Chapter Eleven
Later that same evening, as the Weasleys, Draco, Hermione, Harry and other members of the Order had dinner, a head appeared in the fireplace.
''Arthur!''
''Alistair? What's wrong?'' Mr Weasley stepped forward, bending down so that his face was on a level with that of Mad-Eye Moody.
''Deatheaters are breaking into the Ministry and we're pretty sure that You-Know-Who's with them.'' Moody glanced over his shoulder, clearly worried about an attack. ''They aren't in yet but it's only a matter of time.''
''We're coming now.'' Mr Weasley stood up and quickly beckoned the adult members of the Order. Moody's head had already vanished, and Floo Powder was thrown into the flickering fire. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Draco and Ginny stood up.
''We want to come.''
Mundungus laughed mirthlessly as he was strong armed towards the green flames. ''I don't even want to go.''
But before they could even protest, Lupin was stepping in front of the fireplace, and looking into Harry's face seriously. ''I want your word that you will not come this evening. Do not follow us, Harry.''
''I can't give you that!'' Harry's voice rose. ''I'm not a kid! We went through this two years ago and Sirius ended up dead because we weren't allowed to help!''
''No one is going to end up dead…''
''You don't know that.'' Draco's voice was quiet compared to Harry's rage. ''People always die where Voldemort's concerned, and the Order is going to be outnumbered as it is. I'm guessing he's not going to be attacking the Ministry itself unless he has a pretty substantial army. If you leave us out of this, you're weakening the Order.''
Lupin was speechless. ''You…you…don't just generalise like that. Things will turn out ok.''
''They have a chance of turning out ok if, and only if, you support Harry. The prophecy has to come true at some point, and the only way to make sure that Harry is going in with a fighting chance is to make sure that he has proper back up. Voldemort always plays on the fact that Harry is alone when he faces him, that he's had to sneak away from the people who are meant to be protecting him in order to fight.'' Draco's voice was urgent as his eyes flickered towards the green flames. ''We're all good fighters, and we're all members of the Order. Let us fight.''
Lupin looked from grim face to grim face. Hermione stared at him and pulled her wand out. ''We're ready to fight, and we are not willing to accept the alternative that you seem intent upon offering us.'' With that, a bleak smile crossed Lupin's face and he stepped back to let them step into the flames.
Rolling out onto a plush carpet, Hermione looked at the sooty tracks that she had left behind. ''Where are we?''
The cluster of people in front of them spun around at the sound of her voice. Clearly they had not been expecting five adolescents to enter the office. ''What are you doing here?''
''We're here to fight.'' Harry jumped up and immediately stepped forward, not wanting yet another argument about whether he was ready or not. ''What's going on? Have they broken through yet?''
But his own question was answered as he noticed that they were clustered around a bowl filled with water. Someone was holding their hands above it and the water was filled with a shimmering image of the Deatheaters breaking through the doors that led into the atrium. Hermione furrowed her eyebrows. ''You're scrying on them? Isn't that quite unreliable?''
Draco's head turned as he heard a bang come from a little way off. ''Clearly not today. Is everyone out of the building except for us?''
Kingsley turned to him and gave him the look that Hermione gave him whenever Draco assumed that she hadn't thought of the obvious – one of blistering contempt. ''Of course Mr Malfoy. I assure you that I have thought of that rather elementary concept and have managed to evacuate all the workers. Will that be sufficient for you?''
''Is the snake with Voldemort?'' Ron cut in before Draco could respond. ''It's really important – is Nagini with Voldemort?''
''Yes.'' The person holding their hands above the scrying bowl nodded. ''She's staying very close to him at the moment.''
Harry looked at Ron in silent gratitude. ''I nearly forgot about that. We need something really strong – like an ancient sword, or a basilisk fang or something.'' As the members of the Order in front of them opened their mouths to ask why, he interrupted them. ''Please don't ask questions. I wouldn't say that I needed one unless it was really important.'' Raising their eyebrows, two members ran off to the Department for the Regulation of Magical Artefacts, their wands ready to fend off any attacks, although Voldemort had yet to hove into view.
Within minutes they were back, clearly having had no problems and clutching a basilisk fang gingerly. They set it delicately on the table, and Harry pointed at it. ''The snake needs to be killed with that. Just stab it so that it dies, but normal magic won't kill it.''
Draco looked at Hermione as Harry listened to the Order. She was watching the scrying bowl, looking as Voldemort made his way further to the centre of the Ministry building where they were huddled. He put his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.
She took his hand and led him away from the hub of all the activity. ''I didn't want to have to say what I'm going to say here. I didn't want to say it with all these people around.''
''Say what?''
''Just that I love you. You've made me whole. I know we're only eighteen, but the feelings that I have for you are more intense than I could have hoped to ever feel in my entire life.'' Her eyes stared into his, and Draco could have sworn that she was blinking back tears. ''So whatever happens tonight, I want you to know that I love you. I want you to know that I've never been happier than when I was with you.''
''Mione.'' Draco was speechless for a few seconds, as he hugged her, and then whispered into her hair. ''We are going to be ok. I'm not going to let anything hurt you, and I know that you're going to do the same for me. We're going to help Harry, we're going to see Voldemort die and we're going to live a long and happy life, together. I love you.''
Hermione nestled slightly into his chest. ''At least I can tell you.''
Draco understood perfectly. Nothing was hidden, nothing couldn't be told. And they had each other. Ron hadn't said goodbye to Laetitia, and Harry was refusing to go near Ginny for fear that Voldemort would see the connection between them. ''We're always going to be able to tell each other.''
Another loud bang came from below, as a door was blown off its hinges. Hermione jumped slightly and then stiffened, making sure that she had her wand. Harry moved over towards them, with Ron and Ginny in tow. Draco smiled at all of them. ''I'm glad I'm here with you lot.''
''And it's going to end tonight.'' Harry held his wand firmly in his hand. ''I'm going to kill him. I don't have a choice. Failure isn't an option.''
Long sentences seemed to be escaping him and at that moment, Mrs Weasley hurried over. ''I don't want you here but if you won't go Ginny, the very least you can do is stay with your family.'' Without another word, she nodded grimly at the others, took Ginny's elbow and steered her over to where Fred, George, Bill and Mr Weasley were standing. Harry looked wistfully after her as she tied her shimmering red hair up, and rolled up her sleeves.
''So what's the plan?'' Draco asked.
''The Order are going to focus on taking down the Deatheaters. Anyone who has the opportunity to kill Nagini will summon the basilisk fang. We try and kill Voldemort.''
''No.'' Ron spoke suddenly, and smiled as Harry stared at him. ''We don't try and kill Voldemort. We just kill him.'' Harry let out a mirthless snort. ''Don't give up now. We've got this far. There's only one Horcrux remaining, and we've got thirty people prepared to kill it. You aren't alone, and you're going to kill Voldemort.'' Finally Harry let out a real smile and hugged Ron, slapping him on the back in that peculiar way that boys do when they want to make sure they aren't being too touchy feely. Hermione stepped forward as well, and wrapped a small arm around each of their waists. ''We've made it through seven years, and at least seven attempts on your life Harry. What on earth makes you think that you're going to die now?''
Before Harry could respond, Voldemort's voice echoed through the building, magically magnified. ''Harry Potter, you're too easy to predict. One simple attack on the Ministry and you come running. Did you honestly think I wouldn't be monitoring who came in and out of the building today, did you think that you would have the element of surprise? Are you sure you want to be here Potter? Don't you remember how our last meeting here ended?''
Harry's jaw clenched and he let Voldemort carry on speaking, trying not to listen too closely to the poisoned words and cold, high voice. ''And Draco. My faithful little servant has become a traitor. In love with a Mudblood and pledging your services to the Order of the Phoenix no less. Your poor father. I will take great pleasure in killing you.'' His voice swept on, unemotional and harsh. ''Miss Granger, already fallen to me once. I doubt you will be that lucky this time. And just think, if you had done what I had asked of you, this unpleasantness would not be occurring. You would be on my side, elevated above the dismal condition of your birth. And yet you choose to die. Much as Ronald Weasley, so senselessly throwing your life away on a loser. Unwilling to accept that you could be great, that you could move away from your blood traitor family, away from a boy who survives by fluke.''
Harry looked around at his friends, Hermione, Ron and Draco. He would never have thought that he would be waiting on the approval of Draco – the boy that he had managed to make an enemy of on his first day at Hogwarts. And yet here he was, desperately hoping that they wouldn't listen to Voldemort…
''Will you stop looking like that? Do you honestly think that we're going to listen to that prick?'' But the words weren't coming from Hermione or Ron, they were coming from Draco. Draco who had instantly picked up on Harry's feelings and was able to reassure him easily. ''Merlin, Potter, find a brain cell.'' But there was a grin on his face, mirrored on Ron's and Hermione's that told Harry all he needed to know.
Voldemort's voice echoed through the room again. ''But this does not need to be a senseless massacre. I find no joy in the shedding of magical blood. So I will offer you an excellent deal Mr Potter. You and your little sidekicks – Granger, Weasley and Malfoy. You will meet me down in the atrium. I will be with Nott, Bellatrix and Malfoy Senior. Be there in five minutes.'' His voice was cut off, and Harry looked at his friends.
''I have to go.''
''Then so are we.'' Without another word, Hermione led the other two boys towards the door. Harry smiled at her, wand at the ready and moved to the front of their group. The Order was clamouring about security, about better options, but Harry didn't hear them. Sparing a glance for Ginny, he led his little group down the halls and towards the atrium.
Draco looked at Hermione. The enormous eyelashes, the ones that he had admired on the first day back at Hogwarts, when he didn't think of her as anything other than a Mudblood were standing proudly. Hermione's shoulders were squared and, as she looked back at Draco, he could see that she was tense but ready for anything.
''You've made me a decent human being. I love you.'' He whispered in her ear and then they were at their destination, in front of the sneering eyes of Voldemort and his three Deatheaters, and there was no time for anything else.
A.N: hey everyone, thanks for reading up to Chapter Eleven. There's actually only two more chapters to go, I just forget to save them on a memory stick and bring them with me to the internet cafe where i'm currently sitting. So anyway, only two chapters in this update, but the other two will go on really really soon, so keep an eye open. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, and thank you as well to the people who've saved this story in their favourites list, or are tracking its progress. It's so lovely to open my email and find out that more and more people are interested in a story i wrote because I was bored lol. Anyway, please write me a review, anything that you think can be improved, and I'll certainly bear it in mind. Thanks - petitesorciere x