Still I Look to Find a Reason to Believe

Chapter Eighteen

It was Draco. Hermione couldn't see great, but she could make the man out well enough to know it was him. "Draco," she said, as she tried to move, making crying noises as she did so. "Shh," Draco said, soothingly, to her, pushing her back down on the bed as she was trying to get up. "Hermione, all this-" he began, "you'll have to wait until later to understand it. Right now, this pain- the pain you've been feeling, it's the baby," he paused at this as Hermione cried out again, trying to interpret what Draco was saying, despite the pain. "It has to be delivered now, while there is still time. Hermione, if the baby isn't born soon, Voldemort will get it. If it is, we can stop that from happening. I'm gonna need you to start pushing, though." He told her, as he called for more pillows and propped her head and shoulders on it.

Hermione didn't want to listen. She couldn't trust him. But she was hurting. She couldn't take the pain any longer, and either way, did it matter if the baby was born now or later? He may be lying, but either way Voldemort would get it. So, with that thought, Hermione began to push. Draco was now at the foot of the bed, and as Hermione continued to push, he said soothing words to her. Draco didn't even pay attention to Bellatrix and Ron going at it, his eyes stayed on Hermione the whole time, looking up into her face every time she cried out in pain.

"Draco! If you betray us you will be hunted and killed!" Draco heard Bellatrix's words, but he didn't glance back at her, or even motion to act like he noticed she said something. Hermione had stopped pushing though because she began thinking. Was he betraying them or her? Whose side was he on? Hermione was pulled from her thoughts as Draco told her to keep on pushing. Soon, after all the cries and moans from Hermione, many of the yells from Bellatrix and Ron, a very small crying was heard, and Draco held a small child in his arms, with a faint purple aura surrounding it. As the glow around the baby increased the glow around the bed decreased.

He took a moment to look at the baby, summoned a blanket to him, and wrapped the baby girl in it. He brought the baby up to Hermione and placed her in her arms. Hermione looked like she was in a daze, as she stared in awe at the baby. The little girl, had a small purple shield around her when she was born, it grew, and was no protecting her and her mother. Oh, how Draco longed to hold the child again in his arms. Hold his daughter in his arms… But there were more important things that needed to be done. Draco new that. As long as Hermione and his daughter were ok.

Draco backed away from the two, he pulled out his wand, and turned towards Ron and Bellatrix who were still going at it. They were both equally good duelers, and this fight could go on forever. 'Just like the one between good and evil.' Draco thought. He knew he needed to help one of them, and he knew which one he had to help, but there was one more person he forgot about.

He apparated, without thought, back to his house, ran straight to the room in which he had left Dakota in before he left., unlocked it, and opened the door. Dakota jumped on him before he could do anything. "Ah!" Draco yelled, as she bit the back of his neck as hard as he could. "Dakota! Stop it! Calm down and let me talk!"

He was crouched over, with Dakota on his back and, her teeth still digging into his neck, although not as painful now. "Dakota, mommy is safe. She just had the baby. That's why I'm here. I want to take you there to be with her, to make sure you'll be safe." He tried to tell the small child. She let go of his skin, and said, "Why should I believe you?" At first, Draco couldn't think of anything to say. But when she bit him again for taking to long, he answered the question. "You don't have to trust me. But I want you to know something, Dakota. You weren't supposed to know this, but I need you to be safe, and if this is the only way you'll come with me… Your daddy, Dakota? You REAL daddy? I'm him. He's me. You'll understand more when your older, but you need to know that I am your daddy, Dakota, and you need to trust me, just this one time. Your mommy and sister need you." Draco told her, and after a few moments, she slid off of his back.

"Do you pinky promise not to do anything funny?" The little girl asked, sticking out her pinking. Smiling, Draco put out his pinky to and wrapped it around Dakota's. "I promise." With that, he picked her up and apparated back to where Hermione was.

When he got back, more death eaters and order members had shown up and about ten people were dueling. He ran, with Dakota in his arms, toward Hermione's bed. As soon as he placed Dakota next to Hermione, the baby's shield wrapped around Dakota too. Everything, well, almost everything was done. Only one more thing was left.

Draco left the bed once more, and apparated to the order's village. When he got there, it was only Harry and the Dark Lord still going at it. Many death eaters and order members had given up. They were either dead, or stood watching their hero fight. Draco drew his wand, quietly, not waning anyone to notice his presence. He studied the two dueling, memorizing the exact time Harry casted a spell, and when he blocked one. If he did this just right, it all would be over soon. Raising his wand up, Draco began to cast the Unforgivable, in unison with Harry as he began to cast a slightly more legal spell.

Voldemort began to collaspe, as the two wizards struck him. Harry looked back at Draco, following the light that was traveling from Voldemort to the spell caster. A strong wind began blowing, and a white light began blinding everything and everyone and all that could be heard was Draco's words, and Harry's spell.

"Cast the killing curse!" Draco shouted through the howling of the wind. Harry focused hard on what he was trying to do, pointed his wand directly at the fallen Voldemort, and yelled, "Avada Kedavra! Soon the white light was over come with green light, and then nothing could be heard, but silence.

After a few moments, the green light began to fade away, but everyone there, the death eaters and the order members, remained silent. Harry, turned, starring at Draco. He wasn't sure what to think. He was starring at one of his worst enemies. Someone he had hated since he was eleven years old. Had Draco done what he thought he did? Had Draco Malfoy helped Harry Potter destroy the Dark Lord? Harry didn't have enough time to think, before spells began to be casted again.

He turned, to block one from hitting him, and then turned back. Draco was gone. Over all the spells being shouted, Dumbledore's was heard. "Surrender now. The Dark Lord is dead now. We are all free. There is no longer a reason to go on with this age old dispute between good and evil." Just as he was saying this, a death eater casted a spell at the old Headmaster of Hogwarts school. Dumbledore simply blocked the spell with a motion of his hand. And with another motion of his hand, every death eater was in shackles. "Just until we can find the right person to get you back to Azkaban where you belong." He told them.

Everyone in the order collapsed then and their, sighs of ever lasting relief was all that could be heard. Harry walked up the steps where Dumbledore was standing. "Professor-" Harry began, but Dumbledore silenced him. "Harry, you did an incredible thing tonight. You should be proud of yourself. You should rejoice in this time. You did not only save your fellow order members from extinction, but you may have saved a very old friend tonight." He told Harry, that old famous twinkle was back in his eyes, and before Harry could ask him about who he may have saved, Dumbledore began walking away. He turned around to look at Harry once more, "I trust you can keep an eye on everyone for a moment.. I have some business to attend to elsewhere." He said to Harry, and with Harry's nod, apparated.

A/N: Please Review! I hope it isn't moving too quick for anyone. I've just found a lot a free time lately :-D. I hope to keep it up!