Chapter 25

The Heart of Battle

The two stared at each other with malice sparks in their eyes. Hermione, Ron and a hidden first year boy could almost see lightening crackling between them. Hermione watched them with fear in them, but still confident that Harry would win, Ron watched on in anticipation, waiting for them to continue the fight. Hoping that Harry would win over Malfoy.

Mark wasn't sure exactly why Harry is not making the first move, he had the upper hand earlier but he had lost that crucial second, which spelled out in letting Malfoy take the upper hand. Harry continued to stare at Lucius Malfoy, he could see that Azkaban had taken its toll on Malfoy. He seemed to have aggrandized stressed, and even more angrier than he saw him earlier. Harry took the advantage of knowing his way around in the shrieking shack by ducking and jumping at the same time to the right and hid behind a sofa.

"Petrificus Totalius!" bellowed Malfoy when Harry made his move but missed and hit Ron square in the chest. Hermione panicked and cast the Finite Incantetum on Ron who stood back up quickly while thanking her. When Harry saw that Ron was okay, he shot a spell at Lucius Malfoy with a Stupefy hex.

"STUPEFY!" Harry yelled, throwing the hex at Malfoy but missing its target and blew up the table into smithereens.

"Pulsus Abentis!" said Malfoy, throwing the knocking charm at the sofa, causing to send sofa and Harry hurling into the wall. Harry yelled in shock and pain.

"HARRY!" screamed Hermione.

"Don't you move you mudblood!" snarled Lucius, pointing at the two kids while walking up to where Harry lay. Hermione whimpered in fear, Harry tried to get out from under the sofa but proved to be stuck. "Don't move Potter, today I will get my revenge for sending me there!"

"Shut up Malfoy, Voldemort won't be happy when you get your revenge! Don't you get it," Harry laughed coldly, "have you forgotten the Prophecy?"

"The hell with the blood Prophecy," said Malfoy, but with hesitant in his voice.

"Really, is that fear I sense in your voice? PULSUS ABSENTIS!" yelled Harry, sending the sofa away from him and at Lucius, effectively sending him into the opposite wall. Lucius screamed as he flew through the air and crashed with a sickening thud. "Hermione, Ron, Mark, you guys okay?"

"Yea-yeah mate," replied Ron, Hermione nodded.

"Yeah, I'm okay, what about you Harry?" replied Mark with a question.

"I'm okay, just out of breath is all," said Harry, watching for Lucius. But he saw that he wasn't there anymore and with two loud cracks, he appeared before Harry, pointing the wand directly to his head. 'Bloody hell!'

"Stop this childish play!" growled Lucius Malfoy. "Who were you talking to!?" demanded Malfoy.

"Ron and Hermione," replied Harry.

"No, no, no, I heard a fourth question," drawled Lucius impatiently. Harry remained quiet. "So, there is indeed a fourth person. Show yourself! If you don't, I will kill you!"

"Malfoy, you are hearing things," said Harry coolly but chuckling.

"I'm not hearing things," hissed Malfoy.

"Perhaps Azkaban did something to your mind?" suggested Harry innocently.

"They've done nothing!" yelled Malfoy, getting irritated.

"I wouldn't be sure, limosus artus!" said Harry, sending another hex at Malfoy. "I wouldn't have just stop fighting to talk you know Malfoy. Now look at you, hardly able to even speak."

Just when Harry threw the hex at Malfoy, he lost all control of his joints from his toes to his bones within the ears. He could not even talk or hear well because all of his tendons, muscles in his joints along with his bones have turned into a slimy substance. Malfoy groaned in pain, rolling around on the floor.

"I'm pretty sure you can't even hear me, but I'm confident this hex is painful, no? Mmm, how about I take that off if you stop talking and get back to fighting?"

"HARRY! No!" said Hermione urgently. "Why are you playing him?"

"He has to know the true meaning of pain Hermione," replied Harry coolly, Hermione looked taken aback. She took a few steps backwards from Harry.

"Harry, this isn't you!" said Hermione tearfully.

"Mate! Snap out of it! We can tie him up!" said Ron angrily, but concerned.

"No Ron, finite Incantetum," said Harry unenthusiastically, waving his wand to release Malfoy from Jiggle Limbs hex.

"You'll pay for that dearly!" said Malfoy quietly, but clearly wants to shout. He got to his feet, pointing his wand at Harry. "ENOUGH OF THIS! CRUCIO!"

'Shit! I haven't been able to improve my blocking charm!" But something stopped halfway and heard someone familiar, screaming in pain

"NO MARK!" yelled Harry, furious that his cousin jumped in the way. "Detergeo visus!" yelled Harry desperately to cut the curse off Mark. He succeeded, the Cruciatus curse was taken off as Malfoy screamed in agony. His vision obscured by dust and sand, he wildly threw his wand hand around, and sending sparks everywhere. "DUCK!"

Harry carried Mark as Ron and Hermione hid behind a downed table. He heard more sparks going off, scorching everywhere. Soon the room they were in is on fire. Hermione quickly put out the fire with the water charm with Ron helping her so that they wouldn't be trapped in roomful of fire. Malfoy continued to scream in pain for his burning eyes.

Harry quickly whispered to his friends while Malfoy was distracted with his obscured, painful eyes. "Hermione, Ron please carry Mark out of here, get someone, I don't care who and come back here!"

"No Harry, we aren't leaving you," whispered Hermione fearfully.

"Hermione, I've battled this long for my life since I was one, do you think I will die?" asked Harry sarcastically. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that, just go get someone, please?" begged Harry.

"But Harry, one of us should stay with you!"

"Fine, Ron, stay, just keep out of the way," said Harry impatiently. "Hermione, please go."

"Oh all right," said Hermione, giving in.

"Get under the cloak," said Harry in an even more quiet voice. Hermione nodded and threw the cloak over herself and Mark. "Good, please get back here soon."

"Don't worry, I'll be back in a flash, please be careful," said Hermione and she left with Mark levitated in front. Harry listened hard for the footsteps down the hall, to where the hatch is and heard the closing of the hatch.

"Ron, when I nod, let's do the power joint charm with Entry to Destroy curse."

"What, are you mad?!" whispered Ron in shock.

"Ron, you do know how right?"

"Yes but mate, we can't - " began Ron.

"Which is exactly why we have to do the power joint charm. So I'll give you the signal and do it, got it?"

"Yes mate, but why that curse of all things?"

"Are you saying that a Death Eater don't even deserve it?"

"No, not that! Okay, I'll do it," said Ron hastily. Harry smiled softly to Ron to calm him down. Harry then heard that Malfoy had stopped screaming just now.

"POTTER! I'm getting really mad now!" Harry stood up from where he had hid. "Potter, Potter, Potter, do you really want to play games now?"

"I thought we were," said Harry sarcastically.

"Shut up Potter! If you want to play adult's game, fine!"

"Suits me, because I've been fighting adult fights for sometime now have I?"

"PULSUS ABSENTIS!" snarled Malfoy, sending the table at Harry.

"Gelosilium!" yelled Harry, freezing table before it hit Harry and Ron in hiding. "PULSUS ABSENTIS!" he sent the table straight to Malfoy.

"STUPEFY!" he blew the table up into small wooden shards. "HURTAILUS DISKUS!" he conjured flying sharp discs at Harry and now-exposed Ron.

"Fortifyia Aegis!" yelled Ron and Harry, blowing the discs into dust. Harry nodded to Ron who nodded back hesitantly. "Insiminovast unita!" They both combined their magic into one beam and hit squarely in Malfoy's chest, sending him backwards ten feet and crashed against the rug. He yelped in pain, arching his back.

"That was good Ron," said Harry, watching Lucius Malfoy. Then he heard the opening of the hatch and thought that it was too soon for Hermione. But he found that Hermione and Mark had come back. However, he did not see anyone with them. He frowned as they came back to Harry.

"Harry," said Hermione breathlessly.

"What, is Hogwarts under attack again?" asked Harry worriedly.

"No, Mark just woke up half way and he wanted to come back here. He wouldn't listen"

"Mark!" said Harry furiously, understanding now. "We needed help and you decide to come back here where it's most dangerous for you!"

"And for you too!" argued Mark. "I can't leave you alone here with Ron and against that man!"

"Mark, am I in pain?" asked Harry patiently.

"No, that's not the point!"

"Augh Mark, just go get someone! That's it, get upstairs now!" said Harry, ordering them all upstairs. He saw that Malfoy was coming around, but wincing in pain. When Harry saw no one moved from their spot. "MOVE!" they scrambled to the next room and up the stairs.

"Foolish Potter, augh, that was stupid of you to do that Potter, if you join your powers like that, it is not as effective!" Harry's face went blank shock. "Oh yes, this curse cannot work if you do it with another person. Only alone, however very painful, CRUCIO!" Harry didn't have time to react and yelled in pain. He fell to the floor, his body arching at painful angles.

He felt that his organs were being gored out with small wooden spoons, groaning in pain, large imaginary knives were stabbing him horribly. Harry twisted and flipped around, trying to stop the endless pain that he found himself in. He wanted to stop breathing, to stop living. The pain was unbearable; his bones began to crack in every single centimeters of his body. The tendons ripped out of his joints, eyeballs falling out of his head. He wanted the pain to stop, he continued to scream in agony and no one was helping.

He shouldn't have sent his friends upstairs, somewhere in the background; he could hear Lucius laughing ruthlessly. He could almost swear that Voldemort was there too. But it couldn't be possible, his scar hadn't hurt more than anywhere in his body. He kept screaming, all he wanted to make the afflicted pain to go away, he felt that something was squeezing painfully out of his nose. He hoped that it wasn't his brain coming out but he cried out in anguish.

Soon, his pain stopped coming for more, his energy spent and Harry groaned, sitting up. Harry saw that Ron had diverted Malfoy's attention. Harry quickly assessed the situation, and stood up. Ron had cast a hex long enough to make Malfoy stop paying attention to Harry.

"WEASLEY! THIS IS NOT YOUR FIGHT! CRUCIO!" yelled Malfoy, sending the Cruciatus curse at Ron. Angered, Harry threw the Mud hurling hex and sent another curse which was the Semi-Crucio curse.

"Ledo Penitus!" he directed the curse straight at his neck, causing Malfoy to fall backwards and clutching at his neck. He could not even scream in pain. Harry quickly went to Ron. "Ron, you okay? I should thank you for that, but get back upstairs!"

"No mate, admit it, you need my help," said Ron hoarsely, sitting up. When Harry was about to argue, Malfoy slowly got back to his feat.

"Fine, just wait over there got it? Aegresere!" he sent the Ill curse at Malfoy who doubled over and started puking over one area. Harry saw that he was starting to sweat from his sudden rise in temperature, and dizziness. When Harry saw Ron was in a safe place, he took the curse off Malfoy.

"If, if you are toying with me Potter," said Malfoy slowly. "THEN YOU WILL DIE! AVADA KE - !"

"EXPILLIARMUS!" yelled Harry, knocking Malfoy away while grabbing his wand. "You think I'm toying with you? Perhaps I am, maybe I'm not," said Harry, staring at Malfoy straight in the eyes. He knew that Malfoy knew that he was in deep shit without his wand. "Mm, what should I do with your wand. Hmm? How about I snap it in half?"

"You wouldn't dare," snarled Malfoy.

"Would I? Don't try me Malfoy," said Harry testily. For a good ten seconds of glaring at each other, more so with Malfoy staring at his wand. He assumed that Lucius was thinking about the very fate of his own wand. "Well, perhaps I will," said Harry finally, about to break the wand in half but the sudden movement of Malfoy lurching at him. Tackling him through the torso, sending Harry and himself to the ground with a loud thud.

Harry struggled against Malfoy's hold on his torso, he twisted and thrashed in ways he never knew possible. Finally, Harry broke free out of Malfoy's hold, but while he had been trying to get free. Lucius had regained his own wand. Harry leaped back, breathing hard and fast. Malfoy also followed suit, glaring at the dark-haired boy.

"You didn't snap after all," sneered Malfoy.

"I almost did," said Harry coolly. "Villi face!" he threw the furry-curse at Malfoy's face. Suddenly his face sprouted dark fur, and growing rapidly. Soon the fur obscured Malfoy's line of vision.

"Impetunda!" said Malfoy, in rage, blindly sending the hex at Harry. Who immediately sidestepped the attack, and threw a counter hex at Malfoy.

"Enervocadaver!" Lucius lost all control in his right leg and promptly fell to the ground. "Helpless now are we?" asked Harry, sneering.

"Shut up Potter! I'm taking you with me, even if it means death!" Harry blanched at what he said.

'No, he can't mean that curse! It hasn't been in used since before 18th century.'

"Oh yes, quite an old spell, now say good bye! Solusreicio!"

"Mundofinis!" yelled Harry, not at all confident in trying to counter the curse. He had felt glad that he remembered this curse and the countercharge for it. Otherwise he would not have made it nor would Shrieking Shack withstand. The explosion came out of Malfoy's wand and met with Harry's counter with the curse. He didn't know if he had succeeded in preventing the Self-Explosion curse. All he saw was pure white then sudden blackness.

Harry woke up sometime later and found himself still in Shrieking Shack. No one else had come down, since Lucius was still there as well. Harry figured that they have been out for only a few seconds. Harry cautiously got up from the floor, watching Malfoy's movements. He hadn't moved at all, except for the steady rise of his chest. 'I can easily finish him off in here but what if that would send his son to the edge?' With that thought in mind, he tried to wake him up.

"Enervate," said Harry. His life would be spared just for today. Lucius Malfoy moaned and shifted a bit, but rapidly, he got up, taking his wand out at Harry. "And I thought I would spare your life just for today," said Harry coolly. Lucius Malfoy snarled, he couldn't believe that he was in a wizard's debt. "I didn't want to anger your son any more than necessary. I suggest you to put your wand away."

"Shut up Potter! You are not the one to negotiate these things!" snarled Malfoy.

"Really, let me teach you a lesson," said Harry quietly, raising his wand. He heard quiet footsteps walking down the stairs and cursed them for even coming down. He only hoped that they would not come into the room right away. "Xenolotifius Curicitus!"

He had cast the very same curse on his son last year and now onto his father. He waited for him to wrench in pain, teach him that this was worse than the Cruciatus. However, nothing had happened, suddenly his wand backfired at him and Harry fell victim to his own curse. Harry felt every patch of his skin feel as if it was on fire. He let out a scream in agony. 'Why did that backfire at me!?' Was the only coherent thought he had, while he was questioning himself. He continued to scream in pain.

Harry was fully aware of Malfoy laughing at him but something had happened to Malfoy. He was stupefied, by whom, he did not know. He continued to yell and twisting in pain. Everything he saw was in red hue, and it hurts badly. Real bad, Harry went to claw his eyes out but something prevented him. He couldn't stand the pain anymore; this was worse than the Cruciatus curse he had experienced back in his fourth year. He felt something cool and his pain had stopped at last.

He let out a calming breath, trying to calm himself down. He still felt the after effects of the pain on his skin. He looked down and saw that everywhere was drenched in blood. He had unknowingly scratched himself beyond pain.

"Oh my god Harry," said Hermione tearfully, trying to help him. "Contamitats baniuis, injurus wrapis," she whispered, getting rid of germs from Harry's wounds and now wrapped in bandages. Harry soon found out that he could not even stand up. "Oh my god," she repeated, "that curse you tried"

"What about it Hermione?" asked Harry shallowly, trying not to be in much pain.

"Mate, erm, well you would have to be good natured person to cast that"

"I'm a good natured person!" said Harry exasperatedly. The three stared at him, looking doubtful. "Have I?" Ron and Hermione sighed and shook their heads in answer.

"Well, erm, no Harry. I think it has to do with what you have been reading and everything"

"Oh right, so choosing what kind of magic determines if I'm a bad person or not!"

"Harry please, calm down, we've got to get you to the Wing."

"What about him?" asked Harry coolly, looking at Malfoy who is out cold.

"Ron, can you transport him?" asked Hermione, using the Mobile Person charm on Harry so he would not have to walk.

"Whoa" said Harry, staring at the ground. "Heh, I'm flying!" Ron and Hermione looked as if they were flabbergasted but ready to laugh as well. Mark just laughed and everyone finally left down the hatch back to Hogwarts. No one spoke anything.

In the tunnel, many thoughts went through his head, about how he could not perform the Light curse anymore. He mentally frowned at the new discovery that he was going 'dark' and he did not like the idea at all. 'Well,' thought Harry, 'I can always put that blame on Voldemort. Since his personality is becoming one with me' he shivered at that very thought. Being intertwined was worse than anything and he didn't want that to happen.

Once they were finally out of the tunnel and walked toward the Front doors when Malfoy somehow woke up from his stupefied-state. Immediately, he thrashed around and finally got his feet on the ground.

"Well, well, well," said Lucius, drawling. "Oh shit," said Lucius, looking past the foursome kids. Mark looked back while the other three were not falling for his 'tricks'.

"Hey! Hagrid's coming!" said Mark. Harry felt relieved as Lucius ran off into the Forbidden Forest.

"Hagrid!" screamed Hermione, running to him as Hagrid came to them.

"Was tha' Malfoy!?" roared Hagrid.

"Yes, we need to get Harry to the hospital," said Hermione. Hagrid took one look at Harry and leaped away.

"Oh 'Arry! Yeh three get him to the Wing now! I need to er - get back to Headmistress McGonagall, yeh, I'll do that," said Hagrid hesitantly as he ran inside the castle. Hermione, Ron, Harry and Mark shot each other a confused look but shrugged as they walked to the Wing. On the way, there they found Draco Malfoy walking out of the library.

"What's this, did you get in a fight?" drawled Malfoy, sneering.

"Yes, your-good-for-nothing father attacked us!" yelled Ron.

"Did he?" asked Malfoy, arching an eyebrow. He had definitely not been expecting the turn of events. "Well, I'll let you all get to the Wing," he said, stepping out of their way. "Potter, this does not mean you can skip our training next Saturday if you're still in the wing!"

"Don't worry, I'll still train, mark my words," replied Harry, smirking as Malfoy grinned evilly back. When they continued to walk to the Wing, Ron spoke up.

"Are yo sure we can trust him?" asked Ron warily.

"No, not yet," is all Harry said, Ron nodded slowly.

"When will we find out?"

"When I get the opportunity to scry his thoughts," replied Harry. When they finally entered the Wing, Madam Pomfrey walked briskly up to them.

"What now?" asked Pomfrey, setting Harry on the bed.

"Lucius Malfoy attacked us, that's what," said Ron bitterly.

"Goodness gracious, did he escape? How did he get here so fast?"

"We don't know, Hagrid's getting Professor McGonagall," replied Harry.

In no time at all, Professors McGonagall, Snape, and Hagrid came into the Wing, followed by Draco Malfoy. McGonagall soon stopped in front of Harry, waiting for his story.

"His father attacked us," said Harry, pointing to Draco.

"Oh no, we were too late," said McGonagall. "We had just found out that he escaped from Azkaban half an hour ago."

"Oh well, we're all alive, aren't we?" asked Harry as his wounds are being treated. He winced in pain as Pomfrey put some of the healing lotions on them. He didn't really enjoy having his wounds treated while he was awake. Majority of the time, he was usually knocked out while having his wounds treated. Not this time however. He saw Malfoy's watchful eyes who opened his mouth to speak.

"What kind of curse is that anyways?" asked Malfoy, pointing to the majority of Harry's wounds. The adults seem to agree what Malfoy had asked and waited for the answer anxiously. The four looked at each other, wondering how to phrase this. Harry sighed and spoke nearly inaudibly.

"The Light Curse backfired."