Chapter 13: Revenge

Warning: Contents of chapter may be graphic.

"Rookwood, Avery I want you and your group to come in from the south. Cut them off by the River. Rowle—"

Draco looked at the massive blond man before him, his face brutalized with scars. Memories of the terrible things he had done passed through his mind. He could almost see the man casting the Killing Curse at his parents, like many of the other Deatheaters that surrounded him did. "You and Carrow and your group take the north side and steer them to the river. Dolohov and I will take the west until we hit the river. They'll be trapped with nowhere else to go. Do not kill the girl! The rest of you take the east in front of Dolohov and I, we'll meet up once we've closed in on them. "

Dolohov. He had nearly killed her at the Department of Mysteries. The man had spoken of the damaged he caused her that night. It was truly horrendous and it would have more so had he spoken his curse aloud. His blood boiled at the thought of someone hurting her. Only he was allowed to hurt her.

The dark haired man followed him without a second thought, his mouth set in a grim line. Draco would enjoy this. It had been his plan all along to lure them alone, one by one, and destroy them, like they had done to his parents. His mother.

"Find her! She's here! I can feel it. She won't be getting away from me this time."

Since the night he let her leave his service things had felt much colder in the manor that he couldn't bear to stay there for long so he took great effort in keeping his army and himself busy every night. They had tracked and tracked until they were sure they found the campsite to Hermione Granger and now it was finally time.

Although it was mid September the air that night felt as cold as ice as a trail of sweat ran down the back of his neck. Tonight was it. He would finally have his revenge. The news of Voldemort's demise had spread and Draco was sure to step up and assume his position. It was how the Dark Lord trained him after all. Voldemort had expected Draco to lead his army one day. So he did, even though it had been much sooner than Voldemort planned. Like the ever-following cowards they were, they all followed in his steps and it would be to their doom. He would make sure of it.

The forest felt alive with every step he made towards the campsite. The man who followed him trusting that he was guiding them to the proper place and in his mind, he was. They would pay for killing his parents.

People were scattered about the campsite running for their lives. Curses were flying everywhere. It was perfect. No one would suspect a thing. Draco slightly slowed his run so that Dolohov would be just ahead of him.

Then, he made his move.

"Viscus expulsum!"

With a sickening rip Dolohov cried out for but a split second before toppling to the ground, his entrails strewn about the ground around him. Draco felt no mercy for the man before him. Dolohov gasped for a few seconds, blood was spilling out of his mouth, and then he was gone. Draco set the dead man on fire and walked away, ready to finish what he started.

…

They had prepared for this battle for months. She knew it would come and she was ready. So when the shouting came it wasn't a surprise to her that they attacked at this moment, on this day, September 19th, her birthday. Her plans flashed before her eyes as Susan and Luna ran into her tent, telling her they had come. Hermione flashed back to her speech she had given just yesterday.

The crowd around her was filled with hope and fear. They were more than joyful for the return of the remaining Golden Trio. She brought hope to their fight, Hermione could see it in their eyes. This scared her more than she wanted to admit. What if she messed up? What if she wasn't the key to defeating the army.

The young woman shook her thoughts out of her head. Failure was not a choice.

"When they come, and I assure you, they will come, we have to be prepared. Now, our numbers have been increasing by the weeks, but it won't be enough power to overcome Voldemort's army. They are strong, powerful, and many. I'm not going to lie, some of you will die, but if we work together then we can win.

"The most tactful position the deatheaters will take is to drive us to the river. They'll try to trap us there and drown out most of our numbers, but if we can charm a few extra wards on the beach we can plan out an exit point and trap them with their own plan. All we have to do is let them think they're winning and then we can strike…"

Now it was time to strike. She was ready. They had laid out their traps for weeks, it was ready in a swish of a wands notice and all they had to do was play their part.

"This one's for you Harry, as promised."

The trio journeyed in silence on their way to Voldemort's lair. The sun was just barely above the horizon now, its light illuminating their path to their destinies. Once they finally reached their destination Hermione's brain couldn't wrap around the fact that they were actually entering the most dangerous manor in the world.

The world was quiet, as if still sleeping most cozily in its warm bed dreaming of sugarplums, perhaps. Harry pulled his invisibility cloak around himself, clutching his wand in his hand. Hermione cast a disillusionment charm on the three of them and also ducked under the cloak. She worked silently to lower the wards enough for the three of them to get through. They would be going the basement then all the way up to the fourth floor, where Nagini was hovering in her lonely bubble of safety.

Hermione prepared her bag, making sure the sword of Gryffindor could be ready at hand when they reached Nagini.

They all nodded at each other once they reached the basement window. Now was the time. They had to go in. It was now or never.

"Alohomora." Hermione whispered. The window made a quiet click sound and together they pushed it open and made their way into the manor.

…

The news of Voldemort's death had not been widely publicized outside of the Deatheater's ranks. Draco intended to keep it that way until his revenge was complete. Then he would disappear, perhaps forever. After taking out Dolohov, Draco felt exhilarated. He had never enjoyed killing before so he had made sure to keep his numbers limited, but the feelings of revenge coursed through his veins like nothing he ever felt before. In fact, he liked it very much and couldn't wait for the next person on his list.

Draco threw spells here and there as he passed, not putting effort into aim, but simply looking for his victim. It didn't take much looking. Carrow, the big headed oaf, was making his way toward him. The blond man met him in the middle as he threw a distraught look on his face.

"Their numbers are larger than we expected. I need some backup on the east side. Come with me." Carrow nodded and ran after his leader towards the east, shooting random spells at the resistance.

Draco ran steadily toward the spot where he left Dolohov, his body was still aflame and smelled of burning flesh. He bent down, as if in shock, and took in his remnants.

"Merlin's soul! Who did this?" Carrow shouted as he made it to the body. Draco looked up solemnly.

"I did."

"What—"

"Crucio!"

Carrow immediately collapsed. His screams filled the air. The power in Draco's veins felt good as he watched the man wriggle in pain on the ground before him. Draco concentrated harder on the spell feeling the pain of his lost and redirecting it to the man before him. He deserved the pain after betraying his parents. Draco eventually let off the curse. Carrow laid their shaking and mumbling and jerking his body to and fro.

"Wh—why?"

"You betrayed my parents."

"Malfoy—Draco—please—"

"Sectumsepra!"

Carrow fell back with the power of the curse, his clothes becoming soaked with his own blood. The gashes were set deep. Death would come quickly for the man as he choked and gasped for his last breaths of air. Then he was gone.

Draco levitated his body on top of Dolohov's and cast him on fire.

Two down, three to go.

…

Hermione still hadn't gotten used to having her wand again, but the moment the battle started she knew she could win as everything flooded into her mind, spells, hexes, curses, the whole lot. So she fought the hardest she had ever fought.

"Avarte Ascendare!" She shouted and watched the man fly through the air. "Protego! Colloshoo!"

Hermione passed her victim who was glued to the ground. She muttered a quick stupefy to be sure he wouldn't go anywhere.

Everything seemed so familiar. Spells flying everywhere. People screaming. Bodies on the ground. Flashes of Harry and Ron formed before her eyes.

…

"Okay," Hermione whispered and pulled out the magical blueprints of the manor. It was much like the map of Hogwarts, showing who was where and all of the different levels and quarters of the manor. "Nagini is on the fourth four in the west wing. There are two guards at each level in every entrance. The others will be attacking the north entrance to distract most of the deatheaters. It should give us just enough time to get upstairs and kill Nagini. Remember to stick together and watch each others' back. Voldemort will probably be with Nagini. He's not our goal. Remember, Harry, Nagini, then out."

"Got it." Harry said solemnly.

"Right. Let's go."

The dungeons were dark as the trio made their way up the stairs, hand in hand holding each other as if they were the most important things to each other in the world. They made sure to keep under the cloak, wands at the ready, as they opened the door to their doom. Everything was quiet as they crept through the small castle. It seemed suspicious.

By the time they had reached the first flight of stairs they had yet to cross any deatheaters. Something wasn't right. Hermione could feel it in her gut. She wanted to voice her opinion, but knew that making any sort of sound would be a very bad idea, so she kept her mouth shut and trekked on.

It wasn't until they had reached the right wing when they first ran into anyone other than themselves. There was a pair of deatheaters at the entrance of their destination. They were standing there, whispering to each other, as if they hadn't a care in the world. Hermione raised her wand and prepared to stupefy them.

"Not so fast, mudblood." The familiar voice of Bellatrix Lestrange cackled. "You thought you could just waltz in here undetected, eh, Potter? Did you forget we had Moody's eye keeping an eye out for intruders?"

The invisibility cloak was pulled off the trio witch a quick snatch. The group inched closely together, still covered by the disillusionment spell. Deatheaters circled around the trio as if they knew their exact location.

This was it. The big moment.

Hermione squeezed Harry's and Ron's hands, trying to relay to them how much she loved them.

All hell broke loose. Hermione shot her first spell at the first deatheater in range. It was easily flicked away with the wand and all the deatheaters took a step closer to the brave Gryffindors. That's when Hermione knew she had made her first mistake. It had been what they were waiting for: to find their exact location. The blast of her spell had given away their location.

"Finite Incantatem!" A voice bellowed. Hermione felt the prickle of the spell leave her body. They were now fully exposed.

"Leave Potter for the Dark Lord! Kill the others!" It was Lestrange who spoke again.

The three didn't give the deatheaters any time to act before they started casting spells in all directions. The trio managed knock out most of their enemy as they made their way to the right wing of the manor. They had a mission to fulfill.

Once they made it through the door Hermione sent several spells at the door to block them from coming in. I wouldn't hold them for long, but it would have to do.

"Ah, Harry Potter, we meet again." The voice chilled her to the bones. She turned around and searched the room before she spotted the prize. There it was. Nagini was floating behind Voldemort in a protective bubble. The only way to break the bubble was to break Voldemort;s concentration enough so she could break the wards. That was where Harry and Ron came into play.

The perfect distraction.

…

"Hermione! This way!" The young brunette shook herself out of her revelry and ran towards Luna. "We've just about got everyone in place!"

"Good. How are we doing so far?"

"We've lost less than anticipated, but more injuries than we calculated. It may take a few months to recover from the blow."

"Good. Thanks, Luna. This is it. We're going to win this one. I can feel it!"

…

"Rowle! I'm getting killed over here! We need help! Come on!"

"What are you talking about Malfoy? We're winning! The resistance is starting to fade out!"

"Are you questioning my methods Rowle?"

"Of course, not! I'm sorry my liege."

"That's better, now get your arse over here!" Draco took one last look at the massive man and took off toward the east. He quickly wiped the perspiration off his brow and jogged to his destination, not once looking back to his follower.

The acrid smell filled his nostrils before he had reached within ten feet of the burning bodies. Somewhere behind him there was a complaint about a foreign smell.

"It's coming from over here! Come on." Draco shouted and headed towards the fire. Again he feigned disgust and horror and again his blind follower accepted whatever false pretentions he muttered until his opportune moment came for him to destroy another traitor.

"What the fu—"

"Crucio!"

Rowle immediately fell to his knees screaming. Draco thought about his mother and what he imagined was the look on her face when she was betrayed. Power surged through him as he increased the curse's power. The man before his cried out and his body in fits. The man was pulling out his long dark hair in chunks. Blood flowed on the ground from his insanity as he continued to claw his head. It was disgusting.

As the young blond finally let off his concentration he levitated him onto the pile of melting bodies. Rowle screamed again and churned trying to get himself off the fire but Draco would not allow that. He held him there as the man slowly fried to death. Yet Draco still felt nothing for the man. His pain was well deserved.

Sorry for the delay everyone! Things have been execptionally busy!

Please Review!