A/N: Final battle. Just from the trio and Draco's perspective, and it's abbreviated so I hope it measures up. I'm leaving the fantastically long version to J.K. Rowling (Only five days!) Without further adieu...
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They had a plan. They let it slip to Snape that they would be returning to Hogwarts, to regroup and prepare and to tell Voldemort, but they were already prepared.
Knowing Voldemort wouldn't be able to pass up the opportunity, to end it all at the residence of the greatest power in the world, being the megalomaniac that he is. His ego had grown over the past year, making him more careless that way.
Although the trio had been collecting his horcruxes, they hadn't destroyed them yet, except for the Ravenclaw horcrux.
They were doing it that morning before they left for their alma mater.
The releasing of the scattered soul would immediately be drawn to the closest host and bit of soul, which would be Harry, but they were prepared.
Hermione and Ginny had worked on the potion for him to take, with Snape's help, and the Trio would then say a banishing spell, destroying Voldemort's soul. Hermione was also bringing several strong Pepper-Ups for Harry to regain his strength before Voldemort arrived so he could finally end it.
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"Hurry, Potter!"
"We just have to say the spell. But we need a third," Harry shouted back.
Draco looked back at Hermione, helpless. Her eyes were closed in fierce concentration as she held steady the force-field surrounding them.
They were in the Headmaster's office, but the gargoyles could only hold off the Death Eaters for so long.
"Go, Draco," Hermione managed.
With barely a hesitation, Draco ran to Harry and Ron's side, and read aloud the spell before them.
As the three young men finished intoning the spell, the door to the office splintered.
"Keep going!" Hermione shouted.
They continued to chant, over and over. A wispy form that hung before them made a terrible dry rasping sound, as if dying. Then a noise, low at first grew exponentially to a piercing scream.
The three young men covered their ears, as light started to shine outward from the wispy form. The door splintered even more, pushing against Hermione's force-field.
Hermione began to wail, her screams joining that of the lost horcrux soul, growing louder and louder till everything erupted at once.
The wispy form expanded and shattered, exploding any remaining trinkets along the wall, as the door disintegrated.
Hermione faltered. Draco stood and rushed to her side, grabbing her around the waist, his wand withdrawn casting the most powerful shielding charm he knew, using more determination than felt possible.
Meanwhile, Ron was holding Harry up, trying to force him to take the Pepper-Ups Hermione brought.
"Come on, Hermione," said Draco.
Hermione's head lolled to the side, as she used all her effort to flick her hand towards the attacking Death Eaters. She hit one in the chest, which still sent him flying backwards into his cohorts, knocking them down.
Draco looked back at Ron. "Weasley! Throw me one of those!"
Ron, tossed him one, which Draco let go of Hermione to grab, to which she immediately started to sink to the ground.
Casting a spell to create a temporary barrier on the doorway, Draco sank to his knees next to Hermione, and uncorked the potion. Tilting her head back, he brought it to her lips.
"Come on, Hermione. Drink this." Draco coaxed.
She shook her head. "For…Harry."
"Potter has enough. You need this more." Draco shuttered his gaze, "He needs you."
This time she drank it. As she finished, the temporary barrier he placed was shattered.
Draco stood and stunned the first few, before he was flanked by Harry and Ron, who sent their own hexes.
Screams of Death Eaters down in the corridor sounded, and the quartet knew the Death Eaters were surrounded.
Harry cast reducto right as the Death Eater dove forward, rolling towards Hermione.
Harry and Draco both shouted STUPEFY! And it's progress halted immediately. It stunned Hermione into action however as she stood and recast a one-way shielding charm around the four of them.
The three wizards continued to battle the deluge of Death Eaters. They dropped continuously from the attack on both ends and soon, Remus appeared with Charlie and Shacklebolt in tow."Where is he?" asked Harry.
Remus shook his head. "We don't know. It's impossible that he didn't come. His force is too large for this just to be a random attack."
"How are our forces doing?" Hermione asked, as she leant into Harry for support.
Remus nodded. "Better than expected. The centaurs have joined us, if only to keep the Death Eaters from using their woods as an Apparating point. Grawp and Hagrid are holding their own against the Giants. The rest are casting the most powerful stunners I've seen in an age," he reported with pride.
Harry nodded. "I'm going to find him." He headed past the Order members and down the destroyed staircase. Everyone hurried after him.
"Where are you going?" Charlie asked.
Harry stopped at the bottom and turned as everyone gathered around him.
"To the Astronomy Tower."
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It ended that night. Just as they knew it would.
While Harry continued on to the tower, Draco and Ron conjured brooms and flew around the perimeter. Everyone else was holding off the Death Eaters from interfering.
Hermione refused to get on a broom and leave Harry. Keeping a shielding charm around Harry and herself, they entered the empty astronomy tower.
Harry knew he wasn't far though. As they stepped to the balcony ledge, the door slammed shut. The couple spun to face the wizard once known as Tom Riddle.
With a wave of his hand, Voldemort sent a spell at Hermione.
Her shield holding, it bounced off and exploded above Voldemort's head. When the debris had settled, Voldemort gave them an assessing gaze.
"So. Your Mudblood witch is your protector?"
"Now, Harry," Hermione muttered.
Together they started the chant, the chant that already banished six-sevenths of Voldemort soul to the underworld. Since he only had a bit left himself, he was no more than a horcrux himself.
Enraged, Voldemort cast the most powerful dark spell he knew. This time it did not bounce off, but held steady as it tried to pierce through Hermione's shield.
Hermione cried out, interrupting their chant. Harry looked to her worried. She shook her head. "Keep…going."
"She will die last, Potter." Voldemort jeered. "I will torture her long and slow, while you watch."
Harry held his wand aloft and continued his chant, as two brooms whooshed up next to them. Draco cast a shielding charm as Ron attacked. Voldemort only waved his free hand and it veered off and exploded the stone wall next to him, his spell continuing to pierce through Hermione's armor.
"And when she can take no more, I will kill you in front of her," the dark wizard continued, maliciously.
"Say the spell!" Hermione shouted in agony as she sank against Voldemort's onslaught.
Draco and Ron belatedly started to chant with Harry. Harry grabbed a hold of Hermione's hand and willed her some of his strength. He put everything he had into the spell and Hermione, picturing his parents and Sirius and Dumbledore, everything he'd ever loved and lost, soaking in the determination not to have it happen again.
It seemed to work, as Hermione gripped and squeezed his hand reassuringly, before raising to her feet. Slowly, her shielding charm expanded to encompass Ron and Draco, holding steady. She did not continue to chant, not wanting to compromise the shield, but held Voldemort's gaze fiercely. Harry's resolve and will stressed the same determination in her.
Through their chanting, Hermione shouted. "Harry! It's not working! You have to do it!"
Harry faltered, his wand lowering. Hermione gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. "You can do it!"
"Come on, Harry!" shouted Ron. He clasped his hand on Harry's shoulder, "Do it for your parents!"
"Yes, Harry. Your parents who laid down like mongrels before me," sneered Voldemort.
"He'll kill us all if you don't, Potter!" Draco shouted over the roar of spells. "What is all that bravery for if you can't be a hero when we need you most!"
Harry glanced over Hermione's head, startled. He met Draco's honest, yet fierce gaze. Hermione held her concentration as she slipped her hand into Draco's. Harry's arch rival was putting all his faith in him. It felt scarily empowering.
Then Hermione cried out.
"Do it, Harry."
"Finish him, Harry!"
Amidst the yelling of his male compatriots and Hermione's cries, ignoring Voldemort's jeers; after years of abuse and loneliness and deaths, Harry raised his wand.
Draco continued the chant. Ron joined in. Hermione mouthed it like a prayer.
Voldemort saw it; he saw his own mortality in the teenage wizard's eyes. He was weak. He'd felt it when a large portion of his soul died not so long ago and now he was paying for it. Riddle put everything he had left in him into his spell, but it wasn't enough. He continued with his jeering, his insults and threats becoming desperate.
Harry watched his life pass before his eyes. A slideshow he'd prepared beforehand, to summon all the rage he'd need for this very moment. His mother begging for his life, Sirius falling through the veil, Wormtail deceiving his parents, Umbridge forcing his signature in blood on the back of his hand, getting beat up by Dudley for eight years straight, Snape killing Dumbledore before his eyes on this very spot.
"You're a worthless little boy, Potter! Your mudblood whore of a mother isn't here to save you now! You can't defeat me! I have more power than you'll ever hope for! More than your twit of a Headmaster ever had!"
Dumbledore had been right. At that instant, Harry had the love of the people surrounding him, which made it possible for him to stay alive long enough to end it.
Harry's gaze bore into Tom Riddle's misshapen features. He could hear the desperation creeping into the dark wizard's tone.
"You've always been wrong, Riddle." Harry shouted. "The people standing right here prove that. They've given me more power than you've never imagined. I know what love is and I'm not afraid of it. And I'm not," his voice turned lethal, "afraid of you."
Hermione groaned, her energy draining rapidly. "Harry…"
Harry squeezed her hand, while Draco supported her with an arm around her waist.
Riddle gave him a sneer. "…You may kill me now, but you'll never be sure I'm gone. Others will carry on my work, and you'll always look over your shoulder."
Harry took it for the desperate attempt at dismantling his conviction that it was, and said simply, "No. I won't." Ron and Draco cast expelliarmus at Harry's nod and Riddle's wand flew easily out of his hand. Avada Kedavra. A green light enveloped them all…
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Hermione awoke a week later. A week later and to…quarrelling?
"—Rename the Cannons?! If you want to rename a team in honour of the war, you should rename your precious Welsh Wanks!" exclaimed Ron.
"They're called the Wellington Warriors, you pouf! They're English, not Welsh! And they nearly beat the Irish and the Bulgarians." Draco argued back. "Chudley Cannons sounds as if they should have their jowls flossed daily."
Hermione's brows furrowed as she tried to figure out what happened. Oh right, Harry killed Voldemort. Didn't he? Maybe that was a dream and she was just sleep-walking and bumped her head. Now she was laying here, on something soft, listening to two morons argue about Quidditch. Her mouth was dry, she felt stiff, and it was overly warm suddenly lying under her covers. It was July, if she remembered correctly.
"Are you two going to continue to spout nonsense or get me some water?"
"…Hermione?"
"Is there someone else laying here?"
She heard water filling a glass and looked to her right, seeing Draco hold up a glass. Hermione tried to lift up, but her stiff muscles were too sore. Immediately two sets of hands reached out to help her. She managed a few sips, before she gave up and laid back down.
"How are you feeling?" Ron asked.
"Like a semi hit me."
Hermione received blank stares. Which brought to question, "Where's Harry?" He'd understand that reference.
"He's…" Ron leaned back, and Hermione looked past him to the cot next to hers. Harry lay unconscious. Glancing around, she realized they were in the hospital wing at Hogwarts. Several other students littered the room, all unconscious.
"Has he awoken?" she asked.
Ron shook his head.
"Pomfrey says he'll pull through. Just to wait it out…" Ron shrugged, helplessly.
Hermione looked at Draco, who looked away. He didn't want to see the concern for Potter in her eyes. After her almost dying, he couldn't handle that. Hermione misunderstood and took it as Harry's condition was worse than Ron said. But she was so exhausted and sore she couldn't do more than lay there and worry. Soon, even that tired her and she drifted off as Pomfrey came over to check her vitals.
When she next awoke, it was dark. Rolling her head to the right, she saw Draco was still there, his head drooped forward asleep. She lifted her arms, using most of her strength as they were heavy, to rub her eyes. They'd crusted in the corners from sleep and she grimaced as she caught a whiff of herself.
Turning her head to the left she saw Harry looking peaceful as if sleeping. She really hoped he was. She didn't know if life would be worth living if he wasn't there.
As she shifted, Hermione suddenly became aware of the need to relieve herself. She tried to sit up, but her body would cooperate. She tried again and flopped back exhausted as if she'd done fifty crunches instead of the measly two.
She looked to her right at Draco, grimacing. She didn't like waking people up for her own reasons, but she couldn't fall back asleep like this.
"Dra—" she cleared her throat. "Draco? Draco, wake up."
He lifted his head and blearily looked around. His gaze focused on her, before he rubbed his eyes.
"Granger? Where—oh!" he became alert.
Hermione shushed him.
He frowned briefly before asking. "What is it?"
"I, um…" she swallowed and looked away. "Could you help me up?"
He frowned harder. "Why? You should rest."
Her cheeks tinged red. "I kinda need to use the…facilities."
Draco's brows screwed together a moment before he deciphered her meaning. "Oh, uh…sure."
He stood, pushing his chair back and held out his hand. She looked at it, then at him. "Uh, you're gonna have to take my hands, it took all my strength last time to lift them."
His eyebrows shot up as he leaned down and grabbed her ankles and rotated her legs off the bed. She let out a cry as her head swung to hang off the other end briefly before he grabbed her wrists and pulled her upright. She lolled forward and then almost fell sideways from dizziness, before he changed his grip to her shoulders and righted her.
"Alright," he lifted one arm and bent down to drape it over his shoulder, sliding an arm around her waist. "Ready?" She nodded, and he lifted them upright.
Her legs tangled with his and she stumbled swinging around to collapse against his chest. She used her little amount of strength to lift her other arm around his neck before she slid to the floor.
Draco gripped her waist and lifted her till she could stand on her own two feet.
"You alright?" he asked. "Can you stand?"
She nodded, then winced.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. My neck is just sore." She replied. "I'm ready."
Draco nodded and tried to shift her back to his side, but she wouldn't let go of his neck. Exasperated with this whole business, he bent and swept her legs up into his arms. He wasn't used to tending to others and Hermione was like dead weight.
She squealed slightly and held on for dear life. "Draco! This isn't necessary!" she whispered furiously.
"I think it is." He replied without looking at her.
They headed to the wing's unisex restroom. When he brushed the door open with his shoulder, Hermione said, "Uh, you don't have to come in."
"Relax. I'll leave you in front of the toilet," he grimaced at the word. "You'll have to handle the rest yourself."
Hermione blushed as he lowered her to the ground. Once he made sure she wouldn't tip over on her own, he left and waited outside.
Once she was finished cleaning up a bit, she opened the door and he helped her back to her cot. They reached her bed and she eased back on to it. He pulled the covers over her.
"Feel better?" he asked with a small smirk.
She glanced up at him and smiled gratefully. "Yes, thank you."
"No problem." He settled back in his seat.
Hermione tilted her head at him. "Why are you still here?"
Draco shrugged and studied his nails.
Hermione frowned. "Were you worried about me?"
He looked at her briefly, before looking away. He didn't answer.
Hermione considered him. She remembered their connection in Diagon Alley and the subsequent oath she extracted from him to leave her be until after the war. The war was over now, so he was free to pursue her if he wanted. Did he want to?
He was very solicitous in helping her just now, not a snarky comment to be found. He was sleeping at her bedside in a terribly un-Malfoy like way. Did he actually have real feelings for her?
Hermione knew he certainly felt desire for her but that was a base instinct that didn't necessarily require warm feelings.
Her eyes refocused on him. He looked very vulnerable which was quite a change from normal Draco. It was endearing and Hermione found herself biting her lip. From his silence, she could safely assume he was worried about her. And he'd dutifully kept his oath to her and now combined with his current uncertain state, Hermione made a decision.
"Draco, come here," she said quietly.
He became very still and glanced up at her. She implored him with her eyes to do as she asked. After a moment, he did, sitting forward, scooting his chair closer to her side. Using a considerable amount of her strength, she lifted her arm and grasped the front of his shirt, pulling him down. Luckily, he let her and came down easily, guessing her intention but hardly believing it.
Her arm lost its strength and dragged him down abruptly as it dropped to her chest, their lips connecting quite suddenly. Draco took control pressing her into the pillow, rubbing his lips over hers. She pressed back with what little strength she had left.
A moment later, she settled back breaking the kiss. Draco lifted his head slightly and stared down at her. She smiled.
Draco lifted his eyebrows. "What was that?" he breathed.
"A kiss." She closed her eyes, exhausted. "I must be terribly out of practice if you don't know," she muttered, before drifting off to the land of Nod.
Draco smirked and pulled away, sitting back down. He grabbed her hand and ran his thumb over the back of it, watching her. His gaze flicked to Harry in the bed on the other side and his smile faltered. Even after Hermione's strange behaviour, he wondered if it wasn't simply delirium driving her actions.
He'd wait and ask before he did anything stupid. Like confess his love for her. Love…. Last person he'd loved died. At least he was able to avenge his mother.
FlashbackDeath Eaters, vampires, giants, werewolves and dementors were all storming the grounds. Hagrid, Grawp, the Order and almost all the ministry's Aurors stood before Hogwarts castles, wands at the ready.
Spells flew, Hagrid and Grawp sweeping the creatures nearest them through the air. Students who left their parents to join or joined their parents in the cause stood at the back providing cover. Centaurs swarmed Voldemort's army from behind, angered that their woods were invaded.
Voldemort's Inner Circle of Death Eaters were paving a way down the middle and fighting fell away to the sides as they swept through. The Order kept most of them busy, but one got through.
As the trio and Draco flew overhead on brooms amongst the thestrals guarding the castle from the air, the Slytherin spotted a familiar face. He immediately swooped down, Hermione shouting after him.
The boys told her they had to hurry so she gave Draco one last worried look before taking off after them.
Draco pointed his wand at the rogue Death Eater yelling SECTUM SEMPRA! The dark wizard howled as his back was sliced open and spun to face his attacker. Draco drove his broom handle into the Death Eater's gut satisfied hearing his opponent's loud 'OOF!', before leaning back and raising his leg to kick Nott Senior in the head, spinning off his broom. Landing, Draco kicked back, knocking Nott to the ground. Straightening, Draco took in his surroundings and noted the Order had the surrounding Death Eaters and dark creatures distracted.
Staring down at his mother's murderer, Draco pointed his wand. Nott was holding his stomach as he raised his wand.
'Expelliarmus,' Draco thought. Nott's wand went flying.
"This is for my mother." Draco spoke dispassionately before thinking 'Crucio'. Nott started to twitch and spasm and only when he started screaming in anguish, did Draco raise his wand and with one swift motion, slashed the Death Eater's neck open, his cries ending with a gurgle, before he became still and no more.
Draco blinked. He felt no regret over taking his life and he never would. Theodore Nott had never had anything kind to say about his father anyway. The world and Azkaban were better off without Nott in the world, and so was Draco.
But his mother was still dead. Draco got word from the older Order that his father's body was recovered in the castle. His death only made his sense of loss over his mother worse. He was an orphan.
Since it'd been a year since he'd talked to anyone, he didn't know if his father had changed his will while in Azkaban to refuse him the estates. His father wore a Death Eater's mask in the end and Draco's failure to serve Voldemort would mean it was possible he'd been disowned.
Draco Malfoy essentially now had nothing. Except having avenged his mother, Draco was starting to feel his own lack of worth. All he had was that and now Hermione's kiss. Which was why he slept at her beside. He had nowhere else to go.
His gaze hardened. He didn't want to depend on someone else for his happiness. He had to prepare himself for when she inevitably chose Potter over him. Malfoys didn't simper after witches. Witches came to them.
Just as quick as his indignation came, it deflated. Draco slumped in his chair. Hermione wasn't a normal witch and he definitely wasn't a normal Malfoy. She was a heroine now; she'd saved the world and could have any wizard she wanted. If she could have Harry, there's no way she'd choose Draco or seek him out. A year on the run had taught him humility and he no longer had the delusions of grandeur encouraged by his parents since he was an infant.
He had never felt aware of it more acutely then when the Golden Trio had found him, but his continued time with Hermione made it melt away. She made him her equal. They were both fighting to survive with a mutual enemy. Blood, circumstances, and appearances no longer mattered.
Staring at Hermione's peaceful features as she slept, Draco realized they never did.
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A/N: Merlin, I hope that wasn't a load of rubbish. O
So just one more chapter after this. You'll get a little more detail on the final battle and we'll see what happens to our heroes and heroine. This was actually really cool to write, and I'm glad a lot of you enjoyed it. Goddess knows, I probably wouldn't have finished it if you hadn't.
Please do review. It reminds me to post quicker, as I'm positive my penchant for sugar has impaired my memory permanently P