Chapter X: The Battle of Platform 9 ¾

The winter weather outside the train had turned to what most if not the mass majority of the Hogwarts students on-board were feeling inside their bodies. The sky was blue grey and it had appeared to start to rain as they approached the one hour from London mark. The clouds made it so there was even less sunlight outside to see by and the wind was furiously blowing with biting bitterness to the skin if it touched it for too long.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were currently in deep conversation about something Harry loathed to even broach.

"You guys, can I say something for a moment?" Harry asked

His long-time friends gazed at him as if to say 'of course you can, so get a move on'

"I want you both to know that I am honored to have you at my side. The war before us stands like an enormous black fog cloud and I hope we will all weather it together. If, however, something manages to happen to me…please protect Draco from Tom's wrath as much as possible and for as long as possible." Harry asked them

"I know it is unfair for me to ask this of you since in hindsight; I would not be able to do the same for you because of my role in the war. If I fall, Tom's ultimately won and our world is going to crumble, so protecting Draco would be no easy task. But please protect him if I…" Harry paused and his throat constricted to the thought

Hermione and Ron were silent and shocked Harry even admitted this to them. Hermione's eyes held tears in them before the war truly had started and Ron was too silent at the thought of the loss of his best friend and the of hero in the man of his friend he had become despite his lack of proper knowledge of their world at first."

"Draco is a veela by blood and if I were to die…he would likely try and follow me. I cannot accept him dying because of me this way. The soul-mate bond we have might implicate this, but if it doesn't; then please protect him and see to keeping him alive as long as possible." Harry asked them as he turned to look at them with concern in his eyes.

Ron noticed then that his friend was hiding his fear behind his eyes for the first time in years since the Triwizard Tournament.

"Harry, you have our word, but do us a favor and do your absolute best to come back alive. I haven't seen this fear you have in your eyes in a while and it is unsettling." Ron told him

Hermione was silently crying as Harry remained standing and silent.

"I haven't been the perfect best friend over the years to you. I was jealous of your fame and the money you had; even though I knew deep down you would have given it all away if you could have your family back. I betrayed you several times and have given you many reasons to desert me, but you never did." He said

"I would gladly die for you if it meant we win the war and I'm sure you know this and is maybe a small portion of why you asked us this, but remember this is just not your war; it's all of ours too." He told his friend

Harry remained quiet.

Hermione stood quietly and held tears in her eyes, "You gave me the chance of having a true friendship that I never dreamed I'd have. In the muggle world, I was always picked on because I loved books so much and no one wanted to talk to me because deep down I knew that I pushed them away with my superior attitude at times."

"Ron and you were much the same at first, but after you saved me from the troll in the girls' bathroom; I knew something special formed between the three of us. So, I'm telling you right now Harry James Potter that if you die in the war; I'll make sure that when I find your burial ground…that I'll make sure to either legitimately resurrect you so we can try again or if I die then I'll never let you hear the end of this." Hermione told him in one breath

Ron stared at his girlfriend in shock whilst Harry seemed to smile and be amused now.

"I don't doubt it Hermione." Harry said lightly

The silence between the three of them now was tense.

Harry sighed, "I just have this feeling that Tom used his new allies as a diversion to his true actions. Being that he fully intended to divert the Hogwarts staff so he could get to me on the platform, and if I am right…there is no telling how my magic is going to react."

Hermione and Ron seemed eerily silent again as they waited for Harry to speak again.

"You, Ron, and Draco are the only three who have ever witnessed a close picture of the true extent to my powers and if Tom used the school as a diversion, then I may be forced to expose my potential to the school body, which in turn would inform the headmaster."

"On top of the fact Tom wants my magical powers for himself and if he appears…it would mean I am not only fighting to keep the students alive and Draco alive as my bonded mate, but I would be fighting once more to keep my existence in our world alive so I can in the end, defeat him once and for all. Tom knows I have the status of Lord Peverell as I have mentioned before, and he is angered by it since he believed it should have been granted to him as the only heir to Antioch Peverell, who was the eldest of the three brothers." Harry told them

Hermione and Ron were shocked to the news as they didn't remember Harry saying this to them before, but so much had happened that it was possible he had and they forgot.

"By all rights though, Tom should have been given the status as the Lord of the House of Peverell, but he renounced it when he split his soul into seven pieces to become what he is to have his revenge on the community and Albus for things he could not have controlled if he had tried. Draco and I as you know will not be returning next semester as it is too dangerous, but I have a job for you two if you want it?" Harry asked them carefully

"Harry, you know we would do anything if it were to help you?" Hermione said

Ron nodded in agreement with his girlfriend.

Harry smiled half-hearted, "I know you both would, but this job would be dangerous even from within the school and even more so because I won't be there to protect you both at first if you are caught doing it."

They paused and considered options on what to say.

"We would still help you, but you need to give us the details first." Ron asked

Harry nodded, " Very well then. At some point next term, Albus is going to die in battle on the school grounds and it will be by Severus's hand out of a request made by Albus to make it seem like the Death Eaters have the upper hand in the war and Severus's place as a spy in the inner circle is solidified. I noticed when I was with Albus earlier today that he had tried to touch and break one of Tom's horcruxes, and it made his hand black from the contact. He is living on borrowed time as it is." Harry said quietly

Ron and Hermione didn't know what to say to this as Harry just basically said that the man their world idolized was dying.

"After Albus dies, Severus will become the headmaster as Minerva will reject the position due to grief. Death Eaters are going to be present in the school since Tom believes Severus is on his side. The next year will not be easy and when I said it would be dangerous for me and Draco to be there, I meant it and now you see why."

"What I need you to do, is to try to keep the houses informed of the information before the Death Eaters show up and this is so there will be fewer disobedience stunts from the students that land them in a world of hurt." Harry said darkly, "Keeping in mind that they also cannot expose I told you this beforehand either as that will endanger me and Draco further, and it also put an unnecessary target on Severus that he doesn't deserve as well as you both too."

Ron and Hermione seemed quiet, "Harry, are you sure of all this?" Ron asked him

Harry glanced to the outside weather and then back to his friends, "I give you my word as the last Lord Peverell that what I say is the truth, Ron and the Carrow siblings are going to be at Hogwarts next term with a few others." He said gravely

The two seemed to struggle but found resolve and nodded in determination.

"We will find a way to do it Harry, but you are going to be at the school eventually, aren't you? Or else why would you have us go there to warn them?" Hermione asked with a smile

Harry smiled now, "Ever the astute assumption Hermione, but yes; in time Draco and I will be there to help end their reign on the school and eventually Tom once and for all."

Ron shook his head, "I still can't believe the dark idiot would send the Carrow siblings to the school to reinforce punishments if he knows my family is still there. Ginny is a hothead as we all know, and it is going to be hell to keep her from reacting when she know all this. Those two may never have done anything personally to us, but we know they had a hand in the setup to those who killed Gideon and Fabian Prewett, our Uncles and my mom's brothers. Ginny will likely explode at this." Ron sighed

Harry smirked now, "Well, at least we know Ginny is strong enough to take down both on her own if need be. The problem here is that it cannot be done too early or else Tom would suspect I have made plans early on. Ginny's Bat Bogey Hex is formidable I grant you this, but her true potential comes from her experience as a near sacrifice for Riddle in the chamber before I rescued her. If she could contain her anger until we arrive, then the time would be just right to exact vengeance on them for your family. She knows of the ability I speak of, so mention this to her when you talk to her about this and she should understand." Harry told his friend

Ron shook his head, "Harry honestly, is there anything within Hogwarts you don't know about?"

Harry smirked, "Not really, I just pity the fool who thinks that about me and tries something on me."

Hermione, Ron and Harry then laughed and settled for the last few minutes of the train ride.

The train pulled into the station exactly on time as Harry estimated. The rain had stopped, but it was still cloudy and overly dark out with the fog that had appeared outside the train's barriers and the winds was still bitter, cold and biting to the skin.

Harry knew this was only the beginning and he those who were to be with him on the front-lines gathered near him as the students waited for his signal to start getting off and make way to the platform exit barrier.

Harry, Draco, Ron, Hermione, Blaise , and Pansy stepped off first and glanced around to see if they saw any immediate dangers. There were none, so Harry signaled the students to start getting off and make their way to the barrier. Parents of the students had been warned by some means to not go to the platform directly or else put themselves in Harry's way and in danger too.

The students seemed shocked that for the first time in a long time, that the students of Slytherin House were helping not just themselves but everyone else there make their escape and most had the feeling it was due to Harry they had done so though they could not explain why. Maybe it was the sight of him and Draco Malfoy standing side by side and watching intently; they didn't know, but they did know the war was changing and fast.

As the students exited and nearly half of them were gone, a blast of energy erupted before Harry and Draco who promptly erected a barrier to protect themselves from the explosion much like the others had done.

"Ha ha ha, bitty Potter has learned some new tricks again, so won't this be fun…" A voice Harry knew all too well sounded

Harry's hands clenched, "Bellatrix Lestrange, let's hope you don't underestimate me this time because as far as I'm concerned, I won our battle last time we met. Your precious master had to come to save your hide so you could escape the ministry aurors."

"What's the matter, do these words anger you? Good, because apparently you don't know how to escape without help." Harry yelled at seemingly no one yet

"Potter, you will regret those words. Your days are numbered, and my master is the only one who can truly kill you, but I won't hold back either." Bellatrix stepped out of the fog with a snarl to her face

"And look, my dearest nephew Draco has either grown a stupid backbone and decided to side with Potter or he is just there to try and put himself in a good light." Bellatrix teased him

Draco's hands then clenched and Harry had to mentally soothe him, "Aunt Bella, you should know that the dark lord killed my father and not the aurors like the newspaper claimed they did and the world believes. I won't ask you why you would side with a man who treats his followers like disposable toys because I won't get a reasonable answer."

"However, I will say that after my father died for a cause he was forced to serve in due to his father and not being able to say no; I had a rude wake-up call, and I will no longer serve a man who parades himself as a pureblood with the intentions of pureblood supremacy when in fact he is half-blood and no better than the people he claims are unworthy." Draco yelled at her

Bellatrix was angry now, "How dare you! You little traitorous bastard, your father would be ashamed at you and of this behavior. He has put his life in serving our master and this is how you repay his memory?"

Draco chuckled darkly, "My father would not be ashamed of me, and you know why Aunt Bella? Because I know for a fact that before he died he was held captive in his own home by those he was supposed to be able to trust and they in turn tortured him. I know for a fact that he told my mother when he left to answer the dark lord's summons that if he didn't return that he wanted me know that he was proud of me and to make the right choices in life. The choices he was never allowed to make because his father made them for him."

Bellatrix snarled, "Well we will see who prevails then."

She drew her wand and spells started flying everywhere. One by one more death eaters poured into the platform as the students who were not fighting were carefully guided to the barrier and to safety.

By the time another hour passed by, Harry and his group had knocked out about half of the group sent to capture them and he could see Bellatrix wearing down and growing fearful internally.

"How does feel Bellatrix to be beaten by seemingly a bunch a of school kids who haven't even finished their schooling yet?" Harry asked her with a teasing and mocking voice

Bellatrix snarled in her throat but no sounds came out.

"What now? Cat got your tongue, Bella?" Harry asked her

Bella's body shook with rage as she tried to control her desire to not try to outright kill him.

"Well too bad then, because now in the name of Lord Peverell and the crimes you have committed against me and my family I am sentencing you to death and your soul with feel the burn of the thousand age fire before you are allowed to be forgiven." Harry told her as all turned to him.

Harry pointed his wand at her, "Avada Kedavra."

The eerie green light shot out and struck her directly as she fell dead to the ground. There was a silence that hung over the student now as death eaters watched in horror that Potter actually killed Bellatrix.

Then clapping was heard in the distance.

"Bravo Harry, a fine display though it is such a pity you won't join me. Such raw potential and power is a waste like that." Tom said

Harry stood slowly again and tall, "Tom, so you were watching. I knew you were there, but I didn't say anything." Harry said

Tom didn't walk over but more like hovered over as his powers gathered.

"You know Harry, we are much alike in this community we live in. I know you are aware of the similarities between us and the fact is they are true enough. I grew up in a place that despised my existence and had no idea I was a wizard until Albus Dumbledore came to explain it to me. Now at this time, you can be sure I was confused."

The audience around the two had stopped fighting each other and was now watching Harry and Riddle with baited breath as they continued to battle it out with verbal spars for the moment.

"I had never believed I was a wizard in the slightest except for the fact that odd things just seemed to happen to me and I could not explain them no matter how hard I tried to." Tom said to him

"Does this sound familiar Harry because I am sure it does?" Tom sneered at him

Harry's body stood defiant but internally he was a mess.

"Then when I entered the school, I was nearly almost immediately recognized for my powers. I was but a first year, however, if given enough time and material to study with…I could do a sixth year spell easily."

"It made me an oddity to nature to be so gifted, and I was treated more as pariah than a human being. People whispered about me and were always suspicious about me. They never considered perhaps that I was once human too and had feelings, or perhaps if they had I would not be where we are now?" Tom said, "This fact was only worsened due to that I was in Slytherin where all other houses kept a distance from and regarded with caution and even more so when they learned I was Salazar's heir through Albus himself."

"You know these pains Harry. You were born into a pureblood lineage and you are pureblood despite most belive your mother was mugle-born when she was not. You are the last heir to the Potter clan and of Godric Gryffindor, and from birth you were the one prophesized to be able to end this war and to defeat me. Your parents gave their lives to me in battle so you would live and thus it gave you a protection against me I never expected at first though we both know that the event from the Triwizard has since then rectified the matter." Tom told everyone coldly

"You were placed in the care of your muggle relatives; relatives who hated you for your abilities and their jealousy of having something they never would have. Relatives who would rather try to get rid of your powers than to cherish them and to encourage you to develop them so you could protect them if need be and the home you were placed into to be reared had blood wards on it so I could not touch you nor could my followers over the years. Those wards may have kept me and mine out, but tell me Harry; did that stop your relatives from fearing you and your powers without cause? Did that stop them from trying to keep you from your heritage when it was all in vain?"

"I suppose not, but yet you still desire to see people for the good in them no matter how they have treated you in kind because they don't understand and they fear the power of others that are greater than their own. You only have to look around you to fully understand what I meant."

"The students you go to school with were and are still much like the ones I attended school with. They are fickle and tend to believe the first thing they are told about a person without giving them a chance to prove otherwise. How many times now has the daily prophet paper said or reported something of you in unfavorable light and how many times has the student body turned against you though you fought for them to protect them from me every year there regardless they were unaware of it or refused to acknowledge it." Tom told him

Harry's body started shaking as he got very angry, "Perhap you are right and they have done these things against me Tom, but it would be stupid to believe they all did it because they all had truly believed it for themselves. People have power in words to influence and persuade others towards something they know isn't true or right, and I know that you know this."

"People who inherit large amounts of power from the old lineages are naturally treated with an air of suspicion because most people don't want to be put under that power and to subjugated by it. They watch us and judge us to make sure if pressured that we won't use our powers in an abusive way. You cannot honestly believe that people who have less power are not already somewhat afraid or intimidated by those with more, because by human nature it is natural for them to be so even if only somewhat. You are a prime example of this with the way you wield your dark magic over our community vlike a spreading plague." Harry told him

Tom smirked, "So I am, but then again so are you. Even though our community likely has no idea as to your true potential as a wizard of high powers, I do as I share an indirect familial tie with you as we both are related to two different branch of the Peverell clan. Myself from Antioch and he who held the Elder wand in his hands for centuries before it was lost to time through countless battles fought. You are related to Ignotus and the one who holds the spirit of death's own cloak of invisibility that Ignotus used to shield his family from his two other brothers wrath's."

"I understand the many powers of the Peverell clan as I am sure you do as well now. You have grown powerful quickly due to this heritage, I can see it plainly in your magical aura as much as I am sure that you can read my own and know exactly how powerful of an opponent I truly am to you. The powers will never let you lead a normal life Harry, for in the end you will either end up working with these powers to try and help our world with their stinging gaze always on your back, become corrupt and do what I am doing now, or at worst commit suicide due to the pressure of the people and not being able to stand it any longer."

Harry nodded, "I know that I may never lead the most perfect life due to my powers Tom, but that doesn't excuse the fact that I could abuse them more because of it just to prove a point in our society's faults and flaws. You are trying to make me doubt myself and my goals. I tire of listening to you. I honestly think you like to hear yourself talk because every time we meet, you always have this little speech of yours planned." Harry gloated as the people around them gasped since it was unheard of for anyone to talk back to the dark lord in such a way.

Tom's eyes blazed, "You are going to regret that."

Harry smirked, "That's just what Bellatrix said to me and look what happened to her now? She's dead."

Then the true battle began after Tom shouted something about having no mercy to those who fought and spells that flew had increased in lethality by two times than before.

Most of the students who fought had to rely on the Slytherin unit to counter as they had no knowledge of dark arts. Ron and Hermione were fine though, as odd as it looked to others because Harry had taught them somewhat of what to expect and how to counter it.

Riddle's eyes blazed with an angry fire as he prepare his final attack, and if it didn't work; he had to escape as his reserves were running out now. Contrary to Harry's opinion, he had battled Albus on the school grounds some before he made it here and that had taxed his reserves some.

His wand aimed at Harry and he uttered the killing curse one last time and it missed by a narrow margin. Riddle's breathing was heavy and he tried to gather it back to attack again.

"Not so powerful looking now are you Riddle?" Harry asked, "The advantage of knowing your limits."

"Now I will show you why I was chosen as the heir to the Peverell lineage and not you." Harry said as he seemingly lifted into the air and glided around as Tom had done before.

Harry's glamours fell away to reveal his elven heritage bestowed upon him by the first Lord Peverell. His hair blew behind him as his powers gathered and his eyes glowed brightly as ever whilst his hands started to glow black with power and the cold winter wind whipped around him and Tom fiercely.

Riddle's eyes had widened in startled shock to the power Harry commanded and was calling to him. He knew he needed to apparate and fast so he tried to regain his breath as quickly as possible so he could concentrate on leaving. All eyes had now turned to Harry and Riddle again to see the sight before them. Riddle on the ground and panting for breath whilst Harry and his elven appearance hovered high in the air and was glowing black with the wintry wind blowing dangerously around with Harry's magic and making it look like a big storm was about to be summoned there as Harry himself was actually summoning his powers to call upon a deity to aid his efforts there.

"Usstan lar pholor dos, quortek-elggs, quar'valsharess d' sarn'elggar." Harry called out as Riddle's eyes held fear now as to how much power Harry truly was capable of mastering if he could summon the drow goddess of punishment known as the soul-destroyer to aid him right now.

"I'd love to stay and see who'd win this, but I know when I've lost the round." Riddle said hatefully, "But mark my words Potter, your days are numbered no matter how powerful you've become without everyone else noticing. This is the curse of the Peverell blood, as one of us will die in the end and the one left behind then shapes the new community that comes from it."

He then apparated out of sight and Harry sighed and cancelled the summoning spell he started as he floated to the ground again and his power receded slightly. The death eaters soon followed the example of their master and fled the scene as to not wanting to provoke Harry's ire any more than it was already now.

Draco came over to Harry with a slight smile that told him they had won this time. Harry smiled back and looked to those who had aided their plight and silently thanked them all with a grateful nod of his head. Cheers were heard throughout the platform as he walked towards everyone and accepted the fact that he was now being seen in a new way.

Harry walked to those who remained and most were relatively unhurt, so now that his appearance was exposed and his powers somewhat unveiled to them all, he felt no need to hide it any longer. Either his true appearance or his new powers gifted to him that he had mastered in a short time. Those with minor injuries he healed himself as he thanked them for their aid that day. Most seemed to understand now why Harry had been chosen to battle Riddle to the end and felt they needed to learn to stand on their own now as Harry was in far more danger than they had realized.

His fellow classmates who stood there and watched were realizing for the first time that this war was real and it wasn't a joke. Harry had been right and they needed to prepare themselves if they expected to survive.

Seamus and Dean had pushed down both their pride and guilt and apologized to him for their past actions, which Harry accepted with a smile. Lavender and Parvati apologized to him for not believing him when they should knew the dark lord better than the rest of them and they now saw they needed to admit war was coming and they needed to toughen up. They could not always rely on Harry to swoop in save the day; it was childish and stupid to think he could. Harry was distantly related to Riddle as Ignotus Peverell was his ancestor much like Antioch was Riddle's as they had all heard, and so they were both powerful enough to combat each other without too much to fear.

Harry had just finished the last healing he had to do on the platform when heard crying to his left side and looked to where he heard it. One of the Slytherin sixth year girls named Nadia Landcaster sat on the ground and was slumped over in tears. Her hand held onto the body of a Ravenclaw boy who had to be in his second or perhaps first year. He was apparently dead by first glance.

Harry walked calmly over to her and placed his hand to her shoulder as he gazed at the boy's body. She looked up and gave a slight smile though he knew she had done it for him to try and reassure him she was alright when she was not okay.

"This is your brother is it not?" Harry asked her questioningly

The crowd watched interested as to what he would say to her to try and comfort her.

She nodded, " Yes, this is Rowan. He just started Hogwarts this year and must have gotten hit with one of the stray killing curses that missed its intended target during the battle. While I am glad they did not get hit, I wish my brother hadn't either or else he'd still be here with me."

Harry knelt beside her, "I hate to expose powers such as these as it will only create more rumors about me and my family lineage, but the time for secrets is past and now everyone will understand why only I can kill Riddle in the end. Nadia, your brother actually isn't dead. His soul is trapped in between life and death in a realm state of limbo. I can bring his soul back to him and he will live, but keep in mind he may not remember what happened to him. If so, you need to be honest with him or else resentment may form between you two when he does find out." Harry told her

Her eyes held wonder in them, "How can you tell that this is true?"

Harry smiled, " Riddle and I both can read magical auras and so this is partially how I could tell. The magical residue in his aura was strange looking and off at best. Also, the killing curse may have been created for war in ancient times but it has had many purposes throughout the centuries other than in wars. There are many things we still are discovering about spells created by ancient wizards that lived long before us to this very day."

"The killing curse has a unique propensity for surprise, if you study its history. Your brother must have had a strong spirit to survive or else he would be dead and I would not be able to help him, but he isn't and that's what matters now."

"I know this all too well as the only person to first survive it. The killing curse works in a way that if your spirit is too weak, the spell overwhelms it which causes the body to shut down and therefore die. Now, if perhaps the person has a strong spirit and I mean a truly and genuinely strong one, their soul will try and combat it and so the soul gets trapped in limbo."

"Most people will cry about not wishing to die and this resigns them to the fate of death because they know they truly are not capable of putting away their fears in the face of danger. They worry constantly about if they will make it through the battle. Your brother knew you were fighting with me out there and he wanted you to come home alive. When he was hit with the stray curse, he kept you in mind and his soul fought for you, Nadia. Death was the last thing on his mind." Harry said softly

Nadia softly smiled as she started to break and cry again.

"In my case, I was an infant whose mother was trying vainly to protect it with no hope of survival. My infant-self had realized that the green light hurt my mom internally and so this man who hurt her would hurt me too. Though I was too young to understand this at the time, my body language made it clear to Riddle that when he pointed his wand at me at one year old; I wasn't afraid of him and my eyes bored into his."

"I remember when Riddle looked at me and said it was a waste to kill me then, and then he half-pondered about taking me and raising me as his own. I often wonder where I'dd be at if he had done that. But I do know its of no use to think much on it as he did try to kill in the end and it didn't work."

"So, the killing curse rebounded on him. Now, your brother will have to live the same fate of surviving it and likely be on Tom's hit list for it even if Riddle was not the one who originally cast the spell." Harry said

Harry placed his hand over Nadia's brother's face and chanted a strain of drow. The crowd felt the energy flowing from the hand and waited to see what would happen. When Harry stopped chanting, he waited a moment and the boy woke and stirred. He saw Nadia there and her tears were obvious as she had been crying for him whilst she hugged her brother. Harry smiled and stood when he noticed him and that he was walking off without anything being said.

"Harry." The boy called

Harry turned to him slowly.

"Why? Why would you do that? To expose a power you commanded like that to everyone here after the display with Riddle before he fled the field? It would have been easier to have said I was dead and to give Nadia comfort with false words, so why did you save me and expose yourself further?" He asked him as Nadia looked up to her brother and then to Harry for an answer

Harry smiled, " That's easy Rowan, it was because it was the right thing to do. Lying is easy to do but ultimately it has consequences when you go too far and risk exposing yourself and your lie. I could save you and took no hesitation in doing so because your sister helped fight with me and now she was the one suffering unintentionally from someone else's careless actions. Had I lied, your sister and family likely would hate me when they found out the truth even if that's what you wanted. For me to remain safe and let them believe you had died."

"It doesn't matter what house we are all in because this war is going to get worse and it will affect all of us in some ways. Slytherin has united under my banner as allies to Lord Peverell and I trust they are true to their words as their actions today proved it when many were shield from death eater attacks and most of those who were not fighting made it to safety. Those who did not make it to the barrier were protected as best as possible, since you were the only one who was hit in such a way."

"Riddle will stop at nothing to get to me and he doesn't care how many innocent lives are taken in the process. The war is going to have casualities no doubt, so if I could save one or more, then why would I lie instead and not do this? Sure, I exposed myself to other and potentially risk myself in the future, but without taking risks one cannot know their boundaries either. You should not do this to where you are endangered, but then again; I have always been in danger, so I suppose I know no other way."

"That and Riddle and I know the other's abilities too well as relatives from distant branches to the same clan. He could likely already guess some of these new abilities as it is." Harry told him gently

The boy nodded, "Well, thank you then for saving me."

The crowd around them seemed to take in the words before they seemed to acknowledge what he said.

"Now, I believe we must get to the outside world or else the parents left there are likely wondering if their children are dead or not?" Harry reminded them all

"Thank you for your help everyone, and have a good holiday." Harry said as he walked to the barrier.

Draco and Harry's friends watched in shock as he had transformed from a seemingly normal school kid to war trained veteran to a wise hero in the span of a few minutes before them.

Ron turned to Draco, "Malfoy, remind me to never ever get Harry pissed off at me ever again. I don't want a spirit of punishment to suddenly come after me if he gets too mad at me."

Draco smirked at the redhead, "Well Ron, then I think you should be more careful with what you say from now on, huh?" Draco started as the others there stared at the group as if to say, 'when did you get along with Draco?'

Draco trailed after Harry to see if he needed any help whilst he left Ron and Hermione to stew in the commotion Ron had brought upon them by being so familiar with him as if they were friends. They were somewhat, but the rest of the school didn't know that.

Hermione smiled to her very unobservant boyfriend as Ron appeared confused now, "What was that about?" He asked her

The bushy haired friend of the group just laughed loudly now as she walked off after Draco to see if Harry was alright as Ron followed after with even more confusion now than before.