* These recent chapters took very long to write because of their incredibly detailed and sensitive plot details. This one is not the last chapter. The final chapter is being written, and the epilogue as well. They will be out within a few days. Let me know what you think, the ending is already finalized but your comments may help me decide the tone of the chapters. Thanks for your support.*
Chapter 37: Praedicae Compleo – Prophesies Fulfilled
Lucius and Draco had made their way rapidly through ruined rooms of the castle to the base of the tower where Voldemort was awaiting them. Rookwood broke away from them half way to join Crabbe and Avery in a duel. This brought the reality of the Auror's invasion right home to Lucius, who was beyond arrogance and pretence now…
Hopefully, the Death Eaters would keep the Aurors away from the tower for long enough…
"My Lord, we shouldn't waste any more time, the last I saw of Rookwood, Avery and Crabbe, they were battling two young Aurors in the east wing! No doubt that fool Dumbledore and the other old guard are here too…. You must do it now!" Lucius still held Noel. They were standing in the old tower guard room, which was the stronghold to the base of specially reinforced tower.
"How fortunate that your son is of age now Draco, I was getting tired of waiting for you to turn 21." said Voldemort to the younger Malfoy, "Your Pureblood-Aquarius combination blood runs in your child's veins, the magical blood-and-water combination fabled from antiquity to flow in the veins of immortals! … When this blood is spilt by you its creator, and your son's life thus destroyed, it will result in the magical circle of life necessary to perfect the stone."
Draco watched silently as Voldemort stepped towards Lucius. His face was pale and impassive, his gray eyes showed no flicker of emotion.
"Hand the child over, Lucius." Voldemort held out his scaly arms for the child. Noel began to cry. "Draco Malfoy, follow me into the tower. Do not waste any more time."
Voldemort walked across the old tower guard room and out through a small door set at the back of the room. Draco knew that beyond that door lay the start of the spiral stone stairway that would lead to the top of the tower- and the sacrificial altar. Voldemort began to ascend the stairs, his hands around the baby. Although the Dark Lord tried to appear calm, his steps were quick, and there was an urgency about his movements.
"Go on, Draco" Lucius pushed his son forward, "This is everything I have ever worked for. Tonight, we shall be greatly rewarded! The Malfoys will gain such power as they never imagined- and you shall be there to share it with me, my son and heir."
Draco stayed rooted to the spot. This was the moment he embraced his new destiny, after this there could be no turning back. Lucius saw his son's hesitation.
"Remember how easily love is thrust aside. Love, affection,… weak little tricks to steer us from our path towards glory and power. The mudblood deceived you, you thought you had found love….did you enjoy it? How did it feel when she turned from you?"
Draco bit his lip. His heart gave a painful wrench. Lucius smiled as his son turned and followed the Dark Lord.
"DRACO!" a woman's voice rang out across the room.
Draco stopped dead in his tracks.
"Mother?"
Narcissa Malfoy and Hermione Granger each supported one arm of Severus Snape who looked like he was about to collapse. Hermione had a wound above her eye which bled onto her cheek. Even trying her best as Hermione's bodyguard, Emmeline had not managed to block that particular blow even though she had eventually petrified MacNair.
Draco froze on the stairs. His gray eyes cold, his face looking thinner than ever. "Why are you here? What's going on?"
"It was a trick! Lucius put us under the imperius! Pansy took polyjuice to look like Hermione!" Narcissa buckled under the weight of Snape and Hermione stumbled as well.
"They lie, Draco!" said Lucius, curtly.
Draco Malfoy stared deep into the blue eyes of his mother. He had truly thought she was back in Malfoy Manor and that Snape was back at Hogwarts as Lucius had told him earlier. He turned to his father. Severus had always been the one person he trusted above all others.
"Father, why did you tell me Severus was back at Hogwarts all this time?"
"He was…they are lying! They are trying to make you weak!"
Draco was coming down the stairs, his wand in hand, looking at all the persons in the room carefully. What the hell was going on? Why was his mother here? And Severus? And Hermione helping Severus and his mother?
"Draco" Narcissa pleaded. "It is not too late. You must believe us."
Hermione couldn't find her voice. Why wouldn't Draco believe her?
Draco stared at Hermione, his face white. If it was true…he thought of how he had treated her in the last few days, worse than a slave, worse than a whore. There was no anger in Hermione's face, only desperate hope. Could it be?
There were yelps and scuffles from the doorway as Ginny Weasley dragged a struggling Pansy Parkinson into the room. Her wand was against Pany's throat. "Tell the truth Pansy!" Ginny demanded.
Pansy squealed, "It was me! Lucius told me to take the polyjuice! He…he…said Draco and I could get married if I did it! P-P-Please don't hurt me." Pansy began to snivel, snot dripped from her nose. Ginny looked in disgust at Pansy, as did Draco.
Severus lifted his head. "Draco…it's true. I was under the Imperius. Hermione is innocent."
Hermione felt her head swim. Her head wound was still bleeding profusely, as it was inflicted by MacNair's poisonous Gladeus Maleus, staunching charms had not managed to stop the flow. She sank to her knees, Snape much too heavy for her to hold up any longer.
Draco saw Hermione crumple to the floor, Severus Snape slipping out of her hands. As he saw her slump over, he was reminded of the time he had found Hermione in the girl's toilets, crumpled over and nearly dead…Millicent and Pansy had been there…smiling…as Pansy was still smiling now. For one terrible moment, he thought she had died…
"Hermione!" Draco leapt down the stairs and ran through the small doorway back into the tower room.
Lucius knew that Draco would never co-operate now. He quickly unsheathed his wand…
"Expelliarmus!" someone shouted.
Lucius' wand flew out of his hand and splintered as it hit the ceiling.
A crack appeared in the old, crumbling mortar between the stone of the ancient tower guard room.
"You again!" hissed Lucius, as Harry Potter pushed past Ginny and rushed towards Lucius.
"I don't know how you always manage to get in the way, Potter, but this is where it ends!" bellowed Lucius. "Inferorum Animas Gladeus Maleus!"
Harry watched in horror as Lucius apparated a deadly black sword and leapt towards him. But Lucius found himself instantly blocked by a brightly glowing sword, conjured by Harry Potter.
Trying desperately not to lose concentration, Harry yelled at Ginny to get away. Narcissa Malfoy screamed as Harry sliced Lucius deeply in the arm.
"Crucio" muttered Lucius, slicing down on Harry, who dodged and rolled over, instantly returning with a hard swipe at the older man. The crack in the ceiling grew larger.
"Hermione, run!" shouted Draco as he unsheathed his wand and aimed it steadily at where Lucius and Harry were fighting. Hermione got to her feet shakily, one hand clutching her head wound.
"Let's go Hermione!" yelled Ginny, walking swiftly away with Pansy. Ginny had witnessed Lucius Malfoy, the most deadly Death Eater in Voldemort's service, kill too many Aurors to foolishly stick around. She had strict orders from Dumbledore to leave Lucius and Voldemort to the more experienced Aurors. Harry could take him on. Draco too if necessary.
Hermione didn't move.
Noel was here. She could sense it. He was somewhere nearby. "Draco!" she called out suddenly, "Noel…we must get Noel! Help me!"
Draco cursed under his breath, trying to find a clear space between Harry and Lucius to take a good shot at his father. If only he could stun him!
Severus Snape sat weakly on the ground, watching in fascination and horror the scene that was unfolding before his eyes. He felt like he had awoken from a very long and painful nightmare. His best friend, Narcissa Van Doren was beside him.
"Narcissa," Snape said, turning to her, "thank you for saving my life."
Narcissa nodded but her mind was on other things: she watched as Lucius Malfoy was beaten slowly down by Harry, Draco advanced on his father with his wand.
"Don't watch, Narcissa" Snape said, pulling at his friend's hand. Her hand was icy cold. "It will all be over soon, that bastard Lucius will stop making our lives a misery. You don't have to watch his end."
Harry gave a sudden scream and his gladeus disapparated rapidly. Blood splattered in an ugly spray around him.
"Harry!" yelled Draco.
Harry Potter fell to the ground, clutching his hand.
"Painful Potter?" hissed Lucius, as he kicked two of Harry's fingers away with his boot. "Cruoris!"
It was the only curse of pain worse than the cruciatus curse. Harry screamed and blood flowed from his ears and nose.
Severus watched Harry's fall in dismay.
Lucius whirled round on his own son with his Gladeus.
"You good for nothing little….!" Lucius plunged the sword toward Draco but Draco deflected the blade with a shield spell. The force of the repelling the Gladeus threw Draco back against the wall. He hit the crumbling walls of the tower guard room and there was an ominous rumbling. Draco slid to the floor, winded.
"Now, for you!" said Lucius, pointing his wand at where Hermione stood.
"Stupefy!" yelled Hermione, aiming her wand at him faster than Lucius could have ever expected.
Lucius' face took on a stunned expression as he fell to the floor.
"Rictus Sempra!" Lucius face contorted in pain, Hermione pointed her wand at him steadily. He took her baby. He took Noel. "Averte Statum".
"Hermione that's enough, we've got to save Noel!" the tower began to shake.
Draco grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her across the floor, past where Lucius lay petrified to where Harry lay, writhing in pain.
"Potter, get up! The room is going to fall in any second." Draco and Hermione each grabbed Harry under the arms. Harry moaned.
"Harry, please…hang on …" Somehow, they managed to drag Harry through the small doorway at the back of the room.
"Mother, Severus, get out of here…now!" he shouted over his shoulder as he crossed the threshold with Hermione and Harry. They gently deposited Harry at the base of the stone steps. "He'll be okay here!" panted Draco, as Hermione fussed over Harry's hand. "The tower is as strong as a mountain…it won't collapse."
"Oh my god…he's really badly hurt…" Hermione conjured a tourniquet and magically fastened it around Harry's wrist. Like Hermione's head wound, Harry's wound wouldn't respond to healing spells either, having been inflicted by a dark blade.
Draco reached out and took Hermione's shaking white hand. She froze.
"I'm so sorry" he said, before he reached over, put a hand on her cheek and kissed her. Hermione felt as if the whole of her life at Hogwarts with Draco Malfoy came rushing back to her… McGonagall putting the sorting hat on her head and she locked eyes with Draco, the hat sorting her into Gryffindor but only after whispering what's this fondness for Slytherin that I foresee?, Draco calling her a mudblood on the quidditch field, she was slapping him for being rude in the third, they were in the prefect's carriage in the fifth, he was staring at her in Umbridge's office, Draco coming in wet from Quidditch practice in the rain, she was healing his shoulder in the final year, Draco kissing her at the Yule Ball, he was asking her to marry him, he was holding their son…and then he was kissing her again.
Draco pulled back at last, gray eyes locked onto her honey coloured ones. His eyes full of sorrow and need.
Hermione smiled at him, "I forgave you long ago."
Back in the tower guard room, Ginny Weasley reappeared without Pansy but with Remus Lupin instead.
"They're in here! They're in here!" she shouted.
Lupin slipped his arms under Severus Snape's weak form and began dragging him out. He wished he could put a mobilicorpus on him, but he was afraid Severus was too weak to survive the mild stupefy spell needed before he could do that.
Narcissa Malfoy felt Ginny Weasley pulling at her arm.
"Come on, Mrs Malfoy, we have to go! Come ON!"
"Noncontagium"
"Mrs Malfoy!" Ginny yelled, trying desperately to lay her hands on Narcissa, but her hands couldn't touch Narcissa! They could only feel the air about an inch above her skin. It was like there was an invisible force field between them. Narcissa sadly sheathed her wand. "Mrs Malfoy, what are you doing?"
"Narcissa! Hurry! The room is going to collapse!" shouted Snape weakly, as Lupin dragged him out. The walls shook.
"Ginny, come out AT ONCE!" screamed Lupin.
"What is she doing?" hissed Snape, as he watched Narcissa stand motionless near the body of her husband.
"Stupefy!" said Lupin quickly to Snape. Lupin had an idea what was going to happen, and he didn't think Snape should watch. "Mobilicorpus" Snape's stupefied body lifted easily into the air and sailed down the corridor. Lupin prayed that Snape would survive the mild spells, the Potions Master looked very weak.
In the crumbling room, Ginny was still throwing herself at Narcissa, trying to break past the invisible barrier between them.
"MRS MALFOY! RUN! Please!"
Lupin pointed his wand at Ginny, "Accio Ginny!"
Ginny yelped as she flew threw the air and landed at Lupin's feet.
"Accio Narcissa!" said Lupin, equally quickly.
But the spell simply bounced off Narcissa like it had hit the surface of a mirror.
Lupin tried again.
"ACCIO Narcissa!"
Ginny was trying to run from Lupin back into the room, but Lupin dragged her back with one free arm.
Narcissa Van Doren calmly looked at the cold, pale face of the man who had been her husband for nearly twenty years. Even when stunned, he was still handsome. She almost wished his gray eyes were open, so she could look into them one more time. How she had loved him. How she hated him.
"Lupin! Get Lucius out!" shrieked Ginny suddenly.
"What?"
"Narcissa is going to kill herself with Lucius!"
Ginny freed her wand arm and pointed her wand at Lucius, "Accio Lucius!" Lucius body gave a twitch and begn moving towards the doorway. The walls shook and bits of stone rained down from the ceiling. There was an ominous rumbling.
"NO!" said Narcissa, weighing down Lucius' body with her own. She turned to them with a calm expression. "He deserves to die. He killed my sister, he killed my niece, he killed my cousin…Lucius deserves to die."
Lupin had to shout to make himself heard above the rumbling of stone.
"Even if he does, Narcissa, you don't! Get out! Get out!"
Narcissa smiled sadly, Ginny watched in horror as the beautiful blonde woman sat down beside Lucius and held his hand in hers.
"You don't und-"
"NARCISSA!" screamed Lupin as large stones fell from the ceiling, drowning her out and blocking her from his view.
Back in the room that held the base of the spiral stairway up the tower, Draco, Hermione and Harry winced as the room they had just escaped from collapsed crashingly. Clouds of dust and bits of debris flew into the room, making all three choke and sputter.
"I hope they got out!" Hermione said.
"Harry'll be fine now- I'm going after Noel."
"No!" said Harry, clinging onto Draco, "I have to go too."
"You're crazy Potter…this is no time to be a hero, you're too badly hurt."
"Draco's right, Harry! I know you always had a 'saving people thing' but this is ridiculous. Draco and I will go!"
"NO!" shouted Harry. "You don't understand, I have to go…I'm the only one who can defeat Voldemort!"
Draco and Hermione exchanged glances.
"I really am the only one! It's a p-prophesy…it has to be me…me or Neville but I have the mark so it's me…"
"Stupefy"
Harry slumped back unconscious. Draco lowered his wand, "Sorry Potter, but it's really for your own good."
Hermione tenderly tightened the tourniquet on Harry's wrist and got unsteadily to her feet.
"Draco…let's go!" she said, urgently.
Draco held her shoulders tenderly. "I- I don't think you should go, Hermione."
"WHAT?"
Draco looked into her eyes. "It's too dangerous. You're badly hurt yourself…I'm the one Voldemort wants. I'm a good fighter Hermione, I can defeat him alone."
"You're as crazy as Harry!" said Hermione, her eyes wide with disbelief. "My son is in there, you are NOT keeping me out!"
Hermione leapt up the stairs.
"HERMIONE!"
Draco ran after her. Even as she ran, Hermione felt herself weakening. She had lost a lot of blood…the stairs were spiraling…spiraling…
A pair of strong arms caught her.
"Please…I have to go. Draco, take me. Take me or I swear I will crawl all the way up on my hands and knees."
Draco put his hands under her knees and lifted her to his chest. She put her arms around his neck. "You always were the stubbornest witch I knew" he said as he ran up the stairs with her.
It was not easy running up the stairs, even with someone as petite as Hermione Granger. Draco was panting with the effort when he finally reached the top of the stairway and came to a large door. Amazingly, it opened easily under his hand.
Hermione heard a baby crying. Noel. She would know that cry anywhere…she heard it in her dreams so often.
"Where is he?" she shouted and barged into the room behind Draco.
Draco stood transfixed as a red-hooded figure standing within a fiery pentagram conjured a green mist over his son, rubbing the child's body with a foul green substance. Voldemort had begun the ritual. The bright red cinnabar glowed beside the baby.
"You're late, Malfoy" hissed Voldemort and pointed his wand at Draco. "And your actions displease me. Expelliarmus!"
Draco's wand flew out of his hand and out of the tower window.
"Now for you, mudblood…"
"No!" shouted Harry, crawling into the room and trying to maneuver his wand with his undamaged left hand out of his robes.
"Potter!" said Draco in surprise.
Voldemort hissed in anger, distracted for a moment.
Hermione ran toward Noel, his cries desperately drawing her toward him.
This was her chance, and though she had never used a killing curse before, she raised her wand to Voldemort and said boldly, "Avada Kedavra"
There was a blinding green flash followed by high pitched laughter.
"Only Potter can kill me, didn't you know, mudblood?"
Harry finally managed to get his wand out of his robes, but his left hand shook as he tried to aim it at Voldemort.
"Accio Wand."
Harry's wand flew into Voldemort's hand and Harry groaned. Voldemort snapped it in half.
Draco was now beside Hermione, shielding her as she tried to lift Noel off the table. She couldn't move the child! It seemed like Noel was part of the stone.
"Draco help me, he's stuck! Noel, hang on, mummy's here…"
"Hermione!" Draco screamed as Voldemort dragged him into the pentagram.
He struggled desperately in the grip of the Dark Lord.
"Blood traitor…filth …a Malfoy abomination!" hissed the Dark Lord, scratching Draco across the chest with his claw-like nails.
"YOU are the abomination!" shouted Draco. "You undead monster!"
Voldemort lifted Harry's wand, "Imperio Majora" he hissed, pointing it at Draco. Draco's body convulsed as the power of the high-level imperius curse hurled by Voldemort coursed hotly through his veins. Voldemort picked up the glowing red cinnabar.
"Let him go! Stupefy! Petrificus Totalus!" Hermione hurled spells at Voldemort but the spells bounced of him like he had put a noncontagium on himself.
Harry tried to block the pain out of his body. His scar was on fire, but his severed fingers hurt more. He was racked with pain from the recent cruoris, but with enormous control, managed to get to his knees and struggle towards the altar.
"Foolish girl, spells cannot harm me now… I am protected by the transformation of the stone! The Ritual has started and it is too late! TOO LATE! If you want to stop the ritual, I'm afraid you'll have to perform the killing curse on your lover or your baby…go ahead, be my guest…" Voldemort laughed coldly and his high, shrill, cackling echoed around the room.
The laughter was so shrill, so triumphant, that Hermione clutched her head. Voldemort performed a spell over the lump of red cinnabar with his wand. The lipless gash that was his mouth hissed out terrible words that neither Harry nor Hermione had heard before. He drew a dagger with a curved blade from his robes.
Time was running out…Harry knew that Hermione still had her wand, there was only one chance left, Voldemort was right….
"Hermione, you heard him… you have to do it!" yelled Harry.
Hermione raised her wand and began to cry. Draco Malfoy…her one true love …she couldn't kill him....and she couldn't kill her baby either… "I…I…can't…" whispered Hermione, holding her wand before her as if she were made of stone.
"HERMIONE…CHOOSE!" Harry cried desperately, the blood from the stump of his severed fingers made a dark stain on the floor as he continued crawling towards Voldemort. Every ounce of strength he had was needed to keep him going. He didn't know exactly what he was going to do once he reached Voldemort, but instinct made him crawl towards him.
"Malfoy, begin the sacrifice!" commanded Voldemort, holding the stone in his scaly hands and handing the Niger Novacula to Draco.
Draco pulled the Niger Novacula along the right arm of his baby and an angry red cuts appeared, drops of red blood sprang up and began to drip over the white skin of the baby. At the back of his mind, Draco looked down recognised something he had seen in Dumbledore's office one Christmas day, in a white orb… Lucius' hands covered with fresh red blood as were a pair of scaly hands from the black hooded figure. Except the hands he look on weren't his father's hands…they were his own. Voldemort began to chant, smearing the stone with the baby's blood.
The baby began to cry loudly, his hair turning fiery red, then black with pain.
"DRACO!" Hermione screamed, "DON'T DO IT!"
"HERMIONE… YOU HAVE TO END IT NOW." screamed Harry, his voice tearing his throat. What was wrong with her? Harry's scar hurt so badly he was almost blinded, through the flashing lights before his eyes, he saw Hermione still rooted to the spot.
She knew she had the power to end the Ritual now, to do the Avada Kedavra on Draco or Noel, but it seemed like her mind wouldn't work. The choice was simply incomprehensible to her.
"Forget it, Potter. The mudblood won't do it…don't say I didn't give her the chance. Accio Wand." Hermione's wand flew out of her hand into Voldemort's where he snapped it casually into half.
The Cinnabar began to glow even brighter.
Draco saw himself slice his son's arms as if in a trance. The baby was crying. A man in a red hooded cloak was casting a spell. Another man was crawling on the ground. As if from far away, he heard the woman scream his name…
"D r a c o! P l e a s e …"
Draco watched as he cut his son again…every fibre in his body strained against the will of Voldemort. His hands shook as he tried to resist the will of the Dark Lord. He didn't cut his baby as deeply as he knew the Dark Lord wanted him to, but it was an effort almost beyond belief to resist the Dark Lord's commands. Voldemort's lust and evil were in his own mind, tendrils of invading thought taking over, obscene images polluting his soul…the Legilimens willed him to sacrifice the child…
The cries of the baby penetrated his mind like a small ray of light through a dense cloud. The tiny diamond dragon lay exposed on the chest of the crying child, its ruby eyes glittering…it's little wings opening and closing….he remembered
Again he was kissing Hermione by the Great Lake, walking with her in Hogsmeade, laughing with her in the Prefects' common room, holding her after she had given birth to their son…
Her lovely golden eyes which were full of love and promise. "Yes."
He tried to remember how she looked when she promised she would marry him… if only he could remember that moment, how she had looked… just that one moment on their last day at Hogwarts… if only that image would come through the terrible black cloud of Voldemort's evil thoughts… one image of love was all that was needed…
Draco's fingers opened and the Niger Novacula clattered onto the altar next to the baby.
"What are you doing?" hissed Voldemort.
"Inferorum… Animas…Gladeus…Valeus…" Draco heard the words come out of his mouth thickly, and slowly, like syrup running down a spoon.
Harry and Hermione watched as Draco impossibly conjured up a weak, yet corporeal Gladeus Valeus. Harry grimly heard Figg's calm voice in his head, "you must perfect the Gladeus in case you ever find yourself wandless and in great danger." Harry's head swam, switching randomly between images of duelling with Draco in the old Hogwarts hall and watching Lucius slice his fingers off. Focus, Harry.
"You cannot kill me!" shrieked Voldemort. "Only Potter can do that!"
Draco could hardly feel his fingers on the hilt of the sword. He began to lift the blade.
Harry Potter realised what Draco was about to do.
So did Hermione.
"DRACO! NOoooo!" She screamed, throwing herself at Draco, but Harry launched himself at her and knocked her back. Harry couldn't believe he had just done that- but he had no choice! He lay winded on the floor, Hermione struggling furiously beneath him, beating and clawing at him frantically.
"LET ME GO. HARRY, SAVE HIM! WE CAN SAVE HIM…" Hermione screamed.
"Draco Malfoy, sheath your sword!" demanded Voldemort, his high voice wavering. "You are under an Imperius…I command you to sheath your sword!"
Draco's arms shook with the effort of maintaining and controlling the Gladeus while under the Imperius. Free will, my own free will. Draco thought back to the day he had asked Hermione to marry him, the one moment he most wanted to remember after she had promised herself to him… aren't you going to kiss me…
Harry pressed Hermione down hard even though he felt her weakening. Sirius, give me strength for this. I need strength to hurt my best friend. I need strength to do this. Harry prayed. he will have power the Dark Lord knows not…
Draco aimed the sword at his chest.
"You fool!" Voldemort howled.
Draco cried out as he fell. From where she lay pinned beneath Harry, Hermione watched everything as if in slow-motion.
Draco was falling
the Gladeus slowly disapparating within him
his cry a long drawn-out wail.
Swiftly, Harry rolled off Hermione and crawled to the edge of the altar.
Voldemort aimed his wand at Harry but Draco's sudden actions had distracted him for a crucial moment.
"Avada…" The words died in his throat.
Harry had already grabbed the fallen Niger Novacula from where Draco had dropped it and with his uninjured left-hand plunged it deep into Voldemort's chest.
Black blood spurted over the two of them, Harry cried silently as the poisonous black fluid burned the flesh on his hands, but he didn't let go of the Novacula. Voldemort gave a piercing scream that shook the entire tower and crumpled to the floor
and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives
Harry slumped over the fallen wizard, finally at the end of his strength.
Suddenly, Voldemort's body shrunk within his robes, and a foul smelling dust arose from the stinking pile of cloth. There was nothing left. Harry's injured hand bled profusely into the fabric of Voldemort's empty robes, mingling with the black blood of the fallen Dark Lord. Harry blacked out momentarily.
Hermione crawled over to where Noel lay crying, he was not badly hurt, only deeply scratched. Then she turned to Draco's body. Draco lay on his side, his gray eyes half open, fresh red blood blossoming over his robes. A trickle of red blood ran down the side of his mouth.
"Draco…Draco Malfoy…please talk to me" she wept, cradling his head in her arms. He couldn't be dead. Not like this. Not now. She moaned as she saw how much blood had flowed from him, was still flowing from him. His usually pale face was even paler now, his silver-blonde hair flecked with blood. She tried to feel for a heartbeat but her hands shook so much she couldn't do a proper job. He was still warm, his gray eyes still clear…. Maybe….Just a chance…
"Please…Draco, you never gave up so easily…Malfoy, I demand you come back… you ferret, come back! Draco…please…try…" she rambled incoherently, stroking his pale face.
She heard a sound from outside the tower window.
Albus Dumbledore and Sirius Black climbed into the tower. Sirius was bleeding and limping badly. Her mind couldn't understand how they could appear at the tower window. Brooms? She thought stupidly.
"Help!" she moaned pitifully- not really knowing who she meant them to help. Dumbledore went to her side. Sirius limped over to where Harry lay slumped over his fallen enemy. She was aware of Sirius taking his godson into his arms, muttering charms over Harry's badly injured hand. Harry opened his eyes, the mere sight of his godfather seemed to give him strength. Sirius was soothing him with gentle words, "It's not your time Harry, be strong…you did what you had to do. You did it. You killed Voldemort. I'm proud of you. Your parents would be proud."
Harry's voice wavered as he said thinly to Sirius, "…the prophesy…I did it. I really did it. He is dead..."
There were tears in Dumbledore's eyes as he said "It is fulfilled."
From where he lay, Harry Potter raised his head wearily and looked over at where Hermione held a bloodied Draco tightly to her. Her mutterings and sobs had turned to a low keening. He saw her eyes focus on the window…they widened, and her mouth opened in a silent scream.
Harry knew would never forget that look on her face.
Hermione saw a pair of white, shining eyes staring at her. They were set in a dragonish face and neck which led to the skeletal body of a great black winged horse.
At that moment, Hermione knew that Draco Malfoy was dead.
