Chapter One
Hot, orange and yellow flames licked out from the heavy tapestries and oil paintings that lined the stone and wood panelled walls. Everything was on fire. Paintings wailed as their frames were engulfed, there was nowhere for them to go.
A dark haired man, dressed all in black raced down the corridors of this burning building, his dragon hide clothing shielding him from most of the heat. He seemed to know his way around, but was having a hard time navigating the smoky halls. He began to cough as the smoke grew thicker, the deeper he moved into the burning manor.
The man was shorter than most, athletic and lithe. His long, shaggy black hair hung in front of his emerald eyes, the hair that covered them also obscuring his trademark lightning scar. He moved purposefully through the manor, determination set onto his stony features.
He held no wand, he no longer needed one. In the five years that had passed since the battle of Hogwarts, Harry had trained himself to use wandless magic, among other things. He kept the sword of Gryffindor strapped to his left hip, his hand holding it in place as he ran, always at the ready.
The fire was burning faster than he had intended, perhaps he had been a bit overzealous in igniting it. Upon his arrival, there had been a much larger number of Death Eaters than he had anticipated and had seen no other way of quelling their numbers. That meant Voldemort was here, he had to be. He hadn't been able to fight them all at once and has sustained a few fairly serious injuries, and clutched his side as he ran, trying to stem the blood flow.
It had been years since Harry had direct contact with the evil mastermind, in fact, he wasn't even certain that Voldemort knew he was still alive. Anyone who had indeed seen Harry, and there weren't many, hadn't lived long enough to pass on their information, but the rumours had spread like wildfire.
Harry had been tracking Voldemort for months now, piecing together his most recent visions to create a plan. Nagini was in all his visions as well, always connected to her master. This made Harry smirk, his actions were getting to Voldemort, making him unsure; someone was killing off his Death Eaters one by one and he didn't know who was behind it.
Tonight would be the night Harry would finally complete his task. After years of intense training, preparing mentally and physically, Harry would kill Nagini and Voldemort in turn.
He was getting close. Images from his constant visions of Voldemort contained flames, Voldemort was still in the manor.
Still running, Harry rounded a corner and there they were. Voldemort stood in the middle of the dining hall, surrounded by half a dozen Death Eaters, most recognizably Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange and Wormtail, whom Harry had thought to be dead.
Harry smirked to himself and bitterly recalled the last time he had been in the manor, Hermione's screams from that day still hit him in the core. He hastily pushed those thoughts to the back of his head, that time of his life was over now, those people no longer held any bearing on his existence. His eyes locked fiercely with Voldemort's, and Harry couldn't help feeling smug at the absolute shock and surprise on his face at seeing Harry Potter standing before him.
"Surprised to see me, my Lord?" Harry called across the room, the roar of the flames making it difficult for the sound to carry.
Voldemort pulled his face from surprised to indifferent. "Well, Potter, it's been quite a while, hasn't it?"
"And I'm sure you were thinking it would be much longer, you thought I was dead." Harry laughed. "How could I have been dead, who else do you think has been killing all your Death Eaters, the Order of the Phoenix?" He barked another laugh. "That's rich. I'm all that's left." The echoes of Hermione's screams had still not left Harry's mind and he couldn't figure out why. His eyes travelled around the room methodically, making absolutely sure there was nothing lurking to catch him off guard. Off in the far corner, his gaze locked onto a set of icy blue eyes belonging to a blonde little girl. She was wailing in terror.
Nobody in the room seemed to be paying her any attention, all eyes were locked on him. 'This is your one chance!' Harry thought to himself. 'Ignore her! He's standing right in front of you! This is the man who ruined your life!' He argued with himself, unable to tear his thoughts away from the little girl in the corner.
"This where your plan ends Potter? You've come all this way, spent all this time looking for me, for what?"
All present took the moment that Harry was distracted by the girl to fire a volley of spells at him.
Harry turned his attention back to the group of Death Eaters, narrowing his gaze towards them. Something shifted in the air around him, the air crackling, becoming thick, a round bubble of blue magic expanded from around his body: a shield. As each spell hit the rapidly expanding shield, they were absorbed into the aura and dissipated into the air. Not a single spell even came close to him.
The room fell deathly silent, none of its occupants understood what had just happened. "Wormtail!" Voldemort shouted in desperation. "Your hand! Get him!"
Wormtail looked absolutely terrified and briefly glanced down at his silver hand before locking his gaze back on Harry and charging.
The little girl's screams still filled the air and Harry could not block them out, his attention was divided three ways between the screaming child, Wormtail charging towards him and Voldemort, standing on the other side of the room. Harry would not let him escape, not after all the time spent searching.
Wormtail, at least, was dealt with easily enough. His silver arm extended out in front of him, he intended to injure Harry physically. Harry was quick, he flicked his hand up in a flash, catching Wormtail by his silver hand and holding it inches away from his own face. Harry's other hand clenched around Wormtail's neck, holding his body in place.
Wormtail's face blanched. "Harry... please-"
"You're pathetic. You're not worth my time." Harry hissed at him. "Avada Kedavra." He whispered under his breath. Green light shot from the palm of his hand and engulfed Wormtail. He instantly went limp and Harry let him go. He fell to the floor in a heap.
Without looking at him twice Harry stepped over his pudgy body and moved towards Voldemort and the others.
A large cracking sound filled the room and all looked up to see the source. The floor above was falling apart and large sections were falling into the dining hall. The dust from the crumbling masonry and the smoke were combining together and made it extremely difficult to breathe or see. Harry still moved towards Voldemort, but the little girl kept catching his attention. she would be trapped in the corner if she didn't move soon.
But Harry couldn't let Voldemort go, he couldn't let him escape once again, he was too close. He broke into a run, his hand clenched hard on the hilt of the sword at his side. He slid the sword ever so slightly out of the scabbard it hung in, and the little girl screamed louder than ever, debris raining down all around her.
Voldemort smirked as Harry's attention was drawn away. "It was nice to see you again Harry." He yelled above the roar of the flames. "I'm sure we shall meet again soon."
Harry heard Bellatrix's hysterical laughter and Lucius' deep chuckle as they all disapparated. Harry whipped the sword out and swung it wildly, screaming in frustration. "Fuck!" He gripped his hair in his fists and pulled hard.
Slamming the sword back into the scabbard, he turned his attention to the little girl, fury still raging through him. He knelt down beside her. "Grab on to me!" He barked, picking her up. The girl squirmed in his arms, trying to get loose. "Stop moving! I'm getting you out of here."
The girl buried her face into his shoulder, she clutched a plush green dragon in her arms. "Daddy. left. me. all. alone." She managed to choke out between sobs.
Harry took a deep breath to compose himself but did not respond to her. He looked around the room and found that all the likely exits were blocked by debris. She moved against him, her knee hitting his injured side hard, causing stars to appear in his vision. He held back a grunt of pain and tried to ignore it. With the smoke getting increasingly thicker, he was finding it hard to take a deep breath, the stars were not going away.
He knew they were on the second floor, and from the looks of the room, there was no available exit to the rest of the manor. He only had one choice, they had to go out the window. "Expulso!" He yelled, directing his thoughts at the large stained glass window before him. His thoughts were not clear because of the pain of his injuries and the thick smoke, the glass exploded in all directions. He quickly turned his back to the window and covered the young girl. From her weight and her size, he suspected she was not more than six years old.
The sudden introduction of oxygen to the fire caused it to flare up, the flames licked closer and closer to the pair. Harry leaned out the window and looked down, it was too far to jump. The side of the manor was covered in ledges and trellis' covered in ivy, it would be easy enough to climb down. "Climb on my back! Hold on." Harry coughed. He couldn't take a deep breath. The girl nodded against his chest and moved to his back, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, her legs around his waist. He swung out onto the ledge and grabbed the nearest trellis. It wasn't as stable as he had hoped, the flimsy wood buckled under their weight and a few times they almost fell to the ground nearly twenty feet below.
The exertion was causing Harry's vision to be full of spots, his limbs weak and wobbly. They reached the ground safely and Harry mustered enough energy to sprint away from the manor, escaping the flames and crumbling stone.
He put the girl down on the ground, where she immediately sat down and continued crying. Harry brought his hand to his forehead, pressing hard above his eyes, trying to clear the spots that still lingered. His adrenaline was beginning to wear off and the full feeling of his injury hit him, the pain excruciating. His breathing was still wheezy and he coughed deeply. Just as he thought the pain was starting to abate, his scar exploded in searing pain.
Harry's legs collapsed from underneath him and everything went black. Voldemort was not happy at all, that much he was sure of.
The girl stayed crouched at Harry's side, still clutching the plush dragon to her chest, one hand softly resting on Harry's back. He wasn't moving and he was barely breathing. She looked up, teary eyed, at her former home, the flames hot on her face. She looked behind her when she head a faint voice calling out from across the grounds.
"Antigone!" The voice grew louder as he came closer, the light illuminating his tall, slim frame.
"Draco!" Antigone screamed and jumped up, running towards the blond man as fast as she could. She launched herself at his legs and he scooped her up, holding her close to him as he quickly examined her for any injuries. Fortunately, she was unscathed. "Draco, daddy left me alone, and my room was on fire and I didn't know where to go, and that scary man was there and then they left me all alone!"
Draco looked up at his childhood home and watched it burn. His jaw clenched at the mention of Lucius. How could he leave his daughter in a burning building? He had not stepped foot near the manor in almost five years and, truthfully, was happy to see it in ruins. He turned back to Antigone. "It's going to be okay, Tig, you're safe with me. Where's mum, did she get you out? I'm so glad you're okay, I haven't heard from you in months and I-"
Antigone burst into tears once again. "Draco, mummy's gone. Daddy knew we were writing to you and he got mad and-"
"No!" Draco cried, clutching Antigone closer to him. "No..." he whispered. 'Fucking bastard!' He thought to himself. 'How could he?!' "How did you get out, baby?"
Antigone shifted herself in his arms and pointed to Harry laying prone on the ground. The black of his armour blended into the ground and made him almost impossible to see. Draco hadn't noticed him. "He got me out. He killed Wormy. The scary man was afraid of him and they went away."
Draco slowly walked towards the dark shape on the ground. Who would Voldemort have been afraid of? Only one person ever- Draco stopped dead in his tracks and quickly put Antigone down. He knelt at the side of the man laying on the ground. His hands were trembling as he touched the man's shoulder and rolled him over. The first thing that caught his eye was a glint of silver and red at the man's side. "Potter?" His gaze went to the man's face and he brushed his hair aside. "Shit." He lightly shook him. "Hey, Harry, wake up!"
Harry stirred slightly, mumbling incoherently.
Draco pointed his wand at Harry. "Ennervate."
Harry's eyes snapped wide open and he sprang to his feet, hand on the sword, in a defensive stance. Draco saw him blink a few times, as if trying to remain conscious. He swayed on his feet. "Potter?" Draco watched Harry as he tried to remain alert and on guard. "Potter relax, it's me... it... it's Malfoy."
Harry seemed to be lost in his thoughts. "Draco...?" He snapped to his senses, his face hardening, his gaze empty. "The fuck you doing here? Weren't you hiding away in America somewhere, you coward?"
Draco's face fell and filled with anger. "I came to rescue my sister, I-"
"Well you're too fucking late. I almost had him! I almost, fucking, had him!" Harry raged. He paced back and forth, new adrenaline pumping through him, keeping him upright, at least for the time being.
He turned a particular angle and Draco got a good look at him in the light from the fire. His face was covered in soot, his arms scratched and bleeding and he clutched his side tightly. Draco picked Antigone up again, not wanting to let her out of his sight.
"I have to get out of here!" Harry stumbled forwards, still barely able to keep himself upright. "Where will you take her? No place is safe anymore."
"I... I don't know. I can't apparate internationally with her, it's too far."
"Fuck." Harry pinched the bridge of his nose. It took him a moment to recover. "I've got a spare bedroom, you can crash at my flat for the night." Harry looked thoroughly unimpressed about the situation, but there was no other option. "Grab my arm, I'll take you there." He stuck out his left arm.
"You can't apparate in this state!" Draco exclaimed. "You'll splinch us!"
Harry only grunted. "Just fucking do it." He snarled.
Draco reached out hesitantly and grasped Harry's forearm lightly, his gaze fixed on his own hand. He brought his face up and looked at Harry, but the other man would not look at him. Soon, the familiar sensation of apparition overcame him and all three disappeared with a resounding crack.