Author's Note: Thank you to xoxSasukexox for beta reading.

oOoOoOo

The Bodyguard

Chapter 21: The Snake

With a crack, Draco Disapparated to Voldemort's side.

Pain tore through Harry's chest, as if his heart had Disapparated along with Draco. Yelling and hardly knowing what he was doing, Harry kicked out savagely, and broke the grip of the two brawny Order members holding him back. Then he sprinted to the spot where Draco had vanished. Groping in the air with his wand, he hunted for the traces of magic Draco's Disapparation had left behind. He found them, but they were fading fast; he only had seconds. With a final furious glare at Moody for letting Draco go, Harry followed the traces and Disapparated.

Crack! The burning shell of the Shrieking Shack blinked out of existence. Harry had the sensation of being squeezed and dragged. Then the world reappeared.

Dense fog chilled Harry's face. The heathery ground sloped steeply beneath his feet, as if he were standing on a mountainside. But Harry hardly had time to register his surroundings before he saw a Death Eater: black robed, white masked and only a few steps away. The sinister figure whirled around and Harry raised his wand.

But no attack came. "H-Harry?" said the Death Eater incredulously.

Harry sighed in relief, and let the tip of his wand drop. "Draco, where did you get those robes?" he asked, hurrying closer, the heather rustling beneath his feet. He saw Draco's eyes blink behind the mask.

"Transfigured them." Draco glanced around urgently. "Look, you shouldn't be here. If you're discovered-"

"They'd kill me," Harry finished. "But they'll kill you too. Everyone knows you rescued me." He pulled out his invisibility cloak. "Let's stay under this," he said, draping the cloak over both of them. He was about to say more, but there was a cracking noise close by. Harry stopped speaking and raised a finger to his lips.

A small, balding man with a silver hand - unmistakeably Peter Pettigrew - appeared in the fog, hurrying and muttering to himself. Death Eater robes and mask appeared and slipped down over his body, as he scurried out of sight.

Harry found that he was crouched down under the cloak, with one arm around Draco's shoulders.

"Go home, Harry. This is too dangerous," whispered Draco fiercely.

"No, YOU go home, Draco. That's an order."

Draco pulled off his mask, and gave Harry a determined look. Though he quivered, he did not grab at his throat, the way he usually did when defying the Vow.

Harry sighed in frustration. "So orders don't work on you any more?" He wondered what was going on. Just when the Vow would have helped him save Draco, it appeared to have vanished. Harry silently cursed Umbridge. Did she ever help anyone? Even by accident?

"I can't feel the Vow," whispered Draco. "All I feel is..." His voice trailed off, and then he whispered plaintively. "Please go back, Harry. I couldn't stand it if-"

"I'm staying."

Draco bit his lip and looked at the ground for a moment. Then, tentatively, he reached up and touched the fabric of the invisibility cloak. "What I wouldn't have given for one of these in school," he said. His voice was light, but Harry could feel him trembling.

"It's not a perfect disguise," Harry warned. "We can still be heard, our footprints can be seen and Voldemort can see through the cloak."

Draco glanced at Harry in alarm, and then he peered around, as if expecting Voldemort to appear through the fog. But there was no one in sight, though a muttering crowd could be heard, a short distance away.

"Nagini will probably be able to sense us too, and everything she senses, Voldemort will know. If we get spotted..." Harry paused. It wasn't a case of if they got spotted, but when. "Can you please Transfigure a robe and mask for me, so we can hide among the Death Eaters?"

"No point," said Draco quietly. "Each Death Eater has their own spot to stand in around Voldemort. An impostor will stand out."

Harry remembered the way the Death Eaters had lined up in the graveyard after Voldemort's return and frowned.

"I only bothered with the robe and the mask because I didn't have an invisibility cloak," said Draco.

"Then if we're seen, stay under the cloak let me handle Voldemort. Please Draco!" Harry ordered.

Draco made a soft sound of protest and Harry added. "Remember my wand? I've fought him before, Draco. Let me do it again. Just stay under the cloak, get Nagini and get back to the Headquarters where it's safe. I'll meet you inside."

"I can't get into the Headquarters, Harry. I'm not the secret keeper."

"Then wait until I get back and I'll let you in. I'll give you as much time as I can," said Harry. He hesitated and spoke his fears aloud. "How can we catch Nagini? She's the size of a house and poisonous to boot!"

"I've got a plan," boasted Draco and Harry stared at him uncertainly. Was he showing more confidence than he felt? It was difficult to tell.

"Death Eaters!" came a shout. The muttering rose to a crescendo.

"It's starting," whispered Harry.

"Let's go around the crowd and creep up behind Voldemort," said Draco. "He keeps Nagini by his side, and if he has his back to us, he might not see us."

It seemed like a good idea. Hunched over, for the cloak wasn't long enough to cover them both when they stood up, they made their way around the voices.

Soon Harry heard the crackle of a bonfire up ahead. The fire lit up the fog with an eerie, flickering red glow. There was a cracking sound behind Harry as another Death Eater Apparated but it seemed that Harry and Draco were some of the last to appear. A crowd of masked figures stood in their assigned places and spoke in low voices. Peter Pettigrew cringed by the fire. But he was overshadowed by a tall, thin, menacing figure with long, spidery fingers. Harry ducked down further and pulled Draco with him. The tall figure could only be Voldemort, and Harry heard the Death Eaters fall silent, as the horribly familiar, high-pitched, pitiless voice started exhorting them. But Harry paid little attention to what Voldemort was saying. He was too busy trying to keep out of sight.

"Where's Nagini?" whispered Draco. They had walked around the outskirts of the crowd, far enough that Voldemort had his back to them. Draco was shivering with terror.

Harry did not feel much braver himself. He was about to reply when he heard the sound of heather being crushed behind them. Draco heard it too. They turned quickly and froze.

They saw two burning red eyes, close to the ground, staring balefully at them despite the invisibility cloak, and a long, scaly body, extending out of sight through the undergrowth. Nagini reared up, higher than their heads and ready to strike. She opened her mouth, exposing long, curved fangs and hissed threateningly. A drop of poison fell from one of her fangs, onto Harry's shoe, and fizzed.

Overwhelmed, Harry stepped backwards and raised his wand, wracking his brain for a spell that could work against such a monster. How he wished he had Gryffindor's sword! But then, a sharp pain lanced through his scar and he gasped.

"Intruders!" came a high-pitched shout.

Harry spun around. Voldemort was silhouetted against the flames, and peering through the fog. Nagini had given them away.

There wasn't a moment to lose. Occlumens, thought Harry, letting the peace of his memory of Dumbledore enter his mind. Then he boldly stepped out from under the invisibility cloak, leaving Draco hidden underneath, and raised his wand.

The Death Eaters cried out in shock, as he appeared in their sight.

"Stupid, even for you Harry. Did you really think you'd hide from me? I, who can see through any contrivance?" Voldemort sneered. His red eyes widened. "Death Eaters-" he began.

Knowing full well that Voldemort would make his Death Eaters perform his dirty work for him, Harry did not wait. "Expelliarmus!" he thought and pointed his wand at Voldemort's.

Voldemort didn't have time to do anything but raise a shield spell. The jets of light from their wands met in midair and Harry, once again, felt his wand vibrating and saw a narrow beam of golden light connect his wand to Voldemort's.

Priori Incantatem.

Harry felt his feet lift off the ground and heard Voldemort yelling in dismay as the beam of light split, arching and criss-crossing into a golden cage that encased them both. Harry could hear the Death Eaters yelling in alarm outside the cage and spared them a glance. Every white-masked head was looking upwards. Get Nagini, this is your chance, Draco! Harry thought.

The Death Eaters below were begging for instructions. "No! Do nothing," shouted Voldemort. Beads of light slid along the beam joining the two wands, and Harry saw Voldemort concentrating, sending the beads back towards Harry. But then the concentration on Voldemort's face turned to absolute horror. "Nagini!" he screamed and Harry realised Draco was doing something to the snake, though what and how, Harry couldn't guess. He looked down, but he could see neither Draco, nor Nagini anywhere. I have to distract Voldemort before he sends his Death Eaters after Draco, Harry thought. He concentrated hard, sending the beads of light sliding back towards Voldemort's wand.

It wasn't enough. "Death Eaters, there is another-" Voldemort began.

But the air was rent with cracking noises, as if someone had let off a truckload of fireworks. Harry looked down, and saw, through the fog, what seemed like the entire Order Apparating. Harry guessed they had regrouped at the Shrieking Shack, and followed his Disapparation, the same way he had followed Draco's. He could see Tonks's pink hair, and Kingsley's shiny, bald head among the crowd.

The Order attacked immediately, and scene below was a pandemonium. There were screams and yells, and the sizzle of spells flying through the air. Harry saw some of the Death Eaters fall. Then the remaining Death Eaters fired spells back and the battle was joined in earnest.

Gripping his wand with both hands, Harry could only hope that Draco wouldn't be caught in the battle. There was nothing he could do to save him, at that moment, except fight Voldemort. Harry let the phoenix song of Fawkes fill his head and concentrated hard.

The beads of light slid towards Voldemort's wand, and the first one touched. A smoky Muggle woman Harry didn't recognise flew out of the tip. "Who? What?" she exclaimed. She looked at Voldemort. "You killed me, you bastard! I've got two children!" she screamed. Voldemort's wand shrieked and a ghostly man came out of his wand, then another woman. Their shadowy shapes floated around Voldemort's head, cursing at him and striking at him, making Voldemort scream and flinch, as though he could feel their insubstantial hands.

Harry's wand was burning hot, and shaking as though it was about to burst. Please, he thought, let me see my parents again. But Voldemort had clearly been on a Muggle murdering spree in the last few years. One unfamiliar Muggle after another burst from his wand. Harry wondered if his own wand would shake itself apart before his parents appeared. He looked down. It was chaos below. Death Eaters and Order members were battling fiercely, but it looked like the Order had the upper hand. Even as Harry watched, another masked Death Eater fell.

Harry held on for as long as he could but finally, his wand grew so hot that he could see smoke rising from the tip. He couldn't wait any longer for his parents, and he couldn't give Draco any more time. He lifted his wand - the golden beam broke - and he started falling. But even as he fell, he Disapparated and the foggy mountainside blinked out of sight.

Harry's feet hit concrete. He was outside the dilapidated Muggle warehouse that served as the Order's Headquarters. After the screams and explosions of the mountainside, the sudden quiet was like a thunderclap. Harry glanced around frantically for Draco, but he was alone on the street, so he waited, trembling from the adrenaline still flowing through his body.

Should I go back and look for Draco? Harry thought. But then, if Draco returns, he'll be vulnerable until someone lets him in and the Order's not here. Unable to decide what to do, Harry paced by the door, staying alert for any sign of magic.

The Order had chosen a lonely, abandoned warehouse to avoid Muggles. It had never seemed lonelier. Far away, Harry could hear every day Muggle noises, like the rumble of the rush-hour traffic, cars honking, and loud conversations. Somewhere out there, millions of Muggles were living normal lives, without a single thought about magic, missing lovers or insane tyrants. A dog barked down the street, and Harry spun around and stared hopefully, but saw nothing.

Did Draco realise he had to come straight back to the Headquarters? Harry tried to remember what they'd talked about on the mountainside, but everything had been so rushed and desperate that he couldn't remember. He resumed pacing. In the distance, came the sound of an ambulance siren. It made Harry think of death and dying, and his blood ran cold. Time ticked on and his mind was rapidly filling up with scenarios, each worse than the last. Draco: bitten and poisoned by Nagini, shot down in the battle, lying dead on the mountainside, the blood soaking his white-blond hair and his grey eyes, that had looked at Harry with so much love that morning, open, fixed and dead. Fear seized Harry's heart and squeezed hard. His eyes watered, and he wiped them on his sleeve.

He had nearly made up his mind to go back and look for Draco, when there was a loud crack of Apparition and he spun around, ready to give Draco a piece of his mind for taking so long. But it wasn't Draco.

It was Voldemort, and he had never looked more terrifying. His skin was as white as salt, his slitted nostrils flared, his teeth were bared, and he glared insanely at Harry through raging, red eyes, with unnatural, vertical pupils. This time, Voldemort didn't even try to use his wand. He charged at Harry and punched him to the ground. Pain exploded in Harry's head and magnified, when Voldemort kicked him in the stomach.

Harry lay on the ground, winded and gasping for breath. If he'd had time to think about it, he would have laughed at Voldemort, the killer of Muggles, being forced to attack like a Muggle himself because he didn't dare use his wand because of Priori Incantatem. But Harry didn't have time to think, he was acting off pure instinct. He rolled to avoid another kick and raised his wand. But Voldemort kicked out again, and Harry's wand skittered away into the gutter. It rolled onto a drain grill and perched there, balanced and rocking over the gap. In an effort to get his wand before it fell, Harry stuck out a leg and Voldemort fell on top of him, but only winded him further. They wrestled, and Voldemort fought with the strength of madness. He was much stronger and pinned Harry down onto his back.

"Nagini!" Voldemort's face was contorted with rage and only a few centimetres from Harry's face. Harry could smell his foul breath.

"Where's your little pet?" sneered Harry, though Nagini was anything but little. He tried to bring his knee up between Voldemort's legs, but Voldemort shifted just in time to avoid it. He snarled, punched Harry in the face and Harry felt lights explode behind his eyes and struggled to remain conscious. Voldemort stood up.

His head still spinning from the blow, Harry made a dive for his wand, but Voldemort shot a spell at it. Harry grabbed at his wand - too late - and watched it fall into the drain. It tumbled over and over, and out of sight. Harry yanked desperately at the iron drain cover, but it was too heavy to lift. He stopped and turned slowly when he heard Voldemort chuckle humourlessly behind him.

Voldemort's eyes were so far into madness, that they almost looked sane. "Finally, I have you," he said. He took a step forward.

Harry pushed himself backwards and glanced around frantically. What could he do? He couldn't reach his wand. There was nothing to hide behind, and nowhere to run. "How's your Death Eaters?" he taunted. "Shouldn't you be getting back and saving them?"

"I care nothing for them," snarled Voldemort. "They were never faithful to me. Nagini was faithful. Crucio!"

Pain filled Harry's bones. His body was on fire. Harry was aware someone was screaming with agony, but didn't realise it was him. Then the pain stopped, and he fell, limp and gasping, to the ground.

"I've waited a long time for this," Voldemort said, his tone insanely reasonable. "How I would love to prolong it! Make it last days! But all things must end. Especially you, Harry." He took another step forward, grinning like a devil. His red eyes blazed. Harry stared at him, refusing to show fear, though he knew those red eyes would be the last things he ever saw. Voldemort lifted his wand and raised his foot to take another step. "Avada-"

There was a cracking noise from behind, and Voldemort's legs flew out from under him. He fell spectacularly, skidding face down over the concrete.

Harry stared. A familiar, white-blond figure threw back the invisibility cloak, and stood over Voldemort's fallen body.

"Trip jinxes RULE!" boasted Draco. "Accio Harry's wand!"

Harry's heart sang with relief. "I'm so glad to see you!" he yelled. There was a rattling sound in the drain, and Harry made a grab for his wand as it slipped through the grill. Stinking mud squelched in his hand when he grabbed the handle, but Harry didn't care. "Thank you!" he said. Both of them grinned at each other, and pointed their wands at Voldemort.

Voldemort was lifting himself off the ground. He groaned and raised his head, touching his long, spidery fingers to his face. They came away bloody. The fall had scratched his cheek. It wasn't serious, but Voldemort stared at the blood with incredulous horror, as though he were looking at the evidence of a mortal injury. His face twisted like a clown's, and his horror was almost comical. Before Harry could do anything, there was a cracking noise and Voldemort Disapparated.

Draco's spell struck the place Voldemort had been and smoke rose from the concrete. "What ... what happened? Why did he go?" Draco yelled in frustration, glancing around as if expecting Voldemort to reappear at any time. Draco was clutching his Death Eater robe under one arm and it was wriggling as though an animal fought to get out.

"You scratched his cheek when you tripped him. He was bleeding," said Harry. He ached all over from the Cruciatus Curse, but he barely noticed, such was his relief that Draco was still alive. Draco held out a hand, and helped Harry to his feet. Harry flung his arms around him and kissed him passionately.

"I don't understand," said Draco, when Harry eventually drew away. "It was only a small cut. Why didn't Voldemort fight back?" He didn't even flinch as he mentioned Voldemort's name, and Harry beamed at him.

"Voldemort can't stand physical injury. He considers a doorway that requires a few drops of blood to open, to be an impassable defence."

"But that's ridiculous!" Draco exclaimed, handing the invisibility cloak back. "He's a wizard. He can heal almost any injury in a flash."

"It doesn't make sense, I know," said Harry, tucking the cloak into his pocket. "But Voldemort's crazy. Mad as a hatter." He thought about those red eyes and suppressed a shudder.

"To think I once followed him," spat Draco. The Death Eater robe in his arms writhed.

Harry was about to ask Draco about the robe, when there was a cracking noise behind him, and a Death Eater appeared. His robe was torn, but his mask was still in place. "My Lord," he shouted, peering around. Harry raised his wand, but almost immediately, Lupin appeared, and struck the Death Eater with a spell. There were more cracking noises, and within seconds, there was a running battle between Death Eaters and the Order on the street.

Harry itched to join the battle, but his first responsibility was protecting Draco and the thing he carried. He flung an arm around Draco's shoulders. "We're going inside," he shouted, as spells sizzled through the air. He drew Draco through the wards, slammed the front door behind them both and leaned back on the door.

Both of them caught their breath. Harry looked at his boyfriend and remembered his terror of only a few minutes before. His relief turned to anger. "Why did you take so long to get back?" he asked, panting for breath.

"Standard anti-detection ruse. I Apparated several times, to confuse the Death Eaters," said Draco. A look of realization crossed his face. "You came straight back here, Harry?" He smirked. "No wonder Voldemort was able to follow you!"

Harry felt a bit embarrassed but tried to conceal it. "Did you get Nagini?" he asked.

Draco patted the balled up robe. "Got her. I shrank her with a spell and stamped on her. She's still moving though. I don't think she's dead." He emptied the robe on the ground. Nagini fell out. She was only the length of Draco's arm now, and her neck was crushed flat. But her body still coiled and writhed horribly, spreading blood over the floor.

"She's dead," said a voice. Hermione stood in the corridor, staring at Nagini with disgust. "Snakes wriggle like for a few minutes after they die. It's a reflex." She picked her way carefully around Nagini, and hugged first Harry, then Draco, around their necks. Her eyes were wet and her voice was a whimper. "I'm so glad you're both alive. We've all been worried sick!"

"I'm touched," said Draco softly. "Where-"

"Your Slytherin friends are in the kitchen with Ron, Draco. They're fine."

Draco nodded, and looked relieved.

"What's going on?" Hermione continued. "We all thought we could hear fighting outside, so I came to check-"

"The Death Eaters are fighting the Order," said Harry. "I'm going back outside to join them." He gave Draco a quick kiss.

"I'm coming with you-" Draco began, but Harry put both hands on his shoulders.

"Vow or no Vow, you're staying here with Nagini, or I'll wring your neck," said Harry, in a voice that brooked no dissention.

Draco looked a bit annoyed and bent down to roll the dead snake up in his robe again. "I'll let you get away with that, Harry. But only because..." He paused. "Listen..."

"I don't hear anything," said Hermione.

"Precisely," said Draco. "The battle's over. Magic battles never take long. They're probably picking up the wounded as we speak."

The thought of wounded Order members made Harry hurry for the door.

"If you see Moody, tell him I've got Nagini," Draco shouted after Harry.

"I'll be saying PLENTY to Moody, don't you worry about that," snapped Harry. "Moody egged you into that suicide mission." He slammed the door before Draco could reply.

oOoOoOo

Mad-Eye Moody was dragging a comatose Death Eater by the hair towards a pile of other comatose Death Eaters, outside the Headquarters, when Harry found him.

"You're all right, Harry. Good," Moody stated. It wasn't a question. The old Auror was clearly in a fiercely happy mood and his scarred face was knitted up in an ear-to-ear grin. He tossed the Death Eater on the pile and rubbed his hands on his robe, as if touching a Death Eater had contaminated them.

"YOU nearly got Draco killed!" shouted Harry.

"Did I now? Lupin saw him and said he was fine," said Moody. He waved his hand. Harry followed the gesture and gasped. Lupin was lying down on the street, with Tonks bending over him. He had a pained look on his face and there was something very wrong with his legs.

"Lupin got hit by a jinx," said Moody with cheerful disdain. "But Tonks says she can get his knees facing the right way again. So did you get Nagini?"

"Draco did," said Harry, fuming.

"Bloody good! I always thought that lad had potential," said Moody happily.

"Don't you DARE try anything like that on Draco again. You let him go to Voldemort, without a single thought to his personal safety," Harry snarled.

"Personal safety?" Moody laughed in derision, and Harry was exquisitely aware that he'd said those words to a heavily scarred man, who had only one leg and one eye. "Who cares about personal safety? You're so overly protective, anyone would think you were in love with the boy." Moody was looking around the street, and so he didn't see Harry's reaction. "The point is we've scored a massive blow against He Who Must Not Be Named, and it's all down to Draco. And you of course. And the Order. We ought to have a few drinks tonight in honour of that lad. He did lose his mother."

Moody limped carelessly away, leaving Harry frozen with shock.

"Love?" Harry asked himself.

oOoOoOo

Author's Note: I thrive on reviews. Please feed me! ;-)

Replies to Reviews:

Meggplant: Great review, thank you! The Slytherins will have a few things to do later. Draco was ready to do anything to get to Voldemort at that moment, after what happened to his family. Thinking really didn't come into it. He wanted to be brave and ACT. Draco's more of a Gryffindor than he realises! ;-) Harry's a bit taken aback by what Moody told him, and murdering the Order's leader probably wouldn't be a good idea, however tempting. ;-) Glad you like the lemon scenes. More coming up. lil-bugga: Thanks! New chapter coming soon. IamNOTme: Hilarious? Thanks! I wonder if I should change the category from angst to comedy? (But more angst is coming up! Bwahahahaha!) Poor Draco was rash, but he was desperate to do something to hurt Voldemort. 5mOk3y: The warning owes a lot to Jane Austen. I wonder if she would have liked slash? ;-) Jane-Lily: Thanks! Now you know the answer to that one. xoxSasukexox: Thank you, my beta! ;-) Moonsign: Thanks for your lovely review. Glad you like the plot, and I hope I can keep it going up to scratch for you. omniscient01200: Thanks! Darkna: You're right, Harry was furious with Draco when they got back. But now Harry knows why... The transfiguration Draco used to turn his mother into a ring is not reversible. It's one of the special funeral transfigurations used by Pure Bloods. We'll hear of another one later. Harry's anger towards Snape? There'll be more about that later too. ;-) Lady Ichabod: Draco's just a LITTLE tougher than that! I'm sure Draco would beat the flobberworms - most of the time. ;-) Crowley Black: Thanks. Harry's more stunned than angry now. Avalene: Yes, it was horrible. Poor Draco! LISALANDMINE: Harry made him think of a plan. ;-) Kit turned Mighty: I did all the things you said in this chapter. I've got a few theories about Crabbe and Goyle that I'll be using in the next chapter. Blaise should get it from whom? ;-) magicalwriter: Thanks! Astrido: Heh, maybe I should rewrite the summary? Bishou: I'm glad your exams went well. Thanks for the review! NinjaoftheDarkness: Oh, no! Not the trunk! ;-) Netty: Heh, thanks! sweetness123: It's okay! Draco survived! Don't be angry! cjandre: Ah, the Vow! There'll be more about that in the next few chapters. Where did it go? Or is it still there? Emu Alive and Kicking: Thanks for the reviews. Does the Vow affect Harry? Interesting question! vampgoddesss: Heh, yes sometimes you just need the slash without plot! Thanks for being hooked. mysoulmate: Draco's always bad, but that's why we love him! ;-) Yellowwolf: Thanks! I love writing cliffhangers, don't glare like that! ;-) Minue: Thanks. Not even Hermione knows why Draco can disobey. But someone else will... InsanityamI: Draco's okay, don't kill me! ;-) Potter's Wifey: Thank you! Moody is rather careless about his own and other people's safety. And it shows! Black Padfoot: Thanks for the review, he's still alive. Missy Padfoot: Thanks! ProperT: Moody's careless like that. And ambitious. You certainly guessed what Harry would do. Your other guess was good too. LostSoul4: Thanks for your review. I haven't heard that song. More coming soon. The three people you mentioned will get their say. Stefania Mo: I'd be rather upset to have my actual dead mother around me in the form of a ring, though I suppose it's more practical than a grave. But imagine how heartbroken you'd if you lost the ring! Graves are hard to lose. ;-) Riku-Rocks: I agree. When he's doing something he truly believes in, Draco can be pretty formidable. Yes, Draco's defiance will be explained. Crystal Malfoy: Thanks! You nearly made Harry jealous then with all that talk about Draco. ;-) Nagini was more than loyal, she actually WAS Voldemort in snake form. She was a Horcrux. Heh, Voldemort loves himself! ;-) Airlady: Thank you! I see Draco as an intelligent character, when he's doing something that he can really get behind. (No slash pun intended!) HecateDeMort: Thank you! GaiazHeart: Draco's okay. For the present. Bwahahahaha! ;-)