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The battle raged on as outside the castle Fred and George were fighting along side several of their old professors as they tried to take out as many Death Eaters and Dementors as they could. They had just seen Charity Burbage struck down so now they were standing back to back firing off every spell they knew like mad-men until a painfully familiar face apparated a few feet away from them.

"If it isn't my good-for-nothing twin brothers," Percy smirked.

Fred glared at him as he clutched his wand tighter as he then responded in a hard tone;

"If it isn't our good-for-nothing traitor of a brother."

Percy didn't respond as he continued to smirk before firing a spell in their direction which was blocked by George who sent up a shield.

"Come on, show me what you've got," Percy challenged.

"Percy, what happened to you?" George then asked. "How could you do this to us?"

"It wasn't hard. Especially when I thought of you two."

"Why us?"

"Because of all your little stupid jokes and pranks. Now I've got a little joke for you. It's called the killing joke."

"They were harmless." Fred growled. "If you didn't have a stick so far up your ass maybe you would have seen it."

George however tried to remain calm as he wanted to take advantage of this as it might be the last chance they had in bringing their brother back to their side.

"Percy, it's not too late. You can come back!"

"Don't act like you care! None of you ever did!"

"That isn't true! We're your family, we love you!"

"Well hate you and I hate the rest of that family. I want you all to die!"

George was taken a back but that only seemed to enrage Fred further as he began firing spells at his older brother with no coordination. Percy blocked them and sent back spells of his own at the twins and this continued on for a few more seconds before another Death Eater joined the fight causing George to turn his attention away. Just as he took out the Death Eater, Fred was disarmed and Percy sent a fireball straight at him that exploded right in his face.

The force of the blow flipped Fred backwards and onto his stomach. The smell of burnt flesh and hair immediately hung in the air as George looked down at his twin in horror at what had just happened before him.

"Fred!"

George jumped down to Fred's side and rolled him over only to gasp in sick horror as he saw Fred's face. His eyebrows had been scorched completely off, his face itself was red and blistered as his right eye was now white as he screamed out in brilliant pain, grasping at his burned and bleeding face.

"Well." Percy laughed. "At least mum will finally be able to tell you two apart."

"You god-damn bastard!"

George leaped up and yelled out every harmful spell he knew at Percy's direction but it was pointless as he had already apparated away. Realizing he was gone, George went back to Fred and tried to help him in any way he could.

"George!" He yelled as he writhed on the ground. "George, it hurts! Do something!"

"You're going to be okay Fred, just hang on!"

He then looked wildly around and began yelling for help but there was no one there to help. Everyone was fighting their own battle as the war continued to rage around Hogwarts. Back inside the castle, Draco and Ginny were carefully making their way down one of the halls at the castle continued to shake and small debris came from the ceiling but just as they turned the next corner what stood in front of them made them stop in their tracks and for Draco's breath to become caught in his throat as this was what he had been dreading.

"Draco." Lucius admonished as he looked him over and saw who he was with. "What are you doing with this blood-traitor?"

Draco didn't answer as he quickly grabbed Ginny's hand to stop her from doing anything with her wand.

"You were supposed to come home to be trained like the others. Where have you been?" His father continued.

"I stayed here with her." Draco responded in a quiet voice.

"Here with her? And why is that?"

"Because I don't want to be a Death Eater!" Draco then yelled, surprising his father and himself. "I don't want that future!"

"Don't be stupid." Lucius then growled as he took a step towards them. "This is who we are. This is how it's going to be when the Dark Lord takes over. And he will reward those who were loyal to him."

Lucius then turned his head to Ginny and looked her over.

"Maybe you could be useful, girl. Your brother saw the light, you could too. Join us."

Ginny raised her chin in defiance.

"I would never betray my family."

"Then you will die with the rest of them."

Ginny then pulled herself away from Draco and tried to hex Lucius but she was easily disarmed. The older Malfoy narrowed his eyes as he closed the distance between them and grabbed Ginny by the upper arm.

"That was a very foolish move."

"Father don't-"

"Shut up!"

Lucius then backhanded his son sending him stumbling backwards and hitting the stone wall behind him as his father continued to stare at the young girl thinking about what to do to her when a voice yelled out;

"Leave her alone!"

Ron had just come around and saw what was happening as he pointed his wand at Malfoy Senior, trying to get a clear shot but couldn't because Ginny was too close to him.

"Ginny, move!"

But before he or his sister could do anything Lucius sent out a hex that nailed Ron in the chest, making him drop down to his knees and start coughing violently.

"Ron!"

Ginny struggled in Lucius' grip before she was tossed to the side and the most trusted servant of the Dark Lord focused all his attention on Ron now.

"Stupify!"

Suddenly, Lucius was nailed with a powerful stunning hex that sent him straight off his feet and crashing into the wall, knocking him clean out. Arthur and Bill had now come around and were attending to Ron before both looking up and seeing Draco standing there with his arm outstretched and wand pointed at where his father once was.

His eyes were wide with shock and he was even paler than usual as Ginny got up and came over to him, putting her hand on his arm, making him gently lower it.

"Are you okay?"

"I can't believe I-" Draco began. "Is he dead?"

"No, unfortunately." Bill muttered as he checked him over. "He's unconscious."

Ron had recovered by this point as his father helped him stand up. He then stared at Malfoy, his Hogwarts nemesis and realized that he may have just saved his life. Who knows what kind of spell Lucius would have used on him. The realization of this made him start to think, maybe Malfoy did really care for his sister after all. Maybe he had changed a little.

"Is everyone okay?" Arthur asked.

"Yes." Ginny answered.

"Alright. Let's try and find a group that needs help."

Arthur and Bill lead the way as the younger teens turned to follow. As they did, Ron approached Draco and said;

"Take care of Ginny if you're serious about her, Malfoy. She's the only sister I've got."

The two of them then made eye contact as Draco nodded in return and they continued to move and in that moment an unspoken truce was born between them. Maybe they could never really be friends, but perhaps they could be in each others presence without wanting to kill each other…and that was a victory in itself.