Summary: In the third year of the war, Draco is discovered as a spy for the Order of the Phoenix. Snape brings him to Grimmauld Place for safety. But months of being locked in a house with Potter take their toll, and soon both boys are in over their heads.
Pairing: Harry/Draco. If you don't like it, don't read it.
Warnings: Unbetaed, all mistakes are my own. Sexual content. Language.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and everything affiliated with his world belong to J.K. Rowling.
The Dining Hall was even more crowded than when Draco had left it. Reinforcements for both the Order and the Death Eaters had arrived. Draco tried to look for Harry, but it was hard when he had to keep one eye out for stray curses. Draco figured Harry would be somewhere in the middle of the hall, battling his way towards the Dark Lord.
Even with all those people, the Dark Lord was clearly visible. He stood taller than most everyone else, and his red eyes glowed in the gloom.
Draco shot a stunner at a Death Eater who had just knocked down Mr. Weasley. Once Draco was sure Mr. Weasley was fine and moving, Draco moved forward. He gave surreptitious help to any Order member who needed it. He managed to stay mostly undetected, but a few Death Eaters seemed to notice him and try to curse him. However, Draco was able to defend himself quite well.
Suddenly, someone crashed into him and they both fell down. Draco hurriedly pushed the person off himself and got up. Then he gulped. It was his Aunt Bellatrix and she was smiling evilly. "Hello little cousin," she said, "Nasty little bloodtraitor you are." Draco raised his wand and prepared to fight.
Bellatrix didn't do anything at first, in an attempt to get him to relax his guard. It didn't work on Draco, though, because after she broke out of Azkaban, she had been tutoring him in dueling.
Bellatrix didn't like having her own strategies thrown back at her, and she snarled at Draco. She looked quite insane, almost as mad as Old Mrs. Black in that portrait at Grimmauld Place.
Draco shot a curse at Bellatrix, who deflected it with a wave of her wand. Then she tried to attack mentally. Bellatrix was a good Legilimens, almost as good as Snape had been. She managed to get into Draco's mind before he could stop her.
Draco saw the memories of his mother's death before his eyes. He could hear Bellatrix laughing at him, and tried to fight harder. Next came the memory of his father disowning him. He heard his father's voice. "You're no son of mine any longer! I never want to look upon your face again!"
The next memory was casting Sectumsempra on Nagini. In the back of his mind, Draco heard Bellatrix gasp, and say, "What have you done now, little cousin?" Her voice was full of horror. That was all Draco needed to gather up his strength and throw her out of his mind.
"Our Master isn't going to be very happy with you, Draco. You killed his pet snakey."
Draco was breathing hard, but he gasped out, "He's not my Master."
"Of course he is, ickle Draco, you still bear his Mark. You'll belong to him for the rest of your life." Bellatrix cackled.
Draco threw a Stinging Hex at her, and she barely had time to cast a shield charm. Then their fight started in earnest. Bellatrix was insane and a very powerful dueler. But Draco was motivated by revenge for his mother and the need to get to Harry before it is too late.
Bellatrix cast a nasty looking hex at Draco, one she had learnt from his father's private library. Draco barely managed to deflect it, and it bounced off his shield and up. Both Draco and Bellatrix watched as the curse flew into the crystal chandelier hanging down from the ceiling.
The chandelier was massive, over six feet wide. The chandelier was in the middle of the room and about thirty feet behind Draco. It was goblin made from the finest silver, so fine it almost looked like glass. Draco's great-great-great-great-great grandfather had given it to his great-great-great-great-great grandmother as a wedding gift. The one candle that had flickered bravely on during the battle sputtered out. The spell hit the chandelier in the middle, and made it rock dangerously. If that thing fell, it would crush the people beneath it like ants.
The chandelier continued to swing side-to-side, Draco and Bellatrix watching it. Draco tore his eyes away and saw his chance. Before Bellatrix could react, Draco shot a stunning spell at her. She crumpled to the floor. For good measure, Draco bound and gagged his aunt before stepping on her wand and breaking it into three pieces. Then he left her lying on the floor and continued searching for Harry.
Draco carefully picked his way across the room. The smell of blood was no less potent out here. Occasionally Draco would feel something give beneath his feet. The first time that had happened he had looked down and almost retched at the sight of Anna Bones lying on floor with her guts spilling out of her stomach. Now Draco just winced slightly at the feel of dead flesh beneath him and continued on.
Draco didn't really have very far to go. He saw the Weaslette gamely fighting two Death Eaters at once. Weaslette was no match for the two Death Eaters, and very soon she went down. There was a scream of rage from a shadowy figure and then Potter rushed in and took down one of the Death Eaters with a single curse.
Even in the middle of a battle, Draco could still feel jealous. It wasn't as bad as usual, however, because he could still hear Harry saying, "I think I'm falling in love with you."
While Draco had been lost in his thoughts, Harry had taken down that second Death Eater. Draco saw the grim determination on Harry's face and he ran forward. "Harry!" he yelled, but Harry didn't hear him over the cacophony of the battle.
"Come and fight me, Voldemort!" Harry had cast Sonorus on himself, and his voice echoed eerily around the room. Harry had taken off the dillusionment charm, so he was clearly visible.
The Dark Lord would never back down from a challenge, especially not one from Harry Potter. He apparated across the room until he was standing in front of Harry.
"As you wisshh, Harry Potter. I have been waiting a long time to kill you." The Dark Lord's voice sent a shiver down Draco's spine. It was distinctly snake-like.
By this time Draco wasn't the only one watching. The entire hall seemed to have their attention focused on Harry and the Dark Lord. It had gotten eerily quiet, so the voices of the two speaking seemed to echo around the hall.
Draco's hand clenched around he wand so hard he could feel it digging into his skin. When he looked down to unclench his knuckles, he noticed he was holding Harry's wand. Odd, he had almost forgotten they had switched wands. He hadn't had any problems with Harry's wand. He hoped Harry had had as much success with his wand.
The Dark Lord cackled. "You've learned, haven't you Harry? You've got a new wand, I see." Draco thought that was a bit of an odd comment. How much attention had the Dark Lord paid to Harry's wand to notice it was different?
"You know what else I've learnt, Tom?" Harry put particular emphasis on the Dark Lord's name, which caused a terrifying scowl to make itself known on the snake-like features.
"That you are going to die here, boy?"
"No, that you are mortal once again."
That statement seemed to cause the Dark Lord actual amusement, for he laughed. It was a creepy laugh. "You're as much as a fool as that old simpleton Dumbledore. Be sure and tell him hello for me."
Harry didn't answer, and chose instead to shoot a curse at the Dark Lord. From the flash of light it looked like Expelliarmus. Draco groaned. Harry was going to lose if he didn't use real spells.
Indeed, the Dark Lord countered with Crucio. Harry and the Dark Lord began to duel, moving around the circle that the spectators had formed. None of said spectators looked like they would be interfering anytime soon, even when Harry couldn't duck quick enough and he fell to the floor writhing in pain.
Draco thought it was hard to watch Harry suffer Crucio the first time, but by the fifth time he was ready to do something. Harry was losing, anyone could see that. He simply wasn't a match for the Dark Lord. Draco had sacrificed too much in this war to just sit back and watch them lose, watch Harry be killed. He had to do something.
Draco took a deep breath and sighed. He opened his eyes and looked around the circle. None of the Order members looked willing to interfere. He was on his own. Swallowing audibly, Draco shot a spell at his former master.
The trip jinx caught him right in the foot, and everyone witnessed a sight they would never see again; the Dark Lord tripping over his own feet. The Dark Lord went down with a roar, and started a very unfortunate series of occurrences.
Harry had shot a spell at the Dark Lord that missed when he tripped. The Dark Lord fired a spell at Draco from the floor, and the two collided in midair. One jet of light shot straight back down to the Dark Lord, and the other shot upwards, right into the chandelier.
The old chandelier was goblin wrought, and very strong. However, it was also several hundred years old and couldn't take two curses fired at it in one night. This second curse finished what the first had started, and there was a loud crack. Draco was focused on the Dark Lord, hoping he wouldn't be cursed. So he didn't notice when the chandelier fell to the ground, right on top of him.