A/N: The good news: I came home early! Yay! The bad news: I'm leaving AGAIN this Saturday and am going to be gone until the Sunday of the next week :( Ughh I don't want to go! I've actually been home since Sunday but this chapter gave me a little trouble and it took me a while to be satisfied with it.

217 reviews? WHATTTT? That's crazy! Thanks to .star, WeAreLoveStory, HP0247, potatocrazy4, BambixEyes, Leafstar Skyclan, Girl-x-91, spider, Hartwi1, desirable69, LauraFlowi, nabbi, NaTTyKiinz, Lycoris Brightwater, Leanora, Ceylon, personofnoconcern, AlyssaRose369, and Dozy Dora! I don't think I've ever gotten that many reviews in one chapter! Last chapter was my personal favorite as well, which sucks, because now it's incredibly hard to write something as good as the previous chapter. But I tried!

.star: I tried to get in another chapter! But I failed :( I hope you can forgive me and still review this chapter :D

potatocrazy4: Wow, thank you! I'm flattered :) haha

Leafstar Skyclan: Yay! I love cookies! *takes cookie*

nabbi: Thank you so much! Dangit, I think you're right about the Elder Wand. But didn't Dumbledore sort of let Draco disarm him in Half-Blood Prince? But I guess he didn't because he wanted to be the last master of the Elder Wand. Darn, I wish I would've thought of that. Thanks for pointing it out though!

Ceylon: You'll have to wait and see... *evil laugh*

AlyssaRose369: I know exactly what you mean! Haha and yes I wish that Draco and Harry would've been a team at some point in the books, because it just seems like they'd be brilliant together! But, unfortunately, it didn't happen. And I was looking at your profile (which I do for all my reviewers, I guess I'm a bit of a fanfiction stalker XD) and could not help but notice that you are a Zutara fan as well! (Yes, I watch a cartoon and I'm not a preteen, and yes, it's the best cartoon ever!) If you don't mind me suggesting, you should read Love Thy Enemy by RedNovember if you haven't already. It's positively the best fanfiction I have ever read, and is also Zutara, which is awesome!

I was in the answering reviewers mood :)

Chapter 20: The End's Beginning

They were all crowded in the kitchen, each of them leaning over a map that was spread over the table. Draco had helped Potter draw the map about an hour ago, and now the Boy-Who-Lived was tracing their route into Azkaban. "We're going to be dressed in Death Eaters' cloaks and masks," Potter was saying, "but unfortunately, the door is guarded by Dementors. I think our only chance of getting by them is a Patronus Charm."

Draco chanced a glance at Hermione. She was sitting in a chair, arms crossed, eyes vacant. Please forgive me.

"Hopefully, none of the Death Eaters inside will notice. The doors will be closed, so the only ones that will see there isn't any Dementors guarding the doors will be the ones coming in, and according to Malfoy, not many enter in the middle of the night unless there's something important. This hall, right here," Harry tapped his finger against the map, "leads to the Death Eaters' Meeting Room. Avoid this place, as there will probably be Death Eaters in here. This staircase, right here, leads to the first level of cells. We're going to have to split up to find Ron. If we're discovered and someone attacks us, split up. It will be better if we aren't all clumped together, because they won't be able to capture us all. Malfoy's going to Disapparate us all to Azkaban, because you have to have a Dark Mark to Apparate outside of it."

Everyone glanced at Draco. So this is it.

Harry took a deep breath and everyone followed suit. He was holding Draco's wand, and Draco had Potter's stowed away in his pocket. He hoped Potter's theory was correct. "Everyone ready?" They all nodded, moving to take a cloak and wrap it around themselves, then take a mask. Apparently Potter had taken them after a battle a year ago, just in case they would come in handy. They had.

This is the end.

Or is it the beginning?

They were all kids. We're just kids.

I'm scared.

And then Hermione was there, and she took his hand. He looked down at her and she smiled grimly, reading his thoughts; we can do this. He tried to squash the feeling inside him; the doubts, he tried to be brave. Unfortunately, that had never been one of his defining attributes. The good side always wins, right? But this was real. This was no fairy tale. This was their life.

The fate of the entire world was resting in their hands in this very moment. He looked around at the people, the kids, circling him in Death Eaters' robes. If Mad-Eye came down the stairs at this moment he'd probably kill them all. They looked pretty convincing.

He could not help but wonder which of these people would not be returning. Would Neville join his parents? Would one of the twins lose their second half? Would Mrs. Weasley lose a son or a daughter? Would Potter fail? Would Hermione…

Don't think that way. Don't do that.

And he Disapparated.

The wind was the first thing he became aware of after the feeling of nausea passed. It was biting, cold, foreboding. Don't enter here. The waves were crashing against the dark rock and spraying them with little flecks of the sea. He shivered. Cold. Cold like death.

One of the members in their little group stepped forward and led them toward the entrance. He couldn't tell which it was (Potter?) but they walked with their back straight and an overdone sense of confidence. Draco knew it was a show for the others, we can do this, he was saying, we can win. But could they?

A great, silver stag burst forth from Potter's wand, and the Dementors shrank back, over the ocean, and were gone, fleeing the light. Each of them tensed; would a Death Eater jump from the entrance and kill them all for such an act? They waited; they held their breath…nothing happened. Draco looked at them all. Which was Hermione?

They entered. Their cloaks stilled and the relief from the wind was immense. It was dark inside, as it always was, but only Draco knew that. But there was a choking sense of silence. Perhaps it was only because he knew he was not supposed to be here, but something felt off.

Harry turned, opened his mouth, about to say something – what, what is it, speak – and then his eyes widened and his wand was out but it was too late, an explosion rent through the air and there were a few screams – Hermione? – and every fiber of his being was screaming run, get away, and he obeyed.

They had all been grouped together in a very suspicious looking circle – stupid plan – but the moment the explosion rent through the air they scattered like mice. Each of them tore in different directions, flashes of dark colors, and Draco burst through a door that led to a staircase. His feet pounded underneath him and he was coughing, his lungs trying to dispel the smoke that had appeared around them (Hermione's work, no doubt), and someone was following him but he knew it was someone from their group. Run, run, his legs commanded, and he was breathing heavily, but he burst through the door on his left and was sprinting up the stairs, flying – Oh God he had left Hermione behind please just let Hermione be ok – but I have to run now, I have to save myself…

It was a hideous game of cat and mouse, a terrifying game of hide and seek where the prize of the game was life.

Draco rammed his shoulder into a door on the left and stumbled inside. His follower (please be Hermione) dived in just as he slammed the door shut. He pressed his back against the cold wall and slid to the floor, ripping off his mask. It had been a good plan – or not.

The person next to him followed suit. Potter. Draco buried his head in his hands and took in deep, gasping breaths of the cold air, adrenaline pumping through his veins and oh shit they were going to die.

The cell they were in was empty. Potter stood and began to reach for the door –

A pound came from down the hall, and Draco could make out the voices of two men, "Two came this way, come on," and all hope was lost. Potter shrank back from the door immediately, a brief flicker of fear in his eyes that was gone in another moment. Draco wished he could squash his fear.

"I have to get to Voldemort. They'll have reported intruders by now, and he'll be on his way." Potter hissed, his face the perfect mask of controlled calm.

And Draco wanted ever so badly to volunteer, to say, "I'll distract them so you can get away," but he just couldn't. He couldn't bring himself to say it because he was such a bloody coward, and nothing more, why couldn't he just do it, he was dying anyway! But he was scared. Scared of torture.

There was a bang, and both the boys jumped. Then another, and another, followed by another. They were coming down the hall, checking every cell, and they would reach their cell soon –

"Crabbe, come on, we've caught some."

Draco and Harry shared a significant glance, utter fear in both their faces, each more terrified at that moment than anything. Someone had been found. Someone had been caught. And if it was Hermione they'd torture her and could she withstand any more torture? He was sweating now, his breaths were coming in little gasps, and it was all so foreign and wrong.

The door creaked open and Draco jumped, thinking it was a Death Eater attacking them, only to notice that Potter was peeking out the door. "They're gone, let's go."

They snuck out the door and plastered themselves against the wall, glancing each way, and then there were two Death Eaters on each side of them, shouting. Two spells caught both the astonished men and they tumbled back, Draco and Harry dropping their wand arms and taking deep breaths. And then Draco was struck with such a feeling that he had never felt before and he said, "Potter, go find Voldemort and do what you have to do. I'll find whoever was captured. I know this place."

Potter looked back at him, confused, what are you saying?, and Draco wasn't quite sure himself. But he nodded and took off, a blur down the hall and up the stairs. Draco turned in the opposite direction and suddenly he, too, was running, but he didn't know where even to begin. How could he possibly search every single cell? He knew that no one was on this floor, or else the other Death Eaters wouldn't have carelessly gone opening every cell in search of him and Harry. What had he gotten himself into?

He flew up the staircase and to the next floor and used his wand to open the first cell. Nothing. He went down the row, sometimes coming across prisoners cowering in the corner of his cell, but none of them were who he was looking for so he moved to the next cell, leaving the door open. No sense in acting like they weren't here; everyone probably knew.

He had to keep casting looks over his shoulder to feel even slightly comforted, but he was terrified, his heart was racing and his head was pounding and he knew any moment he could be caught, alone, with no one to back him up.

"Well, hello, Draco. Doing your rounds?"

He didn't even think before whirling around and sending a spell in the direction of the voice. There was a muttered, "Shit," and Draco didn't wait to see who it was. He tore off down the hall, zigzagging in a desperate hope that one of the spells whizzing by his head wouldn't hit him. He turned and sent another spell at his chaser, whom he now recognized as Rookwood, but the older man blocked it easily. He begged his legs to keep running, go, get out, escape, but then there was another masked Death Eater in front of him and he skidded to a halt, firing a spell at them, but it was pointless.

And then spells were firing from both sides at his body, and he turned and blocked one and barely dodged the other. He cast a spell at Rookwood, but it missed and left his side open and the other Death Eater cast a spell at him. He turned to block it but suddenly it felt as if someone had jabbed a knife into his chest and twisted, and he faltered, gasping out in shock and wondering what had happened, was he dying, now of all times? And the spell hit him in the side (pain, shooting) and his vision was suddenly white hot, and he staggered and he felt the ground underneath him (when had he fallen?) and he had to get up, he just had to, the world needed him, Hermione needed him, and then he was being dragged, he was moving, someone was touching him, Father, is that you? Why won't you love me, Father? And then all was still and there was a shout of dismay, someone was cradling him and saying his name, at least someone cares about me, that's good…there was something wet on his face; he was confused, he whispered, "Mother," and the person shushed him and he leaned into them because they were oh so warm, their words fading in around him, everything's going to be alright. I know, Mother, I know.

:::

He woke with a horrible wringing in his ears and a splitting pain in his side. He felt utterly confused about the entire situation and vaguely wondered where he was but was almost afraid to open his eyes. Was he in the Order? What had happened?

And then it all came back to him; their failed plan, running, battling, and being hit. He bolted up in an instant and blinding pain shot through his head. He moaned and there was a voice next to him but he didn't have the energy to see who it was.

Finally, after a few moments of clutching his head, he opened his eyes. There were in the Meeting Room. Hermione was next to him, looking worried, and Ron Weasley was sitting in the corner, a black eye and a bruised lip decorating his face but looking utterly fine, and Seamus and Dean sat opposite him. He almost wanted to yell at them for getting caught, before remembering that he, too, had been caught. He looked at Hermione and she smiled solemnly.

And then it hit him. No one would be coming to this room. Potter had specifically said to keep away from this room. Oh, shit, they were in trouble. And soon more would be thrown in this room, and they would kill Potter, and it would all be over, why had they even done this in the first place? Oh, yes, Weasley. Damn him.

"I don't know what they hit you with," Hermione said, straightening her posture. "But I don't think it was anything so bad. It just kind of…confused you. You kept calling me 'Mother'."

Draco wondered what else his fuzzy brain had spouted out but chose not to worry about it. They were in deeper shit than what he might have spilled to Hermione and they had to get out before the torture sessions would start. He stood and swayed on his feet for a moment, then walked to the door, ramming his shoulder against it.

"I've tried every possible thing, mate. There's no way out."

I'm not your mate. Draco thought furiously, desperation and fear clouding his mind and making him so very furious. He hated them, he hated them all, they were why he was in this mess to start with. If he had just been a good little Death Eater and minded his manners his father would still be alive and he wouldn't be in this mess and he wouldn't be having these horrible feelings and he wouldn't be dying and…and…

And Hermione would be dead.

He sobered up immediately.

Draco backed away from the door and ran a hand through his hair, trying to act sensibly. There had to be a way out, right? But the Death Eaters were not that stupid to leave an escape route. Perhaps they could overpower the first one that came in? Suddenly there was a shooting pain in his chest and his vision clouded. The room felt tilted and he stumbled and choked back a gasp of surprise, but then it was over.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked, but Draco ignored her. It had happened earlier, he remembered, when the Death Eaters had been attacking him. He honestly did not want to know what it meant.

The door leading to the Meeting Room opened and Draco tensed. He turned slowly to see a masked Death Eater sauntering in the room with a wand held in his hand. He backed away towards Hermione, who stood next to him and put her shoulders back and glared. Glaring was not going to stop torture.

The Death Eater removed his mask and they all gasped in shock as a cheery grin lit up the chubby boy's face, and he produced all of their wands from his back pocket. Draco had never been happier to see Neville Longbottom in all his life.

A/N: Yay! I love Neville :) So...who saw A Very Potter Sequel? I've already watched it twice. It was...dare I say it...totally awesome! I thought it was brilliant, and I LOVED all the new characters. The songs were more mature, as was the choreography, and Lucius cracked me up, as did Lupin. And the Snape/Lily moments made me literally want to cry! And I think I fell in love with Joe Walker...as he was playing a woman. A bit creepy. But he's amazing! I think I liked A Very Potter Musical better, simply because it's such a classic, but I LOVED AVPS. What'd you guys think of it?