a/n: Shouting from the mountain top for your reviews, poka. Those last two chapters might have been my favorite from this series. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts. And thanks to all for the favorites and follows.

Prompt: scars

Chapter 14: Pawns

Draco watched the battle breach the manor below his perch from the south tower. He fired off several reductor curses at the rubble in an attempt to create shrapnel. This was going poorly. They should be winning with little effort. Where was Voldemort? He had yet to see the dark lord make an appearance, much less cast a spell for their side. Was he just hold up in the dungeons interrogating Granger? It was impossible to understand. Clearly their leader was distracted by something no one else was aware of. This whole operation had been his idea. Trick Potter into attacking. Apparently his pawns were expected to execute his vision and pay the price.

One obvious problem was that the other side was much more organized than once thought. Something changed recently and they missed the signs. Looking at the ground under his feet, he had an idea he knew what changed. They underestimated how much the mudblood meant to the chosen one. They were going to lose. His parents knew that. They weren't permitted to speak about it. Hell, they weren't permitted to think about it. A creak on the floor board behind him had Draco spinning quickly.

"What are you doing up here?" Draco asked the dark haired wizard. His patience for Snape was growing thin. He tried to pretend he was doing important things. Really he was an errand boy for the two wizards who started the entire mess. Dumbledore and Voldemort.

"The dark lord is about to make a grave mistake."

"How would you know what he's about to do? And how would you know it's a mistake?" Explosions beneath them made Draco sick. He liked his family manor but his mom loved the place. Magic could repair it, the violation would linger. He wanted to find her, to make sure she was safe. Merlin knew his dad wasn't going to look out for her.

Snape stepped closer. There was fear in his eyes. Maybe the first time Draco had seen that in the indifferent wizard. "Harry sent a patronus to make a deal. The message was imprinted on it. I heard it through legilimency."

"A deal to end this. I'll be the first one to help," Draco said, ready for it all to be over. He'd help whatever side was willing to do whatever it took to end it. He'd help and hope his efforts were enough to seek leniency for his mother. His father deserved whatever he had coming to him. He did too, if he was being honest with himself. That moment was a time for honesty.

The older wizard was shaking his head. "They both think it will end it, but it's going to prolong this all. We can't let it happen. If you want a life after this, we need to stop this now."

Considering his words, he rubbed absently at his chest. The scars from Harry's curse could be felt through the thin material of his shirt. The potions master saved him that day. Most likely to save himself from the consequences of his unbreakable vow. It was the day he learned that Potter could be pushed to attack. Pushed to killing. And that was all simply because Harry suspected he was a Death Eater. If Snape's plan involved the mudblood, Draco wasn't sure he'd help and face the retribution that would follow.

Taking the silence for consideration, Snape pressed on. "I can't do this first part without you. You have a tunnel out of this place?"

"Of course. Dobby made it when I was a kid," he said, already planning how he'd use it to get himself and his parents out of the doomed manor. "It's in the dungeons."

"The dark lord isn't there right now. We have to hurry. You have to get Miss Granger out of here and to the lake at the bottom of the hill. I'll meet you there."

"Are you mental? If I can get her out of here, I'm taking her straight to Potter. This isn't going to end until he has her or we're all dead."

"What do you think happens to your family once word gets out that you're a traitor? Get her to the lake. Leave the rest to me," Snape challenged before turning on his heel. He knew he said the words that would spur Draco to action.

"Fuck," Draco breathed out. He'd have to traverse the entire manor. Walk right through the thickest of the battle. Leaving his position, he wasn't needed to keep watch on the courtyard anyway. Peering down the three stories of the tower, he saw people darting through the center on the ground floor. He could maybe get down to the floor above and cross over from above the duelers. The manor was already in runes. He could blast through the floor right above the stairs to the dungeons. It was doubtful the Order had already pushed forward that far. Applying a poorly cast disillusionment charm, he knew it wouldn't pass much scrutiny. Finally, he placed a shield charm in the stairwell. If someone else got the same idea he did, it would slow them down.

Imagining the floor plan below him, he moved as fast as he dared. Scorch marks scarred the floor in the drawing room. The fighting had reached the center of the manor. He could feel the heat through the souls of his boots. The vibrations jarred his teeth. What was he doing, risking his life for Snape's mysterious solution. This wasn't how any of this was supposed to play out.

Satisfied he had cleared the main front of the battling sides, he sent off a silent apology to his mother and blasted straight through her favorite rug. He always hated the pattern. The hallway below was empty. Draco stowed his wand and jumped down. The basement entrance was clear. He was committed to the task, hoping it could gain him favor with someone who welded the power to spare the Malfoys.