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Chapter 34: We Were Just Wondering…

Anya: We're just kinda thrown by the, you having sex with Spike.
Buffy: The who whatting how with huh?
Anya: Okay, that's denial. That comes before anger.
Buffy: I am not having sex with Spike.
Anya: Anger.
Xander: No one is judging you. It's understandable. Spike is strong and mysterious and sort of compact but well-muscled...
Buffy: I am not having sex with Spike, but I'm starting to think you are.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Hermione left to find Harry the first thing in the morning. Despite him being in a body quite alien to her, she still recognized the way Harry's hair refused to be tamed and Ron's crooked smile as they answered the door.

"Rise and shine boys, I've been hired as your tour guide."

She waited for them to dress and then they started out. As she led them all over the Headquarters, she noticed Harry and Ron giving her strange looks.

"Spit it out guys, I know you're dying to say something."

"You're screwing Malfoy!" Ron blurted.

"Which one?" Hermione asked, trying to make a joke. Harry and Ron looked at her with disgusted faces.

"How can you even make a joke about that?" Ron asked her. "But you and" here he hesitated. "Draco were making googly eyes during most of the time we saw you two together!" He spit the name Draco out as if it were a curse. "In love my arse! Is there something in the water that's making you act so…"

"Ron, I seriously recommend you not finish that sentence. Draco and I are together and that's that. There's nothing that either of you can do to change that."

"Does he treat you right?" Harry who'd been silent the whole conversation asked. "Does he make you happy?"

Hermione felt a smile creep up on her lips. "He does. To both questions."

"Then I'm happy for you," Harry turned to Ron. "Don't push it Ron. We're about to end the war. Let's not be mad at each other."

Ron slowly nodded. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to be all chummy with him," he warned.

Hermione laughed, relieved that Harry understood. "I don't care whether or not you're friends, just be civil." And with that, Hermione began whizzing them around the Headquarters of the Order of the Cobra.

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Harry paced his and Ron's room. The banquet in their honor was starting in less than a half hour. He knew that there was a good chance he wouldn't live to see tomorrow. But when he'd seen Hermione, seen how happy she was with Draco, he remembered who he was fighting for.

The time came for he and Ron to go down to the banquet hall.

"Are you ready?" Ron asked his friend.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

Chapter 35: I Walked With Heroes

"Men are natural warriors, but a woman in battle is truly bloodthirsty."

Sweep: Book of ShadowsCate Tiernan

Harry had insisted to Draco and Hermione to duel after the meal. "There's nothing worse than dying on an empty stomach," he'd explained it by saying. "And besides, by then hopefully enough people will have cleared out so the odds won't totally be against us."

But the meal had passed all too quickly. Before long it was time for after dinner drinks and then it was time.

Harry stood. "Thank you, my lord for inviting us here," he motioned to Ron. "I thought for a bit of entertainment, you might like to duel?"

Voldemort, obviously thinking he had nothing to fear of a young Enchanter quickly agreed to the duel.

"No need for seconds," he'd laughed at his cronies. "This should be over in a moment."

A space was cleared for the two. Voldemort drew his wand, as did Harry. Draco and Ron began circulating around the room, picking off lone Death Eaters like flies.

Meanwhile, Harry was still pretending to hold no ill will towards Voldemort. But when one of Harry's spells hit Voldemort squarely in the chest, he became a bit testy.

"You'll pay for that one, boy!" Voldemort straightened his robes.

"Really, you think so?" Harry's eyebrow jumped up.

Voldemort was livid at Harry's utter lack of respect. "Do you dare mock me? I'll teach you your place!"

Harry raised his wand and for a moment it seemed he was about to finish Voldemort off. But instead, he cast a spell on himself. Slowly, the appearance he'd donned less than a second ago melted to reveal the Boy Wonder, Harry Potter.

A ripple of gasps came from the remaining Death Eaters. Hermione knew that if she didn't do something fast, they would jump in to protect Voldemort. She watched in horror as the onlookers immediately took out their wands and pointed them at Harry. She quickly glanced around, looking to Draco or Ron for an idea of what to do, but then it came to her.

"Petrificus Totalus!" She shouted, freezing everyone in the room.

Chapter 36: The Epiphany You Didn't Deserve

"And you can't fight the tears that ain't comin'

Or the moment of truth in your lies

Where everything feels like a movie

Yeah ya bleed just to know you're alive"

The Goo Goo DollsIrisThe Soundtrack to City of Angels

Lucius understood that everyone in the room was supposed to be frozen, except for the few who were behind this plot against the Dark Lord. And because he wanted to wait for the opportune moment, he pretended that he too was frozen.

"Are you okay?" Draco raced over to Kylie. "Hermione, you were brilliant!"

Hermione? Lucius had heard that name before, but he wasn't sure when. He suddenly remembered the summers after Hogwarts when Draco came home with almost perfect grades, but was only second in his class. He said he'd been beaten by the muggle born witch named…one and two connected in Lucius' mind. He saw in perfect clarity exactly what had been going on for the last two months. It made sense now. Why he'd seen her with Potter when he raped her mind, why Kylie or Hermione rather had never acted like a regular whore. They had played him. Like he'd originally guessed, the whole thing was a set up, but more insidious than he'd ever anticipated.

Anger boiled inside of him. What angered him the most, even more than the fact that he'd been co-habitating with a mudblood was the fact that she didn't want him. He saw that with alarming clarity at that instant. She wanted his son. He couldn't get even a filthy mudblood to love him. He would've liked to say that he didn't care. That he was relieved. But at that moment, all he wanted to cause her so much pain. Both of them. His eyes rested on his son. He wanted them to feel the pain he felt at that moment. And he knew just how to do it.

Lucius saw that Voldemort and Potter were still fighting, though no one else was moving. He got a clear view of his son and knew what he had to do next. He raised his wand.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Chapter 37: Infectious Human Waste

"Avada Kedavra!" The words erupted from Harry's lips. There was a powerful blast of green light and Draco had to shield his eyes. When he looked back, Voldemort was on the ground and Ginny Weasley was running across the ballroom to reach Harry, who was bleeding profusely.

"Harry, are you okay?" She asked, surprisingly unemotional.

"Yes, but Ginny, where are the others, the Death Eaters are going to unfreeze at any moment!"

Just then, Snape glided in, followed by Tonks, the Weasleys, Lupin, Mundungus and dozens of others Harry only knew by face. Right in the knick of time, because Hermione's spell had worn off.

The war erupted full-fledged. At every corner there was some Death Eater and member of the Order of the Phoenix fighting.

"We have to get you out of here Harry," Ginny helped Harry start towards the door. But Harry looked to where he'd last seen Hermione. She was still there, in the middle of the chaos fighting alongside Draco. He was distracted by their beauty. The fought in such harmony with one another, it was as if they were in their own little world together. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Lucius heading towards Draco, with only one idea in mind and Harry knew just what it was. Before he had a chance to think, Harry lunged in front of Draco to deflect the spell just as Lucius finished the fatal curse.

And then everything went black.