Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction ❯ Heart and Soul ❯ Chapter Twenty-Three ( Chapter 23 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: TassanaBurrfoot 
The Battle
Non Anime: Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Drama / Hentai / Fantasy / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 10.22.2007 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.1K | Visits: 611 | Status: Completed
The Battle
Non Anime: Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Drama / Hentai / Fantasy / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 10.22.2007 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.1K | Visits: 611 | Status: Completed
Heart and Soul
By: Tassana Burrfoot
Chapter Twenty-Three
That night, as the battle wore on, Draco recalled Dumbledore's words. "You are not a killer, Draco... To the innocent, killing always seems easier than it truly is."
That night, Draco learned there were different types of killing. He had wanted to kill Dumbledore in cold blood. To end the life of the man who had provided Draco with a place to learn. Draco had found he couldn't do it. Dumbledore was an innocent. Dumbledore hadn't raised his wand to Draco. In fact, Dumbledore had been wandless.
Draco walked through the corridors of the school which had once been a second home to him. Was still a second home to him. He hadn't realized how much he loved Hogwarts until he saw the carnage the school was fast becoming. Death Eaters, schoolmates, friends, enemies... bodies littered Draco's path like leaves in autumn.
Draco hated what was happening. His beloved school was becoming a mass graveyard. People he had once viewed as enemies were now dying for a cause they truly believed in... And Draco found... he was beginning to believe in it too.
"Avada Kedavra!" he growled, pointing his wand at a ruthless Death Eater.
The Death Eater's lifeless body fell to the ground to reveal a shocked Seamus Finnigan. "Malfoy?" he questioned, confused.
Draco scoffed, "Pay attention, Finnigan! He almost got you."
"T-Thanks," Finnigan stammered, completely bewildered.
"Have you seen Her... Granger?" Draco asked, stopping himself from saying her first name.
The Gryffindor pointed to a corridor. "Last I saw, she was in the Great Hall with the Weasley's. Fred Weasley's dead."
Draco nodded and muttered a thanks as he pushed past the boy. He already knew about Fred Weasley. He had witnessed the dead... sort of. Now, he needed to know if she...
"You have fought valiantly. Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery."
Draco snorted to himself. Value bravery? Yeah, right!
"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 retract immediately."
Draco looked around and was surprised to see the Death Eaters do just that. He could feel a trick as a sneer crept upon Draco's face. He knew better.
"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."
It was a game, Draco knew. A slow, horrific game. The Dark Lord was toying with these people. Wanted them to think they were safe.
Draco did not count himself among those in the castle fighting, thought he fought along their side. His father was a Death Eater, one of the Dark Lord's inner circle. Though the Malfoys had been shamed, Draco doubted the Dark Lord would question his loyalty.
He entered the Great Hall and began looking for her. This was where Finnigan said she'd be. He saw the Weasleys, but no sign of...
And there she was. Standing next to the young Weasley girl ---what was her name? Ginny? --- Hermione held her. Both girls looked as though they were weeping. Draco knew they were.
He knew he shouldn't approach the family. The last place he needed to be was among the Weasleys. Especially when they were grieving. But, his legs moved without his permission.
For a reason unbeknownst to him, Draco's heard wrenched at the sight of Mrs. Weasley crying over her son. He thought of his own mother and the heart ache she would feel if anything ever happened to him. He had never witnessed such sadness. A parent should never have to bury their child.
He stood a few paces behind Ron Weasley and bowed his head solemnly. He quietly whispered a Latin prayer for Fred. Then, loud enough for Ron Weasley to hear, he whispered, "I am sorry for your loss."
Apparently, Ron hadn't been the only one to hear him. All of them, save the mother, wheeled on him. Stares of surprise turned to glares as they realized who had spoken.
"Bet you are sorry," Ron Weasley snipped. "Sorry you couldn't do it yourself."
"Ronald!" Hermione reprimanded as she went to stand before Draco, stopping the Weasley from a well-aimed punch.
Draco's heart sank even more when he saw her. There was no love in her eyes. No "I miss you" on her face. She was dirty, ragged, and tear-streaked. Worse, the look in her eyes bordered on hatred as she stared up at him.
"What do you want, Malfoy?" she demanded. "Can't you see this family's suffered enough?"
He pulled out his wand, noticing as he did so, the Weasleys had pulled out theirs. Instead of pointing it at her, he turned it so it pointed at him and handed it to her.
"I mean no harm," he told her. He could feel the tears threaten to fall, but he refused to let them. "I am genuinely sorry... for everything. You know me, Hermione. You know me more than anyone else ever could. Everything I've done has been for you and my family. For us. You know this. You have known this since the moment we shared our first kiss."
He pulled back his sleeves and revealed his bare arms, arms that were clean and unmarred. "I have kept my promise to you, my darling. I have not shed innocent blood. I've made no sacrifices to the Dark Lord.
"That does not mean I am completely clean. Last year, I attempted to take the life of a man who has done nothing more than try to run a decent school. I did this to safe both my own life and the lives of my parents. However, I unfortunately put Bell and Weasley at risk. I had not intended to do so, but I will not deny I almost killed them."
He glanced at Mr. Weasley. "I am sorry, truly. I do not think words can express my guilt for this deed."
He turned back to Hermione, focusing on her with his warm, gray eyes. "I could not protect you from my Aunt Bellatrix. I'm sorry, my love. I wanted to so badly. Merlin knows how much it tore me apart to hear you scream. I couldn't bare to even look at you for fear I might break. I hope you realize why I did not come to your aid. Why I made no move.
"Tonight, you, Potter, and Weasley saved my life. Not once, but twice... Yes, Weasley, I recognized your voice, though you were hidden." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Tonight, I took a man's life with that wand. This man, a Death Eater, had been a family friend. He threatened the life of one of our schoolmates, Finnigan. I... I acted on instinct."
He gazed up into her honey eyes. He knew his own eyes glistened with unshed tears, but hers were bloodshot. Streams of tears drenched her face making him feel wretched. How many times had he made her cry? He hated seeing her cry.
"I can't ask for your forgiveness, Hermione," he continued, his breath catching in his throat. He swallowed, "I know what I've done. Those things can never be forgiven. But, one thing has remained the same.
"I... I love you, Hermione. More now then I ever have. Life without you has been... will be Hell. But, I know I must pay for my actions."
Though she was still crying, she sniffed, "What... What are you talking about?"
He bowed his head again. "I saw you kiss Weasley," he confessed. "Outside the Room of Hidden Things. And... I'm happy for you. For both of you. I could not think of a more deserving man."
This time he glanced at a rather shocked Ron Weasley. "Treat her..." now the words came harder for Draco. He straightened his throat. He hated giving her up. "Treat her well, Weasley. Do for her as I have not done. Don't be foolish as I have. Love her and show her that love every moment of your life. She deserves no less."
"Harry Potter is dead. He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him. We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone."
Draco froze, his eyes wide with shock as he looked at a terrified Hermione. In fact, everyone had frozen.
"The battle is won. You have lost half of your fighters. My Death Eaters outnumber you, and the Boy Who Lived is finished. There must be no more war. Anyone who continues to resist, man, woman, or child, will be slaughtered, as will every member of their family. Come out of the castle now, kneel before me, and you shall be spared. Your parents and children, your brothers and sisters will live and be forgiven, and you will join me in the new world we shall build together."
Draco and Hermione stared in shock at one another for a brief moment. Harry Potter was dead!
Then, as though a spell had been lifted, everyone moved as one onto the grounds. Draco allowed himself to be pushed back. He did not wish to see. Did not wish to know.
Help Potter.
Draco had failed.
He heard a scream of despair he had not recognized. As he stepped out onto the grounds, he saw Professor McGonagall nearly fall into pieces. He heard Hermione's scream of disbelief and had to stop himself from running to her to comfort her. It was all over. Potter's lifeless body lay at the Dark Lord's feet.
And still, Longbottom resisted. Draco shook his head. Only sheer idiocy could keep Longbottom going. At least, that was Draco's opinion. He watched as the Dark Lord made a mockery of the school and the people within it. It angered Draco, for he had fallen in love with the very foundation of this school. He cared about the people it held within it's walls. He watched as Longbottom was engulfed in flame.
Perhaps it was because he was so far back. Or perhaps it was because he seemed to be the only one paying attention to his surroundings. But, Draco turned slowly as he heard what he had first thought was thunder. No. It wasn't thunder. It was hooves. Many, many hooves. And something else.
Draco's eyes widened as he saw the large giant and the many people swarming from the castle. Centaurs, house elves, and winged creatures came as well.
Draco's lips tightened in a mischievous smirk. He had been marvelously wrong. The battle was not over! Harry Potter would not die in vain!
He followed the people and creatures into the fray. He fought Death Eaters with a malice he did not know he possessed. He knew he stood a chance of dying, but he was going to take as many of the foul monsters down with him as possible.
"Draco!" came a call that stopped him as he finished off yet another Death Eater.
Draco turned on his heel to find Goyle standing before him. "What in bloody hell are you doing?" Goyle asked. "You're fighting the wrong people!"
Draco shook his head. "No, Gregory. For once, I'm fighting the right people."
Goyle's eyes widened as the words sank in. "You've turned traitor," he whispered in disbelief. Then, his face reddened in rage as he bellowed, "Then you'll die!"
Draco moved completely on instinct. He dodged Goyle's curse and waved his own wand. "Avada Kedavra!" he shouted.
Draco watched, as if he were watching a nightmare, as his friend fell back, dead before his body hit the ground. Ignoring all pretenses, Draco fell to his knees beside the body of the boy he grew up with. Tears slid unchecked from his pale gray eyes.
"You'll pay for that, boy!" hissed a voice Draco had known his whole life.
Draco slowly stood up, clutching his wand. He pivoted on his heel and faced Goyle's father. "I'm not afraid," he told the man.
Thankfully, he did not have to fight the older man. A large tree branch hit the man in the back of the head. Draco watched in wonder as the stunned man fell to the ground. A broad smile crossed his face as Draco stared into the desperate eyes of his own father. Lucius had saved his son's life.
"Draco!" his mother cried rushing to him and pulling him into a hug.
Draco kissed his mother on the cheek and thanked his father. Then, asking their forgiveness, he dashed off into the castle. He knew where Hermione would be. And he was right. She was in the Great Hall with Lovegood and Ginny Weasley, fighting for her life. Bellatrix Lestrange was sending them curse after curse.
He saw a flash of green and his eyes widened in horror. NO!
"NOT MY DAUGHTER YOU BITCH!"
Draco watched in fascination as Molly Weasley took on Bellatrix Lestrange. He had never seen the fiery haired woman act in such a way. He was almost reminded of the dragons at the Triwizard Tournament three years ago.
He almost felt sorrow when his aunt was fatally cursed. Almost. There was no real love loss between Draco and his aunt. But, it was still a loss for him, however meager.
"Protego!"
Draco looked up to see a very much alive Harry Potter brandishing his wand. Draco remained, like everyone else, quiet throughout the exchange between Potter and Voldemort. He knew this was what the entire battle was about. It was like watching two dragons survey one another before attacking.
Draco didn't really listen to much of the actual conversation. He didn't really understand it. However, he did hear the part about Snape.
"Severus Snape wasn't yours. Snape was Dumbledore's, Dumbledore's from the moment you started hunting down my mother...
"Dumbledore was already dying when Snape finished him!"
Draco felt a hand on his shoulder and jumped slightly. He turned his head and saw his parents standing behind him. His mother was the one who had touched him. He placed his hand over hers and turned his attention back to the scene.
"I killed Severus Snape three hours ago..."
Snape was dead? This affected Draco more than he cared to admit. He heard the hitch in his mother's throat and felt her hand slip from his shoulder. A glance out the corner of his eye told him she was being held by his father. She was crying.
Snape had been a friend. One of the very few real friends Draco had had throughout school. Knowing the man was dead caused Draco to grieve for his loss, but the boy refrained from shedding tears. There would be time for tears later.
Snape had also been a family friend. Lucius' best friend. To the small Malfoy family, this proved how much the Dark Lord actually "cared" about his Death Eaters. Over a wand, no less.
But, it was Potter's words that shocked Draco the most. "The true master of the Elder Wand was Draco Malfoy."
Draco blinked. He heard the Dark Lord's threat, heard Harry Potter stop him. "I overpowered Draco weeks ago. I took his wand from him... I am the true master of the Elder Wand."
It happened before Draco could get a bearing on Potter's words. Both the Dark Lord and Potter shouted their curses. And, the Dark Lord failed. The Dark Lord fell to the ground. Dead.
"Let us leave," Lucius whispered, touching his son's shoulder.
As the hall erupted around them, Draco shook his head, smiling. "No. I'm staying," he told his parents as the people around him rejoiced.
"Draco!" he heard shouted. He turned to see Luna Lovegood skipping up to him. Her face was pure elation as she took his hand. "Come. Help us. Voldemort is dead!"
Draco took one look at his parents before turning back to the girl. "Lead the way."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~
Author's Note: Before anyone asks, no this is not the end of the story. I still have one more chapter and an epilogue to go. And no, I still won't tell you how it ends. You'll just have to see for yourself... Now, honestly, how many people had tears in their eyes over Draco's speech? I did and I was the one writing it!
By: Tassana Burrfoot
Chapter Twenty-Three
That night, as the battle wore on, Draco recalled Dumbledore's words. "You are not a killer, Draco... To the innocent, killing always seems easier than it truly is."
That night, Draco learned there were different types of killing. He had wanted to kill Dumbledore in cold blood. To end the life of the man who had provided Draco with a place to learn. Draco had found he couldn't do it. Dumbledore was an innocent. Dumbledore hadn't raised his wand to Draco. In fact, Dumbledore had been wandless.
Draco walked through the corridors of the school which had once been a second home to him. Was still a second home to him. He hadn't realized how much he loved Hogwarts until he saw the carnage the school was fast becoming. Death Eaters, schoolmates, friends, enemies... bodies littered Draco's path like leaves in autumn.
Draco hated what was happening. His beloved school was becoming a mass graveyard. People he had once viewed as enemies were now dying for a cause they truly believed in... And Draco found... he was beginning to believe in it too.
"Avada Kedavra!" he growled, pointing his wand at a ruthless Death Eater.
The Death Eater's lifeless body fell to the ground to reveal a shocked Seamus Finnigan. "Malfoy?" he questioned, confused.
Draco scoffed, "Pay attention, Finnigan! He almost got you."
"T-Thanks," Finnigan stammered, completely bewildered.
"Have you seen Her... Granger?" Draco asked, stopping himself from saying her first name.
The Gryffindor pointed to a corridor. "Last I saw, she was in the Great Hall with the Weasley's. Fred Weasley's dead."
Draco nodded and muttered a thanks as he pushed past the boy. He already knew about Fred Weasley. He had witnessed the dead... sort of. Now, he needed to know if she...
"You have fought valiantly. Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery."
Draco snorted to himself. Value bravery? Yeah, right!
"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 retract immediately."
Draco looked around and was surprised to see the Death Eaters do just that. He could feel a trick as a sneer crept upon Draco's face. He knew better.
"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."
It was a game, Draco knew. A slow, horrific game. The Dark Lord was toying with these people. Wanted them to think they were safe.
Draco did not count himself among those in the castle fighting, thought he fought along their side. His father was a Death Eater, one of the Dark Lord's inner circle. Though the Malfoys had been shamed, Draco doubted the Dark Lord would question his loyalty.
He entered the Great Hall and began looking for her. This was where Finnigan said she'd be. He saw the Weasleys, but no sign of...
And there she was. Standing next to the young Weasley girl ---what was her name? Ginny? --- Hermione held her. Both girls looked as though they were weeping. Draco knew they were.
He knew he shouldn't approach the family. The last place he needed to be was among the Weasleys. Especially when they were grieving. But, his legs moved without his permission.
For a reason unbeknownst to him, Draco's heard wrenched at the sight of Mrs. Weasley crying over her son. He thought of his own mother and the heart ache she would feel if anything ever happened to him. He had never witnessed such sadness. A parent should never have to bury their child.
He stood a few paces behind Ron Weasley and bowed his head solemnly. He quietly whispered a Latin prayer for Fred. Then, loud enough for Ron Weasley to hear, he whispered, "I am sorry for your loss."
Apparently, Ron hadn't been the only one to hear him. All of them, save the mother, wheeled on him. Stares of surprise turned to glares as they realized who had spoken.
"Bet you are sorry," Ron Weasley snipped. "Sorry you couldn't do it yourself."
"Ronald!" Hermione reprimanded as she went to stand before Draco, stopping the Weasley from a well-aimed punch.
Draco's heart sank even more when he saw her. There was no love in her eyes. No "I miss you" on her face. She was dirty, ragged, and tear-streaked. Worse, the look in her eyes bordered on hatred as she stared up at him.
"What do you want, Malfoy?" she demanded. "Can't you see this family's suffered enough?"
He pulled out his wand, noticing as he did so, the Weasleys had pulled out theirs. Instead of pointing it at her, he turned it so it pointed at him and handed it to her.
"I mean no harm," he told her. He could feel the tears threaten to fall, but he refused to let them. "I am genuinely sorry... for everything. You know me, Hermione. You know me more than anyone else ever could. Everything I've done has been for you and my family. For us. You know this. You have known this since the moment we shared our first kiss."
He pulled back his sleeves and revealed his bare arms, arms that were clean and unmarred. "I have kept my promise to you, my darling. I have not shed innocent blood. I've made no sacrifices to the Dark Lord.
"That does not mean I am completely clean. Last year, I attempted to take the life of a man who has done nothing more than try to run a decent school. I did this to safe both my own life and the lives of my parents. However, I unfortunately put Bell and Weasley at risk. I had not intended to do so, but I will not deny I almost killed them."
He glanced at Mr. Weasley. "I am sorry, truly. I do not think words can express my guilt for this deed."
He turned back to Hermione, focusing on her with his warm, gray eyes. "I could not protect you from my Aunt Bellatrix. I'm sorry, my love. I wanted to so badly. Merlin knows how much it tore me apart to hear you scream. I couldn't bare to even look at you for fear I might break. I hope you realize why I did not come to your aid. Why I made no move.
"Tonight, you, Potter, and Weasley saved my life. Not once, but twice... Yes, Weasley, I recognized your voice, though you were hidden." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Tonight, I took a man's life with that wand. This man, a Death Eater, had been a family friend. He threatened the life of one of our schoolmates, Finnigan. I... I acted on instinct."
He gazed up into her honey eyes. He knew his own eyes glistened with unshed tears, but hers were bloodshot. Streams of tears drenched her face making him feel wretched. How many times had he made her cry? He hated seeing her cry.
"I can't ask for your forgiveness, Hermione," he continued, his breath catching in his throat. He swallowed, "I know what I've done. Those things can never be forgiven. But, one thing has remained the same.
"I... I love you, Hermione. More now then I ever have. Life without you has been... will be Hell. But, I know I must pay for my actions."
Though she was still crying, she sniffed, "What... What are you talking about?"
He bowed his head again. "I saw you kiss Weasley," he confessed. "Outside the Room of Hidden Things. And... I'm happy for you. For both of you. I could not think of a more deserving man."
This time he glanced at a rather shocked Ron Weasley. "Treat her..." now the words came harder for Draco. He straightened his throat. He hated giving her up. "Treat her well, Weasley. Do for her as I have not done. Don't be foolish as I have. Love her and show her that love every moment of your life. She deserves no less."
"Harry Potter is dead. He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him. We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone."
Draco froze, his eyes wide with shock as he looked at a terrified Hermione. In fact, everyone had frozen.
"The battle is won. You have lost half of your fighters. My Death Eaters outnumber you, and the Boy Who Lived is finished. There must be no more war. Anyone who continues to resist, man, woman, or child, will be slaughtered, as will every member of their family. Come out of the castle now, kneel before me, and you shall be spared. Your parents and children, your brothers and sisters will live and be forgiven, and you will join me in the new world we shall build together."
Draco and Hermione stared in shock at one another for a brief moment. Harry Potter was dead!
Then, as though a spell had been lifted, everyone moved as one onto the grounds. Draco allowed himself to be pushed back. He did not wish to see. Did not wish to know.
Help Potter.
Draco had failed.
He heard a scream of despair he had not recognized. As he stepped out onto the grounds, he saw Professor McGonagall nearly fall into pieces. He heard Hermione's scream of disbelief and had to stop himself from running to her to comfort her. It was all over. Potter's lifeless body lay at the Dark Lord's feet.
And still, Longbottom resisted. Draco shook his head. Only sheer idiocy could keep Longbottom going. At least, that was Draco's opinion. He watched as the Dark Lord made a mockery of the school and the people within it. It angered Draco, for he had fallen in love with the very foundation of this school. He cared about the people it held within it's walls. He watched as Longbottom was engulfed in flame.
Perhaps it was because he was so far back. Or perhaps it was because he seemed to be the only one paying attention to his surroundings. But, Draco turned slowly as he heard what he had first thought was thunder. No. It wasn't thunder. It was hooves. Many, many hooves. And something else.
Draco's eyes widened as he saw the large giant and the many people swarming from the castle. Centaurs, house elves, and winged creatures came as well.
Draco's lips tightened in a mischievous smirk. He had been marvelously wrong. The battle was not over! Harry Potter would not die in vain!
He followed the people and creatures into the fray. He fought Death Eaters with a malice he did not know he possessed. He knew he stood a chance of dying, but he was going to take as many of the foul monsters down with him as possible.
"Draco!" came a call that stopped him as he finished off yet another Death Eater.
Draco turned on his heel to find Goyle standing before him. "What in bloody hell are you doing?" Goyle asked. "You're fighting the wrong people!"
Draco shook his head. "No, Gregory. For once, I'm fighting the right people."
Goyle's eyes widened as the words sank in. "You've turned traitor," he whispered in disbelief. Then, his face reddened in rage as he bellowed, "Then you'll die!"
Draco moved completely on instinct. He dodged Goyle's curse and waved his own wand. "Avada Kedavra!" he shouted.
Draco watched, as if he were watching a nightmare, as his friend fell back, dead before his body hit the ground. Ignoring all pretenses, Draco fell to his knees beside the body of the boy he grew up with. Tears slid unchecked from his pale gray eyes.
"You'll pay for that, boy!" hissed a voice Draco had known his whole life.
Draco slowly stood up, clutching his wand. He pivoted on his heel and faced Goyle's father. "I'm not afraid," he told the man.
Thankfully, he did not have to fight the older man. A large tree branch hit the man in the back of the head. Draco watched in wonder as the stunned man fell to the ground. A broad smile crossed his face as Draco stared into the desperate eyes of his own father. Lucius had saved his son's life.
"Draco!" his mother cried rushing to him and pulling him into a hug.
Draco kissed his mother on the cheek and thanked his father. Then, asking their forgiveness, he dashed off into the castle. He knew where Hermione would be. And he was right. She was in the Great Hall with Lovegood and Ginny Weasley, fighting for her life. Bellatrix Lestrange was sending them curse after curse.
He saw a flash of green and his eyes widened in horror. NO!
"NOT MY DAUGHTER YOU BITCH!"
Draco watched in fascination as Molly Weasley took on Bellatrix Lestrange. He had never seen the fiery haired woman act in such a way. He was almost reminded of the dragons at the Triwizard Tournament three years ago.
He almost felt sorrow when his aunt was fatally cursed. Almost. There was no real love loss between Draco and his aunt. But, it was still a loss for him, however meager.
"Protego!"
Draco looked up to see a very much alive Harry Potter brandishing his wand. Draco remained, like everyone else, quiet throughout the exchange between Potter and Voldemort. He knew this was what the entire battle was about. It was like watching two dragons survey one another before attacking.
Draco didn't really listen to much of the actual conversation. He didn't really understand it. However, he did hear the part about Snape.
"Severus Snape wasn't yours. Snape was Dumbledore's, Dumbledore's from the moment you started hunting down my mother...
"Dumbledore was already dying when Snape finished him!"
Draco felt a hand on his shoulder and jumped slightly. He turned his head and saw his parents standing behind him. His mother was the one who had touched him. He placed his hand over hers and turned his attention back to the scene.
"I killed Severus Snape three hours ago..."
Snape was dead? This affected Draco more than he cared to admit. He heard the hitch in his mother's throat and felt her hand slip from his shoulder. A glance out the corner of his eye told him she was being held by his father. She was crying.
Snape had been a friend. One of the very few real friends Draco had had throughout school. Knowing the man was dead caused Draco to grieve for his loss, but the boy refrained from shedding tears. There would be time for tears later.
Snape had also been a family friend. Lucius' best friend. To the small Malfoy family, this proved how much the Dark Lord actually "cared" about his Death Eaters. Over a wand, no less.
But, it was Potter's words that shocked Draco the most. "The true master of the Elder Wand was Draco Malfoy."
Draco blinked. He heard the Dark Lord's threat, heard Harry Potter stop him. "I overpowered Draco weeks ago. I took his wand from him... I am the true master of the Elder Wand."
It happened before Draco could get a bearing on Potter's words. Both the Dark Lord and Potter shouted their curses. And, the Dark Lord failed. The Dark Lord fell to the ground. Dead.
"Let us leave," Lucius whispered, touching his son's shoulder.
As the hall erupted around them, Draco shook his head, smiling. "No. I'm staying," he told his parents as the people around him rejoiced.
"Draco!" he heard shouted. He turned to see Luna Lovegood skipping up to him. Her face was pure elation as she took his hand. "Come. Help us. Voldemort is dead!"
Draco took one look at his parents before turning back to the girl. "Lead the way."
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Author's Note: Before anyone asks, no this is not the end of the story. I still have one more chapter and an epilogue to go. And no, I still won't tell you how it ends. You'll just have to see for yourself... Now, honestly, how many people had tears in their eyes over Draco's speech? I did and I was the one writing it!