Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Bound	By : goldhorse Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 126052 -:- Recommendations : 15 -:- Currently Reading : 31
Disclaimer: JK owns HP. Not me. I also don't own any quotes you might recognize. I make no money doing this, I just get the plot bunnies to quit interrupting my sleep.

Chapter List
- 55
- 56
- 57
“Outside!” Draco yelled and grabbed Hermione’s arm.

If they were going to get any chance of catching the Potters, they’d have to intercept them before the fighting started. The bad thing was that Severus was nowhere to be found. He remembered the blazing row that his godfather and Melody had about a week prior regarding how they would tell Potter his fate. It was decided that Severus would relinquish his memories to Potter, finally revealing why he had protected him all these years. Melody had called it a cleansing. He remembered their last few words quite well.

“Come on Sev, you need to make peace with it.”

“I have made peace with it!” Severus snapped. “I protected that bloody brat to the detriment of my own life, sanity and your…” His voice cracked and he cleared his throat before whispering. “Your safety. How can you want me to give him something so precious?”

“Don’t you think it’s time you put Lilly to rest?” Melody sighed and flopped down in his lap. “Sev, you’ve kept her with you for a very long time. It’s time to share. Make your peace. Explain your motivations. Move on.”

“I have moved on,” Snape growled to a nodding Melody.

“You have a mate, a damn fine one. I’m having your children and I have no doubt she will too but Sev, if you don’t do this, you’ll always feel…burdened with her memory. Sev if…if you…if you don’t, um, make it…” Melody strangled and then cleared her throat, viciously wiping away tears and trying to stop sniffling. “If you don’t make it, you might come back as a ghost. Do you want that?”

“No,” Severus snapped. “I want to move on to my peace.”

“But there won’t be any if you don’t do this. Don’t you see? I know it’s terrifying, letting someone in but you let me in and you let Celeste in, you’ve even started letting Draco and Hermione in. I guarantee you, we’d all rather slit our throats than to hurt you Sev.”

“And what if I live, hm? I’ll have to face that smug bastard. He’ll have something over me.”

“No Sev,” Melody said softly. “The boy doesn’t take after his father that way. James was a cruel bully but he was loyal to a fault and that is what Harry gained from him. That and his messy raven hair, hair like yours.”

Severus looked up, his face growing black.

“Stop right there Sev. I know what you think every time you look at that boy, that he should be yours. He’s not Sev.” She placed his hand on her still flat stomach. “These are your children, your blood, and you’ll have more but remember, I see more than most. You are blind when it comes to Harry Potter. He is so like Lilly, kind and caring. She was dead wrong to shun you for a slip of the tongue uttered in anger but it happened and no time turner in the world will help that. No matter what happened over 20 years ago Sev, Harry isn’t like that. He’s the best mixture of both, kind, caring, and loyal. He’ll give up his very life for the sake of his loved ones. Have you thought about what happens if he doesn’t come back?”

Severus dropped his head in his hands. “Only a dozen times a day.”

“Perhaps he deserves some peace before he dies as well. I can think of nothing better than the knowledge that his mother died with vengeance on your lips,” Melody said and got up off his lap, giving him a kiss on his head and a pat before walking out.

Draco had been standing just outside the doorway, peeking in through the crack in the door. Melody smiled and grabbed his arm, essentially ordering him to walk her back to her quarters. He’d been so shaken that he’d simply gone with her in silence.

It had taken the full week before a very surly Severus Snape finally agreed, but the memories would only be relinquished in the moments just before he was to face the Dark Lord. They assumed they’d have more time, keeping the Death Eaters at bay while Harry viewed the memories that would condemn him to death under Harmony and Dumbledore’s watchful eye. Now, they might face losing him before he ever had a chance to know.

“We need a tracking charm,” Hermione growled, startling him out of his past memories. “It’s the only way.”

“No, the only way is for Alex to physically drag him back here,” Draco sighed. “Because we don’t have the target charm on him to track.”

“Fuck,” Hermione screamed, causing Draco’s eyebrows to rise in surprise. Hermione never just out and out cursed like that.

“I’d have to say I agree,” Draco huffed.

They came to a stop right at the end of the walkway, the gates looming in their sight. The unforgivable cage glittered brilliantly against the other protection spells, resembling a gilded birdcage that encompassed the entire grounds. Just beyond that was a line of silver, obviously put out to try and combat the werewolves and vampires that were teaming just behind it.

“We need to light the place up,” Draco said softly, trying to gather his nerve.

“What if the potion doesn’t work?”

“It’s a risk we’re going to have to take.”

“Alex,” Hermione whispered.

Draco slammed his eyes shut and nodded. If the sunlight potion failed or if he couldn’t feed often enough, he could be badly hurt, possibly die. “There’s nothing for it. We’ve got to level the playing field now.”

Hermione nodded, a solitary tear rolling down her face at the thought of possibly killing the vampire who’d vowed his undead life to help them. Reaching down deep, she found the strength of her magic, reveled in it, brought it to the surface to merge with her husbands. All around them, the wards crackled with heavy hits from the Death Eaters trying to break through the protective wards. She felt the power spark, setting her veins on fire as if electrocuted.

Draco held on to his wife’s hand as if his life depended on it. Thinking on it, he supposed it did. He took a deep breath and felt the surge, the wind whip, and the flicker of the existing wards reacting to their intense buildup of power. He was thankful that their power didn’t interfere with the wards already in place. Feeling the ground pull away, he gripped Hermione’s hand tighter and concentrated on releasing it in a solid burst of pure sunlight.

A deep breath later, the sunlight escaped their outstretched fingers and manifested in the sky. The entire ground of Hogwarts was illuminated, casting every human and creature in sharp relief. Shrieks and hisses filled the air as hundreds of vampires turned to stone and flaked away in ashes. Tears streamed down Hermione’s face as she watched the few vampires who were under the cover of trees flail and shriek, their bodies badly singed. All she could do was hope that the others, Alex, Victor, Demitri, and their covens remained intact.

They held the spell as long as they could stand while they took in the enemy just beyond the barrier of Hogwarts. Hundreds of men and women in black cloaks stood firing hex after hex to try and break the wards. Statues of vampires now littered the spaces in between them, slowly disintegrating into ash and nothingness. A slew of half transformed werewolves were stalking back and forth, their hands shielding their eyes from the harsh light. It was just a stroke of luck that it wasn’t the full moon. Beyond them, hulking figures as tall as mountains were lumbering back and forth, pounding their fists in agitation. Huge spiders scuttled back and forth, sensing the coming of fresh meat. It was nothing short of terrifying.

The spell fizzled out, shrouding the world in inky blackness once more. Colors soared through the air and hit the invisible wards protecting the school, sparking and falling only for another to take its place. The grounds rocked, sounds of thunder and sizzling combined in a roar loud enough to make heads pound. It wouldn’t be long and their enemy would converge upon the school.

“Come on love, we’ve got to find Potter.” Draco spun around, never relinquishing her hand and started running across the border of the school. It was hard to see, even with the dull flashes of light and the glow emitting from the unforgivable ward cage. He hastily took out his wand and cast a lumos maxima so he could see all the way around him. It wouldn’t do to run into the wrong person.

“Draco, Hermione!” A deep voice bellowed. Alex came careening towards them, mostly dragging a person behind him. Celeste was on his heels, also dragging a person.

“Harry! Ginny!” Hermione couldn’t help but give a sigh of relief that they’d found them. Sticking together would be their best bet.

“We’ve got to find Severus,” Celeste said, her eyes darting back and forth as if trying to find a way past the wards.

“He’s on the other side. He won’t be able to break through until the wards fall,” Draco said worriedly. “I don’t even know if he’ll answer his mirror.”

He pulled the watch out hastily and called for his Godfather with a trembling voice. No answer. A loud creak sounded out and a visible crack formed above the school.

“Shit,” Celeste breathed. “Come on, let’s get inside. We’ll have a much better shot in the castle. We can call Harmony when we get there.”

The six figures ran full tilt to the doors of the castle, having to keep a shield up when they were pelted with a few low level spells. No one had recognized them at first but Harry made sure to scream loudly enough to alert everyone to their presence.

“What’s he doing here?” Kingsley’s deep voice reverberated off the walls. Several other students as well as members of the Order nodded their heads in agreement when he pointed to Draco.

“He’s on our side,” Harry panted, still out of breath from their sprint.

“He tried to kill Dumbledore!” Someone screamed. “He let the Death Eaters in!”

“Wrong,” Harry screamed, silencing everyone in the vicinity. “Draco tried to save Dumbledore while maintaining his cover as a spy. He fights with us now.”

“Who are they?” A voice from the back cried.

“They are with us!” Hermione yelled, her eyes scanning the room to see if anyone would turn on them.

“How can you be so sure?” Charlie Weasley cried.

“Oh save it,” Ron huffed. “They’re with us. Let’s focus on the real enemy here. Voldemort and his Death Eaters are just beyond those ward lines and they’ll all come crashing in here if we don’t provide a united front!”

Hermione smiled softly at Ron, pleased at his newfound bravado. It didn’t escape her notice that he had Luna’s hand securely in his own. She only hoped they both survived the night. He deserved some happiness. Murmurs spread throughout the hall as another loud pop was heard. The wards had cracked further.

“You two are going to have to reconnect soon,” Alex said under his breath so no one but them could hear. “You used up too much energy on that sunlight spell.”

“We took them all out and leveled the odds a bit. That’s what matters,” Draco whispered.

“I agree and it was absolutely breathtaking but you must reconnect or you might find your power waning,” Celeste prompted.

“What are we supposed to do?” Draco asked in frustration. “I can’t very well fuck her right here in the floor.”

“Not that you wouldn’t want to,” Alex chuckled and shook his head. “Bite her.”

“I’d rather not let anyone in on that little secret. Enough of them hate me as it is,” Draco whispered.

“So kiss and bite her tongue,” Celeste said with a shrug. “They only see the kiss, realize that you aren’t the person you used to be, and you two reconnect through the blood.”

“If we do that, we might not be able to stop,” Hermione said with an uncomfortable squirm.

“We’ll break it up if it gets too far,” Alex said. “In fact, Harry, you might want to kiss your wife right about now. Kiss her with everything you have.”

Harry didn’t have to be told twice. He clutched Ginny close to his chest and slammed his lips down over hers, their mouths locked in a heart stopping embrace. Draco couldn’t help but grin at the display, the Boy Who Lived snogging the daylights out of the scrappiest of the Weasleys. He could feel their power flowing through the room and making him feel the imbalance between himself and his wife.

He turned to her and gently pulled her hair back, hooking it behind her ear. By Merlin, he wished he could stand in that spot and drink in her beauty for eternity. She looked like a goddess, her skimpy red and gold dress, her riot of curls, and the beautiful hummingbird on her temple fluttering and making her face glow. He couldn’t help himself. Bending down, he took her lips in the gentlest of kisses, trying to memorize the feel of her mouth on his. She swung her arms around him, deepening the kiss into something more, a force that he couldn’t help but give into. He felt her fangs click against his and gently nipped the lithe muscle in her mouth. The answering pinch caused his trousers to become uncomfortably tight. The taste of copper and treacle tart flooded his mouth and he gulped it down, knowing she was tasting his flavor as well. The magical wind whipped around them again, renewing their cores and filling them with the buzz of their magic.

The voices that were just a low hum before became cries of awe and outrage. How dare the filth of Slytherin touch the Gryffindor golden girl? No one could believe their eyes, pureblood Malfoy clinging to muggle-born Granger as if she were the last drink of water in the desert. They never would understand that she was the last drink, the last he’d ever taste, the last he ever wanted to taste. She was everything. The bites had healed but he was loathe to pull back, face reality. He wanted to drown in her, crawl inside and seat himself so far in her mind and body that Draco Malfoy ceased to exist.

Alas, the kiss couldn’t last any longer. The loud crash of wards falling signaled the beginning of the fight for their lives and the beginning of their reign as protectors. He pulled back, quickly licking the spare flecks of blood from her lips in an attempt to savor the moment. She returned the gesture and then pulled out her wand, quickly transforming her garb into jeans, a jumper, and trainers. He followed suit, not wanting to run around in vinyl pants worthy of a Knockturn Alley whore all night. He grabbed her, pulling her back as close to his chest as he could and looked over to see Harry do the same. Celeste and Alex were close behind, holding hands, fear evident in their eyes if not their faces.

“Potter, whatever you do, keep an eye out for Severus. He holds the key to winning,” Celeste breathed.

“What do you mean?” Harry asked.

“He has something he desperately needs to show you,” Alex said, his voice deceptively calm. “You need to find him, retrieve it, and run straight upstairs to the headmaster’s office.”

“Can you two not tell me?” Harry asked in frustration.

“I’m afraid we don’t know what it is,” Celeste lied convincingly. In truth, Severus had extracted the memories once before, just after bonding with her in an effort to explain what drove him. She’d come out of the pensive in tears, loving him all the more for the man he’d become.

“Fine,” Harry snapped. “Wasn’t someone going to call Harmony?”

“Right!” Alex yelled and pulled a ladies’ compact out of his pocket. “Harmony!”

“I’m here Alex,” Harmony’s voice trembled. “They’ll come through the main door first. Let them. To try and ward it will end in a shattered door and more casualties.”

“But they’ll have access to everyone!” Harry cried.

“I didn’t say you couldn’t blast them the second they got through,” Harmony snapped, fear getting the better of her.

“Where’s Melody?” Alex breathed.

“She and Severus have been pushed to the back, behind the werewolves. I think she prefers it although I’m afraid she won’t be the one exacting revenge on Fenrir.”

“Someone better,” Draco said darkly.

“I think you’re just the man for the job,” Harmony’s voice wavered again. “Here they come. Five minutes more and they’ll have broken through.”

“Harmony,” Hermione’s voice was soft, full of fear. “Will we get to father before…” She couldn’t finish the statement.

“Only just,” Harmony whispered. “Only just.”

“He’ll live,” Draco growled. “He’ll live if I have to slice my wrist and feed him my own blood.”

“That won’t work. You’re bonded,” Alex snapped.

“I’ll feed him mine too,” Hermione sniffed. “He can drink if it comes from us both.”

“So he is a vampire then.” Ron’s voice startled them all, none hearing him over the booming of the falling wards.

“Daywalker,” Luna said serenely.

“You knew?” Ron asked in surprise.

“She’s an empath Ronald,” Hermione said tiredly. “There isn’t much she doesn’t know.”

“I’m afraid there are many things I don’t know,” Luna said softly. “But if he needs blood, I’d be happy to donate some of mine, so long as I get to keep a portion.”

“I’m afraid I can’t see his fate,” Harmony said, sadness permeating her tone. “By the Gods, I want to but I’m terrified of what I’ll see. I’ve purposely not touched him in a long while. I-I… he is my savior. I want him to live.”

“Where will it happen?” Draco asked, dreading the answer.

“All I know is that he’s been there twice before, both times because of a werewolf.”

“Remus,” Hermione breathed. “He’ll be in the Shrieking Shack.”

“Then that’s where we head,” Harry said with determination.

“I’m afraid it will be an hour or so before he arrives there. The Dark Lord will not call him until he realizes that the battle is not going in his favor.”

“If they can’t cast Unforgivables, how are we going to protect everyone?” Draco asked, his mind whirring. “We can’t help them dodge every slicing hex.”

“Do what you can,” Harmony said softly. “Heal who you can. Destroy whoever refuses to go quietly.”

“Are we allowed to destroy?” Hermione’s voice quivered.

“If they are threatening the wellbeing of others, you have permission to strike them down,” Harmony whispered. “They won’t be cowed by simply tripping them.”

“They will if I blast them off the bloody stairs,” Ron said darkly.

“There’s a thought,” Celeste said, eyeing the stairwells. “There are still students in the upper levels, more Order members are showing up on the seventh floor. Harmony, this is going to be a full castle invasion, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Harmony whispered. “Only the room I stand in is safe. It is time. Be careful, fight hard and…come back to me alive.”

“We’ll try our hardest,” Alex said and caressed the mirror lovingly.

“If you need help healing, Philippe is standing guard at the bottom of the stairs by the gargoyle. He’ll heal everything he can. Albus and Severus were able to crack the wards to allow you to apparate, only you, the eight of you.”

“I can apparate?” Ron asked, glee in his eyes.

“I’m sorry Ron, not you or Luna.” Harmony really did sound sorry. “There was no way to include you in the wards without giving everyone rights.”

“Why not?”

“It’s tied to their magic.” Luna answered as if it were the most obvious question in the world. “It’s easier to tie it to an anomaly. Oh look.”

Everyone turned sharply to see a bright light glowing right outside the main doors. Alex bid goodbye to Harmony and snapped the compact shut, tucking it safely away and crouching into a defensive position. The others held their wands at the ready, waiting on baited breath for the shoe to drop.

SNAP!

The door broke open, flying inwardly but remaining on its hinges. Harmony was right. If they’d tried to seal it, it would have shattered on impact. A swarm of cloaked figures descended on them, hexes and curses flying everyone. A dozen green lights flared and then fizzled. Harry gave a shout of triumph before knocking the legs out from under a Death Eater as he aimed a curse at a cowering fifth year. Ginny joined him and they ran to protect the unprepared students.

Alex breezed by Draco, immediately pouncing on the fallen figure and sinking his fangs into him. Hermione shuddered at the brutality but fought down her feelings of nausea. If Alex didn’t feed, the sunlight potion could weaken him considerably. Another Death Eater leveled his wand at him and Draco struck, snapping the offending stick in half before blasting the holder through the door and into a few others. Hermione followed his lead, sweeping the ground and knocking over half a dozen entering figures like pins at the bowling alley. Ron and Luna were picking them off one by one, taking out the most aggressive ones first.

It was clear that Voldemort had sent the pawns in first. Mostly low level and weaker members, they fell easily but there were so many. They easily outnumbered them three to one. Even with all their power, Draco and Hermione were powerless to stop everyone. The others were putting up a brilliant fight. McGonagall had charmed the suits of armor to skewer any offending Death Eater on sight. Madam Sprout was hurling venomous tentaculas and devils snare into the faces of others. Even Trelawney was getting into the game, whizzing crystal balls through the air and on top of heads with a flick of her wand. The breath left them as they watched Dennis Creevy get hit with bone shattering curse. Quickly taking out the hexer, they sprinted over to him and began mending what they could.

“He shouldn’t even be here!” Hermione yelled, mending as many bones as she could while dodging hexes and firing curses.

“I’ll take him to Philippe,” Draco growled. “Be careful,” he warned and scooped the small boy up in his arms, turning on the spot and disappearing with a pop.

Hermione didn’t see the hex that hurdled towards her back until it was too late. Luckily, it was just a jelly legs jinx and she toppled to the ground, still able to fight. There were so many Death Eaters now it was almost impossible to fight them and free herself from the effects of the jinx. Luna came running out of nowhere and cast the counter before she jumped into a battle with a rather portly Death Eater, casting furiously. Hermione viciously stabbed her wand and took out Luna’s attacker. With a nod to the blonde, Hermione ran as close to the door as she dared.

A hand settled on her shoulder but before she could react, she heard a deep soothing voice. “We’re here.”

Demitri had come. She could see the coven members now, swarming around her. To say she felt uneasy was an understatement but they had his word. When the five remaining members of Demitri’s coven met, they grinned and crouched.

“For the coven,” the dark skinned one intoned. All five pounced on the nearest Death Eater, ripping their throats open and gulping down a mouthful of blood before moving on to the next one.

Screams sounded out at the brutality they showed but Hermione found she couldn’t bring herself to care. This was war. Instead, her eyes scanned the crowd looking for anyone who might try and hex the vampires. What she saw next made her heart stop. Fenrir was leading a pack of werewolves through the door. There had to be at least fifty and they were too close to the vampires to cast an effective hex.

“Demitri! I can’t take out the werewolves with you so close. Fall back!” Hermione screamed. She didn’t need to; vampires have excellent hearing after all but it had become habit. As if they sensed her desperation, they disengaged and zoomed further into the room, pouncing on anyone who dared lift a wand toward a member of the light.

Draco appeared at her side just as the first strings came through. “Alright there love?”

“Oh thank Merlin.” Hermione almost sobbed but caught herself. “Silver! Demitri’s coven has already fallen back.”

“Where’s Remus?” Draco yelled.

“I’m over here. Cast it!” Remus screamed, running up the stairs and barreling into two Death Eaters that had a group of girls cornered on the second floor. They rolled down the floor in a flurry of black cloaks and Remus summoned the girls’ wands to return to them.

“On three.” Draco nodded and he counted them off. A stream of solid silver shot out of their wands, covering the mass of entering bodies with the molten substance. Tortured screams filled the air as werewolves cowered on the floor, scraping the metal off their bodies and melting the skin from their flesh. It smelled so strongly that he was hard pressed to keep his dinner down. There was no time for weak stomachs though. The third string was about to enter.

‘Where are they?’ Hermione thought, deciding it was useless to keep trying to scream above the den of tortured howls.

‘Harmony said after the werewolves. There’s still so many.’ Draco shot another silver spell, this time it materialized in the form of flying silver daggers, piercing the hearts of several of their attackers.

‘We’ve got to find Harry,’ Hermione said, looking around frantically but it was useless. Harry’s black hair blended in with the dark cloaks of Death Eaters. Streaks of color filled the air as spell after spell was cast.

“How much time?” Draco yelled when he spotted Alex across the room. His fangs were in Crabbe Sr.’s jugular vein as he looked at his watch.

“45 minutes,” he called back, pouncing on another Death Eater and knocking them to the ground before they could fire off a hex at McGonagall.

“Damn. It feels longer,” Hermione muttered and shot off another variation of the silver spell. Ropes flew from her wand and tied up a large group, actually splitting some of them in half and filling the floor with a foul stench.

“Fall back,” Draco breathed, dragging her out of the path of the oozing blood.

“Merlin’s baggy y-fronts!” Ron screamed and scrambled out of the way just as a giant fist smashed through the upper windows.

“Giants,” Hermione and Draco exhaled.

“They should be here then.” It was Ginny, her hair in a riot of bloody tangles.

“Gin! Are you hurt?” Hermione frantically looked over her.

“Not mine.” Ginny shrugged her off and fired another silver spell which broke into little marbles and pelted the werewolves. “Victor and Sampson tore one Death Eater apart just as he jumped me.”

“Thank Merlin for that,” Draco growled and fired off a stunner at a lumbering Goyle Sr. “Where’s Potter?”

“I lost him.” Ginny’s voice was forlorn.

“Scorgify your wrist,” Hermione ordered. “As long as the knot is there, he’s fine.”

Ginny nodded and fired off three petrifying spells before she took a chance to clean her wrist. The bright copper Celtic knot glittered against her pale skin. She let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding and narrowed her eyes on the enemy again. She screamed as she saw Collin’s head crack against the stairs.

“Do you know how to apparate?” Draco asked, his eyes flickering over to the boy.

“Father taught me,” Ginny bit out and dispatched anyone who got close to the brave little Gryffindor.

“Good,” Draco continued. “Grab him and apparate him to the gargoyle outside the Headmaster’s office. Let Philippe take him. His brother is already there.”

Ginny nodded and ran as fast as she could, holding up her most powerful shield on the way. She struggled with Collin’s dead weight but managed to maneuver his arm around her shoulders. The last thing she saw as she spun on her heels was an enraged Fenrir charging her.

Harry blasted the werewolf across the room and into the wall. There was no way he was going to let that animal get near his wife. He’d donned the cloak as soon as he could, trying to find his way back to Ginny. The cloak offered him the ability to sneak up on his opponents. Once, he’d come face to face with Sergei, who nodded and grinned, switching paths and ripping at a werewolf who was busily mauling a young girl. That was when he’d spotted Ginny trying to apparate away. Draco and Hermione were picking off anyone in sight. He sprinted over to them. “Any sign?”

“Not yet,” Hermione growled, not even batting an eyelash as she heard Harry’s voice. “Ginny’s gone to take Collin to Philippe.”

“I know. I blasted Fenrir off of her.” Harry panted and shot a silver spell designed to hover around the werewolves like a boomerang.

“Where is that filthy animal?” Draco snarled. “I’ll turn him into statuary.”

“Lost track,” Harry huffed and cast a tripping jinx on another werewolf, causing it to fall into a puddle of silver liquid.

“I had no idea there were so many,” Hermione said frantically and struck again, back to the molten silver.

“There are American ones here too,” Draco reminded her.

Stones cascaded down the walls as another fist came flying through them. The giants had completely knocked down the strengthening spells. From the other end of the hall, another figure came running. “HAGGAR!”

“It’s Gwarp!” Hermione squealed and turned to see the stairway on the third floor crumbling. Percy, Charlie, Fred, and George were tackling a dozen Death Eaters or more. Their landing was about to give way. “NO!”

Draco snapped is head to the side to see what was troubling his wife. His stomach dropped to his shoes, their path clear from where they stood. Hoping to get there in time, he cast a shield and snatched her hand, running full out to get to them in time. They cast a dozen stabilizing charms to keep the stairs intact but they were failing as fast as they could throw them. Frustrated, Draco sent a cutting curse that sliced into the first Death Eater. The figure flailed a moment and then started falling, grabbing on to his mate to find purchase. The sudden weight threw the second off and they went careening off the balcony. The other three were enraged and started fighting harder just as the couple started up the stairs. One last desperate attempt and Hermione was able to trip one of them. It proved to be too much for the platform though and the stones and part of the wall crumbled, all the occupants falling in a heap of limbs.

Hermione let out a blood curdling scream but managed to keep her wits about her and caught the Weasleys, cushioning their fall as best she could. Draco cast as the same time to try and slow the fall of the wall but it broke in half. He threw the piece that remained in his control at a group of werewolves just entering the door but the other half landed with a thud. Hermione fell to her knees, trying to keep the weight of the stone from crushing her friends. Draco joined her and stabilized the spell, helping her move it to the side and not caring one whit if they crushed the Death Eaters in the process.

They backed down the stairs and ran through the rubble, picking their way through carefully. Fred and George were in bad shape, both having taken a knock to the head. Draco leaned down and was relieved to find a pulse. He quickly cast a diagnostic spell and found that they had broken spines. There would be no moving them until he fixed that. Hermione grabbed his hand and went to work, easily mending the fragile bones. Satisfied with their stability at the moment, Draco began picking through more stones to find the other unfortunate Weasleys. Just then, Ron came crashing through the rubble and screaming for his brothers. His face went white when he saw the twins.

“They’re alive Ron,” Hermione yelled. “But we’ve got to find Charlie and Percy. Help us!”

Ron cast a protective ward around the twins and started carefully levitating stones out of the way before tossing them angrily at offending Death Eaters. He came across a leg and let out a squeak. It wasn’t attached to anything. Frantic with worry, he dug through until he found the rest of the body. Charlie. He fell to his knees, trying to find a pulse.

“He’s alive but I’m not going to be able to save that leg,” Draco whispered as he knelt by his side and felt for a pulse. “There just isn’t enough time.”

“Just…do what you can,” Ron choked out.

Draco nodded and cast a cauterizing charm over the bloody stump. Scanning for any other life threatening injuries and coming up relatively unscathed, he nodded grimly and cast a charm to keep him out of shock. “We’ll need to move him soon but I think he’ll make it. Let’s find Percy.”

“I just did,” Hermione’s voice was flat, dead. She was bent over the broken form of Percy. The tall red head’s glasses were shattered and embedded in the side of his head. The top of his skull had been crushed, as had most of his body. “He was under the biggest piece.”

“Oh gods,” Draco’s voice cracked. “I couldn’t hold it. It cracked in half and I couldn’t hold it.”

“It isn’t your fault,” Ron said hollowly. “No one could have stopped it.”

“I could have,” Draco said, anger at his failure flowing through his veins.

“Look,” Ron said darkly. “I know you two are more powerful than ten Voldemorts but even you can’t thwart fate. Percy redeemed himself and fought bravely but I think…I think it was just his time.”

Hermione burst into tears and hugged her best friend closely. The carnage was getting to be too much. She felt Draco rubbing her back, trying to win himself back from the darkness and anger threatening to overtake his soul. She reached a hand back and threaded it through his. A few moments later, because that was all that could be spared in such a moment, they broke. Ron nodded to Draco and trotted back over to his brothers.

“I can take these two,” Draco said, hauling the twins up and settling them on his shoulders with the help of Ron.

“I’ll get Charlie,” Hermione ground out. They spun on their heels and landed about ten feet from Philippe, who had his hands full. Dumbledore was standing behind him, looking magnificent and horrible at the same time. He was casting as many healing and protective spells as he could.

“Holy shit,” Philippe breathed. “Report.”

“These two had cracked spines but we healed them,” Draco said, setting the twins down gently. “Concussions, broken ribs, fractured bones, but no major internal damage.” He helped Hermione set Charlie down and continued with his list of injuries. “His leg was amputated in a fall. I cauterized it and cast a shock spell on him. Surprisingly, only a few broken ribs and a minor concussion is all but he’s lost a lot of blood.”

“Thank you. I’ll get to work now.” Philippe gave them a grim smile and a nod.

They turned heel and legged it back down the corridors. Apparating was too dangerous when trying to enter such a congested area, especially when spells were being thrown. On the fourth floor, they saw Fenrir again, hovering over a screaming girl and viciously slashing at her throat. Draco screamed a silver knife hex and hit Fenrir in the back with it. The werewolf stood up screaming and bolted down the stairs. He fought the urge to follow him, instead running to see if they could save the girl.

“Lavender,” Hermione choked and started desperately trying to close the slash wounds to the gurgling girl’s throat. Draco yanked out a bottle of dittany from his robes and they breathed a sigh of relief when the wound closed.

“Thanks,” Lavender coughed out, her lips white from bloodloss.

“Shhh. Don’t speak,” Hermione whispered. “We’ll get you some help.”

“Why?”

“Because you need it,” Draco scoffed. “And we aren’t about to leave you here to die.”

“Your vampire.”

Draco grinned and affected a French accent. “I am the vampire. We had to be careful, you know.” He flashed his fangs and then closed his mouth as he saw another deep gash on her shoulder.

Lavender half laughed and then groaned. “You love each other.”

“More than life itself,” Draco whispered and scooped the moaning girl into his arms. Hermione grabbed on and they all apparated back to Philippe.

“Back so soon?” Dumbledore asked kindly.

“Werewolf,” Draco barked and set Lavender down as gently as he could.

“Thank you Draco. I’ll take it from here.”

“You’re dead!” Lavender cried.

“Hardly,” Dumbledore said kindly. “And it is all thanks to these two, one very crafty potions master, and his best friend.”

“We were all wrong,” Lavender whispered.

“You all thought what you were meant to,” The professor said softly and then brandished a bottle of foul smelling yellow liquid and began dousing at the bite marks on the girl’s shoulder. “You have fifteen minutes.”

Draco paled and thanked him before grabbing Hermione and sprinting back down the stairs and into the fray. “We’ve got to find Potter and get our arses out to that shack but how?”

“There’s a tunnel under the Whomping Willow,” Hermione gasped as she trotted behind him. “There’s a knot on the stump that will still the branches. Then you go through a little hole and it leads to a tunnel. We’ll come out behind some crates in the shack.”

“Right. There’s Weasley,” he shouted and pointed his wand at the Death Eater Ron was dueling, easily knocking him unconscious. The red head looked up and ran towards them, stunning and petrifying as he went. “How are we going to find Potter if he’s invisible?”

“HARRY!” Hermione screamed as loud as she could. A few moments later, an invisible mass bumped into her.

“Here,” Harry panted.

“We’ve got to go,” Draco said, his eyes widening as a giant stepped into the room. “We’ve only got about ten minutes to get to the shack.”

“We can’t let those things just come in. They’ll smash the place to dust,” Ron cried.

“Hold on,” Draco said, gathering Hermione in his arms and sinking his fangs into her neck. She cried out in shock but quickly snatched his arm up and bit his wrist. The contact wasn’t enough to put them over but they sucked just enough blood to strengthen the bond. They healed each other with a lick and turned around, releasing a pulse of energy strong enough to knock every giant on the path to their knees. Then they cast the most powerful stunner they possibly could at them. Harry and Ron joined in, grunting in satisfaction when the giant’s eyes fluttered shut. It was a small miracle, giants being as immune to magic as they were, but they’d pulled it off.

Draco and Hermione swayed on the spot, their magic exhausted from the large spells they’d already cast. They were steadied by the boys and ushered out the door. There was no time to waste so they stumbled along, casting weak hexes at the Death Eaters that were dueling various Order members outside. Hermione’s heart jumped in her throat when she saw Bellatrix cast a cutting curse at Tonks. The woman had just had little Teddy.

“Fuck,” Draco breathed and summoned up all the reserves he had. “Run with Potter. I’ll take care of dear Auntie Bella.”

“Draco, you aren’t strong enough,” Hermione cried.

“I’ve got to try sweetheart.” Draco kissed her forehead and urged her on. “Take care of father.”

Hermione was swept up into Ron’s strong arms and carried over to the Whomping Willow. He set her down so he could levitate a stick over and punch the knot that would immobilize the tree. Fear settled in her stomach as they crawled through the tunnel, Harry urging her to move forward. She kept the connection open with Draco, hoping that it would help his magic.

Draco was in a heated duel with Bellatrix. The woman had shrieked in outrage at his betrayal and cast a curse meant to crush his heart. He wasn’t fast enough to dodge it but someone else was.

“That’s not very nice, is it?” Melody asked and patted a relieved Draco on the shoulder.

“YOU!” Bellatrix screamed. “I knew it! I knew you weren’t real.”

“I can assure you, you diseased cunt, I am very real,” Melody hissed and sent a bolt of lightning straight at the shrieking woman. The air exploded in sparks as Draco ushered Tonks to her feet and shielded her until he could get her inside where others could help protect her. He needed to get to Lucius. His father would need blood soon.

There was a sliver of light up ahead in the tunnel. Hermione and Ron held back to let Harry lead. “The cloak!” She whispered. “Put the cloak on!”

Harry quickly draped the cloth over them and snuck to the hole to see into the dimly lit room, his eyes zeroing in on Nagini, swirling and coiling in an enchanted, starry sphere that was suspended in midair. His breath caught when he heard Snape’s voice.

“…my Lord, their resistance is crumbling-“

“And it is doing so without your help,” Voldemort hissed. “Skilled wizard though you are, Severus, I do not think you will make much difference now. We are almost there…almost.”

Hermione had to clamp her hand over her mouth to keep from crying out for her father.

Snape started speaking smoothly, almost soothingly. “Let me find the boy. Let me bring you Potter. I know I can find him, my Lord. Please?”

“I have a problem, Severus,” Voldemort said softly.

“My Lord?”

Voldemort brandished the Elder Wand, holding it delicately in his hand. “Why doesn’t it work for me, Severus?”

Harry’s heart leapt into this throat. He was the master of the Elder Wand but Voldemort…that snake bastard thought Snape was. He was going to… oh Merlin!

“My – my Lord?” Snape asked blankly. “I do not understand. You – you have performed extraordinary magic with that wand.”

“No,” Voldemort cut him off. “I have performed my usual magic. I am extraordinary, but this wand…no. It has not revealed the wonders it has promised. I feel no difference between this wand and the one I procured from Ollivander all those years ago.”

Harry clutched his forehead in pain and Hermione started rubbing soothing circles on his back while tears streamed silently down her face. There was nothing they could do. If they blew their cover, Voldemort could take at least two of them out before they had a chance to kill Nagini.

“No difference,” Voldemort said softly as he caressed the wand. “I have thought long and hard, Severus…Do you know why I have called you back from the battle?”

“No, my Lord, but I beg you will let me return. Let me find Potter.” Snape’s voice almost bordered on pleading.

“You don’t understand Potter as I do. He does not need finding. Potter will come to me. I know his weakness, you see, his one great flaw. He will hate watching the others struck down around him, knowing that it is for him that it happens. He will want to stop it at any cost. He will come.”

“But my Lord,” Severus interjected. “He might be killed accidentally by one other than yourself-“

“My instructions to my Death Eaters have been perfectly clear. Capture Potter. Kill his friends – the more, the better – but do not kill him. But it is of you that I wished to speak, Severus, not Harry Potter. You have been very valuable to me. Very valuable.”

“My Lord knows I seek only to serve him. But – let me go and find the boy, my Lord. Let me bring him to you. I know I can- “

“I have told you, no!” Voldemort roared. “My concern at the moment, Severus, is what will happen when I finally meet the boy!”

“My Lord, there can be no question, surely -?”

“But there is a question, Severus. There is.”

Hermione stifled a sob as Voldemort told of his search for the Deathstick, the Wand of Destiny, the Elder Wand. He relayed the tale of prying it from Dumbledore’s cold, dead hands. She couldn’t help but give a nasty smirk at that. He pried it from a piece of log, nothing more. Voldemort’s tone changed and her skin broke out in goosebumps, dread filling her stomach.

“All this long night, when I am on the brink of victory, I have sat here, wondering, wondering, why the Elder Wand refuses to be what it ought to be, refuses to perform as legend says it must perform for its rightful owner…and I think I have the answer.”

Harry’s hand twitched and he slammed his fist in his mouth to keep from calling out, to spare Snape from this awful fate but he could not interfere. The fates were clear. His destiny was with Voldemort, not to get his friends killed on another rescue mission. Snape was silent on the matter anyway.

“Perhaps you already know it? You are a clever man, after all, Severus. You have been a good and faithful servant, and I regret what must happen.”

“My Lord-“

“The Elder Wand cannot serve me properly, Severus, because I am not its true master. The Elder Wand belongs to the wizard who killed its last owner. You killed Albus Dumbledore. While you live, Severus, the Elder Wand cannot be truly mine.”

“My Lord!” Severus protested and raised his wand, pausing when his nostrils flared. His eyes cut over to the crack that Harry and his friends hid inside. Recognition flickered in his eyes for a moment before going blank again.

“It cannot be any other way. I must master the wand Severus. Master the wand, and I master Potter at last.” With that, Voldmort viciously swiped the air and the bubble surrounding Nagini floated over to Severus, engulfing his head. The dour man could not hide his fangs as he bared them at the creature but Voldemort didn’t seem to notice.

“Kill.”

Parseltongue hit Harry’s ears and he bit down hard on his had to stop the scream as the snake tore into Snape’s throat. A horrible scream ripped through the air before silencing, Snape appearing unable to fight off the snake before it released.

“I regret it,” Voldemort said coldly, but there was no remorse in his tone.

As soon as the snake bastard left with Nagini in tow, Harry barreled his way inside. Hermione and Ron were hot on his heels. He knelt down and felt Snape clutch him to his chest with unnatural strength.

“Take…it…Take…it…” Snape rasped and released several strands of silvery blue fluid.

Hermione thrust an empty flask out of thin air and shoved it to him, urging him to take the strands while she fished something out of his robes pocket. A bezoar. She shoved it in his mouth, tears streaming down her face. Then she pulled out another vial of clear liquid, phoenix tears courtesy of Fawkes, and poured it on the wound. It sizzled before slowly knitting the skin together. She tipped another two red vials, blood replinisher, down his throat before Snape’s eyes fluttered shut.

“No!” Hermione yelled. “You aren’t dying on me father, not while there is still breath in my body. Wake up, damn it. Wake up so I can give you some blood.”

“Father?” Ron asked in shock.

“Yes, he’s my bloody father!” Hermione screamed but her explanation was drowned out by Voldemort’s high pitched voice.

“You have fought valiantly. Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery. Yet you have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me, you will all die, one by one. I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a loss and a waste. Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forces to retreat immediately. You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured.

“I speak now, Harry Potter, directly to you. You have permitted your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If, at the end of that hour, you have not come to me, have not given yourself up, then battle recommences. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every last man, woman, and child who has tried to conceal you from me. One hour.”

“Hurry Harry,” Hermione choked. “Take father’s memories, view them. Speak with Harmony. Do it now. Go.”

“But Snape,” Harry croaked.

“We’ll take it from here,” Melody groaned as she struggled through the tunnel.

“Is that my master?” Lucius’s voice was quivering in anticipation. It was disgusting.

Draco thrust him in the floor, kneeling by Severus’s head. “Father, please wake up. I’ve brought you dinner.”

“He’s very weak,” Melody whispered and hit him with an enervate spell. “Come on Sev, let those fangs down. For me.”

“Tired,” Severus ground out as his eyelids fluttered.

“I know bat, I know,” Melody said softly. “But your health is right here. You have to just take it. Drain him.” She turned to Harry and Ron. “Run, go as fast as you can.”

Not needing another push, the two boys squeezed back into the tunnel and headed for the headmaster’s office. As soon as they left, Severus sunk his fangs into Lucius. The blond man panted and groaned in ecstasy as his life force was drained from him. Severus’s sips were ragged, shallow, but started gaining steadily. Color seeped back into his face as it drained from his victim. Finally, after tense minutes, Lucius’s lifeless body fell to the floor with a thud.

“Sev,” Melody croaked.

“I’ll live,” He whispered and embraced the woman who flung herself into his arms. “Thank you, and thank you daughter.”

Hermione smiled through her tears and nodded, just happy they managed to bring him back. “I’m so glad you are a daywalker.”

“Me too.” Severus gave a dry chuckle. “Me too.”

“Now you can get started on that huge family,” Draco said cheekily and grinned when his father scowled at him. “Let’s get you back to the castle.”

“I’m afraid I can’t feel my legs,” Severus whispered.

“Well are we magical or not?” Melody asked as she scrambled to her feet. She levitated Severus carefully through the tunnel and they made the slow journey up to the school.

“Did you take care of Bellatrix?” Draco asked curiously. He hadn’t seen the outcome of the duel because after he’d dropped Tonks off, he’d ran and fetched Lucius, dragging him downstairs to get to his father. Melody had met him on the grounds.

“No. Bitch ran off!” Melody snarled. “I swear I’ll kill her before the night is through.”

They walked through the entry the main doors used to cover and into devastation. Rubble from crumbling walls littered the halls. Teachers and students were lumbering around, levitating body after body into the great hall. Others were dragging Death Eaters and werewolves into another part of the castle, as if they didn’t want the light tainted. Blood spattered the walls, scorch marks covered the floors, and bits of torn clothing fluttered down from upper levels. The smell of burning flesh permeated the air. It was so quiet.

“Oh God,” Melody breathed as she walked through the doors to the great hall.

The ceiling enchantment had fallen, great hunks missing from the stones above, obviously the work of the giants. Sniffling families gathered in huddles around their dead and injured. It was enough to make Draco’s stomach turn. What kind of protectors were they if so many had died.

“There aren’t that many dead, Draco,” Melody breathed. “You can still save them.”

“How?” Hermione croaked.

“Use your gifts,” Melody whispered. “Use them as much as you can. Save as many as you can. Go for the harder cases.”

Draco nodded and clutched Hermione close to him. “How long before Potter knows?”

“Forty five minutes, enough for the memories and a descriptive talk.” Melody sighed. “After that, Harmony says it takes fifteen minutes for the… um… event and then…” She had to stop and collect herself, placing Severus down on a makeshift table to stall. “After that, the second attack will happen. That’s all she can see though. The future looks like a…a…well, like smoke, so many tangents that they run together into a haze.”

“It’ll have to be enough,” Severus whispered, his voice still rough from his attack. “Go. Heal. There is an entire arsenal of potions in my storeroom to aid you.”

“I’ll get them,” Melody said softly and ran off to break into the store room.

“Will you be alright?” Hermione asked, her eyes darting around at several narrowed eyes.

Severus smiled, his eyes focused over her shoulder. “I will now.”

Celeste pushed past them and threw herself at Severus, planting kisses all over his face. “Oh Gods Sev, I was so worried.”

“Shhh. I’ll be fine,” Severus said softly, trying to comfort her as best he could.

Celeste sniffled a bit and pulled back, running diagnostics over him. “I love you, you stupid bat.”

Severus chuckled. “I love you too, crazy she-wolf.”

Hermione wiped a tear from her eye and turned to hug Draco. He ushered her away so his godfather could have a private moment. His eyes scanned the hall for the worst victims and landed on one that made his heart plummet. Remus was gasping for breath, the entire right half of his body charred. It looked like he got hit with a silver charm but it wasn’t direct enough to end him. Melody had prepared them for this, taught them the counter curses for a werewolf hit with silver. It would take a good portion of their power to fix him. The procedure was close to the one they’d performed on Melody’s eyes, normally requiring an entire team of healers and seldom performed due to a lack of care for the cursed creatures.

“We have to try. Teddy deserves a father,” Hermione urged and Draco agreed.

“Remus, can you hear me?” Draco asked softly, kneeling by the burned man.

“How do we stand?” Remus coughed.

“It’s almost over,” Hermione croaked. “We’re going to win.”

The unburned half of Remus’s mouth lifted in a sad smile. “That’s all I needed to know, that I did my part.”

“No.” Draco’s eyes glowed with anger. “You’re going to raise that little boy and you’re going to live. I risked my arse to save your wife and I’ll be damned if you are going to get off that easy. Prepare for some pain werewolf, because this isn’t going to be soothing.”

“What are you going to do to me?” Remus asked weakly.

“Heal you,” Hermione said softly and turned to Draco, practically ripping his collar open and tearing his cloak off.

“Um, sweetheart?” Draco asked nervously, his eyes darting around to see half the hall staring at him.

“Sorry Draco. There’s no time. Protect, remember?”

“Okay,” he whispered and sliced material away from her shoulder. Nuzzling it for a moment, he elongated his fangs and sunk them in. The answering pinch in his neck made him unbearably hard and he clutched his wife to him, shaking with the impending force of his orgasm. He drew deeply, enjoying the pleasure and the connection her blood afforded him. She shook in his arms, trying desperately to hide the effects of the bite.

“Enough,” Alex said loudly. “You’re at the limit.”

They pulled back enough to heal each other and then cast a few cleansing charms to hide the evidence that a full bite left them with. Breathing deeply, Draco spun Hermione around and positioned her so that she fit under the crook of his arm. The spell was notoriously dark so he’d have to be the one who cast it, shared magic or not.

“Stop!” Kingsley cried and ran at them. “What are you going to do to him?”

Alex grabbed a hold of his shoulder and spun him around. “They’re going to heal him you fucking buffoon, or haven’t you noticed that he’s about two breaths away from death?”

“Who the fuck are you?” Kingsley spat.

“He’s my husband, damn it,” Melody screamed and ran into the room, a huge black bag in tow. “Poppy, can you start administering these?”

“What are they?” The mediwitch hobbled across the room to open the bag.

“As many healing potions as I could carry,” Melody panted and started pulling vial after vial from the bag.

“You shouldn’t be running like that,” Alex hissed and started jerking potions out of the bag.

“You have a better option? Sev’s wards aren’t exactly child’s play, you know,” Melody huffed and stormed across the room, her eyes scanning for the most injured she could find. They landed on Madam Hooch, who was missing most of her right arm. Her stomach was ripped open, probably by a werewolf. She ran over and began pouring potions over the mutilated skin.

“What the devil is going on here?” Kingsley screamed.

“Just watch,” Remus said, his voice hoarse but easily heard above the den. Everyone fell silent, eyes glued to him.

Draco and Hermione nodded, closed their eyes, and began concentrating, feeling the surge of magic build up within them. They didn’t care one whit about making a spectacle of themselves at this juncture but out of fear of the Gods, they tamped down the visual manifestation of their buildup.

“Release now!” Melody yelled.

The entire hall let out a collective gasp as the couple lifted off the ground a few inches. Their eyes opened, pools of molten metal staring fixedly at Remus. Forgoing a wand, Draco lifted his hand and began chanting the ancient counter curse designed to pull silver from skin and begin the healing of charred flesh.

In the wake of their power, the entire hall had come to a standstill. This allowed Alex, Melody, and Celeste to flit from person to person and heal who they could. Philippe came careening around the corner, a huge bag in his possession and joined in, casting charms left and right. His objective was simple, heal the worst of the wounds and leave others to clean up the non-life threating ones. Poppy snapped out of her awe and began running behind Philippe, picking up the pieces of his work. She’d seen the couple’s power before but it still took her breath away.

Hermione felt weak and it wasn’t just her, it was the reverberation of Draco’s feelings as well. Once the silver had been separated, she began chanting the healing spell to begin rebuilding skin. Much like a muggle skin-graft, she lifted pieces of healthy tissue from lesser damaged places and fused it with the dead skin. A spell to reactivate growth and mimic regeneration sped the process along. Tears flowed down her cheeks at the howls of anguish that Remus was experiencing but there was nothing for it. Pain potion would interfere with the healing.

Draco swayed on his feet, the dark curse taking so much out of him and they still had much more to do. Remus was out of the woods now, his breathing easier and his skin starting to regrow. Philippe and Alex braved the backlash of their combined spells, pouring potion after potion designed to speed healing and skin regrowth and casting other spells to mend the broken bones he’d experienced. When he was sufficiently stable, they moved on.

“He’s out of the woods,” Alex said softly, knowing that they’d hear him. “You need to stop or you’ll drain your cores. Stop and take a replenisher and rest for a moment.”

Draco and Hermione felt a bit useless but reluctantly ended the spells. The room seemed to tilt on its axis and their legs would no longer hold them up.

“Easy there,” Ron huffed as he caught the brunt of Draco’s weight. Luna had Hermione and was gently lowering her to the floor. “That was brilliant!”

“Not enough,” Draco ground out.

“Yes it was,” McGonagall limped towards them, kneeling to look them in the eye. “Yes it was.”

“But- “ Hermione tried.

“But nothing!” McGonagall snapped. “Come on, let’s get you to a chair so you can rest.”

They were grateful for the reprieve but felt useless as dozens of people with any sort of triage training ran back and forth across the room, healing cuts, bruises, and breaks while they guzzled blood replenishers and pepper ups. Ron and Luna showed great mastery of the spells that Philippe had taught them over the Easter hols. It was then that they noticed they were missing someone.

“Ginny?” Hermione called out. “Where’s Ginny?”

“She’s upstairs, taking care of those there,” Philippe called back. “They aren’t stable enough to move down here yet.”

“They’ll be safer up there anyway,” Alex muttered, his words clear to them but probably no one else.

Hermione collapsed against her husband and allowed the events of the night to wash over her. Great sobs were wrenched from her chest as she thought about those that had given their lives to the cause and those that would soon join them once the second attack started.

Draco could only hold her as she broke down and pray that Potter would come through for them.

AN: Hello everyone. Sorry this took so long. I never realized how much this scene would take out of me! I wanted it to be perfect and in my quest, I had to cut the war in half! So, *ducks flogging*, the second half is coming, I promise. I noticed I had a question and the reason for it is because I am an idiot. It was supposed to be purple for the ones who needed escape, not blue. I've gone back and fixed it. Feel free to slap me...just not too hard, I'm delicate. :D A Ron/Luna fic you say? That sounds horrifyingly hard! Would anyone be interested in that? I mean, I think it would be a fun challenge but what do you guys think? In case anyone missed it, the Harry/Ginny fic has been finished. It's short and sweet and called Following Destiny. Give it a read if you haven't already. I can't tell you how overwhelmed I am at all of your reviews! Seriously, I'm pretty sure my husband thinks I snorted some pepper because I keep tearing up! I'm so happy that some of you are interested in the sequel. It is tentatively set about 18 years in the future, their kids are teens, and there is a new threat. I'll probably bang out at least a few chapters before I post it but I've got a lot of it charted out already. So, let me know if that's interesting to you. I've also got a Snape/OFC fic with a secondary DM/HG line called Elementary that I'm working on. It isn't near finished yet but I'll try and post part of it soon. As always, keep those reviews coming and let me know how I'm doing and if you find any mistakes. Until next time...love you guys!
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