Guys, guys, guys! Early update in celebration! I have finished this fanfiction! There are officially going to be 50 chapters! Final stats are: 233 pages in my Google Drive and 124,202 words. I'm so proud of myself. Thank all you guys for reading! Expect updates to get more irregular but more frequent. I might just update because I get board from now on, but Saturdays are always going to be update days. Yay!

In this chapter, months go by, and we reach the end of Deathly Hallows part one.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Thirty

Lucius gave me my wand back, and life returned to normal for months. The only differences were that I avoided Lucius as much as possible, and I turned the radio on every night, falling asleep to the various familiar voices that came on the air. Half the time I couldn't think of their names, but I could almost always come up with their Houses. It was mostly Gryffindors who came on the air, but there were a few Hufflepuffs, the occasional Ravenclaw, and even one or two Slytherins.

Lucius demanded that I give him my wand every time I delivered food to Luna and Ollivander. I talked with them as much as time would allow, and though it wasn't much, it seemed to lift all of our spirits.

The library I got the healing books from was constantly locked, and whenever I approached the doors to the library, I felt like Lucius was lurking behind them, daring me to open them.

As winter came and Christmas passed without a thought, I almost got used to having my own father stare me down and speak so softly that it was menacing. Everything was an awkward and terrible version of normal until my mother came into my room. It was just past midday when she opened my door without knocking. I jumped and turned Dean's and Seamus's radio station off, putting down whatever book I was reading.

"We need you in the parlour above the cellar," she demanded.

"Why?"

"We think we've got 'im," she answered, knocking the wind out of me with her words. "But we can't be sure, so we need you to make sure that it's him before we call the Dark Lord."

Mother turned and walked out of my room, and I was obviously meant to follow, but I was too stunned to move. They couldn't have captured Potter. He's been on the run for months. What changed?

Mother's head popped back through the doorway. "Let's go!"

I couldn't stall her, so I got up from my bed and followed her out, adrenaline and fear making my hand shake.

I had to lie. If it was him, I had to lie, but I would get caught if I did. I would be surrounded by Lucius, Mother, Bellatrix and who knows how many other Death Eaters. I might not be able to lie without giving myself away.

My thoughts froze the instant the door to the parlour were opened, revealing who was behind them. Lucius was lurking in a corner with a drink in his hand standing near Bellatrix who was supporting a man on his knees. She had the tip of her wand pressed into his neck. He looked vaguely familiar, but I wouldn't be able to tell who he was until I got closer.

"Come on," Mother whispered, taking my arm and dragging me into the room.

As I moved into the room, a several of Snatchers caught my eye, standing guard near a girl in a jean jacket and a tall red-haired boy. I glanced behind me as I passed them and found them to be Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.

My heart froze, and I was so afraid that I almost stopped walking. But I forced myself to look forward again, using everything I had to keep my fear out of my expression. If they were here, Potter definitely was. He had to be the man Bellatrix was threatening, but his face was so distorted that I couldn't really tell.

"Well?" Bellatrix yelled, pulling the man's head back by the hair.

"I can't be sure," I quickly muttered, pleading that it wouldn't be Potter. It was a terrible thing to wish for, but I hoped that Weasley and Granger had abandoned Potter or that they had split up.

"Draco," Lucius's distinctive voice whispered. His hand grabbed the back of my neck, his tense fingers digging into the pressure points. "Look closely, son."

The stench of alcohol radiated off of his entire being. I strained to keep my expression neutral and prevent myself from recoiling against the sharp pain in my neck. My heart hammered against my ribs so hard that it threatened to burst from my chest.

Lucius pushed me forward a few steps, but instinct made me resist him. "If we are the ones to hand Potter over to the Dark Lord, everything would be forgiven. All will be as it was, you understand?" he explained. There was a note in his voice that made me think that he didn't mean You-Know-Who would forgive our family.

My resolve cracked with his words, my mind drifting through all that had happened between my father and I recently. All could return to the way it was before I was a Death Eater if I told him the man was Harry Potter.

If only I could believe him.

I glanced at Lucius and nodded, hoping to pacify him.

"Now, we won't be forgetting who actually caught him, I hope, Mister Malfoy," one of the Snatchers behind us stated.

"You dare to talk to me like that it my own house?" Lucius shouted, his voice rising with each word. I flinched at his volume but forced myself to remain neutral.

"Lucius," Mother whispered, suddenly appearing behind us and taking Lucius's arm. She led him away from me, coming to my rescue again.

"Don't be shy, sweetie," Bellatrix requested.

I glanced out of a window to the side of my aunt to have a moment to compose myself. Bellatrix gently grabbed my wrist-the same wrist she cut a few months ago-and led me closer to her. "Come over," she said, pulling me down to look the man in the eye. "Now, if this isn't who we think it is, Draco, and we call him, he'll kill us all. We need to be absolutely sure."

The man's face was so swollen that one of his eyes was entirely sealed shut. There was a large bump on his forehead that had a deep line in it that looked vaguely like the twisted form of Potter's unique scar.

"What's wrong with his face?" I asked, buying time. The man's expression was neutral, but there was a pleading in his eyes. This was Harry Potter.

I had to lie to the others, but I didn't know if I could. Just thinking about lying to them made my palms sweat and my breathing shake.

"Yes. What is wrong with his face?" Bellatrix echoed, turning to the Snatchers.

"He came to us like that," one of them answered. "Something he picked up in the forest, I reckon."

"Or he ran into a Stinging Jinx," Bellatrix suggested. "Was it you, dearie?" She gestured towards Granger with her curved wand. Bellatrix drifted towards Granger and Weasley, her black robes brushing against me, making my muscles coil like springs. "Give me her wand," she ordered. "We'll see what her last spell was."

A hand lightly tapped me on the shoulder, and I glanced up to find my mother gesturing for me to get up from the floor. With a last look at Potter, I followed her direction and allowed her to lead me towards the wall and closer to Lucius.

"Ah, got you," Bellatrix laughed, a mocking excitement on her face that dropped into shock a moment later. She stared at a ragged and long-haired Snatcher, her gaze fixated on the gleaming gold and red sword in his hand. "What is that?" she gasped. "Where'd you get that from?"

"It was in her bag when we searched her," the Snatcher answered, a proud smirk twisting his mouth. "Reckon it's mine now."

Bellatrix didn't wait for any further information. She threw a wild spell at the Snatcher which pushed him back, the sword flying from his hand. Bellatrix caught the hilt of it expertly as a second Snatcher shouted, "Are you mad?"

My aunt rounded on him and with a wave of her wand, summoning a snake that coiled around his throat and squeezed. Another of the Snatchers rushed at her, raising his wand, but Bellatrix was too fast for him. She summoned a black ribbon of rope that readily wrapped itself around his neck. Bellatrix yanked her wand downward, pulling the Snatcher down with it. Bellatrix grasped the end of the rope and dragged the Snatcher closer to my parents and I before rapidly raising the rope up and throwing it back down, wiping the Snatcher attached to the other end.

"Go! Get out!" my aunt shouted at the top of her lungs, looking around like a wild animal escaped from her cage.

The two Snatchers got up unsteadily and stumbled towards the door.

"Cissy, put the boys in the cellar!" Bellatrix ordered, marching up to Weasley and grabbing the collar of his shirt. She dragged him away from Hermione and tossed him towards my mother. "I wanna have a little conversation with this one, girl to girl!"

Mother grabbed Potter and Weasley by the arm and forced them towards the stairs that led to the cellar. Wormtail appeared at the top, excitedly took hold of the boys and pulled them down the stairs.

Bellatrix took hold of Hermione and threw her to the floor. "Crucio!" Bellatrix shouted.

My heart jumped, and I instinctively put a hand on my core, flashes of Lucius and Bellatrix coming to mind, but I calmed when the pain didn't come.

Then I was brought lower than the floor for feeling better.

Hermione's scream tore through me like physical pain (1). The sight of her writhing on the floor and straining to get away from a pain that never left was more than enough to do me in.

My vision blurred and spun, and I stumbled back. My leg hit the back of a chair, catching my attention and making me refocus. I took deep breaths to try and disguise how shaky my breathing was now. I glanced towards the door near me and took a tentative step towards it.

The door opened and Lucius came out with a refilled drink. He closed the door behind him and looked sternly at me, giving me a quick shake of his head.

I sighed and looked anywhere but Hermione, who had finally stopped screaming. I should be glad that she did, but after Bellatrix was done with the Cruciatus Curse, she made it much worse.

"That sword is meant to be in my vault at Gringotts. How did you get it?" she hissed, holding down a limp and pale Hermione on her back. "What else did you and your friends take from my vault!" Bellatrix shouted.

Hermione was shaking her head as best as she was able, sobbing each of her barely audible words. "I didn't take anything. Please. I didn't take anything."

"I don't believe it," my aunt whispered.

Bellatrix reached over and drew out a thin and gleaming knife, opening up Hermione's left wrist. The girl writhed and screamed so loudly it pierced my heart.

My own left wrist burned with the memory of a few months ago. I gently massaged the scar to get the burning to stop, begging for something-anything-to shut out the sound of Hermione's screams.

"How did you get into my vault!" Bellatrix repeated.

Hermione did nothing but scream. I dared to glance in their direction and nearly threw up at the sight of her blood pouring from her wrist, my chest tightening and burning.

Bellatrix finally sat up and demanded to know where Hermione got the sword, but Hermione only sobbed from the pain and fear.

I've never seen Hermione cry before. She yelled, punched me and literally threw the book at her friends, but she never cried.

Granger was blinking rapidly, but Bellatrix grabbed her throat. "You don't get to escape that easily," Bellatrix seethed. Hermione gasped as her air supply was suddenly cut off, grabbing for Bellatrix's arm with her unhurt wrist.

The burning in my chest reached an unbearable level, and before I knew what I was doing, I was standing next to Bellatrix with my hand in her mane of black hair, hauling her off of Hermione.

Granger gasped again as she could finally breathe. Bellatrix glided on the material of her dress as she slid across the floor as far away from Hermione as I could manage.

Bellatrix scrambled to get up and shouted, "You dare defy me?"

I winced at her volume, my head automatically lowering as I scrambled to come up with a plausible explanation.

"Draco!" Lucius called, matching my aunt's volume, "you dare interfere with-"

"She's gonna die if you continue!" I interrupted, forcing myself to look up at Bellatrix.

"Yes, I know," she responded, taking a step forward.

I held up a hand and took an equidistant step back towards Hermione. "You-you want your information, don't you?" I stuttered, making Bellatrix freeze. "Well, she can't exactly give it to you if she's dead."

All of us fell silent as Bellatrix glanced between me and Hermione, the cogs almost audibly turning in her head.

"I can heal her," I said, forcing calm into my voice as I tried to ease her into agreeing with me.

After another moment of dead and heavy silence, Bellatrix gave a curt nod, her hair covering her eyes.

I instantly drew my wand and knelt down to Hermione. Her eyes were closed, and she was so pale that if it wasn't for the fresh blood coming out of her wrist, I would have thought she was dead. I gently shook her denim-clad shoulder to get her to open her eyes. Her eyes fluttered open, and she glanced around in confusion before her gaze found mine. Her expression filled with fear that changed to anger in a flash, and she instantly sat up and pushing back to get away from me. Her bleeding wrist gave out on her, and she fell beck with a cry, an ugly, purple and black bruise forming a cuff on her wrist.

I sighed and took a small step forward to catch up with her. "Calm down," I whispered. "I'm trying to help you."

"You can't," she slurred. "She's your aunt."

"That doesn't mean I'm like her," I said, pulling up the left sleeve of my blaiser to expose the deep scar that run the length of my forearm.

Hermione glanced from me to my wrist, her gaze lingering on on my arm for a moment. She sighed and nodded, raising herself onto her elbows. "Harry always knew you were one."

"One what?" I asked, lowering my sleeve and taking careful hold of her bleeding and bruised wrist.

"A Death Eater."

I nodded. "I know. Could you sit up for me?" I asked. I took her shoulder and helped her sit up from the floor. I gingerly prodded the bones in her wrist once she was safely sitting up, and she hissed through her teeth in response. "That hurt?" I asked, receiving a hard and curt "What do you think?" in answer.

The bumps of the small bones in her wrist caught my attention. It seemed like they were out of place, dislocated. I was no Madame Pomphrey, and I didn't know how to effectively fix this with magic yet. I would if Lucius hadn't taken away my books. One thing I did remember reading is the Muggle way to fix it, and if Hermione, Ron and Harry got away from this place, she could get a real Healer to repair the rest.

"I knew Harry suspected me," I said, distracting Hermione as I slowly and carefully took hold of her wrist. "Why do you think I avoided everyone Sixth Year?"

"Because you were betraying Wizard Kind to work for You-Know-Who?" she retorted.

I froze in the middle of my actions and looked up at her, an all too familiar and sharp pain piercing my heart. "Look. I didn't do this on impulse. It's not like you can walk into a tattoo parlour and say 'oh, hey, guys. Can I get a Dark Mark on my wrist?'" I corrected, saying exactly what I've been wanting to say for the past three years.

"Then why did you?" Hermione pressed.

I sighed and closed my eyes for a moment as I refocused on her wrist. "I thought that-"

"What's taking so long, Draco?" Lucius's unforgettable voice hissed in my ear, a hand gripping the back of my neck.

I tensed so tightly that I had to force myself to loosen my hands and not hurt Hermione's wrist further. "Her wrist is dislocated," I answered through clenched teeth. "I can fix it, but it's going to take a minute. Then there's her cut."

"It sounds like a fairly minor problem," Lucius berated, his gripping me tighter.

I reflexively winced, flashes of half-remembered and pain-filled moments coming to the forefront of my mind. "Well, I would be able to fix it faster if you hadn't locked the library."

Lucius let out a huff, briefly overwhelming me with the stench of spilt alcohol before shoving me away. I stumbled and instinctively tightened my hold on Hermione's wrist for stability, making her wince in response.

I regained my footing as Lucius walked away. "Sorry," I said, letting go of Hermione's wrist.

"It's fine," she dismissed.

I gingerly took her wrist again and gently prodded her skin to find the displaced bones again. Once I found them, I looked up at her and watched as she tried to keep the pain out of her expression.

She caught my gaze and looked as if she was analyzing me. "Does he hurt you?"

"No," I answered a little too quickly. "He doesn't," I said in a calmer voice.

Hermione sighed and nodded after a moment. "How'd you know my wrist is dislocated?"

"Here." I took her other hand and placed her fingers where the bones were out of place. "Those bumps right there. The bones of your wrist are out of place."

She took her other hand back, and I grasped her wrist firmly, preparing to pop it back into place.

"How do you know how to fix it?"

"You're not the only one who's been reading," I answered, scrambling to come up with something else to say. "I'm no Madame Pomphrey, but I can fix it. It'll still hurt, and you'll need a real Healer when you get out of here, but I can help now."

"Yeah. If we ever-"

I twisted her wrist and popped it back into place, receiving a sharp scream from Hermione. She ripped her wrist from my grasp and cradled it to her chest.

"Sorry," I said. "Heard it hurt less when it's a surprise."

"Yeah? Well, that advice sucks," she hissed.

"I still need to see your wrist, though," I said softly, holding out my hand. "It's still bleeding."

Hermione glanced down at her blood-covered wrist and looked almost ashamed. She closed her eyes and turned her gaze away from me before thrusting her arm towards me.

I took careful hold of her forearm and gently pulled her hand closer to me, finally catching what Bellatrix had carved into her. Mudblood.

I drew my wand with a sigh, trying to recall the healing spells I knew. "I'm sorry I called you this. I was twelve and angry with Potter. I didn't mean what I said."

I watched her face and gagged her reaction, but there was almost none. Hermione opened her eyes and looked at me but said nothing.

I refocused on the bleeding word carved into her skin and recited the spell in my head. The fresh blood drew back into her wound, the skin beginning to seal itself. She's going to have this word scarred into her wrist forever, and there was nothing I could do for that. I hadn't read anything about making scars disappear.

"That's enough, Draco!" Bellatrix shouted, charging up to us. She raised her wand and threw a spell at Hermione and me, shoving me away from her.

I scrambled to my feet as Bellatrix marched back towards Hermione, leaning over her. "I'll ask you again," she hissed, "how did you get into my vault?"

"I didn't take anything from your vault," Hermione retorted in a voice stronger than I've heard her all day.

Why was Bellatrix so adamant about finding out what Hermione knew about her Gringotts vault? Bellatrix was rich, yes, but this seemed to be about more than her money.

And if I knew anything about Harry, Ron and Hermione, they were going to investigate exactly what was inside her vault when this was over, but security was so tight around Gringotts, now, that the only one who would be allowed into Bellatrix's vault was Bellatrix herself.

This was a major risk, and they would probably kill me for it, but if it helped Potter win this war, it would be worth it.

I put my wand away and marched up to Bellatrix leaning over a writhing Hermione and pulled Bellatrix back by the hair again. She cried out as a few strands came loose from her head as I pulled her back. "I told you that you were going to kill her if you continued," I said, forcing my voice to be firm.

"We don't have time for you to-"

"I won't heal her if you don't want me to," I interrupted. "Just give her a reprieve."

Bellatrix narrowed her eyes at me before slowly slinking away towards Lucius. I watched her as she started to talk with Lucius to make sure they were deep in conversation. I glanced down at Hermione and found a distant and half asleep expression on her face. I wasn't sure of what she was seeing, and I couldn't heal her mentally.

I dusted my hands off over her, wiping off the strands of Bellatrix's long black hair and walked away from her towards my mother. I had to make it at least look like I was following orders.

"Wormtail!" Bellatrix shouted.

"Yes, ma'am?" the silver-handed wizard answered.

"Bring me the goblin."

Wormtail nodded before running down the stairs to the cellar.

"What goblin?" I whispered to Mother.

"We just transferred him in today," she said. "He used to work at Gringotts."

After a moment, Wormtail returned pushing a pointy-nosed goblin up the stairs in front of him. He led the goblin towards the center of the room and forced him to his knees before resuming his station at the stairs.

"Before you get settled, Wormtail," Lucius called, "retrieve the boys that came with her." He gestured towards Hermione.

Wormtail nodded and moved back down the stairs.

"Goblin," Bellatrix called gliding towards him in the center of the room. "It's quite obvious that somehow, this girl and her two friends somehow broke into my vault at Gringotts and stole the sword hidden inside of it, but the question is how?" Bellatrix was now a foot from the goblin and was leaning down to be eye-level with him. "How could they have gotten into my vault at Gringotts?"

"No one could have broken in," the black-haired goblin quickly answered.

"I don't believe you," Bellatrix dismissed. "We have the proof that they got in right here." She gestured towards Lucius who was guarding the gold and ruby rapier. "How could they have gotten in?"

"They couldn't have," the goblin repeated. "Your vault, Bellatrix Lestrange, is one of the most secure in all of Gringotts. There is no way in except the front door, and the one entering has to submit their wand for inspection and identification. Then they would have to take one of the goblins down to the tunnels and through a waterfall meant to dispel all magic. Then they need to get passed the dragon we have guarding vaults near yours. Then they need a goblin's hand to open your vault. I have no idea how they could have gotten passed any of it without being caught."

Bellatrix's breathing grew labored, her chest expanding and contracting with the deepness of her breaths. A vein in the side of her neck stood out as she slowly opened her mouth. "I'm going to ask you once more, goblin," she hissed. "Think very, very carefully before you answer.

"I don't know," the goblin said again, his voice firm.

"You don't know? Why weren't you doing your job?" Bellatrix questioned, her voice rising steadily again. "How did they get into my vault? They stole it. They got in. How?"

"When I was last in your vault, the sword was there," the goblin said slowly, almost calmly.

"Oh, well, then perhaps it just walked out on its own, then!" Bellatrix sarcastically dismissed.

"There's no safer place than Gringotts," the goblin insisted.

"Liar!" Bellatrix shouted, her silver knife appearing in her hand and ripping itself across the goblins cheek, leaving behind a thin red line.

The goblin tensed slightly, but he didn't even hiss from the pain. He looked back at Bellatrix with calm defiance in his black eyes. I admired him for it. In the times I have seen Bellatrix since she tortured me, I haven't been able to look at her. I don't know what they've done to this goblin, but he was still braver than I was.

There was a reason I wasn't placed in Gryffindor.

"Consider yourself lucky, goblin," Bellatrix whispered, blowing a thick strand of her black curls into his face before standing back to her full height and turning her back to him. "The same won't be said for this one," she said as she slinked back towards Hermione.

Bellatrix stood above Granger and raised her wand, her lips parting to form a spell. My hand flew to my own wand, and I drew it out.

"Expelliarmus!" a voice shouted at the top of his lungs.

I glanced in the direction of the voice and found Ron Weasley charging up the stairs with his wand drawn, Potter right behind him.

Bellatrix's wand was torn from her hand by the spell and flew into Harry's open hand. Lucius took up his walking stick and ripped his silver snake head from it only to find that his wand was missing, like it has been since the summer.

"Stupefy!" Potter yelled, throwing Lucius back into the cushioned chairs near our hearth.

Potter and Weasley instantly started throwing spells towards Mother and me. They were probably simple stunning spells, but my mind was moving too quickly for me to identify them.

Most of the pair's spells seemed to be aimed at me. I blocked them repeatedly, pleading for an break in their bombardment. Once there was a break, I could get to them. Change the direction of my blocking spells to protect them from the spells from my mother and Bellatrix that would come sooner or later.

Wait. Why wasn't my aunt throwing spells?

"Stop!" Bellatrix commanded, as if reading my mind. Everyone froze at her shout. "Drop your wands."

I turned my head and found Bellatrix supporting a pale Hermione and holding a knife to her throat. Bellatrix smirked and pressed the knife harder into Hermione's neck, causing beads of blood to form under the blade and leak down her neck.

My hand began to shake so hard that I nearly dropped my wand. My heart hammered, and I couldn't breath. She was going to kill Hermione? She couldn't. Harry and Ron would be dead in a week without her.

"I said drop 'em!" Bellatrix repeated, Weasley instantly letting his go at the new threat. "Pick 'em up Draco. Now!"

The volume of her voice made me jump, and a twitch of her knife forced me to pick up the dropped wands. I looked at Ron as I stood back to my full height. He glared at me in return. I opened my mouth to say something, but it slipped my mind in the same moment. I bowed my head at his glare and moved away from them.

"Well, well, well, look what we have here," Bellatrix breathed as she marched Hermione forward. "It's Harry Potter. He's all bright and shiny and new again, just in time for the Dark Lord."

I glanced at Potter and found that whatever was wrong with him before had apparently worn off. The swelling had reduced entirely and his eye had opened again, allowing his usual defiant glare to shine through.

"Call him," Bellatrix ordered with a grossly pleasant smile.

Everyone, including Harry and Ron, looked to me. Lucius walked up and stared at me icily, but I still didn't move. I didn't raise my arm and roll up my sleeve. I wouldn't call him. I would never call him.

But Lucius didn't care. He shook his head at me slightly and walked passed me. I let out a breath that I didn't know I was holding as he passed, my limbs flooding with relief. Lucius lifted his arm and peeled back the layers of his robes from his wrist, one by one. Everyone's breathing grew audible as his coiling Dark Mark was revealed. It flexed on his skin as his fingertip hovered over it.

But he froze as a high-pitched squeaking reached our ears. We each looked up to find a House Elf holding onto the chain of the chandelier and turning a piece of it until the light fixture broke loose from its chain and plummeted towards the floor, right on top of Bellatrix and Hermione.

I dove forward for her. I was not letting Hermione die now.

But Bellatrix threw Hermione away from her, both of them narrowly avoiding the chandelier as it crashed into the wood floor with a deafening shatter. I stumbled backwards as glass and crystal flew in every direction, several pieces stinging my skin. I tripped over the leg of one of the chairs and fell into it. I glanced around for Hermione to see if she was okay.

Harry appeared near me and took hold of the three wands I was gripping. He pulled and pulled on the wands, but I couldn't let them go. He would take my own, and I would have nothing to protect myself if he took it. Nothing to heal with. But his determined grip was stronger than my panicked one, and he quickly ripped the three wands away from me, taking my protection with him.

Lucius stood back up and rushed at Potter, but Harry held up the three stolen wands and shouted, "Stupefy!" delivering a three-way stunning spell that threw Lucius off of his feet.

"Stupid Elf!" Bellatrix yelled as Harry, Ron, Hermione and the goblin gathered together with the same House Elf that dropped the chandelier. Bellatrix got to her feet, glass and crystal glinting in her wild hair. "You could've killed me!"

"Dobby never meant to kill," the Elf squeaked.

Dobby? Wasn't he one of our old House Elves that Lucius accidentally freed? Now that Elf was attacking us to defend Potter? That Elf named Dobby was a thousand times better and braver than I was.

"Dobby only meant to maim or seriously injure," the ex House Elf finished, repeatedly clasping and unclasping his hands.

Mother grunted as she raised her wand and waived it above her head, readying a powerful spell, but Dobby snapped his fingers and, with a spark, plucked my mother's wand from her fingers.

"How dare you take a witches wand!" Bellatrix shouted as Dobby caught my mother's wand, staring at it almost in surprise. "How dare you defy your masters!"

Dobby lowered the wand and looked up at Bellatrix with narrowed eyes. "Dobby has no master. Dobby is a free Elf. And Dobby has come to save Harry Potter and his friends!"

There was a conviction in his voice that made me smile and glance at Bellatrix out of the corner of my eye. If a House Elf can nearly kill Bellatrix Lestrange, I can get out of here.

Dobby dropped my mother's wand and held out his scarred hands. The trio of friends and the goblin took hold of Dobby's hands, and their form instantly blurred, turning to nothing but mist. The colours of their clothes mixed like water thrown on fresh ink before collapsing in on itself and disappearing, taking Bellatrix's sharp knife with them.

(1) This is a quote that is actually from the Deathly Hallows book that was describing Harry's perspective as he was listening to Hermione in the cellar. I never thought of Harry and Draco as opposites but as two sides of the same coin.

Hope you guys enjoyed and see you Saturday!