Part 1
Disclaimer: This tale begins at the climactic battle between Voldemort's Death Eaters and the Hogwarts resistance.
Draco's lips curled to a sinister smile as he strolled down the large corridors of Hogwarts, his lackeys Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle walking beside him. The castle shuddered, a symptom from the battle waging outside; the battle between those loyal to Hogwarts and the old ways, against the Death Eaters and the revolution that Voldemort was bringing for a new age of wizards and witches alike.
The Death Eater reinforcements would be storming the castle soon, Draco was certain of it. But not before he got his wand back, not before he got his revenge.
A tall wizard with blond hair turned into the hallway His eyes widened as he spotted the approaching trio and he quickly raised his wand.
"Avada Kedavra!" Crabbe shouted.
The wizard's wand fell to the floor, his body shortly following.
"Who'd've thought doin' the Dark Lord's bidding 'ould be so much fun," Crabbe said with a sneer. Goyle grunted in agreement.
Draco frowned, glancing only briefly at the wizard's lifeless body as he stepped over it.
It was him or us. Kill or be killed, we had no choice, he thought in an attempt to reassure himself.
Just before they turned the corner, Draco's heart began to race. A voice reached his ears from down the hall, one that was familiar to him, one that he despised.
"That's Potter!" Goyle hissed. "Wha' do we do?"
"Time to disappear," Draco replied, raising his wand and casting a disillusion spell. The thugs on either side of him quickly copied his gesture, and the trio vanished from sight.
As they turned the corner, Draco cringed. Down the hallway were his rivals, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley. Hermione was in Ron's arms, her lips pressed against his.
"You think the Diss-lusion Charm will hide my barf?" Goyle said, softly snickering.
"They beh'er hold still, I bet I can kill 'em both with one spell," Crabbe responded.
"Don't," Draco interrupted.
"And why not?" Crabbe challenged.
A good question, and why not, indeed? Draco asked himself. A lowly Weasley clearly doesn't deserve the affection from anyone. And Granger is nothing but a filthy Mudblood.
Yet still, a new sensation tugged at Draco, something he could not identify. Something had changed since his last showdown with his old rivals. Was hidden nostalgia now blooming at the summit of their final showdown? Or was it seeing Granger in Weasley's arms that put a bitter taste in his mouth? Either way, as much as he despised what he was viewing, he found that wanting them both dead still felt excessive; especially since 'writhing in agonizing pain' was a perfect alternative.
"They're too far away," Draco said, forcing the excuse to sound convincing. "You'll just miss and give away our position."
"That's stupid, I won't miss," Crabbe protested.
"But maybe you might," Goyle said.
"Let's just follow them for now, we still have the element of surprise on our side," Draco suggested.
"Fine… for now," Crabbe conceded.
"Oi! There's a war going on here!" Harry's voice carried down the hallway, and Hermione and Ron parted. It was the first time Draco had ever been thankful for Potter's voice.
"What do we do now?" Goyle asked.
"They look like they have a plan," Draco said, his grip tightening on his wand. "And we're going to stop them just before they complete it."
Draco was glad his lackeys could not see his look of shock as they watched Harry, Ron, and Hermione enter The Room of Requirement.
"Letting Potter find out 'bout the room, another mistake, Malfoy," Crabbe jibed quietly.
"Shut up!" Draco snapped. "Look, this could work to our advantage. It's us against them, and if it's in that room, that means there are no witnesses."
"I like it," Goyle said with a huff.
"Fine — whatever! Let's get to it. I want the killin' to start," Crabbe growled.
"And he never realized anyone could get in?" Ron's voice was like a nail scraping against glass to Draco's nerves.
"He thought he was the only one," Harry said. "Too bad for him I…"
No Harry, Draco thought as he clenched his teeth. This is too bad for you.
"Accio Diadem!" Hermione shouted.
"What's a die-dum?" Goyle asked. Draco could faintly hear the boy scratch his head.
"Somethin' made up. Obviously, if it was real it would have come to her," Crabbe replied.
"Let's split up," Harry said to his two friends. "Look for a stone bust of an old man wearing a wig and a tiara! It's standing on a cupboard and…"
"I thought it couldn't get any worse after that Weasley snogging. But Harry Potter in a tiara…" Goyle said, gagging softly again.
"He can wear whatever he wants, this room will be his tomb," Crabbe snarled.
"Remember, the Dark Lord wants Potter alive," Draco countered. Crabbe did not respond, making Draco wonder if he ignored him.
"Let's split up too," Goyle suggested. "I'll go after that mudblood and —"
"No," Draco interrupted, feeling suddenly uncomfortable with his reluctance to kill them. "We go after Potter alone."
"That's stupid! Then the other two will know we're here!" Goyle protested quietly.
"Do you want this to turn into yet another tale of how Harry Potter somehow avoided death?" Draco argued.
"So we are going to kill him then," Crabbe said gleefully.
"No, we're going to bring him to The Dark Lord, and watch as he kills Potter," Draco explained.
Crabbe did not reply, and Draco was even more certain that he was ignoring him.
"Let's move," Draco said. A much more important opportunity was practically in the palm of his hand. He would bring The Dark Lord Harry Potter and whatever this diadem was. He could deal with Crabbe later.
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