August 21 1997 Invading Innisfree
"Lucius. I have found the rebel base!" Reginald Nott crowed excitedly.
Lucius glared at the older man whose rank was less than his own, "What are you babbling on about?"
"The Rebels. The Order of the Phoenix. They had vanished from their normal homes and lifestyles. Giving us the field. I have found them, before Bellatrix did."
Lucius did not seem to be very impressed, "Bellatrix is hindered by her lack of sanity so much she couldn't finder her own tits if they were not directly in front of her."
Reginald looked contrite for a moment before saying tersely, "Be that as it may I have found them."
"Very well where are they?"
"Innisfree Ireland." Reginald said with a sneer.
Lucius raised his eyebrow in disbelief at the older man. "Innisfree Ireland. Are you serious?"
"Scowling at me is not going to change things Lucius. I am very serious. Now come let us inform our Lord of this."
"I do not think this is a very wise thing to do. Right now the ICW is already angry with the attacks on muggles. If we expand the war by invading Ireland that will surely draw them fully into this. Not only that but a fool would attack Innisfree."
"Losing your spine are you Lucius?"
"No. I am just not an idiot. Druids live in Innisfree, Druids of the Holy Oak Order. If the Order has set that place up for their base they will have it even more fully defended than normal." Lucius listed.
"Lucius I am going to bring this to our lord. I have not lost my faith." Reginald declared.
Lucius scoffed, "You have lost your mind though. I will come with you as I doubt the lord himself is willing to go that far."
…...
Entering the throne room the two men knelt and waited for permission to speak.
"What news do you bring me gentlemen?"
"My lord. I have discovered the location of the rebel base." Reginald Nott said proudly.
"Rise Nott. Explain to me how you have achieved this that other more loyal followers have failed to do?"
"My Lord. My son had seduced a Hufflepuff girl whose family was going to leave. She let it slip where she would be going. She did not know exactly where near the village but once I knew that it was there, I sent my son and his associates to scout around."
"And you have discovered it?" Voldemort excitedly demanded.
"Yes my lord. There is a large estate outside of the village that is owned by the Lovegoods. They do not even have it under a fidelius." He smugly declared.
"Assemble a group to attack them. At once. Inform me if Potter is there and I shall personally come."
"Yes my lord."
"Sire do you truly think this is a good idea?" Lucius interrupted.
"You dare question my ineffable plans?" Voldemort thundered.
"My lord. Innisfree is home to a circle of high druids. They have been there for as long as anyone can remember. They are Irish Druids. They have a bond with the land that is beyond that of any reasonable person. They fight just because they are bored. Our forces will be outnumbered and overpowered."
"You sound like a nattering old woman Lucius." Voldemort said with a cruel smile, "I shall grant you dispensation to avoid this battle. Your son can go in your stead."
"My Lord! Please. I was."
"SIOLENCE!" Voldemort commanded as he rose from his throne suddenly. "Draco will go in your stead and you will remain here until they return triumphant. Reginald Go and gather your forces, slaughter them all. The women, the men, the children. Leave none alive!"
Reginald tried not to grin as he bowed, "Yes My Lord!"
"Lucius, you will remain kneeling until they return. If you rise or move I shall give your wife to the trolls for their pleasure slave and make you watch. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes my lord." Lucius said focusing on his breathing to try and remain calm.
…...
"They are coming." Xeno called out. His friends among the druids had alerted him to the vibrations in the wind heralding the invasion.
Everyone took their positions. Spells, traps and potions began to fly. Trees and animals joined the fray against the Death Eaters.
Draco ran from place to place, his heart pounding in his throat. He did not know what to do, where to go. There was a Death Eater being stretched between two trees that had impaled him. Another Death Eater was being buried under a swarm of killer squirrels.
He followed along with the crowds as they fought for every inch of grass and ground. A shrubbery rose from the ground and started slamming multiple Death Eaters. Leprechauns attacked with flaming cudgels and Shillelaghs. Finally he could see the defenders. He had managed to reach the inside.
He saw Lavender Brown, trying to fight and duel with her huge pregnant belly sticking in front of her. Ron standing staunchly by her side defending her. He raised his wand and hesitated. Myrtle's words rang in his ears. He had an easy kill and could rip the Wesley spawn from her before they could defend. He closed his eyes, breathing hard before opening them again.
He saw his aunt Bellatrix though appear out of the misty fog of battle and with a sneer raise her wand towards Lavender. He reacted without thinking and launched a cutting charm at Bellatrix. She somehow sensed it and parried his spell. A moment later he was struggling to prevent one of her spells hitting him.
"Damn you Draco. You dirty little traitor! How dare you!"
Draco didn't even try to explain he just defended. He saw Lavender and Ron both turn and raise their wands firing spells at Bellatrix. Draco had moved closer to Lavender to help defend her. She was not swift on her feet and was struggling. A spell combination his aunt threw caused Ron to be knocked backwards and Lavender fall on her bouncy bottom. Leaving both of them vulnerable.
Draco saw his aunt pull her wand back and with a slash a wave of clear rippling engery spiraled towards Lavender. He jumped in front of it taking the spell to his gut. The look of shock and surprise on Lavender's face was counterpoint to Bellatrix's angry sneer.
She had to run as by this point Minerva McGonnagal, Xeno and Molly Weasley had arrived to carry on the fight. Daniel Granger was high on the roof of the Lovegood home firing rounds from a hunting rifle into the Death Eaters that winged Bella on the shoulder.
Draco stood panting for a moment then felt a strange wet slipping sensation as his intestines spilled out of the gaping hole in his abdomen to pool on the ground. He looked down then fell backwards into the arms of Lavender.
"Draco? Why did you do that?" the plump blonde asked in surprised confusion.
"baby. I couldn't let her kill a baby." he gasped in pain.
Ron stood looking at him like he didn't recognize Draco. Unmoving as the sounds of battle faded and moved away from them.
Molly knelt beside Draco and ripped open his shirt. A thin slash the only external damage to it. His chest and abdomen had been cut open with a burned wide gash. She could see his lungs and heart beating, it was seeping blood with each pump. She started trying to cast healing charms.
"Bring me dittany and a healer's kit. Now!" She screamed in her bellicose voice.
Draco shook his head, "It was a dark curse. No cure."
Lavender held Draco's held gently. "Thank you for saving me."
Draco struggled to breathe, struggled to speak but he managed to wave at Ron to come closer. Ron knelt to hear the words Draco struggled to speak through the bloody froth. "Take care of her. Appreciate. Love. Be a man."
Ron nodded briefly he was still processing that Draco had sacrificed himself for Lavender.
Draco saw the indistinct form of a small blonde girl standing behind Ron, she grew more and more solid as the seconds ticked by. She eventually spoke, "Congratulations Draco. You managed to achieve redemption."
He sat up moving through Ron as he stood, turning to look back at his pale body. Lavender crying softly as she stroked his blonde hair. Ron staring at him in shock still. "I did good?"
"You saved the life of the innocent child. They will grow up and be a great leader and explorer. Eventually they will marry the child of Longbottom and the blood lines will be joined." Anna stated.
Draco looked relieved, "Well I guess I'm ready."
Anna pulled a multiple dialed watch out of her pocket and took Draco's hand. "You do have the option to remain behind as a ghost if you wish."
Draco looked around the battlefield. Seeing several wounded and other spirits being reaped. Some of them not gently as columns of dark smoke rose out of the ground and ugly misshapen beings reaped them. He looked at Ron and Lavender as Ron had moved around to comfort Lavender.
"I think I'm ready to move on, up?"
Anna looked at her watch then nodded in surprise, "Due to the testimony of a key witness as well as recent actions yes. Up."
Draco sighed in relief as a beam of golden white light surrounded him and Anna.
…...
Bellatrix limped into the throne room. She was followed by 4 others. "My Lord we have returned."
"Bella? Where are the heads of mmy enemies? Where is Reginald Nott and the others?" He hissed.
Bella swallowed briefly before confessing, "We are all that managed to retreat. They slaughtered everyone as they did not hold back."
"Without Dumbledore restraining them they used lethal force." One of the Death Eaters declared shrilly as he shuddered. The left side of his face was burned to the bone with an empty eye socket staring out. "I was hit by druid fire."
Voldemort stared at the wounded man then with a wave of his hand caused him to explode into a shower of bloody giblets. Lucius was coated in the remains of death eater Arzt.
"You failed me Bellatrix. You and the others failed me. You did not desire to win strongly enough."
Bellatrix fell to her knees before the throne, "No more lord. I am your most faithful servant. I desired to slaughter them all, I desired to make the ground be soaked in their blood. I was failed by the fools who came with me. I was betrayed by Draco. Draco attacked me rather than let me tear the spawn of the Weasley bitch from her swollen belly. I was betrayed my lord." She snivelled and begged.
Lucius heard her statement and swallowed he knew how Bellatrix dealt with those who interfered. Draco as no doubt dead. This changed everything.
Voldemort sighed heavily. "Be gone Bellatrix. This was your last time to fail me. Do so again and you shall die. Now go and find Potter."
"My lord?" Lucius asked quietly, his voice strong with tension.
"Oh, Lucius? You're still there? Well you may leave now. It would seem your son was not as strong as you thought. Let's hope you prove to be of stronger mettle."
Lucius managed to swallow his anger enough to say, "Yes my lord."
Leaving the chamber. Lucius had some thinking to do.
Review Response:
Dennisud: Thank you. I am trying. Sometimes I get distracted by shiny things and I have had to get a new keyboard as I've worn the old one out already but otherwise I'm still going to try. Oh and thank you for mentioning another author I need to look into. There does seem to be some good stuff floating around.