Sorry for the delay! I was on vacation for a week and hadn't worked on the story, aside from when I was on the plane. Anyway... enjoy!
PS - This isn't the last chapter. Still a couple more to go.
Chapter 23
Why hasn't Annabelle shown up? He, Hermione, Harry and Ron are all back, but why isn't she? Draco guesses that Dumbledore is keeping her away just as long as the Dark Lord is still at large. Even so, Draco really needs to talk to her about something that he hasn't talked with her about and hasn't told him or the others about either... Will he, Harry and Ron become friends? Right now, they're allies, but what about friends? He felt that he could never be friends with those two, because of their history, but maybe there's a possibility. After the Dark Lord is defeated.
He eyed Hermione, Harry and Ron sitting at the same table at the front of the classroom. Will it all be possible when there is peace in the wizarding world?
Hermione suddenly looked back at him and smiled, and he smirked in response. Yes, he has a girlfriend, and ghost friends, but some human friends would be nice. Pansy doesn't talk to him anymore, nor do the other Slytherin friends that he had. Once he officially started a relationship with Hermione, they all left him. Shows how much of a friend those people were.
The bell gonged and Slughorn shouted over everyone, "Remember the essay due next Monday! I would get started on it now!"
That's exactly what Draco's going to do. After classes, he's going straight to the library with Hermione, and they are both going to work on that essay, while not using the same books. They're not going to make that mistake again. They'll definitely sit at the same table, though, and sitting in chairs right next to one another.
"Hey, you, ready?" Hermione said as she came up to him and linked her arm with his. He smiled.
"Yes, I am. I'll walk you to your next class."
"Alright."
Harry and Ron joined them as they exited the classroom, and the moment the four of them stepped out, they were met with chaos. Students cried and ran on passed them, and Professor McGonagall shouting, "Everyone to their common rooms immediately, and stay in there until further notice!"
Draco had to move out of the way so a frantic Hufflepuff boy wouldn't run into him. His blood ran cold when he realized what may be going on here. Ron asked, "What do you suppose is going on?"
"I have only one guess," Harry said grimly, and Draco heard the nervousness and fear in his voice. Professor McGonagall spotted them and hustled over, fear in her aged eyes.
"Oh, thank goodness that I have found the four of you. Mr. Weasley and Potter, you will go straight up to Professor Dumbledore's office. And Mr. Malfoy and Miss Granger, you both will go straight to your common rooms right away."
"Professor," Harry began, "you know what we are to do? Professor Dumbledore has told you?"
"Indeed, me has briefed me of it. I'm afraid it has come sooner than we all expected or wanted. Lord Voldemort was spotted in the Forbidden Forest with several of his followers, and not far from the school."
Draco felt his hands start to numb as his pulse started going unhealthily fast. "We have to go," he said.
"Yes. Hustle, the four of you." She put a hand on Hermione's cheek gently, like a mother would, or a grandmother. "God speed, all of you."
"Thank you, Professor," Hermione said and McGonagall moved on, trying to herd the scared and frantic students. She was their head of house, so of course she would be close to the three of them.
Hermione turned to her two guy friends and put an arm around each of them, hugging them. "Please, please be safe, alright? And Harry, get straight out of limbo, you hear me? No matter what is there enticing you to do otherwise."
"You can trust me, Hermione. I won't be in there for long if I have anything to do with it."
"We'll be fine," Ron said. "As long as Dumbledore is there, nothing can get us."
She nodded and let her friends go. The two looked to Draco. He has to say something. "Good luck, alright? We can do this."
Harry nodded. "We can. Is he going to call you?"
Draco knew what that meant. He clutched his left arm. "I think he will. Any moment I feel like."
"Alright. Good luck to you, too."
That's the best he's going to get out of him. Harry and Ron left through the chaos and Draco and Hermione were left there near their classroom. Hermione turned and embraced Draco's torso and he wrapped his arms around her. "It's happening. It's really happening."
"I know. I'll walk you to your common room, alright? And don't move from there, promise me."
"I promise. What about you?"
"I'll head to my common room and will remain there... unless I'm called." He held her tighter. "We all know that everything will turn out alright"
She nodded and let go of him. They walked not even three steps when Draco's left arm started to burn. He let a cry in anguish and leaned against the stone wall. A look of alarm encumbered Hermione's features. "Draco!"
"He's calling me," he bit out and rolled up his sleeve. The tattoo was moving, with the tail on the snake slithering.
"Go," he ordered. "Go to your common room!"
Tears welled in her eyes. She took his face in her hands, kissed him on the forehead, then ran with the other students. Draco didn't care that people would see his tattoo. This will all be over eventually anyway. He pulled out his wand, touched it to the mark, and then zipped away and into a cool forest clearing. It was late-morning, and the sun shone through the canopies of the trees, but the atmosphere was dismal and... frightening. He turned and jumped when he saw a whole slew of the Dark Lord's followers, other Death Eaters. His heart pulsed and not only seeing his mother and crazy aunt among him, but his father as well!
"Father!" he gasped and the man walked up to him, wearing a long black robe, not the prison uniform, and his white hair billowed behind him. And as usual, he had his claw cane.
"Hello, Draco. Long time no see."
"You're... out of prison."
He stood tall, with his hands resting on the top of this cane. He didn't have the deep dark circles like he had before. If looked as if the man stepped out of afternoon tea. "Yes. The Dark Lord saw fit to release a good number of us from Azkaban before making his appearance here."
Draco felt his stomach turn over and he swallowed something disgusting. The Dark Lord probably infiltrated the place, destroyed a good part of the building, and killed those who were there, like the men from Draco's cell block, the werewolf men, the desk man, and that thin man at the counter. Countless others, like inmates, there probably lost their lives, too.
"I see," Draco said, then looked at his mother. He wanted to run into her arms and receive comfort from her, but now isn't the time to do that. The war has started. He needs to be focused.
The air suddenly felt frigidly cold, and Draco turned to find a dark gray cloud of smoke and a being appear. Draco desperately wanted to run for it, but he stood his ground as the Dark Lord grinned, showing his rotting teeth, and Bellatrix cackled with glee. "Friends!" he hollered. "Welcome! You all know why you are here." His gaze went to Draco. "We have Draco and his friends to thank for that. It is because of them, mainly that Ravenclaw ghost, that I knew I had to take action quickly."
He walked slowly up to Draco, and Draco stood his ground as his heart hammered through his ears. He has to keep his cool, or the Dark Lord will know his nervousness. The dark wizard said, "Good to see you, Draco. I trust your friends are alright?" Draco said nothing. "Including a certain mudblood?"
Draco made a side-glance at his parents, and saw the shocked look in his father's features. No doubt Draco will get a reprimand for not obeying his order before leaving Azkaban. Knowing he wouldn't get harmed by confessing it, Draco said, "Forgive me, My Lord, I could not accomplish that task, either."
"Clearly. Well, it seems that we will have to make our way into the castle, won't we? That will be your punishment, Draco, for not obeying my orders. You will see that beloved mudblood of yours, your headmaster, as well as many of your classmates die. Now, shall we make our way to the castle?"
"Tsk tsk, Draco," Bellatrix said, moving her finger as she passed him. "Didn't do what you were told."
Draco's gut twisted, and he felt fear sear his system at thinking that there is a possibility that Annabelle's prediction could be wrong. Everything that she has seen as come to pass, so he shouldn't fear, but this is the Dark Lord. The most powerful wizard in existence, next to Dumbledore. He took a deep breath as everyone started walking through the forest. He needs to have faith in his friend. He can't doubt.
As they walked, Draco noticed a couple people walk up to him. His parents. Draco prepared himself for the reprimand.
"Draco," his father said as he walked with Narcissa, "I told you to obey what the Dark Lord has asked of you. Now look what is about to happen. Because of your unwillingness, several people will have to die."
"Nobody else is going to die," Draco said in a hushed tone so the Dark Lord wouldn't hear. "I intentionally didn't obey him because, yes, I didn't want to harm the girl I love, but also because I know that the Dark Lord will be defeated before he even gets into the castle."
Lucius gave him a wild, disbelieving look. "And how in the blazes do you know that?"
"It is your ghost friend you spoke of, wasn't it?" Narcissa asked him in a hushed tone as well. "She predicted the whole thing."
"She didn't just predict it, she saw it all," Draco corrected. His father doesn't know about the vision, or Annabelle for that matter. "Father, I met Rowena Ravenclaw's cousin, Annabelle. When she was alive one thousand years ago, she had visions of the future. She had one of me protecting Hermione Granger, as well as falling in love with her. She also saw the Dark Lord be defeated by Dumbledore. Everything in her vision, all the minute details, have come to pass so far. I believe that the rest will come to pass, and within the next hour. The Dark Lord will be defeated before the lunch hour today."
"That's..." Lucius started, his face starting to turn a bit pink. "That's preposterous! A ghost predicting the future one thousand years ago?"
"Yes, Father. I have faith in her. Once we exit the forest clearing, you will see Harry Potter there at the entrance to the bridge leading to the school."
Of course, he wasn't positive that this was the case, but he knew that Dumbledore wouldn't let the Dark Lord into the school, or on its grounds. He should know where the Dark Lord is coming from and will place him, Harry and Ron in the correct place.
"Harry Potter?" Narcissa asked in an urgent whisper. "He's going to be there?"
"Yes, as well as Dumbledore and Ron Weasley."
"Psht, the four of them are going to face the Dark Lord?" Lucius scoffed. "They all will be dead in an instant. We might as well prepare for an all-out war with the whole school."
Draco hated that his father didn't believe him and had no faith in Dumbledore, tied for first in the ranks of the most powerful wizard in the world. He took a deep breath and walked on in the forest. The sun poked through the tree canopies, and that eased his nerves a little, along with the fact that this all will be over soon. He will not be a Death Eater anymore and he won't have to follow another deadly command ever again, one that will make him fear for his life if it's not accomplished. He can't wait.
They all exited the forest and Draco's heart pulsed when he saw Harry standing exactly where he thought—in front of he entrance to the bridge leading to the school. Just him.
"Harry Potter!" the Dark Lord shouted gleefully. "My, what an unexpected surprise!"
"Your reign ends now!" Harry yelled, his wand pointed, and the dark wizard laughed cynically. "You have killed mercilessly, including my parents, and now, you will pay for it!"
"I'm sure you would like that," the Dark Lord said calmly, despite Harry's outbursts. "To take revenge of the lives of the two people who brought you into existence, people who you don't even remember."
He was trying to get into Harry's head. Draco could see from where he was standing, maybe fifty meters away from Harry, that Harry was trying to keep his cool, and he could see the sadness in his features. Harry's gaze shifted to Draco for only a moment, and Draco shook his head and gave him a stern and serious look, silently ordering not to do anything rash. Of course, anyone would want to take revenge against the person who murdered their parents. Harry released a breath through his nose and lowered his wand. Draco was a bit amazed that he did so after Draco gave him that look. The guy listened to his order. Draco tried not to think too much about that since they had a plan.
"That's it," Lord Voldemort cooed, and Harry's features still twisted in hurt. "Now, let's end this, shall we? I will make this easy for you and for everyone."
He rose his wand and Draco held his breath for what will happen next. Dumbledore wants the Dark Lord to think that he killed Harry, so in order to do that, they have to let him cast the unfortunate spell...
"Avada kedavra!"
Green light shot out of the Dark Lord's wand and hit Harry square in the chest, making him fall backwards, motionless. Draco's breath hitched. Even though Draco knew Harry would be able to come out of it, tears stung the backs of his eyes at seeing his classmate, and someone he actually wanted to befriend, laying there motionless in the grass.
"Narcissa, if you would," the Dark Lord said, "go and check if the boy is dead. Given my last attempt, I have to make sure."
She nodded once, and Draco gulped as his mother went up to Harry and knelt down beside him. She glanced at Draco for a moment, then looked back at Harry and put her hand against his neck. She paused for a moment, then stood. She said in a loud voice, "Dead."
Draco knew she was lying. He knew what that little glance meant.
"YEEAAAHHHH!" the Dark Lord shouted in elation, and Bellatrix and several of the others shouted with glee as well. "I finally killed Harry Potter!"
Narcissa came over to Draco and took his hand. She squeezed it and his nerves eased. Harry got out of limbo faster than he thought that he would. The guy's pretty impressive.
"Now, on to fulfilling another desire," the Dark Lord growled. "Kill Professor Dumbledore, that mudblood, and every other mudblood in the school."
In that same instant, Dumbledore appeared out of nowhere, and Draco couldn't help but let out a gasp at the suddenness of it. If Dumbledore just appeared there, then Ron must be not too far off, sword in hand. Draco looked to the Dark Lord's feet and saw the massive snake Nagini there, her head bent back a little, as if ready to strike. She's not going to be living for much longer.
"Ah, again, what a pleasant surprise!" the Dark Lord enthused. "I had a feeling I would be meeting you here, Professor Dumbledore. I have to say, I was quite impressed with what you and your students have accomplished so far."
"Indeed," Dumbledore said, then let out a sigh, sadness in his eyes. "Oh, Tom... you were such a pleasant young man and so intelligent. It is such a shame that this is the path that you have chosen."
The Dark Lord's features contorted in anger. "The path that I chose brought me to greatness and insurmountable power! The measly Tom Riddle would not have been a powerful being such as I."
"That may be true," Dumbledore said as calmly as can be, like he was talking with a normal person, "but you could have been great in different ways. You may have become headmaster if you had chosen a different path, Tom."
Draco surmised that the Dark Lord hated being called Tom Riddle, his real name. To him, it was an insult. Dumbledore was intentionally trying to provoke him, but in a respectable way. The dark wizard's eyes blazed and he pointed his wand at Dumbledore. "I wanted to become the most powerful being alive, and I have accomplished that! Most of my horcruxes may have been destroyed, but I can still gain more power! And that starts with your demise, and obtaining your wand."
Here it comes. Draco continuously eyed Nagini as the Dark Lord pointed his wand at Dumbledore only a few meters away and the old wizard stood there as calm as can be. Nagini slithered closer to Dumbledore, and Draco looked at the ground. Even though he was a ways away, he saw imprints in the grass getting closer to Nagini. There's Ron.
The Dark Lord rose his wand and about shouted the death spell, but a shiny blade of a long sword suddenly appeared out of nowhere and cut off the snake's head before anyone could do anything about it. The horcrux in the snake shrieked and then went silent.
The Dark Lord screamed in anguish and pain as another piece of his soul—the last one—was destroyed. His body convulsed.
"NOOO!" He shot the death spell at Dumbledore, but the old wizard already had out his wand and was shooting the same spell but a lighter green light came from in. The two powerful wizards dueled and Draco, his parents, as well as everyone else present stood in awe and horror. The lighter of the light came closer to the Dark Lord, and Draco held his breath.
It came closer, and the Dark Lord shouted, knowing the end was nearing for him. "Please, please," Draco muttered as his body stood there like lead.
Dumbledore's wand light came to the Dark Lord's wand, making the wooden stick explode, and the green light enveloped the whole of him, making him scream in pain as his body was beginning to be ripped to shreds. Draco has never seen such a sight, and he sure he doesn't want to see another like it again. The spell not only stilled the Dark Lord's body, but disintegrated it. One last shout was heard then,
Silence. The Dark Lord is gone.
That silence was replaced with a loud shriek, one from Bellatrix, and she scrambled to where the Dark Lord was killed and held his ashes in her hands. She glared up at Dumbledore. "You will pay for this!" she screamed, and pointed her wand at him. She about shouted a spell, most likely one of the curses, but Draco pulled out his own and shouted, "Petrificus totalus!"
Bellatrix stilled and fell down to the floor like a plank of wood. "Draco!" Narcissa hollered. "She was your own aunt!"
"And she was about to kill him! I had to do something."
Dumbledore nodded at Draco, saying thank you. Wow, what a turn of events. He went from having to kill Dumbledore to saving his life. It shocked him to his core.
"It can't be..." Lucius said, and stepped up to where the Dark Lord was killed. All that sat in the grass was dust and ash. "The Dark Lord is gone!"
"Indeed he is," Dumbledore said. "I suppose that is a large load off of your shoulders, Mr. Malfoy, as well as your wife's, son's, and all the others who are present."
Those very people started disappearing one by one, with one of them disapperating with a petrified Bellatrix. Soon, there stood only Dumbledore, Draco, and his parents. Harry still lay in the grass. Dumbledore looked to him. "Alright now, Harry, it is all over."
To the immense shock of Lucius, Harry stood up and looked as right as rain. "What? How...?"
Before anyone could answer, Ron appeared, sliding something off of him, maybe that invisibility cloak that was spoken of before. Draco's parents stared. The redhead immediately embraced his friend. "Harry, you're alive! I really thought for a moment that the Dark Lord ended you."
"I got out as soon as I could, as was planned," Harry said and patted Ron on the back, and the two boys parted and stood with the small group.
"As was planned?" Lucius demanded. "You all planned this? Just the lot of you?"
"Indeed," Dumbledore said. "Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger were sent away to find and destroy Lord Voldemort's horcruxes, which they succeeded to do with my aid."
"Horcruxes?" Narcissa asked. "Do you mean the objects that a person can put pieces of their soul into?"
"Yes. In destroying them, the Lord Voldemort was easier to defeat since he was weakened by every destroyed horcrux. Nagini was the last of seven of them, and we can thank Mr. Weasley here for her destruction." He looked to Draco. "And I might add, Draco was very brave and destroyed a horcrux that was hidden inside the school."
"Draco, you destroyed one?" Narcissa asked him, her eyes wide in surprise.
"Yes, I did."
"You should be very proud of your son, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy. I myself am very proud of him, as well as Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, and Miss Granger. They all aided in the destruction of Lord Voldemort. Because of these four brave students, he was able to be defeated and there will be peace in the wizarding world."
Draco's eyes burned at not only the complement, but at the fact that it's all over. There is no more Dark Lord and no more horrible tasks that need to be accomplished. Draco is free.
"Well done, Draco," Narcissa said, "and to you two young men as well."
Harry and Ron nodded, and Draco could see that they seemed uncomfortable being in Draco's parents' presence, even though they were complemented by one of the feared Malfoys. Dumbledore looked over near the entrance to the bridge. "Miss Granger, you may come out of hiding now."
Draco's heart pulsed as he saw Hermione appear, most likely from an invisibility spell. He said her name aloud in shock at seeing her when she was supposed to be back in her common room, when she promised! She ran to Harry first and bombarded him in a hug, and Ron joined in the embrace. Draco heard little whimpers escape her.
"Oh, Lord, I'm so happy you're okay, Harry! You got out of limbo straight away!"
"I did." Hermione let go of him, as well as Ron. Harry looked to Dumbledore. "I was at King's Cross Station. I saw him. I saw the part of Lord Voldemort's soul, the part of him that was forever ruined by creating so many horcruxes."
"It must have been a ghastly sight," Dumbledore commented.
"It was. He helped me leave faster."
"That is good to hear. Now, I suppose you are all tired out of your minds at this point, with worry and fear and whatnot. I will leave you all to head back to your common rooms, and home," he added to Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy with a nod. Hermione looked over at them and saw Draco. She gasped and ran to him, and he caught her in his arms and held her tightly.
"You're alright," she gasped.
"Of course I am. The Dark Lord wouldn't have hurt me with my parents present. They were a couple of his most loyal followers." He fingered some of her hair. "You were supposed to stay in your common room. You promised me."
"I know I did, but I wanted to everything person. I arrived under an invisibility charm right before the Dark Lord struck Harry with the Death Curse."
"You're bloody out of your mind."
"I know. I guess is just as sane as asking to be sent to Azkaban for a few days for your detention."
He chuckled and held her close. Someone cleared their throat, and Draco knew it was his father. He and Hermione released each other but she still clung to his arm. They faced Draco's parents, and his father twitched his nose, while his mother pursed her lips. Both his parents didn't look thrilled about seeing him with a muggle-born, his father more so. His mother seemed more lax about it.
"Well, I think we should head back in," Ron said. "I think we all deserve a good nap."
"I quite agree," Dumbledore said. "Off I go."
He popped away, leaving Draco, his parents, and Harry, Ron and Hermione. Ron pulled on Harry's arm. "Let's go, mate. You out of all of us deserve a good rest, since you died and came back to life and all."
"He didn't really die, Ron, not fully," Hermione corrected him.
"Still. Let's go."
"I'll meet you all back in the common room," Hermione said and they left, leaving Hermione with Draco and his parents. Her grip on his arm tightened, but her expression told him that she was keeping her wits about her.
"Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy," she greeted them.
"Miss Granger," Narcissa said. "I—we—must thank you for aiding in ending the darkness that has plagued this world for decades."
Hermione knew the weight of that complement, Draco was sure of it. "It was my pleasure, Mrs. Malfoy."
She looked to Lucius, but he turned his head, his nose still in a twitch. He was calm and cool when he last spoke to her, the first time they met, in that bookshop at the beginning her and Draco's second year, but now, she disgusts him. My how times have changed since then, and not only because the Dark Lord is gone.
"Well, you both should get back into the school," Narcissa told the teens. "Get some rest, and Draco..." She embraced him as Hermione stepped away. "You don't have to do anything anymore. No more horrid commands." She brought him in front of her and put a soft, warm hand on his cheek. "I'm so proud of you for all that you have done. Saving this girl's life and being a good enough person to refuse to harm her or anyone else."
Tears came to his eyes. "Thank you, Mother."
He looked to his father, but he was still looking away from them. Maybe after some time passes, he will speak with his father, have a real heart-to-heart with him, if it's possible. He can convince him that the times are changing, that the traditions can change. That's not going to be an easy feat.
He let go of his mother and he and Hermione started walking down the long stone path back to the school hand-in-hand with Hermione, and the cool late-morning air caught their hair. He let out a massive sigh.
"I know," Hermione said. "My sentiments exactly. I can't believe it's all over."
"Neither can I." He looked around, hoping to see the blue form. "I would like to see Annabelle and see how she's fairing. I would hug her out of gratitude if I could."
"Yes, she saw all of this... you protecting me, us becoming lovers, and us defeating the Dark Lord. I find it interesting that she never saw the horcruxes. I guess her vision left thing out so we could figure things out on our own."
"It's possible. I want to ask her if she knows something else, something that she never told us."
"And what's that?"
He stopped them and he gazed at her hazel eyes and face framed by her wavy light-brown hair. "If I become friends with Ron and Harry. There's too much history between us, but... I think it would be nice to not just be allies with them like we have been. Now, with the Dark Lord gone, it's a new start for everyone, especially me. It's turning over a new leaf, more so than when I stopped bullying people."
A wide smile pulled on Hermione's lips and she wrapped her arms around his neck after standing on his tip-toes. "I think in time, it will happen. I don't think Annabelle needs to predict that."
He nodded, hopeful, and took a breath of Hermione's lilac perfume. "Alright. Patience, I suppose."
"Yes. But in warms my heart that you actually want their friendship when that was farthest from your mind a couple months ago."
He brought her out in front of him and leaned into her face. He said softly, "Falling in love with you was farthest from my mind then, and now look at us."
She giggled and he leaned in, meeting her lips. He felt them for a few seconds as she returned the gesture. They drew back and looked off at the school. "Shall we?" she asked.
"Yes. I'll walk you back."
"I wouldn't have it any other way."
The two teen lovers who were once enemies walked on back into the castle without a care in the world. Yes, he and Hermione will have to eventually face his parents, mainly his father, hoping to change the the family traditions, but the worst is over. The Dark Lord is gone.