~ I should tell you,
                                                                                                               I should tell you... ~


        Draco and Hermione entered Harry's bedroom and looked around

"I'll check the closet," Hermione said, striding across the blue carpet.

"I'll look in his dresser drawers."

Draco opened the top drawer and saw neat piles of t-shirts in a row. As he pushed them aside, the familiar smell of Harry's scent drifted up to his nose. He slowly picked up a red shirt and held it to his cheek, inhaling deeply and brushing the soft fabric reverently across his skin.

"Draco, I think I've found something"

Draco hastily dropped the shirt back into the drawer and walked over to Hermione.

"What is it?" he asked, peering into the trunk she was crouched in front of.

"It's Harry's Sneakoscope that Ron gave to him in third year," she answered, lifting the small glass top out of its box.

"Perfect. What else is in there?" Draco asked curiously.

Hermione shuffled over as Draco knelt down and started rummaging through the trunk's contents.

The trunk was full of old Hogwarts memorabilia, including little Gryffindor Quidditch flags, school books, birthday cards, some of the twin's joke candy, and...

"Harry's invisibility cloak!" Hermione exclaimed as Draco lifted out the silky fabric.

"I forgot he had this," Draco murmured, fingering the delicate material. "We should bring this with us."

"Do you think Dumbledore will let you go?" Hermione asked as they stood up.

"I don't care what that old man says, I'm going anyway."

"Just be careful," Hermione said quietly.

Draco's expression softened as he looked over at Hermione's worried face. He suddenly realized how hard it must be for her, to have him and Ron constantly at each other's throats and Harry missing at the same time.

"I'm sorry," he sighed, drawing her into his embrace.

Hermione sniffed and returned the hug gratefully.

"Ahem..."

Draco looked up to see Professor Snape standing in the doorway.

"I hate to interrupt this tender moment," he said. "But the longer we wait, the weaker the potion will become. Did you find anything suitable?"

"Harry's Sneakoscope," Hermione answered, holding it up in the palm of her hand.

"That will do," Snape nodded. "Once we transform it into a portkey he won't be able to have it back, will Potter mind?"

"No, he won't care," Hermione assured him.

"Good, let's get started then."

Snape turned and walked into the hallway, followed closely by Hermione and Draco, the invisibility cloak slung over one arm.

The three joined Ron, Dumbledore, and Sirius in the living room.

"The Sneakoscope please, Miss Granger."

"Mrs Weasley," she corrected as she passed it over.

Snape curled his lip into a smirk as he uncorked the potion and placed the Sneakoscope on the carpet.

"This will take a few minutes," Snape said, concentrating as he carefully added the potion to the glass top. "But I believe you have a few things to work out still, such as who exactly is going on this trip."

"I am," Draco stated, just as Ron shouted, "not Malfoy!"

Dumbledore sighed as he observed the two young men.

Sirius suddenly cleared his throat and looked at Dumbledore.

"Harry is legally my responsibility," he spoke. "It's my duty as his godfather to go."

"Of course," Dumbledore answered at once.

"Professor..." Draco started.

"Mr Malfoy, you will also be going," Dumbledore cut across him.

"But..." Ron gaped.

"Mr Weasley, Draco would be very useful as he has extensive knowledge of Voldemort's activities and is well versed in the Dark Arts. He was a valuable spy for us at one time, as you well know."

Dumbledore paused, looking at Ron over the top of his glasses.

"He has certainly earned the right to be a part of this mission."

Ron opened his mouth angrily, his face purple with rage, but remained quiet.

Draco smirked triumphantly at him, while Hermione placed a calming hand on her husband's shoulder.

"Now," Dumbledore continued. "There is still one spot left, Mr Weasley, I would also like for you to go along."

Ron looked up in surprise.

Now it was Draco's turn to gape in shock. "Shouldn't someone who will actually be of some use go?" he asked. "What about Professor Snape...or yourself, sir?"

"Professor Snape's Dark Mark would be detected immediately, and I am getting far too old for these kinds of adventures. No, I will be of better use back home at Hogwarts."

"What about Hermione?" Draco asked desperately.

"Draco," Hermione spoke up. "Ron deserves to go too, he is Harry's best friend."

Ron fought the urge to stick his tongue out at the frustrated blond.

"It's settled then," Dumbledore said with a clap of his hands. "Now, I want you three to listen to me carefully. Once you have transported, this portkey will become useless and vanish, so we have created another one for you to return by. Remember, you will have to be out of Voldemort's range of power for it to be activated."

Dumbledore paused and narrowed his blue eyes seriously.

"I don't want any of you needlessly putting yourselves in danger...for any reason. I don't care what you see, do not attempt to fight Voldemort. The only goal is to find Harry and bring him home safely, understood?"

The three men nodded gravely.

"It's ready," Snape announced, using gloved hands to place the transformed Sneakoscope onto the coffee table.

"Just a moment, Serverus," Dumbledore said. "Sirius, may I speak with you a moment?"

Draco and Ron watched them suspiciously as they walked into the kitchen and closed the door.

"Sirius, I need you to look after Draco while you're gone."

"Of course," Sirius answered, puzzled.

"I don't know what you're going to find there, Sirius...what kind of shape Harry will be in if you find him. I just want you to keep Draco from doing anything foolish and to bring him back by any means necessary."

"Don't worry, Albus," Sirius assured him. "I'll watch him for you, I promise."

"Thank you," Dumbledore smiled sadly, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Don't lose hope, Harry is stronger than he knows. Hopefully, this experience will mend the rift between Mr Weasley and Mr Malfoy."

"Don't expect any miracles," Sirius snorted.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled knowingly as they headed back into the living room.

"All ready, Severus?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes, they must leave quickly, the portkey is a little unstable."

"Be careful," Hermione whispered to Ron, as he held her close and kissed her cheek tenderly.

"I will," he replied, looking into her loving brown eyes.

Draco, Ron, and Sirius gathered around the table, looking down at the glowing glass top.

"Here is the second portkey for you to return by."

Snape handed Draco a small, green box.

"Just open it when you're ready and touch the stone inside."

"Perhaps you should put on the invisibility cloak now, before you leave," Dumbledore said. "You don't know where you're going to end up."

Draco flung the cloak around his shoulders as Ron and Sirius grabbed the edges and disappeared beneath.

"Good luck," Dumbledore said to the invisible forms, as Snape stood watching by his side.

"Ready?" Sirius asked the two young men beside him.

They both nodded and held their hands over the Sneakoscope.

"On the count of three," Sirius said. "One...two...three."

They all touched the portkey at the same time and were pulled from the room.

                        *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

         Draco landed with an audible squelch and lost his balance as he flailed wildly for support, he grabbed onto Ron's arm and the two fell forward into the mud.

"Get off me!" Ron yelled from under Draco's shoulder.

Draco placed a hand on the back of Ron's head and pushed himself up, sending Ron's face into the mud. He got to his feet unsteadily and looked around.

They were standing in a dark field, long blades of pale grass were leaning in the rough winds. The ground was very mucky, large puddles of water dotting the landscape. The sky overhead was an ominous grey and thunder was rumbling in the distance.

"This place looks familiar..." Draco thought to himself.

He suddenly felt something hit the back of his legs and he was thrown forward onto the ground again. He spluttered around a mouthful of mud and turned to look behind him, wand drawn.

Ron was sitting there, an evil smile glowing out of his mud covered face.

"Weasley!" Draco started forward angrily.

"Draco! Ron!" Sirius removed the invisibility cloak and glared at the two young men sitting in the mud. "That's enough, stop acting like children."

Draco glared at Ron as he stood up and wiped the mud from his mouth on the back of his hand.

"Draco, do you recognize this place?" Sirius asked, looking around.

"It looks familiar..." he muttered, thinking hard.

A flash of lightening suddenly split the sky, illuminating the dark field.

"What's that?" Ron shouted, pointing to the left.

"I don't see anything," Sirius said, scanning the darkness intently.

Another fork of lightening suddenly blazed across the overcast sky.

"There!" Ron shouted, still pointing.

In that one instant a circle of large stones was lit up in the distance.

"I see it," Sirius said. "Recognize it, Draco?"

"Maybe..."

"Let's get a closer look," Ron suggested, starting towards it.

The three men trekked slowly through the mud, struggling out of deep puddles and hidden sink traps along the way. Finally, they arrived out of breath at the stone circle. They cautiously approached the outer stones, which stood over twelve feet high. Inside the centre of the circle was a long, flat stone on its side. The ground here was dry and the dirt was packed down as if many people had walked on it, there were weeds around the bottom of the stones, growing up along the rocky sides.

Sirius and Ron watched as Draco entered the circle and walked up to the centre stone. He circled the stone thoughtfully, trailing his fingers along its surface.

"This is it," he announced quietly, looking up at Sirius.

Sirius and Ron walked over and stood staring at the stone lying in front of them. There was a symbol carved into the top of it; a snake curled around a ruby with a lightening bolt on it.

"What is this?" Ron asked, staring at the symbol apprehensively.

"It's the entrance to Voldemort's hide-out."

Ron gulped and backed up a few steps.

"It looks like a tomb," Sirius murmured.

"How do we get in?" Ron asked, looking around fearfully as if expecting to see Voldemort himself lurking nearby.

"I don't remember..."

Draco looked up at the surrounding stones, noticing that they had symbols engraved on them too. He walked around the circle, taking note of each one. On every stone there was a snake curled around a letter, a different letter on each one and no two letters the same.

"What do those mean?" Ron asked curiously, watching Draco circle the stones slowly.

Draco stopped in front of a stone with the letter 'M' on it, the memory of when he was a boy suddenly came flooding back...

       ~ "What is this father?"

Lucius smiled down at his inquisitive son and picked him up so he could get a closer look at the stone carving.

"This is our family stone, Draco. It will stand here forever, showing that we were loyal and true to the Dark Lord."

Lucius turned Draco around and looked him in the eyes.

"One day you will bring your son here to meet Lord Voldemort and tell him of the Dark Lord's great leadership to the true race of pure-blood wizards."

"But isn't he dead?" Draco asked, his blue eyes wide and his voice still containing a child-like innocence.

"No son," Lucius said, placing Draco back on the ground. "He will rise again and we shall both stand proudly by his side."

Lucius walked to the centre stone and beckoned to his son.

"Do you see this?" he asked, motioning to the ruby laid into the stone's surface.

Draco stood on his tiptoes and peeked over the edge to see the red jewel sparkling in the sun.

"What is it?" he asked, turning to his father.

"This will be Lord Voldemort's secret hide-out," Lucius said proudly, "only a select few will be granted access to it."

"Will I?" Draco asked worriedly.

"Of course," Lucius smiled, "when the time is right you will receive your key, just like your father."

Draco smiled in relief, happy that he would not be separated from his father. ~


        "No!" Draco shouted, slamming his fist against the 'Malfoy stone'.

"Draco!" Sirius exclaimed, rushing forward to grab his arm.

Draco wrenched his arm from Sirius' grasp and slid to the ground, placing his head in his hands hopelessly.

"What's wrong?" Sirius asked gently, kneeling beside him.

"We won't be able to get in..."

"Why not?" Ron asked, drawing closer.

"Because the only way that the stone will open is if you show the key to the ruby."

"What key?"

"The Dark Mark"

"No..." Sirius breathed, "there must be some other way..."

Draco shook his blond head miserably.

"But we have to...I mean..." Ron stammered, "what if we went back and got Snape?"

"We can't," Sirius explained, "we don't have another portkey to bring us back here. This was our only chance..."

"Well, Snape can make another one" Ron tried.

"There isn't enough residue...we had to use it all on this portkey, there was barely enough as it was."

"We can't just give up" Ron said desperately.

Sirius glanced over at Draco as he sat with his face covered. The three sat in silence as the wind whistled eerily around them, rain drops started to fall, and lightening flashed across the sky above.

"There is one way..." Draco finally said, raising his head.

"How?" Ron asked immediately.

Draco looked at Ron intently.

"One of you has to get the Dark Mark."

"What? Are you mad?" Ron exclaimed. "How are we supposed to do that? Just knock on the door and ask you-know-who if he wouldn't mind giving us the secret tattoo of evil so we could pop in and rescue Harry?"

Sirius was watching Draco thoughtfully.

"You know how to cast it, don't you?" he asked.

Draco turned guarded grey eyes towards him and nodded.

"Won't Voldemort detect it though?" Sirius asked.

"No, he won't be able to detect one that he didn't create, but it will still get us past any security checks."

Sirius nodded in understanding.

"I'll do it" he said.

Ron looked at him in surprise.

"Are you sure, Sirius?"

Sirius nodded determinedly.

"You do understand that you will probably have it for life?" Draco asked in concern.

"It's the only way" he answered.

"Why don't you give it to yourself?" Ron asked sharply.

"I can't cast it on myself...or else I would."

Sirius stood up and looked down at Draco.

"I'm ready," he said.

Draco and Ron quickly got up and stood in front of him. Draco withdrew his wand and wiped the dried mud off on his shirt.

"You'll still be connected to Voldemort though" he explained, looking Sirius in the eye.

"I understand...go on."

Draco nodded and stepped up to Sirius' right arm. He pulled the sleeve of his robe back to reveal his bare forearm; Draco placed his wand to the exposed skin. He glanced one last time at Sirius' face before taking a deep breath and closing his eyes.

"Magicus adnexus malus" Draco chanted.

Draco's wand suddenly turned a bright red and smoke emanated from the tip. It began curling around Sirius' forearm and morphing into the shape of a skull and snake.

Sirius squeezed his eyes shut and beads of sweat gathered on his brow as the smell of burning flesh filled the air.

The smoke turned red and Sirius' skin sizzled as the shape imprinted itself onto his skin.

Ron turned away feeling sick.

There was a loud hiss as the snake's eyes on Sirius' arm briefly glowed red and the smoke disappeared.

Then it was over.

Sirius bent over clutching his arm in pain. Draco opened his eyes, his wand slipping unnoticed from his fingers to the ground.

"I'm sorry, Sirius" he whispered.

Sirius looked up, his eyes red.

"It's okay, Draco," he said faintly, "you had to do it."

Sirius straightened up cautiously and walked over to the centre stone; he leaned over and held his sore arm over the ruby.

The snake's eyes opened and two beams of light shot out and scanned the Mark.

Suddenly the stone started shaking.

The three men backed up in awe as the stone lifted up and stood itself on one end. The side with the ruby on it, opened out like a door; revealing a staircase inside that led downwards.

"Impossible..." Ron breathed. He peered around to the back and only saw the other side of the stone...no staircase.

"Let's go" Sirius said.

"Wait," Ron stopped, "let's put the cloak back on...just in case."

Sirius threw the invisibility cloak over all three of them as they descended downwards. Four steps down, the stone suddenly closed behind them, plunging them into darkness.

"Lumos" Sirius muttered, holding his wand out.

They continued down the long staircase and finally came to a large double door. Draco looked at Sirius and shrugged before pushing it open.

They found themselves standing in a great marble hallway that curved out of sight. Large ivory pillars lined the walls; a pair standing beside every door. The white floor gleamed beneath their feet and reflected the gold ceiling above.

"Do you know where we're going, Malfoy?" Ron asked wide-eyed.

"This is the first time I've ever been in here" he answered.

The three slowly walked forward, staying close together beneath the cloak.

A door suddenly opened to the left and two Death Eaters emerged, almost walking right into them.

Sirius quickly grabbed Draco and Ron by the collar and hauled them backwards. They flattened themselves along the wall as the two black robed men marched past.

The Death Eaters walked off up the hallway out of sight, their footsteps fading slowly.

Draco let out the breath he'd been holding and sighed in relief.

"That was close."

They continued on, walking in the direction of where the Death Eaters had disappeared. They rounded the corner and found themselves at the end of the hallway. There were three doors facing them; a black one to the left, a red one to the right, and a gold one in front.

"I guess this means we split up" Draco said, stepping out from beneath the cloak.

Sirius pulled the cloak off of himself and Ron, looking at Draco worriedly.

"I don't think that's a good idea..." he said.

"We'll be able to cover more ground this way and find Harry faster" Draco reasoned.

Sirius chewed his lip, unable to deny the logic of Draco's idea, but remembering the promise he gave to Dumbledore to watch over the headstrong boy.

"Alright..." he relented, hoping he wasn't making a huge mistake.

"I'll take this door" Draco said, choosing the black one on the left.

"I guess I'll take the right" Ron said uncertainly, glancing at the red door.

"That leaves me with gold" Sirius said, reaching for the handle.

"Oh, Malfoy..." Ron suddenly called turning towards Draco, "Here's your wand, you dropped it outside."

Draco took his wand from Ron's outstretched hand in surprise.

"Thanks," he said gratefully, "good luck."

"You too" Ron answered, returning the tentative smile.

Draco turned and disappeared through the black door.

"Here Ron," Sirius said, "take Harry's cloak, I know you'll take good care of it for him."

"Thanks."

They stood staring at their doors uncertainly.

"Well...good luck I guess" Sirius said.

"Yeah...good luck."

Sirius gave him an encouraging smile before heading through the door.

Ron took a deep breath, swung the cloak onto his shoulders, and opened the red door.

* * * * * * * * *

Draco walked through the door, still marvelling at Ron's sudden act of kindness. There was a set of stone steps leading downwards in front of him. He descended them quickly and came out into a maze of torch-lined hallways. There were iron doors lining the walls with heavy metal bolts and rusty hinges.

"This must be the dungeons" Draco thought excitedly.

He saw that each door had a nameplate on it and he quickly set off at a run, looking for Harry's.

After a long while he came to the very last door. He hurried over, clutching at a stitch in his side, and examined the nameplate.

'Harry Potter' was scratched into the dirty metal.

"Harry!" Draco yelled, pounding on the door. "It's Draco...I'm going to get you out, okay?"

Draco leaned against it and listened closely for any movement inside.

The door suddenly swung open and Draco lost his balance and fell forward onto his knees.

"Well, what have we here?"

Draco looked up into the sneering face of his father.

"Expelliarmus!" Lucius yelled, summoning Draco's wand to his open hand.

Draco peered around his father and saw that the cell was empty.

"Harry is not here" Lucius sneered, looking in disgust at Draco's mud covered clothes and dirty face.

Draco looked back to his father.

"Look at yourself, Draco," Lucius said, "he has made you weak. You're risking everything just to try and save his worthless life."

Draco stood up angrily.

"At least I'm not Voldemort's fucking slave!" he spat viciously.

Lucius' eyes blazed dangerously.

"You dare talk to your father that way?"

"You're not my father!" Draco shouted, "A father cares about his son...loves him. You don't even know the meaning of love!"

"And I suppose you do?" Lucius snapped.

"Yes," Draco said, eyes glowing passionately, "Harry loves me."

Lucius laughed cruelly.

"He may love you, my dear boy, but you are incapable of returning it. You couldn't even stay with Potter for very long, could you? I believe you left him broken-hearted...that doesn't sound like love to me now, does it?"

"I love Harry" Draco shouted, saying it aloud for the first time and causing his father to flinch.

Lucius suddenly snaked out his arm and grabbed a handful of Draco's hair.

"You're too late..." he whispered into his ear.

"No!" Draco struggled vainly. "Where's Harry?"

"Adnexus!"

Ropes appeared and bound Draco's wrists together behind his back. A white cloth closed around his mouth; gagging him.

"Would you like to see Harry?" Lucius asked.

Draco looked at his father with wide eyes and nodded.

"Alright...but I'm warning you now, you won't like it."

Lucius grabbed the rope and shoved Draco up the hall. Draco led his father through the maze of hallways, following the same route Harry had been forced to walk, and finally ended up at a large, green door.

Lucius knocked on the door as Draco watched.

"Yes?" came a cold voice within.

"It's Lucius"

Draco heard a strange hissing from behind the door. Then it opened, revealing a black, marble throne room. Draco saw Voldemort standing at the head of a low table in the centre of the room, with two Death Eaters on each side. Lying on the table was -

"Harry!" Draco yelled through the cloth covering his mouth.

He tried to lunge forward out of his father's grasp, but was held strongly in place. Lucius led him forward to the side of the room and Draco turned his neck to look back at the table.

Harry was unconscious; his skin deathly pale and bones showing unnaturally from beneath his thin sweater. His face was a mess; purple discolouration marred his usually beautiful skin and a deep gash that had scabbed over, ran down one cheek. His eyes were fluttering in agitation as he lay there dreaming.

Voldemort held his wand to Harry's scar as blood drained from deep cuts in his arms.

Draco was shoved against the wall, untied, and then chained into the rusty shackles hanging there. Lucius gave his son one last look of disdain, removed the cloth gag, and walked away to stand beside the throne steps.

"Harry!" Draco called out desperately, straining against the chains. His arms ached longingly to scoop up Harry's battered body and get him away from here. Tears ran down his face in frustration as he helplessly watched Harry being abused before his eyes.

Voldemort opened his red eyes and lifted his wand.

"That's enough" he said.

Peter Pettigrew suddenly entered the room and walked over to Voldemort; accompanying him back to his throne before returning to stand over Harry's head. The two Death Eaters stationed by Harry's arms turned and left the room.

"Wake him" Voldemort commanded.

Peter took out his wand and muttered "Enervate."

Harry's eyes blinked open and he winced in pain as his scar burned on his forehead, the familiar feeling of blood trickling down his face.

Peter leaned down so only Harry could hear.

"Harry, where are your glasses?" he whispered.

"Lucius" Harry croaked.

Peter glanced up at Lucius, talking to Lord Voldemort quietly.

"Can you see well enough without them?" he asked.

Harry shook his head and felt dizzy from the resulting burst of pain in his head.

"I can't do it..." Harry whimpered.

"I'll get them for you, Harry" Peter assured him, "don't give up."

"Is he ready to die yet?" Voldemort asked in a bored voice.

Peter glanced down and Harry took a deep breath before nodding slightly.

"Yes" Peter announced loudly.

"No!"

Peter whipped his head to the left and saw a young, blond, man chained to the wall, struggling desperately, his eyes on Harry. Peter vaguely recognised him as Lucius' son.

Harry blinked in confusion at the sound of Draco's voice.

"Excellent!" Voldemort said happily.

Peter turned back to Harry and used his wand to free him from the table. He grabbed Harry's arms and held him up as the table vanished. He let go and walked away to stand by Lucius; Harry stood alone, swaying half- consciously on his feet.

"I knew you'd come to your senses Mr Potter" Voldemort said, descending the throne steps regally. "I am pleased."

Harry cast his eyes around, desperately trying to make out Pettigrew's blurry shape among the group of Death Eaters gathered there.

"Harry!"

Harry turned in confusion, looking around blindly at the sound of Draco's voice again.

"I'm going crazy" Harry thought to himself, shaking his head to try and clear his delusional mind.

Voldemort stopped ten feet in front of Harry and withdrew his wand.

"Goodbye Mr Potter..."

"Harry, now!"

Peter's voice rang out as something hit Harry's foot. Without stopping to think, Harry bent down and grabbed his glasses. He quickly put them on, pulled his wand from his jeans and turned to face Voldemort; ready to fight.

"No..." Voldemort hissed in disbelief.

He turned to Peter angrily; Lucius was sprawled unconsciously on the floor at his feet.

"Avada Kedavra!"

A blast of green light filled the room.

"Harry!" Draco screamed, squinting against the glare.

The light cleared and Harry was still standing.

Peter's dead body was lying in a heap on the floor, his eyes wide open and lifeless.

"No!" Harry shouted, feeling angrier than he'd ever felt in his life. An accumulation of pent-up rage from events throughout his entire life, starting with the death of his parents, filled his entire being.

Harry lifted his wand and pointed it at Voldemort; wanting to kill.

Voldemort whirled around, red eyes flashing, and raised his wand to Harry.

"Avada Kedavra!"

"Alcestis!"

Draco watched as the two wands shot out a single beam of light, connecting in the middle with a loud crack.

Harry's wand vibrated as a glowing green bead squeezed itself out of the tip and slid along the thread towards Voldemort.

Lucius stirred and opened his eyes in horror at the scene in front of him. He got to his feet and started to rush forward to aid his master.

"No!" Voldemort shouted, glancing out of the corner of his eye at him. "He used Alcestis...if you break the connection we'll both die."

Lucius stopped, gripping his wand in frustration as he watched from the side-lines.

Draco looked on, silently willing the green light to touch Voldemort's wand. He somehow knew that that was the key to Voldemort's death.

He watched Harry closely, admiring the sudden strength emanating from him. His emerald eyes were dark with fury and his scar was glowing red.

"Draco" a voice whispered into his ear.

Draco turned and saw Ron's face peeking out from under the invisibility cloak.

"Ron!" he exclaimed quietly in relief.

"What's happening?" Ron asked, looking worriedly towards his best friend.

"Harry used some kind of counter-curse for Avada Kedavra. Voldemort said if the connection is broken then they will both be killed, so we can't interfere. I think if that green light reaches Voldemort, he'll die."

"Come on, Harry" Ron muttered under his breath, watching the green light as it slowly got closer to Voldemort.

"Harry!" Draco suddenly yelled in alarm.

Ron looked back to Harry and saw his arms shaking violently, his knees beginning to buckle under the strain.

"Harry, don't give up!" Draco shouted encouragingly.

Harry's eyes blinked in recognition, then brightened to a sparkling emerald; burning with a renewed sense of power. He straightened up and stared back at Voldemort icily.

Voldemort's eyes widened in alarm as his wand began to vibrate. The green light was only a foot away.

The light suddenly became brighter, throwing off tiny green sparks.

Voldemort's entire body was shaking now, his knuckles white as he gripped his wand tightly.

"You're almost there, Harry!" Draco called, "Hold on!"

Voldemort fell to his knees, the light only inches away.

A triumphant smile curled Harry's lips as he watched the light reach Voldemort's wand.

"No!" Lucius shouted in horror.

Suddenly he rushed forward, running straight into the magical beam and breaking the connection.

There was a blinding flash of golden light and green sparks; a smoky mist filled the room.

"Harry!" Draco cried out.

Ron drew his wand and turned to Draco.

"Alohamora" he said, releasing Draco from the chains.

Ron removed the invisibility cloak and stood beside Draco as the mist cleared.

Harry and Voldemort were lying motionless on the floor.

"No!" Ron cried.

The Death Eaters around them suddenly came to life, running towards Ron and Draco. They tried to use their wands and discovered that their powers had been drained, so they came at the two men with their fists.

Ron used his wand to stun as many Death Eaters as he could.

Suddenly someone was fighting alongside them.

"Sirius!" Ron gasped through gritted teeth.

"My powers are gone" he said. "I think Voldemort drained them as he fought Harry. My new tattoo that Draco gave me seems to have disappeared too."

"You were here the whole time?" Draco asked.

"No..." Sirius grunted, pulling a Death Eater off of Ron, "I just saw the end."

"I'm going to find Harry" Draco said, slipping away from a Death Eaters' grasp.

Draco saw two Death Eaters grab Harry and Voldemort's bodies and rush through the green door. Draco chased after them.

"Draco!"

Draco turned and saw his father running towards him, wand out. He ducked the curse quickly and grabbed his father around the waist, hauling him to the ground. A green box slipped from Draco's pocket as he fell onto his father roughly.

Draco pulled back and punched his father in the face; his nose breaking with a sickening crunch. He then reached into Lucius' robes and grabbed his own wand from the inside pocket. Draco stood up and held his wand over his father.

Lucius looked up with wide eyes.

"This is for Harry" Draco said, closing his eyes. "Avada Kedavra!"

Draco heard the rushing sound of the deadly curse and then silence. He opened his eyes and looked down at his father's dead body.

Draco looked away a moment, his eyes clenched shut in regret. Regret of what could have been...what should have been. If only his father could have seen the light...

Draco shook his head and took off after Harry; not looking back.

He pushed open the green door and sprinted down the corridor, his cloak flowing out behind him and his wand held at the ready. As he rounded the corner, he saw the two Death Eaters ahead; one was carrying Voldemort, the other was dragging Harry.

Draco ran as fast as he could and skidded to a halt behind them as they turned around.

"Pertrificus totalus!" he shouted.

The two Death Eaters instantly fell to the floor, dropping their burdens and lying frozen in place.

Draco rushed forward and gathered Harry's body into his arms.

"Harry?" he whispered, cradling the frail body to his chest and placing his cheek against Harry's cold face.

Draco pulled back and saw Harry's chest rising and falling ever so slightly, his breathing shallow and ragged.

"Harry?" he tried again.

No response.

Draco hugged him tighter and gently pressed his lips to Harry's scar, willing him to open his eyes.

"Draco!"

Draco looked up to see Sirius and Ron running down the corridor. They stopped beside him and looked down at Harry, faces pale.

"Is he...alive?" Ron asked.

"Yes...barely" Draco murmured into Harry's dark hair.

Sirius walked over to Voldemort's body and knelt down.

"He's dead..." he said in disbelief. "It's over..."

Draco and Ron looked over at Sirius, there expressions stunned. Voldemort was dead. The war was over.

Draco looked back down at Harry.

"Harry, please wake up," he pleaded, "there's something I have to tell you..."

Sirius stood up and went over to stand by Ron.

"Let's get him back to Hogwarts" Sirius suggested.

Draco reached into his pocket for the portkey and gasped when he found it empty.

"The portkey is missing!" he panicked.

"What?" Ron exclaimed. "Did it fall out somewhere?"

"It must have...probably in the throne room."

"Let's go" Sirius said.

Draco picked Harry up and held him close as they made their way back to the green door. Ron went to open the door...it wouldn't budge.

"Is it locked?" Ron asked, puzzled.

"It couldn't be..." Sirius frowned, "we just came through it and there aren't any Death Eaters still alive to lock it."

Ron pushed again, throwing his whole weight against it. It still wouldn't open.

"What are we going to do?" Ron asked, looking back at Sirius in fear. "If we can't get the portkey then we're trapped here..."

"I don't know..." Sirius trailed off.

"I think there's a password," Draco said, looking at the door, "I heard Voldemort speak earlier and it opened...but it's in Parseltongue."

Draco knelt down with Harry in his lap and brushed dark strands of hair off of his clammy forehead. He removed the now broken glasses and kissed Harry's closed eyelids softly.

"Harry," he whispered into his ear, "we need your help, please wake up..."

Draco placed one last kiss on Harry's eyelids and pulled back.

Harry stirred, his forehead creasing into a frown. A quiet moan of pain escaped his chapped lips as his eyes fluttered open a crack.

"Harry!" Draco cried in relief, his heart pounding.

Harry looked up at Draco's blurry shape and smiled before closing his eyes again...drifting off.

"No...Harry," Draco shook him slightly, "please we need you to help us open the door. Do you know the password?"

Harry stirred again, but didn't want to open his eyes. He wanted to sleep and leave all the pain behind....beautiful sleep...no pain...but something was calling him back. He recognised Draco's voice and registered the panic in it...must help Draco first...

Harry dragged his eyes open and turned his head slightly towards the door.

"Avada Kedavra" he hissed in Parseltongue.

The door swung open and Ron and Sirius ran into the throne room looking around on the floor for the box.

Draco looked down and saw Harry sigh contentedly as he closed his heavy eyes. Suddenly Harry's breathing slowed and his quiet breaths became erratic.

"Harry!" he cried out, shaking him desperately.

Ron and Sirius turned and looked back at Draco in alarm.

"Hurry!" Draco called to them.

Ron suddenly spotted a small, green, box lying on the floor by Lucius' body. He ran over and grabbed it, slipping on the smooth floor as he turned to run back to Draco.

"I've got it!" he yelled.

Sirius ran over and crowded around the other three. Ron opened the box and held it out in the palm of his hand; a bright emerald sparkled up at them from inside.

"Ready?" he asked, "one...two...three."

Draco held Harry protectively as he reached forward and touched the tip of his finger to the bright jewel. He felt himself being pulled away in a whirl of colour, gripping Harry tightly as they disappeared.