Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Survival of the fittest	By : Sasunarufan13 Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 18501 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 9
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter nor profit from it. Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling

Chapter List
- 31
- 32
- 33
Author's note: All right, you may remember that I said that there would only be two chapters left *pauses* After thinking about it this week, I realised that if I put everything in one chapter, 1) you would have to wait a while before it would appear and 2) it wouldn't look good and the atmosphere of the scenes wouldn't match each other.
So I decided to divide the chapter (for the nth time in this story .-.). Next chapter will contain the last part and then there is the epilogue. (This time I mean it).
Thanks to the following reviewers: starr and Meechypoo
Warnings: angst, drama, final battle with Dumbledore (sorry if it sucks, guys; I tried my best to make it as interesting as possible); a tiny speck of fluff. But mostly prepare for drama and angst .-.
I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 32: Finish What You Start
15th of May
"The half moon is next Saturday," Lupin murmured with a sigh and tapped his wand against his thigh; it emitted a couple of blue sparks.
"We don't have much time left then," Black said aghast; his eyes seemed to burn against his pale skin.
"Did my granddaughter mention the place?" Ravenclaw asked; her eyebrows furrowed.
Draco shook his head. "No, only when he will show up," he replied flatly. He glanced furtively at his lover, who stood immobile as a Muggle statue in front of the fireplace; the small fire creating a hallow of light around him.
After Draco had pulled him with him to the dungeons, so they could warn the others about Lovegood's warning, he hadn't said anything and this worried the Malfoy heir. Harry's face was drawn, lines of worry etched into his forehead and he looked lost in thought.
"Can we trust this girl? Her warning is very vague," Gryffindor grunted, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"Luna would never lie to me," Harry spoke in a hard voice, startling the other occupants in the room. His hands were restlessly wandering up and down over his hidden stomach. "If she says he'll be here, he will appear. I have never doubted her warnings."
"The question remains: where will he show up?" Severus murmured in a silken voice. His studious gaze slipped from a stone faced Harry to Draco, who had to resist the urge to squirm. "I doubt he will be able to show up in the school."
"Hogwarts would go in lockdown immediately before he even set foot on the grass," Slytherin said absentmindedly.
"No holes in the wards were detected either," Lupin remarked. "The new wards are set up to keep him trapped in one place as well."
"Setting up the ritual at the border of the wards will not work either," Ravenclaw commented, clasping her hands together. "Not only do we not know from which direction we should expect him, but the wards' magic will interfere with that of the ritual, rendering it useless."
"So how is he planning to bypass the wards?" Hufflepuff wondered. "Your descendant sounded certain that he will show up inside the wards."
"Maybe he will be helped by someone?" Draco suggested doubtfully. He was slowly starting to realise how grave the situation had become. In just one week they would be facing Dumbledore again and they had no clue whatsoever where he would appear. It was as if they were playing a cat and mouse game, with as stakes their lives. Would they even be ready to take him on? Dumbledore had years of battle experience and a wealth of knowledge concerning hexes and curses. How could they hope to counter that?
"Could be," Black muttered, narrowing his eyes. "He's after Harry, so there's a multitude of things he can do to get to Harry."
"Like using a hidden Portkey?" Lupin offered, cocking his head to the left.
A flinch went through Harry, prompting Draco to go over to him to wrap his arms around him. Harry's body was tense and even Draco pressing a reassuring kiss on his forehead wouldn't relax him.
"None of us have sensed a Portkey here," Mara piped up; her nails glinting dangerously in the weak light.
Ruby agreed. "Peculiar magic like that is difficult to miss," he added calmly.
"Perhaps it is time that I pay Lucius' guest an extra visit," Severus said thoughtfully; his dark eyes glinting.
"You think Weasley knows more?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow. Admittedly, that thought wasn't that farfetched.
"It is worth trying," Lupin sighed. He glanced concerned at the couple in front of the fireplace. "Why don't you go to Harry's quarters and have your lunch there? If you want, you can stay the rest of the afternoon there. I'll explain it to your professors."
Draco looked at Harry questioningly. He wouldn't mind skipping his lessons of the afternoon – he only had one class – but maybe Harry preferred to distract himself with classes. Harry visibly wavered, indecisiveness dancing in his eyes, before he inclined his head.
"Thanks," he murmured.
"We'll have to talk to Minerva as well," Black remarked with a heavy frown. "Maybe she can help out as well."
They murmured their goodbyes and they left the room, their two pets following like shadows behind them. The short walk to Harry's quarters was filled with a heavy silence that seemed to linger around them, not intent on dispersing any time soon.
Once they were in Harry's quarters, Draco called for a house elf and asked it to bring them some lunch. The house elf glanced furtively at Harry, who was staring at the fire with a blank look on his face, and gave a respectful bow, before it disappeared again.
Gingerly Draco sat down next to Harry and wondered what he should say to break the stifling silence.
"What are we going to do?" Harry asked, startling the blond wizard (who hadn't expected him to say something). Dark green eyes looked at him forlornly while fingers clenched into the fabric of the couch.
"We perform the ritual and get rid of him," Draco replied confidently after a short silence.
Harry snorted bitterly and raked a hand harshly through his hair, causing it to stick up in the back.
"You don't believe me?" Draco raised an eyebrow dubiously.
Their attention was momentarily diverted when a silver plate filled with a small tower of sandwiches and two glasses with pumpkin juice appeared on the table while their pets received their own – more on the raw side – meal.
When they each had a sandwich in their hand, Harry said, "I thought we would have had more time. At least until after the baby was born." He clenched his teeth; frustration clear as day on his face.
"We will be fine," Draco said soothingly, though a leaden ball of worry mixed with panic laid heavily in his stomach.
"You can't be sure of that," Harry insisted, scowling at his sandwich. "My magic has gotten even more out of control lately! What if we screw up the ritual?" His voice grew a bit shrill at the end and he practically flung his belt away. It hit the wall with a loud 'thump' and fell on the floor.
"We're not going to fail," Draco snapped; his nerves high strung. "We have the four Elemental Creatures, the Founders and the Deathly Hallows on our side! We have practiced the charm until we were perfectly in sync. We won't fail, Harry. If it comes to that, I'm willing to pump more of my magic in the ritual to compensate for you."
"My, aren't you confident," the dark haired wizard laughed harshly with bitterness tainting his eyes.
Draco's shoulders slumped and a wave of exhaustion doused his flaring temper. "I don't want to fight with you over this," he sighed.
Harry glanced away, visibly uncomfortable. "I don't want to either, but …" he trailed off; his hand making an helpless gesture in the air before he dropped it on his lap.
"Hey." Draco reached out to grab Harry's clammy hand and wove their fingers gently together. He squeezed softly and waited until he had the other one's complete attention, before he murmured, "We're going to be fine, I promise. There is no way we are going to lose against that old coot. It's going to be over soon."
"I wish I was as optimistic as you," Harry murmured; his eyes half lidded. The fight seemed to have left him as well. "But I guess that doom-mongering won't help us either." He offered a hesitant, weak smile.
Draco kept quiet and shuffled closer to his lover, so that they touched from their shoulders to their thighs. "Let's eat," he murmured, though he didn't feel particularly hungry.
Contrarily to what he had been saying, he wasn't feeling that confident. Yes, they had some very powerful allies, but would that be enough? Draco chanced a glance at Harry, who was nibbling listlessly at his sandwich and caressing Sapphire's head.
He would prefer it if Harry didn't have to participate in the ritual. The last couple of weeks hadn't been easy with Harry's magic growing out of control. It was a miracle that nobody had been hurt due to his wayward magic. What would happen to Harry once the ritual started? Would his magic behave? Would he regain enough control over it? Or would he become a victim of his own magic?
His magic had already nearly killed him before – Draco was still filled with an icy fear when he remembered that – it wasn't that farfetched to think it could happen again.
Then there was their unborn son to think about as well; would he be able to withstand the amount of magic that the ritual would call up?
Draco didn't think they would be able to cope if they lost their baby. It wouldn't matter if the ritual was successful if it meant they would lose their son.
They had come so far … Surely they wouldn't lose everything now?
He closed his eyes and buried his face in Harry's hair, inhaling his familiar and comforting scent to calm down. One of his hands found its way on Harry's rounded stomach, where he was greeted by a soft push of a tiny hand. A slightly more slender hand covered his own and they remained like that until Severus entered the quarters with Black, Lupin and Draco's father in tow, to inform them what he had discovered during his brief visit.
Not once during the whole explanation did the couple release each other; finding strength and reassurance in each other's presence.

The dark haired man woke up with a start and for a long, unsettling moment he had no clue as to what had woken him up. A soft push near his kidneys enlightened him and he released a soft sigh as he sat up in his bed. Rubbing the back of his neck tiredly, he grabbed his wand and whispered, "Tempus."
The soft white glowing numbers revealed it to be four thirty in the morning. Resisting the urge to curse, he placed his wand back on his nightstand and contemplated whether he would be able to go back to sleep.
Another nudge against his bladder this time made the decision for him and with a wince, he slipped out of the bed and hurried to the bathroom to relieve himself.
"Can't stand me sleeping an entire night, huh?" he grumbled while he washed his hands.
This particular aspect of the pregnancy was something he wasn't going to miss at all. He longed for the moment he could sleep decently again in any position he preferred without the extra weight being a hindrance.
"Just around five more weeks and then you'll be here," he murmured, taking in his rounded stomach in front of the mirror. It was a miracle he hadn't toppled over yet with most of his weight being concentrated at the front.
'If you survive the confrontation with Dumbledore at least,' a poisonous voice piped up in the back of his mind.
Harry gritted his teeth together and in a fit of restlessness, he went to the living room instead of his bedroom.
The embers faintly glowing in the fireplace flared back to life as if sensing his presence and for one moment, he felt as if everything was normal and that he wasn't being chased by his ex-mentor.
Remaining in front of the fireplace, he lost himself in the gentle crackling of the fire while his thoughts swirled around like a tornado in his head.
How had it come to this? The fighting was supposed to have ended with the defeat of Voldemort, and yet here he was: in two days he would be facing his ex-mentor and attempt to bind his magic without losing his own life. Would they be able to defeat him? Or were they doomed to fail after all?
He didn't want to think about failing, but he couldn't ignore that possibility either. His hands drifted down to his stomach and he felt his son shifting underneath his hands. More than he was worried about the lives of his family and lover, and even his own, he feared for his baby's safety. He was about to enter the last month – would their son be able to withstand the magic of the ritual? Harry had come close to losing his baby too often for his liking; he couldn't bear the thought of losing him now. Just one more month and their child would be born; nothing was allowed to go wrong now. He hadn't carried their son for almost nine months for nothing.
If only Dumbledore had waited at least two more months. His hand clenched in his shirt and his gaze hardened.
Was this how his parents had felt when they were forced to go into hiding? This mixture of fury, worry, fear and panic?
"Harry?" Draco's low, raspy, sleep laced voice pulled the brooding wizard out of his thoughts and he looked up.
"Did I wake you up?" Harry asked softly, unclenching his hand.
"Not really," Draco yawned and approached him. "Why aren't you sleeping?"
"Woke up because of the baby and couldn't go back to sleep," Harry murmured.
Draco gave him an indiscernible look and took Harry's hand, tugging at it gently. "Let's sit down on the couch," he proposed with glimmering eyes.
"You don't have to stay awake." Harry shook his head, ignoring Sapphire sneaking into the room. "Go back to bed. We still have a few hours before classes start."
"Will you be able to go back to sleep?" Draco looked at him intensely, making Harry almost squirm underneath the heavy gaze.
He hesitated and begrudgingly admitted, "No, I don't think so."
Draco nodded as if he had expected that answer and pulled more insistently at his wrist. "Come on, let's sit down."
Harry sighed, but followed him to the couch. He was gently pushed down and Draco plopped down next to him, fussing around until he was stretched out on his back on the couch with his head pillowed by Harry's thighs.
Harry raised an eyebrow bemused and questioned bewildered, "Are you comfortable?"
Draco smiled. "Actually, I am. Your thighs aren't bony anymore."
Emerald green eyes narrowed and Harry huffed. "Well, sorry for having bony thighs before," he remarked snidely.
Draco chuckled and patted Harry's side in a placating manner. "Even if you still had bony thighs, I wouldn't have minded," he murmured and winked. He turned his head so that his ear ended up being pressed against Harry's stomach. A concentrated frown appeared on his forehead.
"What are you doing?" Harry asked confused.
"I can hear him moving," Draco announced. He raised a hand and his fingers trailed over Harry's belly underneath his loose shirt. The caress felt very warm against Harry's skin. "I didn't realise before I could hear him moving." Wonder coloured his voice. He pressed a kiss against the skin, right underneath Harry's popped out bellybutton, making the other man flush.
"Can you believe our baby will be here over a month?" Draco asked; awe clearly displayed on his face.
"Yeah," Harry smiled wistfully. If everything went according to plan at least.
His lover seemed to have picked up on his afterthought. "Hey, we'll be all right. You'll see," he murmured and grabbed Harry's hand, squeezing it.
"I just don't want to lose either one of you," Harry whispered; his throat seemed to want to close up and his eyes stung. He took a shuddering breath to calm himself down.
"You won't. We are prepared thanks to Rowen's idea. We will be the ones taking him by surprise." Draco rose up and looked at him determined. "You trust our pets, right? They wouldn't suggest a plan if they thought it would fail."
"You're right," Harry sighed, recalling Rowen's idea to lure out Dumbledore. It sounded fool proof and he knew better than to doubt their pets.
"You've beaten the odds before and you'll do it again," Draco assured him.
Harry snorted. "No pressure," he muttered dryly.
"The only difference between Voldemort and Dumbledore is hair," Draco said with a straight face. "And a nose I suppose," he added thoughtfully.
Unwillingly, an amused chuckle escaped Harry and he looked down at glittering, grey eyes.
"I missed that laugh," Draco murmured and stretched out a hand to caress Harry's cheek almost reverently.
Harry felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment and he glanced away, uttering a flustered, "Shut up."
"No, seriously, I want to see you laugh more. You're not made to look like you're brooding all the time," Draco informed him sincerely. "You – out of everyone I know – deserve to be happy."
"You're such a sap, you know that? Waking up early doesn't do you wonders, I see," Harry retorted, but a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
"Yeah, but I'm willing to be a sap if it means that frown disappears. I got you to stop brooding, right?" Draco remarked with a raised eyebrow.
Harry blinked surprised and fell silent when he realised his lover was right. While worry still lingered in him, he felt a bit lighter and a tad more relaxed.
"There is no need to keep worrying. We are prepared and we will win."
The dark haired wizard smiled faintly and squeezed Draco's hip with his free hand. "I'll hold you to that."
The flickering flames of the small fire kept them company while they dozed until it was time to go to classes.

"Everyone still remembers the plan?" Lucius asked sharply. He stood with his back to the window and the bright sunlight cast a golden hallow around his long, blond hair.
Everybody nodded tersely; the knowledge of what was to come a heavy burned on their minds.
"Don't you need to take the portraits with you when you set up the ritual?" Kingsley asked with a quirked eyebrow.
"No, their spirits will appear once we start the ritual," Remus answered; his eyes flickered with an amber colour: a sign the wolf was close to the surface.
"Where will it take place?" McGonagall asked; her face was as white as a sheet and her clasped hands trembled slightly.
"In a clearing in the Forbidden Forest," Sirius replied gruffly. "So it's best to keep the students out of it today."
"Does anyone else in your department know what we're planning?" Snape inquired coolly, with his arms crossed in front of his chest.
"Only Tonks," Kingsley retorted calmly. "We already have our story ready when we bring him in."
"It's time," Garin hissed suddenly. "The eagle can sense him. In an hour he will be here."
Harry gritted his teeth together, but announced, "Rowen has sensed him. He'll be here in an hour."
"Then we better set up the ritual before we run out of time," Lucius said abruptly, tapping his cane on the floor.
"Good luck," McGonagall told them solemnly and they left her office quietly; her heavy gaze resting on their backs.
"If you look at the weather, you wouldn't guess something bad is going to happen," Harry said darkly after he threw a quick glance out of the window while the staircase brought them down.
The sun was shining brightly and there were barely any clouds covering the bright blue sky. Some birds could be heard chirping and both Mara's and Ruby's ears perked up at that sound.
"Consider it a good sign for us," Draco muttered. His hand felt slightly clammy in Harry's grip. "I'm sure that daft professor of Divination would say something like that."
Harry felt too worried to be able to crack a smile at that remark. Their baby was reacting to his stress by fussing around. He barely had room to move around now that he was almost full grown and Harry had to conceal a wince when a firm kick was aimed at his bladder. He hoped the baby would be lulled to sleep by his walking, but he guessed that would be futile, as long as he stayed stressed.
The group was so focused on the upcoming ritual that none of them took notice of a curious pair of eyes locked onto them. The three Elemental Creatures shared a look, but didn't alert their masters.

Twenty minutes later, they reached the clearing that had been chosen as the intended place for the ritual; it was fairly deeply located inside the forest and rather deserted looking. Not one bird or other animal could be heard.
Draco and Harry were ushered to the middle of the circle, where they exchanged their school uniforms for deep blue robes, which were covered with various runes stitched onto them with golden thread. The belt was a white rope and Harry had some trouble adjusting it around his waist. Their feet remained bare on the cool, damp earth, as the ritual required close contact with the earth: the main source of magic.
Around them Sirius placed the Deathly Hallows – the Elder Wand visibly trembled when it was put on the ground – in a triangle accompanied by a black and a white candle on each side. After he had placed the Invisibility Cloak on the ground, he took a step backwards and Remus started creating the first circle with salt, murmuring something which Harry couldn't pick up. The second circle was created with the smoke of sage and Lucius waved the burning sage around, chanting something underneath his breath, after the other men and the Elemental Creatures had taken their places.
"We need to sit down," Draco whispered; his eyes seemed to burn against his pale face.
Harry swallowed and nodded, sinking down slowly until he was sitting with his legs crossed and his visible belly cradled by his thighs.
Draco held out his hands and Harry grabbed them, entwining their fingers. Throughout the ritual they had to hold hands to ensure that the connection with the ancient magic wouldn't be broken. For that reason they also had to rid themselves from any watches or jewellery that they wore, because those could interfere with the magical flow. Harry hadn't known how used he had become to feeling the familiar weight of Draco's gifts on him until he had to put them aside. It made him feel naked and restless.
They all looked up when the leaves rustled heavier than before and Rowen appeared; his large wings whipping up dead leaves and dust when he landed on the ground.
"The illusion is leading him here," he announced and his sharp eyes flashed up in blood thirst.
Harry took a deep breath and his son nudged him with a foot. As they were counting on support from Hogwarts herself, performing the ritual near the borders of the wards would have been useless. Luring Dumbledore to this place would have been too dangerous, as the ex-Headmaster was likely to try killing Harry immediately.
Yes, luring him to this place would have put them in grave danger – but only if it was really them luring him out. Rowen had managed to create an illusion of Harry, of which the magic would be strong enough to influence Dumbledore and convince him to follow the illusion to the clearing.
At first Harry had had his reservations about the plan – Dumbledore was not a weak, easily influenced wizard after all – but apparently he had underestimated just how powerful an Elemental Creature could be.
"Remember, boys, don't let yourselves get distracted by him," Remus reminded them tersely; the knuckles of his hand had turned white with the force of his grip on his wand.
Harry and Draco both nodded; their faces grim and tense. As soon as Hogwarts trapped Dumbledore once he came near enough, they would need to start chanting to make certain that the wizard was immediately caught by the magic. If they even hesitated for one second, the whole ritual would be ruined and they would be in danger then.
They weren't allowed to hesitate or let themselves be distracted by what happened in and outside of the circles. They had to depend on the others to make certain that Dumbledore wouldn't be able to attack them.
And while Harry did trust the other men with his life, he wasn't comfortable at all with the thought that he was practically defenceless as long as the ritual was in place.
Both he and Draco stilled when the illusion came running into the clearing, halting right in front of the first circle.
For a very short moment, Harry was amazed at the details that had been put into the illusion; he could have been looking into the mirror. Even the roundness of his stomach was perfectly replicated and it honestly disturbed him a bit.
He swore his heart stopped beating for a few seconds when the air became heavy, oppressive, filled with powerful magic. A low buzzing sound filled the space and the rustling of leaves was merely background noise.
Then Dumbledore calmly stepped forwards, out of the shadows, allowing Harry to look at him for the first time in almost a year. He hadn't changed much – somehow Harry had expected to see some significant changes – only his beard had grown slightly longer and his bright blue eyes glittered brightly; a fire seemed to burn deep within them.
He seemed to be still caught inside the illusion as he gave no sign that he had noticed the other people gathered into the clearing. His eyes narrowed slightly and a friendly smile danced upon his lips.
"Come on, now, Harry. You know running is not good in your condition," he said gently and took a step forwards.
Harry tensed; just two more steps and he would be in the right place for Hogwarts to act. He could practically feel how still the other men had become.
The illusion sneered and drew his wand, taking a step back.
"I see a lesson is in order," Dumbledore murmured lightly and stepped forwards.
Only to suddenly turn around and point his wand at Harry, whose eyes widened.
"Lesson number one: illusions don't work on high levelled wizards," Dumbledore chided him gently, as if correcting a mistake in his pronunciation, and raised his wand.
At that moment, several bars of golden light sprung up from the ground and rose up fast until they came together several feet high up in the air, trapping Dumbledore inside the cage like an animal.
Stone grey locked onto emerald green and from their mouths, the chant they had practiced together rose and mingled in the air, calling up the ancient forces of magic.
It was time to put an end to this threat once and for all.

As soon as they started chanting, their own magic rose up, eager to mingle with the ancient forces that would soon arrive. The earth trembled underneath them and shook and it made Draco tighten his grip around Harry's hands.
A loud roar from somewhere on his right made him flinch, but he continued chanting, looking right into emerald green to ground himself.
Slowly he became aware of different sensations battling with each other. There was a soft 'thud' sound and it took him a couple of seconds to realise that it was not one single sound, but multiple ones which were in sync with each other: their heartbeats. The rustling sound that accompanied the 'thud' sound was their breathing synchronized.
His ears picked up the voices of the other men, who were chanting their part of the spell. Occasionally their magic brushed against Draco's magic, like a fish which quickly swam past someone. Harry's magic was like a beacon, calling out to him and his own mixed with it effortlessly until they were so entangled that he could no longer tell where his own was in the mixture.
Once their magic was entwined, all the other sensations seemed to dull and die out. He could feel their bond roaring to life; the mark in his neck burning as if something hot was pressed against it. He became aware of burning rage, deep sorrow and slumbering panic. Were those emotions his or Harry's?
A third presence flashed up every now and then, like a spark of light in the endless darkness: their baby. For now still safely resting inside Harry.
Suddenly something heavy, unfamiliar touched their joined magic; it didn't feel dangerous or threatening, but it didn't feel safe or comforting either.
A stream of images filled his mind without any warning: there was a circle a lot bigger than their own; a square stone drenched with blood; a body bound tightly against a large tree; dark clouds quickly gathering over a patch of grassland; a full moon against a pitch black sky; a roaring fire in a circular room with a group of people dancing around it …
The sound of a liquid dripping against stone filled his ears, followed by nonsensical muttering; a haunting song; the crackling of a fire …
It dawned on Draco what exactly had joined their magic: the ancient powers, the beginning and ending of all, the source of all the magic in the world, had appeared. This realisation hit him like a ton of bricks, leaving him breathless.
The ancient powers purred, as if delighted by the apprehensive fear they could feel pouring out of the participants of the ritual.
This was the most crucial part of the ritual; if they messed up now, the ancient powers would turn against them and take their magic. They didn't care who had called them; they just wanted to receive their offer. They were as ravenous wolves, not satisfied until their prey was no more.
Draco and Harry stopped chanting, closed their eyes and started drawing runes in the air, which indicated what they sought to accomplish.
The ancient powers seemed to still for a couple of long, agonizing seconds until an eerie chuckle filled the air and the clearing darkened, as if something was hiding the sun.
Draco started murmuring the next spell, Harry joining him immediately, "And we call upon Thee,", and they became aware of all the changes the circles had gone through by now. They were surrounded by a broad, silver thread of light, tinted with black and purple, which hummed and thrummed.
Their family stood spread out – one on each point of the compass – with their eyes closed, bodies as still as a statue; only their mouths moved, murmuring spells.
All the candles were lit; the Invisibility Cloak hovered in the air in such a manner that it looked like someone was wearing it. The Resurrection Stone glowed a dark red and several strands of dark shadows were slithering across the ground, sprouting from the centre of the stone. Right in front of Draco, the Elder Wand was swaying from left to right, visibly trembling.
The Deathly Hallows weren't the only ones affected by the ritual. Rowen was hovering mid-air, surrounded by several torrents of wind; Ruby's whole body was engulfed in flames and he was breathing fire. Mara sat immobile in a large bubble of water with several spikes of ice scattered around her; Garin's long body was wrapped around a miniature hill of earth and grass, while his venom dripped sluggishly from his glinting fangs.
Meanwhile four spirits – the ghosts of the four Founders – roamed around the circle, their eyes blank, while they chanted something in an unknown language with deep, echoing voices.
Draco could feel himself grow weak; never before had he been forced to use so much of his magic. Never before had he lowered all barriers.
He forced himself to stay awake and he released more of his magic when he sensed Harry's strained breathing. The ritual had to finish soon, because Harry was nearing his limit. Draco could feel it in the trembling hands, the strained breathing, a part of their joined magic that pulsed more erratically …
Panic and worry started to blossom in him and he forced himself to concentrate on the golden cage containing Dumbledore, lest he would ruin his focus by being overwhelmed with emotions.
There was only one word to describe the old man: terrifying. Utterly terrifying. His eyes shone with unbridled, insane rage and his voice roared in fury; his magic – swarming around him like purple thunderclouds – clashing with the cage, attempting to destroy it.
For one heart stopping moment he almost succeeded: the bars of the cage were bending and groaning in protest; the golden light started to splinter as if it was mere wood.
Then the ancient forces swept down like an eagle which had caught sight of its prey. They draped themselves over the confinement like curtains, muting the screams and then they started squeezing and prodding.
Several things happened at once. The shadowy tendrils of the Resurrection Stone latched onto the cage, pumping their own power in it. The Cloak and the Wand switched places until they were hovering above the Stone, forming a triangle upside down. A poisonous green light was exuded by the three Hallows and that light was sucked in by the ancient forces as well.
After the shadowy tendrils and green light, a chunk of earth dripping with venom, a fireball, a large jet of ice cold water and a miniature hurricane collided with the wriggling mass around the cage.
Somewhere a faint scream sounded, but that was quickly swallowed up by the ancient forces that were making low, rumbling noises before they stilled.
For several seconds all was quiet.
Then a razor sharp wind raged around them, half tearing Draco's and Harry's robes to shreds and a sickening slurping sound filled the air.
A pillar of purple light started to form above the hidden cage and the screaming intensified until it turned into agonized howling, which almost drowned out the howling of the wind.
Draco felt sick when he caught sight of fleeting images being inhaled by the pillar of light. He didn't dare to look at them directly; he instinctively knew that those were Dumbledore's memories, devoured together with his magic.
A long time seemed to pass until the pillar of light finally faded out. The ancient powers slowly released their grip on the cage.
All was silent.
The ancient powers hovered above them like a dark cloud, but Draco's attention was focused on one spot only.
Dumbledore laid crumpled on the ground; his wand was shattering in several tiny pieces and all life seemed drained from him so that he resembled a skeleton more than a human being.
Draco could no longer sense his magic; it was as if it never had existed in the first place. As if Dumbledore had been merely a Muggle.
The ancient powers swept past them with a deafening, almost pleased sounding roar and then they were gone.
Birds started chirping, the sun peeked through the leaves and rodents shuffled through the bushes. Everything had returned to normal.
All of a sudden Draco became aware of the way his magic and Harry's were buzzing madly.
"Draco, Potter, reign your magic in now!" Severus barked and for the first time Draco detected a hint of panic in his voice.
That did nothing to soothe Draco's own worries.
However instead of wondering why Severus would be panicking, Draco focused on his magic and started to pull it back. It went slow. Very slow.
Sweat broke out on his forehead and he lost his grip on Harry. His sight wavered and nausea was starting to creep up, but he kept pulling at his magic. It finally got untangled from Harry's and it sunk back into him slightly easier now.
At least that was what he thought.
His head started to feel awfully light, he thought faintly and he was barely aware of hands gripping his shoulders while a familiar voice snapped at him to remain with them.
Remain with who?
A low moan came from somewhere at his left and his hand reached out weakly to grab Harry's. He had to close his eyes, because the world was started to spin, but he managed to grab a hold of Harry's wrist.
A wrist that felt very cold, yet clammy. Or was his own hand too cold to feel warm skin?
"Draco, stay with me, son!"
Who was that? His father?
Hands shook his shoulders and he groaned in distress. His magic was buzzing even louder now and felt uncomfortably warm when it sunk back into his core.
Was this normal?
"…arry! Come on, Harry! Get yourself together!"
What was happening to Harry? Panic swirled in his stomach and tried to fight with the exhaustion that was taking him over.
"… doesn't look good. Lupin, we need to …"
"They both need to get immediate …"
"… do about the baby?"
It was getting harder and harder to concentrate on the conversations around him and even though he felt someone slapping him, he couldn't open his eyelids. They felt so heavy, as if something was pressing them shut.
Something long slithered over him and he felt the cool breath of Mara washing over him.
"Draco, come on! Just a bit more. Your magic is almost reigned in."
Did that explain why he was feeling so sick?
He wanted to open his mouth, say something, ask what the fuck was going on, but darkness surrounded him completely and he was too weak to fight against it.
Darkness engulfed him.
And then there was nothing.

AN2: Yes, yes, I did leave you at a cliffhanger again. Yes, I know I'm evil. At least I updated on time now, right? (Silver lining, guys, silver lining.)
Next chapter will wrap everything up, followed by the epilogue and the oneshot in Sirius' pov.
Please leave your thoughts behind in a review! (If you notice any mistakes, please point them out to me).
See you all in the next chapter!
Cuddles
Melissa
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Survival of the fittest