Chapter 15: Of Awards and Attacks
Draco was already leaning against the wall next to the door of the trophy room when Harry came down the corridor.
"You're about seven years late, Malfoy," he teased.
Draco rolled his eyes. "Should I be surprised you didn't bring Weasley as your second?"
Harry grinned and pushed open the door of the trophy room. Draco followed and raised an eyebrow.
"Still looks the same. I figured it'd be overflowing with Harry Potter trophies and memorabilia by now."
Harry guffawed and pointed to the back wall at one large golden shield.
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Special Award for Services to the School
The Solving of the Mystery of the Chamber of Secrets and the Daring Rescue of a Fellow Student
Harry J. Potter & Ronald B. Weasley, Gryffindor House
1993
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"Is that the only one?" Draco asked, bemused. Harry nodded.
"I think I broke too many rules to be worthy of more," he joked. "McGonagall offered, though, after Ron and I gave the school part of our Lestrange inheritance."
Draco chuckled.
"Aunt Bella would've loved that," He glanced up at the shield again. "I can't believe you three thought I was the Heir of Slytherin."
"You did say you wished you could help the Heir," Harry reminded him with a smirk.
"I was twelve. Delusions of grandeur."
"No idea what you're talking about," Harry chortled. "But for the record, only Ron and I suspected you. Hermione never believed it; she just went along with us 'cause she didn't have a better plan."
Out the corner of his eye Harry could see Draco's lip curl upwards slightly.
"You really care for her, don't you?" Harry asked quietly.
Draco nodded immediately. "I never would've guessed– I mean, of all the witches in this place …" he grimaced. "Y'know I had girls from every house ask me to the Yule Ball?"
Harry chortled. "I had offers from every house but Slytherin. So, a Gryffindor asked you, then?"
"She was a third year, I don't remember her name," Draco admitted. "Said she liked my hair. But Hermione would've been the last girl to go with me, and I knew that. Makes this even more mental."
"Couldn't insult her that night, could you? Must've been difficult." Harry said with false sympathy. Draco smirked.
The boys let a few moments of silence slip by before Harry ventured, "I'm kinda glad you wanted to meet, because I wanted to try something, but I didn't think you'd want the others to know."
Draco raised an eyebrow. Harry shuffled on his feet awkwardly.
"When there were just four of us, Ginny already suspected you were the last Guardian, and so did Theo. When Hermione admitted you'd been sending her those Link charms, Ron got upset."
"Guess I don't blame him," Draco muttered. "I wouldn't've wanted to bond with you two a year ago."
"Well, I was a little more OK with you than Ron because you helped me destroy a horcrux, and …" Harry swallowed. "You turned on your friends for me."
Draco felt a pang as he thought of Crabbe's horrible death.
"I didn't like the world the Death Eaters wanted. You were a nutter, but I still preferred you to the Dark Lord."
"I'm flattered," Harry joked quietly. "Anyway, Hermione wanted to convince Ron he could trust you, so she borrowed the school Pensieve and showed us her memories of you."
Draco looked up sharply. "What?"
Harry looked slightly bashful. "She showed us your bedroom; you cleaned her up and gave her healing potions, and then you two played that game with the steps–"
"I KNEW it!" Draco pointed an accusing finger at the bespectacled boy. "The other day she teased me about having a wicked sweet tooth, and you laughed!"
Harry chuckled. "I don't remember everything the pair of you talked about, but some of it was kinda enlightening. I didn't know you hated Umbridge, for one. I didn't know you liked Potions 'cause your Mum was friends with Snape, and I didn't know you hated me 'cause you were jealous."
Draco went a little pink as he slowly walked in a circle.
"I grew up with everything … then I started school and suddenly you had everything. It was maddening, Potter."
"I didn't have everything, I just had unhealthy recklessness mixed with a bit of good luck," Harry teased. Draco snorted and bit his lip.
Harry was silent again and then said slowly, "Hermione showed us something else."
"When I kissed her?" Draco guessed dryly.
"Well, yes, but actually that's what convinced Ron he could trust you."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah, I guess he saw how you looked at her, and he realised you didn't have it in for her, so that was good. But no, she showed you two rowing and you er– tore your shirt open."
Draco froze and then immediately made for the door. Harry blocked his path quickly.
"Look, I didn't want to do that, I swear. It was probably one of the most mental things I've ever done, and I hated myself for it. I had no idea it scarred so bad."
"It's … it's not a big deal," Draco mumbled. It was easy to joke a moment ago but now he couldn't look Harry in the eye. "I didn't think she'd tell you."
"She didn't want to," Harry admitted. "She knew it would get me upset, and she begged me not to bring it up, but showing us that fight helped us trust you more. Anyway, I think I can fix it, now."
Draco stood very still.
"Do you … could I try?"
For a moment Draco didn't move. He suddenly realised being alone in the room with Harry made him more acutely aware of the other boy's emotions, even if they were muted. Harry wanted to heal him; he felt regret, guilt, and a little pain himself, which made Draco a bit angry.
And yet, the bond made him inherently trust Potter more than almost any other person on the planet, no matter how strange it still was.
Draco slowly undid his dressing gown and unbuttoned his pajamas. To his great relief, Harry didn't look at his scarred chest, but kept eye contact as he extended his hand. Harry had healed him once before, but Draco had been unconscious; he was now very aware of the heat flowing into his body from Harry's hand as it lay over his heart, and he felt all the other boy's emotions flood his own system: strength, resolve, a bit of anxiety, and agreement that the two of them trusting each other was strange, but they both loved Hermione so much it was easier all the time.
Hermione was right; they were alike, which is perhaps why they were rivals for years. Though they would probably always remain cautious, neither of them believed the other would intentionally cause harm.
Harry was sweating slightly but he didn't shift his focus. It felt different, healing an old wound, but it was equally important. Draco's aura didn't feel damaged, exactly, just … different. It was a unique feeling, but Harry determinedly pressed on. He imagined using a Correction Charm on decade-old ink. Difficult, but not impossible.
The angry red scars were fading. Draco stared down at his own chest in disbelief. Harry took a quick glance at the improvement before letting go of Draco with an exhausted sigh. The jagged cut marks had paled and were now barely visible against Draco's white skin.
Could thank Potter for the first time in my life–
"Please don't thank me," Harry said quietly when Draco opened his mouth. "It was my fault to begin with, I'm just fixing it."
Draco smirked. "You got it."
He closed his pajamas as Harry leaned back against one of the trophy tables and wiped sweat from his brow.
"What about you?" Draco nodded at Harry's forehead. Harry shook his head.
"Dunno if I could, but I don't really want to. I know this thing technically represents Voldemort, but to me it's a reminder of everything I fought for, and I don't want to remove it."
Draco thought he understood, but he didn't say so. He'd gotten close enough to Potter for one night.
"So, how come you called me? Did you wanna talk about Hermione?"
"Not exactly," Draco said slowly. "It's about another witch, actually."
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Hermione finished her Transfiguration NEWT with one minute remaining. She set down her quill and wiped her brow.
"Time's up!" called Professor Marchbanks.
Ron would've groaned but he felt surprisingly confident and wondered if Hermione's soul had lent some of its host's cleverness. He joined up with the others at the back of the Great Hall and Hermione and Theo immediately began going over the exam in detail.
"I know I was right on question twenty-seven, but don't you think question thirty-two was meant to be about years and not ears–?"
"But timed Transfigurations were known to affect the inner ear–"
Draco massaged his temples and leaned towards the other Gryffindors. "It's the one time I'd rather be standing next to you two than her," he mumbled. Harry chuckled as they flexed their tired fingers.
"Well, that's one down," Neville said cheerfully as he came over to join them. He glanced over at the concerned look on Ron's face. "What's up, Ron?"
Theo pulled out his wand. He knew that look.
"Where?" he demanded.
Ron was frozen in place. "It's … everywhere."
Blaise grabbed Hermione's hand and the Guardians flew out of the Great Hall into the crowded Entrance Hall. The OWL and NEWT students who finished their exams were milling around in groups waiting for lunch and Ron stared at them in shock.
Most of the students were staring right back, with completely black eyes.
Ginny clapped a hand over her mouth in horror.
"Get her out of here!" Ron yelled at Blaise, who pulled Hermione quickly around several throngs of people. A group of possessed students moved to block them, and others began to congregate in thick lines across the Hall that appeared random.
As the Guardians started to Freeze or Stun the possessed students, Ron studied their movements. He quickly realised they were forming lines to block exits and separate the Guardians from Hermione.
He began yelling instructions to everyone he could trust and ordered Ginny to stay with him.
Neville had caught up with Hermione and Blaise and managed to help them clear a path to the marble staircase, but more black-eyed students were descending from the second floor to block the corridor. Draco and Theo tried to cross the Hall to reach them but kept getting stopped by more lines. Ron glanced sideways; the front door had slammed shut and a dozen possessed students blocked it. There was no getting out that way.
There was much noise and confusion as students were Stunned across the Entrance Hall by Hermione's friends. A Hufflepuff girl tried to curse Ginny after Ginny Petrified her black-eyed boyfriend, and Ginny was forced to Disarm the girl.
"What do we do?" she cried to her brother.
Ron watched Blaise conjure a Shield Charm around himself and Hermione, but they were surrounded and there was no chance of any other Guardian reaching them. The dark students' ranks kept anyone from leaving the Hall. They hadn't attacked, but they all had their wands out and a few Summoned or conjured knives. The unaffected students called out questions in confusion and tried unsuccessfully to snap their black-eyed friends out of their unresponsive states.
"Harry," Ron said desperately. "What d'you reckon?" The Guardians' attempts to Freeze or Stun the students seemed to be pointless; they were still incredibly outnumbered.
"We can't heal all of them," Harry panted. The sensation of so many broken auras around made him dizzy and he clung to Ginny's shoulder to stay standing.
Draco furiously fought the crowd to try and get closer to Hermione, but the dark students maintained a thick wall to keep them separated. The unaffected students didn't seem to know if they should be attacking Hermione's group or helping them.
A few steps up the marble staircase, Blaise's heart pounded furiously in his chest. His instincts were to protect Hermione, but he didn't want to attack students in her defense. A dozen students above them on the stairs separated them from the corridor beyond, cutting off their escape.
How could the Darkness have suddenly taken so many people? Ron had been watching for Dark activity for days, and there'd been nothing–
A sudden burst of sparks accompanied by a Boom! resounded through the Entrance Hall. Professor McGonagall had fought her way into the Hall along with Professors Flitwick, Gangrous, Switch, and Marchbanks. Everyone stopped moving for a moment while the Headmistress' eyes searched frantically to evaluate the situation. She began to murmur instructions to the other professors, but suddenly every possessed student moved.
Until now the dark students silently herded the others towards the center of the Hall, blocked the doors, and kept the Guardians separated. Cries of confusion and fright suddenly filled the Hall as the dark students attacked in the same instant.
Students on both sides were disarmed, jinxed, tied up, or tripped. Even with the professors' help, the Guardians were desperately outnumbered and could barely keep track of who to stop. In the confusion, the dark students quickly gained an advantage and overpowered the others.
Within two minutes, every unaffected student became a wandless hostage.
Professor McGonagall and Hermione let out gasps of horror in the same instant. Like a synchronised dance, every possessed student spun in place to face Hermione, with arms encircling captives in front of them like human shields. Wands and knives were pressed against the captives' throats and the message was utterly clear.
Hermione clung to Blaise's arm as she stared helplessly into a sea of empty black eyes.
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It was strange how correct Harry had been about houses, Draco thought offhandedly as he looked over the massive crowd. If he had to guess, he would've expected all the dark students to be from Slytherin – or maybe some vengeful Ravenclaws or Gryffindors – but the Darkness was present in a mixture of all the houses, and they held an equal mixture as hostages. In the middle of the Hall, a fifth-year Hufflepuff girl held her wand to the throat of a third-year Slytherin boy.
How could the Darkness manage to take all these students?
Draco was only a handful of steps from Hermione and Blaise, but he didn't dare make a sudden movement. Though she was his priority, her soul and emotions pulsed through him, reminding him that no student should be harmed. At the foot of the marble staircase, three tall students with black eyes struggled to hold Neville still as a fourth pressed his potions knife against Neville's throat. Apart from containing their struggling hostages, the dark students remained still, as though waiting for a signal.
A short figure suddenly stepped forward from the crowd and approached the stock-still professors. Her eyes were black tunnels, and she wore a smirk worthy of Bellatrix Lestrange. Draco froze as the sight of his ex-girlfriend sent an unnatural chill down his spine.
"Drop your wands or we attack," Pansy hissed in a voice that wasn't her own.
At a quick nod from the tight-lipped and shaking Headmistress, the professors complied. Pansy then turned to face Hermione directly and the dark students shifted mechanically to create a path for their assumed leader.
Hermione swallowed carefully and didn't move as Pansy sauntered towards her, exuding uncharacteristic confidence. Draco didn't breathe; the very air in the Entrance Hall felt thick with fear.
"How many will we sacrifice before you surrender?"
As one, the dark students tightened their grips on their captives. A few younger students were crying, and the faces of each captive looked at Hermione with confusion and fear.
Hermione stared into her schoolmate's lost eyes.
"None," she answered immediately. "Don't hurt anyone, please–"
Pansy extended a dagger, handle-first, towards Hermione. Blaise's arms tightened around her; it took all his strength to resist jumping in front.
"Surrender, Sorceress, or they die."
Hermione slowly reached her hand towards the dagger.
"No," Blaise begged in her ear. "It's a test; it knows you can kill it!"
A tear dropped down Hermione's cheek. She knew if she died, the Guardians fell with her, but were the six of them more important than the students being threatened right now?
Across the Hall, Hermione met Harry's eyes for a split second. He didn't have to be her Guardian to know what she was thinking … Even if the legend were true and she was the only one who could defeat the Darkness, would she sacrifice a hundred innocent students for that chance?
Beside Harry, Ron was frantic. He was the Strategist! He was supposed to be the one who helped them get through a battle, but he felt utterly useless. Even if they could boost each other's power – perhaps by giving it all to Harry – could he heal the entire Entrance Hall? Harry had only ever healed one aura at a time …
Ron scanned the Hall desperately. Theo was close to him, and Draco was close to Blaise and Hermione. Could the two of them protect her – and perhaps some nearby students – if Theo and Ron gave Harry their energy? Would there be enough time? How many people would die before they could heal the Darkness from everyone?
Ron deliberated all possible tactics in mere seconds. In his next glance across the Hall, Hermione's eyes had flickered to meet his. She'd taken the proffered dagger in her hand, and Ron moved.
"Your life for theirs, Sorceress," Pansy hissed. Her evil smile grew as Hermione slowly raised the dagger.
"NO!"
The cry came not just from Theo, Ginny, and Professor McGonagall. Two dozen hostage students scattered throughout the Hall cried out with them.
Harry gaped in awe. Some of them knew. No matter the risk, they knew the price of the Elemental Mage.
Horrified looks faced Hermione from every direction. She was second only to Harry Potter; even to those who didn't believe in the Mage, she was their hero. Even most of the Slytherins respected her because she spoke up for them after the war. Neville kicked hard at the wizards holding him and shouted at her to stop. Beside Harry, tough, resilient Ginny Weasley had tears running down her face.
Blaise had released Hermione at her gesture, but he begged her to reconsider; she reached back for his hand and gave it a squeeze. The Hall was silent but for scattered sobs and scuffling feet as hostages struggled.
Hermione took one last second to turn her gaze to the right; Draco was a dozen feet from her, but it didn't matter; he would feel what she felt. Sadness. Regret. Love. Retribution.
What? Draco focused carefully on his heart; she looked at him with love, and she showed no fear. He kept his face perfectly impassive, drawing on his old Occlumency skills.
"I love you," she whispered. He drew in a breath, and Hermione drove the dagger into her chest.
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Collective gasps and cries of horror filled the Entrance Hall as two hundred people watched the Elemental Mage stab herself. Draco Malfoy gave an agonising cry and bent in half, clutching his own chest. Professor McGonagall fell to her knees in despair, and behind her the other professors stood frozen.
Harry saw, but he didn't understand. Across the room, Blaise caught Hermione's motionless body, but his broad shoulders blocked her from view.
Pansy Parkinson turned on the spot as she scanned the other black eyes in the Hall.
"Attack."
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The Entrance Hall erupted.
Draco dove forward to stop a black-eyed Ravenclaw cutting the throat of his captive. The Professors snatched up their previously dropped wands and started Freezing, Stunning, and Petrifying the dark students. Some of the hostages now had blood trickling down their throats, some had been hexed, and many were fighting back.
Millicent Bulstrode struggled to hold her Gryffindor captive, but the boy kicked back at her knees, and she fell to the floor with a grunt. The Gryffindor snatched up his wand and quickly Petrified her.
Neville fought off his captors, stole one of their wands, and ran back and forth Stunning more students. He quickly tore the sleeves from his robes to assist two bleeding witches hit by Severing Charms.
Harry couldn't breathe; the number of infected and injured auras around him on top of his own shock made him feel like all energy had drained from his soul. He tried to help, to Stun the dark students, but his wand didn't seem to be working. He spared a tiny grateful thought that among the bolts of light shooting around the room there was no green. Around him, Ginny, Ron, Luna, and Theo battled desperately, but they missed a struggling couple nearer to the front doors.
Anthony Goldstein, his usual bright blue eyes turned to black coal, held his girlfriend Daphne Greengrass in a headlock. She'd knocked the wand from his hand at the expense of dropping her own, and she was turning blue as he slowly choked her. Harry stumbled in their direction but was cut off by a tall student swinging his heavy book bag. Harry ducked just in time to avoid getting bashed in the head and tore around the boy to pull Anthony off Daphne.
Barely a minute had passed. Theo battled the dark students while struggling to deduce what happened. He saw Hermione shove a dagger into herself; by the Unspeakables' logic all the Guardians should be dead. The noise and confusion around him drove all logic from his mind.
A silvery shape caught his eye.
There were gasps of surprise from the unharmed students and simultaneous cries of anger from the possessed ones. Theo almost dropped his wand in shock.
Six Patronuses were making their way across the Hall, and they were pulling the Darkness out of the students.
Pansy screamed as Draco's dragon flew through her chest, dragging a shadow out with its talons. Two dark students tried to run but Harry's stag charged ahead and herded them into the path of Blaise's wolf, which snapped its jaws into each student and ripped out the dark shadow like it was taking a bite of meat.
The remaining dark students shrieked in fury but several more Patronuses joined the fray as the professors and some former DA members understood what was going on and conjured their own. Professor Gangrous conjured a great hawk which flew alongside Theo's owl and dive-bombed the dark students as they tried to flee. Ginny's stallion planted its forelegs on a tall boy and pinned him to the floor as the dragon clawed the Darkness out.
Several agonising minutes passed as the Patronuses swept through the crowd. Ron watched carefully to make sure all traces of the Darkness vanished; it fought with a rage before it disappeared completely.
Harry collapsed to his knees in exhaustion. He'd been wrestling with Anthony, who'd been one of the last cleared of the Darkness and now lay motionless on the floor. Harry leaned over to shake him awake, and the Ravenclaw sat up, gasping.
"Daphne," he choked in horror. "I–"
"She'll be OK," Harry reassured him quickly. He crawled over to Daphne, who was sitting up but covered in dark bruises. She looked at Harry in confusion but didn't stop him as he gently reached out to touch her neck.
It used to be so strange, but now it felt as natural as breathing. Harry willed his energy to heal her and watched carefully as the purple on her skin faded under his fingers. When he felt her aura was whole, he started to rise to his feet, his renewed sense of purpose restoring his depleted energy.
To his surprise, the Slytherin girl threw her arms around him.
"Thank you," she choked.
A dozen people nearby witnessed Daphne getting healed and called out to Harry for help. Many formerly possessed students were waking up, shaking their heads, and looking around in confusion. A few cried out in horror or burst into tears when they realised what happened, and many began demanding answers.
The professors quickly moved through the students checking for the most severely injured, but Harry felt them first. He wasn't surprised when Ron suddenly came up on his left and grabbed his hand with his own warm one. It was even easier to stand with Ron's steady presence beside him.
Harry caught the Headmistress' attention and he and Ron pointed her to the students with the worst injuries. She took their word without question and barked orders at the other teachers. Harry crouched down by the closest girl who had her throat cut and felt Ron's energy pour into him.
The girl was barely healed when someone yelled loudly in astonishment.
Harry looked up and smiled. At the foot of the marble staircase Hermione stood safely at Draco's side, a broken crystal ball hanging from her neck.
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As the injured students were being healed, the Headmistress ordered everyone else into the Great Hall. People were confused, crying, speculating, and a few scuffles broke out among students who'd harmed each other. It took at least twenty minutes to get everyone on their feet and into the Great Hall.
It seemed most of the school had been involved, or at least witnessed the attack. The small tables set up for the Transfiguration exam were kicked aside as students tried to find their friends in the chaos. Professor McGonagall finally called everyone to attention with a Sonorus Charm.
"I believe you all deserve an explanation," she said, exhaustedly. "Some of you might've guessed what happened–"
"She's the Elemental Mage!" A Hufflepuff cried out, pointing at Hermione.
Professor McGonagall tried to quiet the Hall, but other students started calling out questions, theories, and accusations. Ginny and Neville shouted furiously at anyone accusing Hermione, and her Guardians didn't bother trying to hide their identities as they shielded her from view.
A bang! from Harry's wand made the Hall quiet down. The exhausted but determined Voice of the Wizarding World simply glanced over at the Headmistress, who gave him a nonverbal plea to explain. The crowd was disorganised, and Harry was not tall, so he opted to stand upon a chair.
He released a deep breath and focused on the other Guardians at his side. Theo gave him a reassuring nod.
"So, I think you all know who I am …"
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