The Heirs of Dreams

Chapter Nine

Was this really it? He was to die here...crouched on his knees like a coward. He made a movement for his sword and took the heavy object in his hand. He soon found that he could not even grasp the handle properly. It clattered at his side once more as the pain began to throb in Harry's forearm. Harry looked up to Draco's cold grey eyes and to the smile playing on the blonde boy's lips. He waited for something, anything, to happen.

Draco turned gracefully to the throne and said, "My Lord, I must implore upon you a more noble kill for myself. I have never killed a living man before, as you know. I have no honor in taking the life a mere boy who can't even hold his sword. Where is the pride in this being my first life?"

Harry's heart was pounding rapidly as he listened. Was Draco begging for mercy? It sounded like an honor speech, but deep down Harry could hear a plea for his life. His head went to the throne where the Dark Lord was sitting in thought.

"I see your plea and I sense your obligation to honor as I once felt it too. I will set the boy aside to be dealt with later...you will have your first kill in this honorable way you seek."

Voldemort gave a wave of his hand and a creature stepped forward and removed Harry from the circle. He was slowly beginning to understand, as he was dragged carelessly, that he was not about to be killed...not yet at least, perhaps that was a good thing? At least he had a few more hours to get himself and as many of his friends out of this castle as possible.

That was his thought until he was stowed back in the cell with a lock he could not open, injured arm or not. His thoughts began to seep into simply how to get out of this cell, but the pain at his arm kept distracting him and made it hard to concentrate.

He lay down helplessly, trying his best to stop his bleeding arm. He lay there in his pain and his misery. He suddenly thought of Burrow, wondering if he would ever see it again, of Dumbledore and McGonagall and wondered if they even sensed his danger...what surprise it would be when all discovered in the morning that he and all his friends had been murdered in the night. He wished for the first time ever that he had never let Zora sit in the compartment with him on that first day of school.

**

Severus turned from the window, resisting the urge to throw it open again and run after Lara if he could. He raised his hand to the handle to push it open when the baby began to whimper and sob, perhaps sensing her mother's departure. She was smarter than he would have given her credit for. He walked to the crib and just looked at the screaming pink blob for a moment. What was he supposed to do exactly? The sounds were becoming too much. He picked up the child and held her as close to the way Lara had when the baby made these noises. The sounds quieted until they ceased all together.

"You had me worried for a while, I thought I'd have to do a silencing charm," he said to the baby, who only looked at him. "Hmm...all this trouble over a little ball of pink flesh," he pondered as he held her.

She gently yawned and threw out her tiny arms, closing her eyes and falling into a calm sleep.

What he was supposed to do next? A name perhaps? He peered at the baby as she slept and wondered what to call her. Something respectful and wizardous, Lara had said. They both hated common names and Muggle names even more. He thought for a moment.

"Zorina," he smiled. It had been Lara's mother's name; surely she would have been proud of that name continuing. "Zora for short," he added as he gently stroked the tiny black hairs on the baby's head. He took a second glance at the angelic face and noticed her nose was not like her mother's and didn't resemble the Dark Lord's features either. He wondered if it were a trick of the lighting...but...he could have sworn she had his nose. He shook the thought from his head and began to concentrate on what to do next? How was he going to keep this child alive and safe from the Dark Lord? How could he manage it?

Zora suddenly awoke from her dream. The spell Draco had given her was still wearing off slowly. All she had to do was rest her head and her mind would drift away into her dreams. But of all the scenarios to see, why must she envision her abandonment? Especially at this time of all? She rubbed her eyes fiercely and focused on the door. She noted that the latch was now moving, and a smelly hooded creature was gliding in. It leaned behind her and roughly unlocked her wrists from the chains. He then grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the room. She was then being dragged away from her cell and was thrown into a room she recognized more than she would have liked.

Draco was there, coated his sweat, but still gracefully Draco. A hooded man was at his side. He took a sword from Draco's hand; part of the blade shone a bright red color which made Zora's heart skip a beat. Now he was being given a different, clean, sword and a matching one was being thrust into her own hand. She studied the weapon and noticed its uniqueness and its design. She looked more closely and saw the name "Salzar Slytherin" etched into the metal. A jolt of panic filled her heart as she raised her head to Draco. He too gazed upon it with a nervous glance before he turned immediately to the throne.

"My Lord, I mean no disrespect, but is this weaponry....completely necessary?"

"You're last battle did not satisfy the agreement I made with our friends here," Voldemort explained, "these swords are especially designed to bring death...I must have blood for the agreement to be sealed and one of you must supply it, I care not which! Fight...or I shall kill you both myself."

"My Lord, I beg humbly for a new partner...anyone, a woman to be my first kill?"

"A woman who has been trained beyond your years and who you are in love with...yes, I believe there is a bit of pride in that kill. Begin!"

For a fleeting moment the two just stood and stared at each other. Draco saluted his sword and she quickly returned the action. They circled each other cautiously, neither one wanting to be the first to strike. Zora began to wonder how they were going to get themselves out of this situation. Draco was the first to attack. It was simple and precise and completely rehearsed.

Zora recalled the previous year at Hogwarts and how badly bandaged Severus had been for the longest time before he finally allowed Draco to be her dueling partner. They had even set a few routine movements to give the appearance they were trying to fight each other, while at the same time they could relax and enjoy the laziness of the duel.

Zora was now counteracting just as she had nearly a year before in the large room near the dungeons. Severus was calling out suggestions from the sidelines as he studied their movements. Draco would give an outward show of tiredness and the battle would end. But now it was Zora who was becoming tired. She felt they weight of the sword all throughout her arm and she was finding it difficult to keep up with Draco's pace.

His eyes were flashing concern as he carefully watched her. She was putting on a show of strength, trying to remember just what it felt like to go on and on without a hint of exhaustion. She could feel the beads of sweat pouring down her face and the material of her nightgown becoming soaked with her perspiration. She darted her eyes frantically, trying to see a way out of this circle. There had to be a way out, a gap she could run through. Maybe if she got enough of a head start she could out run them. But what about Harry and Ron? She would have to come-.

The duel ended. Zora stared in disbelief as she held the sword in front of her. Her hands began shaking as she saw the tip of sword fit snugly into Draco's side. Her heart began to pound furiously as she raised her eyes to his face. He had gone completely pale, his cold eyes were wide with shock, his mouth gaped open in surprise. She couldn't do anything but stand there and stare at her damage. He was supposed to block, she told herself, he always blocked before.

She sensed there was something at her side now. A cold white hand with spider leg fingers covered her own on the sword's hilt. Before she realized what was happening, she was being forced to push the sword further in, the sound of Draco's sliced flesh filling her ears. She felt herself give out a little cry and tears quickly flooded over her eyes at the horrible sound.

The Dark Lord was saying something close to her ear, but she couldn't hear a word of it. All she could hear was the labored breathing of Draco a few steps away from her. The cold hand was on hers again, this time the sword was ripped violently from his body, sending Draco to his knees and clutching at his open wound.

"I'll leave you to say your goodbyes," Voldemort hissed unpleasantly as he walked out of the circle of demons. Draco was now lying weakly on his back, his chest heaving with great effort. Zora cautiously kneeled beside him, hoping he would tell her it was just an act...that he really wasn't dieing.

The blood was pouring from the wound and to the white marble floor and disappeared between the pieces of tile under his body.

"Collecting," he explained weakly as he followed her line of vision. "The demons...they're collecting the blood under me."

"So...it's real then?" Zora asked as she took Draco's hand in her own.

"Feels that way," he chuckled softly as he closed his eyes tightly together.

"Is there...nothing?" Zora asked stupidly, not knowing what else to do. She wanted to say so many things, but all of her thoughts left her as she kneeled there.

"If...if what I dreamed last night is true...then everything will be ok," he replied slowly.

"What are you talking about?" Zora asked as she tightened her grip on his hand.

"Midnight," he replied quietly so lightly Zora barely heard him.

Zora wanted to ask more, but the hooded creatures were pulling her to her feet.

"No! No!" she screamed as loud as she could. She attacked them violently will all her strength, but it was not nearly enough to have any effect.

She watched helplessly as Draco's body became smaller and smaller as she was dragged away until finally the circle of demons closed around him and the doors of the throne room were slammed shut.

She continued her kicking and screaming until she was thrown into one of the elaborate bedrooms of the castle. The door was closed and locked from the outside as she was thrown inside. She ran to it and continued her pounding against the door.

"Let me out!" she screamed helplessly over and over until it was nothing more than a tearful whisper of something that sounded like "He's dead...he's dead...he's dead."

**

Harry was thrust into his cell, his bag waiting for him where it was left on the floor. He went to his bag and dug through it. He was now more confused than ever. As Harry thought back and calculated, Draco removed every useful item from his bag that could get him out of the situation. However, he had asked mercy on his life in the throne room. But now Harry was locked in a cell with a bleeding arm and no way of stopping the blood. He ripped at his robes and tied an emergency bandage around his forearm to stop the bleeding, the cloth soon becoming drenched with his freely flowing blood.

He gave one last run through of his bag and found nothing that could help it at all. He threw the bag in frustration against the white marble wall, the contents flying carelessly out and around the floor. He sat his back against the wall, opposite the door and silently waited for something to happen. He honestly didn't expect it to...but it did.

The knob of the door turned and it pushed open. Harry stared for a moment, expecting almost anything to enter the room, but nothing did. For nearly a full minute the door just stood open. Too apprehensive to gather his things and leave, Harry waited for evidence that this was not a trap or trick of any kind. He refused to believe that the door to a cell holding someone the Dark Lord had plans to kill later on would simply open on its own.

"Harry?" a voice called from the empty doorway. "Is it safe?"

"Who's there?" Harry called out strongly.

"Who do you think?" the voice called back. There was a rustle and then the appearance of a red haired head...just the head.

"Ron?" Harry questioned.

Then he remembered Draco had not just emptied the contents of his bag...he had given them all to Ron. For Ron to use...to get him out of this room...at eleven thirty. Harry was flooded with relief as he realized that it was quite possible that they were all going to get out of this alive. He had Ron now...all he needed was Zora, Draco, and Ginny. Harry rose to his feet and rushed over to Ron.

"The bottles he gave you!" Harry burst out without explanation as he began to gather all discarded items from all the corners of the room. "Where are they?"

Ron studied Harry for a second before removing the cloak, revealing the rest of his body, and emptied his pockets. Harry threw his bag over his shoulder and walked over to Ron. Harry grabbed at a clear bottle filled with a red elixir and bit the cork topper off and poured the contents down his throat. He waited.

"What in the world is going on?" Ron demanded as he watched his friend.

"Basically? Draco and I just dueled to the death, but not really. He had my life spared when I hurt my arm and I was brought here. He's probably dueling with someone else right now, but I don't know who. I had a dream where I spoke with Zora's mother. She and Draco are the descendants of Voldemort, but they aren't related because incest is a little wrong when you're supposed to have a child, even for the Dark Arts. I just took a bit of spider's blood I carry around for emergencies, which should fix up my arm Draco cut in the duel. And right now I'm trying to figure out how to get to Ginny and Zora."

"What's that about Draco and Zora?" Ron asked bewildered.

Harry shuffled lightly through the remaining bottles, ignoring Ron's confusion as he raked his brain. None of the bottles seemed to be of any use. He kept them in case of emergencies, all healing potions he thought it would be necessary to carry around. He let out a deep exhale as he tried to calm his brain enough to think. That was when he felt a weight inside his pocket. It was a bottle he had become so accustomed to carrying with him he had actually forgotten it was there. The decision potion Ginny had given him for Christmas.

He removed the bottle and held it in his hand, weighing the facts quietly in his mind. If he took the elixir, wouldn't that mean it would show him what would happen if he decided to walk out of the room? He had read once, or heard Hermione lecture, that when used in physical situations, a potion like this might be able to predict a future outcome for every action he would take. If his actions were going towards Zora or Ginny...wouldn't it be able to lead him to where they were?

Before Harry had the chance to rule out his idea to delirium, he removed the cork and drank the potion down. It tasted a bit like sour milk, but Harry was in no mood to mind at present.

"Geez, Harry," Ron's voice entered his mind, "you're like an addict! Do you even know what you just took?"

"Decision making potion...it's going to lead me to Ginny and Zora, wait and see."

Harry stepped out into the hallway. He looked down one side and saw the band of demons charging after he and Ron. The vision faded and he turned his head in the other direction. Before his eyes flashed a vision of Zora and Ginny sitting quietly. That too quickly faded from his sight. He turned back to Ron and said, "Whatever you do, don't go that way," Harry said as he pointed to the direction of the demons. "Better yet...go to the throne room, it's two rights and a left from here. Take the cloak, find Draco...see if he knows how to get out of here. Meet you back here no matter what in at least a half hour, all right?"

"Harry...," Ron began, but stopped himself. He let out a deep sigh and put on the cloak, "See you in half an hour."

Harry ran down the corridor, feeling Ron at his feet and then turn off towards the throne room. Harry followed the flashes as they directed him to the girls. It was not until he reached a familiar corridor he had visited so many times in his sleep that he realized why this all felt so familiar. He looked down to his forearm and realized his arm had begun to bleed again, the potion wearing off just as it had in his dream and the dull pain returning along with it. He looked to his right and saw Zora pacing impatiently on the rug in the green velvet room. He looked to his left and saw Ginny crying on the marble floor, her arms and legs chained.

He closed his eyes and pushed his mind further. He wanted so badly to go to his left and to get Ginny as far away form this as possible. But at the same time he felt he needed to get to Zora first. Perhaps she knew something he didn't? He opened his eyes again and looked to his left. He caught a flash of hooded creatures gliding towards him. He looked to his right and saw himself and Zora running to Ron and Draco. Without any further delay, he ran to his right.