"Courage is being scared to death - and saddling up anyway."
-John Wayne
Draco clutched the Basilisk fang as though his very life depended upon it.
Approaching the east side of the place he had once called home - he wasn't quite sure how he had gotten to the Manor so quickly. The moment Remus' red sparks had exploded into the cool night air above him - his legs had taken off - while his mind lingered.
But there he crouched - breathing heavily - as the Order of the Phoenix closed in on the Manor from all sides.
A slight pressure on his shoulder caused Draco to whirl around - staring directly into the looming form of Severus Snape.
Snape quietly crouched down beside Draco and firmly took the younger man's face with his trembling hands. Staring with fathomless ebony eyes - he found his voice at last.
"Draco...son," he whispered, as his eyes locked firmly with steely gray ones, "Whatever happens in there - you get to Nagini. You do whatever it takes - whatever you have to do - and kill the snake. Everything else is obsolete," he said solemnly. "There is no doubt in my mind that you can do this," Snape pressed on as his voice filled with emotion, "I am so very proud of the man you have become..."
"Now go," he ordered - blinking back tears.
Snape stood and brandished his wand in one fluid movement.
"Go and be the hero you were born to be."
Draco swallowed heavily as he looked down at his hands, "You were the father I never had," he whispered, quietly.
And then he met Snape's eyes, "Get Hermione out. I will take care of Nagini - but please..."
"I will make sure she gets out safely, Draco," Snape interrupted, "That is my promise to you."
Draco slowly stood as he pocked the Basilisk fang - regarding Snape solemnly. A mutual understanding passed between the two men as Draco turned to face a Gothic stained glass window. With a quick glance and smirk in Snape's direction, Draco brandished his wand and pointed it at the window.
"REDUCTO!!"
Instantly, the window shattered - sending millions of shards of glass flying in every direction.
Draco and Snape jumped through the newly created opening and into a frightening silence.
It was pitch black, but Draco knew that they were in the massive space that was once the grand ballroom of Malfoy Manor.
The entire area was strangely silent. No Death Eaters nor curses greeted either of them as Draco's boots echoed loudly across the hardwood floors with each tentative step he took.
"Lumos!" He muttered quietly - casting an ominous glow over the once impressive room.
The lack of Death Eaters or any other type of pandemonium was infinitely more unnerving than if they had walked into an outright attack, Draco realized. The Manor had long ago taken on the appearance of a "haunted house", but knowing that there were real terrors within the walls - Voldemort, for one - made the dark, empty room infinitely more frightening.
A muffled explosion in the distance caused Draco to whirl around to the south entrance of the ballroom.
"The Order?" Draco questioned as he held his wand out in front of himself.
"There's no way to tell - and we can't assume," Snape replied levelly as he made to the opposite direction of the ballroom. Draco followed quickly in his wake - his footsteps sounding loudly over the wooden floors as he reached into his cloak and nervously fingered the Basilisk fang.
But suddenly - it sounded as though there were another set of footsteps behind him.
Freezing on the spot, Draco whirled around and shone his wand behind him.
Nothing.
Snape, too, had stopped to listen for the footsteps.
Heart pounding in his chest, Draco turned and made his way over to Snape - who was continuing to the large intricate doors that led into one of the many drawing rooms in the manor.
And again, footsteps sounded behind Draco - though they were closer together in rhythm - quickly making their way across the massive room.
As Draco again turned to confront the sound, a jet of green light lit up the entire expanse of the area - reveling the form of a masked Death Eater, as Snape and Draco both dropped roughly to the ground to avoid the imminent collision.
After the killing curse passed, Snape was on his feet in a heartbeat - retaliating with fiery curses of his own.
"Go! Draco, go! Get out of here!" Snape yelled as he shot a nasty looking purple curse at the masked Death Eater.
Hesitating for only a second - I must find Nagini - Draco turned on the spot and headed for the north exit of the ballroom that lead through the drawing room of the main hallway and eventually - the stairs to the second level of the manor.
Just as Draco reached the tall door frame, the hinges of the doors burst open - imploding in on themselves - as several Death Eaters burst through the entrance, causing Draco to cover his face to protect himself from the shrapnel.
A bright red curse flew directly at Draco the moment he uncovered his face.
Deftly, he flourished his wand.
"Protego!"
The curse rebounded loudly off Draco's powerful shield as he steadied himself and prepared to go on the offensive.
"Stupefy!"
"Immobulus!"
"Petrificus Totalus!"
Two of the Death Eaters fell heavily to the floor while the two remaining figures dodged Draco's curses and jumped easily over the fallen bodies.
A bright curse that skimmed his shoulder by inches slammed violently into one of the approaching Death Eaters caused Draco to whirl around.
Snape - a formidable sight in his own right - was storming over to where Draco stood, black robes billowing, wand drawn, and shouting incoherently at at the lone remainding Death Eater.
"Draco! Go! There is no time! You mustn't stop for anything!" Snape shouted as he easily stunned the last standing masked man. "When you go out these doors," Snape said as he approached - panting heavily, "Make for the staircase. I will cover you as best I can."
Draco nodded as he weaved in and out of the rubble to exit the room. The moment he and Snape crossed the drawing room and rounded the corner, Draco checked himself mid-stride - for the high arched entryway of Malfoy Manor was in complete chaos.
Several indistinguishable Death Eaters were battling fiercely with members of the Order of the Phoenix. At the forefront stood Harry - who was screaming with a demented rage - loud enough for Voldemort to hear him so as not disapperate.
"Tom?" Harry shouted loudly over a blasting curse, "Are you going to come out and fight like a man? I'm here Tom! Are you ready to prove once and for all that I am not only 'The Boy who Lived', but the man who defeated the pathetic Tom Riddle?"
Draco looked to the stairwell that led to the second level, but Voldemort was no where to be seen - presumable still hiding within the confines of the private library.
A yellow curse narrowly skimmed over the top of his head and brought Draco out of his reverie. Tonks and Ginny Weasley were fighting a heroic two against four duel - and across the room, the most unusual fighting duo Draco was sure he had ever seen assembled, stood Fred - or possibly George - Weasley, back to back with Minerva McGonagall, firing off rapid stunning spells as Moody and Remus attempted to pick the scattered Death Eaters off from the flank.
Shaking his head, Draco burst into motion as he sprinted to the stairwell that led to the second floor - to Voldemort, and to Nagini. Like a powerful surge of wind, Draco felt a curse coming directly at him from behind, and he barely dropped to the floor in time as a forceful hex sounded loudly above him - exploding in a deafening burst on the wall - just missing where his head would have been seconds later.
Scrambling to his feet, Draco pressed forward to the staircase - firing off a few stunners in the process. When his hand finally grabbed onto the iron railing, he launched himself up the stairs - two, no, three at a time - until he reached the second level of the Manor. Panting heavily as he finally reached the top, Draco shot a curse at an unsuspecting Death Eater whose back was turned, as he fell heavily to the marble floor.
Passing the painting of his father riding a white stallion, Draco hurled himself through the second floor parlor room and turned east down the long, narrow hallway that led to the private library.
Two Death Eaters were eagerly awaiting the arrival of an opponent and the moment Draco was within firing range, one shot off a deadly curse - the likes of which Draco hadn't seen since his encounter with Harry Potter during his sixth year at Hogwarts.
"Sectumsempra!"
The full brunt of the curse missed Draco, but the narrow space of the hallway left little room to maneuver, and Draco's upper arm received a large, painful gash.
Hissing inwardly, Draco grasped his arm as he looked up with anger at the two masked men.
"Little Malfoy?" A familiar voice asked in awe. "Everyone thought you were long gone! Why Lucius claimed you to be dead! But here you are - and fighting with them?" He spat with vehemence.
"Macnair," Draco hissed with realization. "I see you still have your orders - haven't advanced in his ranks as quickly as you had anticipated, ehe? That's a bloody shame, but really, you won't have to dwell on it much longer. The Order will destroy the rest of the Death Eaters and Voldemort will be no more," Draco concluded as he said the Dark Lord's name for the first time in his existence.
"You dare speak his name!" Macnair screamed as he launched another curse at Draco.
But Draco was ready, and he easily deflected the unfriendly spell. With an especially complicated wand movement, two streaks of light emanated from Draco's wand - hitting the Death Eaters, and dropping their stiff bodies to the floor.
Stooping to pick up their wands, Draco deftly maneuvered around the fallen Death Eaters and briskly walked to the end of the hallway. Rubbing his trembling fingertips across the alabaster stone that marked the entrance to the library; Draco stepped back and held his breath.
Not two seconds later, a bold message appeared in crimson letters across the smooth stone.
YOUR BLOOD IS PURE. YOU MAY PASS.
A loud crack resounded throughout the second story of the Manor - revealing a darkened passageway in the form of a barrel vault. Clutching the Basilisk fang tightly, Draco stepped through the barrier that led to the Malfoy Private Library.
Hermione's eyes remained painfully closed.
She wasn't entirely sure that she could open them on her own accord - even if she wanted to.
Too weak.
She barely managed the strength that was required to lift her index finger off the ground.
How can I not be dead?
Surely, death could not hurt this much. It's supposed to be a release - an eternal rest, right?
But if death meant a pain free existence that was far from agony and torment - Hermione was quite sure in that moment that she had never been more alive.
Whimpering pathetically, she finally found the strength to open her eyes.
The sight that greeted Hermione made her wish that she had never attempted to even open them. For Bellatrix Lestrange was sitting on a regal chair she had conjured and was twirling her wand absentmindedly between her thumb and forefinger. Her thickly lidded eyes looked down at Hermione in disgust - though she appeared slightly bored by their recent encounter.
Hermione closed her eyes as a tear managed to escape through the tight barrier. Through the pain and the spasms of her trembling body, she felt completely drained and ashamed to the point of guilt.
The unthinkable had happened.
She had begged for death.
Hermione Granger, true Gryffindor extraordinaire, had pleaded - begged - for Bellatrix to kill her.
But Hermione's pleadings only seemed to entice Bellatrix even further, and she continued her torturing without mercy.
Neville's parents had truly suffered a fate worse than death. For Hermione was still sane - but the agony that racked her body and caused her to shake and tremble was nearly unbearable.
"You must think yourself quite clever, Mudblood," Bellatrix spat - bringing Hermione painfully back to the present.
"All Gryffindors are the same," she continued, "You all think you're so brave and valiant and courageous. But you know what, Mudblood? Every single one of you beg and plead like the filthy dogs you are."
"At least," Hermione rasped, as she took the last reserves of her strength to speak, "We aren't slimy, traitorous snakes."
Bellatrix was on her feet in less than a second as she forcefully grasped Hermione's hair and pulled upwards with a surprising amount of force.
"What's that, Mudblood?" Bellatrix hissed quietly in Hermione's ear, "Care for another round?"
Hermione's breath hitched in her throat.
"No...please...no more."
Bellatrix smiled - quite please with herself. "That's what I thought."
And just as Bellatrix dropped Hermione unceremoniously to the cold stone floor, the temporary door imploded with the force of a small earthquake - creating a thick cloud of dust - and Severus Snape crossed the dismal threshold.
His ebony eyes fleetingly searched over Hermione's prone body before turning his full attention to Bellatrix.
"Snape," she spat with vehemence - though obviously surprised, "You bloody traitor! Serving those muggle loving fools! Denying the power of the Dark Lord! How dare you show your disgusting face!" She screamed, as her face distorted in madness. "You have betrayed my master...and you will pay dearly."
As Snape deftly drew his wand, he tossed - with his free hand, a small vial in Hermione's direction.
"Drink it and get out of here!" Snape shouted as he fired off a crimson streak of light in Bellatrix's direction, "The effects will not last long!"
Hermione's efforts to crawl to the vial seemed to be in slow motion - like something out of a bad dream. Slowly - agonizingly - she pulled herself through the coarse hay to the spot where Snape had tossed her temporary salvation.
Above Hermione, a display of light was soaring in every direction - rebounding off the thick walls of her prison - which narrowly missed her twice.
As her shaking hands finally grasped the vial, Hermione uncorked the tiny lid and downed the florescent blue contents.
The effect was instantaneous.
Her aching muscles stopped throbbing, the spasms ceased, and the renewed determination to live came like the joy of the first snowfall - with complete awe and purpose.
Jumping to her feet with surprising strength, Hermione dodged a stray curse of Snape's as she hurled herself to into the corner of the dungeon.
"Hermione!" Snape yelled as he blocked a powerful stunner from Bellatrix, "Move! Get out of the manor and hide yourself in the forest! You won't have much time - that potion can only reverse the after effects of the Cruciatus for so long!"
With a great effort of his trembling forearm, Snape threw Bellatrix's own curse straight back at her. Her dark eyes widened as she jumped out of the way and the curse hit the far wall - creating a great crater in the substructure.
"But..." Hermione hesitated as her voice wavered - looking back and forth between Bellatrix and Snape as a deep crease crossed her dirty forehead.
"You must go! Hermione..." he trailed off as his eyes briefly locked with Hermione's.
But time must have slowed down, Hermione realized. Because surely, Snape would not be able to look at her in that way and convey the emotions behind the depths of his black fathomless eyes and speak to her without having Bellatrix hex him while his back was turned.
"I promised Draco I would get you out. Do not make me break that promise," he said softly, and then added as his eyes briefly watered, "Please."
Hermione nodded as she swallowed thickly - making for the make shift entrance to the dungeon.
"Severus...I..."
Snape's sallow face twitched into a small smile, "I know."
And Hermione left the dungeon.
As Hermione scaled the dark stairs that led from the dungeon, she realized two things. First - she was already winded. Snape's potion freed her from the physical pain of the Cruciatus, but it obviously did nothing for fatigue. Secondly - and on a more disturbing level - she had no wand. Drained as she was - I can't even walk up the bloody stairs - Hermione knew that there was no chance she could perform even the simplest charm without a wand.
She could hide and wait out the battle in the stairwell.
Yes, that was an option.
She could run up the remainder of the stairs and bolt for the entry door and hide in the forest.
Certainly, she could do that.
But Hermione Granger was placed in Gryffindor house for a reason, and Hell was more likely to freeze over before either one of those scenarios occurred. Steeling herself for a brief moment, Hermione took a deep breath and scaled the remainder of the steps and peaked out into the parlor.
Chaos reigned.
Death Eaters were everywhere - but the Order of the Phoenix was retaliating beautifully.
Bill Weasley was fighting off three different masked Death Eaters in succession - resulting in an extremely large vase shattering to the floor; Kinglsey and Luna Lovegood were fighting back to back; Neville Longbottom, Author Weasley, and Oliver Wood were having a go at Crabbe senior and another masked Death Eater, and Remus Lupin stood at the forefront of it all - blasting a Death Eater with such force that his opponent was launched off the ground before colliding with an ornate golden globe in the center of the room.
Not ten feet from where Hermione stood, a fallen Death Eater lay spread eagle on the granite floor. Mere inches from his fingers - lay his wand.
Hermione didn't even have time to think - her legs had already started moving. A moment later she was bent over the fallen figure, clutching her newfound weapon, and looking up into the towering form of a masked man.
"STUPEFY!"
The strange wand didn't have the same effect as her own did, but the result was enough. The Death Eater fell to the ground from where he stood.
"Hermione?" Minerva McGonagall asked with both surprise and relief. "How did you - "
But a thunderous explosion from the adjacent room muffled the rest of her words. McGonagall turned to look for the source of the commotion, while Hermione whirled around from the direction she had come, and made to descend to the dungeon to help Snape.
As Hermione approached the corridor that led to the descending stairwell, a jet of purple light shot directly to where she was heading, and erupted with an trembling aftershock that the passageway to the dungeons caved in on itself.
"No!" Hermione screamed.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" She shouted as she began to frantically remove the rubble.
"Hermione?" Ginny questioned with delight as she appeared around a nearby corner, "You're okay! Harry said that - "
But an other unearthly sound resonated throughout the manor, and Hermione and Ginny both stopped to look to the high vaulted ceiling.
"Voldemort," Hermione whispered.
"What are you doing? Where have you been? How did you escape?" Ginny fired off as Hermione returned to levitating the rubble.
"Snape's down there with Bellatrix Lestrange and I have to help - "
But two Death Eaters materialized out of nowhere and instantly began attacking the two women - leaving Hermione to momentarily forget about Snape.
"Immobulous!" Ginny shouted as her Death Eater froze on the spot.
"Expelliarmus!" Hermione yelled as she won herself another wand.
Pocketing the new weapon, her Death Eater took off and into the chaotic crowd.
And every time Hermione set about to remove the rubble to return and aid Snape in the dungeons, another Death Eater or creature - for giant spiders were having full reign in the kitchen - attacked, and Hermione was forced to fight and eventually was removed far away from the dungeon as she dueled her way over to the door that led to the main entryway.
The entryway was even more chaotic than the parlor had been. With a slight flutter of her heart, Hermione saw Harry battling fiercely with Yaxley and the Carrows on the stairway that led to the second floor and the private library. Harry appeared to have the advantage - though he was unfairly outnumbered. Standing three or four steps above the attacking Death Eaters, Harry's face was set and hard as he fired off a powerful stunner and Yaxley seemed to be looking for the opportune moment to flee without being jinxed.
But suddenly, Harry seemed to slip and lose his footing. Both of the Carrows shrieked greedily as they made to curse Harry (or likely worse), as he tried to regain his footing.
Running with all the strength she could muster, Hermione bolted through the entryway with her wand raised and shouted loudly as she pointed it at Harry's attackers.
"STUEPFY!"
The Carrows instantly froze and then tumbled back on one another as both of their stiff bodies rolled down the remainder of the stairs and into a retreating Yaxley.
Harry looked around for the source of his salvation and when he saw Hermione running towards him, his eyes lit up like a dazzling morning sunrise.
"Hermione!" He cried with relief and worry as he descended the stairs at a rapid pace. "You're all right? But how can you be out here running...I don't understand..." he trailed off as he finally collided with her outstretched arms on the base of the stairs.
Hermione breathed him in deeply for a moment and closed her eyes. Then, steeling herself, she pulled away from his embrace and locked onto his emerald eyes.
"There's no time to explain. Snape gave me a potion - which reminds me! Oh, Harry! He's in the dungeon with Bellatrix!" Hermione cried frantically.
Remus, who had just made his way over to the pair, heard the last part of the conversation. "Severus is trapped in the dungeon with Bellatrix?"
With Hermione's nod of approval, he surveyed their surroundings warily. "Harry, I will go after Severus. You need to get to Voldemort."
Harry looked slightly uncertain, but with a hesitant nod - Remus was off.
Another loud blast shook the foundations of the manor, creating a thin layer of dust that fell from the high ceiling. Whether from a powerful curse, or some other dark creature - Hermione wasn't sure.
"Hermione - " Harry started as he began to ascend the stairs.
"Harry," Hermione interrupted, "Where is Draco? Is he okay?"
Harry paused momentarily as he turned to look at Hermione from two steps up. "He's...he was the one that made the decision to take care of Nagini."
Hermione's sorrel eyes widened as the realization of Harry's words hit her fully. Fingering the spare wand in her tattered cloak, she jumped up the stairs after Harry.
"Hermione, no." Harry said kindly - but forcefully. "You need to get out of here. I know that you're injured - I saw Voldemort torturing you. You've done more than your part. Now get out while you still can."
"Don't you dare give me that speech, Harry Potter!" Hermione replied with rage in her trembling voice. "Don't you dare. I told you, many years ago, that I would be with you until the very end. Ron held up his part of the bargain - and now I'm holding up mine. And don't look at me like that, Harry. It was all decided years ago."
Harry looked as though he wasn't quite sure if he should embrace Hermione or tie her to a chair.
"And plus," Hermione added as she scaled a few more steps so that they were exactly eye level, "Draco is up there...and there's something you should know, Harry..."
With Harry's puzzled expression, Hermione gave a glorious smile.
"I'm in love with Draco Malfoy."
Draco found himself, once again, standing in the presence of Lord Voldemort.
He remembered the first time he had been brought before the Dark Lord in his fourth year of school.
At the time, he was completely and utterly terrified.
The current sensation he was feeling, however, was not too far off base from that memory.
And yet, as he stood before the snake-like figure of Voldemort, Draco realized that his memories had been dulled over the years. To stand in the presence of Lord Voldemort was unlike any other sensation in the entire world. The fear was simply overwhelming. And his eyes - Voldemort's eyes - were so much more scarlet in real life that they had ever replayed in any of his nightmares. They were knowing, penetrating, and more intimidating than any sight he could recall.
"Draco Malfoy," Voldemort rasped as he stood from an ornate leather chair by a dimly lit fireplace. Nagini, Draco saw out of the corner of his peripheral vision, was coiling around the legs of the chair, knotting itself into something infinitely more complex than a square knot.
Without realizing it, Draco felt for the Basilisk fang within his cloak, and ran his fingertips over the ivory surface.
But how to get to the snake?
Voldemort would surely curse him the moment he even thought about leaping the short distance to the creature - and then...could it be possible? Was Voldemort reading his very thoughts right now?
But Voldemort made no attempt to move or address Draco in any further way. He stayed rooted to the Persian rug that adorned the stone floor and held the leather chair, without so much as blinking.
Glancing quickly around, Draco saw that the private library was in the very same shape that he had left it nearly a year before. Three grand bookshelves staggered towards the far wall - full of Merlin knows what kinds of Dark books.
"I know why you have come," Voldemort hissed in a high voice - bringing Draco's full attention back to the monster in front of him and his seemingly insurmountable task. "You have come to kill my snake, Draco."
At Draco's widened eyes, Voldemort continued - taking painstakingly small steps to where Draco stood. "You have a Basilisk fang with you, don't you? Yes, I can see that very clearly in your mind. You want it, don't you? To kill my snake...and here I thought that you would one day become my most loyal follower."
Draco said nothing, but stood his ground as Voldemort drew closer.
"I confess myself...disappointed," Voldemort said with such finality that Draco had to suppress a small shudder from traveling down the length of his spine. "But what could have brought about this change - your seemingly new views?"
"You're a hypocrite," Draco said quietly - but firmly, after a sharp moment of silence.
At Voldemort's raised brow, Draco continued - clutching the Basilisk fang until his knuckles were as white as the object itself, "My father was so obsessed with that damn blood purity that he never took the time to realize that the very thing he worshiped - you - were merely a half-blood yourself."
Voldemort's eyes narrowed and he paused a moment before speaking again. During the pause, Draco felt a strange tingling sensation in his mind - making him momentarily light headed. After a few seconds, the sensation passed, and Voldemort looked up with a frightening smile.
"Well, it certainly appears that you've chosen to go to the entire opposite end of the spectrum, doesn't it, Draco?"
When Draco said nothing, Voldemort pressed on, "The Mudblood Granger!" He scoffed, "Your mind betrays you...I know that you love her."
And he spat the word 'love' with such disgust and vehemence that his tone sounded as if he had just uttered the most cruel and vile of swear words.
"You leave her out of this," Draco said deeply - angrily.
"Ha! But how can I? She is more involved than you know, Draco! At this very moment she lies in the dungeon with my most faithful and trusted follower - your dear aunt - and she has been tortured nearly to the point of insanity. What do you say to that, little Malfoy?"
Draco's mind was spinning.
Take care of the snake, then get to Hermione.
But how could he ignore that?
Bellatrix was slightly mad - as everyone knew. And when Voldemort had been displeased with anyone in the past - he had sent them straight away to Bellatrix to be tortured. For no one loved to play with their food before eating it like she did. It was some perverse, disturbing desire that even the most seasoned Death Eaters would look away from.
And Hermione had been submitted to it.
Shaking slightly, a new rage boiled within Draco that was visibly evident.
"What's the matter, Draco?" Voldemort hissed as he stopped a short distance from where Draco stood. "Does it bother you when I speak of your Mudblood like that? Well, at least you have good taste in Mudbloods. She is a fiery, beautiful witch...I could have taken her right there in the dungeon - "
"SECTUMSEMPRA!" Draco screamed as his emotions boiled over.
Voldemort appeared surprised, but deflected the curse just the same.
And just as the words of the killing curse were on the tip of Voldemort's forked tongue, a loud rumble sounded within the library, the secret passageway opened, and Harry Potter burst into the room - followed closely by a slightly worse-for-wear, Hermione.
Draco whirled around and immediately locked eyes with Hermione.
She looked dead on her feet - wrists swollen and bloodied, a deep gash on her cheek and forehead, and dried blood adorning her bare arms that came from Merlin knew where.
But she was there.
And she was alive.
And though Draco could not understand how she was moving around or how she escaped from Bellatrix's clutches, the sight of her alive and in the flesh tasted like the joy of Christmas morning.
Her body was worn and weary, but there was an undeniable fire in her sorrel eyes.
"Hello, Tom." Harry whispered - causing Draco to turn back around and eye Voldemort.
Voldemort's eyes were narrowed - his new focus upon Harry.
Draco could have been doing an elaborate waltz and he was quite confident that Voldemort wouldn't have taken notice. The hatred Voldemort felt for Harry was clearly palpable - it rolled off him in relentless waves.
All he had eyes for was 'The Boy Who Lived'.
This is my chance.
Taking a deep breath, Draco closed his eyes and thought of Hermione standing not a few feet behind him.
And with the slight twitch of his left hand, Draco bolted to the leather chair.
Voldemort must have turned around because he heard Hermione scream.
As he braced himself for the inevitable curse, Draco closed the distance to the snake and plunged the Basilisk fang into the base of Nagini's skull.
A slight moment of silence - and then Voldemort screamed.
So, so, so sorry for the delay on getting this chapter up. I've been on the flip side and I know how frustrating it can be when you're waiting for the next chapter of a story...so I apologize profusely. :) I'll be perfectly honest - this was (without a doubt), the most difficult chapter to write thus far. I struggled with the action sequences immensely - so comments there would be much appreciated. Please be kind in your constructive criticism! Hopefully, I'll be able to get the next chapter up before Christmas. Thanks for the kind reviews! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!