Chapter Thirty-Four

Everything we know is almost over

"Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end" John Lennon.

"What's taking so long?" hissed a woman I didn't know from behind Sirius her eyes blazing with furious worry. A man crouched behind her laid a hand on her shoulder attempting to calm her down. They were a husband and wife apparently, friends of the Weasleys. There had been no introductions this morning and they had watched Malfoy suspiciously when we had left, I didn't like them at all. This was all that made our party, Harry, me, Lupin, Sirius, this couple and Malfoy. Mr and Mrs Weasley, Ron, Fred and George, Ginny, Fleur and Bill had gone to the other stronghold in the centre of London.

We had been crouched in the ivy that covered the wall surrounding the grounds of Malfoy Manor for at least six minutes now since we had watched Draco vanish into the passageway and made our way back to the gate. The first part had been easy, it hadn't been blocked and no new protective enchantments had been added. The only problem, which I had only realised after we had arrived, was that in attacking at dawn there was no cover of darkness. If there was anyone patrolling the grounds, Malfoy would be caught.

There were seven of us here in total and eight had gone to the other strong hold that was located in south London. The object was that in a few hours the last strongholds would fall and we would have a free passage to Hogwarts.

"Perhaps there were some new wards added in his absence", said Sirius to Lupin ignoring the woman who had spoken.

"Let's hope that's the reason and not what I'm imagining", said Lupin glancing at me.

I gripped the wand I had been given tightly, my palms sweaty. I wasn't sure how well this wand would respond to me. There hadn't been enough time for me to make a proper match, I had to take whatever was available and this dragon heartstring, mahogany eleven inches just felt wrong somehow.

"He hasn't been caught", I whispered into the darkness and I felt all eyes nearby turn to me. "I would...feel it..." I trailed off feeling foolish but knowing that I was right.

Harry opened his mouth to speak but just as he did something shifted in the air around us. It felt like something gradually disappearing, as if the very atmosphere was fading before us and we knew then that Malfoy had been successful.

I smiled, knowing he could do it. Sirius had spent a good hour with him before we left going through all the new enchantments that could have been added in Malfoys absence.

The gate slowly creaked open and I saw Malfoy gesture with his left hand for us to move quickly.

The grounds had the early morning dew and mist settling upon them and I took a moment, as we all filed in, to marvel at how majestic the Manor and the surroundings were. Growing up here would have been wonderful in normal circumstances. It looked like something out of a Jane Austen novel and if any muggle passers-by had been able to see this place they would have imagined a certain Mr Darcy walking the grounds.

"They will have felt the wards lifted on the house, now they'll know something is wrong but we still have the element of surprise. They'll think it's some sort of malfunction", said Malfoy hurriedly to Sirius.

"Best way to enter?"

"House elf entrance", said Malfoy turning to check that I was there before leading us around the back of the house and making room for us to crawl in through the gap made for house elves.

We scrambled in, working quickly now that time was against us. The house elves that were left quivered at our entrance but mostly they stared wide-eyed as fifteen of us filed past. They knew better than to say anything. Sirius, however, having lived with Kreacher for some time now glared menacingly at them and flicked his wand so red sparks shot out. He wasn't about to take any chances that these house elves were unwaveringly loyal.

By the time we reached the foyer Death Eaters were beginning to appear as, true to Malfoy's word, they had felt the wards lift and dissolve. Sparks began to fly and shouts filled the room but I watched as Malfoy pelted up the stairs and down the corridor ignoring everyone and everything else. I watched as Harry began searching frantically for Voldemort, I wanted to scream at him to check the dining room but I knew it would be futile. As soon as Voldemort had felt the wards lift, he would have left.

I ducked behind the gaudy statue of Venus the decorated the foyer as the curses flew over my head. The statue promptly exploded and I risked a glance around it to see who I was fighting against; a fat stocky balding man I didn't recognise. I noted Snape's absence and marvelled at how he was able to keep his dual identity a secret. The statue rocked again and I realised I would need to join the fray.

I fired spells left, right and centre but could see that we would win this easily. That was when I heard her cackle.

"Oh look who it is, my cousin has come to visit".

Bellatrix's voice was powerful and high-pitched. It made my blood boil but also grated down my spine as if someone had run metal over a chalkboard. She was sauntering down the stairs completely impervious to her surroundings.

"Nice to see you too Bellatrix", said Sirius grinning as he locked wands with her.

They duelled impressively and I had to keep reminding myself to stop watching them or I was going to die pretty quickly.

"Hermione, find Draco", roared Lupin emerging from the dining room. "Voldemort has gone, it's time to leave".

I nodded my assent and began to make my way up the stairs, turning as Lupin battled the final remaining death eater excepting Bellatrix and finished him quickly. The others from our party had scattered searching the house so nobody noticed when things began to change in the fight between Bellatrix and Sirius.

Sirius was weakening, anyone could have seen that. Years of being on the run, out of practise and locked up had left him frail but it hadn't occurred to anyone that he might not be able for the cackling witch before him. So when they fight shifted and it became a struggle nobody was there to help; it is a regret that echoes and permeates through each of our souls even now.

My mind was too focussed on Malfoy to pay attention and I had some idea where he would have gone in an attempt to find Lucius.

I entered the study that I knew Lucius had frequented during my time here and what I saw was Malfoy's foot pressed against Lucius's neck. The sounds of battle deadened at this end of the house and it was eerily silent. Lucius didn't look frightened but he was dishevelled and I imagined that Draco had caught him by surprise.

"You let her die you fucking coward", spat Malfoy glaring down at the man he had once called father.

"Your mother was a traitor", even in this pathetic stance, Lucius could still manage to sound threatening even though Malfoy's foot pressed against his neck caused his voice to sound raspy. "You are no son of mine".

"And you are no father of mine", he roared raising his wand dramatically.

"Draco don't", I screamed from the doorway.

I had expected to startle him, to shock him into realising what he was about to do but instead his foot remained firmly on Lucius' neck, pushing harder if the bulging of his father's eyes was anything to go by, and he sighed his wand still raised above his head.

"I'd hoped to be done by the time you got here. I'm not sorry", he said tonelessly without looking at me. He turned his gaze back to Lucius and instead of the dramatics of earlier he lowered his wand, swished it almost lazily and whispered the curse.

The green light was blinding as the life died in Lucius' eyes. Draco sighed and moved his foot away, turning to me finally.

"Stop trying to save me", he said. "I can't be saved, either be with me while I do the things I must do or leave me".

"I'm sorry", I whispered. "I don't know if what I'm trying to do is save you or save myself from knowing this about you".

"Give up", he said walking towards me and pulling me to his chest. "It's too late".

I allowed him to hold me and settled into his arms with the usual familiarity but a furious shout reached us from below and all reminder of where we were hit me like a freight train.

"Come on", I said all of the earlier urgency returning. "It's time to get out of here, Lupin said Voldemort is gone and we need to leave".

"I knew he would go", said Malfoy nodding and taking my hand, pulling me after him as we ran back to the foyer.

The scream from the hallway that reached our ears as we neared the top of the stairs was full of anguish and anger.

And it sounded a lot like Harry.

My run turned into a sprint as I forgot even Malfoy's presence, dropping his hand and racing ahead of him.

Sirius was lying flat on his back, his face calm and peaceful but the unmistakable sign of death lingered there. Harry lay crouched over his body, crying in agony.

I paused, the breath whooshing out of my body as if I had just been winded but I gathered myself quickly and rushed to Harry and knelt beside him, feeling like my insides had fallen out. I wrapped an arm around him and he fell into my embrace, hugging me tightly and crying manically. I couldn't hear anything, it was like an explosion had deafened me and I felt dazed.

Malfoy had stopped as soon as he had seen the body. He was still standing at the foot of the stairs, his wand hanging limply by his side.

"Where is Bellatrix?" I whispered up at Lupin's stricken face as I stroked Harry's hair.

"Disapparated", Lupin said. "I tried to help...he told me she was his problem..." Lupin's voice broke slightly and he shook himself.

"Come on", said the woman from earlier placing a hand on Lupin's shoulder. "We need to go but let's get him out of here first, I don't know if we can apparate from here and I don't want to try. Let's take him beyond the grounds".

Malfoy moved towards us finally, his face grim but determined. "I'll help you carry him", he said to Lupin moving to take Sirius's feet. I could see that some hope had died in Malfoy's face, the one person he had connected with was now dead and it had been his own Aunt that had killed him; I knew that this was just one more notch of guilt to add to Malfoy's soul.

Lupin nodded, the tears rolling down his face. I shuffled Harry away from the body as best I could and then helped him get to his feet. I kept my arm around him and pulled him close, his crying had stopped and the shock was starting to seep into him.

"No", said Harry pushing me away roughly and for a split second I thought he would shove Malfoy out of the way and take Sirius' feet but instead he was helping.

Harry positioned himself in the middle and together, carrying him as if he was sacred, the three men carried him slowly out of the cavernous foyer with the couple following.

I stood still for a further few minutes, taking a final glance around Malfoy Manor. The home that would now sit empty with no Malfoy's to claim it. I imagined that Malfoy would want to destroy it now that the place was rightfully his. I would try to talk him out of it of course, telling him that this place could be so much more than the depressing home he had known.

I would try and perhaps eventually I would succeed. This part of everything was over and I knew we were coming to the end. The next onslaught would be Hogwarts and there...there everything would at last be decided.

The end is nigh.

It's coming.