Twenty-One
Serpens

Unnatural clouds eclipse the sun.

They gather and churn, twisting to form a foreboding symbol.

Fear rises like bile.

Death comes in many forms. Today, it is a skull that stretches across the sky, blazing bright in a haze of greenish smoke. A snake slithers from its open mouth.

Beneath it is Harry's resounding pain.

"Quiet him," Snape snarls. "Muzzle him, if you must."

Ginny's fury is one Hermione has never seen. "I will do no such thing! You lied. We have been working on this for months! You said we had time! You said—"

"I know what I said." Snape storms to her and shoves a vial into her hand. Ginny's anger dissipates as he speaks low to her. "There is no time for blame, Lady Potter. When you administer it, remember that you have fifteen minutes before the effects wear off. This is all I have."

"But—"

"If you cannot do this, if you cannot bear witness to what is going to happen, step aside now," Snape snaps. "The Duchess has agreed to stay until the bitter end."

Hermione's confusion grows when her mother wraps an arm around Ginny. "I did not agree to take your place. I agreed to be with you. As has James."

Her father struggles, but hauls Harry to his feet with Ron's help.

"What is happening?" Hermione asks gravely. "What secret is this that I do not know?"

"It is no secret," Neville says from behind her. Pansy is at his side, gown torn, looking at the evil mark in the sky. "This is the flaw in their design. Or so we hope."

"Something that must work or we will all die trying." Remus whips his head around. "They are closing in. We must act now."

"Whatever you see or hear, do not react," Snape warns.

The plan is pieced together chaotically.

Alicia and Hermione gather the women while Remus finds a crypt for them to hide. Snape casts Disillusionment charms on every man with a wand, over her family. She can see footprints on the grass as everyone takes their hiding spots.

The only men who remain are Draco, Harry, Snape, and Dumbledore.

Hermione hears the rumbling of an approaching army. She wants to run, to grab Draco and her family, everyone, and get them out. Her eyes dart for an escape route, but a hand clasps around her wrist.

Draco's jaw is clenched tight. It is a familiar expression: he is readying for battle.

For a moment, the mask slips and she sees the fear beneath. "I need to tell you—"

"Do not." Hermione kisses him. "Tell me after this."

"I will find you."

The mask goes back up and they separate.

Hermione and Alicia lead the women to the crypt, their eyes still on the sky, watching in abject horror. Lavender sobs in fear when the doors close and the orbs of magic illuminate everything around them. Clothed bones occupy open graves carved out of stone. Men, women, and children.

Pansy's hand is tight in hers. She cannot look.

Hermione remains grateful that she is not alone, but more grateful that aside from Lavender and Alicia, all of her Ladies remain safe in the palace with Theo, who will act fast in their absence.

Lavender's sobs grow louder. The woman next to her hugs her close.

For what feels like an eternity, they huddle together in the darkness as the ground rumbles and shakes hard enough for the bones to shift.

Eerie noises come from above, sending chills down Hermione's spine.

Someone needs to stand guard from the outside. She and Pansy know this.

Both are armed. Both are queens.

Bravery makes the decision.

Pansy casts a Disillusionment charm on Hermione.

Alicia is worried, but Hermione reassures her before crawling out and closing the door of the crypt. Its creaking is drowned in the noise of the army's approach and the roar of the skull above.

She knows she should not but Hermione slips between the trees gusting in the wind. What she happens upon is out of a nightmare. She is elevated, in the perfect spot to bear witness.

Death Eaters are everywhere, masked and cloaked in black robes. Wolves are already transformed as if it is a full moon despite it being daytime. From what Hermione can see, some carry wands, others swords.

They surround Snape in a circle.

Hermione freezes.

Draco is unconscious on the ground.

Harry and Dumbledore are bound and on their knees.

The only thing that keeps her is Snape's warning.

Their numbers double. Then triple.

Hermione loses count.

There are as many here today as there were in the forest the night she was taken.

Giants rise from the forest, the tall trees dwarfed by their might.

A werewolf howls in the midst of their ranks.

Its call is answered by its surrounding brethren, and more in the trees.

Rodolphus emerges from the crowd.

Behind him, another Death Eater holds something feeble in his arms.

A body.

Naked, no bigger than a house-elf.

It is what remains of Voldemort, destroyed when he tried to take Neville's life as an infant. Separated from his host, he looks alien—feeble, pale, and misshapen. Rodolphus holds him close; he whispers into his servant's ear with much effort. His voice sounds like a hissing snake, giving commands Rodolphus obeys. He immediately turns to Snape.

"King Voldemort has decided that, since you have succeeded, you will be the one to return him to his true form."

"It is an honour." Snape bows.

Hermione's panic is blinding.

A snap of Snape's fingers leaves Harry hovering above the ground.

Barely conscious, his arms spread wide, locked in place, unable to move.

Hermione steadies her hand that wants to end the spell the only way she knows how.

Rodolphus is alone in his skin, but looks pale and ill, as if drained. Still, he smiles with rotted teeth and picks up the Elder wand at Dumbledore's feet. "You have my nephew, the Potter boy, and Dumbledore wrapped up in a bow along with the master's wand and presented to our king like a gift."

"Was it not the plan all along?"

Mulciber and Rosier emerge in similar robes. They are maskless.

"I did not expect you to succeed," Mulciber says. "The goblet plan worked masterfully."

What?

"And early," Snape drawls. "It was not supposed to be done until—"

"I had an opportunity and I took it. Damn your delays." Rodolphus turns to address the crowd. "Now we must celebrate the rebirth of our master!"

Death Eaters chant and stomp in celebration.

Rodolphus points to Dumbledore. "Kill him. It will please our king."

Snape does the unthinkable. He points his wand at Dumbledore with cold detachment. The old man stares back when Rodolphus unravels his binds. Hermione does not approve of his actions, but she hates seeing him like this.

"On with it!" Rodolphus jeers.

Dumbledore holds up his blackened hand.

Snape does not move.

"Severus… please," Dumbledore whispers.

The words break whatever hold is on Snape and he moves. Hermione does not hear the incantation, but life ends in a flash of green.

Dumbledore slumps over.

Hermione hears nothing over the celebration.

The moment all is quiet, Mulciber points at Draco's prone form. "Wake him."

Snape aims his wand. "Rennervate."

Draco sits up and Hermione exhales. Her relief is short-lived when he is forced to kneel beside Dumbledore's body. He does not look. He only stares at Rosier and Mulciber.

"Are you not surprised to see us?" Rosier's voice is full of malice.

"No." Even dazed and swaying on his knees, Draco is cold defiance.

Rosier punches him in the face. The blow nearly knocks him off balance. Hermione feels sick when the second strike actually does. "I have wanted to do that for years."

"You have more time." Mulciber turns his wand, summoning a cauldron. A second spell lights it. "Now we must prepare for his return."

A curse jerks Harry's body from the air and slams him against a large headstone with enough force to leave him dazed.

"That is enough," Snape admonishes. "He must be alive or the spell will not work."

Hermione scrambles to figure out the puzzle. The potion. Regeneration potion.

Avery pushes his way through and sneers at Snape. "You do not command any of us!"

"Indeed, but remember yourself, old man." His snarling voice demands submission. "It is my doing that brings us here. Had I not seen into the Queen's mind and confirmed her to be Potter's sister, this would not be possible. I have brought the Lost Chosen One into the light."

Hermione takes a shuddering breath. Not knowing if it is true or false, she keeps still and bears witness.

Something catches her eye.

Next to Harry is a small headstone. Plain and simple, it blends in with the others around it, but the name stands out boldly.

Riddle.

Hermione smothers her own gasp.

"My king," Rodolphus says as he places his master into the heating cauldron. "We will bear witness to your return, and your enemies will perish."

The sky above booms and crackles, the lightning highlighting the unnatural green clouds.

Dark magic charges the air, circling the graveyard like a wake of vultures.

It makes the preternatural wind sound like whispers of the dead.

Riddle's casket bursts from the grass in an explosion that sends dirt scattering, most of it swept into the swirling wind.

The wood breaks apart.

Old bones fall to the ground.

Snape raises a femur with his wand.

"Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!"

He drops it into the cauldron.

Some Death Eaters remove their masks, either stifled by the dense magic or in awe and excitement for what is to come. Hermione cannot see every face. She does not know many, but some she recognises from court. Heads of noble families, some prominent, some not.

Rodolphus draws a dagger, and with little preamble, slices off his own hand in sacrifice. Blood flies as the limb drops into the cauldron with a disgusting splash.

"Flesh of the servant, willingly sacrificed, you will revive your master."

The stench of magic grows more potent.

Dark. Painful. Hermione feels sick.

Harry is staring steadily at a spot. Hermione looks and there, peeking from behind the rock, are her parents and Ginny. They nod at him before blending into their surroundings once more.

A reminder.

A comfort.

They all are with him.

Snape approaches Harry, drawing a dagger of his own and cutting the sleeve of Harry's tunic.

"I have waited far too long for this moment." He grabs Harry's neck and squeezes until her brother audibly gags, gasping for air. "To put you in your place."

Even now, Harry sneers, but says nothing.

Snape's mouth moves but Hermione can no longer hear.

In horror, she watches Snape carve a straight line from her brother's wrist up his arm. A nasty cut that bleeds too much, too quickly. Draco pulls at tightening binds, vibrating in fury.

Her own agony underscores the lightning streaking across the sky. Harry's pain is visceral and loud and impossible to fix. It brings tears to Hermione's eyes, rips her heart apart in pieces that will never heal.

Snape shakes his blade over the cauldron, Harry's blood sizzling against the roiling surface.

"Blood of the enemy, forcibly taken, you will resurrect your foe."

The earth trembles. The wind turns violent.

Dangerous.

The fire beneath the cauldron disappears.

A second of silence.

Then the cauldron shatters.

Its tiny pieces dissolve into dirt and sand, leaving a long, misshapen form at its centre. Encased in a sac of murky fluid, Voldemort's body rises, twists and turns. Death Eaters marvel as their master grows. The scent of magic is dizzying. Hermione wants to look away but cannot. Wants to help Harry, whose blood stains the grass beneath him, but she is unable to move.

Everything goes quiet.

The Death Eaters step back and wait.

Pale and weak, Harry does something Hermione does not expect.

He smiles.

The ground shakes harder. Statues crumble and fall. The air pressure grips them like twin fists, so tight that Hermione can barely hear the choked screams over the ringing in her ears. She squeezes her eyes shut, gritting her teeth against the pain, then gasping when it releases them.

Voldemort's sac begins to darken. He struggles, pushing against the casing with increasing desperation, beating against it with fists.

Something is wrong.

Rodolphus and Avery try to break it, but it will not give.

Mulciber tries to tear it with magic. His spell rebounds.

Their panic rises.

Draco uses the chaos to escape.

Hermione looks at her brother. Harry laughs, even as he grows weaker from blood loss.

Suffocating magic gathers in a rush, a force Hermione cannot see, only feel. A cord wound tight and pulled taught. When it snaps, Voldemort's encasement catches fire from the inside. The liquid transforms into lava that stretches, muffling his screams as his fight to escape finally ceases.

The encasement, fissured like a coal cinder, cracks open, oozing Voldemort's liquified remains.

The stench of death and burning flesh seeps into everything.

Voldemort is dead.

A shocked silence befalls the graveyard, broken by Rodolphus. "What did you do?"

The question is directed at Snape, but it is a weak Harry who laughs.

"Your new age is over. Your spell. My blood was not forcibly taken. It… was given… willingly."

Rodolphus is enraged, but does not turn his wand on Harry. Instead, he hits Snape with a blue light that sends him flying backwards, his head striking a grave at an odd angle.

He does not move.

Hermione knows he never will again.

Fumbling, Mulciber draws his wand to curse Harry, but a red bolt strikes him in the head. He collapses, and all eyes shift to the caster.

Draco.

Beside him is her father.

Everything happens in a flash.

What is left of the hard-shelled encasement turns to ash, a brittle staccato in dust.

Rosier picks up The Elder Wand and points it at Draco. "Avada Kedavra!"

Green fires from the tip of the wand, but rebounds.

Rosier is dead before he hits the ground.

The Dark Mark vanishes and the sky opens.

Everyone comes out of hiding.

The real battle is only just beginning.

Rain falls like a war cry.

The earth shakes harder.

Violently.

It throws everyone off balance.

Chaos reigns as the storm's fury bears down.

Hermione loses sight of Draco. One second he is next to her father, the next he breaks into a run, ducking and dodging spells to retrieve the Elder wand from Rosier's dead hand.

The first thing he does is create a stream of purple flames to separate them from the Death Eaters.

It gives them time.

All she can see in the chaos is her parents and Ginny helping Harry to the ground, pouring the vial down his throat and working frantically to heal him.

She cannot hear their plight, but knows it is not going well.

Harry is no longer moving.

"Stay back!" Remus shouts at Ron when the wolves break free from the lines and run towards them. "Protect Harry! Everyone else, follow me!"

Every available wanded man turns towards the flames to join Draco, forming a line.

Horribly outnumbered, they look around, catching their breaths.

They are ready to fight.

The flames drop.

A horrible dissonance of flying spells paint their surroundings in a kaleidoscope of colours. Clashing swords, yells, and howls overwhelm her. She sways on her feet and falls back, not realising the Disillusionment has fallen until she notices a man looking around, only stopping when he sees her.

And breaks out into a run.

Friend or foe, Hermione cannot tell.

Three.

He is not close enough.

Two.

Not quite.

One.

Foe.

"Ascendio!"

The man flies into the air with a fading yell. Where he lands, she does not know. Unfortunately, this draws the presence of others.

Two. Three. Four at a time.

Hermione sends them all flying. One lands in front of her, his body unnaturally bent.

The next man she recognises is Percy; she lowers her wand. Battered and bruised, he looks relieved to see her. "You are the person raining men on the battlefield."

"I am protecting the women. Draco?"

"Still fighting."

"Harry?"

Percy is grim. "Still bleeding. The blade used was poisonous and we have nothing to counter it."

But Hermione does. She carries it with her.

Bezoar.

"I do." She looks around. "Protect them."

Percy nods and Hermione takes off in a run towards her brother. Ron looks most shocked to see her, but is too busy drawing a perimeter of flames around them. She drops to her knees.

"You are supposed to be in the crypt!" her parents shout as one.

"Percy told me you needed help."

"We cannot control the bleeding. The blade—"

"Let me." Hermione does not wait for approval.

There is no time.

Ignoring the cold rain, Hermione digs in her gown for her trusty Bezoar and Wiggenweld. She feeds Harry both. Second after harrowing second passes before his eyes fly open. He takes a deep, gasping breath. The cut slowly begins to heal, but Harry is still weak and drawn.

Yet he breathes far easier, much to their collective relief.

Hermione turns to the battle.

Ron's flames do not conceal their eyes from the fight.

Severely outnumbered but bolstered by Voldemort's death, it is a wet fight to the death. She cannot see Draco in the madness of careless hexes. Cannot hear him over the sound of crossing swords.

Harry tries to rise. Tries to help.

"Do not." Ginny touches his head, rain drenching them all. "You have done your part. You saved us, now let us help you."

A familiar horn sounds, and a rallying cry breaks out.

Dozens of centaurs burst from the trees and charge into the fight.

Hermione spots Vasades with ease as she and Firenze crash into Death Eaters, swords drawn. She kicks one with her hindlegs before they get off a curse, then throws her dagger at another who slashes at her with his sword. It lodges into the centre of his mask. He falls.

Vasades yells over the rain, "Fight!"

Hermione spots Neville dodging a giant's foot. It catches several Death Eaters, sending them flying. Pansy holds her own against Avery, ducking behind a grave to avoid a curse. Draco and Remus form an unlikely team, with Draco serving as the focus while Remus attacks from behind. A black dog cuts off a werewolf's howl before it begins. Goyle is not far behind.

Even with centaurs, their upper hand will not last.

There are simply too many.

As Hermione thinks it, their formation begins to fall.

They are outnumbered and overwhelmed.

The first curse Draco takes makes him stumble back. Neville, who has just felled a giant, comes to his aid. Remus drags Goyle out of harm's way. Firenze is stabbed, the wound severe enough to force him back while Vasades defends. Sirius is picked up by another giant and flung. He hits the side of a mausoleum and is slow to move.

"I can help." Hermione stands but ducks when a stray spell barely misses her.

"No!" Mother pulls her back down.

This is when she sees the Death Eaters coming for them.

Ron stands firm. Father joins him.

Rain drowns the flames as spells fly in all directions.

Mother grabs Harry's wand and steels herself when a few Death Eaters break off from the duel and approach. "You two stay with Harry. Defend him and yourselves any way you can. I will fight."

Her mother casts a charm that makes the gnarled roots of rotting trees attack those who approach, tying them up, squeezing until their bones snap and their screams stop. Her war path continues as she nears the fight—

A loud roar stops everyone and everything.

They see the flames before Kaida bursts into view with Trevor trailing lower to the ground.

Spells stop flying at them, now aimed skyward at the dragons.

But they cannot be stopped.

When Kaida incinerates a giant, and Trevor's acid burns through everything it touches, Death Eaters begin to flee.

As do werewolves and giants.

It is no use. They cannot hide.

Kaida punishes them with fire and wrath, swooping down and picking two Death Eaters up before taking to the skies and dropping them. They crash through the roof of a nearby mausoleum, their screams silenced.

Hermione is so shocked, so in awe that she does not notice the danger until it is too late.

Ginny's warning yell makes her turn in time to see Mulciber's spell hit the headstone beside her. It explodes, the force of it knocking her flat. Ginny shields Harry's body with her own, but it is as if Mulciber does not see them.

And if he does, he does not care.

"The Mudblood Queen," he sneers, coughing wetly. The wound in his thigh rots his flesh before her eyes, slowing him but not his hate. She scrambles away as he hurls another hex at her.

It misses.

Stone rains down upon her from an explosion nearby, but Hermione points her wand.

"Cruc—"

"Verdillious!"

The tip of her wand lights up like a flare, exuding green light, sparks and smoke that make Mulciber stumble. Hermione uses the distraction to get to her feet.

But it is not enough.

The spell hits her in the chest, freezing her in place.

She cannot move. She cannot blink. She cannot scream.

"I have waited for this since you tainted the—"

Mulciber's face twists before he drops at her feet. Behind him stands her father, drenched and furious. With him is Ron.

Father reverses the spell, freeing Hermione and hugging her close. "Are you hurt?"

"No." She shakes her head. "Where is Mother?"

"She went to the crypt to protect the women," he tells her. "We need to move."

Ron picks up Harry, who grunts and grimaces. Ginny stands with him.

"We made contact, help is comi—" Ron stops at the sound of battle behind them, eyes going wide as he watches the chaos of Kaida attacking another giant. "Sweet Circe…"

Draco is now on her back.

The giant seizes both her wings and tries to pull her apart. Draco comes to his familiar's aid, severing the giant's arm with a spell Hermione has seen him use many times. Kaida follows, blowing fire in his face to seal her escape. The giant yells as he stumbles, the fire spreading despite the rain. Hermione cannot breathe when she sees the large tears in Kaida's wings, slowing her down.

She hears Kaida's agony.

And feels her fury.

They all do.

She torches the giant until there is nothing but ash.

Rain may extinguish some of the flames, but not this one.

Her breath burns blue.

Hot and wild.

It catches everything around it.

Every giant scatters.

Runs for their lives.

Some are consumed.

Draco gives chase, flying overhead low enough for Kaida's wing beats to sound like thunder. They circle back as those who flee separate from those who stay.

Kaida is not finished.

"Lily!" Father yells in clear panic.

But there is nothing to fear.

They both turn to see her mother, a terrifying vision of drenched red hair and fury, duelling two Death Eaters and taking them both down with the same finesse she's shown when they spar. Spoiling for a fight, she looks for enemies, but they all are at her feet.

Above them, Kaida's furious roar echoes as she cuts off the retreat into the forest. The sound rattles in Hermione's chest.

"Surrender or burn!" Draco shouts, voice amplified by the wand at his neck.

Their choice is made in an instant.

Their enemies come to their knees in surrender.

Aid arrives on the back of hippogriffs, Thestrals, and smaller dragons. They are accompanied by dozens of soldiers and knights.

Buckbeak rushes back to the palace with the most severely injured, including Sirius, who has yet to regain consciousness. Their dead are covered and loaded onto Thestrals, Snape and Dumbledore are in their own carriage. Harry's health has improved drastically. He leaves with his godfather. Ginny, Remus, and their parents travel behind them.

Healers await their arrival.

The women leave in less frantic fashion. The centaurs retreat to the forest to take care of their wounded and bury their dead with honour.

The last three giants are shackled for the walk back to face judgement. Every surviving Death Eater and werewolf, including a terrifying Greyback, are on their knees, mouths sealed, bound in a long row. Soldiers pile them into Thestral-drawn carriages. It takes ten to move them all.

Pansy tries to get her to leave next, but Hermione does not.

They are too far from home for Kaida to fly with the tears in her wings. Pain makes her restless. Vasades uses Hermione to temper the dragon while Firenze prepares her for the trip.

"It will take time to heal her, but Kaida will survive," he tells them.

Still, it takes coaxing for the stubborn dragon to lie on her stomach. Hermione manages to accomplish this by petting her, talking to her, and telling her favourite story while Firenze puts her to sleep. The spell will last a day.

It is rest Kaida needs.

As she drifts to sleep, Draco comes to her side and speaks to her in the language of her kind.

That he does this shows his concern, respect, and honour for her.

His affection.

A procession of dragons take flight, with Kaida's sleeping form resting on a giant tarp made for transport. Firenze goes with them inside a carriage pulled by a Thestral while Vasades remains, keeping watchful eyes on Hermione. The sun begins to set as Draco and Hermione stand side-by-side, watching until they are gone from sight.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asks softly. "I know—"

Draco turns and she truly looks at him.

Dirty and covered in blood, smelling of scorched earth and death, more than anything, he seems relieved to see her.

She feels the same but more.

Today has been a confirmation of what she knows, how she feels.

For the second time since their reunion, Draco kisses Hermione and searches her for injuries she does not have. She lets him, all while noting where he aches, the hints of pain he will ignore until they are in the privacy of their chambers. Draco favours one leg, there are burns on his arm where the sleeve was singed, and other bruises and signs of battle. He looks exhausted in a way that only sleep and time can ease.

"There is no need to worry." Hermione flattens a palm on his jaw. "I am unharmed, you know this."

Draco starts to lean into her hand in a rare show of affection, but the sight of Remus makes his eyes darken. He side steps her and storms towards him, shoving the injured man so hard he nearly falls over.

"You knew about all this. Snape told me that if something happened to him, that you knew the plan. His death and carving Potter were not the plan!" Draco lunges again, but Ron and Percy stop him. "That blade was poisoned! It almost killed him!"

"I did not know about the blade, but I imagine Snape was under the impression that it had to be believable. He will not die," Remus says. "He gave Ginny a blood replenishing potion, Sire. The centaurs arrived because of him. He gave them coins to find Harry's location. I may not agree with his ways, but he sacrificed everything, even his life, for the greater good."

Draco's rage cools. "I never want to hear that phrase again. I am finished with the greater good. I have done my part. I have atoned for the sins of my lineage. Voldemort is dead and Potter did not have to martyr himself as Dumbledore believed."

"You are not finished yet, Sire." Remus takes a tense step towards the king. "The realm believes you threaten their existence. Snape wanted to make certain that you told the truth to the world. Show them proof of the war you have waged in silence. Show them that it was not against them but for them."

Draco scoffs. "They will not believe my memories."

"But they will believe your guests who came from far and wide for the wanding, bearing witness as Dumbledore planned."

Hermione is horrified.

All those innocent people.

"They could have died," she says with quiet anger. "Dumbledore dropped them here unarmed, just to prove his point."

"I did not agree with this plan, but I believed he knew he would never survive. He could not. The curse from touching the fake Resurrection stone was going to kill him. Dying to ensure Snape kept his place as a spy and was allowed to perform the ritual was something he was willing to do."

Hermione is speechless, but there is a commotion.

Rodolphus slips from behind a grave, wand pointed at her. Two hounds flank either side. Hermione does not hear the curse, only feels herself being pushed out of the way. Draco's inhale is loud in her head, but his exhale is soft.

Vasades hurls her sword, impaling Rodolphus in the chest.

He is dead before he hits the ground.

Hermione rushes to Draco. "Were you struck? Are you hurt?"

Questions go unanswered. Draco stands still, breathing shallow, looking dazed. She is about to exhale—or maybe yell at him for stepping in front of unknown curses—when tiny cuts open on his neck and arms.

Hermione hears herself scream, a faraway strangled cry as the cuts multiply and spread like angry welts, red blossoming on pale skin.

Dark spots appear on his clothes. Grow. Remus and Neville rush to either side and help her lay him in the grass. Draco's harsh breathing and worried eyes scare her.

She cradles his head, shaking and holding him close. Fighting the urge to scream. "What is—"

"Sectumsempra curse. Keep him steady." Remus tears open Draco's tunic. His chest is a mess of open cuts and blood. He swears and turns to Vasades. "I do not know the counter. Can you heal him?"

"I can, but it will not be quick enough. Hermione, just as he anchored you, I need you to anchor him to life while I work."

Hermione sobers in concentration. "I will do whatever it takes."

Before Vasades can begin, with one final exhale, Draco's body goes still.

The silence is more haunting than any explosion.

A/N: prob due for a refresher, but alas. Jaxx wanted to draw every second of this chapter. We wouldn't have posted this til 2025 if I hadn't stopped her. Anyway, enjoy!