A/N: Once again, I'm terribly sorry about the wait. The chapters should come out a bit faster now, but I'm going to be out of town from the 22-30 or something around there. I will be no where near a computer and am horribly depressed because I'll have to wait to watch A Very Potter Sequel since it comes out on the 22 :( But I will try to have at least one more update before I leave. And I had sudden inspiration for a new Dramione and had to write the first chapter, which is another reason this took a while. If I ever do publish it on this site it will be after I'm done with this story. And it needs a bit more in-depth plot first, I kind of just know the basis of the story.

This chapter's a lot of dialogue, probably more than any of the other chapters.

On another note, has everyone watched the new trailer for the Deathly Hallows? I meant to say something about it last chapter but forgot; wasn't it EPIC? :D I'm so excited!

Thanks to: potatocrazy4, Hartwi1, Ceylon, BelovedSaiai, Iris, Leafstar Skyclan, BambixEyesx, iamagemm, Tip Top Club, TtoboggI, Lisa, desirable69, Lycoris Brightwater, and LauriFlowi for reviewing last chapter! 183 reviews! Ahh!

Potatocrazy4: I'm going to completely guess and say five. Maybe six or seven, but definitely NO MORE than ten.

Chapter 18: Left Behind

He figured he was suffering from insomnia. Sleep seemed unattainable. Not when there were so many things running through his head. Hermione had long since fallen asleep, her arm wrapped around his chest and leaning into him.

It was wrong. He shouldn't have let her do it. He shouldn't have let her kiss him. He was going to die, this would just make it so much harder. So much more difficult. It would just hurt that much more.

He slipped out of the bed, careful to not disturb Hermione, and crept downstairs. He couldn't keep lying down, he had to get up and move around. His feet took him to the kitchen, and he was not very surprised to see Potter there.

The Boy-Who-Lived glanced up from where he had been ogling a piece of parchment. "Oh." He said. "Hey."

Draco ignored him and walked to the pantry, finding some licorice wands and pulling them out to snack on. He wasn't entirely hungry but just needed something to do. He was sick of sitting around and watching everyone else doing things around him as he did nothing. Draco sat across from Harry and propped his feet up on the table. "You can't sleep either?" He asked, simply because the silence was a bit uncomfortable.

"No." Potter said, without looking up. He continued to stare down his nose at the parchment on the table, apparently engrossed in it. After a few moments in awkward silence, Harry glanced up at Malfoy. "It's going to end soon. All of it. We'll be able to get out of here, to leave."

"Congratulations." Draco said dryly, chewing loudly on his candy. Potter instantly averted his eyes, back to his parchment.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Harry glanced up, apparently taken aback by Draco's words. Draco leaned forward on the table and shrugged at Potter's inquisitive glare. "What's the next step, then? What's the next plan?"

"We'll have to get Nagini. The snake will be with Voldemort. Once we kill Nagini, I can kill Voldemort."

Draco nodded, trying to look nonchalant. "Sounds a bit complicated. What are you reading?"

"Have you ever heard of the Deathly Hallows?"

Draco cocked his head to the side. "Can't say I have."

"They're these three…objects, that…well, the myth says that Death created and gave to these three brothers. There's the Cloak of Invisibility, the Resurrection Stone, and Elder Wand."

Draco's ears perked up, and he was suddenly interested. "The Elder Wand? Like…the Deathstick?"

"Yeah, that's the one."

"And the relevance of this is…?"

"If the three Hallows are united, the person becomes the Master of Death. I have the Cloak of Invisibilty…"

"You do?"

"My father's Cloak."

"Oh."

"And Voldemort has the Elder Wand."

"Oh."

"The Elder Wand is passed from owner to owner by whoever kills or disarms the previous owner. So Snape was the owner, because Dumbledore had it before…"

"He did?"

"Yeah. He intended to die with it so its power would die with him, but Snape killed him…because he was dying anyway…"

"He was?"

"Mmhm. And I disarmed Snape once we figured all that out, so I should be its rightful owner. If that's right, then it won't work right for Voldemort, but it will work right for me."

Draco leaned back in his chair again, a smirk on his face. "Ah, but you've failed to disarm the true owner if all that is true, then."

"What?"

"I'm surprised you didn't pick up on this, Potter, you were there."

"Just tell me, Malfoy."

"I disarmed Dumbledore before Snape…well, you were there."

Harry leaned back in his chair with an astounded look on his face, and then understanding washed over him. "Has anyone disarmed you since then?" He demanded, his tone taking on a more serious note.

"Hmm…well, it has been a few years….but; I suppose if someone had, I'd be dead now, so I don't think so."

Harry immediately stood, taking out his wand. "Get out your wand."

"Why?" Draco asked, not moving. "Perhaps I wanted to kill the Dark Lord, myself."

"Good one, Malfoy. You'd probably piss yourself if you had to face off against him."

Draco acted as if he were contemplating this for a moment, stroking his chin pensively. "Hmm…Draco Malfoy, 'Hero'."

"I have to be the one that does it. There's a prophecy."

"Oh, the plot thickens."

"I'm serious, Malfoy. 'Neither can live while the other survives.'"

"That's quite melodramatic."

"Just let me disarm you."

Draco smirked and stood, fishing his wand out of his pocket and raising it away from himself. Another second later and it was flying across the room and into Harry's waiting hand. "So how does this work? Do you use my wand, now?"

Harry inspected the two wands in his hand. "Erm, well I'm not really sure. All this is a bit of guesswork, to be honest. It wouldn't hurt, though. You can have it back until…well, the final battle."

Draco shrugged nonchalantly as Potter handed him back his wand. "Alright, then. So what's next?"

"Well, we have to get to Nagini. And well…you know, kill it. With the sword." Harry cleared his throat. "Have you ever seen Nagini?"

"Well yeah, it's kind of hard to miss it. It's quite large, you know."

"The problem is getting to Nagini without-"

"Getting blasted to pieces by the Dark Lord?"

"Well, yeah. That would be the general idea."

Draco rested his head in his palm, slumping forward. "Sounds difficult."

"We'll have to go to Azkaban."

Draco met the eyes of Potter. His green ones were narrowed and wild; he looked a bit demented. "That's impossible. There are too many Death Eaters there, Potter, it's like their Headquarters. They'll have the advantage, even if it is a bit of a surprise."

"Well what do you propose we do?"

Before Draco could even answer Harry slumped over in his seat and clutched his scar, making noises of protest. Draco almost fell backwards in his seat in surprise. "Um, Potter? You're not going to die on me, are you? Because it'll look quite suspicious…" He stood and hurried over to Harry's side and, not quite sure what to do, gave him a little shove.

Just as soon as it had started, it was over. Harry sat straight up and looked at Malfoy with a shocked expression on his face. "He's at your house, and he's about to leave. He's leaving Nagini there, he said that-"

"My house?"
"Yes, Nagini's with him, we have to go now. This is our only chance! He's not going to be there, and Nagini is. Go get Hermione, I'll go get Ron."

"Erm, did you just see this, because I'm a bit unconvinced-"

"Yes, I saw it! He's angry, really angry, some mission or something failed to get to us, and he's going to Azkaban but leaving Nagini there-"

"Why would he leave his snake at my house?"

"I don't know! Maybe he thought we wouldn't expect it, now go get Hermione!"

Harry was halfway up the stairs before Draco had even moved an inch. He raced after him and took the stairs two at a time, sensing the urgency in Potter. He threw open the door and Hermione jerked awake. She must have seen something in his eyes, because she asked, "What's wrong?"

"Snake's at my house, we have to go kill it now. Doesn't it sound exciting?"

Hermione was up in a flash as if she had prepared for this her entire life. In a second she had pulled a sweater on and was right behind him as they leapt down the stairs to find Harry and Ron having a full out fight.

"I'm not letting you all go without me!"

"If we die on this mission, it's all over! Just stay behind, we'll take care of the snake, and if we get caught you can just go take care of Voldemort!"

"Ron's right, Harry." Hermione said, wringing her hands nervously. "You should stay behind."

Knowing he was outnumbered, Harry embraced Hermione and then Ron hurriedly. "Are you going?" He asked Draco.

"Don't I look ready to go? I'm dying anyway, might as well."

Harry grinned but did not embrace him, for which Draco was thankful. Without another moment's hesitation, they stepped out into the night and Draco Disapparated them to Malfoy Manor with Potter's Invisibility Cloak over them.

The walk to the secret entrance was trouble-free. The walk to the entrance to the living room was effortless. But it was when they glanced into it and saw the five Death Eaters circling the snake that they knew this was not going to be an easy task. How could they possibly kill the snake and not get captured?

Draco felt something nudge his arm and he turned to look at Weasley. Ron's eyes darted to Hermione and then he nodded his head at the snake, and somehow, Draco understood. He nodded and in that moment they had some sort of connection; some sort of understanding between the two of them. Draco gently took Hermione's arm and pulled her back away from the door. She looked at him with questioning in her eyes, but her silent question was answered as Ron slipped the Invisibility Cloak off of them and disappeared. Her mouth opened but she could not speak.

Draco watched as the snake's head flew off as if by some magical force. The Death Eaters stared dumbfounded at each other for one instant, but then five curses all flew in the air in different directions. A lamp flew off a desk and Draco knew Ron had been hit; the red-head appeared in their view, clutching his leg that was bleeding profusely, and threw the Invisibility Cloak at Draco, who stepped in the door and caught it.

Draco grabbed Hermione and began pulling her back towards the exit, but she struggled. She screamed and pleaded and cried and Draco knew if they did not get away right now the Death Eaters would get them so he pulled harder and she struggled harder.

She was beating her fists against his chest, hysteric screaming tearing through her lungs as she squeezed her eyes shut, willing it to not be true. She struggled against Draco's arms, but he would not relent, he kept dragging her back, away from Ron, back, and she was screaming as loud as she possibly could, they could not leave him behind, they just could not!

But Draco knew there was no helping the Weasley and he continued to forcefully pull her until they were out the door and he grabbed her arm and Disapparated to the Order. He shoved her inside the door and she turned to face him and punched him in the face. It did not surprise him but it hurt nonetheless.

"I hate you!" Hermione screamed, and the words tore into his heart like a knife, slicing away everything he had worked for, the whispered promise of I don't hate you anymore was floating away and replaced with something much more solid, much more defined, something that he was much more familiar with. Hate. Being hated by Hermione Granger was something that he was all too familiar with, but hating the fact that he was hated by her hurt far too much than it should have. This was really it. She hated him.

And for what? For saving her life? If they had tried to save Weasley they, too, would've been captured and would have met the same end. It wasn't as if he was too worried about his own life anymore, he was already dying! He had been worried about hers and hers only, and even Weasley had been intelligent enough to signal Draco to not let her try to rescue him. It was impossible. It had been impossible.

A shooting pain in his chest, he couldn't breathe, his hand flailed for a moment and then he was falling, there was a distant scream and then there was darkness, his last thought echoing in his head.

I don't want to die.

A/N: Please bear with me. I know this chapter was entirely unrealistic with the whole snake thing but it HAD to happen for the sake of the plot. Personally, this is my least favorite chapter out of the whole story, but I hope that you guys understand. *Crosses fingers* Review! Please :D And I'm going to fix all the chapter titles because the whole Chapter 18: Chapter 17 stuff is annoying me. So just saying that in case you guys notice ;)