HARRY'S POV:
The members of the Order surrounded me after the two Malfoys Disapparated. It was a good thing, too. My legs wobbled and I couldn't breathe through the burning in my chest. Draco had looked so betrayed and hurt, but I couldn't let him stay. I don't care what he thinks the prophecy means, he's not going to come in between me and Voldemort.
Tonks, with a smudged face and charcoal gray hair, came over and put a hand on my shoulder. "If it was me, I would have done the same thing." She emphasized it by turning her eyes green, hair black, and a lightning bolt scar on her forehead. If she was trying to make me smile, it worked. It's amazing how she could make me look better on her than on me.
Mad-Eye Moody stepped up, smirking and holding up his wand. "Enough with the mood swings! Get ready! He's coming." The entire room faced the entrance to the massive ballroom, waiting. In the anxious silence, we heard the murmur of voices, the volume rising as more numbers gathered. "There should always be one of us with Harry!" Moody ordered. "No matter what happens, Potter is not to be left alone!" Our crowd agreed quietly, while we heard a woman, Bellatrix, laugh maniacally. Tonks took my arm in a firm grip, pulling me to the back of the crowd, while the others came together, blocking my view.
"Wotcher, Harry." Tonks whispered. "Try to stay behind me."
"Tonks, I..." I started, but she cut me off.
"Remus told me about your prophecy. I don't care what that crazy, one-eyed toad says." She looked back at me, eyes boring deep into mine. "I will get you as close as I can. When you can, do what you have to."
"Tonks, that's not me. I can't kill anybody-" Tonks roughly took my collar and shook me.
She pulled me close and almost hissed, her eyes narrowing to yellow slits, "Do what you have to, Harry. I'm tired of fighting." I opened my mouth to respond, but it was lost to the loud blast of the door exploding, wooden pieces and metal hinges flying around us. "Run, Harry! To the fireplace, run!" I did as she told, her following me, shooting hexes. I ducked and weaved as curses flew past me in a myriad of colors. There were too many bright green spells flying past us.
Death Eaters scrambled throughout the room. From the looks of things, there were two Death Eaters for every Order member. Tonks pushed me beside the fireplace, forcing me to crouch beside the stone mantle as spells ricocheted around us. I watched, helpless again, as members of the Order were being captured one by one. These Death Eaters were better, or the Order was tired. Either way, they were no match for this wave of Dark Wizards.
"Harry!" Tonks yelled, blocking curses from Lucius and Bellatrix. My scar was blazing like fire as he drew nearer. "Harry, it's no use. Go into the tunnels. Get the hell out of here!"
"It's too late," I cried out. The scar felt white-hot and I fought not to scream. He saw me and now that he saw me, he wouldn't let me escape. I screwed my eyes shut, the light stinging my eyes like glass. I could see the battle still, but from a different angle, from an alcove. It was like I stood to the side, watching the chaos, waiting for that scar-headed little brat! I raised my wand, the white wood glowing with a green light, before a green beam of light shot out...towards a slight woman with what was now bright yellow hair.
"Tonks!" I called, tackling her to the ground, as the Killing Curse barely passed over us. She looked around dazed, before looking at me, her hair bleeding to white and her eyes gray. It was too similar to Draco, too soon.
I backed off of her, pain lancing through both my chest and my head as strong arms grabbed me. Lucius held my arms roughly, his lines too sharp and his eyes like a layer of ice over mud. Nothing like his son. Bellatrix pinned Tonks down, my wand pressed into her throat. I fought the man's bruising grip, pain pulsing through my brain. I groaned in agony. He was coming closer. The fighting had dulled to Death Eaters mulling around, restraining the Order, or stepping over bodies. I could see a too-still form of Mad-Eye, his magical eye still and dull in its socket, and some unknown faces, staring at me, lifeless. Tears stung again and I bit my lip to keep them at bay.
I could now see Voldemort approaching. His bare feet ghosting beneath his robe, and his serpentine face, grinning in delight. He took in us, pinned and caught, and chuckled. "Tie her up," he said to Bellatrix. She wrapped Tonks in a thick series of ropes from head to toe, only puffs of her angry, orange hair showing through. "Take them away." He called to the room over his shoulder. Order members struggled and swore as they were dragged or levitated out of the room. I fought against the elder Malfoy's grip, cursing them, but they just let me fight, ignoring me. One of the bulkier Death Eaters hauled Tonks over his shoulder, carrying her screaming form out of the room.
When the main doors were closed, only two Death Eaters other than Lucius and Bellatrix stayed, but they came in holding Hermoine and Ron. Ron was bloodied and beaten, almost limp in the heavy man's arms. Hermoine stared at me, terror-stricken, a thin, dried trail of blood down her cheek. Lucius hauled me to my feet, bringing me in front of Voldemort. The Dark Lord came forward, running a ice cold hand down my cheek. My scar felt as if it was boiling off my skin. I flinched as he leaned in, his face hovering inches away from me. I looked away as I could almost feel him smile that menacing grin, reminding me strangely of a nightmarish Cheshire Cat.
He held out his hand and Bellatrix placed my wand in it. He waved the wand in front of my face. My fingers curled, desperate to have the wand, and to end this, one way or another. "You see, Harry Potter, the only thing keeping me from killing you is the simple fact that our wands," he waved my wand again, "are too similar." Before I could stop him, he took it in both hands and snapped it in half. The crack of the wood hit me like a blow to the chest and the air rushed out of my lungs. "Problem resolved." He grinned again, backing away.
He turned away, gesturing to Hermoine and Ron. "A little questioning of these two brought some very interesting information to light. It appears that our little Malfoy is quite the cunning son of Slytherin after all. Faking his death? Hiding under the protection of the third most powerful wizard of all time? Besides me and dear, daffy Dumbledore, am I right, boy?" He laughed, grabbing a handful of Hermoine's hair, giving it a firm jerk. Hermoine gasped, and I attempted to break free, cursing him, but Lucius held fast. "This little Mudblood fought our Legilimency so hard, but weak blood means weak defenses." He released her, moving to Ron, still limp. "This blood-traitor, however, is very stubborn. We finally had to use the girl to get him to talk." He took Ron's chin, inspecting his face, before dropping it.
"Keep your filthy hands off of them, Tom!" Voldemort's fingers curled into claws, before he relaxed again. He walked over towards me, stopping a few feet away. He waved a hand in Lucius' direction, and I was released. I fell to the ground, my arms aching as the blood returned. Voldemort paced in front of me, twiddling the ashen wand in his fingers.
"Such disrespect for those more powerful. I have spent years dreaming of this moment." He held up his wand, almost giggling with excitement. "The great Harry Potter, dead at last." The older Malfoy forced me to my knees, then moved away. Bellatrix mirrored him on the other side, a grin splitting her face. Voldemort's eyes shone brightly with excitement. Hermoine was crying, begging for this to stop. Ron groaned, shifting groggily. The first thing he would see would be me, dead. That and that alone scared me as everything slowed around me. Watching Voldemort raise his wand, laughing, and the Death Eaters hold their breath in anticipation, an eerie calm fell over me. I vaguely heard Voldemort shout the curse, as if I was underwater. Then my face felt wet. I was crying.
As the green beam of light shot toward me like a vicious bolt of lightning, I realized. My tears weren't from knowing I was about to die. It was from knowing I was about to die and the last thing Draco heard, and saw, was me being a hateful git. That I would never see him again. My eyes slid closed when the brightness of the curse's beam became too much.
DRACO'S POV:
The whirlwind of light and sound suddenly turned into silence and into colors of black and green. I was close. I hoped that this excruciating pain I was in wasn't anything life-threatening. It wouldn't do any good to come back for Harry only to get my dumb arse killed because of it. The green was getting brighter, so bright that I had to shut my eyes. I felt the pressure of Apparition vanish and the pain I was in increased ten-fold. I could feel myself falling, and I could hear myself screaming, but most of all, I could feel the wand in my hand grow white-hot and my magic pouring out of it like a tidal wave. I hit a half-soft, half-solid surface as the bright green light shone over us as if through water.
HARRY'S POV:
The Killing Curse struck a magical barrier that looked like a rippling pool of water. The curse's green light hit the shield, and refracted into two beams that continued past us. I heard two heavy thuds hit the floor behind us.
"Draco!" Hermoine gasped. Ron shook his head from side to side, coming to. When his eyes finally cleared, he paled seeing me and Voldemort, and the heavy weight on top of me. The weight had blond, almost white, hair. This man had pale skin like porcelain and eyes like a river reflecting a thunderstorm.
"Draco!" I gasped, too. He groaned as his eyes opened, then his face contorted in pain as he screamed. He rolled off of me, writhing on the floor. His wand laid abandoned beside him, but the blue of the wood was sizzling, with curling tendrils of smoke rising off of it, and the tip was glowing bright white, the shield's power still pulsing from it. Draco screamed again, pulling my attention back. Blood was soaked through his white shirt around his chest. Hermoine and Ron fought and thrashed against their captors. Ron was pushed onto the floor, pinned face-first. Hermoine had a wand pressed to her throat. Voldemort was pacing outside the magic barrier, glaring at the wand lying alone on the floor, powering the spell without a wizard holding it.
"Harry." Draco gasped, then cried out in pain. I held him to me, shushing him as he whimpered, blood soaking me to the skin. "I did it. I stopped the vision from happening." His smile was weak, but his eyes reflected the happiness he was trying to show. A lump clogged my throat as his eyes teared up in joy.
"Yes, you did." Draco's smile got bigger. The wand's power was starting to falter. Voldemort held up his wand in anticipation as the shield's power started to wane. I gently lowered him, reaching for the ocean-blue wand, holding it firmly as it warmed in my grip. I started forward, my stomach rolling at the wet, sticky feeling of Draco's blood on my shirt, when Draco took a strong hold of my pant's leg.
"Don't go, Harry." The wand's light grew brighter, sending another weak pulse of magic into the barrier, holding it up for a little longer. "Stay with me." I knelt down long enough to kiss his forehead, but I pulled back as he reached for me.
"I can't," I replied, my voice weak. His face fell in fear, pain, and betrayal. I shook my head, "I have to end this, Draco."
"Just say it, then." he pleaded. "Please, Harry, say it."
I swallowed the lump down, "I love you." Draco gave me a small smile, before turning away, groaning in pain.
I faced Voldemort, looking at his vile face and felt a new feeling rush through me. It burned like fire, but it was as cold as ice. It locked my heart in a iron grip, but it was pounding as if it was going to fly out of my chest. This man, no, not a man, this thing took everything away from me. My family, my future, even my entire fucking childhood, and then he has the nerve to think he's going to rip me and Draco apart after we just found each other. Draco lying there, in agony and dying, and for what? To protect me from him?!
My hand trembled, and the wand shook as smoke curled from the tip. Almost as it had with Draco as he stared down Carrow, ready to kill him. Did this mean I wanted to kill Voldemort? If I die, so will Hermoine. So will Ron. And so will Draco. A shudder ran through my chest as I bit back a scream of rage. I want to kill him. I need to kill him. The barrier's magic suddenly dissipated. Voldemort and I stood feet away from each other. Everything settled in a angry calm, the air hot and cracking like a sky seconds before lightning strikes.
"I hate you." I said, my voice low, and the truth of it surged through me like scalding water. I then realized what hate was. I never hated my uncle or my cousin. I never truly hated Pettigrew for betraying my parents. I almost, almost, hated Bellatrix for killing the only family I had left, but him. I realized down to my core that I hated him, and my core spun a spell of bright green, almost as green as my mother's eyes. He raised his wand as I raised Draco's. We looked into each other's eyes, neither one of us faltering. The entire room around us blurred into the background until it was me and him. "It's time for this to end, Tom!"
"And so it shall. Avada-" He yelled.
"-Kedavra!" I yelled. Both of our wands shot luminous green bolts, the light crashing into each other, melding into one bolt of green lightning. We stared in shock as the spells held each other at bay.
"This is impossible!" Voldemort yelled, outraged. I chanced a glance over to Draco, who had his eyes locked on me, his hand extended. The wand in my hand blazed in white-hot power as the green bolts fought to break free. "This is impossible!" We were both losing strength with this magical tug-of-war fast. My heart pounded. I wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.
Voldemort and I focused on only ourselves, so we didn't hear the chaos going around us.
DRACO'S POV:
Harry's hand was shaking holding that odd blue wand. The combined spells, looking like a large bolt of green lightning, was stretched between them, colliding in the center. Except the center was getting closer and closer to Harry with each passing second.
My head was dizzy and my entire body felt chilly. I knew I wouldn't be able to stay awake much longer. My head for the first time, though, didn't hurt. In fact, now that I could reach my Mind's Eye, it felt crystal clear for the first time in years. Look behind you, git! that snake-like voice whispered. I shuddered, then did as the voice said. There were two bodies about a yard away from me. One had a huge mass of black and grey curls, the other's long white hair was instantly recognizable. My mind refused to acknowledge them, though. What my eyes only allowed me to see was the ebony walking cane, topped with a snake's head, the handle to Lucius Malfoy's wand.
I rushed over to it, gasping and gritting my teeth against the immense pain in my upper chest and shoulder. So much blood and so much pain. Splinching is sure nothing I would ever want to do again, if I ever get the opportunity, that is.
My vision was starting to cloud with gray fuzz and I could hear my heartbeat in my ears, fighting to keep going. Too much blood. Too much pain. I cried out in joy when my fingers touched the cold silver.
"Draco," Hermoine called. "Look out!" I managed to roll an inch far enough to dodge a Death Eater, Crabbe's father, as he dove for me. I felt the wand in my hand, the cold, stinging magic inside recognizing me as a Malfoy.
"Stupefy!" I said, sending the flunkie across the room. I heard grunts and sounds of a struggle off to the other side. I looked in time to see Weasley land a hefty blow to the other Death Eater's face. The Death Eater back-handed Weasley, using the distraction to draw his wand and aim it at me.
"Not on my watch, you bastard!" Hermoine yelled before leaping on the Death Eater's back, wrapping her arm around his neck and eyes. Her weight brought him down, where Ron helped her pin him down.
"Bloody hell, Draco!" Ron bellowed. "Kill the snake-faced bastard before he kills Harry!" He said more but I couldn't tell what it was. My hearing faded out, and the room around me was being swallowed by the gray fog. I faintly saw a red-headed blur being sent across the room, and I faintly registered the sound of breaking glass.
My heart was slowing as I turned back to the stand-off between Harry and Voldemort. I was suffering from a severe case of tunnel vision because all I could see clearly was the edge of Voldemort's robe, but I could tell from the brilliant green orb edging towards a small, crouching figure that Harry was almost out of time.
HARRY'S POV:
I was down on my knees, gasping for air, putting every last ounce of magic I could into keeping the spell's combined center from reaching me. Now, it was no longer trying to kill him, but to keep myself alive. The wand's blue wood showed the enormous strain it was under, thin veins of white cracking along the tip, and smoke rising from where my fists were clasped over it. I fought against the pain of the wand burning my palms.
"How is this possible?!" Voldemort said, bewildered.
I felt words rising in my throat, and when they were said, it rang true through me. "Draco's will wants me alive more than you want me dead!" Voldemort's eyes widened, then suddenly another bolt of green flew through the room. The crackling lightning between us vanished, the force sending us sprawled on the ground.
I was the first to get back up, but after looking at the pile of black robes across from me, I was going to be the only one. I realized with a numb sort of relief that where Voldemort stood was a pile of ashes, topped with an ivory, claw-ended wand.
The world slowed impossibly, exhaustion and relief washing over me, sapping the last reserves of my energy. Voldemort was dead, but I couldn't process it.
The doors to the ballroom flew open after what felt like an eternity, but was probably just a few minutes. Lupin was standing at the front of the group, blood spattered across his robes and more haggard-looking than ever. He ran over to Hermoine, who was on the floor struggling with a large, square-headed Death Eater.
"Harry!" A woman with green hair called, alarmed. She rushed up to me, while other members of the Order scattered around the room, searching for anyone injured or dead. She held me by the shoulders, which at this point, was probably the only reason I'm still standing. "Harry, what happened? We've been trying to get in, but there were sealing charms on the door..." she trailed off as she saw the blank look in my eyes. "Harry," she started. When I didn't say anything, she put a hand on my cheek. When I wouldn't take my eyes off of the pile of ashes lying on the floor, she forced my head up to stare into her purple eyes. "Harry, what's wrong? Talk to me, love."
I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but a sob came out, then the dam broke. I collapsed into her arms, screaming, crying, letting everything out. Anger for ripping away my life and throwing me into a living hell of a childhood. Sorrow for my lost family. For my parents and for Sirius. All the pain and exhaustion for fighting every day of my life ever since the fateful day I got this scar. And finally, relief. I could finally live without fearing an inevitable showdown. I could finally laugh with Hermoine and Ron. I could finally finish school and take the time to figure what kind of career I could get. I could finally enjoy the time I spend with the love of my life...
"Draco!" Hermoine screamed, shocking all of us. When Tonks and I looked up, she was running over to someoe lying on the floor, too still to be okay. "Professor Snape, over here!" Black billowing robes ran up to them, but for the first time I've ever seen, he paused, obviously shaken. Draco was lying there, so pale his skin was glowing in the dimness of the ballroom, and completely still.
Tonks helped me over to the crowd forming. Snape and Lupin knelt on either side of Draco, his blood-stained shirt ripped open. The sight of Draco's chest made me want to vomit, but all I did was collapse to my knees. Draco's chest was bloody, sections of his flesh was ripped away, showing muscle and bone underneath. My stomach lurched as the muscles in his chest twitched right over his heart. I held on to Tonk's tightly, anchoring myself to something solid while we watched Draco's heart beat too slow, and his chest wasn't rising. Tonks tried to make me look away, but I fought her off. Lupin and Snape worked doggedly with spells and wand motions trying to seal the wounds, but it wasn't working.
"We have to get him out of here, Remus!" Tonks shrilled. He looked up at the blue-haired, blue-eyed woman then at me. My heart plummeted at the look in his eyes. I haven't seen that look since the night in the Ministry of Magic, after Sirius fell through the veil.
"No!" I yelled. "He's not dead!" I pushed them away from Draco, and cradled the blond to my chest. "No, Draco, don't you dare give up on me!" I shook him, but his head just lolled from side to side, not responding. "Dammit, Draco, if you die on me, I will never forgive you! Wake up, you pointy-nosed ferret!" He stayed still, bloodied and not breathing.
The blue wand started to heat up again, blazing in my hand like a wildfire. The heat this time was too intense for me to hold it. I dropped it, the wand landing on Draco's chest, pinned between our bodies. The heat increased impossibly, but I ignored it as I held Draco closer, desperate to hear his voice again. "Come back, Draco. Please," I begged.
Fire broke out between us, and everything around us swirled and warped in a myriad of sounds and colors until we were thrown onto a white, tile floor that smelled like cleaning potions and sterilization spells. Healers in pale green robes surrounded us and choas ensued. Three Healers tore Draco out of my arms and carried him off while two more held me back and dragged me to another ward.
"Draco!" I called, my mind reeling, unable to process what was going on. My clothes were stripped off of me, replaced by a simple white set of scrubs. I was yanked from left to right as nurses cleaned me with a combination of spells and potions. Then Healers handed me potion after potion for me to drink, the last one making everything fuzzy around the edges.
Before I faded into darkness, both Healers and nurses milled around me in a buzz of excitement as word got out that You-Know-Who was finally well and truly dead, and killed by a Malfoy no less!