Author's note: Sorry! This chapter is pretty short. It was either make this one really short or the final chapter really, really long.
Thanks to everyone for all of your encouraging reviews! I love reading them!
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"I'm sorry, Ron." Hermione said, still pointing the wand at Malfoy impersonating Harry. "It was the only way I could think of to get close enough to him to grab his wand."
"You must be really familiar with how Potter touches you to have figured it out," Malfoy said with a sneer that made Ron wonder how he ever mistook him for Harry.
"Actually it was when I hugged you," Hermione said matter-of-factly. "You acted as though you'd never been hugged in your life, which I suspect is probably the case. But when I said that Jamie was at my aunt's and you didn't point out the glaring error in that statement I knew."
"Well aren't you just brilliant?" Malfoy said, backing away slowly.
"Don't move, Malfoy." Hermione commanded.
But that's when Harry and Ginny chose to burst into the room. It was just the distraction that Malfoy needed to dive behind the dilapidated couch. If Amanda hadn't still been lying across it Hermione would have blasted the couch. Instead, she and Ron darted toward it. Just as they reached it, Malfoy jumped up with a new wand in his hand.
"Ah, that's where I left it!" Malfoy cried and pointed it at Ron who was closer.
"No!" Hermione cried and she stepped in front of Ron just as Malfoy cursed him. Hermione tumbled back and before she could even scream she fell crashing through the table in front of the couch and went silent.
Ron had always believed that the term "seeing red" was just an expression but when he looked down at Hermione, unconscious on the floor, and he looked back up at Malfoy, his vision was tinged with scarlet. He didn't know what expression he had on his face but the grin on Malfoy's face vanished. Without taking into account that Malfoy was pointing his wand at him now, Ron dived at Malfoy and tackled him.
Malfoy shouted a curse right before Ron hit him and it shot out of his wand just as he was flying backwards. Then Harry gave a shout of fury and he was next to Ron, pounding on their mutual enemy. But while Ron and Harry were acting on their fury Malfoy had maintained his clear head as well as his wand.
"Expelliarmus!" He shouted and both Harry and Ron flew backwards.
Ron flew straight into Ginny, who he realized for the first time must have been hit by Malfoy's misguided curse because she was curled on the floor, trembling.
"Ginny…"
But she shook her head and with great effort pushed her wand across the floor toward Ron. He nodded and took it. Then he turned back toward the room.
"Shit," he muttered.
Harry and well, Harry, were standing pointing their wands at one another. At some point Malfoy must have changed the appearance of his clothes because now the two Harry's were wearing the exact same thing.
"Ron," one of them said, "I'm Harry. I swear."
Ron pointed his wand at one Harry and then the other.
"Ron, you git, it's me."
"Shit," he muttered again. His mind had gone blank. Hermione was lying in a pool of blood and his sister was twitching behind him. He knew the Polyjuice potion would wear off eventually but he didn't have the time to wait. "Jamie! What is Jamie's middle name?"
"Sirius."
"Albus."
Ron nodded and then blasted the Harry on the right. He fell to the ground with a shout. The other Harry reached over and kicked away the wand. Weather it was the curse or it was a weak batch of Polyjuice; Malfoy started to change back into his real appearance. First his hair started developing white blond streaks and then his facial features started to get bonier.
Harry looked up at Ron.
"Why is he still conscious?" He demanded.
"Because if I got the wrong one I didn't want to scar you permanently." Ron replied, turning back to Hermione.
"Wait a minute," Harry said. "You mean you didn't know Jamie's middle name?"
"Not a clue," Ron muttered, leaning down to inspect Hermione.
Harry muttered something Ron was sure wasn't complimentary and turned back to Ginny.
"Hermione?" Ron whispered, touching her face. She didn't respond. "We have to get them all to a wizarding hospital."
"I prefer the morgue."
Ron whirled around. Malfoy, bleeding and shaking was standing behind him with his wand pointed at Ron's chest.
"You should have finished me when you had the chance," he said.