Well, ff.net will hopefully cooperate with this chapter and keep it up. I'm home from Japan now and so will be working as much as I can to get this done. I have a class and internship, but should be able to manage it by the end of the month at the very most. Only three or four more chapters, so hopefully by the end of next week.

Also, I don't plan on another sequel, but Draco's demanding attention, so will be doing another Harry Potter story in the same line as this one. Sort of a continuation. Will let you know the title for it later, but if you wanna know when it's up, just say so in a review or email. Any email addresses I have for alerting people to this story's updates will be deleted at the end of this story. They were only kept for the purpose of alerting people to this story's updates.

Now, I've had this written awhile, but haven't been able to put it up. I though it was due to the probs that ff.net has been having, but I think I might be wrong. Seems my disk went bad. Might be due to all the security checks in the airports. This disk did go to Japan with me after all. And I really wish stupid TERRORISTS would keep their destructive tendencies to themselves! Got a prob, DISCUSS it like a human being, not like a stupid jungle creature!! All you're doing is annoying people, NOT getting any points across.

(Ok, done ranting.)

I've put up a new story that is totally unrelated to this story arc. It's called, "Harry Potter and the Turncoat." If you like this story and the previous one, check it out, please.

::Starts watching with her dragon for Lycoris's nefarious flags.::

Anyway, as always, ENJOY!!



It was dawn and the sun was rising over the labyrinth, lightening the sky but not Draco's dark mood. HE doubted that even the sun could ever chase away the deep abiding fears he now felt after this night of hell. The Death Eaters had all left to give aid to their lord, leaving Draco, Pansy, Goyle and Crabbe alone to wonder what would happen. Crabbe and Goyle seemed to be as clueless as usual and were sitting under a tree watching as Pansy clung to a somber Draco. Pansy was ecstatic as only a ditz knew how to be.

"Ooooh," she cooed in Draco's ear, causing him to flinch, "Do you think they've killed him yet, Draco? Do you think the Dark Lord has killed them yet?"

Draco didn't answer, he simply stared off into the labyrinth as the sun rose higher into the lightening sky. In a way, he hoped that the Dark Lord would be the one killed. He was looking forward to becoming a Death Eater; no matter what he told Potter and his crew, he didn't really like the Dark Forces. He only had a morbid curiosity for all things Dark.

"Do you really think Potter's dead, Draco," Crabbe asked him when he didn't answer. "Who will we pick on if he is?"

Draco walked over to fit himself between Crabbe and Goyle's large bodies, hoping to dislodge Pansy as he did so. No such luck, she only plopped herself down on his lap and cuddled close. Draco groaned and gave up, finally giving in to his need to think about it all.

It had been 5 years since he had first met Harry Potter and he still hoped, somewhere deep, deep down, to befriend the Boy-Who-Lived. He just knew, somehow, that if he did, he'd be freed from the Dark Lord's clutches and safe from his father's forcing him to hand over his life to darkness. Draco knew that Harry Potter would never simply let one his friends be hurt from experience.

Potter was too loyal to let even the jaded, cold person Draco had been born fall to damnation.

"The Dark Lord will give us plenty of victims to play with," Pansy reassured her boyfriend's lackeys as she fought a yawn.

A shiver of disgust ran through Draco's body which Pansy ignored in favor of cuddling closer.

"What about Professor Snape," asked Goyle.

"The Dark Lord is going to kill him," Pansy told him with a little laugh. "Serves him right though. Not only did he never give me a good grade, but he betrayed us all to Dumbledore."

"Oh," Goyle said, slightly sadly.

Draco silently agreed with Goyle. He had liked the sarcastic teacher, felt a kinship with him that he had never felt with anyone else before. Snape had somehow become like his mentor, and Draco would miss him, even if he was about to die for acting like a filthy Gryffindor.

A tight feeling began to swirl in Draco's gut and he began to be uncomfortable with being so close to anyone, especially the three fools he called friends. He stood abruptly, Pansy falling off his lap with a little squeak.

"Draco," she asked half angry, half uncertain.

"I'm hot," Draco said simply, fighting to stop a shiver that had nothing to do with the weather.

"You can use me for a pillow, Pansy," Crabbe told her hopefully with a stupid grin.

Pansy looked at him disgustedly before getting up to stalk off closer to the entrance to the maze.

Draco watched her go for a few minutes before turning his gaze back to the rising dawn.

"Too bad the sun can't burn all fears away," he murmured to himself.

"Huh," Crabbe and Goyle said together.

"Shut up," Draco snapped/sighed at them.

The other two fell into obedient silence as they watched Draco continue to stand in wait of the end of the battle.

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"Dumbledore," Snape breathed, sounding amazed. He hadn't really expected a rescue.

"Yes, Severus," Dumbledore answered, his eyes never leaving Voldemort. "We heard you were in trouble and came to assist."

"You never could keep that greasy head out of trouble," Sirius said with an evil grin at Voldemort.

"I do believe that was you," Snape said coldly, a little of his old nature beginning to creep back into his chilled body.

"Ah..." Wormtail, squeaked as he saw Voldemort suddenly raise and point his wand at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore practically roared a spell at Voldemort as he and Sirius rolled to avoid the well aimed, "Avada Kedavra!"

Voldemort was flung back, hitting the shrub covered stone wall with a high scream of rage. He stood immediately and made to rush Dumbledore as his Death Eaters finally began to rush in the entrances. Voldemort raised his wand and opened his mouth to shout the killing curse.

"Dumbledore," Snape and Sirius screamed in unison as they leapt to push Dumbledore to safety.

They never made it, Wormtail was faster. He jumped and shoved Dumbledore to the side as the beam of magic sailed over their shoulders to blast a thick tree that stood behind them. The tree exploded outward, splinters flying it. One large piece spiraled away and down, spearing Wormtail through the chest and narrowly missing Dumbledore's.

"Peter," Dumbledore gasped, his eyes wide.

Sirius stopped, staring in utter surprise, "He...saved...him..."

"Expelliarmus," a hoarse, angry voice screamed. Sirius looked up to see Snape pointing his wand where Voldemort had once been. Voldemort was now lying on the cold stone ground near one of the entrances, his followers still not yet in the center staring down at him. The others stood stunned and staring down at the once cowardly Wormtail.

"Avada Kedavra," screamed the unmistakable voice of Lucius Malfoy. Dumbledore ducked and the curse flew the bushes behind his head and slammed into a wall on the opposite side of the center, sending debris flying.

"Stupefy," cried Dumbledore in return. Malfoy moved to block the spell, but he wasn't fast enough and he dropped silently to the ground. Dumbledore gathered Wormtail in his arms as he looked over at Sirius and Snape who now stood side-by-side where he had once stood.

A loud pop sounded through the clearing as Dumbledore apparated away with Wormtail and the Death Eaters began to surge forward once again. Sirius jumped back into action and wrapped a hand around Snape's forearm and apparated them back to Hogwarts just before the first of the Death Eater's curses could reach them.

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Snape hurried over to Dumbledore and Wormtail with Sirius at his side as soon as they reappeared outside the Hogwarts gates. Wormtail was coughing blood, while Dumbledore worked frantically to staunch the blood that was flowing from his chest.

"Peter," Sirius breathed as he dropped down next to him.

"I..." Wormtail replied, stopping to cough up some more blood, "sorry. I...was a...a fool."

Sirius looked angry for a moment before stopping to look up at Snape and Dumbledore. "I know," he told Wormtail, "I remember."

"I...thought...you...had for..got...ten..." Wormtail told his old friend with a small smile. He eyes closed as he finished and his head rolled to the side.

"Peter," Sirius cried, not knowing how he felt as Dumbledore conjured Wormtail onto a magical stretcher and began to run with him back to the castle.

"Come on," Snape said as he began to dejectedly follow Dumbledore. Sirius changed back into a dog and trotted along at his side in confused silence.



Next Chapter: He Continues to Walk