The single word was all the Gryffindor could manage.
Now Harry was only five feet away. His eyes darted down to his quickly fading partner and then back up to Ron.
"It's your fault he's about to die!" Harry hissed.
"No…" Ron started. He was vastly confused. The red head looked down at the paling Slytherin and remembered what he'd said down in the dungeon. Draco had tried to warn him that this wasn't the Harry Ron was so desperately looking for. Ron had chosen not to believe the Slytherin and this was the result. Draco was minutes from death and Harry was undoubtedly about to kill his best friend without a second thought.
"Harry look at me! It's Ron your best friend!" Ron tried.
"Impedimenta!" Harry shouted.
Ron threw himself out of the way and barely kept his footing. The wall behind him was completely shattered, opening up to the night outside. Thunder rolled and lightning crashed, reflecting the battle that was raging inside the castle.
"Bombarda!" Harry shouted. He aimed his wand at the small bit of ceiling above Ron. The rock cracked and crashed down. Ron dove towards Draco as he threw up a shield to cover them both from the debris. Harry fired another storm of curses on Ron before the dust even settled but the red head's shield held. When he was finally able to see again Ron stood, letting the protective bubble fall. Draco groaned weakly on the ground. The sound seemed to add to Harry's already blazing fury.
"You will pay!" he shouted.
"I didn't do anything! I came to rescue you!" Ron argued.
"Sectumsempra! You attacked me at the Daily Prophet!" Harry shouted.
"Protego!" What? you weren't even there!"
"You followed me through the lobby, then out to the alley! CRUCIO!"
Ron dove to the ground, he felt the curse fly over his shoulder, so close it actually burned through his cloak. He shook his head as he pushed himself back into a standing position.
"You were in disguise! How was I supposed to know it was you?" Ron reasoned.
With no good answer Harry released a torrent of violent curses that Ron barely managed to dodge or block. The last curse caught him in his left arm. Caught off guard Ron hissed and looked up at Harry with hurt shining in his eyes.
"How can you not remember me? We've been best mates for seven years!" he shouted.
Harry laughed coldly.
"Even if I'd never lost my memory how could I ever be friends with you? I've got power, you are weak."
Draco shifted painfully on the ground. His face was deathly pale and his hands shook slightly but he grabbed Ron's attention and looked him square in the eyes.
"Fight back or he will kill you." Draco said heavily.
Ron looked back at Harry who seemed to be gathering up his strength for a final shot. The red head looked back at Draco and then back at Harry. Ron looked from one to the other two more times before tightening the grip on his wand as he raised it. A single tear slid out of Ron's right eye. He blinked hard to keep any more from falling.
"Please don't make me do this." He begged Harry.
"Don't do it." Harry said slowly a smirk formed over his face. "It'll make my job that much easier. Avada Kedavra!"
"Protego!" Ron shouted. He'd felt Harry was about to shoot a curse but he hadn't expected an unforgivable. The curses collided in mid air and Ron expected the killing curse to slice through his pathetic spell. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth waiting for his world to end. A moment passed and then a couple seconds. Ron cracked open an eye and then opened the other. His mouth fell open in complete shock. The curses were still struggling in between Harry and Ron. Harry was as shocked as Ron was but his fury pulled him back to his senses.
"You can't block unforgivables!" He shouted.
"I know that!" Ron shouted back. He had no idea how he was doing whatever it was he was doing but he didn't want to know what would happen if it stopped. Ron continued to pour his heart and soul into the spell, hoping to push the curse away.
"I will kill you!" Harry cried.
"I can't hurt you Harry! I won't hurt you. I don't care if you remember me or not! You are my best friend!"
As he spoke the red light coming from Ron's wand began to push the green light coming from Harry's hand back towards Harry's outstretched palms.
"I stayed by you when you went after the sorcerer's stone! I went with you into the chamber of secrets. I was there when everyone thought you were lying about you-know-who. I followed you to the ministry!" Ron shouted. If Harry had really lost his memories then Ron was going to force him to remember. Ron noticed that the more he talked the farther away the curses traveled from him.
"LIES!" Harry cried out desperately.
"NO! Listen to me!" Ron shouted. "I came for you when you were trapped in Privite Drive! You and I made it on the Quidditch team together!"
Harry cried out in pain as his head throbbed nastily. His hand slipped and the curses jumped towards him but he took control again a split second later.
"Keep going." Draco urged from the ground. The edges of Draco's vision kept growing blacker but he wouldn't let darkness consume him until he saw how this ended.
"You come to my house every single summer! What's my house called Harry! I know you know this, what is my house called!"
"I don't know!" Harry shouted back but he cried out painfully as his head swam. "The burrow!"
Harry fell to one knee but kept his control over the curses in front of him.
"We got sorted together in our first year! You and I were panicking because I thought we'd have to battle a troll. What house were we sorted into?" Ron shouted.
For a moment Harry didn't respond, his vision flashed.
"Slytherin!" The curses froze before making their way back towards Ron. Harry clenched his teeth. "I am a Slyther…AAAHHH…. GRYFFINDOR! We are in Gryffindor"
The curses switched tracks again. They were only about a foot away from Harry's hand and Ron knew it was time to drive them home.
"You're girlfriend is my sister! What is her name?" Ron cried.
Harry braced himself against the floor with his left hand, keeping his right hand in the air to control the curses. Refusing to give into the flood of memories Harry refused to believe were true, he clenched his teeth and glared up at the red head in front of him.
"I wouldn't date a blood traitor!" He hissed. Pain seared through his head but the curses had switched tracks again.
"NO! What is my sister's name!" Ron shouted, ignoring the dirty name his friend had used. Pictures of a pretty young red headed girl flashed through Harry's name and one word forced itself out of his throat.
"Ginny." He spat.
By now the gate keeping all of Harry's memories from reaching his conscious thoughts had collapsed. Pictures, voices, and scenes burst into Harry's mind. Ron watched his friend struggle on the ground. Harry's face was contorted in pain and his whole body was shaking violently.
"You have been fighting in this war since your first year. What side have you been fighting on?"
Harry forced his lips together. He shook his head as the answer fought its way from his brain to his mouth. Finally Harry was unable to contain it any longer.
"The LIGHT!"
The curses completed the last few inches towards Harry's hand. The raven haired boy cried out as they slammed into his palm. He was thrown backwards several feet. Harry plowed through a group of Death Eaters before he skidded to a stop on the concrete floor where he lay unmoving.
Ron rushed over to his friend's side. He fell to his knees and struggled to find Harry's pulse, holding his breath the entire time. Ron began to panic when he couldn't find a pulse in Harry's neck. The red head quickly grabbed his friend's wrist and flipped it over. He released his breath and let his head fall forward as exhaustion and overwhelming happiness swept over him. Ron looked over at Draco who was still struggling to stay conscious.
"He's alive." He cried.
A small smile fluttered over Draco's face before his eyes slid closed as he finally let himself fall unconscious. Ron lifted Harry into his arms and carried him over to Draco's side where he gently laid him back down. The red head conjured two stretchers and levitated each boy onto one. He conjured soft ropes to hold the boys in place. Finally Ron levitated them over to the hole Harry had blasted through the wall. He eased the stretchers out of the hole before hopping through the hole himself. Thunder rumbled again and a few drops of rain pelted Ron in the face but he ignored them as he made his way to the front of the castle. He was surprised to see that very few aurors had been left outside, most of them had made it into the castle by now. Ron carefully lowered the unconscious boys to the ground.
"Expecto Patronum!" He said.
A silvery terrier appeared. Ron knelt down and whispered a message into its ear.
"To Dumbledore,I've got Harry. He's injured. Headed to rendezvous site. Ron."
He flicked his wand and the patronus took off running back the way Ron had just come. The red head watched it disappeared before reaching into his shirt and pulling out a ring that had been fastened on a string around his neck. He pulled the chain off his neck and fastened it around a bar on each stretcher before clamping onto it with his own hand. Ron tapped on the chain with his wand and felt the familiar tug around his naval.