Author's Notes: Thanks for the reviews. I'm posting these chapters together since the last chapter is more like an epilogue. And, uh, please don't kill me? I'm tearing myself up about this, I don't need you guys to do it too!

Disclaimer: See part one.

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The wait seems to have been endless; it has grown colder, and Nathalie now huddles closer to Draco, seeking warmth that he cannot give her. His grey eyes are constantly searching all around them for any sign of help - or the Others - but the blackness is infinite, and he can barely see Nathalie, curled up in his lap.

"Daddy," she murmurs at last, "do you think Papa will come?" There is a fearful note in her voice, and he hugs her closer, trying to comfort.

"I'm sure he will," he replies warmly. "Your Papa loves you."

"And he loves you," she asserts with a yawn. "I'm so tired..."

"Try to sleep," he tells her. "We don't know when someone will come." As she drifts into sleep, he wonders uneasily whether anyone will come. He wonders whether Harry will act true to character and disobey the Necromancers' orders.

Then he dismisses his doubts with a single glance at the ring that he put on before Harry had gone to his hearing. He knows Harry will come.

He just hopes that he comes soon.

It is only a few minutes later when there is a flash of brilliant light in the midst of the darkness. Draco cries out, blinded by the light after so much darkness, and he bends over Nathalie to protect her from it as much as he can. From all around him come the shrieks of the Others - they are furious at being ordered about by Never, although Draco does not know this.

Then a hand grasps him. "Draco!"

"Harry! You came!"

"Of course." Draco tries to stand up, but Nathalie is still asleep on his lap. "Is she alright?" Harry asks anxiously. "They haven't...done anything?"

"No, she's fine," Draco reassures him. "She said they did some spell - she wasn't sure what though..."

"I know, Never's taken it off," Harry tells him. "But there have been complications, Drake."

Draco smiles slightly at his old nickname, then frowns as he fully takes in Harry's appearance. "Harry, you - have you been *crying*?" Harry shifts uncomfortably, and Draco realises that the 'complications' are more serious than he had given any thought to. "Harry, what's wrong? Tell me."

"No, Draco." Harry is firm. "You don't need to know. Just...I love you. You know that, right?"

Draco nods. "I know. I love you too, Harry." He carefully shakes Nathalie, who yawns and opens her eyes. "Nathalie, little bit, look who's here." She looks up sleepily, and then her eyes widen and she jumps up, flinging her arms around Harry with relief.

"Oh, Papa, Papa!" she cries. "You're here!"

He hugs her close, almost as if, Draco muses, he doesn't think he'll ever see her again. That thought sticks in his mind, and suspicion grows as Harry doesn't let go of Nathalie for a long moment.

"Of course I came," he murmurs to her. "Oh, cherie. Are you alright?" She nods, and he closes his eyes in relief. Draco is staring at him now, horrified at the truth he has stumbled across. As if sensing Draco's gaze, Harry opens his eyes and looks up.

"No," Draco whispers. "No, Harry, tell me I'm wrong. Tell me that you're not about to do what I think you're going to do." Harry shakes his head, but Nathalie pulls away from him, staring up at him with her father's grey eyes demandingly fixed on Harry.

"Papa, what are you going to do?" she wants to know. "You can't take me out of here, I know you can't."

"No, I can't," Harry admits quietly. "But you're going home, cherie, don't worry. You're going to go home and look after your Daddy, aren't you? Because he needs a lot of looking after."

"But you're going to be there," Nathalie says slowly. "You're going to look after both of us, Papa." There is a pause, and Harry cannot look either of them in the eye. "Papa, aren't you?"

Harry lets her drop to the ground. She steps back and clasps Draco's hand, scared. Both she and Draco are staring at him disbelievingly, but he does not answer their silent question.

"Never will take you back to our world," he says instead, quietly and purposefully. "You'll have to be careful, Draco. The Ministry will still be after Nathalie, and she's not fully trained - one or other of the Necromancers will come to train her, but don't let them take her away from you."

"Harry, you - " Draco is stunned. He doesn't know what to say. Harry shakes his head. "But Harry..."

"Nathalie," Harry murmurs, and she hugs him tightly, hiding her face in his robes. "Nathalie, you'll be alright. I love you. Remember that?"

"Papa," is all she can manage before, with a cry, she detaches herself and returns to hold tightly to Draco.

"Don't do this, Harry," Draco asks pleadingly. Harry shakes his head.

"The only way she can leave is if I go into the Abyss," he explains. "So that is where I shall go." Nathalie is crying now, making no attempt to hide her tears from either of her fathers. "Nathalie, cherie, please."

"You can't expect her to send you off with best wishes," Draco reminds him harshly. "What is this...Abyss?"

"The end of everything," Harry tells him. "Where all things go to die. Even ghosts, spirits and the Others. There is no returning from that place." He shrugs. "There isn't any other option, Draco. I won't let her stay here."

"And what about me?" Draco whispers. "Did you give any thought to me? To how I might feel about you killing yourself?"

"It's not killing myself," Harry tries to protest, but there is no truth in it. "Draco...I'm sorry. I truly am. But I can't leave her here."

"You promised you'd never leave me alone," Nathalie says shrilly. "You promised, Papa!"

"But you won't be alone," he reminds her. "You'll have your daddy. And you'll meet new people, and go to new places, and have the most glorious life. And I'll be watching you."

This lie would have worked on another child, but Nathalie shakes her head. "No," she whispers. "No, you won't be watching me, Papa. Not if you go into the Abyss." A strange look enters her eyes, but neither Harry nor Draco see it, for they have eyes only for each other for a moment.

Never appears. "The Others have relinquished their claim on her," he says brusquely. Harry turns, his eyes thankful. "Harry, please reconsider."

"Take me," Harry says simply. "I'm ready."

"Well we're not," Draco mutters almost viciously, pulling Harry to him and kissing him fiercely. Harry grips Draco, then pulls away.

"Love you," he breaths. Draco cannot reply; he pushes Nathalie forward, and she hugs Harry tightly. "I love you, Nathalie. Love you, love you."

"Love you, love you, Papa," she murmurs. Her cheeks are wet from her tears, but she is no longer crying. Harry looks back at Never and nods. Never steps to one side and motions to the blackness behind him.

"It's there," he says quietly. "A few feet away. The Abyss. You must go." Harry nods, takes a deep breath, and begins to walk.

"Brain-dead Gryffindor," Draco calls out suddenly. Harry pauses, and turns back with a small smile.

"Smart-ass Slytherin," he retorts. His eyes are glittering strangely. Then Nathalie pulls away from Draco and begins to run into the darkness, towards the Abyss. Harry's eyes widen, and he reaches out his arms to stop her, as do Draco and Never. She dodges them all with single-minded determination, her plaits bouncing as she runs harder and faster.

She disappears into the darkness, and a moment later there is a loud crash, like thunder. The Others are screeching, but Never and Draco can barely hear them over Harry's screams. They grab him - he is trying to get to the Abyss, to get her back.

"No, Harry," Never tells him. "She made a choice."

"No," Harry screams. "No, she's just a child, no!"

Never meets Draco's eyes, and Draco nods. A moment later, Harry and Draco are in Malfoy Manor again. The Manor was filled with Harry's screams of anguish.

"She's just a child," he cried. "She's just my little baby...why, Drake? Why did she do it?"

Draco, tears running down his face, shook his head. "I don't know, love," he breathed. "Perhaps...perhaps so that you wouldn't."

They cried together.

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To be continued.

I repeat: please don't kill me.