Chapter 38: Wednesday
Draco slips out of the library under the pretence of going to the toilet, while Hermione stays buried in a book. The girl had found the spell to hide magical signatures four weeks ago, but books were the only thing to keep her mind from wandering to the battle in two days time.
Draco, on the other hand, is seeking out another witch, one who in resting in the top most room of the house. Luna Lovegood sits on the window ledge staring at the clouds passing.
"Hello," she greets lightly, without looking to the wizard. Draco takes steady steps into the room.
"Luna, I...I have a question for you," he says, stopping in the middle of the room. Luna nods and looks at him.
"I know," she says.
"What are Hermione's chances of surviving?" Draco asks. His eyes are steady on the youngest member of the house, but his back is a bit too straight to be natural.
"Hermione was very clear when she found out I was a prophet," Luna says, slipping off the window sill and onto her feet silently, and starts to walk towards him. "She wanted the best chances of Harry defeating Tom and Harry living. Also of the light side winning the war. Everyone else's life was secondary."
"Her odds, Luna."
"You see even if Tom dies, but Harry did too. The light side may lose in the end without a figure to rally around. So Harry has to live for us to really win."
"Please," Draco asks softly. Luna stops in front of him and looks into his gray eyes.
"50 percent," she answers. Draco turns away as a shudder passes through his body. The breath is caught in his throat, neither being released nor reaching his lungs. After a moment, he turns back to her.
"Is there anything I can do?" he asks. Luna stays silent. "If I go would that...change things?"
"Of course it would," Luna says with sad eyes. "If you were there, Hermione's chances of survival go to 94%, but your survival would be 17%."
"If I go in disguise…"
"4%"
"But…" Luna touches his arm.
"I'm sorry," she whispers and walks out of the room. Draco can still feel her hand as her feet touch the stair just as clearly as he hears her voice catches to keep the tears quiet.
"No," he whispers to an empty room. "Don't be."
Draco slips his hand into Hermione's. She looks up from her book and smiles.
"I love you, you know that?" Draco says. She cocks her head to the side.
"Yes...is everything okay?" she asks.
"Two days," he answers. Hermione looks away.
"I know."
"But I love you."
"I love you too."
"I can't lose you," Draco whispers.
"I'll do everything I can to come back to you," Hermione answers. "But that's all I can promise."
"I'll fight for you," Draco says, his gray eyes burning into her honey colored own.
"Draco...you don't have to." He nods.
"I know. But I can sit here waiting for answers while you are out there fighting. I...can't." Hermione threw her arms around his neck.
"I love you," she whispers.
He hold her close. 'And I you. More than you can know,' Draco thinks.
Tracey and Ron sit on the floor in the big ballroom. Tracey is in his lap, snogging him.
"This is where I kissed you the first time," Tracey says when she comes up from air.
"This won't be the last time," Ron promises.
"It better not be," she says, "because I will kick your arse if you die out there. You hear me?" Ron smiles.
"Yes ma'am." Tracey smiles too, trying to hide the fear in her eyes. Ron pulls her close.
"It won't be the last time," he whispers into her hair.
Luna slips into the room she's been sharing with Harry. Harry launches himself off the bed the moment he see here. With a hand on the side of her face, wiping away tears, he guides her into his arms.
"What happened?" Harry asks softly. Luna snuggles into him.
"Draco is going to fight," she says, voice breaking.
"Is that a bad thing?" he asks, pulling her closer.
"He'll die," she hiccups. "He'll most likely die." She buries her face in Harry's chest. Harry back them up until he can sit on the bed and pulls her into his lap.
"My fault," she whispers.
"Luna…"
"He wouldn't be fighting if I didn't tell him about Hermione," she continues.
"What about her, love?" Harry coaxes.
"50% chance of death. If I didn't tell him, he wouldn't be dying."
"It's not your fault," Harry states, starting to rock them from side to side. "He's going for love because he needs to be there to make sure she survives. He can't be without her. And you don't know, maybe he'll beat the odds."
Luna's large blue eyes look up.
"He won't," she whispers and hides her face in the crook of his neck.
Harry sighs and pulls his arms tighter around the blonde girl. 'Hermione has given up too much for this,' Harry thinks, 'she can't lose Malfoy too.'
Fred, George, and Blaise sit at the kitchen table with a bottle of Firewhiskey. A full tumbler sits in front of each, untouched.
"Do you think we'll win?" Blaise asks, not looking up from the alcohol.
"Yes," the twins answer together.
"We wouldn't be fighting if we weren't going to win," Fred says.
'But that doesn't mean we'll live,' George thinks. Fred looks at his twin, sensing his thoughts.
"We'll be fine," Fred says. Yet sit they sit there, staring that the whiskey, but no one drinks.
"It's time," Luna says. The group stands.
"Don't be late," Hermione says to Harry with a smirk and worried eyes. He nods.
"Remember," Luna says looking to Harry, "don't stand up until you hear the scream."
"On three," Draco says, levitating a portkey. "One, two, three."
Fred, George, Ron, Tracey, Blaise, Hermione, and Draco clamp onto the portkey and are whisked away. At the same time, Harry diaperates.
Harry appears in an alley in Hogsmeade. A high screeching noise pierces the air. Harry darts his head out, looking up and down the street. He sees nothing and knows that's false, but dashes out anyways.
"Potter," a voice sounds throughout the town. Stunners rain down on the wizard, but he shields and returns fire.
"Nowhere to go now, Potter," a voice drawls as snatchers surround him.
"I don't think so," Harry replies easily as he enlarges his broom. Harry leaps into the air and pulls the broom beneath him. He swirls out of the path of spells until he feels the Hogwarts wards tingle.
"Here we go," Harry whispers as he lands next to the Black Lake.
The portkey group lands in the Hog's Head. A screech goes on outside. Mr. Dumbledore hurries forward and pushes them into a back room and down a set of stairs.
"Potter," someone screams outside. The group exchanges glances, but follows the bartender.
"Thank you," Hermione whispers, stepping into the secret tunnel. The group makes quick time to the castle.
"There you are," Harry says, opening the portrait on the other side.
"Show time," Ron says. Harry, Ron and Hermione nod to and split from Fred, George, Blaise, Draco and Tracey. The golden trio heads to the headmaster's office. Around the corner, they stopped.
"What took you so long?" Hermione asked desperately.
"The portkey malfunctioned and I ended up having to apparate to Hogsmeade," Harry answers.
"So they know we're here?"
"Oh yeah," he answers.
"Well the other group signalled that they are in place to get the snake the second Voldemort goes out on that raid," Hermione informs. "As long as he doesn't find out we're here before he leaves, we should be fine to get that snake and get the potion from Dumbledore's office."
"Maybe we should just abort," Ron says, worriedly.
"We won't get another chance," Hermione presses. "Let's move." Before they can move, Snape rounds the corner.
"Now what do we have here?" he drawls, pointing the wand at the group. Ron curses.
"You traitor," Harry snaps. Hermione sends up a blinding light and drags the boys aways.
Snape runs to the Headmaster's office once he regains his sight. The golden trio is gone, but he has a message to deliver. Snape unlocks the floo and steps into the fireplace.
"Malfoy Manor," he says clearly and then is gone.
Harry, Hermione, and Ron join the others in the great hall. The professors, except for Slughorn and the Carrows, and ¾ of the seventh years are milling around inside.
"Mr. Potter," McGonagall gasps.
"We don't have much time," Harry says, "but in short, this war ends today." Cheering goes around the room. "Voldemort will be coming here," Harry continues and silence falls throughout the hall. "Flitwick, take Hermione to the floo in the headmaster's office. All the Order members will be joining us from there. Malfoy?" Harry turns to the blonde.
"The Carrows are disabled and the younger years are all set up. We doubled and tripled checked the map," Draco reports. "The second the Death Eaters pull down the wards, they will be portkey'ed home."
"Good. If there is anyone who doesn't wish the fight, now is the time to say so," Harry says, looking across the hall. No one moves. "Okay. We have about ten minutes before things are going to get really interesting. But we can do this. This ends tonight."
Flitwick and Hermione race up to the Headmaster's office.
"Password?" the guard goyal asks.
"Bottled Fame," Flitwick answers with a roll of his eyes. Stone scrapes over stone, a reminder of the end of the first time line for Hermione. She swallows hard and pushes up the stairs.
"There is a charm that will hide magical signature," Hermione tells Flitwick. His eyebrows rise. "The incantation is: Inobservatus. And wand movement," Hermione draws a line down the center of Flitwick and then a full circle around it. "Ok?" The half wizard nods.
"Yes, but only Snape can unlock the floo," Flitwick points out. Hermione smirks and the fire turns green.
"It's been taken care of," she says. Molly Weasley tumbles out of the fireplace
"Hermione," Molly crushes her in a hug.
"The twins and Ron are safe," Hermione says, knowing the mother is desperate for information. "Inobservatus," she says with the swirling of her wand. The woman shimmers clear for a moment before becoming visible again.
"What was that?" Molly asks.
"Just a little something to give us an edge," Hermione says. "The boys are in the Great Hall, go ahead, we'll be there in a bit." Molly nods and heads off to check on her sons for herself.
The rest of the Weasley clan comes through as well as a number of other Order member, each having a charm on them to hide their signature. When the last heads down the stairs, Hermione sighs.
"That's it," she says as her and Flitwick follow them down.
Snape steps out of the floo at Malfoy Manor. The parlor is unusually full.
"My Lord," Snape says, dropping to his knees.
"What news do you bring Severusss?" Voldemort asks his prone servant.
"Potter is in Hogwarts," Snape says.
"I know, but you haven't brought him," Voldemort's voice drops low and dangerous.
"I tried my Lord, but he got away and I wanted to report the danger immediately," he pleads.
"I was already informed that he was in Hogwarts," the dark lord spits.
"There is more," Snap says.
"Speak."
"They were there to steal some potion Dumbledore left for them. But they also have another attack planned to kill your snake."
"Nagini?"
"Yes, they had some knowledge of a raid you were going on tonight and that you were bringing Nagini."
"Let me see," Voldemort commands. Snape lifts his eyes and pulls the memory to the front, dropping only the first of his mental shield. Voldemort dives into his mind.
"The portkey malfunctioned and I ended up having to apparate to Hogsmeade," Harry says to Hermione and Ron.
"So they know we're here?" Hermione asks.
"Oh yeah," he answers.
"Well the other group signalled that they are in place to get the snake the second Voldemort goes out on that raid," Hermione informs. "As long as he doesn't find out we're here before he leaves, we should be fine to get that snake and get the potion from Dumbledore's office."
"Maybe we should just abort," Ron says, worriedly.
"We won't get another chance," Hermione presses. "Let's move." Snape rounds the corner.
"Now what do we have here?" he drawls.
Voldemort roars in frustration as he pulls out of his mind.
"You will stay here and protect Nagini," Voldemort commands Snape. "The wards should keep her safe, but if she is not when I return, the rest of your life will be long and very painful." Snape bows his head.
"Thank you, my Lord," he accepts gracefully.
"I am going to take care of the Potter brat once and for all," Voldemort snaps and gathers his troops.
Voldemort and the Death Eaters pulls down the wards.
"Indico," Voldemort casts. He counts some older students and a few teachers.
"They hide behind school teachers and students," he calls to the Death Eaters who laugh. "No help has come to Potter's aid. All the young magicals have been whisked out of danger. Take what you want, but Potter is mine."
The Death Eaters cheer and surge forward.