FANTASY. WRITTEN BY GIRL-WHO-CAN'T-THINK-OF-ANYTHING-TO-REPLACE-THE-STUPID-ONE-THAT-WAS-HERE-BEFORE.
Disclaimer: You should understand how very young I am – much too young to have created Harry Potter. However, I probably created anything that you do not recognise in this fanfic. Thanks for your attention and review please!
Chapter Nineteen: Horrors of War
"We've got to get out of here." Draco said, holding Hermione's hand even tighter than he had before. They began to run towards the crowd of students that werepushing their way through the dungeon doors as quickly as they could manage. Hermione and Draco were fighting their way through, when suddenly they heard someone call for them from behind.
"Mr Malfoy! Miss Granger! Come with me!"
The pair turned to see Severus Snape rushing towards them, a weird smile plastered on his face. His hair seemed a little longer than usual and his nose slightly less crooked.
"You are to go out of the other doors." Snape said calmly, gesturing for them to follow him as he turned and ascended the stairs that led to the Entrance Hall. Hermione and Draco followed him. She felt something suspicious about Snape, but there was no time to think as they hurried along behind him. Although she didn't know what was happening around her, Draco's hand made her feel as though everything would be all right.
They were in the Entrance Hall now. It was quiet – eerily so. Hermione wondered why they had not exited through the dungeon doors, where she was sure it would be much safer.
"Professor." Draco began. He stopped and pulled Hermione back, so that she stopped as well. "Why have you brought us here?"
Snape turned to face them. He had been about to open the main doors before Draco had interrupted him. A sick smile spread across his face.
"Why, Draco, do you not trust me?" The Professor's eyes gleamed with wickedness, something that Hermione had not seen before. He turned and with one mighty push, the main doors opened. Hermione shivered as a gust of wind met her body, but that was not the only cause. The sight that met her eyes made her shudder all the more.
There were Ministry of Magic officials everywhere - even Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic. Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix were battling desperately, as was the other Hogwarts staff (that were not in the Order). Hermione recognised some seventh year students, as well as younger students, who were frantically trying to fight off some approaching Death Eaters.
Hermione looked around, anxiously scanning the battlefield to find Harryand Ron. She could see Ginny, lying unconscious on the grass, while Luna fired a spell at the Death Eater in front of her. Ron was fighting off both Crabbe and Goyle's fathers with some help from Alex Haven and for the first time, Hermione could see that some seventh year Slytherins were helping the Death Eaters.
Blaise Zabini and his father were battling Dean and Seamus. Neville was having an intense duel with Pansy Parkinson (and seemed to be winning) and Dumbledore stood by the forest, fighting with Bellatrix Lestrange. Mad-Eye Moody, meanwhile, was duelling with Bellatrix's husband (Rodolphus Lestrange) and Crabbe and Goyle were advancing on Padma Patil, who shot them both down easily. The entire Weasley family were also there. George had just let out a cry of pain and fell to the floor – holding a bloody leg, while Fred had effortlessly dodged a badly aimed spell from Marcus Flint.
Hermione let out a sigh of relief as she finally spotted Harry, duelling with Voldemort himself in the midst of all the other battles. Suddenly, something (or rather, someone) pulled her forcefully away from Draco. She gasped as she felt a cold blade against her throat.
"Let go of her!" Draco cried. His grip on her hand had loosened when he had seen the battlefield. He frowned; realising that the man stood in front of him was most definitely not Professor Snape. "Who are you?"
"Be patient, Draco." The man said. Ever so slowly, the man's black shoulder-length hair grew longer, less greasy and blonder. His skin paled and his chin grew more pointed, as Draco gasped in horror.
"Father?"
A smirk appeared on Lucius Malfoy's lips - a cruel, hard smirk. "Nice of you to acknowledge that Draco. It doesn't seem like you have lately."
Draco sniffed, edging a little closer towards Lucius and Hermione. "I have always known you as my father."
"Tut, tut, tut, Draco. You really shouldn't lie." Lucius' grip on Hermione tightened. She could barely breathe, as she felt the cold knife press against her skin. She gasped, trying to get more air. Lucius glanced down at her and then back up at his son. "Especially since I have your dear little mudblood here."
Draco eyed the knife in his father's hands. "Don't you dare harm her." His voice was calm, yet had a hint of urgency to it. There was a shriek from outside, as Millicent Bulstrode fell to the floor. Lucius laughed.
"Oh yes, Draco. I'm really scared of what you might do to me if I dare to harm her." He spat at Draco. "Who do you think I am?"
"Just don't hurt her." He said, his voice not so calm now. "You can do what you like to me, just leave her alone."
"Oh Draco," sighed Lucius in mock disappointment, "I cannot hurt my only son. That would be so wrong of me. I only want to teach you a lesson. Teach you a lesson for being naughty, playing with this here mudblood. I want to see you in pain, suffering for what you have done wrong. And I think this will be the best and most fun way of doing it."
Draco didn't respond. His father knew exactly what he was doing. Lucius continued, although a little distracted by the duel between Parvati Patil, Colin Creevey, and Wormtail.
"Oh, don't look so worried, Draco. After I finish with her, I'll find you a nice pureblood to fall in love with, and then we can forget all of this ever happened. The Dark Lord will never know."
Hermione felt the knife move slightly against her skin. She closed her eyes, feeling the tears form beneath her eyelids. Draco didn't know what to do.
"Don't."
"Why not? Oh, it is fun seeing you all worked up, Draco. I spent quite a while thinking of your punishment."
"I have done nothing wrong." Draco said. "You wanted me to be a Death Eater and help the Dark Lord. I will. I'll do everything that he wants me to. Everything."
"Nothing wrong you say? Stop acting so innocent, Draco. I know everything." Lucius paused. Holding Hermione just as tightly as he had done before, Lucius began to back away from the castle of Hogwarts and onto the battlefield. Draco followed; he wasn't letting his father out of his sight.
"You fell in love with a mudblood – one of dirty blood, my son. Dirty blood. Now, we can't have that, can we?" Lucius continued. "Your punishment, Draco, will be to watch this mudblood of yours. Watch her die, painfully slowly, watch her cry in pain, and watch her struggle while no one can help her." He pressed the knife into Hermione's neck. She could feel the blood slowly falling from her, as the tears fell too.
"No . . ." Draco whispered, stepping forward. Lucius took a step back and gave his son a threatening stare.
"Don't come any closer." Lucius snapped. "She's yours, Draco. You see the blood? That's your blood."
"You're mental, father." That was the only explanation that Draco could think of. Lucius' smirk grew wider, as he took the knife from Hermione's neck and held her stiffly against him. She gulped as another tear fell. The knife had only made a small cut on her neck - anything more than that and she would have died instantly.
"Mental now, am I? I guess if I'm mental, then I would do this?" Lucius held up the knife and pierced it through Hermione's stomach. She shrieked in pain as the sharp metal blade went through her. Draco's eyes were wide and he didn't know what to do. The pain he felt as he watched was indescribable.
"Stop it." He managed to stutter. He closed his eyes. He couldn't watch the blood pouring from her. He couldn't bear to see the tears falling from her eyes. He waited for another cry of agony, but it didn't come. Lucius was waiting for Draco to open his eyes. Draco knew that he couldn't keep them shut forever. He opened one eye and found his father smirking cheerfully at him.
"This is only the beginning." He said, as he spun Hermione around and slashed her back. She screamed. It felt as though all her insides were pouring out with the blood that stained her robes. Draco turned away; the sound of her screaming rung in his ears - reminding him of her torture and of her suffering.
"The more you turn away –
Hermione screamed again.
- The closer this knife gets to her heart." There was another piercing scream.
Draco opened his eyes and faced his father. He fell to his knees and begged. "Father, please, let her go. I'll do anything, anything at all. Do you want me to die too? You're welcome to kill me now, just please, let Granger go."
Lucius looked down upon his son and laughed hysterically. It was pitiful, seeing his own son begging him for mercy. He held the knife in one hand and Hermione in the other.
Draco saw his chance.
He leapt up and jumped on top of his father and in Lucius' shock; he let go of both the knife and Hermione. Draco whipped out his wand and pointed it directly at his heart. Lucius froze.
"You know, father, I am glad that you taught me so many dark curses . . . I guess it will come in handy after all." Draco smirked.
Lucius – for the first time ever – looked scared. He knew that if he were to be defeated, it would be at the hands of either Lord Voldemort or his very own son, Draco. He gulped. "You wouldn't . . . it's illegal."
"Ha," laughed Draco cruelly, "The Ministry gave all Hogwarts students permission to use all three illegal curses if used in self-defence against a Death Eater or You-Know-Who himself. Now, isn't that convenient?"
"Now, Draco, let's not be irrational, we're all grown ups here aren't we? And I'm your father - you are my blood. I've never hurt you physically before, you know that."
Draco grunted. "But you've hurt me enough emotionally to scar me for life, father. I've never wanted to kill you, but you've forced me to do this."
"But Draco, son, I haven't forced you into anything!"
"You hurt her, father. I asked you to stop, I pleaded with you, I begged you, and yet you didn't take my feelings into account but merely carried on with your 'punishment'. You've hurt me time and time again and I can't have you ruling my life anymore! I may be your son by name, but you and I both know that I'll never be the son that you truly wanted."
"Draco, please, no – don't! I can change. I can . . . accept your love for the mudblood, I –
Draco closed his eyes and ignored his father's words as he took a deep breath and muttered two deadly words. With a blinding green light, Lucius Malfoy was gone from the world. Draco stood and turned away from his father's body. He opened his eyes and saw Hermione lying in a pool of blood.
"Granger!"
Although Draco had strong feelings for Hermione, he didn't particularly like to call her that. Everyone called her Hermione. He wanted his own special name for her, like when couples call each other Honey or Pumpkin, but instead of any of those gruesome names, he chose something very simple – her last name, Granger. In its own weird and wonderful way, it was a sign of his affection for her.
He ran and fell to the floor beside her. Blood seeped out from beneath her school robes, soaking the grass around her. The battles around them raged on, uninterrupted by the body of Hermione. She lay on her belly, unmoving.
"Granger?" Draco whispered, his voice tender, as he rolled her over.
For that one moment in time, he thought that she was dead.
Edited Version: 6th September 2005