Chapter 51

Draco sunk down to his knees surrounding the body of his former friend. He didn't even realise that he was crying until the tears damped his cheeks.

"Goyle," he choked out as he stared at the lifeless face of his former mate.

"He's dead," Flint said harshly, snapping him back to reality. "He's dead, and it's all because of your traitors self. If you hadn't betrayed as like you did, then he would still be here. You have no one to blame but yourself." The former Quidditch captain stood and began walking, before turning back around to stare at Crabbe. "Well, are you coming or not? If you stay here, then this lot will only get you killed, as well."

Draco could see the conflict in Crabbe's eyes. On one hand, there was the option of staying with his former mate, and the body of his dead friend, who was nothing short of a brother to him. On the other hand, if he left then he could escape his brother's killer. It really wasn't that hard of a choice in the end.

Crabbe avoided his eyes as he stood and mechanically followed Flint away from the scene.

"Ginny," Harry said, remembering suddenly. "Ginny was supposed to be here! What if she's still inside?" he asked frantically, as he stood to his feet.

"Harry," Hermione said as she caught his attention. "Ginny is the most stubborn person in the world. What makes you think she's going to sit this out while everyone she cares for is fighting? She's not in there; one of us would have seen her."

"You're right," he said, as he slumped.

They heard shouting from down the hall, and realised that the fighting must have made its way inside the building.

"I have to go," Harry said as he drew his wand out.

Hermione nodded, "Go," she said before shooting Draco a look. "I think we may need a moment to catch up with you."

Harry seemed to understand what she was saying. "Okay. Just be careful alright? It's no longer safe to be here anymore." He turned and ran towards the fight, just like the Gryffindor in him dictated as he should. Draco wondered what he would be like if he had a bit more of the lion's house in him. Maybe then he wouldn't be as weak as he were now.

Ron knew something was wrong the minute he stepped off the staircase landing on the seventh floor. Granted, he had known that the Death Eaters had penetrated the school. It was hard not to know with all the screaming and bodies dropping all over the place.

It was unfortunate but Ron knew that it would come sooner than later. The battle was upon them and there was nothing that they could do except fight. He ran through the corridors as he drew out his wand to prepare to fight as he heard the sounds draw closer.

"Don't we need a bloody plan or something?" Zabini yelled out from behind him. "You bloody Gryffindors always charge straight into action without thinking anything through."

"No time," Ron shouted out as he continued to run towards the fighting. Once he got close enough to identify the scene, he saw Harry fighting next to his brothers, Fred, George, and…Percy?

"Perc?" Ron asked, using the nickname he had called his brother back when they were a lot younger than they were now. "What are you doing here? I haven't seen you in nearly two years!"

"I was a prat, Ron," Percy shouted out through the fighting. "But I came to my senses a little while back. I went straight to Kingsley and have been passing back information ever since. I couldn't keep in contact with you guys, because our spat was very public and thus I wasn't as closely guarded as the rest of the family, so I was privy to higher up information. But at the same time, I should have said something to you guys."

Ron was speechless. His brother whom he thought he had forever lost had in fact been on their side for quite some time.

"Bout bloody time you realised," Fred joked as he stunned one of the Death Eaters. Ron identified Bellatrix as one of them, but other than her, he couldn't tell who the others were. He may recognise their faces, but had no idea of their names, nor did he care enough to bother learning.

"Oh, and by the way Minister, if it wasn't all that clear before, I quit," Percy bellowed out to the current 'Minister' who they were fighting. The Death Eater didn't seem to respond, and Ron knew, from listening to Hermione and Draco rant on about it, that it was because of the use of the Imperious Curse that had been placed upon him.

He laughed alongside his bothers, glad that Percy was finally coming clean about everything. He knew that his mother would be overjoyed by time this was all over to have gained her family back. It seemed for a minute that everything would be okay; well that was until he heard the words he dreaded most.

"Avada Kedvra."

"He's wrong, you know," Hermione said quietly, as she took his hands in one of hers. She used the other to cup his face and bring it so that his eyes levelled hers. "He's wrong about all of it. Besides, if you didn't switch to our side, you might have actually died, and Goyle would have been in the exact same position as he is right now. There is nothing that says that Goyle died because of you."

Draco shook his head. "You're wrong. It's completely my fault. Even if I still did everything I did then, I could have prevented it now. I should have done something to make him see the reason. He always listened to me; maybe if I had cared more, he would be alive."

"Goyle follows people around blindly, and it was his following around of Flint that put him in that position. But for once in his life, he decided to use his own brain when he cast that spell, and it got him killed because he couldn't control it. No one told him to do that, not you, not Flint. So it is not your fault Draco, and I wish you could see that." She wrapped her arms around his body and brought him close to her. He could feel the head radiating off of her body as he rest his head against her chest, allowing her words to sink in.

"I know," he said, as he realised she was right. "But I feel so guilty. I feel so responsible for them both, especially since they were so attached to me as children. I feel like I was in charge of them or something." He swallowed. "I hate this war, I really do. And the worst part is that it isn't even over; there are going to be more casualties, whether I like it or not, and there's nothing I can do about it."

She placed a kiss on the top of his head. "I know exactly what you mean, Draco, and I know Harry does to. If I could, I would make sure there wasn't a single casualty in the entire war, excluding Voldemort. I would make sure that no one would die and that everyone will end up happy. But I know I can't do that, and that none of us can. But that doesn't mean that we can give up, Draco. If anything, we have to fight harder so others don't have to die." She paused for a minute, as she stroked his back gently. "You and I weren't born to be normal. We weren't born to live ordinary lives and to die at an old age where the most interesting thing that happened to us that we got married. We were meant for this life full of ups and downs and turns in every which way."

Draco let out a laugh at that. "If we were boring, then we wouldn't be us. We wouldn't be Granger and Malfoy; enemies turned lovers. We would just be two ordinary people, and then where would we be."

He could feel her smirk at his comment. "Oh yes, now that would be just awful wouldn't it? The horror; having to be ordinary! I feel myself cringe just thinking about it."

He pulled back slightly, as he laughed once more. He took her face between her hands, as he kept hers wrapped around his waist. "Don't ever change on me, Granger. You're far too special the way you are."

She raised an eyebrow at him, "Back to Granger, are we? I thought you stopped calling me that long ago."

He smirked, "I forgot just how fun it is to call you that. Speaking of which, I don't think I'll ever stop now that I started again. I guess you'll just have to put up with it."

She lightly hit his chest. "Is that so, Malfoy? Well maybe I don't want to put up with you anymore," she said in mock seriousness.

"You wouldn't," he growled, as he pulled her closer to him, possessively.

"And why ever not?" she asked him innocently.

"Because," he said, drawing her closer to him. "You. Love. Me." His lips crashed down on hers at that last word. She pushed herself closer against him, as she kissed him back. They knew very well what was happening around them, but for that moment it was just them, and that was all that mattered. For at least a little while, they could distract themselves from the harsh reality.

Or at least they thought.

"Well, well the prodigal nephew returns from the dead, I see," a familiar voice sneered. "And here I hoped you were dead. At least in that you died loyal to our cause. Yet here you are, alive and well as ever, practically all over Potter's pet mudblood. How does it feel? To know you sullied yourself with that little bitch?"

Draco broke his embrace with the woman he loved to look up and see his crazy aunt staring him in the face.

"Bellatrix," he addressed her coolly, as he stood carefully in front of Hermione, to somewhat shield her from Bellatrix.

"I see that your association with that filth has made you forget ally our manners," Bellatrix said snidely. "I thought you had been raised better than that, Draco. But clearly I was wrong. I always knew that your mother doted on you too much as a child. And Lucius was never as strict on you as he should have been. Had I raised you, you would have turned out a lot different than you are now."

"And thank Salazaar for that. If you had raised me, I think I would have offed myself long ago," Draco spat. "I couldn't think of a fate worse for a child, then to have to be raised by you."

"I don't know," Bellatrix smiled cruelly. "I think being raised by a Weasley would be much worse. But never you worry, I freed one of their blood traitor children from the life they were given."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked her sharply. "What do you mean by freed?"

"Do not presume that you may speak to me as if you are an equal, Mudblood," Bellatrix snapped. "I mean it just as it came off as. I killed one of their brats because they were being annoying, strutting their useless lives around as if they were nobility. Not like the world will miss one less of them anyways. They'll probably produce another one to fill the void. Not like they haven't already produced too many for my liking."

He felt Hermione stiffen beside him as his aunt's words sunk in. The woman that he was biologically related to had killed on of the Weasley children.

"Who?" Hermione asked, her voice hoarse as she tried to process what was happening.

"I didn't hear you, Mudblood," Bellatrix taunted. "You'll have to speak louder."

"Who did you kill, you evil piece of scum? Which one did you kill?" Hermione shouted out as tears streamed down her face.

Bellatrix seemed indifferent. "Like I know. It doesn't really matter to me to begin with."

Hermione let out a shout of anger as she drew her wand out. "I'm tired of you thinking you're so much better than the rest of us, when all you are is a crazy bitch who nobody, not even her own family cares for."

Bellatrix sneered at her, "Do you think I need or care for any of those things? I am loyal to the Dark Lord, and he cares for me. I do not need anything else."

"You stupid witch; he doesn't care for you; he doesn't care for anybody but himself. If you believe that for even one moment that he could possibly care for you, then you're mistaken. You have a husband; maybe you should try to be loyal to him instead of flaunting yourself to Voldemort and hope that he will one day return your messed up, one sided emotions. But we both know that he won't; so you should just give up now," Hermione retorted.

Draco was proud of her in that moment, but he wasn't stupid either. She had pissed Bellatrix, and that wouldn't go unpunished.

"You insolent little girl," Bellatrix said, sounding angry. "How dare you act as if you know what I feel for my lord? He is a very great man who accomplished so much in his life. What do you have to show for your life?"

"Haven't you heard?" Hermione said sharply. "I'm the brightest witch of my age. I'm best friends with Harry Potter, and I am a member of the Order of the Phoenix. I have personally destroyed some of Voldemort's prized possessions that keep him alive. I think I could say that's pretty accomplishing for someone who is only eighteen years old, wouldn't you?"

"I ought to kill you right here and now," Bellatrix spat as she raised her wand at Hermione. "Avada Ked-"

Draco pushed Hermione completely behind him. "You're not going to be touching her anytime soon, Bellatrix. And if you insist on it, you're going to have to kill me first if you want to get to her. I think we both know that you trained me far too well to lose."

She simply grinned at him, "Oh Nephew, if I trained you, that means I also know exactly what you're going to do before you do it. But if you insist on this stupid game of yours, I will. I don't know why you would want to risk your life for this mudblood here. I'm sure the Dark Lord would forgive you if you begged him to."

"I've already been given this speech once today," Draco said, sounding bored. "Save it for someone who cares. I'm firm about my choices and I will not be persuaded against it. I'm finally doing what's right and undoing all the wrong that my family has been doing for generations."

"You stupid child," Bellatrix hissed. "I could have spared you, but now you're both going to die."

"No," he heard a familiar voice call out from a little distance away. "Bella, I will not allow you to kill my son and Miss Granger. Go back, and find someone else to deal with. I'll handle them."

Bellatrix laughed. "Do you honestly believe that I will let you handle this? You raised this little traitor; for all I know, you and your wife are traitors as well. When family has weak links, they must be destroyed to preserve the greatness of the chain. You know as well as I do that he has to be killed. If we let him live, the Malfoy line will no longer be pure; he will associate with this Mudblood and produce half-bloods. The line will be tainted; all that the Black family and Malfoy family have worked towards for generations will be lost; all because you're too weak to kill off your child."

"You will not touch a hair on Draco's head," Lucius said firmly. "I suggest you leave."

"I'll think about it," she said, and pretending to ponder upon the thought, "How about no?"

"Bella," Lucius warned her wearily. "This is Draco we're talking about. He's the child of your sister. Does that not mean anything to you at all?"

"I don't acknowledge blood traitors," she spat. "I already lost one sister without a second thought, I doubt losing a nephew will lose me any sleep at night."

Hermione slipped her hand through his, holding on tightly as if she were afraid that he would be executed on the spot. Draco wasn't too sure that he wouldn't, but he didn't want Hermione to see any fear in his eyes, so he kept a neutral face as he had often worn around his family.

"You're a monster, Bellatrix," Lucius said. "I may have done many things in the past, but I would never kill someone related to me." He walked closer to where Draco was standing, however he was still a good distance away from him.

"That's what makes you different than I, Lucius. You see, I listen to the Dark Lord's morals. Love is a weakness and should never get in the way when making important decisions. Just go back to my dear sister and wait with her. I'll deliver a body, I promise."

She lifted a wand and held it towards Draco before he could even react. "Avada Kedvra."

What happened next was so quick that Draco barely even remembered watching it happen. He could hear Hermione scream as the flashing green light made its way toward him.

He closed his eyes, knowing full well that he was going to die. He didn't regret a single decision he had made in the last several months, and he knew that he could die with no regrets. He had done everything he could to change, and he could only hope that with his death, Hermione would manage to escape.

He waited, and waited, and waited, but the spell never came. He opened his eyes just in time to see his father jumping in front of him and taking the full blow of the curse.

"Just remember that I love you, Draco, and that I am proud of you and everything you've done," Lucius said, before the spell made contact.

"NO!" He shouted, as he saw his father crumple down to the ground in front of him, his eyes lifeless. Lucius Malfoy was dead.

A/N: I'm sorry, don't hate me. I was trying to figure out who should live and die, and it seemed right that Lucius should. He may have made peace with his family back at the Manor, but he still has committed a lifetime of sins, one that got exonerated by his saving of Draco.

As for changing Percy a bit, I found it too weird that he suddenly just decided he was wrong. While it may have been dangerous for him to acknowledge his family before, Percy is also very stubborn, so I figured this would be a good medium.

I warn now that there will be more deaths. I might not write all the ones that J.K. Rowling had, but quite a few of them still will happen.