37

"Flipendo!" Harry yelled.

Draco's fist was almost to the Dark Lord's face when he felt himself being flung across the room. He crashed violently against a shelf stack, sending its contents scattering as he sank to the floor.

"Draco!" Hermione yelled out.

"Oh, fear not, he's not dead," Harry said. "I still need you both for one final task."

"Well, I could tell that, I was listening," Hermione countered sharply. "Expelliarmus!"

Her attack collided into the barrier around Harry and dissipated.

"Really?" Harry said with a loud sigh. "Is that really the best you've got?"

"Oh, we're just getting started!" Ron yelled, tucking the spell book close to him with his off-hand. "Stupefy!"

His attack fared no better.

"You already tried that!" Hermione lectured.

"Oh and your spells were so unique and different," Ron said sarcastically. "Stupefy!"

"I have a list in my head and I'm cycling through it!" Hermione explained. "Finite Incantatem!"

"Yeah me too!" Ron countered. "Stupefy!"

"Alright, let's thin the herd," Harry stared back at them, unharmed and unimpressed. "Duro."

A bolt shot out of Harry's wand, striking Ron in the leg.

Hermione gasped.

"Hah! Your spell is a dud!" Ron retorted victoriously, following it with a sharp laugh. "Can't aim or cast a real spell— hey, why can't I move?"

"That is a real spell, Ron," Hermione whispered.

"Why can't I move?" Ron said, louder. "What did you do to my bloody legs? What did you—"

Ron's eyes opened wide as he watched his feet turn to stone, the fade of flesh to stone slowly traveling up his legs.

"No… no I can't die," Ron said, his tone turning soft as his confidence quickly vanished. "I'm fighting to help people. I'm fighting for good. I'm— I'm a hero… heroes never die."

"I hit your leg on purpose. Consider it an act of mercy: I wanted to give you a moment to pick the right face," Harry explained with a lazy shrug. "After all, you'll be wearing it for eternity."

"Change him back!" Hermione screamed. "Depulso!"

The blast splattered against The Dark Lord's shield, doing nothing.

"Hermione, get out of here. I'll hold him off," Draco shouted. He tried to rise but flinched as he felt a piercing pain pulse through his body. Draco turned to see the side of his abdomen was a deep red, a large piece of glass plunged into his skin.

"Not a chance, I'm not leaving you!" Hermione replied. "Confringo!"

The ground around Harry lit up, erupting into massive explosions that engulfed The Dark Lord in fire. Draco could feel the ground shake. But as the dust settled, Harry's shield still held.

"Impressive," Harry said, cracking his neck. "Getting bolder, aren't we? That could have really hurt, you know."

"Go throw yourself off a cliff!" Draco shouted. He tried to rise again, but fell to the floor as an intense wave of pain flashed through his body again.

"Guys, I'm going to survive this right? Right?" Ron asked weakly as the stone moved past his kneecaps.

"Give up, both of you," Harry said as he shook his head. "You're just fighting the inevitable."

"Hermione, please!" Draco insisted.

"Perish the thought, Draco!" Hermione said. "I'm staying by you to the end. Avada Kedav—"

"Eldevien Macabre!" Harry boomed. A bolt of black lightning burst from his wand, striking Hermione in the chest.

Hermione screamed and fell to her knees.

"You would dare strike down the true hero of this story?" Harry roared, his wand still pointed at her.

"What—what are you doing—to me?" Hermione sputtered. She stared at the Dark Lord with wide eyes as she began to shake.

"You're probably not familiar with this one either," Harry said, his wand still pointed at her. "Just think of it as a more powerful Cruciatus Curse that's just a tad slower but increases exponentially. Too much torture too quickly can propel someone into irreparable insanity, and having an unsalvageable mind wouldn't be good for anyone, would it? No, I'd much rather watch you shatter slowly."

"Stop it!" Draco shouted. "Let her go or I swear I'll beat you down into oblivion!"

"Doubtful," Harry replied indifferently. "Maybe you're not Mr. Salwise. He was always the weaker of the pair, but you're a bloody joke."

"I've sur—survived the Cruciatus Curse before, you'll ne—never break me," Hermione stammered as her body twitched violently.

"Oh, I believe you are determined to think that," Harry mused. "But this curse can be worse, it can be so much worse."

"Let her go, you bastard!" Harry hollered.

"Don't worry, Draco, you'll get your turn," Harry said with a hint of irritation.

Hermione's scream was cut short as her body began to convulse.

"Please no! Harry, please stop!" Draco pleaded. "You win! I surrender. I'll do anything!"

He looked over to Ron for help, but Ron was whimpering, his eyes now fixed on his own body.

"I've decided your minds as they are will be too much of a gamble," Harry said sternly. "You'll probably both just wait for the right moment to betray me again. It'll be so much easier just to break both of you down and start from scratch. Or maybe just get the child and discard you both afterwards. I'll decide later."

"Harry, please!" Draco begged, slowly trying to rise again.

"You've both made your choice clear," Harry snarled as sparks of black lighting danced around his wand. "And now I'm making mine."

Harry hasn't moved his wand; he needs to maintain contact for the curse to work, Draco realized. If I can just make it over to him then I can stop the spell and—

Draco cringed as the pain pulsed through him again, sending him completely down to the floor.

You need to get up! he thought to himself. The pain you're experiencing now is probably nothing compared to what Hermione is going through. You need to get up! You need to save her!

Then something caught his eye, there was something laying beneath the stack of shelves, something familiar.

Draco pulled himself around and reached for the small, pointy object. His hand grasped a wand, his mother's wand.

How can her wand be here? Draco thought. I haven't seen it since—

Draco's eyes widened, his heart began to beat even faster.

Since Ron sent us to this reality. In fact, I was standing near here when he cast the curse on us. I must have dropped the wand and this is where it rolled. But how is that even possible—it doesn't matter, this might give me a chance to save Hermione.

"Vulnera Sanentur," Draco whispered, hoping Harry wouldn't notice. He felt the pain vanish from his side, the wound had successfully healed.

He turned back towards Harry; the Dark Lord wasn't even acknowledging him, his eyes fixed on Hermione, clearly entertained by her escalating torment.

You're going to regret this, Potter, Draco thought. Glaring at the Dark Lord, Draco pointed his wand in his direction.

This ends now.

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