Author's Note: I am soooo exhausted. Last night I got about two hours of sleep, and the night before, I only got three. Blegh. I have my last midterm of the semester tomorrow, and then I'm free of tests until finals! Thank goodness.

If you're a bit confused by the beginning of this chapter, that's okay. It should hopefully start making sense after the first segment. If not… I suppose I could include a little explanation at the end of the chapter.

Chapter 91

"While they're figuring that out, I have a proposition for you."

Potter nods. "Sure."

"The prophecy says that you have to be the one who kills Voldemort. But they never said anything about how you would have to do it."

"What are you getting at?"

"If you killed him by someone else's hand, it'd still count, wouldn't it?"

He watches me, frowning. "You're… are you volunteering yourself for this, Malfoy?"

I nod. "You'll get nice and close to him without ever truly being that close to him."

"Communimency, still?" Potter asks, glancing at Blaise.

Blaise's eyes are shut, and I wonder what they're doing—they're clearly distracted, which is the only reason why I decided to bring this up.

"Yes."

"Your mind is really highly trained," he says. "Can I trust you not to give me up to Voldemort?"

"Whether or not you trust me isn't my concern. But you're right. I'm trained. You won't be able to control my actions until I allow you to, and you will not see my thoughts unless I want you to," I tell him.

"Then if you chose to corner my consciousness and allowed Voldemort to kill you, would that leave me brain-dead?" Potter asks.

"Very good, Potter. You've done your research."

"So you're capable of doing that."

I nod. "But once I give you control, I'll make sure you can see all capabilities available to you. Even if you don't understand how something works, my body will carry out your intention automatically, as soon as you make your intention clear. I'll help you along if you struggle, but it's a bit too distracting to fit two consciousnesses in one head during a fight. I'll stay out of your way as much as possible."

"I have to think about it," he says.

"Fair enough," I say to him. "When I drop off Longbottom at the castle, I'll have a Horcrux with me. If you accept my offer, come back here with me. If not, ask to take it into the castle."

Potter nods. "All right, then," he says.

I know he'll do it. His brow is furrowed as he considers the offer, but he wants this war to end. He'll take this chance—I'm counting on it. But even if he doesn't… I could still take a shot at Voldemort, anyway. Fuck the prophecy.

Then he waves his hand in front of Blaise's face, checking to see if they're back on earth again.

"Give them some more time," I advise him. "It takes a while to get used to."

He frowns at me, and I know that he's thinking about what it'll be like if he decides to step into my head. I don't particularly like the idea of having him in my head either, but at least I'll be able to control what he can see…

What the fuck are you doing? I demand.

Immediately I push Potter's consciousness away, drawing the walls up around my thoughts and memories.

It's boring in here, waiting for you to wake up, Potter says.

I sigh. I needed to sleep. You don't want to be stuck in a drained body, do you?

How did you do that earlier? he asks me.

Do what?

I've never heard of throwing off the Torture Curse, only blocking it.

Will power, I say.

Potter is clearly surprised—I can feel the response moving toward me in waves.

Did you think there was a secret to it? I ask.

Yes.

Well, there's no secret to resisting the Imperius Curse, is there?

Right.

Silence. I sort out my thoughts and wonder what else he might have looked at—I can't remember "dreaming" of anything else, but it's completely possible that my unconscious brain just doesn't recall everything that Potter went through. I shift uncomfortably.

I would never have thought that I'd end up here with you, Potter comments. I always faced him alone, or with Ron and Hermione. But you…

You'll have less to lose, this time. If it comes to the point where you'll lose and I'll die, I'll make sure you're out of my head first.

Don't be ridiculous, Malfoy, Potter says. You can't choose when you're going to die.

I'll do my best.

So… how exactly is this going to work? How are you going to get him to duel us alone?

I have it worked out. Don't think about it.

I'm just… it's hard to believe that you can really accomplish so much. I keep thinking that you won't be able to pull it off, but you somehow manage to. I thought that you wouldn't be able to bring back Neville's dad. I thought you wouldn't be able to rescue Blaise. But it's all gone just the way you wanted it to, hasn't it? Even down to being captured and imprisoned here.

I've had an excellent streak of luck. Let's hope it lasts long enough to kill him.

Yes, hopefully.

Then Aunt Bella appears at the door and sees that I'm awake.

"Why were you so stupid?" she hisses.

I watch her wordlessly, waiting for her to continue.

"Cissy died to save you. You should never have come back."

"I had no choice. He forced me."

She shakes her head. "All this for a Mudblood. She ruined our family, forever."

I glare at her. My choices may have been influenced by my feelings for Hermione, but Aunt Bella can't just pin the blame for Mother's death on her.

But her eyes have softened, and I wait for her to speak.

"In all likelihood, you won't feel anything anymore, and this won't matter when the Dark Lord is finished with you. But Draco, I want you to remember who you are, and who I am. Don't forget that I'm your aunt," she says.

"You were the one who said I was as dead as Mother, to you," I say.

As I remember her words, the same sting flares strong in my chest. I'm thankful that the barrier between Potter's consciousness and mine will keep my emotions hidden from him. I don't need him knowing any more about my life.

She stiffens at my reminder. "So I did. Well… I lied."

It's silent for a long moment.

"Besides Cissy, I've only loved two people, over the course of my life. One of them, I tortured to insanity. The other…"

She pauses and meets my eyes.

Then she says, "You've always been like a son to me, Draco. And today, I will have to watch as you are torn into pieces and put back together again."

Her voice wavers slightly as she finishes speaking.

"Why are you telling me this?"

My aunt blinks, and a tear slides from the corner of her eye. She lifts a hand to wipe it away and answers, "Because you won't remember any of this, by the time the Dark Lord is finished. I'll be grateful if you just remember my name."

This can't be happening. Aunt Bella always doted on me, in her own way, but I'd always assumed that it was because I was favored by the Dark Lord. To think that she truly cared for me, that she actually felt like I was a son to her…

"Do you remember the question you wanted to ask when I set you free?" she says.

"I asked why you were saving me," I say. "Dark Lord first, family second."

Anguish is apparent on her face as she finally confesses, "When it came to you and Cissy… it was always going to be family first, if I could help it."

I swallow hard. In this moment, despite the profound sorrow on her face—or maybe because of that sorrow—she looks more beautiful than I've ever seen her before. Is this woman standing on the other side of the bars still Aunt Bella?

But in an instant, the emotion disappears from her face, and I'm faced with Bellatrix Lestrange again.

"It is time. The Dark Lord is expecting us," she says tersely.

I get to my feet and walk toward the door. It's pointless to put on a show of resisting.

The cell door opens, and her cold fingers wrap around my forearm. My eyes flit to hers at the familiar touch, but her face is as impassive as before. She shuts her eyes, and we Disapparate.

We appear in the antechamber to the room in which Voldemort usually holds his meetings. She casts a Disillusionment Charm over me and throws open the doors. I can feel Potter's anxiety as we're led into the room. She sits me down in a chair, facing the Dark Lord's table. I'm left unbound, and I thank Merlin for Voldemort's unfailing arrogance.

Bloody… Malfoy, was all that from Bellatrix… was it real? Potter asks.

Yes.

I had no idea…

That she might have emotions?

Potter doesn't reply to this.

Even Voldemort was human once, Potter.

Clearly uncomfortable with the turn in our mental conversation, Potter asks, Why is Voldemort doing this?

He made a huge deal out of my defection by sending everyone to Hogwarts, just to retrieve me. Naturally, he wants to display the punishment that I'll be receiving for betraying him.

Will you be all right?

I can take anything he can dish.

What if it's not the Cruciatus? What if it's real physical torture?

Can't hurt any worse than the Cruciatus Curse, I reason. There's a reason why it's called the Torture Curse.

Then Voldemort appears at the head of the table. I expect to feel more uneasiness emanating from Potter, but if he's feeling insecure, he's hiding it rather well.

I'm going to take down the wall between our consciousnesses, so that you can get a feel for my body before the fight, and so that I'll be able to shield you from his view if he tries to get into my head, I inform him. But I'm going to have to ask you to keep your mouth shut. Don't distract me.

Understood.

I slowly remove the barrier, flinching at the foreign presence in my mind. I hate that Potter has access to my thoughts, but there isn't much to be done at this point.

Sorry, he says.

I thought I told you to shut up.

There's no response.

Then I become aware that Voldemort is already speaking.

"It has not been long since we last met. And I'm sure you've already heard why we are gathering so late this evening."

He waves his hand, and I become visible.

I'm painfully aware of Potter's presence—he's testing out very small motions. He flexes my fingers, and I try to ignore the fact that my body is moving without instructions from me.

Meanwhile, the Death Eaters in the room are all whispering.

Voldemort stands, and they quiet down.

"How many of you remember Oliver Wood?"

Dead silence.

Author's Note: Yeah, I know that this wasn't a nice place to end the chapter. I'd change it, but I'm too tired right now to shift everything around…

Anyway, the beginning of the chapter (for anyone who might be confused) is what happened while Hermione and Blaise were testing out Communimency. Draco and Harry's conversation took place while Hermione and Blaise were busy reliving that moment in Draco's kitchen.

Sigh, I don't want this story to end :/