Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JKR and her various publishing companies.
AN: I certainly took my time. 10 down, one to go. Please review.
Tale of the Great Ferret, Part One
Malfoy's Heir
Chapter 10
Final Battle
Ron's death was devastating blow to the Order. It felt so purposeless. Yes, he had made a mistake but why had he felt it was so unforgivable. His mistake had let to Snape's serious injury but Ron's suicide didn't help Snape anyway. Whole Weasley's family was crushed. They had now lost two sons in this battle.
In their grief Weasleys' began to blame Hermione. If she had just loved him and not some damned Lagerfield Ron would have never told anything to Odele Terris and everything would have been fine. Even Weasleys themselves knew that they were not fair to Hermione but because their sorrow was so overwhelming they didn't really care. Harry didn't want to blame Hermione but still it was little difficult to be together. Ron's absent was then even more obvious and painful. Sorrow however united Harry and Ginny and when Ginny spent her Christmas Holiday with her family and with Harry they both realised that the old obscure feelings between them were changing to something deeper.
The war continued crueller than ever. Dark Lord was stronger than ever. It felt like his Death Eaters were unstoppable. Dark took a victory after a victory and situation started to seem desperate. Finally Death Eaters attacked the Ministry building. Aurors fought bravely but Death Eaters were in supremacy. Many died that day and the Ministry was destroyed. Also the Order lost some members. Kingsley died in the Ministry battle and Tonks was wounded seriously. In the early February it seemed that the Hogwarts was the last Light's fortress standing.
Lucius Malfoy kept his word to the Dark Lord. He led the Death Eaters from a victory to a victory. He also commanded raid to the Ministry and was now most feared and searched Death Eater. No one knew if he still personally believed the Cause or was he serving the Dark Lord only because his son's welfare. Draco's spying activities became more and more difficult and risky because he was so closely watched. He left the Dark Lord's side almost never. The Dark Lord wanted to keep his toy and hostage in sight. In spite of that Draco didn't give up. He gathered information and when it was possible he sent it to the Order.
Finally Light Forces had withdrawn to the Hogwarts and they waited for the Dark Lord's final attack. Everybody knew that it would only take few days before the final battle would be fought. Harry Potter prepared for his last encounter with Voldemort. Another of them would not survive from that battle and Harry was determined that the dead one would be Voldemort. After Ron's death Harry was somehow more self-confident than he had never thought possible. He also wanted to see where his and Ginny's newfound romance would lead and was determined not to let Voldemort to blow everything up.
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When situation tighten to its extent Dumbledore gave his spies an order to retreat to the Hogwarts with other Light forces. Also Draco got this order but he was not ready to retreat immediately. He chose to sneak one more time to eavesdrop the Dark Lord and the General Death Eater's meeting and to try to find out when they would attack to the Hogwarts. Unfortunately this time Draco got caught. The Dark Lord was livid. He couldn't believe that his personal toy had been capable to betray him. That young, trifling boy could had swindle the greatest Dark Lord ever. It couldn't be possible but it was. Voldemort was sure that his old enemy Albus Dumbledore was behind this and he wanted to make it clear to the Old Man that his attempts to spy the Dark Lord would only mean pain and death to the Old Fool's subordinates. Voldemort also knew that the Old Man was fool enough to become attached to his servants so best way to make sure the Old Fool would understand his errors was make him see how his underlings suffered because of his mistakes. Voldemort decided that Dumbledore would see the boy's death. And he would make sure that before that the boy would have paid his deeds multiply. He had few days time to punish the boy from his errors and after that he would kill him in the battle of the Hogwarts in front of the Old Fool. Voldemort wanted also punish the boy's father but just now Lucius Malfoy was too important to his aim, but his time would come to suffer the consequences from his son's actions.
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Ironically a day the final battle was due was the most beautiful early spring day imaginable. Stormy and depressive weather would have somehow been more appropriate than this sunny and mild condition. Lucius Malfoy scowled to the sun. His mood certainly didn't match the weather. His orders were clear. He should command the Death Eaters in this offensive against the Hogwarts. Dark Lord would concentrate beating Harry Potter and Dumbledore. Defeating Aurors and other Light's troops was Lucius' responsibility. But Lucius wasn't interested fulfilling his responsibilities just now. In fact he really wasn't interested about Dark Lord's success anymore. He had made his mind few months earlier in the Dark Lord's dungeons. His only goal was to keep his family line alive. Now Malfoy's interest was more important to him than anything else. And just now Dark Lord was threatening those interests more than ever.
Decision was easy to make for Lucius. He abandoned his duty as a Dark Lord's commander in chief immediately when the battle began and plunged to find his son. He knew he had little hope to save Draco but still he had to try. He didn't take part to the battle if he wasn't forced to defend himself. But because he had carefully covered his face and hair under a mask and a hood he was able to move without much troubles in the battlefield. To the Light Troop's he was only anonymous Death Eater and because he didn't try to attack them they concentrated more threatening enemies. Lucius knew that if they had recognized him they wouldn't have ignored him.
Finally Lucius found Dark Lord and his only son. They were little further off from the centre of the battle facing Light's champions. Harry Potter and Dumbledore were present as were some other young Order members and even school children. Draco lay in the ground and Lucius could see he was quite badly wounded but still conscious. The Dark Lord was just aiming the boy with his wand and beginning to curse.
"Avada…"
Lucius didn't even consider what he was doing. He threw himself between his son and the Dark Lord's wand. It maybe wasn't the most cunning thing to do but he didn't have much choice.
"…Kedavra"
His last thought was desperate pray to somewhere that his son would somehow survive even if chances didn't look promising. When Lucius Malfoy threw himself in the way of the killing curse his hood fell off and for the moment Dark Lord got confused because he had just killed his commander in chief. And that moment was enough for Draco to try desperate stupefying charm to the Dark Lord. He wasn't alone in his intention and the charm came simultaneously from three different wands. Draco's, Hannah Abbot's and Luna Lovegood's. Of course their curses hadn't got the power to stun the Dark Lord but for the moment the Dark Lord had to fight their curses. When he managed to shake off stupefying spells and to repel them it was too late. Harry Potter and the Sword of Gryffindor were too close. Harry didn't hesitate. Now he was sure what he should do. He shoved the sword straight through the blackest heart of the whole Wizarding World. Voldemort looked the sword with the great surprise. He couldn't believe that he would die because that young green-eyed boy whom he had marked with the lightning bolt scar would defeat him with the Gryffindor's Sword. He wasn't supposed to die at all. He was supposed to rule whole world!
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After Voldemort's downfall Death Eaters lost their spirit and Aurors beat them rather quickly. When the night came battle was finished, all Death Eaters were either dead or captured and Light's wounded were in the care and the dead were out of the field. Only Dark Side's casualties still lay in the battlefield. Inside the Hogwart's Castle there was parted mood. On the other hand they celebrated Light's victory and on the other hand there were so many losses to mourn. Hannah Abbot and Draco Malfoy were both in the Hogwart's infirmary unconscious but they would survive. Luna Lovegood however hadn't been able to take Voldemort's repel and she was one of the many death heroes of this war. In the evening Harry and Ginny visited in the infirmary to see Professor Lupin who had also got hurt in the battle but who would also survive. There they found Professor Snape and professor Dumbledore talking in the Draco Malfoy's bedside. Even when Headmaster had day before told Draco's standing to the Order it was almost not possible to believe. How could that impossible git be at their side? Many Order member's had been sure that Malfoy had fooled the old Headmaster somehoe. But Dumbledore had been firm. Draco was in their side and if it was possible, he should be saved in the battlefield.
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When the night got further, the relieved and cheerful mood won over sorrow in the Hogwarts. The Dark Lord had died. The world was free from the evil again and this time they had every intention to keep it that way. Inside the castle people celebrated. Outside few dark figures circled the grounds and carried bodies that were left to their grotesque death positions to the rows near greenhouses, arranged them to more dignified positions and closed their eyes. These figures, Severus Snape, Blaise Zabini and some other Slytherin's who had fought in the Light side and survived, felt that it was their responsibility to their kind. They didn't feel themselves home inside celebrating with Gryffindors and others. Somehow they almost felt that their place should have been in the same rows with these bodies. This was their honouring to their own people and they performed it silently and only stars witnessed it.