A/N: Warning: Gore, gore, and minor death, and all that.
Just beyond the safe house barrier Fenrir Greyback stood waiting with a fierce canine grin stretched across his thick face... gathered behind him was his army.
"How—"
Pansy started, but hardly managed to finish her sentence as everyone gathered near the window to see the army gathered calmly outside the barrier.
Daphne gasped. "How did they know we were here?"
"Why are they just standing there?" Ginny asked.
Behind her, everyone else gathered nervously, though Hermione couldn't help but notice how prepared the recruits seemed. Yury and Roza were tucked by Blaise's side, the other recruits who couldn't wield magic paired off with those that could.
Draco turned to Theo. "They can't see us, can they?"
"No." Theo confirmed, seeming to blink back into reality as Draco directed the question at him. "They— they can't get through the wards either, unless they have one of us— you, me or Zabini— They can't get through."
"But we need to get past the wards to apparate to the castle, don't we?" Harry asked.
"Alright everyone—" Remus had just shoved through the kitchen door. He began handing out potions to the recruits, "—listen up. Here's what were going to do—"
"Remus…"
Everyone turned to look at Hermione as she stared out the window. The fog lingering around the gathered army behind Greyback began to settle… their dark forms towering Greyback's already massive form. There were no more than thirty crowded behind him, but that wasn't what concerned Hermione. What concerned her was that they appeared to already be in half their wolf forms. The full moon wasn't until tomorrow night.
Draco moved behind her and the moment he noticed what she had his face went visibly paler.
"It's that potion you had me drop off at Kilchurn, isn't it?" Blaise asked Draco.
Draco looked striken, he shook his head slowly.
"No. No… it— it didn't take— the Dark Lord told me it didn't take—"
"What didn't take?" Remus demanded, "What aren't you saying?"
He moved towards the window then, his eyes growing as wide as Hermione's did at the sight. He staggered back slightly, his face full of confusion. Instinctively, he scanned the darkening sky for the full moon that wasn't there.
"How is that possible?"
"The experiments?" Hermione said eventually, piecing it together. Her veins ran cold as she glanced at Draco. "You-Know-Who had you develop a potion that allows them to shift at will, didn't he?"
"That's not possible." Remus said firmly, though he sounded uncertain.
"I-I didn't— I didn't know it worked— my father told me it failed and then the potion went— went missing—"
"Missing?" Pansy repeated. "I think you mean it was stolen, Draco."
"They've got wands too." Daphne pointed out. "We can't fight them. They've got at least ten more than we do."
"I'd say double that, considering half of your army is practically useless until a full moon— no offense." Theo mumbled.
"We could split up." Neville offered. "Send a group of us out as a distraction while those without magic—"
"QUIET!" Remus said suddenly, moving quickly to the back of the room, "Do you hear that?"
Everyone turned their gaze to the kitchen door, a small cloud of smoke curled from beneath and began to rise into the living area. Then a loud explosion sounded beyond the door, the smell fire growing far too quickly—
Remus lifted his wand before him and quickly shoved the door open. The sound of potion ingredients crackling and exploding echoed around them as flames began to engulf the room. Remus darted out of the way just in time, the flames narrowly missing him.
"Aguamenti!"
The stream of water from Lupin's wand fell dully on the roaring flames and only caused them to grow higher.
Smoke began seeping from every corner of the house, down the stairs, from the ceiling—
Harry checked the only other hallway that lead to the back of the safe house and flames were beginning to surge towards them, growing like a wave.
"It's blocked this way too!" He said as he came rushing back into the living area.
"Everyone outside now!" Remus demanded breathlessly. "Cursed flames! — It's only going to start growing faster!"
Hermione reached for Draco, keeping her voice low as they shuffled quickly behind the others.
"Draco— if this potion worked—"
"I know." He said, his chest rising and falling quickly. "You're wondering what else did too—"
"If You-Know-Who releases whatever Blaise told me was at Kilchurn at Hogwarts—"
"We have to make it to the castle first." Draco said quickly. He grimaced then, pulling her along with him as the flames continued to creep closer to them. They were the last two out the door, the fire had caught somewhere behind the safe house, another wave coming at them from both sides. They only way forward now was directly into Greyback's path.
Hermione instinctively found Harry, his feet were already carrying him towards her too. Behind them the safe house was now a vicious backdrop of flames, forcing them closer and closer towards the wards barrier.
"We'll have to hold them off!" Remus called over to them. He glanced around at the fire closing around them. "Theo— can you let down the wards from here?"
Theo nodded, his shoulders slightly tense as he stared across the field where Greyback and his army were pacing manically, thick drool dripping from their overlarge teeth, as if they could sense they were inching closer.
"Right— the strongest duelers will help me hold them off long enough to get the recruits out of here."
"Daphne and I will apparate them out once the wards are down." Pansy offered.
Remus nodded at her. "Good. Very good. Once your out, do not come back. Take them directly to the castle as we planned. We'll be right behind you."
"Luna and I can cover you and help take whoever's left." Neville offered.
There was at least twenty yards between them and the fire and thirty between them and Greyback's army now.
"Everyone ready?" Harry called over his shoulder, scanning their small group. He turned to Theo then, "Ready?"
"Not really, but fuck it." Theo swallowed a quick breath before lifting his wand upward. Hermione watched as a bright jet of blue light streamed from his wand and pierced the invisible barrier until a translucent dome formed around them. It began to dissolve away from the top, slowly etching its way downward—
"The moment the barrier touches the ground it should be safe to apparate." Theo told Pansy and Daphne who both held his stare for a moment and nodded. Daphne gave him a quick smile and reached for his hand, squeezing it once. "Good Luck."
"We'll be right behind you." Draco said to them from beside Theo.
Blaise nudged Draco's shouter with his elbow, "Try not to die. Yea?"
"Self preservation, Zabini." Draco gave him a half smirk, responding to Blaise's usual parting phrase with the same one he always did, though this time it felt different…
Hermione watched as the last few yards of the barrier lowered, only a few feet away from revealing them to Greyback and his army.
She felt Draco's fingers lace in hers quickly, bringing them to his lips once. She glanced over at him.
"Stay close to me."
He nodded, a small smile twitched on his lips. "Always."
His hand left hers and they both turned back to see Greyback grinning back at them, his head slowly tilting as he watched the last of the barrier drop.
"NOW!" Remus shouted.
The sound of collected feet hurdling forward echoed around the field along with the crackling fire behing them. Hermione didn't hesitate to join Harry and the others as they sent a swarm of curses across the field. Her movements becoming reactions rather than intentional movements.
She could hardly process her actions, all that she knew was that she had to keep moving… She felt the earth beneath her feet. She felt her wand gripped tightly in her grasp, lifting it before her and Draco, shielding them as a deadly spell nearly clipped her shoulder. She heard the sound of a wailing scream, a child's scream—
Why weren't they gone yet?
"GET DOWN!"
She felt Draco yanking her body to the ground, and then just as quickly yanking her back to her feet.
Jets of light streamed across the field from both armies, so bright in the darkening sky that it felt slightly disorienting. Hermione and Draco elegantly maneuvered through the spells cast their way, managing to hold off the large beasts from getting too close. He was craftier than her, more calculated, while she was more defensive, which happened to make Draco's attacks all the more powerful with her readily shielding them, he could time every movement, every hex just right; fighting side by side… perfectly in sync.
"WE CAN'T APPARATE!"
The sound of Pansy's cry over the blasting spells rang in her ears. Her mouth went dry.
Two of the large half turned wolves managed to get through their battle line, another loud cry pierced the air around them towards Pansy and the recruits.
"ROZA! NO!"
In the back of her mind Hermione knew. She knew that was Yury, the younger recruit, crying out for his twin sister. She knew, but she couldn't do anything but continue fighting. Draco blocked a spell flying towards her shin as she stunned one of the hags lunging for Harry, her mind registering the sharp teeth and sunken skin as it fell stiffly before him.
Their line formation had been broken almost immediately after that. They were scattered now, dodging and shielding, and with every move forward attempting to apparate to no avail. They were stuck.
Another large creature bounded towards her.
"INCARCEROUS!
The large beast tumbled forward as the ropes tangled around it's legs and began tightening around him. She gasped as a deep cut began etching across its torso, flooding his skin with crimson— the sight momentarily stunning her. She lifted her gaze, meeting Blaise's focused stare for only a moment before he preformed the same curse on another, sending it to its knees in agony.
"THEO!"
The sound of Draco's voice alerted her back to the fight, luckily, as she managed to swiftly cast a shield over herself in time to block a powerful hex barreling towards her, but still knocking her off her feet. She felt Harry's hand under her elbow guiding her to her feet.
"Stupefy!" Harry shouted, causing another hag to jolt backwards, crashing into three vampires closing in on Neville and Luna.
Hermione turned to see Theo taking down one of the creatures hurdling towards Ginny, it's large form soaring across the air as Theo's hex sliced through its abdomen, landing it directly into the fire.
"They've cast an anti-apparition ward. We can't leave!" Draco shouted over to her and Harry as she moved to his side.
Hermione glanced around quickly, taking in the scene around her. The fire was still roaring behind them. They were out numbered. She couldn't bare looking to see who had been the cause of the amount of blood on Daphne's shirt. There were several bodies in the tall grass now.
"The forrest! We'll have better coverage there!" Hermione said suddenly, pulling Harry along with her, throwing up a quick shield. She watched as Harry blasted two beasts into the air as they chased after them. Remus seemed to catch onto their intentions quickly and began motioning for the others to do the same. He, Blaise, and Theo formed a small triangle with their backs to one another, maneuvering across the field.
Her lungs burned. Her heartbeat was thumping loudly to the rhythm of her feet pounding on the ground beneath her. She and Harry turned as the reached the edge of the forrest, Luna, Neville and Ginny supporting the weight of a few recruits and Daphne almost directly behind them. But where was Draco? He was just beside her—
The breath was knocked from her lungs. Time seemed to slow down then; the moment her eyes landed on Draco's pale blonde hair she shoved her feet forward, but no matter how quickly she moved, it wasn't nearly fast enough.
Greyback was snarling as he focused his sights on Draco, slowly stalking forward. He saying something, growling or laughing at him— Hermione moved her legs forward faster and faster—
Draco went back for Pansy, who was barley conscious, hanging onto him with one arm— the other no longer attached to her body, but being tossed to the side by Greyback as he continued towards them.
Draco was struggling to duel two of the half beasts on either side of Greyback, his weak attempts at shielding them both while holding Pansy's weight wouldn't be enough. They were forcing him and Pansy backwards towards the fire.
Hermione felt something knock into her side. Her entire body was flung into the air. She could taste dirt as her head landed firmly on the ground. Her vision went black for a moment as she forced herself to her feet, ignoring the searing pain pulsing from her forehead. The taste of iron trickled across her lips.
"HERMIONE!"
She heard Harry calling her name behind her, but as she lifted her head all she saw was Draco shoving Pansy aside as Greyback lunged forward—
"DRACO!"
It occurred to Draco, possibly the moment they stepped outside of the safe house, that there was a high possibility he would die today, and if not today then definitely tomorrow. He wasn't lucky. In fact, he didn't think he could name one moment in his entire life that luck was ever on his side. He served his purpose in Dumbledore's grand plan after all… so perhaps his destiny was fulfilled and this was the end of the line for the Malfoy's forever.
He wasn't aware of these thoughts as he shoved Pansy out of the way and Greyback pounced into the air towards him— but somewhere in the back of his mind he knew if he had the choice— if he could choose who would die at the hands of Greyback… that it should be him.
As he felt his back landing firmly into the wet ground and Greyback's claws sunk into his chest, raking across it in one quick swoop, he heard Hermione's voice— her voice calling his name— he wanted to focus on only her… that if he was going to die then he at least wanted to see her face one last time… but his flesh was torn open in three long lines across his chest, and the burning, incredibly unbearable pain was demanding his entire attention.
He waited for more— expecting the pain to only get worse—
But then he was being lifted from the ground by large, rough arms…
His vision blurred. He felt his body sway and then he was lifted again, settling onto the back of— the back of a horse?
No—
A centaur.
His eyes drifted open, his vision blurring. Below him on the ground Greyback was coughing on his own blood, struggling to crawl away on his back.
Everything was dark for a moment, and then hazy as he forced his eyes open again. The glare of the fire danced wildly across Greyback's features. He was begging someone for his life.
There was a bright flash of green.
Greyback's body went limp.
Draco watched as Remus Lupin turned around, keeping his gaze down before apparating away.
"…the Dragon is safe…"
"…well done Bane." This voice came from the centaur Draco was currently sitting on, though he could hardly keep his eyes open long enough to confirm this. There seemed to be several centaurs surrounding them now. The rest of Greyback's army either dead or no where in sight.
"…they've gone to the castle…"
"…the Dragon has switched sides…"
He felt the pressure of someone behind him, holding him up.
"…we fight for the side of the Dragon…"
"…against the Dark Lord?"
The flesh over his chest slowly stitching itself back together and a vial pressed to his lips. "Drink this."
"Theo?"
"Who else?" Theo replied, vanishing the blood from Draco's skin. He handed him another blood replenishing potion, his hand was slightly shaking.
"Where— where's Her—"
"She's safe. She's with Harry."
"Pans— Pansy? Her arm—"
Theo stiffened behind him. "I-I'm not sure. She wasn't conscious when Blaise and Daphne got to her, but they should be at Hogwarts soon. Madame Pomfrey will know what to do."
"We must escort Dragon to the castle now." The centaur they were on said over his shoulder.
"Uh— right— you're, um, going to let us ride you?" Theo asked with an uncomfortable grin.
"To the edge of the forbidden forest." The centaurs gruff voice replied, and slowly began turning towards the forrest. "From there the Boy Who Lived has arranged your path into the castle. We will return to fight when the full moon has risen and the last of the prophecy is fulfilled."
"Right— of course." Theo answered brightly as he noticed Draco slowly sitting up straighter, regaining his strength. He gripped onto the ropes for them and Draco did too. "Onward then…" The centaur glared over his shoulder and Theo added, "—uh— sir."
Without another word the centaur took off, leaving the bellowing fire and field of fallen bodies in their wake.
Malfoy Manor
It was time. There was only one last thing for him to do.
With one last glance at the photograph he pulled from his robe pocket, and then another lingering glancing on the note left on his wife's side of the bed— Lucius Malfoy lifted his wand.
A trickle of blood formed across his skin as he curled hand and hovering it over the sharp twin dagger on the table before him. He watched as his blood seeped into the blade slowly until it disappeared completely. With a shaky breath he took a step back and recited the incantation over the dagger...
The familiar whirl of dark magic hummed around him, a black fog formed from the tip of his wand...
This was no ordinary dark spell, but a spell crafted specifically by the Malfoy family, passed from generation to generation, to ensure that what was rightfully there's would always be so.
The black fog hovered over the blade, covering it completely until Lucius sliced his wand through the air, and then... the blade was vanished, gone...
"Use it well, Draco..." He murmured into the empty room and turned on his heel, leaving Malfoy Manor for the very last time.
The Isle of Kilchurn Castle
Lucius Malfoy stopped concerning himself over the line between sane and insane, or which side he found himself on. He was quite certain that it simply did not exist. Madness was but an illusion created by those who were threatened by the greatness it could bring, though often such greatness is dipped in the velvet hand of evil, so perhaps their worrying is justified.
Because, by definition, sanity is having the same mindset as others with similar values and beliefs: logical thinking and reasoning is also important somewhere within the side of the sane; but that was exactly where Lucius began to see the flaw in what is sane or what is not. He thought it hypocritical if society was responsible for determining whether a man is sane or insane.
If the whole of society thought it rational to mate with nifflers and he did not— Well? They would still call him insane, wouldn't they?
Or say, everyone else was hearing voices and he was not, then they would still find reason to deem him overcome with madness; though, to be fair, he heard his fair sum of voices and none of them were particularly pleasant company.
So, no, Lucius Malfoy no longer worried over such arbitrary lines, instead he dwelled in both the madness and the sanity, not giving a flying thestral one way or the other.
When had he come to this conclusion, you ask? Well, that answer is actually far easier to comprehend. You see, it has always been and will forever be Narcissa Malfoy that kept Lucius from truly remaining on the side of insanity.
Once he returned from Azkaban, he could no longer ignore that it was his own doing, his own choices that led her to be punished for his failures. He couldn't blame her for looking at him the way she did now, with longing for who he once was, but overall repulsion for what he has allowed himself to become; and it is this truth, and only this truth, that made Lucius believe he was loosing, or may have already lost, the one thing keeping him from truly going insane.
Or perhaps she was not truly lost to him, yet, but rather it was the fear of loosing her serving as such a blow that he felt the need to hide himself in insanity. While most would believe this not beneficial, he would beg to differ… for there are times when reality is nothing but pain, and to escape the pain the mind must leave reality behind.
And leaving reality behind in this moment he did, because if he were truly still lucid— on the side of sanity— whichever description you prefer— if he were still capable of residing there, then he most certainly wouldn't have found himself doing what he was now; and what is Lucius Malfoy up to, you ask?
Well, escaping his terrible reality, of course, and destroying every last drop of destruction he created for Lord fucking Voldemort— hoping, maybe, his wife will see his actions for what they are: his apology for not saying goodbye, though he felt she said goodbye to him long, long ago…
He stood before the vast castle soon to be in scattered ruins, knowing that within said castle lay the Dark Lord's future torment and agony he planned to befall upon the world after he killed Harry Potter. Each room within the castle, filled with dark magic and lethal weapons discovered through experiments created by his followers, himself and even his own son, used and discarded like chess pieces, and as a result each of them lost in their own form of hell. He pitied his son, almost, for he was not yet aware of any such line at all— there was no sane or insane, there was only pain… but Lucius was going to set him free from it— and he could only hope pain's grasp would loosen from his throat as well.
He took one last moment to allow himself to step out of insanity and back into reality— to realize the weight of what he was doing, but another moment passed and his choice remained… for he knew with his last decision, his final decision, he would be allowing himself to be remembered by his son, his wife, as a man who was weak enough to think what he created within the darkness would make him great, and strong enough to know that far more greatness would come from destroying it, and only he knew how…
Lifting his wand and his chin high, he shouted the words that would surely bring his end, and thus death to the insanity within.
"Fiendfyre."
A/N: WHEEEWWWWW! same day update?! Waaaahhhhtttt—
A/N: So I wanted to clear the Cedric curveball up from the last chapter since I'm probably not going to be able to fit that backstory into this story...
Theo has only ever loved Harry, but he accepted the lie that Harry could never want him back.
He was extremely young, confused, lonely, and practically incapable of understanding what love even was bc of his family — Cedric was simply the first person to recognize this and act on it (where Harry was hardly mature enough at the time to understand his own feelings for Theo, and like— fighting dragons— and Voldemort and avoiding Rita Skeeter at the time, basically no time for Theo)
So yea, Cedric knew Theo wanted Harry, and it was bc of this that he decided to pursue him— because he thought Theo deserved to feel seen. Their friendship was more of him helping Theo understand his feelings for Harry/ planting the idea that he deserved to be loved... it was Cedric's friendship that gave him the courage to kiss Harry in the first place.
I'm sorry for the rant, but I wanted to clarify that Theo didn't have the same feelings for Cedric that he does for Harry. Since were in the bulk of the action, there will most likely be very little time for back stories...
BUT! I would be very willing to write a short One Shot (Cedric/Theo/Harry background story) for anyone whose interested. I would actually really love to explore that so let me know. lol