Chapter 17-And the Battle Begins

Disclaimer: I only own the plot.

Hermione, Draco, Harry, and Ron apparated to the woods close to Malfoy Manor. Malfoy Manor had several spells over it to stop people from apparating into it. Hermione kept her grasp on Little Dragon and Draco held his Invisibility Cloak in his arms, as did Harry. Ron was empty- handed except for his wand.

"Follow me," Draco said to them all and began leading them to Malfoy Manor in the light of the setting sun. After thirty minutes Hermione came in sight of the Manor. It was huge and she gasped, but kept moving. Draco led the three other heirs into the Manor covered in the Invisibility Cloaks; they were not to be seen by anyone as of yet. Draco led them through several secret passages and down several flights of stairs. They passed the dungeons and kept going. Draco opened one last door and led them through to the room beyond. It was an armory.

There were four suits of elfin armor on the walls (this is what Draco wore to the Winter Ball), and also four circlets. Harry and Ron stepped out from Harry's Invisibility Cloak. Draco tossed one set of armor to each person (Hermione's had a little skirt sort of thing) and pointed out a room for each person to change in. Hermione examined hers first. It was of the thinnest, strongest steel that took a hundred years to make, and a layer of diamond that was a half-inch thick covered it. There were only four suits of this armor in the world, all of them at Malfoy Manor apparently.

Hermione went into the room that Draco had pointed out to her and found that the armor was shaped more like clothing than traditional armor. She placed the dainty shirt-like piece over her halter-top, and over her hands went gloves of the same armor. Next came the pants and the skirt. On top of everything came her belt, which had a small sheath for a knife about as long as her palm. 'What good will that be except in close combat?' she wondered before going out to meet Draco in the armory. Draco had wings too and she stopped to stare at them, she hadn't known that Draco was a half- fairy also. His wings were white and glittered green in the light, just like hers except they were red and glittered green. When Draco saw her he frowned slightly. "What's wrong?" and then, jokingly, "Am I too shiny for you?"

"No, but I...I have this feeling that you are going to need your wings also," at this Hermione frowned too, but went back into the room that she had changed in. She turned around and put a silencing spell on the door.

In the room she cursed, she hated taking out her wings, even though she had only taken them out twice before. She trusted Draco, and his instincts too, and so she sat down on the floor to bring out her wings. She screamed in pain, but the pain quickly subsided and her wings flapped on her back at her will. She stood up and removed the silencing spell, then bent down to pick up Little Dragon, who, true to her word, had followed her into the room, not to mention everywhere, and walked out to the eyes of three boys.

Hermione heard Draco catch his breath. "Do you have any head protection or something, because I don't want to lose my head, quite literally," she asked.

Draco grinned and then his face turned serious, "Yeah, they're right here," he walked over to the little clear circlets that looked like crowns hanging on the wall. "Here, they will protect your heads and necks from most spells shot at you," he said, handing them out to each person. Closer examination proved them to be made of diamond.

"Wow, Hermione, those wings are real, Harry and I thought they were fake at the ball," Hermione blushed slightly and raised her eyebrows at him as if to say, 'well duh.'

Draco leaned down to Hermione's ear and whispered, "Hermione, I believe there is someone who wishes to see you in that room there," He pointed. Hermione looked confused, but followed the line of his pointing finger, Little Dragon at her heels. Behind her she heard Harry murmur something about Draco being half-fairy, but she had reached the door and stood there for a minute.

"M-mum?" Hermione gasped.

"Yes, sweetie, it's me," came a soft beautiful voice from the room.

Hermione rushed into the room, wings fluttering so hard that she was almost lifted from the ground. "How, how did you get here?" She squeaked, already in her mother's arms.

"I apparated of course, and I knew it would be safe because Narcissa has been my friend since we were the size of pixies," she laughed and Hermione pulled back to get a good look at her. Her wings were violet and shimmered red, and she had a sort of lavender aura about her. "Now, who is this pretty puppy?"

"Oh, that's Little Dragon," Hermione answered, and then, Little Dragon looked thoughtful and Hermione didn't want her mother to think her weird, staring at her puppy so intently, and so she continued out loud, "Draco gave me her for Christmas, and isn't she adorable?"

Her mother nodded and bent to pick up the puppy, and Hermione heard in her head, Hermione's mother looked frightened, but then realized that the little puppy was dead serious and relaxed. Then Mrs. Granger sighed.

"I must not keep you from your task, off with you and we will be spending summer here, so come with Draco at the end of the school year, okay," Hermione nodded, gave her mother a hug, and a peck on the cheek and walked to the door where Draco was waiting for her and Harry and Ron were staring at her mother, and left with Little Dragon, not even realizing that there were tears on her cheeks.

The four warriors drew their swords. Hermione held the Sword of Knowledge. Draco held the Sword of Love. Harry held the Sword of Life. Ron held the Sword of Light (A/N I said that Hermione's sword's sheath was as long as her hand, well, so is everyone else's; but they are charmed to not be bulky, but the Swords are full length).

They got under the Invisibility Cloaks again and apparated to the little clearing in the woods that Hermione had seen in her dream. Lord Voldemort was in the center of the clearing, with twenty deatheaters surrounding him. Ron stepped from under Harry's Invisibility Cloak and said, "I am Ron Weasley, you killed my sister, prepare to meet your doom."

Draco then stepped from his Invisibility Cloak and fluttered his wings slightly. He stood behind Ron and to Ron's left, "I am Draco Malfoy and I am in love with the one who will kill you."

Harry stepped from his Invisibility Cloak, and tossed it behind a bush. He stepped in front of Draco and to Draco's left, straight across from Ron, "I am Harry Potter, the cousin of your doom and the boy who lived."

Finally Hermione stepped from under Draco's Invisibility Cloak and stood in the center of the semicircle of boys, puppy at her side. To add effect she spoke straight into everyone's head, ~I am Hermione Granger, I will be your downfall Voldemort, and I will rid this land of you forever.~

And thus the battle began.