The Redemption of Draco Malfoy

Chapter Eleven: Lord Voldemort

"What happened?" Ron asked.

"I don't know," Harry replied, peering around the wall at the study door. "I can't hear them anymore."

"You think they've gone?"

"I'd say so." Harry stepped tentatively into the hallway. The door to the study had shut after Lucius had walked inside with Draco floating behind him. Then Harry had heard muffled voices and then silence. He walked quietly to the door and put his ear against it. "I can't hear anything." Ginny and Ron emerged from the alcove and stood behind him. Harry reached down and tried the door handle.

"It's open," said Harry. He hesitated for a second and then pushed it open. The study was empty. There was a large window on the opposite wall, hung with velvet drapes. A fireplace was set into the wall on the left and the right wall was covered entirely with books. Beneath them sat a desk on clawed feet.

"They've gone," Ron pointed out.

"Looks like it," said Harry, surveying the room. Lucius' decor was minimalist; his desk sported the only real objects that could serve as Portkeys. "Start looking for the Portkeys," said Harry. Ron and Ginny walked around the other side of the desk and searched among Lucius' things. "There'll be more than one," said Harry helpfully.

Ron turned around and looked up at the towering shelves. "What if those are the Portkeys? There must be hundreds of them."

"He wouldn't discard his books like that," said Harry, lifting a stack of parchments. "It'd have to be something unimportant."

"They're Malfoys, Harry. They don't exactly have the same opinion of unimportance as we do. He could have used Galleons for all we know."

"Quills?" Ginny suggested, picking one out of a container full of them and holding it up.

Ron said, "Well, you just touched it, so no."

Ginny looked embarrassed and dropped the quill. That's when Harry saw the silver box lying on his side of the desk, as though it had been used recently. A letter M, surrounded by a serpent and a Latin motto, was inscribed on its surface. "Here," he said, and lifted the lid. Inside was a row of packaged cigars. Several were missing. "I think these are the Portkeys."

He looked up at Ron and Ginny who returned his gaze hopefully. "Worth a shot," said Ron.

Harry bundled his cloak in his hand and lifted one of the cigars out of its case. He put it down on the desk, then took another and put it inside his pocket. They would need an escape route once they found Hermione. If they found her.

"Okay," Harry said, looking across at Ron and Ginny. "On the count of three." They all looked down at the lone cigar and held out their hands, their fingers hovering inches away from it. "One. Two. Three." Harry touched the cigar and the room dissolved in front of his eyes. The ground slid away beneath him and then he was hurtling forward with Ron and Ginny beside him.

* * *

When the world had righted itself, Draco stumbled forward but managed to keep his footing. He took a deep breath and spun around. A second later there was a loud pop and his father was standing in front of him, bristling with rage.

"Foolish boy!" he spat, livid with rage. "What did you do?"

Draco took an unsteady step back, his hands touching cold stone. Lucius advanced on him. "I will not ask again, Draco. What did you--."

"Stupefy!" three voices shouted behind Lucius. Draco saw his father's eyes go wide and then he fell to the floor, knocking his head on the wall. Draco stared down at his father's motionless body before looking up. Harry, Ron, and Ginny were standing with their wands held out in front of them.

"You just Stunned my father," said Draco, half astonished and half impressed.

"Come on," said Harry, "we have to find Hermione."

Draco looked down at where his father's blonde hair had been turned red with blood. He felt a strange detachment from the scene, as though what he was looking at was quite alien to him. He supposed he should feel fear or anger, or perhaps concern, but he felt nothing. And Harry was right, they had to find Hermione. Draco took out his wand and followed the three of them out of the room.

* * *

The apparating chamber connected to a long hallway that was neither dry nor lit by any light. The stones were covered in moss and they felt dank when Harry touched them with his hand.

"Lumos," Harry muttered, drawing his wand. The others followed his lead.

They turned a corner and started down another long corridor, and then another.

"This place is a maze," said Ron.

It wasn't strictly true; they hadn't reached any diverging paths yet, but it did feel as though they were moving in circles. At last, they emerged into an enormous chamber whose walls and ceiling fell away into darkness. Rows of stone pillars supported the roof; they, too, disappearing from sight. Ornate chandeliers, made from a rusted metal, hung limply from the roof, none of them holding even the stump of a candle. The room was huge; Harry couldn't see the other side from where they were standing. He swept his wand light around, chasing away the shadows and trying, in vain, to make out the walls.

He took a deep breath. "Let's go." They walked across the room, Harry leading and glancing warily around. Ron and Ginny stuck close to him and Draco employed his usual lazy walk at the rear. After what seemed like several minutes a doorway came into view and they walked through it.

There were more stone corridors here, branching off into antechambers at regular intervals. They stuck their heads inside each one, but they were largely empty. Some had old wooden shelves in them, or chairs or the occasional bench, but none of them looked fit to hold a prisoner.

They reached a passageway that stretched off in opposite directions, the ends lost in darkness.

"Which way?" Ron asked.

"Right," said Harry.

The hallways were larger here, as were the rooms they opened into. They had doors now, too, and one of them was standing ajar. Voices were coming from it.

Harry approached it cautiously and stopped outside the entrance, the others crowding around him.

"...but he didn't put a much of a fight," a man's voice said. Harry peered around the edge of the door. He didn't recognise the speaker; he had low eyebrows and waxy, sunken skin. "I don't see why the master needs him."

"A contingency plan," another man replied. Harry turned his eyes on the second wizard, and felt his throat constrict tightly. He had seen this man before - his thin hair; his pasty skin; his pointed, almost rat-like face. In the torchlight, Harry could make out a glittering silver appendage protruding from his right sleeve. Wormtail, he thought with an intense hatred. He listened quietly as Wormtail continued speaking.

"You locked him up?" he inquired.

"Yes," the other wizard replied. "In the dungeons. I must say, I expected him to be rather more impressive, after all the stories I'd heard."

Wormtail chuckled. "Stories were all he was good for."

"You knew him?" the other wizard asked.

"Oh, yes," said Wormtail.

"And is he as dangerous as they say?"

Wormtail chuckled again. "No. It's been a long time since Sirius Black was a threat to anyone."

The feeling drained out of Harry's body. He was vaguely aware of Wormtail and the other Death Eater leaving via a door on the other side of the room. Once they had gone, he turned around and looked blankly at the others. "They've got Sirius," he said weakly.

Ron and Ginny looked back at him with stunned expressions. Draco merely furrowed his brow.

"Sirius Black?" he said.

Harry looked at Draco without really seeing him. In fact, he couldn't see much of anything at the moment. He felt as though his sight had been turned inwards, looking at his own thoughts. He did his best to collate them into something coherent.

Voldemort had Sirius; had him here. Where was it the other wizard had said they'd imprisoned him? In the dungeons.

"We have to find him," Harry said, looking up, his thoughts clearing with his resolve.

"We have to find Hermione," said Draco.

"We'll split up," Harry suggested. "Ginny and I will try to find Sirius and you two look for Hermione."

"What?" Ron exclaimed.

Draco eyed Ron with cold dislike. "There's no way I'm going anywhere with him."

"Shut up!" Ron snapped.

"Watch it, Weasley, before I--"

"We're not going to find anyone if you two keep bickering like this," Harry interjected.

Draco and Ron glared at each other. "I'll go alone," said Draco.

"Alone?" Harry queried.

"Yes," Draco replied irritably. "You lot go and look for Black and I'll find Hermione. I don't need help."

"I don't know," Harry said doubtfully.

Draco looked at him crossly. "Look, Potter - you send Weasley with me we're only going to try to kill each other on the way. I'll find Hermione a lot quicker if I do it on my own."

Harry's gaze lingered thoughtfully on Draco. "Okay," he conceded. "We'll find the dungeons and get Sirius out, you find Hermione. We'll meet back here afterwards. I've got the Portkey to get us back to the Manor."

"Right," said Draco. "I'll go back this way." He turned around and started walking back along the hallway they had come from. Harry watched him go and then turned to Ron and Ginny.

"Let's go."

They pushed open the door and crossed the room Wormtail had been in minutes earlier. On the other side, there was another door that led to a spiral staircase, winding down into darkness. Harry started down it and the other two followed.

* * *

Alone at last, Draco thought, making his way down the stone corridor. He was glad to be free of those brainless idiots; now he could actually look for Hermione.

He emerged into a small, empty room, crossed it, and started down another passageway. There were torch brackets on the walls here, some without torches and some that had torches but weren't lit. Even so, the darkness seemed to lift slightly as Draco continued along the corridor. The dark, charcoal-coloured stones turned a lighter grey and the moss between them became brighter. Draco supposed sunlight was seeping in through some of the cracks, though he couldn't be sure where. Perhaps the place was lit by magic.

Another hallway branched off to the right but Draco decided to continue down the one he was in. He came eventually to a large, rusted door that was bolted shut with heavy locks. He stepped up to it and muttered, "Alohomora," but the door stayed shut. He was just about to try another unlocking spell his father had once taught him, when he heard quick footsteps coming from behind him.

Draco whirled around and held out his wand, but it flew out of his grasp. A gloved hand snatched it out of the air, another hand pointing another wand at Draco. The shadows parted and the man walked into Draco's view.

"Father."

Lucius smiled. "So good to see you again, Draco."

The blood in Lucius' hair had dried and matted; the cut on his forehead was still bright red but no longer bleeding freely. Draco felt naked and defenceless without his wand in his hand. He closed his fist and stood resolutely in front of the door.

"You don't look very pleased to see me," said Lucius. He took several steps forward and stopped in front of Draco. "Where are your friends?" he asked sternly.

"I don't know," Draco replied.

Lucius' gaze was considering for a moment, then his eyes lightened. "No matter," he said, "they will not escape alive."

"And I will?" Draco queried.

"The Dark Lord will wish to speak to you," said Lucius. "He is most eager to know why you betrayed him. As am I." Lucius' gaze went to the door behind Draco. "You have come for the girl?" he said. "Well, then, I would hate to disappoint you, seeing as though you have come so far. Let's go inside." He stepped up to the door, muttered "Adaperio" and pushed it open. With his wand, he gestured Draco inside.

* * *

The staircase seemed to go on forever. They must be deep underground now, Harry reasoned. It was perilously dark; one wrong step and they might all break their necks. He kept a hand on the wall, which became drier the further they went down. At last, Harry could see the flickering of torchlight ahead and he emerged into a low-ceilinged area, Ron and Ginny behind him.

There were cells along the walls, their bars old and rusted but still very solid looking. They continued on for what looked like miles, torches lighting the corridor at intervals. All of the ones Harry could see from here were empty; Sirius must be in one further down.

"Come on," he said to Ron and Ginny.

They walked cautiously, scanning the cells on either side for occupants. Empty - all of them. They had passed several dozen when Harry heard a hacking cough come from further up the corridor. He looked up, glanced at Ron and Ginny and then hurried forward. He ran to the spot where he'd heard the cough and then dropped to his knees before one of the cells.

"Sirius!" Harry whispered.

Sirius looked up. He was huddled in a corner, his clothes tattered and torn and his feet bare. His hair hung in lank strands in front of his face, which was sunken and pallid. He looked exactly as he had the first time Harry had seen him - when he had just recently escaped from Azkaban. His dark eyes, sunken in their sockets, lit up curiously as he looked at Harry.

"Harry?" he croaked, his voice raspy.

"It's me, Sirius," Harry replied. "Ron and Ginny are here too." They knelt down on either side of Harry.

Sirius pushed himself out of the corner and crawled up to the bars. "What are you doing here, Harry?" he asked.

"We've come to get you out," Harry replied.

"But how did you..." Sirius trailed off and shook his head. "Never mind."

"How do we get you out?" Harry asked.

"It shouldn't be too hard," Sirius replied. "These cells are old; their magic's worn off and I don't think Voldemort bothered to reinforce them. Have you got your wand?"

"Here," said Harry, holding his wand through the bars. Sirius took it from him and touched the tip to one of the bars. "Lentesco metallus," he said. A soft yellow light issued from the end of Harry's wand and seeped into the bar. Sirius handed the wand back to Harry and then wriggled back. He lifted his leg and kicked the bar; it broke as though it were made of wood. Sirius, thin as he was, was able to squeeze between the gap and stand up on the other side.

"Thanks, Harry," he said, putting a hand on Harry's shoulder. "And you two," he added, looking at Ron and Ginny.

"No problem," said Ron, smiling.

Sirius turned back to Harry. "We have to get out of here quickly. Voldemort's gone to meet you at Godric's Hollow but it won't be long before he realises you're not coming."

"We have to find Hermione first," said Harry.

"Hermione?"

"She's here," Harry explained. "Voldemort took her."

"Damn!" Sirius ran a hand through his matted hair and looked thoughtfully along the passageway.

"And...there's another thing."

Sirius turned back to Harry with a curious look. "What?"

"Draco Malfoy...Lucius' son...he's here too."

"Where?" Sirius asked.

"He went to find Hermione. We split up so we could look for you."

"You let him go alone?" Sirius asked incredulously.

"We had to find you," Harry protested. "And you don't know what Malfoy's like. It would have made things a whole lot worse if he'd gone with someone else."

Sirius sighed heavily. "Okay," he said, "we'll have to find them."

"We don't know where they are though," Harry pointed out.

Sirius tapped his nose in reply. "I know what Hermione smells like. I'll be able to find her."

"Does...anyone else think that sounds rather strange?" said Ron.

"Let's go," said Sirius. He changed into his canine form, dropping to all fours and then hurrying back up the corridor. Harry, Ron, and Ginny ran after him.

* * *

Hermione had run out of tears by the time the door in her cell opened. She looked up as it did, her neck stiff from lack of movement. She was afraid that it would be Voldemort, come to torture her or kill her. But it wasn't Voldemort. It was a blonde man - Lucius Malfoy. He opened the door and pushed it wide, but he wasn't looking at Hermione.

"Inside," he said.

Hermione sat still against the wall as another blonde head moved into view, this one more familiar. Draco's eyes fell on her immediately and Hermione could see the relief in them. He stared at her until his father nudged him in his back and forced him into the room. Lucius entered behind him and shut the door.

Draco continued to stare at Hermione, as though he had forgotten about his father. Lucius, however, had obviously not forgotten about his son; he aimed his wand at a pile of chains on the floor. They sprang up and fastened themselves around Draco's wrists and ankles, yanking him roughly to the ground. Hermione winced as he hit the stone.

"Now," said Lucius, looking thoroughly pleased with himself, "I don't believe introductions are necessary." He grinned broadly and turned his sparkling gaze on Draco. "Here she is, Draco," he said, "the girl you betrayed your family for - still alive, at least for the moment."

Lucius walked over to Hermione and crouched down beside her. "I don't know what you see in her," he said, looking at her with disgust. "They say a beautiful woman can make a man do crazy things. But what could this...Mudblood possibly make you do?"

Draco set his jaw hard and glared at his father. Lucius smirked. "Nothing to say, Draco?" he said. "Isn't that new." He stood up and advanced on his son, his expression turning sour. "The Dark Lord is on his way," he said in a low voice. "When he arrives, you will realise how foolish it was to disobey him. Until then, however, I will give you a taste of the horrors to come."

Lucius raised his wand with a sinister smile, and spoke a single, terrifying word. "Crucio."

The spell hit Draco square in the chest. His face contorted with pain and he writhed against the wall; but he didn't cry out. Hermione's throat tightened and her heart beat faster. She didn't feel the tears that were in her eyes. "Stop it!" she screamed, staring at Draco in horror. "You'll kill him!"

Lucius ignored her and continued the spell. Eventually, he lifted his wand and Draco sagged down against the stones.

"You have learnt to resist it," said Lucius. "After so many years you have become accustomed to the pain. I am impressed - I had thought you much weaker than that. Clearly, we both underestimated each other." Draco opened his eyes and looked up at his father. "I have other ways of hurting you, Draco," Lucius said coldly. He raised his wand again and pointed it at Draco's leg. "Fractus," he hissed.

Draco screamed. Hermione clapped her hands over her ears and may have screamed herself. She watched Draco writhe and squirm against the wall, his right leg lying stiffly in front of him. Lucius was grinning.

"You see," he was saying, though Hermione could barely hear him. "There is no end to the pain I can inflict upon you, Draco. You never could tolerate it. And when the Dark Lord returns, you will see, once and for all, what true pain is."

* * *

Harry, Ron, and Ginny ran along yet another nondescript stone corridor, following Sirius as he hurtled around a corner.

"Some of us are still human, you know," Ron called out, panting.

Harry himself was having trouble keeping up; but just as he was beginning to feel a cramp in his side, Sirius trotted to a stop outside a large metal door and assumed his human form once more. He turned to Harry and the others once they'd caught up to him. "She's in there," he said. He put his hand on the large handle and twisted it. With a creak and a groan, the latch slid free and the door swung open. The first thing Harry saw was Lucius Malfoy; the second thing he saw was Lucius' unpleasant grin.

"Well, well," he said, turning to face them, "who do we have here? Friends of yours, Draco?"

Lucius grin sent a chill down Harry's spine. He looked past him to where Hermione was huddled against the wall and then to the other side of the room where Draco was slumped on the floor with his chest heaving. His leg stuck straight out before him. Lucius looked extremely pleased with the strange tableau.

"Black," he said to Sirius, "so good of you to join us. I was beginning to wonder if Travers had killed you."

Sirius scowled. "Let them go, Lucius."

"And why, pray tell, would I do that?"

Harry didn't see the reasoning in Sirius' question himself, but he kept silent.

"Do you really think Voldemort will let you live after your son betrayed him?" asked Sirius.

Harry had, of course, filled Sirius in on recent events on the way to the cell.

"Draco's actions are his alone," Lucius replied smoothly. "The Dark Lord knows this."

"And you would watch your son suffer?"

"My son," Lucius spat, "deserves his fate. There is no mercy shown to those who defy the Dark Lord. Draco knew as such, before he decided to betray us."

Lucius continued to spout harsh comments towards Draco, but Harry was no longer paying attention. He could see, out of the corner of his eye - he didn't dare turn his head - that Draco was inching forward on the ground, slowly enough so that his chains wouldn't rattle. Harry saw his leg bend at an odd angle. Lucius was standing close to his son, but Harry wasn't sure what Draco hoped to accomplish with a broken leg. He kept his eyes on Lucius, his heartbeat quickening.

"The Dark Lord is on his way," Lucius snapped, fed up with Sirius' questions. "Once he arrives I am sure he will reunite you with your wretched childhood friend. Potter, too, will finally have the chance to see his miserable..."

Lucius didn't finish, for at that moment Draco kicked out with his good leg and caught his father in the back of the knee. Lucius stumbled only slightly, but it was enough. Sirius lunged forward and tackled him to the ground. Lucius' wand went clattering across the stone floor.

"Get his wand!" Sirius barked, Lucius' forearm at his throat.

Harry darted forward and retrieved the wand. He tried to point it at Lucius but Sirius obscured his view and he couldn't aim it properly. Lucius' hands went around Sirius' throat, his face screwed up with fury. Suddenly, Sirius was in canine form; he opened his jaws and savaged Lucius' arm.

"Agh!"

Sirius leapt off him, leaving Lucius lying on the floor, cradling his bloody arm. Harry raised his wand and yelled, "Stupefy!" Lucius' body went slack and his head rolled to one side.

Sirius got to his feet, breathing hard but otherwise unscathed. "Thanks, Harry." He reached out and took Lucius' wand. "Come on," he said, kneeling in front of Hermione and aiming the wand at her manacles, "we have to get out of here. Voldemort won't take long to get back."

"Maybe he was lying," said Ron.

"He's not," Harry replied grimly. "Voldemort's coming. I can feel it."

Hermione's chains sprang free and Sirius walked over to Draco, who was attempting to stand up. "Easy, there," he said, putting a hand on Draco's shoulder. "Is it broken?" he said, nodding at Draco's leg. Draco nodded. He looked as though he was in a considerable amount of pain, despite the fact that he hadn't said anything since they'd arrived.

Sirius unlocked and removed Draco's chains, then helped him to his feet. Draco looked down at his father, one arm around Sirius' shoulder.

"I'm sorry," said Sirius. He gave Draco's shoulder a squeeze.

"It's fine," said Draco, turning towards the door. His eyes passed over Hermione and lingered for a moment.

"Are you all right, Hermione?" Ron asked. Hermione nodded, but remained silent.

"Can you give me a hand, Harry," said Sirius. Without hesitation, Harry walked forward and supported Draco's other side.

"I'm fine!" Draco snapped.

"You can't walk," Sirius replied.

"Yes, I can," Draco said, stubbornly. He wrenched his arms free and staggered forward, wobbling precariously.

Sirius caught his arm. "Whoa." Draco sighed irritably and reluctantly accepted Sirius' arm. Harry took the other and they helped him towards the door.

"This ever gets back to school," said Draco, "and you're a dead man, Potter."

"We're all dead if we don't get back to school," Harry pointed out.

Ginny held the door open so that they could walk through. She, Ron, and Hermione followed. Harry and Sirius started down a bleak hallway, supporting Draco between them. The walls, even the very air, seemed to get darker as the further they walked. They made slow progress, due to Draco's condition. The other three walked in silence behind them.

"Any idea on how to get out of this place?" asked Sirius.

"I've got a Portkey," said Harry. "But we can only use it in a certain room."

"Wards." Sirius nodded grimly. "Do you know how to get back to the room?

Harry wasn't even sure where they were. Every passageway looked familiar to him.

"I do," Draco said with some effort.

Sirius renewed his grip on Draco's arm as they turned a corner. Harry's nerves were on edge. He could feel Voldemort's presence approaching, like dark storm clouds drifting towards them. His scar had begun to sting, heralding the Dark Lord's arrival. He wasn't sure how far or how close Voldemort was though, and that, coupled with their sluggish pace, was making him increasingly anxious.

He had confronted the Dark Lord on four separate occasions now. Once he had been an infant, twice he had faced him in a weakened state, and once he had been lucky to escape alive. Even with his past experiences with Voldemort, Harry never went into a confrontation with anything resembling confidence. There was one salient point that pervaded his thoughts whenever he was heading in to one of these encounters; Voldemort had the ability and the desire, to kill Harry, whereas Harry only had one of those things. As far as he knew, Voldemort was immortal - he wouldn't die even if Harry tried to kill him. And so Harry was just as apprehensive, just as uneasy now, as he had been the first time he had faced the decrepit wreck of a man who had murdered his parents.

As always though, escape was what Harry was focusing on. Even if he had some way to harm Voldemort, he couldn't do it with the others here. If Voldemort made it back in time, that would be it. He would kill them all and then nothing would stand in the way of his malevolent plans to bring the wizarding and Muggle world to their knees. The pain in Harry's scar intensified and his heart started to beat faster.

At last they reached a place that Harry remembered - the dark, cavernous stone room that was lined on either side with towering pillars. They hurried as fast as they could towards the other side.

Draco was wincing with every step they took. "Ow," he grunted. He stopped and screwed his eyes shut.

"Are you okay?" Sirius asked, looking at him with concern.

"No I'm not okay!" Draco barked in reply.

"We have to keep going," said Sirius. "It's not much longer."

"My leg," said Draco.

Sirius cast a worried look at the other side of the room and then turned back to Draco. "Sit down," he said. Harry helped him lower Draco to the floor, his back resting on one of the pillars. Sirius pulled out Lucius' wand and inspected Draco's leg. "Fractus Curse," he said. "Broken right through."

Sirius began muttering some spells and asking Draco if he felt better. Harry took the opportunity to join the others, who were all standing in watchful silence against the wall.

"Hermione," he said, looking at her with concern, "are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Hermione replied weakly. She was looking worriedly at Draco, biting her lip. Harry looked at him too, and saw him leaning his head against the stone pillar, his eyes clamped shut. He turned back to Hermione. "He really helped us, you know."

Hermione continued to look at Draco and lapsed into silence.

"Are you two okay?" Harry asked Ron and Ginny.

"Fine," said Ron. Ginny nodded. Harry smiled reassuringly at her. She looked frightened, but resolved. He admired her attempt at stoicism. "We'll be fine," he said encouragingly.

"Harry," Sirius called out. Harry walked back over to Sirius.

"Is he okay?" he asked.

"For now. I put a splint on his leg, but he needs proper treatment. The Fractus Curse isn't pleasant."

Harry nodded. "We'll take him to the Hospital Wing once we get back to school. We should go though - Voldemort will be here any minute."

"Second, actually," said a snake-like voice from the other side of the room. Harry snapped his head up to look at the doorway and there, standing with his malignant eyes gleaming, was Lord Voldemort.

* * *

Harry stared in horror. His entire body went numb, and his scar started to throb painfully. Voldemort surveyed them all silently, his slitted eyes moving from one to the other.

"So," he said softly, "we are together at last." He took a step into the room. "It is good to see you again Harry. And who have you brought with you?"

Harry glanced sideways at Hermione, Ron and Ginny, who stood against the wall, staring at Voldemort in terror. On his other side, Sirius' face had gone blank and Draco was pushing himself to his feet. He put a hand on the pillar behind him to steady himself.

Voldemort walked forward and stopped in front of them, his black robes billowing around his feet. His red eyes came to rest on Sirius. "Sirius Black," he said, "the greatest Death Eater who never was a Death Eater. You were credited with the Potters' demise, I hear. Wormtail was most fortunate to have such a plausible scapegoat." Voldemort smiled, though it didn't look like a smile at all. He moved on.

"Ah, the Mudblood," he said, eyeing Hermione. "It is such a shame that all your friends' daring efforts to rescue you have come to nought." Voldemort's gaze swept over Ron and Ginny, his eyes narrowing. "You," he said to Ginny, "I have seen you before." He drew in a hissing breath. "You are Potter's friend?"

Harry found his voice. "Leave her alone!" he said.

Voldemort turned towards him, grinning with mirth. "You are noble, Harry," he said. "Foolish...some would say. Even at this grim hour you would oppose me to save those you love."

Harry stared back at Voldemort with a conviction born of fury, of pure hatred. His fists shook by his sides. Voldemort returned to stand before Sirius and Draco. "Lucius' son," he said, considering Draco. "You have allied yourself with this rabble?" Draco didn't answer. "I had such high hopes for you," said Voldemort. "You were to be the greatest of my servants."

Draco stared back impassively, his chin raised as it always was. "Tell me," said Voldemort, "why do you care for these people? Do you think they have any compassion for you? Do you think they are your friends? Potter would die to protect them, of that I am certain. But I wonder - would he die to protect you?" Voldemort's lips curled once more into that hideous smile. "They care nothing for you, young Draco - and they never shall. Your place is with me, at my side. They know this, your father knows this, and you know this. There is no escaping it."

Draco returned Voldemort's gaze defiantly. "Has anyone ever told you that you have dry skin? They have some really fantastic Moisturising Potions today that would do wonders for your complexion."

Voldemort's eyes narrowed coldly. "You are determined to continue defying me?"

"I always was a slow learner," said Draco.

Voldemort's eyes narrowed further and Harry's scar gave an agonising jolt. "It is time, young Draco" said Voldemort, his voice like ice, "that you learn the price of disobedience."

Harry's scar burned as Voldemort raised his wand and pointed it...at Hermione. "No!" Harry yelled. Both he and Draco rushed towards her. As they did, Harry heard the two words he'd been dreading since The Dark Lord's arrival.

"Avada Kedavra."

Bright green light issued from the end of Voldemort's wand and lit up the entire room. Ginny screamed from somewhere near the wall. Harry had made it to Hermione and planted himself in front of her, but Draco had rushed forward and planted himself in front of them both. The green light rushed forward and hit Draco in the chest, knocking him backwards. His eyes grew wide and he fell to the floor, silent and still. Dead.

* * *