I'm delighted to present this next chapter. It was so hard to write and, honestly, I'm just glad that I finished it. We're coming to the end rather quickly. Just one more chapter after this one.

IMPORTANT: For those of you that may be a little more sensitive, there is blood, gore and death in this one. Multiple deaths. Nothing too graphic, but it's there. Also, fair warning, I'm not so good at fight scenes. Not my cup of tea. So, there's a good amount of humor and silliness sprinkled in to make me feel better.


"What was that?"

"How the bloody hell would I know? This ain't my damn house!"

"Shut up you idiots."

Harry exhaled slowly, listening to the gruff voices of the three Death Eaters. They seemed to have stepped out of the manor for a smoke. They'd obviously felt something change with the wards, but weren't very concerned. Harry tapped Draco's hip and held his position as the blond edged through the bushes.

Draco kept to the shadows, managing to get behind the three unsuspecting Death Eaters. He wrinkled his nose at the acrid smoke and then lifted his hands, palms out. He pushed outward, knocking the men down with a spell. Another quick wave of his hands had the Death Eaters knocked out and bound. Harry lifted his hands to levitate the men into the bushes while Draco unlocked the door.

A sharp howl in the distance shattered the quiet of the night. A snarl from just behind Harry followed. Harry turned to look at the werewolf behind him. "Get to the others," he instructed quietly. "Protect your pack."

The werewolf, an especially large one named Martin Harris, let out a low growl before turning and running off. The full moon shone brightly, highlighting the dark figures nearing the manor. The other werewolves were with Moony and Padfoot, waiting impatiently for Harry.

"Are you sure that this is a good idea on a full moon?" Blaise asked warily.

"Snape's wolfsbane potion is the best you can get," Harry reasoned. "And our werewolves have shown a lot of loyalty. They'll be fine."

Harry and Draco slipped through the door, followed closely by their betas. They could hear movement further into the house. "Tippy," Draco whispered, sliding his hand into Harry's. He was flooded with relief when a house elf appeared in from of them.

"Young Master Malfoy," Tippy said, her wide eyes full of tears. "The young master is not safe here. Ugly snake man is crazy."

"We're here to help," Draco assured the little elf. "I need you to unlock all the doors. Our teams need to get in."

Tippy lifted one hand and snapped her long thin fingers. "Wolves can come in now," she said. She smiled at Draco's look of surprise. "Tippy listens. Tippy hears lots of interesting things. Now elves will help the pack."

The tiny house elf disappeared, leaving Draco and Harry befuddled. Then Draco shook it off and motioned for the others to follow him. He peered around the next corner carefully, tensing when he saw two death eaters approaching.

Before Draco could use a spell to conceal himself and his companion's, there was a loud crash from the other end of the hall. The pair of death eaters whirled around and saw a Tippy standing over a tray of spilled tea things, the tea soaking into the expensive rug.

"You clumsy little fool," one of the men growled. "Clean that up and then go punish yourself."

Tippy flinched but then straightened up defiantly. "Not my master," she declared in her squeaky voice.

Harry and Draco smirked from their hiding place while there Death Eaters sputtered indignantly. "You do as your told!"

"No!" Tippy retorted. There was another crash heard from upstairs and the little house elf suddenly looked smug.

Enraged, the two men stalked back toward Tippy, pulling out their wands. Draco shifted into the hallway throwing one hand out sharply, sending a spell at one of the men. The other whirled around with a curse on his lips, only to receive a stunner to the chest from Harry.

Tippy frowned down at the two unconscious death eaters with obvious distaste. "No punishment for Tippy," she grumbled.

"You were brilliant Tippy," Draco said, rolling his shoulders a bit to relieve some of the tension there.

They heard a crack and another house elf popped into the room. The poor creature's wide eyes looked watery and fearful. "Bad men left to join the Snake Man," the elf blurted frantically.

"Voldemort isn't here?" Harry asked urgently.

The elf shook his head so hard that his large ears slapped against his face. "He went out some time ago," he replied. "Duney heard the others talk about joining him at the school."

Draco and Harry shared a look of horror.

"Did they know we were coming tonight?" Hermione asked.

"Duney thinks so," Duney responded anxiously.

"Harry Potter and young master Malfoy have a traitor," Tippy said regretfully. She waved her boney hands at them. "You go."

"Where is my father?" Draco asked urgently.

"Master Malfoy is gone," Duney informed, winging his hands. "Master was not pleased when he left."

"So it's unlikely that Lucius betrayed us," Blaise said, sounding as if he was trying to convince himself.

"I don't think it's Lucius," Harry replied. "I can't imagine-" He shook his head with a sigh. "It's important, but we need to worry about Hogwarts first." He bolted back outside the one hand out while holding onto Draco with the other. "Expecto Patronum!"

The silver wolf burst from Harry wand, and stood still before them.

"We have been betrayed," Harry said stiffly. "Go to Hogwarts immediately." Harry then waved his hand again and the wolf split into three wolves before racing off to the rest of the pack on the Malfoy grounds.

"Our pups," Draco groaned softly as Harry called out for Sapphira. The dragon, who had been circling the perimeter, landed heavily, crushing some bushes and making Draco flinch.

"We're leaving for Hogwarts," Harry hissed. "Meet us there. Fly quickly," he added, pressing his forehead to her snout when she leaned in close.

"Be safe my Harry," Sapphira responded in a growl. She gave Draco a gentle nudge since she couldn't speak directly to him. In the next moment, she backed away to stretch out her wings and lift her bulk into the night sky.

Hermione shot a spell into the sky as the betas crowded close to their alphas. The held on as Harry turned and apparated them away. All across the grounds of the manor, cracks of apparation echoed as the rest of the pack were spirited away to Hogwarts.

As silence fell over the manor, the image of a pair of wolves remained suspended among the stars.


Rather than appearing outside of Hogwarts, the returned to Headquarters and used the floo to get into the Headmistress' office. The stepped through the fireplace one by one, racing down the stairs and down eerily still hallways.

Harry shoved his way through the doors to the main entrance, leading the way to the grounds. There he could see the Professors stubbornly maintaining the wards around the school. The suits of armor that usually dotted the halls were now standing guard at all entry points.

In the distance, the bridge between Hogwarts and Hogsmead was engulfed in flames. They could see Neville, Seamus, Ginny and Astoria walking back toward the castle, their faces and clothes smeared with soot.

"Blaise!" Neville shouted abruptly, breaking into a run. He launched himself at Blaise, hugging the other young man fiercely. That finally alerted everyone else to the new arrivals.

"Harry!" Minerva cried, not daring to lower her wand.

"I'm here Minnie," he murmured, squeezing her shoulder gently. "It'll be okay."

"We can't hold the wards," she responded tiredly. "They'll break through any moment."

"It's alright," Harry replied. "We knew they would. You've all done great," he said, raising his voice so the others could hear him. "We planned for this. Anyone who doesn't wish to fight should go to the room of requirement. Nobody would blame you."

"We've already sent on those that couldn't or didn't wish to fight," Pansy said moving to quickly embrace Vince and Greg. "Everyone here is ready and willing to fight with you."

Harry smiled and gave a short nod. "Let's not keep them waiting then. I need everyone to take a moment to touch Draco and I. Our werewolves are here, and you need to smell like pack," he instructed. He and Draco transformed and waited patiently while they were hugged and petted by everyone there. They couldn't risk the werewolves confusing them with Death Eaters. Even on wolfsbane, werewolves were dangerous.

"The wards are failing," Snape murmured, looking rather uncomfortable as he knelt to awkwardly drape his arms over the two alpha wolves. He sighed irritably when the wolves nuzzled against him, no doubt coaxing their scent into the fabric of his robes. "Surely this is sufficient."

Centauri made a sort of grumbling sound and licked over Orion's black muzzle before backing away, much to Snape's relief. The two wolves returned to human form and reached out to clasp their hands together.

"Everyone get ready," Harry said, just before pressing a kiss to the back of his fiancé's hand. "Be careful, love," he added softly.

Draco's lips curled into mischievous smirk. "They'll never suspect their own shadows," he whispered. He pressed a kiss to Harry's lips before disappearing in a puff of dark smoke.

"I wish he would tell us how in the hell he does that," Blaise complained, continuing to hold Neville close.

"That would take away the fun," Ron pointed out with a grin.

"Yes, yes, Draco's a Robin Hood/ninja hybrid," Pansy sighed, rolling her eyes. "Can we focus on the battle?" She reached up to kiss Vince's cheek with a little smile. "Maybe we can spend some time together after?" she asked.

Vince smiled broadly, obviously delighted. "Okay," he agreed with an eager nod.

Greg huffed a quiet laugh. "Alright, time to focus," Greg reminded them. He snorted when Vince nodded again, his face flushing in the moonlight.

"There it is," Harry said, shuddering as the wards finally broke. "Defend the school. Defend each other. Defend the pack."

Ron tipped his head back to let out a loud, long howl. It was echoed by a few other students as they began to surge forward into battle. A chill went down their spines when another series of howls responded from the depths of the Forbidden Forest.

A terrifying snarl ripped through the air, followed by a blood curdling scream. A flash of red hurtled toward the pack, swiftly blocked by Harry's quick shield charm.

The death eaters flooded the school grounds, wicked grins painted across their faces. Voldemort followed them at a less hurried pace, with Nagini being levitated along beside him, before turning off toward the boathouse. his cold eyes scanned for the boy who lived as he went. He had every intention of watching the light leave Harry Potter's eyes. And then Draco would die painfully as a blood traitor.


Draco took in a slow breath, concealed in the shadow of a large tree. He slowly lifted his hands, waiting. Right as Bellatrix rushed past him, he made a forceful shoving motion, focusing his magic. Bellatrix was thrown so harshly that she toppled six other death eaters. She shrieked in fury, but Draco wasn't done. While his mad aunt looked around for the culprit, he maneuvered behind another cluster of death eaters and made a quick horizontal slashing motion, his spell knocking their legs out from under them. He threw out a series of stunners, knocking out death eaters one by one. He moved silently and continuously, not giving anyone the chance to pinpoint his location.

A pair of giants joined the fray, swinging large clubs in a slightly clumsy manner. The struck the side of the castle, send chunks of stone flying. Astoria was knocked from her feet, screaming in agony. She'd broken her right leg and the bone was protruding from her shin.

Blaise pulled away from the fight to run to Astoria. Neville joined him instantly. "This is more than I can fix," Blaise admitted, quietly. "We need to get her inside. But-"

"Don't worry," Minerva called to him. Poppy has sat up an infirmary in the Great Hall. "She knew we'd likely need the extra space."

Blaise nodded, hastily levitating Astoria. Neville went with him, helping to keep the young woman as steady as possible.

Harry, Hermione, Ron and Greg carefully surrounded the giant that was knocking off chunks of the castle. The three betas conjured ropes to bind the giant, swiftly securing his legs together and trapping his arms to his sides. The giant fell backward with a bellow, shaking the ground.

Harry held both hands out, pushing his magic into the ropes and making them unbreakable. With a little wave, he adhered the ropes to the ground to prevent the giant from rolling.

"Brilliant," Ron remarked proudly. "Let's get that other one," he added, wincing as the other giant took a swipe at Ginny, Luna and Daphne with a club. The girls shrieked and leaped out of the way.

The second giant was hastily bound with conjured ropes while Harry kept curses at bay. He then repeated his spells to keep the ropes from breaking while Hermione and Ron guarded him.

Near the main entrance, Viktor sent a hex at a hulking death eater that seemed to be attempting to lead a group into the castle. "You vill not enter this castle," Viktor snarled. Another spell sent the other man sprawling, causing three of his cohorts to trip over him. Adrien used a swift jelly-legs curse on one the men, resulting in one of those flailing legs to kick the downed death eater right in the groin. Hard.

"I almost feel sorry for him," Marcus commented. "Stupify," he cried hastily, directing his wand at another dark fire hurtling toward them. He shook his head before muttering another spell to bind the fallen death eaters with ropes.

Harry panted for breath looking around to check on his friends. He could see Hannah leaning heavily against one of the stone walls of the castle bleeding from her side. Lee Jordan was being supported by Fred and George, blood glistening in the moonlight on the dark skin of his face. All around, Harry's friends were struggling to fight against ruthless death eaters. For some reason, the Order of the Phoenix wasn't present and it made Harry's insides twist with anxiety. He couldn't decide if he was more afraid for his pack at the moment, or for what could have happened to keep the Order away.

Harry could see a hoard of dementers closing in on their location. Bellatrix and several of her deranged companions were closing in on him. He'd be overwhelmed quickly if they got too close. Knowing he needed to move fast, Harry planted his feet and thrust both hands out. "Concusso!" he shouted. His magic surged outward like a shockwave, following the direction of his arms and threw about twenty death eaters backwards. Harry paused to focus his thoughts on Draco, their family, their friends and the pups. "Expecto Patronum!" he called out, a silvery wolf bursting from his fingertips. He heard another voice and saw another shining wolf materialize from the shadows, and he knew that Draco was their, lending his magic.

The spell was echoed behind Harry as well. The death eaters looked stunned to see no less than fifteen patronuses join the pair of wolves to chase away the dementors. But, while everyone focused on the dementors, one of the death eaters lashed out.

There was a shout, a flash of green and suddenly Parvati was screaming. Her twin sister, Padma, was laying lifeless on the grass. Lavender looked horrified but she gathered Parvati close in an attempt to console her. Behind them, Justin Finch-Fletchley went down next. Professor Spout began to hurry over to assist but was hit with a another green flash of light, collapsing instantly to move no more.

"No!" Minerva cried out, slashing her wand and stunning the culprit.

The fight just got bloodier after that. But, a series of loud cracks sounded, making the death eaters look around warily.

The Order had arrived.

Shacklebolt looked a bit haggard but he jumped into the fight without hesitation. Molly and Arthur looked around to locate their children before quickly joining in. Nymphadora Tonks almost immediately tripped over a fallen death eater, knocking into a second death eater and causing him to be knocked out when his head collided with one of the courtyard's stone pillars.

Even Dumbledore was present. He was sitting astride a Thestral, gripping a wand tightly and doing his best to protect the others as much as he was capable. His abilities were diminished but it wasn't going to stop him from helping Harry.

It was at this point that Voldemort seemed to decide that he was done waiting to make his grand entrance. He delighted in the frightened shrieks that sounded when he moved through the sea of bodies, occasionally send out curses at his enemies. He released Nagini from the levitation spell to set her lose on the Order and Potter's little friends.

"Oh, I wasn't expecting Carl so soon," said a male voice in a tone that was almost conversational.

Voldemort nearly paused, a little bewildered, but he continued on. He frowned when a female voice said "I thought his name was Dave." What in the hell could they possibly be talking so casually about in the middle of a battle? And who the bloody hell was Dave?

Harry saw Voldemort approaching flanked by several of his death eaters. Lucius was among those closest to the Dark Lord, his gray eyes flitting about in search of his wife and son. Not finding either of them, Lucius looked directly at Harry, his fear showing in his eyes. Understanding the older man's worry, Harry allowed his stance to relax a little and gave a tiny nod.

"It was foolish to attack the school, Steve," Harry said sternly, as if scolding a wayward child.

Fred and George guffawed. A few nervous giggles rippled through the teenagers. One of the men to Voldemort's left, Corban Yaxley, snorted a laugh. Enraged, Voldemort turned and hit the man with a curse that split him open and spilled his insides into the dirt at his feet. The others jerked away, all urges to laugh dying instantly.

Voldemort turned back to face Harry, his red eyes full of hate and fury. "I'll make you regret even being born," he snarled, lifting his wand. "Avada-"

"Concusso!" Harry shouted again, making a sharp shoving motion. The resulting shockwave knocked the death eaters, and their dark lord, off of their feet.

Voldemort recovered pretty quickly but, before he could retaliate, Harry sent another silent spell his way. This time a strong gust of wind caught hold of Voldemort's robes and yanked the hem upward, obstructing his vision. And that was the moment that they all discovered that he didn't bother to wear anything underneath.

Ginny screeched and hid her face against Charlie's back. She nearly collapsed into a fit of giggles when Luna sighed and said "Well, I suppose it is a little chilly out here."

Harry tsked, shaking his head as Voldemort pried the robes from his face. "You'll catch your death in this breeze while dressed like that, Bob," he offered. "And aren't you worried about your floppy bits with all the spells flying around? Sounds like a good way to get castrated."

"Oh Merlin," Seamus wheezed. "He called him Bob."

Voldemort let out an infuriated scream, sending a red beam toward Harry. Harry's quick shield charm held strong, sending the curse back and forcing Voldemort to dodge at the last moment. One of his underlings failed to dodge and collapsed, howling in agony.

Draco kept an eye on Harry, his feet as silent as shadows as he moved closer to his goal. His fiancé just needing to keep Voldemort occupied so that Draco could complete his task. Nagini was closing in on Neville, Blaise, Greg and Vince. They were throwing a variety of spells to slow the serpent down, but she was getting too close for comfort. Draco swallowed down his nerves and lifted his hands. "Deflagratio infernum," he said clearly, fire leaping from his hands to curl and twist around itself as if it were alive. It grew and took on the shape of a dragon, it's maw dropping open as it moved toward Nagini. The flames consumed the snake, sending black smoke into the air as a horrific scream rang out.

Though shaken, Neville was the first to move to defend Draco. "Great work Alpha," he said. "We'll watch your back while you concentrate on getting rid of the fiendfyre.

Draco nodded absently, not daring to look away from the flames. With slow even breathes, he willed the fire to shrink and weaken. He ignored the sounds of continued battle around him as his magic swirled and pulsed with his efforts. He sighed with relief when the flames finally sputtered out.

That was the last of the horcruxes. And Voldemort knew it. He screamed his fury and began flinging spells at Harry with deadly determination. His followers rallied and began fighting back again, killing a few more of the Pack and Order.

A loud roar overhead made everyone flinch. Sapphira soared in and landed heavily on the ground before immediately belching out flames to engulf several of the death eaters.

Voldemort nearly turned his attention to the dragon, but Harry kept his attention. It was infuriating to see this barely of age young wizard wielding his magic confidently without a wand. Dumbledore himself hadn't been that competent wandless.

"Crucio," Voldemort hissed, pouring all of his hatred into the spell. He watched with satisfaction as Harry screamed and convulsed before collapsing.

Draco burst into view, throwing one hand out to send a hex at the Dark Lord, effectively disrupting the curse. He hauled Harry up, his hands shaking as he smoothed Harry hair back.

Voldemort sneered and lifted his wand again, only to be forced to block a particularly nasty curse from Lucius. "You dare betray me?"

"I won't let you hurt my family," Lucius spat, shifting closer to his son and Harry. "Not anymore."

"Then die with them you fool," the dark lord responded coldly.

Draco kept on arm around Harry, grateful when Vince and Greg moved close to protect them with shield charms. Sirius, Hermione and Blaise were suddenly at their sides making sure the enemy didn't get to close. Feeling safe enough for the moment, Draco cradled Harry tired face, reaching out with his magic to ease the effects of the cruciatus curse.

Harry felt the pain melt away, his body relaxing. His magic hummed within him and he could feel their soul bond burning brightly. He smiled, squeezing Draco's hand gratefully.

He turned back to Voldemort. "It doesn't have to be this way," Harry said earnestly. "Try to find whatever humanity is left in you."

"I will destroy all of you."

Harry shook his head. "You'll never be satisfied."

"On the contrary," Voldemort responded with a wicked smirk, "I think killing you and your lover will be enormously satisfying. You've stood in my way for the last time."

"We'll never let you get away with this Trevor," Ron shouted, spurring the others to call out their agreement.

"Have fun in Azkaban, Ed."

"Stupid Jeff."

Harry could barely suppress the laugh that wanted to bubble up as the others muttered darkly about the dark lord while calling him anything but his name. When Ginny said the name "Diane" even Lucius snorted a little.

Voldemort sent another curse flying toward them, but Harry blocked it again. "Look Tim-"

"It's Tom!" Voldemort shouted in frustration. And then realizing what he'd called himself he shrieked "I am Lord Voldemort!"

"Yeah, okay," Draco said in a mocking tone.

Voldemort hurled spell after spell, his eyes wild as he snarled each incantation. Once he realized that he'd managed to break through Harry's shield charm, he smiled in cruel triumph. "Avada-"

Crunch!

Sapphira had lunged and snapped up the dark lord in powerful jaws, sharp teeth piercing through him. She shook her head aggressively and then spat him out with a quick snort of flames, just to be safe.

Harry and Draco stared at the dragon, visibly shaken. She prowled closer and nuzzled Harry as gently as she could. A rumble that was rather like a purr vibrated in her throat as the pair of exhausted Alpha's embraced her neck as well as they could.

Voldemort was dead. Harry lifted his head to look around warily. Most of the death eaters were dead while some had wisely surrendered. The rest were tied up and waiting to be taken to Azkaban.

Harry's heart ached to see that he'd lost some friends in the battle. Tears spilled over his cheeks as he watched his beloved Minnie weep into Sirius' shoulder as they stood over Professor Sprout's lifeless form. They'd lost so many people. He wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to look at the grounds without seeing all those lifeless bodies staring vacantly into the night.

"How will we get through this?" Draco asked shakily, his voice full of sadness.

"Together," Harry replied softly. "Just like everything else." He took hold of Draco's hand and began leading him toward the others. "Let's go comfort our family." He met Lucius' gaze for just a moment, indicated that the elder Malfoy was included in that statement.

Lucius followed the two young men, eager to be reunited with his wife and to be bring the whole nightmare behind them.