~ 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.
