A/N: Hello again. Sorry this is delayed. I wasn't well yesterday when I was due to upload this. So that's why this update is 24 hours late. Also just a note, I've noticed in reading some previous chapters that there are some minor continuity errors. I shall go back and fix them when I get time, but they shouldn't change the substantial plot of the story, so no need to reread. If any of my fixes do change the substantial plot, I'll mention it in a future A/N :)
A/N #2: During the battle part of this chapter after the Death Eaters recognise Harry, Draco uses his connection with Hermione to communicate with her, and the Peace Connector to communicate with Harry. To remove ambiguity about when he is doing what, this is how I have coded the format:
Italics - Thoughts to Hermione.
Bold - Peace Connector to Harry.
Language Warning.
Not much happened overnight. Draco non-verbally stopped some armed muggle burglars from robbing the house next to the Grangers, but the burglars didn't touch the Grangers because of Hermione's protective enchantments. He didn't see anyone magical come near the Granger's house. At 7:45am he felt his Dark Mark burn, he winced but ignored it. He was carrying out Voldemort's orders to ensure Hermione's emotional security and the Grangers were due to leave in 15 minutes after all.
Sure enough, at exactly 8am, Draco saw the front door to the Grangers' house open and John step out with the suitcases. He packed them into the boot of the car and got in the driver's seat. Jessica followed soon after. At 8:05am, the car pulled out of the driveway and left.
It was at this point that Draco disapparated back to the Manor. He walked up the driveway quickly and entered. He noticed that the house was deserted. He looked over in the drawing room and saw one of the lower-rung Death Eaters standing guard at the top of the stairs leading to the cellar.
"Snyde! Where is the Dark Lord?" Draco called.
"In the meeting room. All his inner circle is," the Death Eater called back. Draco walked to the meeting room. He heard the Death Eater yelling something from behind him but he ignored her. It had been 10 years since he'd seen her and they didn't leave the best impression on each other back then. Walking in, he bowed to Voldemort.
"My Lord," he said.
"Draco, where have you been?" Voldemort said silkily.
"Carrying out your orders regarding Granger my Lord," Draco said. Voldemort surveyed Draco for a moment but didn't dare enquire further with the other Death Eaters present given the nature of the orders.
"Very well, sit." Voldemort replied. It was at this moment that Draco noticed that the table was full except for two seats – his seat next to Snape and the seat that Hermione had occupied next to Bellatrix. Draco took his seat as Voldemort opened the meeting.
"Tonight, Potter is being moved from his sanctuary. Unfortunately, the Ministry has not yet fallen, but no matter. He has to move in the open, which is when we will act. I remind all of you that Potter is not to be harmed. I am to attend to Potter personally. I also remind all of you that if Granger is taking part in the transfer of Potter, she is not to be harmed," Voldemort said. There were sour looks around the table. This did not go unnoticed.
"When Draco came in here a moment ago, did he give everyone except Severus and I a lemon-flavoured Bertie Bott's Every Flavoured Bean?" Voldemort asked silkily. When nobody spoke, Voldemort prompted them. "Come on, speak up. I can think of no other reason for the looks on everyone's faces." It couldn't be more clear from Voldemort's tone that he was not impressed.
"Draco, have you found out from her anything that we need to be aware of tonight?" Voldemort asked turning to Draco.
"No, my Lord, she is going to get in contact with me during the course of today if she finds out anything," Draco replied.
"And you Severus? Has your source revealed anything further?" Voldemort asked turning slightly to look at Snape.
"No, my Lord," Snape replied. Like he did with Draco, he surveyed Snape for a moment.
"Very well. Now I wish for everyone around this table to take part in the mission to capture Potter. We will wait above Potter's house an hour before nightfall. Anyone who is late will be punished." Voldemort said. Draco noticed that his parents were not among those present. He wondered where they were. "Dismissed except for Draco."
Draco looked at Voldemort, he knew what this was about. Once everyone had left, Voldemort cast a silencing charm on the door and turned to Draco.
"Now Draco, what were you doing with Granger which caused you to be late?" Voldemort asked.
"She was upset last night my Lord, so I went to her as ordered. She took measures to keep her parents safe like she said she would." Draco said.
"What sort of measures?" Voldemort asked.
"She didn't divulge that information my Lord. However, she asked me to watch her house to keep her parents safe after she left for Order Headquarters. They left this morning," Draco replied.
"You are gaining her trust. Well done Draco. Did she tell you where they were going?" Voldemort asked.
"No, my Lord. I don't believe she will either. I may be gaining her trust, but she won't tell me any information about her parents that I may report back to anyone within the Death Eater circle. The incident with Dolohov really did not help in gaining her trust," Draco said. Voldemort looked very displeased.
"Very well, you may go," Voldemort said. Draco left and couldn't keep the smirk off his face when he had his back to Voldemort. The Slytherin cunning in him had definitely been showing over these past few weeks – he was determined to never miss an opportunity to make Voldemort displeased with one of his Death Eaters.
Sunset was at 9pm, so at 7:30pm, Draco had his broom in his hand, in Death Eater robes and mask in the group of about 30 Death Eaters receiving final instructions from Voldemort and preparing to disapparate.
"Draco, have you heard anything from your source?" Voldemort asked.
"No, my Lord, only that the head of the Order – the ex-Auror Moody now that Dumbledore is dead – will be giving out the full plan immediately before they move Potter. This is to minimise the chance of a leak," Draco replied. Voldemort looked displeased.
"And you Severus? Have you heard anything from your source?" Voldemort asked Snape.
"Same information my Lord," Snape replied.
"Very well. We'll have to be nimble and adaptable then. Remember, no harm to Potter or Granger. Harm to the others is irrelevant, however. Time to leave." With that, they all disapparated with brooms in hand and arrived in a park with a swing set in Little Whinging. All the Death Eaters mounted their brooms and kicked off from the ground. Voldemort rose into the air without a broom.
All the Death Eaters rose until they were above the clouds. They flew until they were over the rough location of Privet Drive and formed a circle above the clouds – waiting. At 8:45pm, Draco received a message from Hermione.
'Draco, the real Harry will be on a motorbike with Hagrid. Stick with him and protect him.' Hermione thought to him.
'Who will you be with?' Draco thought back.
'Kingsley on a thestral but don't worry about me,' Hermione replied.
'I made a promise to do anything to protect you Hermione, and not just to you. To your father and the Dark Lord!' Draco thought to her.
'Yes, and that's fine when we're all together. But Harry is the important one tonight. Stick with and protect him. Draco, you made a promise to help all three of us by working against Voldemort. When we are separated, that means protecting the most important person. That will always be Harry in the fight against Voldemort,' Hermione thought.
'Are you kidding? Potter won't last five seconds looking for these 'objects' without your brains!' Draco shot back.
'Draco, you don't see me having a 13 person guard to be transferred to a safehouse do you? You don't see Voldemort coming after me with no parents and a lightening scar because Voldemort tried to kill me as a baby do you? You don't see Voldemort wanting a spy close to me to pass him information on me do you? Harry's the most important person to defeating Voldemort because Voldemort has made him so. So stick with Harry!' Hermione replied.
'Fine. But just be bloody careful,' Draco said begrudgingly.
The next 20 minutes passed without anything major happening, just anxious anticipation. It was at 9:05pm that 14 figures rose into the middle of the circle that the Death Eaters had formed. He saw Hermione (as Harry) and Kingsley on a thestral and had to fight the impulse to follow them. He sent a stunning spell at the Harry and Tonks that was flying on a broomstick, making sure to not hit them. He then sent a stunning spell in the direction of Mad-Eye and the Harry riding with him. Voldemort had gone for them. He saw the Harry riding astride the broom with Mad-Eye disapparate and a killing curse issuing from Voldemort's wand hit Mad-Eye full in the face. As though in slow motion, he saw Mad-Eye topple off his broom and plummet to the ground below.
After a split-second moment to recompose himself, he started to send carefully aimed stunning spells in the direction of any pair of Order members in his vicinity. The circle the Death Eaters had formed was starting to collapse and each Potter and their protector were going their separate ways. He identified Hagrid and Harry on the motorbike and set off in their direction.
In the corner of his eye, he could see Voldemort set off in the direction of Kingsley and Hermione. Fear gripped him and he had to fight another impulse to follow Hermione. He stayed with Harry and Hagrid however.
"Hermione, the Dark Lord is headed your way. Be careful," Draco thought to her. A moment later, he felt the detached feeling of Hermione's fear.
"Thank you, I'll be fine. Stick with Harry," she replied. Draco did just that and caught up to them just as one of the Death Eaters sent a killing curse, aimed for Hagrid, but missed Harry by inches and instead hit Hedwig in her cage.
"HEDWIG!" Harry yelled.
"ARE YOU MAD!" Draco yelled at the responsible Death Eater.
"What are you on about?" the Death Eater he now recognised as Rowle yelled back while sending another killing curse at Hagrid.
"Your curse nearly hit Potter! The Dark Lord was clear that it is he who is to kill Potter!" Draco yelled.
"How do we know he's the real Potter?" Rowle yelled back while still sending killing curses.
"STOP AIMING KILLING CURSES BEFORE I DISARM YOU!" yelled Draco who flying behind Rowle and only sending stunning spells. "We don't know he's the real Potter, but if he is and you kill him, you'll be lucky if the Dark Lord let's you off with the cruciatus curse!" Draco yelled.
At this last statement, Rowle turned to face Draco and did not see the wall that had erupted from the exhaust of Hagrid's motorbike. He hit it with a crunch and the other Death Eater who was following had to slow up to stop him falling to earth. Draco swerved to avoid the wall and continued following Harry. He blocked a stunning spell that came from Harry's wand.
'Potter, it's me following you,' Draco sent to Harry on the Peace Connector. A look of recognition crossed Harry's face before it turned to fear again when the masked Death Eater that had slowed to save Rowle caught up, along with two more masked Death Eaters. Rowle was flying on his companion's broom behind him. Draco fell back again so that he was at the back of the group of Death Eaters.
He saw Hagrid tip the motorbike upside down and Harry's Firebolt fall to earth, with Harry just saving Hedwig's cage and his belongings.
"Accio Firebolt!" Draco yelled. He figured that riding a Firebolt would help him keep up better than his old Nimbus 2001. The Firebolt flew into his hands and with the skill of a Seeker, he mounted it in mid-air while still flying with one hand still on his Nimbus. When on the Firebolt, he muttered "Incarcerous", and ropes erupted from his wand and binded his broom to the broom he was now flying. He turned his attention back to the chase in time to see a jet of purple flame shoot out of the exhaust and the bike take off at lightening speed. Draco was thankful he was on the Firebolt now.
He sped up and in no time at all, caught up to the bike. He saw Hagrid with his pink umbrella out pointing it at the barely attached side car, heard him yell "Reparo!", a massive bang and saw the side car come away from the bike. It began to fall. Draco sped after it, non-verbally blocking curses coming from behind him from Death Eaters that had caught up to them and cast a non-verbal "Arresto Momentum" to slow the sidecar enough for Harry to cast a levitation charm. Hagrid caught up to Harry and pulled him onto the bike. Draco quickly rose with the bike and Harry used an exploding curse to cause the sidecar to explode, taking out the three Death Eaters that had been pursuing him.
But it wasn't enough, three more Death Eaters had caught up. Draco carefully aimed a stunning spell in Harry's direction, and it hit the lead Death Eater who fell off his broom. At the same time Harry aimed a stunning spell at the Death Eater to Draco's right and Stan Shunpike's hood slipped.
"Expelliarmus!" Harry yelled, aiming at Stan.
"It's him! It's the real one!" Draco could hear a voice issue from his left that he recognised as Walden MacNair. Fear, and frustration gripped Draco in equal measure. He had noticed that he was alone and there were no Death Eaters in sight as they'd fallen back. Surely, they had gone to fetch Voldemort. He didn't bother communicating with the Peace Connector.
"POTTER, WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING? GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE NOW! USE THAT SUPERSPEED PURPLE FIRE THING AGAIN!" He bellowed.
"Hagrid use the dragon-fire thing again! Let's get out of here," Harry yelled to Hagrid.
"Okay, hold tight Harry!" Hagrid replied and hit the button. A burst of purple flame issued from the bike's exhaust again and it shot off at speed into the distance. Draco used the Firebolt's speed to keep up but followed a safe distance behind to enabling him to covertly run defence against any Death Eaters that may try and sneak up on Harry.
"Hermione, is the Dark Lord still following you?" Draco thought to Hermione.
"No. He just disappeared all of a sudden," came Hermione's reply.
"Fuck, that's because MacNair recognised Potter as the real one and has obviously told the Dark Lord," Draco thought back.
"Potter, watch your back. The Dark Lord knows you're the real one. He's coming." Draco sent on the Peace Connector to Harry.
"What how?" Hermione replied.
"Because the idiot tried to disarm Stan Shunpike like he tried with the Dark Lord in the graveyard three years ago, instead of stunning him," Draco replied.
While Draco was having this conversation with Hermione, Harry had relayed what Draco had told him to Hagrid.
"Wha'? 'ow do you know?" Draco could hear Hagrid say.
"I just do Hagrid! How much further?" Harry asked.
"Not far Harry!" Hagrid replied.
They went along, Draco looking around for any signs of approaching Death Eaters while carefully aiming stunning spells in Harry's direction. After a few minutes, he noticed two Death Eaters about 10 metres either side of him. When they were level with the bike, they both sent a killing curse towards the bike of which both Harry and Hagrid ducked to avoid.
At the same moment that Draco sent a stunning spell aiming for the Death Eater on the right side of the bike, Hagrid jumped from the bike onto the broom, both the Death Eater and Hagrid fell from the sky.
Then he saw him, Voldemort. "MINE!" Voldemort yelled.
"Potter! Get out of here – use the fire thing again," Draco sent on the Peace Connector to Harry. But Harry was slumped over the bike.
"Avada Kedavra!" shouted Voldemort. Draco once again felt fear grip him. There was nothing he, nor Harry could do.
But then, Harry directed his wand at Voldemort and shot a spurt of golden fire towards Voldemort which snapped Lucius's wand in two. Voldemort let out a scream of fury.
"Your wand Draco! Give me your wand!" Voldemort yelled, flying over to Draco. Draco hesitated for the merest of seconds. He saw Harry hit the button to unleash the purple flames and the bike speed off. He handed Voldemort his wand.
Draco felt helpless as he saw Voldemort fly off. He was utterly bewildered and terrified to see Voldemort draw level with the bike and raise his wand to cast another killing curse. But then, the bike disappeared into thin air and Voldemort stopped like he'd hit an invisible wall.
Draco let out a sigh of relief, but then he heard Voldemort's scream of fury at the fact that The Boy Who Lived had survived yet again. "NOOOOO!" His fury was so palpable that it levelled five square blocks of electricity poles. He saw Voldemort waving Draco's wand and muttering incantations for the next thirty minutes and then fly back to Draco. He handed Draco his wand.
"Meet back at Headquarters now!" Voldemort said in a tone that made it clear that it would be unwise to disobey. Voldemort than disappeared. Draco then apparated back to out the front of the manor and set off at a brisk walk down the drive.
He thought about everything that had happened that night. At least Harry had made it safely. But what about the others? He'd felt Hermione's fear. But she was still alive when Voldemort had abandoned her to chase the real Harry.
He heard footsteps behind him. He turned and saw Snape striding towards him. His face was its usual impassiveness, but Draco could sense something off in his demeanour. When Snape had drawn level with Draco, Draco turned to look at his former Professor.
"Sir, what has happened?" Draco asked.
"Potter got away," Snape said simply.
"Sir, you're talking to me, not the Dark Lord. You and I both know you were working to ensure that was the outcome." Draco said quietly as they walked.
"I will tell you then after we see the Dark Lord," Snape said shortly. Draco didn't push the point. They reached the door to the manor and Draco knocked. His mother answered.
"Where is the Dark Lord?" Draco asked.
"In the meeting room. He's waiting," his mother answered. Draco and Snape entered the house and proceeded to the meeting room. Upon entered, Draco noticed most of the inner circle there already. Voldemort was at the head of the table. Bellatrix was in her seat, to the left of Voldemort, in the second seat along, the first seat to Voldemort's immediate left being left vacant for Hermione. Dolohov was there in the 4th seat along to the right of Voldemort. As was Rowle, Crabbe Sr, Goyle Sr and Yaxley.
"Ah Snape, Draco. Sit." Voldemort said when they had entered. Anger emanated from him, but he spoke in a level voice. "So, Potter has escaped from me again. This time, it was because our wands reacted in a way I had not anticipated. Draco, this means that the updates from your friend will be extremely important. You are to inform them of that fact."
"Yes, my Lord," Draco replied.
"We did however manage to strike a blow against the Order tonight. The Auror known as Mad-Eye Moody has been killed," Voldemort informed those seated around the table.
Bellatrix, Yaxley, Crabbe and Dolohov erupted in cheering. All four of them had been sent to Azkaban following the 1st war by Moody.
"Do you mind if I continue?" Voldemort said silkily.
"Sorry my Lord," Bellatrix said at once, although she couldn't wipe the grin off her face.
"Now, can anyone report anymore causalities that the Order suffered?" Voldemort asked.
"I saw Severus blast one of the Potter's ears off," Goyle said.
"Is that correct Severus?" Voldemort asked.
"Yes, my Lord," Snape said. His face was still impassive, but he shifted in his seat.
"You were aware of the order that I am the one to kill Potter?" Voldemort asked in a dangerous voice.
"Yes, my Lord. I was aiming for the werewolf Lupin and misfired. I don't believe I killed him my Lord," Snape said.
"In any event, that Potter, whoever he was, was not the real Potter. The real Potter was on a motorbike with that oaf Hagrid." Voldemort said.
"My Lord, how do you know?" Bellatrix asked.
"The foolish child tried the same trick he tried in the duel I had with him upon my return. He tried disarming instead of stunning or killing. It was obvious it was him," Voldemort replied. "Any other injuries or casualties?" When none of the Death Eaters spoke up, Voldemort took that to mean that there were no further injuries or casualties to report. "Okay, I will have further instructions to you all at tomorrow morning's meeting. Dismissed."