A/N- no excuses for delaying this. I finished a 23 chapter long Gundam wing fanfic before coming back to this. I have just finished presenting my final thesis for my Masters, defended it in an oral presentation, which took up most of my RL - so I finally have some free time to try and edit the mistakes in the in these two fics. wince Also configure an apache server and see why the php config…
Oh, well, on with the fic.
Wait! One more thing. I haven't read Deadly Hollows yet so no spoilers. Unbetaed at the moment but will be eventually.
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Chapter 26: "The End is at Hand"
The feeling was similar to a diver emerging into air after being underwater - for a long, long time. Draco closed his mouth, pressing his lips tightly to stop himself from gasping for air as they breached the last of the protection wards surrounding the mansion. He knew that as long as he held onto the masked Death Eater, who had met them at the entrance, that he would not be hurt by the wards. However, should he let go for even a fraction of a second, the wards would detect him as an intruder and crush him like an insect caught under the heel of his dragon hide boot.
He cast a glance at his father and noted, slightly pleased, that Lucius Malfoy was not faring any better. While Draco sensed overwhelming pressure, he felt none of the panic that should have accompanied the situation. Granger's Calming potion seemed to be something to boast about.
"The Dark Lord awaits you inside." The Death Eater who had accompanied them through the wards spoke and Draco looked up in surprise. He had expected to hear a deep, masculine voice. Instead the person who's face was hidden by the mask, was definitely female …and young.
"He knows we're coming today?" Draco uttered before he could help himself. He had always trusted himself to be calm and composed, but then it was surprising to find out just how much of it had been prudence and just how much of it had been fear. It seemed that the potion he had taken made him less cautious and prone to taking risks.
"He knows everything," the female replied in a tone which suggested Voldemort might as well have created the Universe in a single day.
'Bet he doesn't know about this,' Draco thought with an internal smile, then tried hard to collect his thoughts. It would not do for someone with Occlumency to catch his thoughts before the plan was in motion. He absentmindedly put out a hand to steady the still panting Lucius while generating 'white noise' or inconsequential thoughts to block any mind probes. Harry had been very insistent that he learn that, at least.
"Move it," the Death Eater snapped, her voice as sharp as a rusted nail against a metal beam and Draco winced. Now he knew why he was gay – did all women sound like that when they were annoyed?
He gave his father a side way glance and indicated that they should move inside before they angered the Witch who had escorted them through the wards. The more agreeable they were, the less likely for those who were watching over them to be on guard and that would provide each of them with opportunities to unfold out their plans.
Draco thought it ironic that both the Malfoys wanted to destroy Voldemort for two totally different purposes. They were both determined to back a winner – only Draco's goal for someone else to succeed while Lucius wanted all the power for himself. He hastily stopped himself from thinking further and started to generate random thoughts about gardens and hedges as he walked beside his father into Zabini's Mansion, knowing that each step was bringing him closer to the most dangerous person in the Wizarding world.
As expected, they did not go above ground but rather underground – towards what looked like an abandoned wine cellar, through a hatch in the garden and down a flight of steps. The entrance was guarded by a pile of dirty clothes which resolved into Wormtail. Draco snarled in disgust as they walked past the pest and the traitor had the nerve to show yellow teeth in return. 'Trust the snake to hole up in the damp,' thought Draco before he could clamp down on his thoughts. He looked around with a little more interest than necessary as they struggled down the stone cut steps, forcefully thinking about his surroundings. The part of the Mansion they were heading towards seemed to be much older than the building aboveground as evident from the walls on either side of the steps.
The way the steps had been worn down by countless feet suggested something dating back to the Druids – which meant there was probably a circle of Power on which the foundation of the house was built on. Draco wasn't sure if that was a good idea or not. The Malfoys build their Mansion close to Stonehenge, not on top of it for several reasons, one of which was…while having a freely available power source was a bonus, sitting on top of a lighted gunpowder keg was an immense risk. No one knew just how out of control wild magic could get.
However, he had no choice but the keep on walking down towards the bottomless pit, lit by non-magical light – torches mounted on the wall, smoking and crackling. "Why don't you use Magical light?" Draco asked as they continued to follow their (new) escort down the steps. The female who had first met them had stayed up – apparently her job was to keep an eye out for intruders at ground level. Their present escort was also hooded, robed and undoubtablly male. He was also more level tempered than the female Death Eater who had greeted them earlier.
"The Lord was afraid that magic here would disrupt any spells being cast below," the man replied slowly. "He is going to be casting a very delicate spell tonight and there should be no interference what so ever."
As the man spoke, Lucius looked up slightly puzzled but also pleased. It was apparent Lucius knew this man and was going to use it to his advantage. Lucius inched towards the man and spoke to him in a low voice…hurriedly. Draco took a deep breath to brace himself then followed the rest down, knowing that the next few hours was going to be crucial for his survival.
---!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11—
"You see, Potter," Voldemort hissed to the crystal ball. "All I want for you is to come to me. I have something of yours…" pointed a bony finger towards Draco who was still gasping from the effects of the last curse- a Cruciatus, which had made him scream until his throat was raw. He lifted his head from the cold, stone floor, a bump rising where he had banged his head repeatedly as he'd withered around in pain. Draco knew that he presented a sorry sight, his hair plastered with dirt, his robe torn in places, his lips bleeding where he'd bitten through. In other words he looked like a victim.
Draco tried to compose himself. The Calming potion was not a Painless potion and he could feel his muscles tense, but he knew the longer he took to relax, harder it was going to be for him to move swiftly should he need to. He needed to be ready to move when the signal came and there was no way he was going to be mobile while withering from the after effects of having his body tortured by various curses. It also did not help that he was about to be tied up more firmly a fly caught in the spider web, and used as the bait for one shortsighted Gryffindor.
In an effort to get his body under control, Draco tried to put the various pieces of the puzzle together. It was more complicated than anyone had thought possible but laying the facts straight kept him busy---for the time being.
Draco did not know for sure who had originally come up with the idea to leech Potter's powers into Voldemort – his father or the Dark Lord himself. The only thing he was sure of was that it was an ancient spell which called for the participant to be willing. It also called for a collection of ingredients such as the blood of a pureblood friend. When Draco had been send into the Order Headquarters – the Grimmauld Place he had been on a mission to collected most of the ingredients needed, including the key ingredient – which had been Potter, the Sacrifice (ok, willing Donor).
While Voldemort dreamt of having Potters' powers for himself, Lucius was also plotting in the sidelines in an attempt to leech both Potters' and Voldemort's powers for his exclusive use. As far as Draco was concerned the plan was far too complicated to be of any use to anyone.
It was trap within a trap. When the Order had first come to hear of Voldemort's plan to leech Potter's power there had been several scenarios. One of which had been the reverse spell, where the Dark Lords power would flow into Potter instead. The trick was to put the two opposing Wizards in the same room (willingly) where the spell was going to be cast. That had been one of the conditions imposed on by the spell to make sure it would not be misused. They both had to be willing which made the whole thing a little i complicated. /i
Therefore, Draco had had been chosen as the unfortunate middleman to draw in Harry. Lucius did not question Draco's willingness to be the bait in a trap to lure in Potter; it was expected of him as the only Malfoy child to be subservient to his father's wishes. Perhaps Lucius really thought that the reason Draco had gone along without a word of protest was to see his father rise to power. However, Draco's loyalties had shifted during his stay at Grimmauld Place and his survival lay in the hopes that Harry would win the final battle.
So, the plan had been laid. Draco would pretend to help his father escape from the Hogwarts Dungeons and together they would make their way to the Dark Lord. He would wear a Tracking Charm with him most of the way which would help the others (a.k.a Order members who actively supported Harry Potter) track him to the location where Voldemort was lying low. Since Lucius knew Draco was, what he called, Potter's weakness, Lucius would convince Voldemort to 'invite' Potter to come rescue Draco who was a prisoner of the Dark Lord.
Everyone knew just how heroically stupid Potter was and just how easy it was to lure him into a trap. Therefore, it would not be surprising that Harry would come leaping to Draco's rescue and there by step willingly into the spell circle.[1 Draco knew Potter would be waiting for Voldemort to give out his location, seemingly accidentally but not very subtly. Voldemort knew that Potter would come and that was all he cared about. Whether the Boy Wonder knew he was walking into a trap or not relevant as long as he did.
The spell called for was long and complicated – but could be recited by either one of the participants or by a third party who would stand outside the circle as long as the recipient of the power was named clearly. Snape had assumed that Lucius would recite the spell while stepping into the circle himself. Which made Draco's part in the spell all the more perilous. Draco just hoped they would be able to reverse the spell, since otherwise they would all be at the mercy of the Dark Lord with Harry Potter nothing more than a squib.
!!!!---!!!—1!!!!!-!!!!!
Two hours had passed since Voldemort had passed on the invitation to Potter, in the form of an owl and Draco was ready to scream in frustration. The Calming Potion would eventually wear out and he would be reduced to a quivering mass of robes, unless Potter did something soon. The hardest part seemed to be waiting, as he could testify and even Lucius was starting to get agitated.
"He will come, my Lord," Lucius said in response to an unspoken question. "He is extremely fond of my son."
"Is he?" Voldemort asked looking annoyed. Well, as annoyed as those features could manage. "Are you sure you are not overestimating his fondness for your son?" he asked sounding almost disgusted.
Draco tried hard not to imagine anyone having sex with Voldemort and failed. Therefore he decided that perhaps some of those feelings could have been envy…a thought he did not pursue since he was trying to stay alive, not wind up dead or petrified.
He was tired- no one ever talked about just how tiring it was to wait for the end of the world (or so it felt to him) tied and laid in the middle of the black salt[2 circle like a damsel in distress just waiting to be rescued. However, it seemed rescue was something which took time - and made a lot of noise.
Draco had no idea just how far down underground they were but he could hear the muted hiss of spells being cast on ground level and the vibration of the rocks under his cheek which spoke of explosions. He rolled to a side and struggled to his knees and finally straightened to a respectable crouch on the floor. It was the best he could do under the circumstances, since he was tied with enough rope to build a rope bridge across the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch without a wand.
Draco wondered what exactly was going on above him. Who was leading the attack and who had joined Potter? He knew the Weasleys would be there, apart from Ginny who was going to be left at home since she was considered too young to join in any bloody massacres. Where the Weasleys went so did Granger, followed by the Aurors. Mad-Eye Moody, Tonks and perhaps that other man – Draco tried to remember his name, Kingsey…um…Kingsley or something like that. There should be others if he was not mistaken.
The aboveground Death Eaters had the backup of Werewolves and for once Draco was glad he was not going to have to deal with them. Watching the facial expressions of both Voldemort and his father from behind his curtain of hair, Draco decided that there was something neither of them had anticipated. The Werewolves were now led by Lupin and though he was a scrawny looking DADA Professor, Remus Lupin made one heck of a Werewolf. On the top of that, there was former Death Eater Snape who probably knew the inner workings of the entire Voldemort's army better than the Luicus did. After all, Snape had not spent most of his recent years languishing in one prison or the other.
There was the sound of spells being cast close by and as if in silent agreement both Lucius and Voldemort seemed to melt into the shadows. There was a long pause followed by the thud of footsteps on the stone staircase and Draco mentally rolled his eyes as Potter's scruffy sneakers appeared in his line of vision.
'This is way too lame,' Draco thought as Harry stepped across the circle boundary and knelt in front of him. As soon as the gag had been torn off, Draco obediently mouthed "You took your time coming here didn't you?" as if he was in some badly written comic book.[3
"Well," Harry said dryly as he pointed his wand at the ropes which promptly fell to the ground in a loose pile. So, Potter was practicing his magic even as he spoke. "I was coming to rescue my true love - had to stop to comb my hair on the way." The famous Potter hair made the comment more incongruous than ever.
"You could have done with some deodorant, too," Draco grumbled as a drop of sweat rolled off Potter's forehead. "You smell like a pig."
"That's the thanks I get for rescuing you," Harry managed dryly, as he looked at Draco straight in the eye. 'Ready,' he mouthed silently and Draco gave an imperceptible nod. The plan was on the way.
"You certainly are not Prince Charming," Draco said with a huff. "Give me your wand, Potter. They took mine and I know you can't cast a decent spell to restore blood circulation to my limbs." It was as pathetic an excuse as he could come up with but Draco's acting abilities did not extend to Wizarding Academy Levels.
"Yes, my darling," Potter replied with as much teasing as possible and Draco looked up startled. Potter's eyes were sparkling with excitement, and though his lips were drawn together with tension, there was no fear. Draco suddenly understood that for better or for worse, Potter was finally going to face his enemy and he was just glad the wait was over. Harry was going to face his enemy once and for all and it was all he had ever wanted to do.
Then silently, all his teasing gone in that second, Potter calmly handed over his wand to Draco and at that moment the spell activated. With a cry – half startled, half triumph, Draco threw Potter's wand over his head in a perfect arc over the shoulder. He knew that the spell that would leech Potter's powers was already being activated and that things were finally in progress. It was too late to turn back now.
It was almost as if a gong had been sound. Only instead of sound silence filled the little underground cavern, all the sounds of fighting above ground was cut off abruptly in one heart beat and all Draco could do was watch the shadows gathered becoming deeper. In that second he felt scared. Really, really scared as Voldemort glided into the circle.
"Potter," the Dark Lord hissed quietly. "We meet again."
"I knew it was a trap," Potter said defiantly, standing there in his too large jeans and sag necked t-shirt. "You've used the same trick on me before and just how many times do you think can a person fall for the same trick."
"But you still came," Voldemort said slowly.
"I wanted to meet you again," Potter said his chin thrust in the air, as if challenging the Dark Lord with shear insolence. "You have to admit we might as well get this over with, once and for all, before you get so old you'll need to get dentures."
Draco wondered what dentures were then made a mental note to ask about it later. It looked like he might have to get used to a few odd muggle customs as well. Then again, he was quickly distracted from that thought by the sudden change in air pressure. It was almost as if an invisible hand had hit him hard on the chest, bodily lifted him and threw him out of the circle.
As he landed outside, Draco fell to his knees, stunned by the rapidity with which the actions. He was still trying to struggle to his feet when the low sonorous drone of the spell being recited, by his father perpetrated the silence. Draco spun around, shocked that he had missed the beginning – to see Lucius about to step into the circle. He had to block the third entrant to prevent the spell from splitting into three and becoming even more complicated. There was no way he could counteract a three way spell.
Draco literally jumped into action, swiping low to bring down Lucius just as he was about to step inside. Lucius hit the floor, hard, in an undignified heap of robes, probably bruising his delicate butt in the process while the reciting stopped and the spell circle solidified into a transparent half-dome Lucius looked up furiously at Draco, mouth open in surprised.
"The spell has already started," Draco said looking down at his father as he got to his feet. "You can't interfere anymore."
"You fool," snarled Lucius pulling out his wand in a single smooth move and pointing it at Draco. "Do you think I would have closed the spell circle without counting me into it. I have left a clause in the spell that would allow me to participate in it." The fact Lucius was actually explaining the whole concept to his son rather than hexing made it clear that he still thought Draco to be on his side. "I calibrated this spell for this time and place …do you think I'm stupid enough not to bend it to my will."
"Maybe not," Draco bit out trying not to be daunted by the wand pointed squarely at him. "But I'm not going to let you…" In mid-sentence he leapt at his father, kicking the wand hand as he did. Draco was wandless, but he had not been rotting away in some dungeon prison like his father had been. In the past year, Draco had put on a few inches in height and build up some muscles. He was stronger and surer of himself than ever before and finally, he had a reason to stand up to his father. "…did you think…," Draco shouted at Lucius as he threw a wild punch as him. "…that I would be your lap dog forever. Well, father…guess what…I choose Potter."
It actually felt liberating to say just that. He had wanted to say that to his father for a long time; not the part about his choosing Potter…that was shear bravado, but to actually hit the man who had oppressed his entirely life. To be able to bring down the person who had kept him hanging like a puppet on a string – Draco was actually getting carried away as he started to roll on the ground trying to get the upper hand where Lucius was concerned.
Somewhere in the back of Draco's mind he could hear the spell being activated in Voldemort's deep voice. Though Potter had been told to memories the counter spell by Granger, he knew that Potter was notoriously short on memory when it came to remembering anything other than what he'd had for breakfast. He should simply knock his father out and get on his feet and be ready to shout out the words to Potter like some prompter in a school play, incase he forgot the proper words.
Not that Potter was dumb, he was just more into action - than actual intellectual things like Draco was. Which might be a important point, he was starting to realize as Lucius slowly gained the upper hand in their tussle. For a moment Draco froze in shock as pain radiated from his forehead throughout his body. Lucius had taken a handful of his hair and slammed his head on the floor, stunning him momentarily. When Draco was clear headed enough to roll over he was looking down at the end of a wand, held in his face by an extremely irritated looking Lucius.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
Draco watched from his position flat on his back on the floor as Lucius toppled over with a look of total amazement frozen in his face. He looked at Granger who had appeared from over the archway, which lead to the staircase.
"What took you so long?" he inquired as he got to his feet, helped by Ron Weasley who had appeared behind Granger.
"You seemed to be having fun," Granger replied in a tense voice, more out of habit than anything else since her eyes were fixed on the circle, where the two most powerful wizards of all time was battling it out. Draco turned around fast, one hand still on Weasley's shoulder for balance.
Harry was standing in the center of the circle, his hair standing on end, looking frozen. His lips were moving in unison with Voldemort's. They were both mouthing the spell, each trying to say it slowly and clearly. There was no way that either of them would be able to get the drop on the other. The reverse spell only counted as long as they could make it work.
"You were supposed to have started on the counter spell to undo the outside protection," Hermione said in a displeased voice as she approached the duo. She stopped short as she reached the barrier which had pushed Draco out of the center and prodded it gently.
"Well, I was busy," Draco said, defensively. "I was supposed to be a last resort, remember. You were the one who was going to chant the spell."
"No," Hermione said with a grimace. "It's too late now. We can't interfere at this stage."
"You mean, now they are going to be locked in there," Draco asked as Voldemort's reached into his robe and brought out the green glowing globe. They were all starting to become familiar with it, even if they haven't seen the original. It had first made an appearance in one of Harry's dreams and later on, Hermione had managed to identify it as the storage medium for power during the transfer.
"But…" Ron said in a low voice. "Harry has to hold that…otherwise it won't be of any use."
"We can't interfere," Hermione said in frustration as she threw herself at the barrier.
Draco was starting to wish that Snape was there. He would have known what to do. However, he had to do something or be killed. "Where's Snape?" he asked hurriedly.
"He's busy," Hermione said. "We are winning up there but there seemed to be so many Death Eaters there's you'd think it was the Clone wars. All those people in white robes and wand…"She took a step back then launched herself at the barrier again. "I remember reading about this," she explained to the two stunned boys who were watching over her. "This barrier is flexible …if you penetrate it at full speed."
"Penetrate," Draco managed in a small voice as his mind offered a myriad of solutions which had nothing to with spell breaching.
"What's a Clone?" Ron asked sounding puzzled.
"Never mind," Hermione said as she looked at the two locked in battle. "Come on, Harry…just grab that… and…"
"He needs a distraction," Draco said with a frown.
"But what?" Ron asked looking vexed. "If you hadn't been so busy rolling on the floor with your father…"
"I suppose you stopped on the way for a quick shag with Granger here since it took you so…"
"Will you two stop it," Hermione screeched. "I'm getting sick of this…Just throw something at the barrier…that will cause a resonance which will…"
There was a small cough and they all turned as one towards the new addition.
"Ginny," said Ron and Hermione at the same time.
"I know who I am," Ginny snapped as she walked down, broom in hand. "What's going on?"
"How did you get out," Ron demanded. "Mom warded the house from top to bottom."
"Not top enough," Ginny said with a confidant grin. "You know that skylight from which you can get on to the roof…the one where you all keep on going up to screw…"
Draco colored. Granger colored. Weasley colored.
"…well, someone forgot to spell that shut, so I climbed on to the roof and flew off," the red-headed female concluded.
"Now I know why the twins like you," Ron grumbled.
Draco was also starting to see what Potter had seen in this girl and it was a bit of a shock.
"Stand back," Ginny said as she mounted the broom. "If I can get enough speed….I should be bale to…" She took off without even bothering to complete her sentence. Ron gave an aborted shout which Granger clutched her wand…pale and drawn out.
Draco wasn't sure whether to scream in frustration or laugh at their pathetic attempts to break the spell when Ginny Weasley … and her broom crashed into the barrier.
There were a lot of 'dos' and 'do nots' in the Wizarding world. One of the 'do nots' was never interfere in a powerful spell since the consequences could be dire. In Ginny's case the same force which had hurled Draco back threw her away, as if she was a rag doll. Granger cast a Cushioning spell which seemed to reduce the damage but still…the girl hit the wall with a sickening thud and crumpled to the floor.
"Ginny!" Ron screamed as Granger rushed to the fallen figure. However, Draco's attention was drawn to Potter who was looking intently at Voldemort who was struggling with the spell.
It had worked, he realized.
The Dark Lord had been the one who had been casting the spell and when little Miss Too Big For Her Own Shoes had bounced against the Spell cover hard enough for the caster to feel the effects. It was the most pathetic attempts at breaking a spell but it had worked…just not enough.
Voldemort was not one of the strongest Wizards alive for nothing. He picked up where he'd stopped and continued smoothly while Potter now was distracted by the sight of the crumpled form of his former girl friend. Draco fumed angrily. Potter had better pick himself up and do something before they all got killed. Draco could hear Granger casting Reviving spells in an increasingly panicked voice but his main concern was for the two combatants inside the enclosed circle.
There was a loud shout, followed by a scream as Draco watched the spell unfurl. In side the circle Voldemort stopped his chanting a few seconds ahead of Potter. Then the two stood still as the world seemed to stop. To Draco's untrained eye it looked as if a small hurricane had picked up Potter, whirled him around and sucked him dry. He could see the dark hair rising, followed by the surprised look on Potter's face almost scared but more disbelief as he was lifted off the ground. Even Granger stopped her healing to look up and Draco turned around to see Ron, on his knees beside his sister, his mouth open in shock, watching the drama unfold.
Draco could only watch as the sphere in Voldemort's hand glowed green and then there was a 'whoosh' feeling as if something large had been sucked in through a small hole and Potter collapsed. His glasses fell to the ground and shattered. There was a stunned silence as the spell finished and the protective dome around it dispersed into small fairy lights.
"Oh, no," Hermione said in a low voice. "We failed."
"No…" Draco mouthed automatically even as he reached for his none- existent wand. "Dammit, Potter…do something."
"Your precious Boy Who Lived is now a squib," Voldemort said, slowly, unhurriedly as he adjusted his robes. Snake Face knew that he was the most powerful person in the entire world at that moment and none of the people present were strong enough to fight him.
Draco fell to his knees, feeling slightly shaky but more intent on getting his father's Wand which had been lying on the floor all but forgotten. His figures closed around it and he looked at it. He had two choices…either he run away or poked the Dark Lord in they with his wand…both of which were of little use. So he did the only other thing possible... "Potter, catch…" he said as he threw the wand at the stunned boy.
Harry lay on the ground and watched the wand do a small bounce before rolling into a groove next to him. Potter looked at the wand as if he had never seen it before and for a moment Draco was afraid that his memories had also been sucking into Voldemort with his powers. However, then Harry sat up slowly and picked up the wand shakily and looked at Voldemort as if asking him permission to use it.
It was not that, Draco realized a second later. Potter was just surprised that Voldemort had let a wand fall into his hands.
"You maybe able to use it," Voldemort said, his voice almost low and caring. "The spell does not suck you dry to the point you are no longer a wizard. After all this was designed for willing participants and no one wants to be a squib."
"It could be a lie," Weasley said in a strangled voice, as if he had a mouthful of worms.
"It isn't." There was a note of resignation as Snape walked into the room supporting a bleeding Lupin. "Potter just might be able to cast a Wingardium Leviosaand make a feather float, just barely but that's the extent of his powers."
"But…" said another voice as a limping Bill Weasley walked in half carrying on of the twins. "There is a way for the spell to be reversed, isn't there?"
"Only if the person gives back the powers willingly or dies," Hermione sounded resigned. "Someone better take a look at Ginny… I think she's hurt bad."
There were more foot steps and Draco saw the inevitability - of defeat. A single Death Eater appeared in the corner, looking weary and scared. Though the robe still covered the new comers face, Draco recognized the female who had escorted them through the wards. Her entire physical outlook brightened when she saw Voldemort standing as she bowed low to greet her master. The seriousness of the situation became obvious as the rest did not even pay attention to her - they continued to stare at the tall figure in the middle of the room.
"There's nothing you can do," Voldemort said softly. "You have lost. Bow to me and I might spare a few of you."
"I take it that would not include me," Snape said dryly as he helped Lupin up and then signed. "I suppose we could all try casting spells at you…"
"They wouldn't touch me now," Voldemort said triumphantly. "You must have already known this since you haven't trued anything on me."
"Why hasten the obvious," Snape said in a small voice.
"Because there is always a chance," said Granger, standing up firmly. She pulled out her wand and pointed it at Voldemort only to have it knocked off by one of the Death Eaters who was standing directly behind her. As they watched the female Death Eater took off her hood and revealed her face …a mouse brown face with no discernable features and smiled ferally. She moved closer to the Dark Lord, almost prostrating herself and stood next to him as if she had been elected his right hand woman. From the way Voldemort looked more amused than annoyed it was obvious she was going to survive her insubordination. Perhaps being on a power high also put you in a good move.
"Now, young Malfoy," Voldemort said as he effortlessly lifted his hand and pointed towards Granger "Imperio!" She froze in her position, eyes wide in surprise.
"I hear …" The Order members, on cue cast enough spells to bring down a rampaging dragon, only to have the spell reflected back. Draco groaned. Of course, Potter had practiced his wandless magic, non verbal spells and all. He had been primed for a fight and now all his training had horned his magic …and now it was being used by someone else. "…Muggleborns are so clumsy," he continued as if he had not being interrupted. "Pick up your wand," he commanded to Hermione and everyone tensed. Then with a casual flick of his hand Voldemort ordered Hermione to do something…his mind powers had probably doubled as well and … Granger put her wand right through her right eye in a sickening move which made Ron scream and the twin cringe.
Potter moved…he slowly got up.
"…have switched sides just like my trusted follower who has also…" He pointed at Snape casually. "Crucio!"
Snape went down like a sack of potatoes taking Lupin with him, his mouth open in a silent scream, his body frozen in a position so uncomfortable it made Draco wince. However, he started to wither on the floor as Lupin got to his knees slowly as well. It was obvious both the men were stunned. Draco did not think it was a killing blow. Voldemort was enjoying himself far too much to kill any of his enemies outright. He was gloating.
Draco knew that Evil Lords should not gloat but at the moment the odds were stacked against them and there was very little they could do about it. They were essentially beaten, on their knees and there was nothing they could do about it.
Potter slowly looked at Draco from under his fringe of hair and gave him a grimace of a smile. Then he slowly straightened and threw down Lucius' wand which was all but useless in his hand. "You forgot one thing," he said slowly.
"What?" Voldemort sounded genuinely puzzled and from the look of those around them, it was obvious that no one was aware of a plan B.
In return, Potter lunged at Voldemort startling everyone even as Voldemort brought up his wand. Then it stopped as the female Death Eater grabbed onto Voldemort's wand hand like a small dog latching onto a man's foot and held on with a look of grim determination on her face.
Draco watched as Potter seemed to shimmer…as his body lost shape and…it clicked…
"Oh, my god," the twin gasped. "His Animagus form."
"I totally forgot," Ron said in a hushed voice. "Of course…he just might have enough magic in him to…"
"Potter has an Animagus form?" Both Draco and Voldemort managed to appear derisive at the same time.
"You mean he really has one?" Draco demanded as Snape sat up, looking stunned by the revelation. "I thought he kept on avoiding me 'cause he didn't have one and didn't want to admit to it."
"He's got one alright," Weasley said wryly. "Just not something you'd want to…"
Potter's form changed, stretched and finally ended up as a black snake wrapped around Voldemort's hand. Time seemed to freeze as the snake opened it's mouth and sank it's fangs into the hand which held it, coiling around tighter even as the Dark Lord shouted in disbelief.
It was as if the world had gone mad. In the instant the floor cracked, the ceiling shattered and their magik went wild. For a moment Draco felt himself tingle from head to toe as a rush of power went straight through him and he gasped. The feeling was exhilarating – almost as if he was being killed by a thousand orgasms. It was – too much. He could not even comprehend the amount of power that was being released. He did not think Potter was that powerful but he was being buffeted by powers beyond his control.
With a gasp Draco fell to his knees as a large crack appeared on the floor where he was standing. Draco tried hard not to see the darkness beyond even as he started to fall. He threw himself side ways, feeling his back scream in protest as he twisted in mid-jump. It helped save him from the plummet to the center of the world but did not save him from being knocked out by a piece of falling plaster.
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Snape came around first, mostly because he had not being knocked out. The pins and needles affecting his limbs seemed to be easing but he was not able to stand up. His left leg was on fire and he could feel the warm, sluggish flow of blood not threatening enough to require immediate attention. More importantly he was feeling the after effects of the torture he had endured and it was only by shear will that he held on to his consciousness. He also became aware that he was lying on someone else. A quick investigation revealed Lupin, who had been shielded from most of the carnage since Snape's body had shielded him from harm. Lupin was out cold, his head bleeding but it was reassuring to feel him breath evenly, crushed under Snape's weight. He'll be fine, Snape though looking over his lover hastily. It took a lot to kill a werewolf.
He looked around slowly to see who was up. Voldemort lay in the untouched center… unmoving, like a discarded husk. Next to him lay the female Death Eater who had shown up unexpectedly, her features shifting between mouse brown and bright pink. IT seemed Nymphadora had, had some uses after all. Potter was kneeling, shaking his head from side to side like a dog, his hair flying in all directions. Snape watched as Potter casually reached for his glasses, still shattered and put them on, repairing them even as he stood up, unmindful of what he was doing.
Potter's gaze seem to wander over the people strewn all over the floor, his eyes widening as he spotted Draco who's limp form was about to roll into a widening chasm on the ground. Harry almost ran to Draco but stopped when he saw Hermione, her wand still stuck, grotesquely, in her eye.
Even more importantly, her wand end seemed to be pointing towards the entrance of the underground chamber where Mr. Weasley lay precariously, about to be crushed beneath a slab of stone. Potter seemed to hesitate, torn between running to Mr. Weasley or towards Draco. He looked around for something, a wand, Snape guessed then seemed to slum in defeat as it became obvious it was not going to be found. Why the boy needed something like that to channel his magic through when he had enough to do wandless magic was a mystery but perhaps he wasn't adapted at using his newly returned magic.
Then as if by some unspoken command the slab trembled and Draco seem to roll closer to the chasm. There was a moment's hesitation, then …there was a noise of gravel moving as someone else moved.
Potter turned around and from his position on the floor Snape did not have the angel to see who the new comer was. But Potter did. "You," he hissed in displeasure.
"Who were you expecting?" Lucius Malfoy drawled.
"What do you want?" Harry demanded as Lucius came into view, disheveled, one of his hands at an awkward angel, broken but still looking better than most of them. In his other hand he held a wand, probably his – long and slender – or maybe –most likely Draco's.
"I wondered how the others found the entrance to this chamber," Lucius said conversationally. "Must have been Wormtail – traitor all round." He pointed his wand at Potter and Snape saw Harry brace himself.
Why the stupid boy simply stood there was a puzzle. Snape was starting to realize that Potter just did not realize the extent of his Magic, now merged with Voldemort's which made him extremely strong. Snape quivered at the injustice of it all. Here he was, understanding everything from the theory of magic and the inner workings of spells and there was all the power in the world bestowed upon one puny spectacled boy who didn't know how to tie his shoe laces properly.
"I was suggesting a life for a life," Lucius said smoothly. "You seemed to be at a dilemma, Potter. Choose…my son or that Mugglelover. I can cast one spell and save one person and you can save the other. So who will you…"
"There is no choice really," Potter seemed resigned, bitter even. "I…" He reached for Draco and pulled him close to him, away from the abyss.
"Well, then," Lucius said with a shrug as he used a Lightening Charm on the slab which hung over Arthur Weasley. "I suggest you let me walk away from here and we forget about the whole thing."
"What do you mean?" asked Potter from his position on his knees. He cradled his lovers head against his chest and looked at Lucius defiantly.
"You never saw me," Lucius said. "You came to and I was gone."
Potter seemed to hesitate and Snape tensed, wondering what his reaction was going to be.
"All right," he spoke. "For Arthur Weasley's life…in exchange…you get to walk away but Lucius…should we meet again…"
"Oh," said Lucius sounding amused. "Cut the dramatics Potter. What will you do if we meet again? Kill me in cold blood. Should we run into each other in Venice while having a cup of tea in an open restaurant you'd wipe out your wand and kill me on the spot."
Potter seemed to falter at the image and Snape snickered inwardly. Good for you, Lucius,' he thought. /i
"And one more thing," said Lucius bending down. He pushed back Draco's hair and looked at his son closely. "I'm going to let you take care of something that belongs to me," he said. "We will meet again Potter Just remember that." With that Lucius swooped forward and captured Harry's lips in an intense kiss.
For a moment Potter seemed to stiffen and then kiss back…then come to his senses and push away. Snape rolled his eyes at the image. Things seemed to be progressing nicely as far as Snape was concerned and cleaning up a mess a such a bother. He closed his eyes and gave into the inviting darkness, finding comfort in Lupin's steady heartbeat.
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A/N – That was one chapter I really should have written a long time back. Last time I'm taking up any long projects. No death scenes. I'm leaving such stuff for JKR. I know what you are thinking...what a stupid chapter. My well of inspiration is running dry but I would appreciate some comments. Anyway, there is only one more chapter and I wrap this up for good. Had to format my hard, which was a pain. Gah!!!
[1 Ok, ppl, think of it as a recap since I haven't updated in a bit. If you need a more detailed explanation or think this isn't clear or something, drop me a line and I'll try to work on it. I know, I haven't updated in ages so some of you must have forgotten what the plot is about.
[2 black salt – don't know if you get it in black. Maybe you can dye it. I do know that salt is used in most spells.
[3or fanfic in this case
[4 You do not need to be a powerful wizard to have an animagus form. I looked it up in the lexicon. Can't include links coz messes it up but it's there.