Yay second last chapter! I was going to wait till next week before writing chapter 11 and 12 but I had a sudden burst of ideas so I decided to post today instead. Chapter 12 will be posted tomorrow and then it's finally finished! I'm no longer sure however of the rating that this story has as this chapter has a little bit of blood and gore I suppose, not very strong or graphic but lately I've heard that people are getting reported for the stupidest of things so just to be safe I'll rate this chapter R and warn anyone in advance. If anyone thinks I should rate the whole story R let me know. Once again thanks for the awesome reviews! I'd list you all but I'm not really supposed to be on the net at the moment so I don't have the time but thank you all so much for being so supportive!

Disclaimer: Not Mine!

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Chapter 11

It had watched their painful progress since the beginning. Perhaps with amusement, perhaps with some sort of twisted compassion that was too terrible to even think about. Now however it was through watching, through waiting. It was ready for its long awaited meal. There were leaves and burdocks caught in its shiny fur and saliva was dripping in great clumps from its gaping mouth filled with yellow stained teeth. It flexed its great paws, claws digging into the dirt, for a moment as if to test them and their strength. Seemingly satisfied its crimson eyes focused onto the frightened pair and it let loose a low growl.

Draco and Harry shrank back, eyes wide and panting with a speed that almost matched their quickened heartbeats. Harry looked around desperately, trying to find some way out. They couldn't go back lest they wanted to go swimming with the serpent again and the trees on either side of them wouldn't work this time. Sure the creature was big but it wasn't that big. It could easily slip between the trees, it wouldn't work like it did with the dragon, they couldn't simply outrun it.

It suddenly hunched back on its hind legs and sprang forward, claws outstretched, aiming directly at Draco's head. Draco cried out and Harry flung himself towards him, his momentum being just enough to knock the Slytherin and him out of its way. They landed in a tangled heap on the ground, the creature roared in frustration and whirled about to face them snapping and snarling angrily.

They scrambled into a sitting position eyeing the creature with fear as it begun to advance on them again. Harry was so focused on the creature in front of him that he failed to hear the hissing behind him, but Draco did. He turned to see a cobra like snake rearing up. They had fallen into the snakes nest and it was not happy. It struck out and before Draco could react latched itself to his arm, poisoned fangs burying themselves into his flesh, ripping through his clothing like it was nothing. Draco screamed from the pain and twisting the right way around again flailed his arm forwards trying to shake it off.

The snake startled by the sudden move let go and flew through the air to land just in front of the wolf like beast. It uncoiled itself and seeing the creature before it as another threat reared up and started hissing dangerously. The beast actually took a step back surprised and the two started to eye each other up wearily.

"Draco are you all right?" Harry gasped out mentally wincing at the stupidity of the question.

"No I don't think I am Potter." Draco ground out through the pain, cradling his left arm to his chest. "Shit" He whispered clenching his eyes shut tightly.

Just then a loud roar ripped through the air causing the two to jump and look at the scene before them. The creature had had enough of the snake being in its way and had pounced on it snapping at with its jaws furiously. The snake wrapped its tail end around the beast's leg and attempted to bite it but not before the wolf thing managed to close its teeth around its head and yank it from its leg. It shook its head rapidly from side to side the snake's body twisting helplessly before the creature snapped its jaws shut the sound of the snakes skull crunching quite audible to both boys.

It reopened its mouth and the now limp body slid from it to land with a soft thump in the dirt, it's head now barely recognizable as a head at all.

It licked its lips cleaning the blood from its jaws hungrily before turning its attention back to the two boys who were now shaking.

It lunged again and this time it didn't miss. It slammed into Harry knocking him harshly to the ground. He screamed as his back was forced against a rock jutting out from the ground.

Drool dripped onto his chest and the creature leant forward sniffing him. It could smell the blood from Harry's shoulder wound and it drove its already blood thirsty state even wilder. Without hesitation it bite deeply into Harry's shoulder tearing his jumper and ripping off skin. Harry started screaming twisting helplessly as it started to lap up the blood.

Draco gasped and tried to stand to help Harry but was overcome with a strange sort of weakness that was quickly numbing every joint in his body and leaving him hopelessly tired and unable to move.

*The venom...it must be the venom of the snake. * Draco dimly realised * But I have to help...I have to...*

Summoning as much energy as he could Draco managed to succeed in crawling slowly towards Harry and the animal that was currently biting at Harry's shoulder in order to keep the blood, in which it couldn't get enough of, running.

The creature payed absolutely no attention to him whatsoever obviously knowing that Draco was no threat to it in any way.

*And its right* He thought bitterly *What am I going to do? Lay in front of it and hope it trips? *

He collapsed. His strength was gone and the strange numbing sensation was completely drowning him. Harry twisted his head around to look at him and Draco read in those emerald eyes pain, fear and the unmistakable look of utter defeat. He knew Draco couldn't do anything to help and had resigned himself to the death the creature would eventually give him. Draco felt his stomach lurch at the prospect of having to watch Harry being eaten alive while he himself died slowly.

And then suddenly he heard something. Something overhead wings flapping? His dulled senses could only pick up so much but he knew that something was getting closer and then it was there. A huge blurry black shape, to Draco's eyes, swept down on the beast and knocked it off of Harry. The creature howled and started to bite at the black thing as they both started to fight.

"Potter" Draco managed to wheeze out feeling his throat ache painfully, hoping that Harry was still alive.

"Malfoy...look...its the dragon." Harry uttered quietly staring at the space the two animals were fighting in.

*The dragon?...what dragon?...is it...no it can't he that one...can it? The black one the one that attacked me all those days ago? It was following us too? *

Draco's muddled thoughts eventually cleared enough for him to realise that it was the very same dragon, and that very same dragon was now fighting the other thing to the death for them.

"To the victor goes the spoils" Harry chuckled weakly.

"Potter...Harry...I'm, I'm so sorry." Draco said as his eyes started to slide closed the strength to keep them open was now proving to be too much, though he did hear Harry's reply before he completely lost consciousness.

"Yeah Draco...I am too."

Harry watched as Draco's eyes closed and his breathing started to slow down. With luck Draco would be dead before the victor came back to claim its prize, he wouldn't have to go through the agony the dragon or the creature would inflict upon him when they came back for them.

He himself started to feel very tired as he was still losing blood from the gaping wound that ran from his shoulder to his elbow. He was feeling so very tired...he could hear the fight still but it was fading along with his vision that had started to waver.

Darkness was just creeping at the edges of his eyesight when some sort of light suddenly erupted throughout the forest and he could hear something accompanying it...voices? Or was he hearing things?

The light was so bright that everything around him flashed white before Harry's world went dark and silent and he knew no more...