Boys on the Radio

Chapter Fourteen

Hey, honey mine; I was there all the time.

And I weep at your feet.

And it rains and rains.

Harry almost forgot Draco was with him after a while. He was so focused on getting to Hermione and Ron. He blamed the entire situation on he, Harry, and he now would have to correct it. He would only hope he was not too late. If he was, he would be entirely his fault and he would not be able to live with that. The guilt would be too much '.

'Harry! We're nearly there!' bellowed Draco at him from somewhere. Harry was reminded Draco had been right by him the whole time and felt a bit guilty for not paying him one bit of attention. Draco would have to understand the way he felt though. He had a million emotions running through him.

'Right,' Harry said, out of a forced response. He began landing. His heart was beating so fast. He looked over at Draco for a split second when Draco was looking away and he knew Draco was probably confused on why Harry hadn't even decided to speak as they landed in Hogsmeade.

'Harry, HARRY! Stop!' said Draco, and he sounded quite angry as they landed right behind a shop in Hogsmeade and Harry attempted to begin running. 'What the hell is wrong with you? You can't just run into a trap like that!'

'Harry and Hermione and everyone are there, Draco! I have to get to them!' screamed Harry angrily at Draco.

'Stop, it! Harry, you can't be so damn reckless! Do you want to get killed?' Draco sounded furious, but there was definitely a faint worry in his voice. If he hadn't known Draco very well, he wouldn't have noticed it all, but after some time with Draco, you begin picking up on things like that.

'I want to save my friends,' Harry said quietly, he himself realizing he was being reckless. He needed to stop ... to think ... To find out what they were going to do.

Draco looked at him in a sickening way. It actually made Harry a bit fearful ... He did not like seeing that expression on Draco because he hadn't seen him on it since they were enemies.

'Gryffindors,' he said very quietly. And then he said louder, 'Reckless. Look, Potter, if you want to save Granger and the Weasel you'll need to be prepared or you'll never get to them alive! You know what we are dealing with!'

Harry looked away, a bit ashamed.

'All right, well, we should probably try to find out what's going on here at Hogsmeade. Here, get under the Invisibility Cloak.'

'Hang on,' Draco said, and he put a charm on their broomsticks so the only people who could see them were himself or Harry.

Draco took the lead once they got onto the streets of Hogsmeade, which seemed to be nothing short of deserted. There was absolutely no one around. In fact it was quite spooky. They were in what use to be a packed village all the time. It had turned into nothing more than a ghost town.

Then they approached what was a small hotel. He saw a man in a pinstripe cloak running inside hurriedly. Draco was almost positive this was the Minister. Draco vaguely wondered how Fudge was still Minister of Magic. It would probably be a few days before he was sacked. Draco smiled to himself.

'Do you think we should go in there and reveal ourselves?' asked Harry.

'No, I don't. They'd want us to stay there and be good boys and behave ourselves,' Draco said in a mock voice, now laughing.

'This isn't funny, Draco!' Harry snapped at him.

'Oh, right, maybe you'd like me to panic instead?' Draco snapped right back at him.

'Shut up, Malfoy,' Harry said annoyed. 'I have an idea, though.'

'What would that be?' Draco asked.

'Let's go see if that wine cellar is locked up. We can get to Hogwarts through there maybe,' Harry said.

'Yeah, hoping the Death Eaters haven't discovered it yet, which I'm sure they would have. Come on, use your brain. Plenty of students would have escaped by now, and there was certainly nothing in the paper like that. We'll just go on the main road under the cloak and see what we can do,' Draco said.

'I suppose so, then,' Harry said. 'And Draco?'

'Yeah?' Draco said casually.

'Don't die on me,' Harry said and he proceeded forward this time.

Harry had no idea if the plan would work ... Well he didn't have one really. He and Draco were under the Invisibility Cloak, equipped with only their wands, having to leave their brooms behind as it obviously didn't fit under the cloak. But Draco, next to him, didn't seem nervous at all. This made Harry wonder for perhaps the millionth time whether Draco was human or not.

As they approached Hogwarts, Draco unleashed himself from the cloak.

'Draco, what are you doing?' Harry said in a panicked voice.

'Are you forgetting who I am? Do you know who my father is?' Draco said to him in a whisper, in a once again, sarcastic familiar voice. 'I'll make it easy for us to get in. Just trail right behind me, Potter, and don't fuck up. Please.'

This was Draco's way of saying he did not want to lose him. Harry smiled to himself. Draco was a very sick fellow after all. Harry silently prayed this would work. Lucius was probably in charge of the entire operation now that Harry thought about it, though .

Harry watched Draco actually attempt to open the castle doors. Of course that didn't work. Draco knocked.

A voice of a female, a soothing, cool voice came from no where.

'Who is there? It is impossible to lie to me,' the voice spoke in a chilled tone.

'Draco Malfoy,' Draco said firmly.

There was a pause and the doors opened. It was Lucius Malfoy. He held the castle doors open and Draco slowly walked inside and Harry trailed right behind. The rescue mission had begun.

'Draco, Draco '. Where have you been? You have disgraced me! I have refused to believe you have run off with the filths of Harry Potter, but you have much explaining to do,' Lucius said, and not in a fatherly tone at all. All there was in his voice was sheer intimidation.

Draco was already very used to this regardless. He smiled mirthlessly at his father.

'How good it is to see you father,' Draco said. 'I sought out to find you, as I wanted to know why you left me locked with the rest of the students in the Potions classroom.'

'Dear, Draco, do not tell me you are so foolish. It would have been very suspicious had I saved you,' Lucius said, looking at his son like filth. 'Do you know the whereabouts of Harry Potter?'

'No, father, I do not. I was sure he had come by now. What exactly is going on?' asked Draco.

'The mudbloods are being tortured. The purebloods have been saved. The mudbloods and blood traitors are being starved and tortured.'

Lucius spoke the words so softly and he sounded absolutely proud of what they were doing.

'How about Granger?' Draco asked, sounding as though he found all this amazing. His father knew of his hatred for her.

Lucius did not speak right away.

'She's gone missing,' Lucius whispered. 'And so has her little boyfriend, the blood traitor.'

Of course he spoke of Weasley.

'Any deaths?' asked Draco.

'A few mudbloods have died, yes,' Lucius said.

'Wonderful,' Draco said. He then looked right behind him, hoping Harry was there and made a signal to him that he hoped Harry would understand.

Harry pointed his hand right at Lucius Malfoy. 'Stupefy!' And he was stunned. Harry took off his cloak momentarily. Harry searched Lucius. He took his wand. He checked his pockets and found a piece of paper that looked like a map.

It seemed to be a map of what they were doing. The muggle-borns and blood traitors were all locked in the dungeons and the purebloods were in Gryffindor Tower quite ironically. There were Death Eater guards everywhere. Harry wasn't too worried ... They'd be fine under the Invisibility Cloak.

What he was worried about was Ron and Hermione. They had gone 'missing'. What did that mean? Had they run away before the secret passageways had gotten blocked out? It was quite possible. But could they be ... No, it wasn't possible.

Harry showed Draco the map. Draco peered at it and smiled.

'Perfect. This won't be too difficult,' Draco said.

'MALFOY!' yelled a voice; another Death Eater.

Draco and Harry quickly got under the cloak. They watched as a Death Eater Harry recognized as Avery found Lucius Malfoy's limp body. Avery looked fearful upon finding Lucius. He bent down to feel a pulse on him.

'Dumbledore,' he said quietly.

Getting to the dungeon took a very long time. The hardest part was getting past the actual entrance. It was guarded by three Death Eaters Draco knew quite well. They were Crabbe and Goyle's fathers and Nott. Draco felt a pang of fear. Getting out of this one would be difficult, but a surprise attack would only benefit them.

'Harry, this is the part when you save the day,' Draco whispered, and he squeezed Harry's hand for a moment and then threw the cloak off of both of them.

Together they aimed their wands at the three Death Eaters.

'Impedimenta!' Draco bellowed at Nott, going for the strongest link first. Distantly, Draco heard Harry stun Crabbe.

'Expelliarmus!' Goyle screamed at Draco and his wand flew out of his hand. Draco attempted to catch it, but he missed by several inches. Draco panicked for a second as he dove for his wand. But then Harry stunned Goyle.

Yet Nott was back on his feet.

'Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy ? Not altogether unexpected,' Nott said, grinning evilly. Hastily, he sent a stunning spell at Harry that missed. But Draco had already gotten his wand again.

'Expelliarmus!' Draco said, pointing his wand directly at Nott and his wand went flying. And together, Draco and Harry sent stunning spells at Nott who went down hard and horribly. 'That wasn't too bad.'

Harry and Draco entered the dungeons to find huddles of people together, expecting the worst. The faces of the hostages shined when they saw those two there to save them.

'Harry Potter!'

'Draco Malfoy, though ... Odd one, mate.'

'Does anyone know where Ron and Hermione are?' Harry asked the large group of people.

Everyone looked very pale and very thin. They had been living off of nearly nothing. They had had very little. Their wands had been taken away and they had been subjected to the horrible conditions.

'They ran away at the beginning of the siege,' It was Lavender Brown. 'They said they were going to find you.'

Harry was shocked to hear this, but then again, it wasn't too unlike them at all.

'Yeah, they only just managed to get away,' said someone else.

'Lucius Malfoy mentioned some people have died,' Draco said. 'Who?'

Harry thought Draco was approaching the situation very insensitively.

'Harry!' Ginny Weasley ran up to him and gave him a huge hug. She was very cold and her hair was falling out. 'I thought you had died. Oh God, Harry.'

'Ginny, don't worry, I'm okay,' Harry said, patting her on the back. 'We need to get you all out of here right away.'

Draco tied up the Death Eaters with some tricky wand work and along with Harry began leading the students. Thankfully, no one asked too many questions, most likely due to extreme hunger and exhaustion. Draco felt a bit shaken; if he could just get these people out of the castle and to safety without disruptions ...

He actually found himself getting in front of Harry, leading. His identity probably wouldn't assist him much anymore, but still somehow it seemed better that he lead rather than Harry. Finally, they were out of the dungeons and on the main floor.

And they were surrounded.

Harry could not believe it. There were perhaps a dozen hooded Death Eaters all with their wands pointed directly at Harry. They seem much less concerned with everyone else. And then their eyes shifted direction to Draco. Harry was shaking with fear. All he could do was stall.

'Lucius is so ashamed of you, Draco,' whispered one Death Eater at Draco.

'As if it matters to me what my pitiful father thinks,' Draco said rather boldly. 'Plan on killing us, do you, Parkinson?'

'We may just spare you, Draco, given you tell us what the hell is going on and stand aside,' responded the Death Eater that was Parkinson.

Harry eyed Draco. He had no idea what to do. He and Draco alone were armed against a dozen Death Eaters. They were six to one. The only escape were the windows to the right, but he didn't even know that would be possible at the moment. And then the idea struck him.

'Isalo Winsoala!' And the Death Eaters all few perhaps fifty feet back in a horrible whirlwind charm that Harry had struck at them very quickly. 'The windows, hurry!'

He heard Draco mutter ?Alohomora' and the windows flew open and everyone was racing to get out. Thankfully, the windows were large. Already, The Death Eaters were attempting to come back.

'Protego!' Harry said quickly, shielding himself and Draco momentarily as everyone was racing out. The shield would not last so long though. But Harry was not thinking about the future at the moment; that would drive him mad. He was only thinking about that very moment.

He couldn't believe everything. Six days ago, they had been trapped in the Potions classroom on Voldemort's first attempt. When they had left and gone missing, Dumbledore had left to search for them and the Death Eaters had returned. Harry completely blamed himself. Why had he been such a coward, so foolish? People were dead because of him ...

'Harry, come on!' yelled Ginny, and Harry realized a stunner was coming right at him and he jumped out the window, missing it by inches.

Draco was right by him.

Harry had told them all to run towards Hogsmeade. He knew he and Draco had a battle to fight. Ginny did not leave them. The three of them shot stunning spell after stunning spell at the Death Eaters as they were a bit vulnerable climbing out the windows.

Remarkably, the moment they had left the castle, the wands of the prisoners had returned to them. Harry felt much more secure about the safety. If they could just make it to Hogsmeade in time, everything would be fine. And they could tell the Ministry and Dumbledore that he and Draco were still at Hogwarts and help would come ...

And then, still outnumbered, the three of them ran for it. But they ran into something much, much worse. Six chimaeras were feet away and Draco knew very well they were beyond dead now.

'Invisibility Cloak, quick!' Draco yelled, and the three of them threw each other under it and Draco did something both dumb and brave.

He pushed all three of them down but holding them under the cloak and began rolling them down the hill that would lead down to the lake. He could hear the chimaeras, but they weren't too close ...Obviously they weren't too near.

'Be quiet,' Draco said to them. 'They might find us.'

Finally, they had landed at the bottom of the hill and they were on the grassy area right by the lake.

'That was very close,' Harry said. 'I thought we were dead.'

'Don't count your eggs until they hatch,' hissed a small voice at them, and Draco saw his father along with Snape standing in front of them.

The nightmare ceases to end, Harry thought to himself bitterly. He was very angry now. He couldn't bear to see Snape. Truthfully, they could not technically see them at the moment, but they had heard them rolling down and heard them talking to each other. They probably didn't realize Ginny was among them unless they had seen her when they were by the castle windows.

Harry slowly began to get up and Ginny and Draco followed suit and they were running but he was sure their ankles were showing. He could feel the stunning spells brush against his skin ...

They would run up the other side of the hill granted they got to the hill. Then they could just run a bit and they would be back on the road that would lead to Hogsmeade. There was no way they could face any more of this and come back to somehow tell the tale. And he had Ginny of all people with him ...

As they got to the little hill, Snape and Lucius were feet away and Harry realized they were not going to get away. They would have to face it in all the exhaustion, in all the inabilities they were currently facing; they would have to fight ...

The morning sun was now blazing on them.

Ginny was remarkably the very first one to get out of the cloak and she sent a stunning spell at Snape that missed by inches, but it had been a fast and hopeful attempt.

Draco shot a spell Harry did not recognize right at his father's chest as a spell hit Harry directly in the chest before he could dodge it. And that was the last thing Harry could remember.

Ginny screamed as Harry hit the ground but she was able to dodge what was the Cruciatus Curse coming from Lucius. Draco looked absolutely livid.

'Give it up father! It is over! Septementa!' Draco screamed, and then all Ginny could see was a huge pile of blood and a limp body where Lucius was. He looked worse than dead.

Snape actually looked at Draco in fear now, but before either of them could act, Ginny had stunned Snape.

****

'Yes ladies and gentlemen, this is all really happening at Hogwarts ... Hogwarts is in a state of quarantine as dozens of aurors raid the school ... The surviving students have been sent home in extreme cases of distress ... We are not completely sure what happened but eyewitnesses are reporting that Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy returned to Hogwarts and were able to rescue the students trapped in the underground dungeons ... Vicious duels followed ... Luckily, the survivors were able to alert Albus Dumbledore who was in Hogsmeade at the time and he came to the rescue of Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, and who also remained, a dear friend of Harry's, Ginny Weasley. Harry was found stunned and limp and Draco Malfoy and Ginny Weasley were both physically wounded.'

'Not only this, but what was found was the dead body of Lucius Malfoy who had revealed himself as a Death Eater. Draco Malfoy, none other than his son, attacked him with a Slashing Hex. Severus Snape has also been captured, stunned by Ms. Weasley. The death toll currently stands at nineteen including students and four Death Eaters. After Harry Potter and his friends were rescued, there was an intense duel to recapture Hogwarts. Many bodies were found of students who had reportedly been murdered or starved to death.'Harry climbed out of bed, not believing his ears. He was in some type of hospital, not at Hogwarts, though. Was he at St. Mungo's? He did not know. What he needed right now was Draco. There was no one in the room with him, but there was a telephone. And then he had an idea.

****

'Harry Potter is that really you?' It was the same announcer that he had talked to so much during the summer. He had been the reporter on the Hogwarts incident too.

'Yeah, and I was person who called in so much this summer ...And I need to talk to the person who was on the other side of that. Please, Draco, if you're listening, call in .' Harry did not care how ridiculous this all was.

'So is that the mystery? That is how you two became friends and why you disappeared together? the reporter said.

And there was another call.

'Harry,' spoke a small voice. 'Where are you? No one's telling me shit.'

'Some hospital,' Harry said, not caring he was having a personal conversation over the radio. 'Where are you?'

'You're not going to believe it, but I'm with the Weasleys,' Draco said, sounding as though he must be smirking on the other end.

And Harry did not wait.

'I have to go.'

Harry found himself racing out of the hospital, people trying to stop him everywhere, and he did not listen. It had just been a stunning spell, he was absolutely fine, there was no reason to worry. He had to get The Burrow ...

'HARRY!' Harry recognized it as Cornelius Fudge, none other than the Minister of Magic. 'GET BACK HERE THIS INSTANT.'

Harry raced out the doors and found himself in Hogsmeade, and he was thankful for that. It wouldn't matter either way. All he knew was somehow he was going to get to the Burrow. And Harry thought. He and Draco's broomsticks ! He was running towards the back of that shop...

And he found it. His broomstick. Draco had already gotten his apparently. But there was a note attached to his.

'Come to me, Harry. I know you will.'

Harry actually smiled. 'Bastard.'

And Harry went to Draco.

***

Ginny sat with Draco in her room back home. She had actually begged Draco to come with her. He had faced it all with her, together, and he had protected her. And Ginny knew about the relationship between he and Harry. She had glimpsed them kissing one time when she had followed Harry on a midnight meeting. It had been hard, but she had mainly followed his footsteps as he had that wretched Invisibility Cloak, but he had assumed he was going to snog some girl at the North Tower anyway. And when she had got there, properly hidden, she saw Draco kissing Harry. And she knew.

She and Draco obviously had never been on great terms, but of course, complete catastrophes can really bring two people together. He had not talked much, they had just been listening to the radio when they heard Harry was looking for Draco and Draco called in. But Harry had gone as soon as he knew where Draco was. They didn't know where Harry was.

It was raining a horrible storm outside. It had been raining all day. They hadn't even slept yet. It was a bad storm, and the thought of Harry coming in that weather bothered her. After the siege at Hogwarts ended, Ginny and Draco had left to the Burrow on Dumbledore's orders and had been waiting for word on Harry all day.

Ginny's parents had told Ginny and Draco nothing other than the fact that Harry was completely safe and they would see him soon. Soon, obviously, was not good enough for either of them. The only positive thing that had happened was Ron and Hermione's arrival earlier that day. They had been missing nearly as long as Draco and Harry. They had yet to tell their story.

'Draco, I know you're upset about your father,' Ginny said, as Draco had been sulking in guilt over the fact he had killed his father.

Draco spoke quietly and not immediately. 'I wasn't trying to kill him, just show him.' He sounded completely traumatized by what he had done.

And then, coming through the window was Harry.

'Harry!' Ginny screamed, as he got off his broomstick. She embraced him. But then Harry turned to Draco.

'Draco ...'

Draco came to him and held him. But did not only hold him. He kissed him gently.

'I didn't want to kill, Harry, I didn't mean to. I can't believe I killed my own father,' Draco sounded so shaken and sad and worse then he had ever heard him.

And then Draco Malfoy was crying. Draco Malfoy, the boy who had been his rival for four years. His lover for a few months. The all-powerful Draco Malfoy was weeping. Draco kneeled to the ground, feeling so contaminated, weeping at Harry's feet.