Chapter 8

The Struggle

Vanessa woke up. She was still on the floor. She was so shocked by Harry last night that she had made no move to get in bed. She could still feel the tears of the previous night making her face sticky. Harry had been the last person she had wanted to know her secret, especially now that the full extent of it was realized. Yet, she felt slightly relieved. No more blackmail.

Harry walked by her, showing hate on his face. He could not look at Vanessa without thinking of Sirius falling behind the veil. He turned away and left the Hospital Wing, only a slight twinge of pain remaining in his forehead. A twinge he could ignore. Not like the pain that he felt when he thought of the name 'Lestrange.' It made him shudder. He had befriended a murderess' daughter.

Vanessa stared as the only family type person in her life walked away from her. The hideous creature that she thought she was. The rose lay on the floor shriveling from lack of water. Lack of care. She began to gaze at the floor.

A hand reached down and grabbed the rose. It was Carter. Vanessa was shocked. Oh no, the note, not again. She looked at the tiles in the floor. She saw the rose fall for the second time, right where she had been examining the tiles.

"My God Vanessa…" He sat down next to her and gently put his arm around her. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Vanessa sniffled, tears had already been tracing their familiar paths down her face. She looked to him with her dark eyes. Full of sadness. "Dumbledore told me not to… I never knew how serious it was until Harry…until last night."

He pulled her into an embrace. "It's okay Vanessa. You aren't your parents. Your not a murderer." He rubbed her back trying to comfort her. She was shaking wildly. She pulled back and looked straight into Carter's blue eyes. His mind raced. Her eyes, mysterious, caring, sad looked straight into his soul. All he thought about was her and how much he loved her. How much he wanted to save her from her life. A life that was becoming a living hell. He leaned in, and so did she. They kissed. Carter's dreams were coming alive. Not only was he kissing her, but she was kissing back.

Vanessa's heart went rampant with emotion. Someone loved her. Someone was there for her. There to protect her. They pulled away from each other, red rising to their cheekbones.

"I-I-I'm s-s-sorry," stammered Carter.

"Why?" She kissed him again. And there they were. On the floor of the Hospital Wing. Kissing.

Harry met Ginny in one of the large hallways. She ran and jumped into his arms. A tear running from his eye to the ground. "I'm so sorry Harry," said Ginny. She coughed a bit.

Harry silently gasped. No. Don't let my life destroy her.

"What's wrong Harry?" She coughed again, a little bit louder.

No. No. No. He brought his voice up from his silence. He was still hoarse from shouting at Vanessa. "Er… the fires…Vanessa…" He spit out her name like a venomous snake.

Ginny coughed again. "What's wrong with Vanessa?" said Ginny regaining strength in her voice. Smiling, trying to put on a cheery face for Harry.

"I-I-I-I can't tell you." Ginny coughed once more and Harry cringed. What's happening?

"Why not?" whispered Ginny, putting on the most pathetic face she could. However, a series of coughs ruined the affect. She fell against the wall.

Harry thought for a moment. "You sound sick…"

Ginny nodded, coughing. "My throat." Another cough. "It feels like it's dried out, filled with smoke." Cough. "Started yesterday afternoon." She broke into another coughing fit.

Harry grimaced as every cough grew steadily louder and more uncontrolled. Harry couldn't bear it. She was choking on him. The flames flickered across his mind. She had to stay away from him. "Ginny?"

She looked up at her name; she had been looking in her pocket for a tissue, with success.

"I-I-I," began Harry. Ginny's coughing echoed through his mind. He wasn't going to let her die. She coughed into the tissue, she could hardly breath. "I think we- we- we shouldn't see each other again… I mean, not like it is now…" Harry's heart broke into a million pieces as he spoke the words that ended his relationship with the person he loved most in the world.

Ginny took in a large clear breath. The smoke of him was gone. But the hurt was there to stay. She dropped the tissue she had been feebly holding. She ran away from Harry, tears flying every which way in the wind.

Harry knelt down to pick up the tissue. It was stained with blood. She really had been dying, slowly. Someone had been influencing Harry's dreams, they showed secrets about his life that he couldn't easily see himself. One thought came to his mind. Voldemort. He could once again see Voldemort's plans. They may have been distortions of them, but it was enough. His mind drifted back to his dream by the lake. Hermione with Draco? No, never… Even as he thought 'no', he doubted himself. No…

Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked into their Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. At the sight of Lucius' face, Harry scowled. He was in a dreadful mood. Nothing could lighten his day, especially the slimy Professor Malfoy.

"Harry?" question Hermione.

"What," grunted Harry in a far from curious tone. He flinched remembering his dream of her and Draco.

They gloomily sat in their seats. "What's up Harry?" asked Ron.

Harry glowered at them. "Nothing."

"Harry, we know you better than that…"stated Hermione.

Do not. He sighed deeply, angrily. Once again the thought of Hermione with Draco floated across his mind. Whore. "Well, don't you just know everything?" sneered Harry.

Ron gave an uneasy glance towards Harry. "Come on, stop being a jerk, she… we didn't do anything."

Harry was starting to believe that Hermione was secretly seeing Draco. "That's what you think."

Ron gave up and slumped back into his seat, as did Hermione, but not without a worried glance.

Hermione sat in Ron's arms that afternoon in the courtyard. She was well aware that she was being some sort of betraying slut, but she didn't care. She was trying to pretend that Ron and Draco were one in the same. Either that, or figure who she loved more.

Harry watched in disgust. He now believed that his dreams were completely true. He was ripping up sand-white parchment, slowly, listening to every crisp sound it made as it was torn apart. The shock of breaking up with Ginny was just catching up to him. He was just trying to save her from himself. Yet, no matter how much he told himself that, he had a hard time believing it himself.

Ron looked at Hermione, his eyes begging for a kiss. A kiss that she gave him, but not without hesitating first. Right before she met his lips, she saw Draco. His figure lit by the moon and the memory sent somewhat satisfying chills down her spine.

Harry looked around the courtyard, anything to not look at Hermione. His eyes rest on Luna, shining vibrantly in the sun. She was looking at Hermione with Ron. She shuddered. Harry noted her shudder and wondered if it were because of something she knew, or mere desperation to be Hermione.

Draco hurried down the hallway. When he finally got outside the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom he found his mystery girl was already there. A shadow in the dim light. He was going to find out tonight. He cupped her face in his hand and kissed her in welcome. It was another one of those sweet secret kisses that he loved so much.

"Are you ready?" breathed Hermione, her breath falling hot on his lips.

The mystery in her voice was so enchanting that he kissed her again. He pulled away to reply "Yes, but first…" He kissed her, it was not the completion of his sentence, but simply another urge brought to his mind.

"What?" she whispered, her lips were a brilliant red from the kisses, the kisses that made her trust her 'enemy.'

"Will you…" He kissed her once more, quickly. "Will you promise me one thing? He kissed her neck, trying to sway her decision to a 'yes.'

"Anything," spoke Hermione, irrationally, all she could think of were the lips upon her neck and shoulders. The lips that were urging her toward promising him anything. "I promise you anything…" she whispered as the kisses stopped.

"Thank you…" He kissed her on her lips in full appreciation.

"What is it that I have promised?" questioned Hermione. In reality, she didn't care what it was she had so foolishly promised. She just wanted to stall time before she had to reveal herself. Before Draco would leave her in the darkness of the night.

"I'm really not sure, but my father just asked me to find the person I trusted most of all, and I have."

Hermione cringed. She wasn't at all the trustworthy girl she had been months ago. She had deceived Ron, deceived everyone. Still, even as it hurt her, she was flattered. She hardly gave a thought to what her promise was. Her promise that wasn't actually to Draco, but to Lucius. She tilted into Draco's arms. Their tenderness filled her. They filled the empty hole that was left after Hermione had heard about her father's death. The completeness of his embrace told her she was ready to show him the truth. "Come with me," beckoned Hermione. "I have a candle so you can see my face in the Divination classroom. That old bat left her room open."

Draco's heart skipped a beat when he heard her speak about illuminating her face. Her identity. He struggled to contain himself. It's not that he cared who she was… he just wanted to know who he'd kissed so many times. He wanted to know who he was in love with. Her hand fell into his and she led him through the halls and up the ladder to the Divination classroom. Just as they were nearing the table Hermione had placed her unlit candle on. She told him to close his eyes. She grabbed his other hand and led him to one side of the table. "Can I open my eyes yet?" said Draco impatiently. Excitement was building in his blood.

"Not yet," stated Hermione, reprimanding his impatience. She took out her wand and whispered an incantation. The candle was instantly lit, filling the room with a soft glow. The heat radiated on their faces.

"Now?"

"Now," said Hermione, closing her own eyes, not wanting to see his reaction.

Draco opened his eyes little by little in nervousness. He fell over in shock, making a loud thump on the classroom floor.

Hermione opened her eyes and tears fell silently from them. His look of shock hurt every inch of her heart. She turned to run away.

Every second decelerated in Draco's mind as he contemplated the fact. Hermione Granger? He blinked in disbelief. He came out of his stillness just in time to grab her wrist before she left.

Hermione looked down biting her lip, trying to hold back another stream of tears. Draco's look of shock turned to wonderment. Hermione couldn't look in his eyes and diverted her attention to the candle.

Draco stared in amazement. Amazement at the beauty he never noticed before. The beauty that he never tried to find, but that he did find through those late nights. He softly pulled her down to his side. He slid his hand underneath her chin to turn her head to look at her eyes. Wide with fear and red with tears, but they were still the most stunning eyes he had ever seen. He pressed his forehead against hers and whispered considerately, "I don't care who you are."

Hermione released a breath she never realized she'd been holding. Tears still trickled down her face, joyous tears that overtook the sad ones.

"I love you," spoke Draco. He kissed the remaining tears away. "Not only that… I'm in love with you." He kissed her. It was the most pure sensation either of them had ever felt. Their secret that had once held them back now freed them into magnificent bliss. They were in love and knew it.

The next day moved on as most days, highly unusual. The first unusual part of the day was when Lucius pulled his son aside during class. Hermione watched as Draco was led away, she couldn't help staring at him. That was, until Ron moved in his seat. She had to end it with him that night. It was the only thing that would set everything in balance.

Draco looked up at his father's eyes. His own eyes. "Yes father?"

"Have you found someone you trust?" Lucius pulled an apple out of his pocket and bit into it greedily. Indulging himself as if his son were just a waste of his time.

Draco nodded. A knot formed into his stomach, he couldn't breathe thinking of Hermione. Her insurmountable kindheartedness. He wondered why he needed her to promise. And why his father had somehow bound them to the promise through magic.

"Good," stated Lucius, "very good." Lucius turned around and finished the apple, rich juice poured down his chin. "See to it that, oh my boy, are they a wizard or witch?"

Draco gulped, "Witch."

Lucius sneered at the thought of them being childhood sweethearts. "See to it that she kills Potter." The last word 'Potter' came out bitterly as if it were bad milk in Lucius' mouth.

Draco's jaw dropped. Why couldn't he have known sooner? He couldn't let this happen to Hermione, but he had to, his father's magic was too strong. Lucius bent low to look Draco in the eye and Draco snapped his mouth shut, trying to look as if the promise wasn't the ending of a great relationship. He felt as if his face was burning from being painfully slapped on the cheek.

"Back in the classroom," snapped Lucius ushering his son back in. He turned to face the class. "Turn to page five-hundred."

Draco sulked to his seat, longingly gazing at Hermione for a brief moment. He was going to try and undo his father's magic. He had to. He was in love.

That night as students were directed into their common rooms, Hermione pulled Ron behind a statue. "Ron, there's something I have to tell you."

Ron hoped for a different scene than the one he knew was coming. "What?" He gave a broad grin trying to cover his sadness.

Harry stumbled into his bed; his scar was in immense pain once more. It was worse than before; he bit back tears as he fell onto his pillow.

Hermione gave Ron a small kiss, a goodbye kiss before she spoke. But he already knew that kiss; it was the same one he had given Luna before he broke up with her.

Harry spun in circles, coated by the darkness. Gleaming blades came at him from all sorts of angles; sometimes bursts of magic came with the brutal assaults. The swords were held by immense black figures that Harry couldn't quite make out.

Before Hermione got a single word out, a scream started from down the corridor, but was cut short by the clang of metal against stone. Footsteps, hundreds maybe thousands, shot threw the hallways.

"Run," whispered Ron as he grabbed Hermione's arm and bolted to the common room.

Harry was crouched on the ground as the tenth sword hit him, grazing his back. He yelped in agony. A hand extended from the black, bright as the sun itself. Harry barely reached the hand, but did reach it. Luna pulled him from the blows in his dream. "Luna?" questioned Harry curiously. She nodded. "What are you doing here?" continued Harry.

Luna placed an illuminated hand upon his shoulder. "I'm not anywhere Harry, this is your dream… a dream that I'm a part of. A dream that I will remember as my own."

"What?" Harry tried to comprehend. Then realization hit him. That's why she knew about Hermione. "Why?"

"I'm not sure Harry, but I'm always sent into your dreams just as something dreadful is about to happen to you." Luna thought a moment. "I think Dumbledore has sent me all those nights, but I'm not sure. But what I am sure of is that you need to wake up, something horrible is happening, hurry before it's too late…"

Harry shook out of sleep. Ron and Hermione were bent over him and his scar still hurt. He tried to ignore the pain that was overwhelming.

"Harry, quickly, we heard a scream, then footsteps… and the clang of metal," insisted Hermione.

Oh no, thought Harry. It was his dream, the swords. Harry swung his legs off the side of his bed and drew out his wand. "Hermione, Wake everyone else up. Tell them to protect themselves. This is Voldemort, I can feel it. Ron, you come with me, we're going to Dumbledore."

The invisibility cloak felt cool over Harry's heated forehead. He looked down to the Marauder's Map his heart pounding. A large ink blob of names was approaching them. He recognized the names of a few death eaters and the other names had the label 'Crucian' underneath. Harry and Ron peeped their heads around a corner.

Hordes of creatures stood before them holding the strange wand-swords. As two creatures conversed with each other. Harry saw yellow, pointed teeth protruding from their black gums. Snakelike eyes leered in every direction; their dark pupils left little room for the golden of the iris. All of them wore black leather armor over their thick muscles. The dark mark was neatly etched in green on every item of clothing, except for the black as ebony capes. Ron nearly gave an exasperated gasp, but at the first sign of his intake of air, Harry quickly covered his mouth.

"We have to get to Dumbledore," mouthed Harry. Ron silently nodded and they turned for Dumbledore's office. Once safely out of hearing range, they bolted to the statue leading to the headmaster's office.

Hermione rapidly scratched a letter of warning and sent them to the various common rooms as the Gryffindors trembled, hoping the looming footsteps wouldn't come any nearer. The first years sat crying at the back of the crowd and through the window; Hermione could just see a faint dark mark, clouding the sky. Chills ran down her spine and she pulled out her wand and rose to the front of the group. She clambered onto a wooden chair. Her voice, however shaky, rang above the silence. She was in command. "Whatever we see, we have to fight for our lives. There are… things out there that wish to kill us, but we mustn't let that happen. We must defeat the odds." A taste of salt fell upon her lips. She hadn't even realized she'd been crying. "I regret to say that we may have to use one or more of the unforgivable curses. I, however, caution against them. Lack of power and feeling could lead to failure of the curse. If you must use one, please use it in utmost danger." Her cheeks were hot with the anger and sadness racing in her heart. "Please," she choked, "for your own safety, would those of you who do not know the killing curse, step forward."

Vanessa nervously stepped forward. She didn't want to kill anybody, but she knew she would have to in these grievous times. She listened intently as Hermione taught the incantation and the feeling needed to produce the curse. Vanessa shuddered at the thought of killing someone.

Draco woke from his happy slumber as an owl rudely pecked at his window. It was a letter from Hermione, in a very messy scrawl.

Draco,

Wake up everyone. There's been an attack on the school. Suspect death eaters. I hope you didn't already know about this. I'm sure a few of your fellow Slytherins did. We're going to need all the help we can get.

Love,

Hermione Granger

He leapt from his bed. His father hadn't told him anything of the sort. As he looked around his gloomy dormitory he found that Crabbe and Goyle were missing. Great. He woke all the Slytherins, fearing that all not privy to the invasion would be killed.

Harry and Ron ran into Dumbledore's office, throwing off the cloak, to find no Dumbledore. "Headmaster!" shouted Harry.

The old headmaster walked from a back room, an expression of distress on his face.

"Quiet down, we don't want them to here you," whispered Dumbledore.

"Them?" questioned Ron.

"The Crucians. I can feel them in the castle."

Harry nodded, "They're here, but what are they?"

"My goodness, let me send letters to the staff first, then I will answer the questions you are begging to ask." Fawkes gave a subdued cry. The colors of his feathers were a brilliant red. Thankfully, he was in full health.

Harry and Ron shifted nervously as Dumbledore's pen scratched on the parchment. The sorting hat groaned into waking and watched the scene closely. Godric Gryffindor's sword gleamed in the moonlight on a polished shelf. Dumbledore handed all his letters to a gray owl and it fluttered out of sight. "Now Harry, there is something you must understand as you lead your closest friends into battle." Harry swallowed hard. "Crucians are a creation of Voldemort." Ron shuddered. "They carry those swords which you have so cleverly found. Those swords will never break and will always strike true. The magic in their wands is very powerful, and they are particularly fond of the Cruciatus Curse." Harry and Ron gulped. "It will take teamwork and bravery to defeat them."

Harry felt his throat tie up. "But headmaster," he began, "what are they?"

Dumbledore gave a sigh. "It has been my most unfortunate displeasure to investigate the cases of missing wizards and witches. That is what the Crucians are. Wizards that are tortured until they despise the world they knew before. I was horrified to run into one of my old friends, his teeth filed to points and his eyes had been made to slant."

Harry winced remembering the gold eyes. The eyes that looked so much like Voldemort's.

"You best be off Harry, Miss Granger and the Gryffindors will be in need of you and Mr. Weasley."

Harry nodded then looked to the sword. "Headmaster?"

"Of course, take it," returned Dumbledore, rummaging through his drawers.

Harry grabbed it and was about to leave when he heard a raspy 'ahem' escape from the sorting hat. "Shall I be taking you too?" questioned Harry.

"Of course, now hurry! Hurry! We haven't got all day!"

Harry complied, and then concealed himself, Ron, the sorting hat, and the sword under the invisibility cloak.

When Harry and Ron approached the fat lady, they pulled the cloak off their heads, and she didn't even ask the password. She merely said, "Run on in Harry, they need you." Thankful for the convenience they ran in and saw Hermione in front of everybody. Her hair was falling in front of her face as she twisted strands worriedly.

"Oh thank God you guys are here," gasped Hermione.

"What's been happening?" asked Harry.

"Nothing except for hiding. And I taught them all the killing curse." She shivered thinking of it.

Harry forgot all his irritation towards her and hugged her. "We're going to win this," he said. "Don't worry."

A slashing sound came at the fat lady's portrait. Harry turned to face the Gryffindors that were trying as hard as they possibly could to hold in shrieks. "Don't forget the disarming spell!" he yelled, trying to go for a less violent type of battle. A rather loud rip sounded through the portrait and a freakish looking face smiled a jagged grin through the hole. "Expelliarmus!" shouted Harry and a sword flew through the portrait and to Harry's feet. "Ron, take it, fast!" Ron obliged and lifted it to his side.

Vanessa screamed and advanced with the rest of the Gryffindors into the crowd of death eaters and Crucians. Swords were flying everywhere.

Draco led the Slytherins into the mess of attackers in front of the Slytherin common room. Shouting all sorts of spells, he found himself surround by his two best friends. Crabbe and Goyle. They were about to kill him. His father had planned this, he knew it. His father wanted him dead. He turned his wand to them, one at a time, hate filling his heart. "Avada Kedavra!" Following a blinding green flash, the two fell dead with a thud. Draco reeled with anguish. Why did it come to this? A sword flew past his eyes and hit the ground hard. "Holy shit!" cried Draco turning on the Crucian.

It was nearing dawn; the fight had gone on all night. Many students had fallen, but Harry and Dumbledore were leading them to victory. The amount of dead Crucians and death eaters far outweighed the amount of student deaths.

Harry was fighting in the Transfiguration classroom. News from fellow students was that Dumbledore was fighting just outside the hospital wing so as to prevent attackers from hurting the already wounded.

Harry had been weakened by being held under the Cruciatus Curse numerous times during the battle. To his horror, Vanessa was caught in a malicious one. Harry looked up to the Crucian's yellow eyes. A scar ran across the "creature's" brow line and black blood seeped from a shoulder wound. Harry brought the point of the saw tooth sword away from Vanessa with his own sword. To his surprise, Gryffindor's sword had proven to be more powerful than the crude Crucian swords.

Vanessa was free from the curse and proceeded to disarm a small death eater that was coming towards her. Harry broke free of the Crucian's sword and plunged the silver blade (already glinting with blood) of Godric's sword into the Crucian's black heart. Harry wiped sweat from his forehead as he proceeded to defend more students from the deadly blows of the Crucians.

Draco had fought his way into the great hall where he found Hermione. Strands of perfect brown hair were wet with black blood, as was her clothing. Her eyes darted fiercely from one villain to the next; fear was caught amidst the hatred and violent rage. In her right hand she clasped her wand and in her left was a Crucian's sword. Somehow she had been managing to kill using her left hand. A death eater came running towards her and she pointed her wand straight at the man. "Avada Kedavra!" she screamed, a burst of green escaping the wood clutched in her right hand. The death eater fell to the floor.

Draco ran to her side, sweat dripping from his hair. He had a nasty cut across his cheek and the dark blood flowed over his filthy face. Tears about his robe showed the brutal combat that he had been through. "Thought I'd never find you," said Draco casually, taking a Crucian's sword from the ground and whacking another Crucian's arm off.

The Crucian turned around, laughing menacingly. "Crucio!" growled the 'creature' in a most revolting tone.

Draco writhed in pain. He tried hard to get the thought out of his mind. Through the pain he thought he faintly saw Hermione taking up in a sword fight with the Crucian, piercing its heart. Draco felt relieved as he came out of the curse. Hermione extended her hand to him. When he had risen, quite sorely, she kissed him before returning to the battle. Red blood remained on his lips as she gallantly fought through the crow. Her blood. He had hardly realized it before, but small cuts and scratches riddled her face. Yet, to the Slytherin, she still retained her beauty. He couldn't bear to think of what would happen were he to find her… and Harry.

Vanessa rolled out of the way of a falling chandelier, which landed on top of a Crucian in the Arithmancy classroom. A death eater covered in red human blood jumped into the room. The woman lifted off her hood to reveal dark hair, accompanied by intense, sullen eyes. Vanessa's eyes. She didn't need to be introduced to the death eater. Vanessa knew it was her mother. "Mom?" questioned Vanessa fairly helplessly to the death eater.

Bellatrix Lestrange was taken aback for a moment, until she remembered. Her daughter, the one Lucius had cared for. The one Lucius made sure would stay away from that dratted Potter. Bellatrix's blood red lips formed into an evil grin. "Darling?" she asked, trying for the innocent mother affect. "Is that really you?"

Vanessa was beginning to forget what Harry had said about her parents. She wanted to be held in her mother's arms, just once in her life.

"Darling, my sweet child, come here. My, look how you've grown. You're so beautiful." She beckoned for Vanessa to come nearer.

Carter watched closely. He could tell who the death eater was. He had seen her photograph in the Daily Prophet. He was prepared to help Vanessa at any given moment.

"My daughter, please come here," spoke the woman in a low, soothing voice.

Vanessa began to move forward apprehensively. It really was her mother. She couldn't help but smile until Bellatrix pulled out her wand.

"Avada-" began the woman cruelly.

Vanessa took a step back as Carter forgot all reason and ran in front of her as the woman finished the incantation. Before the blinding flash hit Carter, it felt as though time slowed and he turned to Vanessa. "I love you," he whispered. He began to quote his favorite play. "And thus, with a kiss, I die," he said, pressing his lips firmly against hers, his hand cupped around the back of her head. The green light hit Carter and he fell limp into Vanessa's arms.

She brought him to the ground, tears turning her face hot. She closed his lids over his clear blue eyes. Shivering, she kissed him on his already icy lips. She turned back to her mother, fury rising from her broken heart.

"My darling, you certainly have grown up," mocked Bellatrix. "A boyfriend and everything."

Tears slicked Vanessa's face. She pulled out her wand and pointed it at her mother. So much hate was in her; she knew she could kill her mother after what she had done. "I loved him!" she screamed so loudly her throat hurt. "AVADA KEDAVRA!" Vanessa closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to see her own mother consumed by green light. When she heard a thud on the floor she opened her eyes to see Bellatrix Lestrange, dead. She bent down to Carter's side. A tear slid from her eye and down her nose and landed on Carter's pale cheek. "Why?" she screamed. "WHY!" She cradled the Slytherin boy's body in her arms and the cool of him made her body go numb. The room was empty. There was no living soul remaining, only corpses surrounded her. She dropped her voice to a weak drawl. "Why couldn't he just let me die?" asked Vanessa to the blood streaked walls and the bodies around her. "Why?"

Harry needed to find the center and defeat the Crucians near their source: the Great Hall. He roamed a single empty corridor on his way and ran into Vanessa walking out of the Arithmancy room, puffy eyed. He ran up to her and wrapped his arm around her. "What happened Vanessa?"

"She killed him," she sobbed.

Harry shuddered remembering his outburst the other night. He had easily forgotten his resentment toward the first year in this time of loneliness and death. "Who killed who?"

"Carter!" she wailed.

Harry's eyes went wide. The boy who had been so kind to Vanessa. The boy who was in love with her. "Who…k-k-…you know?"

"MY MOM HARRY! She fucking killed him!" It was at this time when Vanessa finally knew what Harry had felt in past nights. "I loved him Harry! I still do! I keep feeling like this is some awful nightmare that I'm going to wake up from. But every time I pinch myself I realize that he's not going to be there for me anymore."

Harry bent and gave her a warm embrace. "I know what you're going though."

Vanessa suddenly remembered killing her mother. "No you don't Harry." Harry gave her a confused, irritated glance. She continued, "You haven't killed your own mom." Harry gawked for a moment as memories of his own mom dying came to his mind. Memories of Sirius dying. Memories of Voldemort. Then suddenly, the memory of the prophecy. "Vanessa, there's something I need you to do."

Draco snaked his arms around Hermione during a slight reprieve from battle. They sat in the side room off of the Great Hall. "Hermione?"

"Yeah?" Her hands were quivering as she recollected slaughter Crucians and death eaters. She moved her head a bit, trying to make the thoughts leave.

Draco's voice hurt his tongue as he continued to speak. He wanted to stop, but magic was forcing him to continue. "You know that promise?"

"Yeah."

"You felt the magic that bound us to it, right?"

"Come to think of it, yeah," she replied nervously.

"Well, my father told me what it is."

"And?"

"He said that you have to-" He choked on his words. "You have to kill---Harry.

Hermione fell backwards out of Draco's arms. "WHAT?" she yelled.

He grabbed her wrist, as she was about to leave. "I hate it too. I don't want you to do something you don't want. But you have to understand. My father bound us by magic to the promise. The quicker you find Harry, the faster he dies."

Hermione sat down, running injured fingers through her dark with blood hair. "What are we going to do…?"

"I've been thinking, but I can't find a way out of this…" He trailed off and started to vent. "My father never really told me much. He never told me about this. And there have been countless times where he's tried to have me killed through this battle… some father really."

Hermione brought her hand to his grimy face. She wanted to care for him and lead him from the wilderness he was lost in. Most of all, she wanted to kiss him. Their lips met, and for that moment, the struggles of battle were lifted.

It was one of those moments that wouldn't seem that fabulous until it was placed next to the evil of the time. Without dark, there would be no light. And through the overwhelming stress of battle, a brief moment of light shone through a castle window and warmed the faces of Draco and Hermione.