Chapter 39 – Mystery Solved

A/N IMPORTANT: This evening I am creating the prologue for the upcoming sequel to Coward's Folly. Next week the final chapter of Coward's Folly shall be submitted and I will post on a limited basis until the New Year. You may either attach a Story Alert to the New Story or you may add an Author Alert so you may also get the Teasers that I provide before the new story is submitted. I hope you enjoy the chapter.

Harry couldn't believe it. He wouldn't believe it. Dumbledore could not be the one behind this. He ran for the Castle pulling out his map. His eyes darted from the library to the tower and he found her name in the Commons next to Ron's. He ran by Professor Vector who called after him, "It's after curfew, Mr. Potter!" Harry didn't bother to acknowledge the Professor who shook his head grumbling, "I'll be happy when that one's gone. Boy kills one dark wizard and he feels like he owns the whole ruddy school."

When Harry reached the portrait entrance he was huffing and puffing. The Fat Lady glared at him disapprovingly, "Deary, you are once again out late. You continue to stay out like this and those circles under your eyes will become permanent. What is the password, Dear?"

"Cannon Pride"

"Sorry, Harry, Hermione didn't care for that one and she changed it."

"Hermione?" Harry thought out loud, "She'd have either changed it to 'Revise Daily' or 'Respect Books.'"

"Revise Daily it is," answered the Fat Lady as the portrait swung open. Harry shook his head and rushed for the Commons. "Hermione?" he called out.

Hermione jumped when she heard her name. Ron sat bored next to Hermione as she explained the importance of reading books outside of class. Harry looked at her desperately and Hermione asked the kids for a few moments of privacy. The Second Years happily found another place to sit and Harry whispered, "It's Dumbledore."

"What?" Hermione took a second to grasp what he was saying. "It can't be Dumbledore," Hermione said quietly. Harry explained what he had done at Hecate's and how he'd opened up the Headmaster's tomb to which Ron perked up, "You did what? Wait, who is Hecate?" Hermione and Harry ignored him. Hermione whispered, "Harry, why did you do that? No matter, there must be some other explanation. Explain it again."

Harry explained word for word what Hecate said. Hermione thought out loud, "You do know that description could qualify Draco as well. He is a fallen wizard. He did own the wand briefly."

"But the tomb, it was empty," Harry insisted.

Ron understood what Hermione was saying, "Draco has a tomb too Harry. His family has a place near where the Blacks are buried. His whole family has tombs reserved for them and their names are placed on the tombs when they are born. Bunch of mad morbid buggers if you ask me."

"But..."

"Harry, it's more likely to be Draco," Ron insisted, "Have you seen Dumbledore's name once since you began watching the map? Also, Draco's house elf was watching the Headmaster's Office. Why would Draco's elf be here? Why would he be asking it to do something it insisted it couldn't do? That seems so strange. It would help if we knew where the wand was."

Hermione looked thoughtful, "I think we need sleep. Let's worry about this tomorrow. Have you even revised for your NEWTs, Harry?"

Harry nodded, "Hecate and I revise together. She needed the company and I needed the solitude."

Hermione smiled, "She's a different person altogether, isn't she? I need to visit her soon. I think I might have an answer to her problem. I'm still doing research but if I'm correct I might have at least a partial solution for her."

"Who is Hecate?" insisted Ron.

"Oh...is Won Won getting sweepy and gwumpy?" teased Hermione. "Let's head up to bed."

No more headway was made during the two weeks of NEWTs exams. The three sat their exams without incident. Ron was the most improved of the three and he entered his practicals for each exam with more confidence than ever before. Harry also showed well but his brightest moments came in DADA, Charms and Transfiguration – Potions he swore he rated no better than Acceptable.

Hermione was the star of the exams. During her Transfiguration exam the Proctor took one look at her work and remarked, "How..? What..? I've never seen such workmanship. I'd heard of it from Dumbledore's days. But I've never seen it." Hermione got similar reviews from her Proctors for Charms and Potions.

Ginny sat her exams but had little interest. After Harry's party in July, she'd secretly decided her lone goal was to pursue a career in Quidditch and so she revised the minimum necessary to secure Acceptables. Neville, on the other hand, had put everything into his. He only sat three NEWTS, two of them being Potions and Herbology. Even with his obsessive revision of Potions he'd only receive an Acceptable when the owls arrived in July, but he was as proud of that A as most students would be of an O. Anyone who knew him was aware how hard he had to work for that A.

The weekend following exams would be the final weekend before the students returned home. Some would never return. Most of the Sixth and Seventh Year Students were preparing for a final party thrown for only those that were of age – thrown by a Professor who also planned on this weekend being his last within the halls of Hogwarts. Harry and Ron were headed out of the portrait to meet the girls down in the dungeons when Madeline caught up to them breathless, "Harry, I was given this by a house elf and he insisted I should find you and give it to you."

He opened the parchment:

Twice you have taken that which belonged to me
One you defiled - the other you set free
Now it is time that I take from you
I have your wand and the one you love true
If you wish to find me at the right moment
The Chamber of Secrets must be reopened.

Harry checked his robe out of instinct to find his wand still there. Obviously the one who wrote this meant he had finally found the Elder Wand. Harry knew this meant that he was being beckoned to the Chamber for a duel. Harry showed the parchment to Ron, "We need to get down there now."

They rushed downstairs with Madeline following close behind. Madeline checked the loo for occupants before Ron and Harry slipped in and gave the sinks a good look. Harry tried to remember the words used to open the Chamber. He never heard himself speak Parselmouth so he was at a loss, "Ron, do you remember?" Ron shook his head, "No, we never checked down here because you and I were the only ones that had ever opened it and I couldn't remember for the life of me."

"Do you think you may have shown whoever Imperioused you and they may have covered up the memory?" Ron's face clouded over and he shrugged. Harry thought out loud, "I always heard it like I was speaking normal. If you can't remember then we're done. Where is Hermione?" Again Ron shrugged, "She was supposed to meet us at the party. She had a book she was returning from her research for that Hecate girl."

Harry looked at Madeline, "I want you to go to the library first. See if you can find Hermione and have her meet us here. If she's not in the library go find her at Slughorn's party in the Dungeons. If Slughorn stops you then tell him Ginny is missing. Tell him that I asked you to search the party for Hermione. Got it?" She nodded and repeated everything he said. "Remember, Madeline," Harry explained, "have her meet us here. We will be back in a few minutes."

Meanwhile, Harry had an idea. He hurried to the Headmistress's Office while Ron followed closely. Ron looked sick with worry, "What are you thinking Mate?"

"I got an idea on how to get in," Harry answered.

The gargoyle was distraught when they arrived at the base of the steps, "It knew the password. I didn't want to let it in but it knew the password. The Mistress is away." Harry said it more than asked, "The elf? Please let me up. Persian."

The Entrance opened. The stairs began to rise and took Harry and Ron with them. Soon they were at the top and they opened the door. Inside was the roar of angry old witches and wizards. Harry took a quick look around the chamber and he saw that the portrait for Dumbledore had been thrown aside and that a small safe that had been hidden behind it was blasted open. He walked to the portrait and held out his wand. The portrait itself felt no different but his wand no longer surged with power as it normally did when he neared the likeness of his mentor. He looked around the room and asked, "The elf took the wand?" He was overwhelmed with Ayes,Yeses and explanations from the upset Portraits.

He searched the room and found what he was really looking for. Tucked away in a corner was the Pensieve he had used so many times over the past few years. He rushed to it and looked worriedly to Ron, "I've only tried this a few times with my own memories." he placed his wand to his temple and concentrated on the memory he was searching for. At first he couldn't find it...but then he remembered Ginny dying, Tom mocking him and the diary. He tried hard to think back further...to the opening of the entrance. He envisioned the memory and then pulled the silvery essence, slowly and gently, out of his head before placing it in the Pensieve.

He asked Ron, "Look with me. Hopefully he just covered the memory up and you will be able to remember if you see it again."

They both looked into the Pensieve and as the silvery essence began to swirl they saw themselves as they were six years before, "Oy," Ron exclaimed, "I forgot about that bleeder Lockhart. We were tiny, Harry. We didn't have any business going in there back then."

"Shhh!" Harry put his finger to his mouth. "Listen."

The younger Harry spoke as he had never heard himself speak before. It really was odd hearing the strange words hissing out of his own mouth. No wonder Justin was so scared. Harry listened carefully and then whispered what he heard to himself. He pulled himself out of the Pensieve and then placed his head in again for good measure. Once he and Ron had heard it three times he looked at his mate, "You got it?" Ron replied by saying the words as best he could in Parselmouth and smiled.

"That'll do. Now, I need you to find Draco." He handed the map to Ron, "Use the map to find him and you two wait for Hermione. Don't go in without her. I'm going to go stall him."

"Who is him?" Ron asked. "It sounds like Draco to me. It's his elf."

"No, think about it. I was wrong," Harry explained. He gave Ron a quick description of all of the clues and how they added up. He explained the prophesy again and how it fit. He then split off from Ron at the stairs, "I'll be in there. Tell Draco it's important and we need his help. Make sure he knows everything. Go."

Harry was worried as he stepped in the lavatory. He'd faced Voldemort before but he'd won based on his mother's protections and the dark wizard's hubris. The wizard he was about to face was well trained with a wand. He had been a Prefect long ago and Harry knew he was knowledgeable in the Dark Arts even if he didn't fancy using them.

Harry closed his eyes and whispered the haunting command to "open" the sink that served as an Entrance to the Chamber below. He knew the Chamber of Secrets had been untouched since the Battle. Ron had closed it that same day. Harry wondered how it looked. It had been six years since he'd last seen it. He stepped down the steps carefully with his wand out, "Lumos."

Step by step he wound around the stairs for what seemed like forever. When he reached the base he saw that the grand serpents that held up the Chamber stood as majestic as ever before him. The Chamber no longer smelled foul. There was now a musky smell...like the study of an opulent mansion. Furthermore, the corridor that led to the chamber proper was immaculately clean.

As Harry stepped through the corridor and between the columns he was impressed by what he saw. Torches lit the Chamber. The high ceilings and stone walls were polished and cared for. It was as if servants had painstakingly taken the time to restore the Hall to it's former greatness. In fact, the room now looked more like the Grand Hall than the damp dank disused dungeon that Harry remembered from years before. The standing water was gone and the filth from basilisk was replaced by thick shag rugs imported from abroad.

"Welcome Potter," came a familiar voice, "Will you have a seat?"

There, across from Harry, sitting at a long table was a man with a pale pointed face, pale blonde hair and cold grey eyes. His chin rested on his hands, fingers clasped together, smiling like the Cheshire Cat. There on the table was the Elder Wand, "I really must say Potter, it does not surprise me one bit that you came alone. Ever the hero, the saviour, the..." Lucius Malfoy's voice trailed off. "What does it matter really? I must admit, you have that thing, that intangible 'it' that drives you down your path without looking back or gingerly stepping forward. It's a shame I didn't pass that quality down to my own son."

"There was a time when I too saw my path so clearly that I could step without fear. He looked to me to do the things that needed doing. I was young, with money, connections, influence and power." Again his voice trailed off, "But now we are here. I am dead to most, shamed and embarrassed to others..." Lucius paused, "Even so, thanks to you I have found a new path. I read many times about the Elder Wand...the Deathstick...but it had always been fancied as a tale. I suspected it existed but never realised that for so long it was so close. If it weren't for you and that wretched publication, the Prophet, I'd never have known the details."

"How?" was all Harry asked. Lucius understood, "News even makes its way into Azkaban, Potter. When I heard the story of how the wand made its way into your hands, that my son let it slip so easily from his, I made it my goal to get out of Azkaban and to take possession of it myself. I paid the Carrows handsomely to help stage my death – with Voldemort gone they became little better than petty criminals on the run. They knew I had no plans to arrive in London. I bribed one of the guards to provide me with a wand before my departure – security has become lax at Azkaban with the threat gone. Your mate Smith provided the time and the day that I would be transported to the Prophet and brokered the deal for the wand. I can imagine the look on that pitiful fool's face when he found out he would be transporting me instead of you."

"It complicated things for me because I had planned on killing you on the broom and then conveniently 'falling' to my 'death.' I would only have had to search for the wand. All the same, it worked out because Smith was the only one outside of the Carrows that knew I was still alive. When you grabbed hold of me I intentionally let go. I softened the blow at the end with a light hovering charm. Then I used the bubble head charm and pretended to drown. It was a long tiring swim to shore but it was worth it."

"I made my way to Hogwarts and lived in the Forest for nearly three months. My house elf brought me a tent and supplies and made arrangements with Gringotts to keep my status a secret."

Harry remained silent. He had used the time Lucius spoke to get a good look around the Chamber. Harry wondered how the elder Malfoy had brought a bed, a stove and dining furniture - making the Chamber into a home. The Chamber was no longer damp and dank but was actually liveable – even if there was more space than necessary. Books lined one of the walls on shelves made of fine wood. A fire burned in a hearth that Harry had not noticed during his previous adventure and each of the pillars, carved into large serpents, held torches that lit the chamber.

"It does clean up well, doesn't it?" Lucius asked as he gestured to the chamber. "It was a disgrace when I arrived but once your mate described it to me and explained how to enter I knew it would be perfect. It is quite amazing what a few Galleons and a House Elf can accomplish with a little time." Harry looked around knowing he still had not found what he was really looking for. The décor was impressive but Harry was more interested in finding Ginny.

"Where is she?" Harry finally asked. The wizards smirk gave him away, "Yes, I should have known you were here for more than me." Lucius turned and flicked the Elder Wand. A screen pulled itself back and Hermione sat bound and gagged. She looked at Harry sadly and he realised for the first time that he had mistook the message that Madeline had brought to him. "What?" Lucius asked, "You thought I had the Weasley girl? No, this one here may not be your true love but you love her just as truly now don't you? And she is much more valuable to you. I knew if I took this Mudblood I'd get the same reaction but I'd have the added benefit of securing the one person that might be able to muck things up."

"So, what is it you want?" Harry asked knowing full well what the wizard wanted.

"I have the wand. Now, as you well know, I need it's full allegiance." Lucius looked at Harry greedily, "Which is why I needed you here. Once I kill you I can summon my elf and leave for any place I wish. I could have found you in the halls but this is much more private."

Harry's wand had pulsed with energy since he had entered the chamber. He now pulled it out. As he stepped nearer to Lucius he felt the wand grow stronger. Harry couldn't hold his secret any longer. The humour of the whole situation overcame him and he blurted it out, "You didn't have to fight me for the wand Lucius. Hermione disarmed me months ago when I nearly killed your son. She saved your son's life. I wasn't in my right mind."

Lucius looked from Harry to Hermione and his jaw dropped. He looked down at the Elder Wand and back up at Hermione again. Hermione smiled wanly. Harry couldn't help but continue, all fear somehow gone. Harry now felt he had the upper hand with the wizard. The wizard's confidence seemed to drip from him like sweat from a desperate man. "Did you really think this through? I'll wager you didn't even disarm her...you had your elf go get her didn't you? I'm not sure if it counts if you kill her when she's bound. Technically the wand might belong to your elf - then again I'm not much on wand lore. That'd be something you'd ask her," Harry said with a grin.

Lucius unbound and ungagged her with a flick. She fell from her chair to the floor – bindings having been too tight. As she tried to pick herself, Lucius prepared to strike but Harry was too fast and he got the wizard's attention with a "Expelliarmus!" which he intentionally shouted. The wizard blocked it. Harry, rather than casting another spell, continued, "You got your chance to speak and I listened politely. Now it is my turn. I am no longer the little boy you tried to outwit his Second Year or ambush his Fifth. You have done a very stupid thing coming back here. Voldemort I feared and I ultimately pitied. You are much different from Voldemort. You are much more loathsome. Voldemort did what he did because he never learned to love and because power was the only thing he understood. I saw inside his mind and I knew him better than anyone. Do you know why he sought power and immortality? When he was a child he was constantly beaten and bullied by older kids. He more than once was brought to an inch of his life out of starvation and punishment from both children and those that were charged with caring for him. Dumbledore will never understand this because, like you, he was never deprived of the basic needs of love, safety or food.

You, though, never went without as a child. Your desire for the wand and for power stem from greed. You want it to control people because you feel it will give you respect. Ultimately though, you are a coward. You skulk in the shadows like a rat...no better than Peter Pettigrew. Incidentally, you didn't lose Voldemort's favour when you botched the ambush in the Hall of Mysteries. He didn't respect you from the time you forsake his loyalty after his first demise. Sure, your money and you Manor were useful but he would have killed you had you not had something to offer.

Harry stole a glance at Hermione who was finally beginning to sit up, "Now that I've told you about Hermione I feel like sharing another small secret with you. Before I was disarmed by Hermione I was disarmed by Zacharias Smith, the boy that you were riding with when you were transported from Azkaban." Harry watched the wizard's mind race, "Are you trying to remember who killed Zacharias? It really doesn't matter, you see, because I eventually beat Zacharias and would have regained the wand's allegiance doing so."

Lucius was growing annoyed with this circular story but Harry was enjoying telling it way too much. He'd thought all of this through in his head the past two months...once he'd found out the wand was still in one piece. He had desperately thought through all of the scenarios hoping to determine the true owner of the wand if it was recovered. Now he was recounting the possible chains from memory, "But it's irrelevant what happened with Zacharias because I lost the wand to Ron my first day at Auror Headquarters and after that first day he and I never duelled again. So the question then becomes, did I duel anyone else?"

"There was the incident at your manor. That young wizard caught me with the curse. I was nearly killed. Shacklebolt killed him and everyone else around him that night so if the wizard won the wand from me then he would have then lost it to Shacklebolt." Harry was enjoying this so much that his voice grew with more and more anticipation as he recounted the story, "If Shacklebolt is indeed the owner then good luck beating him in a duel...though now I think about it...I beat him recently at the Weasley house in a duel that we both were honestly fighting to win so, in that case, I'd still own the wand..."

"Enough!" shouted Lucius. This whole thing was maddening.

"But I'm nearly done. You will enjoy the end of my little story as much as me...I promise." Harry had acquiesced Lucius for the moment so he ended quickly, "The truth is, I don't think the young wizard in your home...I never got his name...won the wand from me. I lived and I succeeded in my mission by standing in front of the curse and I was never killed or disarmed. I personally believe that when Ron duelled me and won he took possession of the wand. And...and this is the part that you will really enjoy...you've sat in this cavern for the past few hours waiting to take the wand from me when, in fact, you secured allegiance of the wand from Ron when you placed him under the Imperious Curse several months ago." Harry couldn't help but chuckle when he said this, "All this time you have tried to carry out some devious plan to secure allegiance of a wand that was already yours."

"But..."

"For months, Lucius, I have trained in order to become a better dueller because I've known eventually I'd have to face someone. I worried it would be Auror Duncan, Draco or for a brief moment Dumbledore. I can say this with all of my heart. I am so happy that it is you."

Harry raised his wand, "Now you know that you own the most powerful wand in the world. All the same, you can't disapparate from here. If you want out with the wand, alive, you are going to have to kill me. Bow?"

The time for words was over. Both bowed knowing full well what was about to begin.

Harry had practised casting series of silent spells as Shacklebolt had taught him. Even with the furniture both had plenty of room to manoeuvre. Harry silently cast a series of three stunners followed by a tickling hex and a confunding charm. He knew Lucius was a strong dueller and would not be holding back as he had in the Hall of Mysteries. Lucius would be fighting to kill.

Lucius shouted Confringo!' and let loose a cutting curse before he was forced to block Harry's barrage. Harry misread the blasting curse but fortunately it was poorly aimed. The explosion behind him was stronger than he expected and it blasted him forward just under the poorly aimed cutting curse. Meanwhile, Lucius blocked all three stunners but was caught by the tickling hex and laughed uncontrollably as he somehow stepped away from the confund charm. Harry shook the fog from his head as Lucius countered the hex and the laughter stopped.

Harry charged Lucius and fired off another barrage of spells much like he did the Minister months before. Malfoy countered with a spell Harry didn't recognise and he fell face first. Unfortunately for Lucius the spells that Harry had cast were the same as those for the Minister. Harry was used to the power of his new wand but Malfoy was not and he was able to cast at a much quicker pace. Lucius blocked the stunning curses but the chair that came from his right and the book that came from his left both hit home. A flock of birds made good work of the wizard as he tried to fight them off. Harry picked himself off the ground as the older wizard began banishing the pecking birds. When Harry finally looked up he found the face and hands of Lucius bleeding from the birds. A blaze of purple came zigzagging from Malfoy's wand and Harry rolled over, dodging just in time.

Harry volleyed back from his knees. Five flashes fired from his wand. The first had Lucius laughing violently but two of the others he blocked. Lucius dodged a cup but another book had him sucking wind. As Lucius doubled over Harry took the moment to get back to his feet. Both were winded. Harry noticed out of the corner of his eye that Hermione was now back on her feet and she was trying to decide whether to join the fight or let Harry finish. Harry shook his head meaningfully toward her and she rested her wand beside her as she sat back in her chair.

Knowing the battle was far from over, Harry still felt confident. He waited for his opponent – glaring at the Slytherin. The older wizard finally stood up straight but breathed with effort, "You have improved, Harry, I'll give you that. What I can't figure out is why, if I truly have mastered this wand, I am not overcoming your shields. This wand, all else being equal, should overpower yours."

"It normally would," Harry admitted, "but this wand was made specifically as a companion to the Elder Wand." His reply got the desired result - Lucius looked positively gobsmacked. Hermione noticed Harry was preparing to pounce but, like with Voldemort, he was working on the psyche of his opponent first. "The stories Gregorovich floated around were true. He had acquired your wand years and years ago and he learned many secrets from it that he incorporated into his own wands. He decided rather than copy the wand he wanted to try something unique and create a companion that became more powerful the longer it was in the presence of the Elder Wand. That much I learned from Ollivander when I acquired it."

"What I did not know was what I learned from another great wizard just days ago who had experience with this wand. You see, it was used once before. It was used by Dumbledore that fateful night when he fought against Grindelwald in what was considered the greatest duel of memory." Harry smiled seeing he had Malfoy's full attention, "I learned that Dumbledore was first given the wand by Gregorovich himself when it looked as if Grindelwald was unstoppable. Grindelwald learned that day that this wand gathers it's strength by temporarily sapping the strength of the Elder wand. The more powerful spell you cast, the more power my wand saps from yours."

"You see, Ollivander was only told part of the story by Dumbledore. Ollivander didn't believe the Elder Wand existed but he accepted Dumbledore's wand and claims with hope. The truth is that Gregorovich was given the Elder Wand by a powerful Prussian wizard by the name of Frederick Rudolf. He gave the wand to Gregorovich near the end of his life explaining the Elder Wand was indestructible. The Prussian had tried every means he could think of to bring an end to it. He asked Gregorovich to find a way to create a wand that could defeat the Elder wand so that if it came into the wrong hands the side of good would have a chance. He knew the power of the Elder Wand and the evil it could perform in the hands of a powerful Dark Wizard.

Lucius looked frazzled. Harry had done his job. Hermione knew Harry was ready to strike but he made one final offer, "If you want to give up, all you need to do is drop the wand."

Malfoy replied silently, casting a half dozen spells. Harry leapt to his left hoping to dodge. A purple and a red flash landed near where he was standing and one of the two sent small pieces of stone flying everywhere." Malfoy had anticipated his Harry's movement and had sent the other spells following him. The third and fourth spells missed him as well but the fifth landed and he fell backwards shaking his head. The sixth overshot him and hit the table instead – sending splinters everywhere.

Lucius stepped forward to finish the job. Harry was still stunned. He wasn't totally unconscious but he was disoriented. Still, he saw the older wizard approach and he gathered enough thought to cast one more spell. He whisked his wand from his head to his foot casting a Disillusionment Charm he'd learned from Shacklebolt and in an instant he was invisible. Lucius fired off a barrage of spells all around the place Harry had been but they seemed to meet only empty air. Angrily he finally barked "Revelio."

Harry appeared just to his right. Instead of casting a spell he threw a punch and it landed square on his opponent's chin. Lucius was taller and larger than the slightly built Harry but he wasn't worried. He'd learned long before that most wizards were not used to fighting with their hands. Harry followed up the blow with a shot to Malfoy's stomach and another shot to the chin and Lucius hit the ground with a thud. Still, Lucius was no more than momentarily stunned. Lucius scrambled desperately on the ground and Harry realised he must have dropped the wand.

Harry was ready to end this. He imagined dozens of painful ways to finish this. The wizard continued to fumble around knowing Harry was behind him...he now looked much like the rat Harry had described scurrying on the floor. Harry was the cat following him slowly with his wand prepared to strike the final blow. His eyes wandered to Hermione but her's were focussed somewhere behind him. He turned around to see what she was looking at and found Draco and Ron watching. Draco's face was a mixture of fear and anger."

He returned his attention to Lucius who was now sitting up but with darting eyes searching carefully for the missing wand, "I seem to be in an awkward position." Harry nodded waiting, "You still have the opportunity to surrender."

"You'd attack an unarmed wizard?" asked Lucius as he picked himself up off the ground. "In front of his own son?"

Harry did the inexplicable. He threw his own wand far behind him and stepped forward to throw a another punch. Lucius pulled a second wand out of his robe and screamed "Crucio!"

Harry staggered back, screaming in pain, falling hard to the ground. He could hear, just over the ringing of his ears, the voice of Lucius, "Go ahead. Any one of you. I see you want to attack. None of you can match with me. Oh, you may have gotten big heads in the Hall of Mysteries but make no mistake that I could handle any and all of you!"

His skin, his muscles, even Harry's bones seared with pain but he began to remember the afternoon his Fourth Year when Barty Crouch, pretending to be Moody, placed the Imperious on him as a demonstration in front of the class. Like he did that afternoon, he pushed back as hard as he could...trying to push the Cruciatus Curse out of his mind. What happened next surprised everyone.

Each of the three observers had drawn their wands. Draco, unsure, held his without casting. Ron was considering whether to disarm or stun Lucius. Hermione was preparing to disarm him. Harry screamed in pain but pushed himself up glaring at his opponent. Like that afternoon in his Defence Against the Dark Arts class he pushed off the Cruciatus but instead of simply eliminating the curse somehow it rebounded back to Lucius. The older wizard staggered back and let out a scream as he fell backward toward the ground. As he fell, Hermione finally summoned the nerve, "Expelliarmus!"

The wand, Draco's old Hawthorne wand, made its way into Hermione's hand. Harry was still shaking his head groggily. Ron and Draco both stood frozen near the entrance. Hermione was walking toward the elder Malfoy preparing to bind him. Lucius, slightly dazed and very much panicked, caught sight of the Elder Wand and went scurrying for it on his hands and knees. Hermione, seeing what he was about to do, pleaded, "Don't do it. Mr. Malfoy, don't..."

Lucius reached for the wand and stood up. With a triumphant grin he commanded, "Avada Kedavra!"

Hermione pointed her wand at the wizard and a flash of red met his green and blinding flash of shite was the result. Still walking toward her opponent her legs began to wobble beneath her and she dropped limp to the floor. Ron sprinted to her. Harry tried to get up but he stumbled again and hit his head. Draco stood in shock as he realised his father had actually used the killing curse on Hermione and was looking at her limp body in anger.

Draco had felt the full range of emotions since entering the Chamber. Ron begged him to come but he almost didn't follow fearing it was a trap. His first emotion was joy when he found his father still alive. The great joy he felt turned to shame when he discovered his father had faked his death and had been the one harassing the school and ravaging the Centaurs. Now, having witnessed everything, he felt anger that his father had actually killed over a stupid wand.

Draco looked back to his father, prepared to stop this madness. He wanted to tell his father that the wizard he had grown up idolising had shown himself to be no more than a common criminal and a fool. This is when the final emotion hit him full on. His father, too, was lying on his back with his eyes wide open as if something had startled him. He was completely still. Other than the look on his face he looked quite at peace. Draco ran to him, picking him up at the shoulders and hugging him tight. Harry, still dazed, turned back and saw Draco. Pity overcame him as he saw his former nemesis sobbing into his father's ear and asking in a mumbled breath, "Why? You bloody fool..."

Harry couldn't hear any more. Draco's words became unintelligible. Harry crawled toward his mates Ron and Hermione. His arms and legs continued to revolt but his desire to see to his mates overcame the pain. By now Ron was whispering to Hermione and she seemed to be whispering quietly back. Harry placed an arm around Ron and asked, "She's ok?"

"She knew what she had done the moment she cast the spell. The grief overcame her." Harry looked down at Hermione who's eyes were red and filled with tears. Ron continued, "Hermione's never killed anyone. She'd always told me she wasn't sure if she could do it even if they forced her to."

Harry felt terrible for Hermione. He knew how it felt, "You didn't kill him. He killed himself. He should have known the wand was yours. He was probably so angry at you disarming him he wasn't thinking properly."

"But what happened before?" asked Ron. "When he cursed you. Why did he stagger back?" He looked at Hermione, "Did you do something?"

"No..." Hermione whimpered. She held up the wand she had taken from Lucius. It was the old Hawthorne wand that Harry had won from Draco the year before, "He...he had you under the Imperious Curse. He asked you to steal Draco's wand I'm sure. He probably asked you to get Harry's invisible cloak and steal the wand." She sniffed, "He probably never considered you'd take the nearest wand that belonged...belonged to Draco." Fresh tears ran down her eyes, "Harry was susceptible to the Cruciatus Curse until he began trying to fight it. The Hawthorne wand, recognising Harry as it's owner and his desire to fight off the curse, struck back at Mr. Malfoy."

"I needed to do something," she sniffed, "before he recovered and tried to kill Harry. I could see such anger in his eyes. I disarmed him. I was going to bind him up. I saw him go for the wand and I could have stopped him...stunned him...but I felt the need to get closer so I didn't miss. Then I knew what he was about to do. I knew the only way to stop him...the...the wand was mine. I replied with a silent disarming spell."

Hermione stopped. Harry watched as she relived the thought in her head. He knew they needed to get her out of the Chamber and to Madam Pomfrey as fast as he could. He summoned as much strength as he could and stood up, "Help her up Ron and I'll help you walk her to the Infirmary. I have a sick feeling that she'll have company – Madam Pomfrey will have my head if I don't get looked at as well."

Ron did as told. Hermione stood grudgingly and was still a little wobbly as they began to walk her out of the Chamber. Harry looked to Draco. He didn't know what to say. Draco was still on his knees holding his dead father in his arms and tears were falling on his fathers face. Hoping not to agitate the younger Malfoy he finally got up the nerve. "Draco, would you like me to stay down here with you?" he asked quietly.

Draco's eyes were murderous, "Get out! Get out! Get out before I kill you!"

Harry understood. Wrong or not, Lucius was Draco's father. Harry wished he'd never called Draco down but he'd hoped Draco could talk some sense into his father. Harry should have waited and brought Draco down with him after explaining everything but one does not think rationally when his girlfriend is being held under the threat of death. Harry had thought it was Ginny and not Hermione down in the Chamber. He had tried to stall long enough that Draco and Ron would find him once he found it was Hermione. He wondered if he could have stalled at all if it had been Ginny in that chair instead. He imagined he would have not been able to stay calm had it been so.

His attention returned to Draco, "I'm very sorry..."

"Get out! Get out now!"

So the three made their way out as quickly as possible. The trip up the stairs was slow but they received help once they got halfway up. "Harry? Is that you?" called out Ginny.

"Yes! Please come and help!" he shouted up the steps.

Ginny came down with Madeline and she helped Ron with Hermione as Madeline sat on the steps near a resting Harry. His legs were like lead and he welcomed the moments off his feet. Madeline couldn't hold in her curiosity, "What happened?"

At first Harry looked at her wondering if an eleven year old really needed to hear the terrible story. It only took a moment before he made a decision, "Draco's downstairs with his father. Mr. Malfoy had been hiding down there. He'd nicked Hermione and had hoped to kill me."

"You killed him?" the young witch asked, both terrified and amazed.

"No," Harry said, looking worriedly up the stairs after his mate, "She did."