March 5th

The moon shone upon the silent mass of water flowing beneath the Tower. From church bells across the city, the first stroke of midnight resounded, and Draco took a deep breath. With a small knife handed to him by one of the Aurors, he made a cut in his hand and watched a small pool of blood gather in his palm. He then raised his wand, spoke an incantation and pressed his palm against the wall just where the secret door was supposed to be. If everything went right, the spell would give him complete control over the wards that his father once placed around his home, and which had since been distorted.

Blood against blood, Draco thought. It was what that lady in the book, Sybil, had said, and it was the essence of what Lucius had relayed from his studies with that bookstore vampire. They should have thought of this solution sooner, but none of the persons present had actually read about this themselves. They'd wasted hours trying to think of other solutions, and Draco was so worried by now that he could hardly keep still.

His blood trickled down the rough stone surface, and Draco waited for the door to materialise. But nothing happened. After waiting another minute, Draco lowered his hand and swore. Nothing?! But they had to get in! Now!

Draco turned around abruptly, ready to bite someone's head off, only tu bump into someone who'd crept up right behind him. It was Astoria. She'd left her place by the wall. Her face was a sickly shade of gray, and she looked about ready to faint. Instintively, Draco grabbed her arm to keep her from falling over, smearing blood on her grey cloak.

"If it's really my mother perhaps you'll need my blood too", Astoria said, and before he had a chance to process her suggestion, she'd taken the knife from his pocked, cut the delicate skin of her palm and pressed it against the same spot on the wall he had. Draco had no choice but to read the incantation again. The effect was immediate: the coarse grey surface turned smooth and brown and within seconds, the wall had been replaced by an oak door.

Draco folded Astoria into his arms and pressed his lips against her feverish forehead. "Go back to my place, all right?" He swallowed. "I'll let you know."

Astoria nodded and stepped back, supporting herself by a hand on the wall. Leaving her here didn't sit well with Draco, but it would be even worse to drag her up to a potential battle scene. She'd better be safe. She didn't need to see anyone die tonight.

Hurriedy, Draco turned to Potter, who was waiting with a grim and yet eager expression on his face. The sparse lights of the city glimmered in his glasses, and Draco found that he couldn't have wished for someone better to help tonight. Not only did he trust Harry Potter, but he saw him as his friend. They'd waited hours for this moment, and now that the door was finally there was nothing else to do but to open it and step through. And, with a final nod to Potter, so he did.

"I'm sorry, Hermione".

Lucius forced the words out, even though he felt he had no right to apologize. He did this of his own free will, and he would not step back from his decision even though Hermione screamed at the top of her lungs for him sto stop. He met her devastated face, too fearful of Eloise's legilimency to allow Hermione even the slightest hint of his plan, and raised his wand. There was no time for doubts or second thoughts - the hourglass was almost empty, Eloise was watching and one false move might render it all useless.

The words "Avada Kedavra!" escaped his lips, and a green light flashed through the room. Instantly, Lucius knew that the curse had reached its goal. He had killed.

If he'd had a choice, he would have wept. He would have thrown his wand away, never to touch it again. He would have held what was dearest to his heart tightly to his chest and never let go. But he could not allow himself even a fraction of a second for remorse or relief.

He had killed. An innocent life had been cut short, and it was now time for Eloise to pay the price for her deeds. Before the smile of pleased astonishment had even fully reached her lips, Lucius threw a curse at her. By sheer reflex, she deflected it with a sweep of her wand and, understanding his intent, quickly retaliated. Lucius had foreseen her attack, however, and threw up a protective shield. It bought him a couple of seconds in which he could free himself from the ropes tying him to the chair and - barely - to cast a freezing spell on the hourglass.

Hermione had lost consciousness - either from shock or from being so close to death. Indeed, Lucius had no way of knowing if she was still alive. He'd have to examine the hourglass up close, but there was no time. Neither did he have time to check on Mira, who was sleeping peacefully just as she had done through this whole ordeal. And he had neither the time nor the heart to spare a glance at the dead body lying on the floor behind them.

A living, breathing being with Hermione Granger's blood running though its veins.

He had been on the verge of giving up. For a split second, he had actually considered doing what Eloise wanted. He could not bear to see them both die, and had started to think that it would not matter if his own life and sanity were torn to shreds if he could at least save one of them. But at that very moment, when his throat ached from the cry of despair that had erupted from deep within his chest, the solution had presented itself. Lucius had caught sight of a ginger fur. Crookshansks had crept along the wall just outside of Eloise's field of vision, approaching Hermione and Mira from behind.

At first, he had wanted to warn the cat not to show himself lest he be killed too. But the cat had fixed its yellow eyes on him, and he could have swore a flash of green light had passed through his mind. Fighting hard to keep his internal turmoil from showing, he had watched Crookshanks then deliberately step into the pool of Mira's blood, mixed as it was with shattered glass on the floor. When the cat next lifted its paw, the tender pad had been pierced by glass. At least temporarily, Mira's blood, and by extension Hermione's, was running in his veins.

How Crookshanks knew what was needed Lucius couldn't tell. It was nearly impossible that a beast, even as clever as Crookshanks, could have such insight. But Lucius couldn't question the sudden realisation that the cat was offering itself as a sacrifice to save his mistress. And whether or not it would work, Lucius had no choice but to take the chance. Another few seconds, and Hermione's time could be up.

And yet, it was no easy decision. Crookshanks had been Lucius's fellow combatant when they'd faced Ed. He'd been Lucius's condifant when he'd alienated himself from Hermione. He might have been one of the ugliest cats Lucius'd ever seen, and always left dead pixies under his bed and cat hair between the sheets - but he'd been clever and loyal. And now, Crookshanks's ginger fur was smeared with blood and glass. He was dead.

So far, it appeared Eloise's reactions had been instinctual. It was easy to tell the moment she saw Crookshanks's body; her face twisted in fury as she shrieked "No!".

Lucius's only answer was a determined "Crucio!" He knew very well it was a forbidden curse and that Hermione would frown at him, but he would use whatever means he could to protect his family.

Eloise escaped it by hiding behind a sofa. "Sectumsempra!" she called back.

Lucius was nearly hit but deflected it in the last moment, before he attacked Eloise again. Curses flew back and forth and the sitting area of his library turned more and more into a war zone while he did his best to not only protect himself but also Hermione and Mira from any harm. Eloise tried several times to either flip bookshelves over them or hit them with various curses. Lucius was panting with the exertion of blocking her attacks while simultaneously trying to find her weak spots. Suddenly, the old grandfather to his left exploded. Lucius felt the sharp sting of wooden splinters piercing his skin. The clock-face landed in front of him, still showing the time: a few minutes past midnight.

"Petrificus totalus!" Lucius said with a swing of his wand.

To his dismay, Eloise deflected the hex, but he had some bisarre satisfaction in realising it was not without effort. He enjoyed seeing her hair out of order and her clothes in disarray, because it told him that although he was fighting a battle for three and she had managed to throw more hexes at him than he at her, it wasn't easy for for her. What worried him, however, was that Elois had gradually backed toward the library door. If she managed to escape the room, he wasn't sure what he should do: hunt her down, or barricade the door and tend to Hermione and Mira. He'd rather not have to make that choice.

"Avada kedavra!" he called, and this time, he would have hit her - if the door hadn't burt open at that moment, shoving her out of the way.

It was Draco, who paused just inside the threshold to take in the scene before him. His laboured breaths and grim expression proved that he wasn't surprised by what he saw, but unsettled nonetheless. Lucius, shocked at how close he had been to killing his own son in Eloise's stead, hesitated - and Eloise was given just enough time to disappear among the shelves that surrounded the sitting area.

Lucius cursed to himself. Those bookshelves, arranged in aisles with cross-cuts and dead ends, fanned out from the sitting area and formed a deep maze from within which Eloise might easily attack. She had turned into a virtually invisible enemy who could attack from any direction and overpower them without them having a chance at defending themselves.

"Harry's right behind me with the Aurors", Draco panted.

But Lucius heard no approaching footsteps, and as the minutes ticked by, Draco too looked more and more anxious. Lucius looked over at Hermione and Mira. They needed help, and soon. In the silence that followed, however, it was clear that no help was coming.

Harry quickly reviewed his small group of Aurors. He had only managed to get a hold of five, but on the other hand, they were five of the best. They were skilled in combat, but more importantly, they were prepared to fight for someone like Lucius Malfoy. Siobhan, his number one ward-breaker, had just finished healing Astoria's hand, and turned to face him with the others. They were ready, and time was of the essence.

"All right, there's no time to lose", Harry said. "We have no idea what's going on up there, so be on your guard."

The others murmured in agreement, and Harry turned toward the door and took a step over the threshold. Only, he didn't make it past the threshold. An invisible barrier rebuffed his movement. If one of his colleagues hadn't caught hold of him, he would have fallen to the ground.

"W-what's wrong?" Astoria called from behind him.

"I can't get through", Harry exclaimed and turned to Siobhan. "Something's blocking me from getting in!"

Siobhan frowned. "The blood should have done the trick", she said as she reached out toward the door opening only to find her hand blocked like Harry had been. "Perhaps the wards only opened for Mr Malfoy and Miss Greengrass..."

"We need to get in there quickly!" Harry exclaimed. He couldn't believe he'd been stupid enough to send Draco up there without making sure he'd be able to follow! "There's got to be a way!"

"I can keep working on them", Siobhan said, "but it will take hours to get them down..." Suddenly fixing her eyes on Astoria, she seemed to be calculating something while turning a strand of her red hair around her fingers. Mrs Watts had found that habit particularly annoying in a novice - at least until she had learned that it was something the young witch did when she was finding the solution to a problem.

Meanwhile, Astoria had approached them. Siobhan's stare was difficult not to pick up on, and Astoria glanced awkwardly between her and Harry while they all waited in silence. "What?" she finally asked, apparently unable to stand it anymore.

"Right", Siobhan said to herself. "Harry, you're not going to like this, but if we want to get through that door before sunrise, Mr Malfoy will have to disable the wards himself. And the way I see it, the only way to get him to do that will be by sending Miss Greengrass in to tell him."

Harry wanted to object, but knew very well that they had no other choice. He had some of the bravest and most skilled Aurors at hand, but it didn't matter. They couldn't get in, and they had no choice but to rely on a whitch who was not only the daughter of the main suspect and completely untrained for battle, but also so sick she could hardly stand up. If Astoria truly got to Lucius on time, it would be nothing short of a miracle.

Astoria looked frightened at the suggestion, but nodded her acquiescence. "I'll t-try m-my best."

"I know it's asking a lot", Siobhan said and put a comforting arm around the young witch. "Just focus on getting to Mr Malfoy as quickly as you can."

Astoria nodded again and staggered toward the door. At the opening, she whispered "Lumos", took a deep breath and entered.

With a heavy heart, Harry stared into the darkness, watching the light from her wand disappear from view. Soon, even the sound of her steps had faded. Now they could only wait.

Lucius crept slowly through the maze of bookshelves in the deep recesses of his library, watchful of any sign of Eloise. It was deadly quiet, but he thought he heard something nearby - perhaps footsteps - although he couldn't be sure where the sound was coming from.

Where are the bleeding Aurors?!

He and Draco had hesitated several minutes, weighing the risks of standing guard at the library door versus going after Eloise. In the end, they'd decided to split up. Lucius was to hunt her while Draco stayed closer to the sitting area and kept an eye on Hermione and Mira. They'd agreed that Eloise might certainly incapacitate Draco but would avoid causing him any serious injury. She needed him alive. Besides, Lucius knew the maze-like structure of the library better than Draco did.

"Homenum revelio", Lucius whispered, and a marker pointed him to somewhere closer to the sitting area.

Eloise must have managed to slip past him. Knowing she would have felt the spell, Lucius tried to be as silent as possible as he found a passage allowing him to change aisle and creep back in the direction he thought she was. He almost made a racket, when he stumbled upon a pair of high-heeled shoes, but continued nonetheless. He scanned the dim aisles carefully, mindful of the risk that Eloise had used an invisibility spell to disguise herself. Despite the risk, he'd decided against using one on himself, since he might need to communicate with Draco using only his eyes and gestures.

A muffled sound came from his right, and Lucius froze. It sounded like it came from the aisle next to his, right behind the shelf. Silently, he knelt and peered under the shelves. A pair of bare feet stood still for one moment, two... and then slowly began moving. It was too late to cast a spell on her, but Lucius knew that there was a crosscut a few yards down.

If he went back and took it, he could perhaps approach her from behind, but she might still beat him to the sitting area. She wouldn't want to hurt Draco, but that wasn't what worried him. She was mad enough go straight for Hermione or Mira and risk getting caught. Lucius deliberated only for a few seconds, before he chose to follow his first idea. He hoped Draco was prepared.

Eloise had always prided herself in keeping her head cool and not being easily moved by her feelings. She had the ability to keep a straight face and endue hardships of most kinds if only she had a clear goal. She could manipulate almost any situation to her advantage, and she could weigh her options objectively without being biased by her own wishes. She did have one weakness, however: Lucius.

That man had always brought out the worst in her: passion, jealousy, and a sense of inferiority. And here she was, hiding among the bookshelves in his library. The worst of it was that she wasn't even certain if she was hunting or being hunted. But still, even though she knew Lucius was after her and that her plan had failed she had yet to admit defeat.

A hominem revelio spell brushed by above her head, and she quickly changed her course to throw Lucius off track. She didn't change her general direction, however. Slowly, she approached he the sitting area. She was close enough now to see Lucius's empty chair ahead of her, together with a glimpse of Hermione's feet on one side and the edge of the gilded mirror that hung behind the child on the other. She had made it almost all the way when she heard something.

A prickling sensation at the back of her neck told her Lucius was closing in on her, but the sound came from ahead, from the sitting area. Steps that abruptly came to a stop, and then voices whispering to each other.

She swore to herself - someone else had managed to break through the wards. She knew that Draco had gotten in, somehow, and recognized the darker pitch as his. But he was speaking to someone whose was harder to distinguish. She had to act quickly, however, if she wanted a chance to escape, so she quickly stepped out from the aisle she'd been hiding in, and fired a charm at the taller of the two people standing by the door. Draco, who had been distracted by his companion, instantly fell unconscious to the floor.

The fact that the second person was her own daughter did not deter Eloise. "Expelliarmus!" she called, catching Astoria's wand and throwing it into the shadowed maze of bookshelves.

Astoria should be to sick to even get out of bed, so why was she here? Astoria's presence was an unnecessary complication. Eloise would have to manipulate both her and Draco's memories again once she'd finished Lucius off. But could have been worse: at least Astoria wasn't much of a threat.

"Moth-" Astoria began, but Eloise shut her off with a silencing charm and turned toward the aisles.

It was time she caught Lucius and finished this.

Astoria fought against the almost overpowering dizziness, trying desperately to stay upright and to keep her mind clear. So it was true. Her own mother was the one who'd been tormenting Hermione and Lucius for months, trying to kill them and their child!

It had been a shock to see Draco suddenly get hit by a hex and fall to the floor, and she'd immediately realised it had been her fault. She shouldn't have shown up like this - she, who was completely useless compared to someone like Harry Potter! For a moment, Astoria had even feared that Draco was dead, but was relieved to see that he was breathing soundly. It had been nothing worse than a sleeping spell.

Any hope of her mother simply being misunderstood, however, vanished when she looked around the room. Hermione was unconscious and bound to a chair, the room showed clear signs of battle, and there was blood on the wall. Before she had a chance to react, however, Astoria was disarmed.

"Mother", Astoria tried to say, but her voice was cut off by a silencing spell.

She had come here to get Lucius to open the wards, but now she couldn't even call out a an ounce of physical strength and deprived of her wand, she could do nothing but wait for Lucius and her mother to square off.

Draco's question from earlier echoed in her mind: what if he or Lucius killed her mother? Astoria could readily admit that Eloise Greengrass may not have been the best mother. But she was the only mother she knew. Eloise had she'd fed her, clothed her, coached her and shown her affection. Ehat if Lucius killed her? Would Astoria blame him? Even though she was transfixed by fear and sickness and numb from shock, Astoria thought she knew the answer now. And the truth was that she desperately wanted her mother to survive, to have a chance to change, to prove that she was the mother Astoria remembered. But if she didn't, it wouldn't be Lucius fault even if he hit her with the killing curse.

But what if Lucius died, and not Eloise? Would her mother really hurt Hermione and Mira? Astoria's eyes instinctively sought them out. They were both still and pale - were they even alive? She needed to check. With an effort, she pushed herself off the wall and staggered toward them.

"Astoria! Stay st -"

Eloise was cut off when a tall figure suddenly stepped into view and threw a hex at her. Eloise ducked and threw a counter-curse while Astoria cowered on the side. She saw and heard curse after curse be fired, blocked and evaded. Shelves fell and books exploded. It was a mere chance that none of the debris hit Hermione and Mira, and concern for their welfare prompted Astoria to once again move forward. If she could at least put a blanket on Mira to protect her from the dust...

Suddenly, she heard her mother shout out: "Sectumsempra!"

And this time, Lucius wasn't able to evade it. The curse hit him in the chest, where a large gash immediately opened up. Astoria had heard about this from Draco, but she could never have been prepared to see the effects of this curse in real life. Lucius fell to the ground, twitching in pain as blood gushed out. Eloise, on the other hand, chuckled manically. Astoria looked up at her with horror. Was this monster truly her mother?

"Such a waste of blood, Lucius, but you brought this upon yourself", Eloise taunted. But then she abruptly stepped over him, careful not to step in his blood.

Following her mother's gaze, Astoria realised that she was looking at Mira. Eloise raised his wand.

"No!" The silencing charm had worn off, but Astoria's cry was no more than a croak. "Mother, don't!"

"Stay out of this, Astoria", Eloise calmly adviced. "I'll kill this bastard first, and then the mudblood. Don't worry - you won't remember a thing."

"Avada..." Eloise began, and Astoria saw no other way: she threw herself forward just as Eloise finished "...kedavra!"

Astoria was certain she was going to die at that moment, and for the first time in her life allowed herself to feel resentment. Was it truly right for a mother to always favour one child above the other and to always point out the least favoured one's weaknesses? Was it right to only acknowledge her child when it was fulfilling her dreams and not its own? Was it right for a mother to kill her own child like this?

But Astoria did not die. The moment Eloise realised what was happening, she allowed her feelings to get in the way. Her eyes widened at the sight of Astoria moving into the line of fire, prepared to give her life to protect the child, and her wand involuntarily moved a fraction of an inch. Instead of hitting Astoria, the green jet of light from the curse flew past her and with a clang, it hit something behind her: the gilded mirror. But the mirror did not break, but reflected the curse. Eloise had no chance of ducking, she was standing right in its path. And she was hit.

Astoria saw her mother's eyes close, and her body fall lifeless to the ground. She was dead, and Astoria was frozen in shock. Surely, it couldn't really be her mother lying on the ground? Surely, someone else had borrowed her looks and voice? And yet -

The gurgling sound of Lucius's breaths woke her from her stupor. No! The floor was covered in blood, but by some miracle, he was still conscious. She stumbled over to him, slipping in the warm red liquid pouring out from his chest. She didn't know when she'd begun to cry, but tears were running down her cheeks as she kneeled by his side.

"The wards!" Astoria sobbed, shaking him. "Lucius, take down the wards! Please!"

With what looked like a final heroic effort, Lucius clutched his wand and did what she asked. His eyes closed. Too late, she thought before the darkness claimed her and she slipped into unconsciousness.

Death permeated the air.