Draco Falore

Come to me, my sweet;
Put your head in my lap.
I will love you forever and a day
in a gold-made trap.

Stay by my side until the day you die;
For, in truth - this you can tell,
If you ever try to leave, my sweet,
Your life will be a living hell.

***

Harry edged his way along the black castle wall. He had been in this place many times and had the scars to show for every one of them. Obviously, the Death Eaters who swarmed inside always came off worse, but still, the thought of what was waiting for him in there made his skin crawl.

'Who's there?'

The voice, coming from the deep darkness, brought back memories of a friend long lost. Of course, this place offered no friends. Harry stood very still, hoping that whoever this was, would think he'd been imagining things.

'Show yourself!' The other wizard called.

Harry felt a chill travel down his spine. This man sounded so much like Draco... A beam of light flickered in the air and then landed directly on Harry's face. The blinding white in the otherwise perfect blackness pained his eyes. He tried to stare through it, but could not see the wizard casting it.

'Potter,' the other wizard drawled, lowering his lit wand a little.

Harry could only gape. Thousands of thoughts ran through his head - questions he'd been bothered with for a year and a half; cries of great joy for a resurfacing soul mate; horrible, horrible curses he wanted to cast. He was unable to utter any of them.

'Potter, quit staring,' Draco said. 'You look like that brainless girl Parkinson, only she's got better hair.'

Mindlessly, Harry reached for his unruly hair and brushed it out of his eyes. 'Where have you been?' he finally managed to say.

Draco's lip curled up in a sneer. 'Where do you think? I was helping Father serve our Master, who is here, by the way, waiting for you.'

'Voldemort?' Harry asked in disbelief. 'You are not his follower. Last time I saw you, you were seriously dating a Muggle-born witch. You know, she was a wreck when you first disappeared. She wept over you for long weeks; didn't eat. She even neglected her studies. Would you believe Hermione didn't open a book for two months?'

Draco shifted his weight, trying to hide the chill that went through him. He seemed heart-broken, but was it for the pain he had put her through, or because she had recovered? 'The stupid Mudblood is not your main concern now, Potter. I suggest you flee before it's too late.'

'I came here to put an end to the murders,' Harry said. 'I know Voldemort is planning to raid Hogwarts during the Seventh Year leaving feast. I'm not going to let that happen.'

'You and what army?' Draco laughed dryly. 'The only thing that will come to an end if you stay will be your life. He's got all his top Death Eaters surrounding him now. You'll have to fight over fifty people before you can even go into his chambers. You think you can do that? Even if you do, you think you'll have enough magic left to duel the strongest Dark wizard ever to walk the earth?'

Harry lowered his eyes to the ground, feeling the blood rushing to his face. Had he been a dragon, he'd have probably spat fire at that moment.

'You're that vain?' Draco continued, moving aside. 'Then by all means, be my guest. Barge right in and rid us of your cursed existence.'

Harry did something he hadn't bothered to do in nearly two years of fighting Death Eaters. He pulled out his wand. If Draco was telling the truth, he'd need his magic as concentrated as he could get it. Giving the newly discovered traitor one last sidelong glance, he sped forward.

Draco waited until Harry turned his back to him, and then leapt after the charging boy. In the best of the Slytherin tradition, he jabbed his wand in the surprised boy's ribs and leaned very close to his ear. 'Don't make a move,' he hissed, leaning closer still. 'Not like you, Potter, to leave the guard conscious. Big mistake.'

'Don't do this, Malfoy,' Harry said. 'I don't want to hurt you.'

'How conceited you've become,' Draco spat. 'Considering that I'm the one with the wand.' He traced Harry's jawline with its tip.

'If you're really Voldemort's servant, why am I still standing?' Harry said. 'You could have cursed me a dozen times by now.'

'Eh, I want to make sure you don't have any wards that will make it backfire,' Draco stammered.

Harry's shoulders sagged. He was counting on that protective enchantment to get him out of the situation he had so stupidly put himself into. How could he trust someone who had disappeared without trace the very same day his Muggle-born girlfriend was found critically injured? What made him think the betraying boy would just let him go by undisturbed?

'I can't get through this ward,' Draco said through gritted teeth. 'Seems like we have a dead-lock.'

'Not quite,' Harry said, standing up a little straighter. He turned rapidly around and held his wand forward at the exact moment Draco found a weakness in the spell defending the dark-haired boy.

'Expelliarmus!' they both shouted as one.

Harry was blown backwards, but managed to keep a hold on his wand. He used it to extinguish the smoke that engulfed his chest.

Draco's wand lay beside its barely conscious owner. Both were several feet from their original position. Draco raised his head and watched his opponent trying to sit up. A satisfied smile spread on his lips as Harry's face contorted with pain.

Harry closed his eyes and tried again, but the harsh truth was beginning to become very clear. While he hadn't sustained any permanent damage, he was in no condition to face hundreds of Death Eaters. One platinum-blonde rat had disabled him even before the battle had started. He watched the light head drop back to the ground and fought the urge to blast it into oblivion.

Lazily, he cast a pain-killing spell on himself. He knew that it would make him even less fit to fight, but the day was already lost. Scrambling to his feet, he prepared to use a Portkey back home. 'I hope you're satisfied,' he said, kneeling beside Draco and reaching to grab his arm. 'I'm taking you with me to Hogwarts.' Before he touched him, though, the prone boy disappeared.

Harry got up and, cursing passionately, activated his Portkey. A moment later, he was gone as well.

***

'Harry! Thank God you're safe!' Hermione put her arms around him and covered his face with kisses. 'What happened?' she asked, keeping his mouth too busy to answer. 'You didn't find You-Know-Who?'

'I found him,' Harry said, pushing her slightly away. 'I couldn't reach him, though. I had trouble with one of his guards before I could get anywhere close.'

Hermione frowned and took a step back, examining his disturbed features. All the while she and Ron were waiting for him, she had been worried about his confrontation with the Dark Lord. She had been pacing the common room until she nearly wore a hole in the carpet, and when she saw him walk in - he never got back from his solo vengeance tours this early...

'One guard?' Ron asked, his voice conveying more worry than his face. 'One Death Eater never stopped you before.'

'This was someone special,' Harry said. 'I wasn't expecting... I didn't think he would...' He took a deep breath. 'You'd better sit down.'

His voice was so deeply sad that Hermione just sat on the carpet in front of him. Ron joined her, putting an arm around her shoulder.

'This is someone I - we know well,' Harry said. 'He's - I thought he was dead.'

'Who?' Ron asked.

'I talked to him,' Harry went on, ignoring Ron's question. 'He seemed different. I still didn't think he'd attack me. I tried to walk away...'

'Who?' Hermione nearly shouted.

'Draco.'

It was fortunate that Ron had an arm around Hermione, because he used it to support her when she fainted. Harry touched her softly above her chest, muttering a reviving spell. He regretted it when she jumped off the floor, waving her fists in the air.

'The lying filthy, cheating -' Hermione began yelling. One of her fists caught Harry off-guard in the jaw. 'I'm sorry!' she said, trying to take the hurt boy's hand off his face to examine the damage. Tears began rolling down her cheeks. 'I didn't mean -'

'It's all right,' Harry said. 'Calm down.'

'Calm down?' she yelled. 'Calm down? I thought he was dead! Wait till I get my hands on him. He'll regret that he isn't!'

Harry touched the spot above her chest again. 'I had to do it,' he said apologetically, supporting Hermione's limp body.

'Absolutely,' Ron said, helping him get her to one of the overstuffed chairs. 'She would have hurt herself otherwise.' He glanced at the red mark her fist left on Harry's jaw. 'Or someone else.'

Harry grimaced, glad that the pain-killing spell was still working. 'You think I shouldn't have told her?'

'She would have found out sooner or later.'

'I don't know,' Harry said, flopping into a chair next to Hermione. 'How do you think she'll cope with it? It's like losing him for the second time. You should have seen him, wearing Voldemort's black uniform, ready to defend his master.' He didn't notice the shiver going through Ron. 'He's a real Death Eater. A true servant of the dark forces.'

'He's a Malfoy,' Ron said. 'It was only a matter of time. I don't know how Hermione could be with him, it was so obvious he would eventually turn.'

'You think she's still in love with him?'

'Are you mad?' Ron sputtered. 'She's with you now. You've already got an apartment in Hogsmeade. You're moving in together next week.'

'I know,' Harry said, brushing a strand of hair out of his eyes and then doing the same for the unconscious girl next to him. 'Still...'

***

'You were supposed to protect him!' Sirius roared. 'Not give him the means to go face-to-face with Voldemort!'

'I didn't do that,' Lee said uncertainly. 'Harry was determined to go chase You-Know-Who, so I gave him a Portkey that would help him get out fast if he needed to. He would have gone anyway.'

'You don't know that!' Sirius said. His face was burning with the passion of his words and his hands were clenched in two enormous fists that were ready to strike the younger man at any moment. 'And now he used that Portkey. Who knows what kind of trouble he's in.'

'No point in yelling at Lee,' Remus said, putting a calming hand on Sirius' shoulder.

Sirius turned to him, his rage ready to burst in any possible direction. 'He was supposed to make sure Harry didn't do something as stupid as this! Those were his orders.'

'Well, you'd better set your anger on the one who gave those impractical orders,' Remus said, not yielding before his commander's outburst. 'He is Harry Potter. There's no stopping him once his mind is set. Certainly not by a single wizard.' He gestured to Lee.

Sirius sat down heavily. 'You're right,' he said, blowing out what little air was left in him. 'I shouldn't have told him about the planned attack. He thought he was going to save the entire school.'

'You wanted him to be prepared,' Lee said. 'You wanted him to be ready to defend himself the very moment he becomes a certified wizard. You couldn't have known that's how he'd react.'

'Oh yes I could,' Sirius said. 'That's what he always does. Every time he knows something is going to happen, every time he thinks he can find Voldemort, he considers it his destiny.'

'So do many others,' Remus said quietly.

'He's just a child.'

'No, he's not,' Remus said. 'He's a grown man. Free to use magic as he pleases in one week. He makes his own choices, and all you can do is try and help him. What Lee did was the only option.'

Sirius jumped off the chair and strode toward the door.

'Where are you going?' Remus asked. Sirius' determination worried him much further than his anger had earlier.

'I'm choosing the other only option. I'm going to stun him until this is all over.'

'Yes, that will help Harry defend himself.'

'Getting himself killed won't help either,' Sirius said. 'Our job is to take care of him, and that's exactly what I'm going to do.

Remus watched Sirius striding away and sighed. 'Better catch him from behind,' he said to his back, 'or he's not the one who's going to end up stunned.'

***

Draco kneeled, his head bowed down so low that his hair swept the floor. Although the windows were open and allowed the starlight to enter the room, it was still darker than the night outside. The darkness was crawling out of one figure at its centre. Draco raised his head slightly, ready to heave himself off the ground.

'Stay exactly where you are,' Voldemort hissed at him. 'I haven't yet given you permission to stand in my presence.'

Lucius moved slightly away from his master and put his foot on his son's shoulder. His cloak brushed half of Draco's grovelling body.

'Why are you here without Potter?' Voldemort asked. It seemed like smoke was coming out of his slit-like nostrils.

'He got away,' the boy on the floor said. 'I tried to stop him, but he apparated away or used a Portkey, or some similar spell. I came here immediately after, to warn you.'

'Warn me of what?' Voldemort's voice was that of a thousand angry snakes. 'I don't need to be warned of that boy.'

'Of course not, Master,' Draco hurried to say. 'I wanted to tell you that Potter escaped and we need to conceive a different plan to capture him.'

'We?' Voldemort sneered. 'I don't remember you or your father ever doing anything useful. I don't know why I keep you here.'

'My lord,' Lucius choked. 'We are both but your lowly slaves. We would die in your service.'

'That you shall,' Voldemort said, turning his back on the pair. His cloak swirled around him; a delayed reaction that spread the blackness further in the already lightless room. He tossed something into the silver fireplace, and its flames roared, green as a Common Welsh dragon. Without moving into the fire, and without as much as a tiny popping sound, the Dark Lord was gone.

'Get up,' Lucius said, his voice oddly soft. He stretched out his arm and helped his son to his feet.

Draco's face was red from keeping his head lowered for so long. His bloodshot eyes were welled with tears of exertion.

'The Dark Lord was merciful,' Lucius went on. 'That was a very simple plan you managed to spoil, and it's not the first time either. Are you sure you're with us in heart?'

The blood ran out of Draco's face, taking every trace of colour with it. 'Of course I am, Father,' he said. 'Haven't I done enough to prove it? Haven't I left Hogwarts to go to Durmstrang? Haven't I tried to kill that Mudblood girl you wanted dead?'

'Tried!' Lucius roared. 'And failed. Like you failed today.'

'You were there, Father,' Draco said. 'You saw the life spell say she was dead.'

'The spell you cast, Draco,' Lucius said, his voice sounding sad. 'All the more reason to suspect you.' He paced towards the fireplace and stopped. The flames, back to their normal red and blue, were beginning to die down. Deep cold was creeping into the room, like an unnoticed thief. With a wave of his wand and a muttered word, Lucius made the fire burn anew. 'You got your licence to practice magic two weeks ago,' he said, turning back to face his son. 'In this time you served our master well with small errands and second-rate assignments. The first time you get an important task, you disappoint him, and you disappoint me. I don't know if you will ever be initiated into his inner circle now. This will also damage my status, but that is not what's important now. He turned his back to Draco again, his fingers interlaced behind him. 'Make no mistake. The next time you fail, you will die, and there is nothing I can do to change that.'

***

'Harry, sit down. What are you doing here in the middle of the night?'

Harry leaned against Dumbledore's desk and tried to catch his breath. He did not plan to go there, but that's where his feet took him. That's where they always seemed to take him when he felt lost, and at this time he was more desperate then ever. He refused the proffered chair and stood very close to the headmaster, trying to ignore all the other eyes that were staring at him; the eyes of the non-sleeping past headmasters and headmistresses, and the eyes of Severus Snape, leering at him from the innermost shadows of the office.

'Snake got your tongue?' Snape sneered.

'No,' Harry said. 'I came to talk to Professor Dumbledore. Maybe it's a bad time.'

'Of course it's a bad time,' Snape said. 'Look at the clock. It says bad time.' He pointed at the clock hanging above the barely-lit grate. Its one handle actually showed exactly what he had said. 'Didn't you consider that the headmaster might be asleep now?'

'He's never asleep,' Harry said with the utmost seriousness.

'Come now,' Dumbledore said with a laugh. 'I do sleep occasionally. Though, not these days, I'm afraid.' His expression turned grave. 'There hasn't been a planned attack on Hogwarts in decades. We have to be prepared.'

'I went to Atrox today,' Harry began. 'I met -'

'What?' Snape jumped out of his seat. 'Are you trying to get yourself expelled with only one week of school left?' There was a glint of victory in his black eyes. 'Well, seems like you've done it this time,' he said with a shadow of a gloating smile. 'You were not allowed off the school grounds, and You-Know-Who's headquarters is certainly outside this school. Hand over your wand.'

Harry took his wand out of his pocket, but held it tightly, making it very clear that he wasn't about to give it up. He stood still as a lion's statue while Snape edged his way towards him.

'Oh, relax Severus,' Dumbledore said. 'Sit down, both of you.' He got out of his own chair and circled his desk. The other two kept staring at each other, the black turmoil in one's glare getting steadily closer to the green fire in the others' eyes. 'I said sit!' Dumbledore raised his voice in a rare gesture. Both were startled enough to obey.

'Good,' Dumbledore said. 'Severus, you may be the staff member in charge tonight, but I'm still the headmaster.' He turned his attention to his student. 'Now Harry, what did you see that made you come here at this time and in this state?'

Most of the portraits showed people fast asleep, but those that weren't craned their necks to better hear the answer. A past headmaster named Hymenoptera even tried to move to a nearer position, but was pushed out by a fat headmistress who wasn't willing to share her frame with him.

'Draco Malfoy,' Harry said.

'Impossible!' Snape leaped to his feet once again.

Dumbledore turned to him like a hungry tiger smelling its prey. 'One more comment and you will have to leave us,' he said without a hint of his usual benign tone.

'Yes, Headmaster,' Snape took a step back. 'I'm sorry. I won't interrupt again.'

'How did you find him?' Dumbledore said, looking back to Harry. 'Is he well? Probably not, after being in captivity for so long,' he added sadly.

'I only wish,' Harry said. 'He gave me this.' He put his hand through the burned hole in the cloak he was wearing. In his hurry, he hadn't even stopped to change.

'What are you suggesting?' Dumbledore asked, his frown growing so deep that his eyes were barely visible in between the wrinkles of his face.

'I'm not suggesting anything,' Harry said. 'I'm telling you: he's turned. He works for Voldemort now. He told me that himself, and when I didn't believe him, he tried to kill me.'

'Did he use the killing curse?' Snape asked. Dumbledore pursed his lips at him, but said nothing.

'No,' Harry said. 'He used a disarming spell first, but look at the power he was putting behind it.' He pulled up the scorched edge - the result of Draco's spell.

'I suppose he thought you were trying to attack him,' Snape said.

'I had my back to him,' Harry said, his voice shivering slightly. 'I used to think he was dead. I kept wishing I were wrong. Now I think he might have been better off if I were right.'

Dumbledore moved back behind his desk, causing Hymenoptera to nearly fall out of his frame. 'There isn't much we can do about Draco. If this is truly the path he had chosen, then he now belongs to the other side of this war. We will fight him exactly like we fight any other Death Eater.'

'What if he's under Imperius?' Snape asked.

'I don't believe Voldemort really uses this curse to get his soldiers,' Dumbledore said, 'but to give him the benefit of the doubt, we'll cast Finite Incantatem on him before we use any other curse, but only if it's possible without risking any lives. I wouldn't put high hopes on it, though.'

***

The man stooped so low that only the bald top of his head was visible. Slowly, he raised his eyes from the floor, and when his master did not push him down again, he allowed himself to stand upright. 'That was a good plan, Master,' he said, his voice gravelling even more than his posture.

The only other occupant of the room stared at him through eyes that were mere red slits. 'Good plans work, Wormtail,' he spat. 'This one didn't. It wasn't good enough.' He took a step closer to his servant and observed him from a foot over his head. Instead of looking up, the man made himself even smaller, as if trying to shrink away from the gaze.

'For over a year now,' The Dark Lord continued, pacing around the cowering man, 'we've been trying and failing to capture Potter. Why is that, Wormtail?'

'I don't know, Master.' Wormtail raised his eyes for an instant and them cast them back down. He stared into the dying embers in the grate. For a moment, he wondered why no regular fire ever lasted long when his master was around. It seemed that only the green flames, those that were colder than ice, could burn around him, and those weren't very useful in keeping a room warm. They didn't do much for the light either, but then again, neither did fast dying embers.

'He's too strong for a small unit,' Wormtail said, raising his hands in frustration, 'and when we send more than one unit, it always results in too much confusion, which he uses against us.'

'Stupid, stupid,' Voldemort said, stomping his foot. 'You should have found a way to organise the men.'

'Yes, Master,' Wormtail said. He tried to edge his way out of the room. He did not like being alone with the commander of all the dark forces. It wasn't just the cold and the darkness. There was something else - a smell. The smell of death. Worse than the stench of a scorched body or the reek of human blood. It was the smell of the dead people's dark destination. He did not know what it was, exactly, and he hoped never to find out.

'Too late for that,' Voldemort said, stopping Wormtail's progress. We have exactly one week -' He looked through the window at the reddening horizon. 'We have six days,' he corrected himself, 'to make sure Potter doesn't stand in our way when we seize Hogwarts. We can't start training our men now.' He stalked to the window and closed the shutters. 'Take five men and go to our observation point in the Forbidden Forest. The next time Potter comes out of the castle, I want you to get him and bring him here. Alive, if possible, but if not... well... I want to see the body.'

'But Master,' Wormtail whimpered, 'that would mean attacking him on Hogwarts grounds. That's a risk we weren't willing to take before.'

'That's a risk I'm willing to take now!' Voldemort hissed angrily. 'There are high stakes involved. You will increase your chances for success if you wait until he's close to the school's perimeter, and he will get close if he wants to attack us.'

'If he intends to come here, why not wait for him on our territory?'

'Because then the element of surprise would work for his benefit, while we hold that advantage in Hogwarts.' The explanation was given in such a tone that even if the Dark Lord had said, 'because I want to see you all killed,' Wormtail wouldn't have argued.

'Five men, Master, yes,' Wormtail said. 'I'll be on my way immediately.'

'One more thing,' Voldemort said. 'I want you to take the Malfoy boy with you.'

'Good choice, Master.'

'Of course,' Voldemort sneered. 'I want you to watch him closely. One false move - and you will kill him.'

For the first time in the entire demanding conversation, Wormtail actually choked. 'He's Lucius' son -' he trailed off.

'I know,' Voldemort said. He turned his back to his servant, signalling the end of the discussion.

***

Ron blinked. It didn't feel like he'd had nearly enough sleep. With one eye closed, he peeked towards the window. Between the closed drapes he was able to detect the white light of early morning. He grunted, and turned over. Breakfast on Saturdays was served until ten. He still had plenty of time to catch up on some sleep.

A rustle in the near bed made Ron open his eyes once again. Suddenly, he felt wide-awake. Harry getting up this early was a bad omen. With a generous hand motion he swept the curtains of his four-poster open, wishing that the soft noise were only inside his head.

It wasn't. Harry was fully dressed and ready to go. He whirled around to look at his friend, who had jumped out of bed. Then, he muttered a curse under his breath. 'I thought you were asleep,' he said.

'I was,' Ron replied. 'I'm not any more. Where are you going?'

'Where do you think?' Harry said, fastening his wand in its special clasp and turning to check the array of phoenix feathers he held in a pouch under his cloak. After his life had been saved when Voldemort's Avada Kedavra curse had hit one of Fawkes' moulted feathers, Harry made a point of taking at least one with him every time he went into battle.

'What time is it, anyway?' Ron asked, looking at his watch. The useless thing had three hands, one for him, one for Harry and one for Hermione. They all pointed at 'Big Trouble,' but then again, that was the only option on the scale. It just always seemed to be relevant.

'Almost seven,' Harry said, not giving his muggle watch even a brief glimpse. 'With any luck, I'll find Voldemort by noon. He doesn't like the daylight. That'll give me some advantage.'

'Stop and listen to yourself,' Ron said. 'Do you even realise who it is you're trying to catch? What advantage are you talking about? You could find him blindfolded, with his hands tied behind his back and trying to reach his nose with his tongue, and he'd still be able to kill you in a blink of an eye.'

'Why would he blink if he's blindfolded?' Harry asked, trying to lighten the spirit.

Ron only released a short snort.

'Look,' Harry tried again. 'We both know that Voldemort has to be stopped. I don't know if I'm the wizard to do it, but I have to try.'

'This is not like all these times you went chasing Death Eaters,' Ron argued. 'You are going to get yourself killed. You know that.'

Harry swallowed hard. There wasn't a moment he wasn't thinking about that option. 'It's a possibility,' he said. 'But it's something I must do.' Before Ron had a chance to stop him, he slid three Portkeys into his pocket and strode out of the room.

***

Parking his motorcycle by the lake, Sirius began to march towards the Hogwarts castle. After making it halfway he turned around and moved his bike to a safer spot by the Quidditch stands. He nearly forgot about the giant squid, and the early morning mists were the beast's favourite. Last time he'd made that mistake, he had to spend two weeks clearing ink off the seat and wheels, and he still had black spots on his trousers for months after that. That was the main reason he only wore black leather when riding the bike.

He took out the Marauders' Map he had stolen from Harry's trunk the first Christmas they had spent together. The only Christmas they had spent together. That was the best part about having his name cleared. He was planning to repeat that, but it would require a live godson, and he was going to make sure he had one.

The map said that Harry was in the Gryffindor tower, in the dormitories section. Sirius sighed in relief, realising that he had scanned the hospital wing first. This was, in fact, the first time he had seen Harry where he was supposed to be. He looked at the ready room and swore. Then again, not everything could be perfect. Of all the Hogwarts teachers, why did Snape have to be the one on watch tonight? Not letting the new and unpleasant information slow him down, Sirius strode towards him.

'What are you doing here, Black?' Snape asked, not bothering to raise his eyes off the papers on his desk.

'I came to see what measures you're taking to protect Harry,' Sirius said.

'Oh, you mean like showing him the way to Atrox?' Snape sneered. 'Or like taking him on Death Eaters hunting trips?'

'I did not take him anywhere,' Sirius said, 'and he followed me to Atrox. I didn't know he was there.'

'Some Auror you are, not noticing a boy following you,' Snape said. 'He's quite safe here, I assure you. Safer than he is with you, anyway.'

'If you take such good care of him, what was he doing outside of school last night?'

'He took the law into his own hands,' Snape said, and then cleared his throat. 'That's not something he learned from me.'

'No,' Sirius snarled, 'going out to fight Death Eaters is certainly not something he picked up from you.'

'I fought more than my share!' Snape jumped out of his leather chair. 'May I remind you that I'm the one who got you cleared?'

'I wonder if there's ever going to be a conversation between us when you're not going to bring this up.'

'Not in your life,' Snape jeered. 'Rubbing your nose in it is the only reason I let myself get so close to the top of You-Know-Who's most-wanted list.'

'You can't even say his name,' Sirius said, shaking his head. 'I'm going to see to things myself.'

'If you think you can control him,' Snape said. He said that to the door, which had closed behind Sirius' back.

Striding angrily towards the Gryffindor tower, Sirius took the map again, just to make sure. Harry's dot was no longer in the dormitories section. It was on the move.

'Bloody hell,' Sirius breathed, and then broke into a run.

***

If Harry thought he was free and on his way to meet with his destiny, he was wrong. He ran down the stairs from the boys dormitories, not really bothering to have his feet touch the floor, when he found himself face to face with Hermione.

'What are you doing in the common room this early in the morning?' he asked.

'Same thing that you are,' Hermione said, and then released a caught breath. 'Not true. I'm doing the exact opposite as you. I'm trying to stop you from going.'

'Thank you,' Harry said. He really did appreciate her caring for him. 'But you can't stop me. I have to go.'

'You're just a boy,' Hermione said, taking his arm and moving closer to him. 'You're not even a real wizard yet. I understand that you think you're the one who has to put an end to You-Know-Who's reign of terror, but can't you, for once, let the qualified Aurors do their job?'

'They'll just get killed.'

'So will you!' Hermione did not mean to yell at him, but there was nothing else she could think about. 'Please,' she said, getting close enough to whisper the words in his ear. 'At least become a full wizard first. Train as an Auror, and then take him on.'

'And lose you?' Harry said. 'Lose all my friends to him? He has already cost me dearly. I can't stand on the side-lines and watch.'

'Yes, You-Know-Who is putting a painful toll on the wizarding community,' Hermione said. 'But after you get proper training, you might stand a chance. Then, you'll be able to play the saviour of the world. If you get killed now, there will be no one to stop him.'

'What about all the people who will die in the mean time?'

'There's nothing you can do about them,' Hermione said. 'Getting yourself killed will not save them.'

'And you?' Harry looked deep into her eyes. Some people say that the earth is blue. They are wrong. It is brown. Rich, deep brown, like the eyes that were fixed on him, wet with the pushed-back tears. He looked away, unable to bear her stare. 'There's no point in living if he takes you,' he said.

'Then I'll try to stay out of his way,' Hermione said quietly. She pushed up on the tips of her toes and kissed him.

Harry shuddered, thinking of the vanity of her words. Her kiss was salty, and yet it was the sweetest thing he'd ever tasted. He thought that after a year together he'd be used to her kisses, or at least not as stirred by them, but each time was like the very first. 'There's something I haven't told you,' he mumbled against her lips.

'That is not important,' Hermione said. 'As long as you stay here with me, nothing is important.'

'I can't stay,' Harry said. He broke the contact with her and took a step back.

Footsteps coming from the boys' dormitories made the two look in that direction. The rushing feet carried Ron into the common room. 'Good, you're up,' he said, looking at Hermione. 'Maybe you can talk some sense into him.'

'I tried,' Hermione said. 'Maybe he's just too thick to understand.'

'Then explain it to him slowly,' Ron said, taking her side. 'Tell him your usual stuff. Threaten to leave him if he goes out. Say that he'll be expelled if he goes before school is out. Do something.'

'My usual stuff never worked before,' Hermione said, glaring at Ron.

'You don't understand,' Harry said. 'I can't wait. Especially not until school is out.' He looked around, making sure that there was no one in the common room aside from the three of them. There were only cold coals in the fireplace, and the purple armchairs were just as abandoned. 'Voldemort plans to launch a massive attack on the school during the end-of-the-year feast. He and his followers will kill everyone here. All the students, and their families. You two, your parents, your brothers, Ginny, Dean, Neville, Seamus -'

'We get the picture!' Ron cut him off. He sank heavily into one of the overstuffed chairs. 'So what you're saying is that either you go now, or we all die.'

Harry nodded once and stepped towards the portrait hole.

'Or,' Hermione said, moving to stand in his way, 'we could all stay here and get ready. 'If You-Know-Who's army is going to raid the school, we will all fight him together. We stand a better chance that way. That's our only chance, actually.'

'You can't even say his bloody name!' Harry said. Circling a very stunned Hermione, he opened the portrait hole and stepped out.

***

'There he goes,' Pettigrew whispered, pointing at the dark figure coming down the wide marble stairs of the Hogwarts castle. 'All we need to do is wait until he's almost out of the school bounds, and then we attack.'

'He's not alone,' Nott said, pointing at the double oak doors. Two more figures followed behind Harry.

Draco's heart dropped to the bottom of his chest. Even from this distance, he recognised the two. The taller one was his sworn enemy, a boy who saw killing Draco as his purpose in life - Ron Weasley. The other - the other was Hermione.

'Father,' he said, stiffening.

'Don't worry,' Lucius put a paternal hand on his shoulder. 'We will get all three of them. They are still outnumbered two to one.'

'Not for long!' Nott said, 'Someone else is coming out of the castle.'

It was Pettigrew's turn to gasp at the ancient memories. 'Sirius Black,' he whispered.

'Are you sure?' Lucius said, tightening his grip of Draco's shoulder. 'Isn't he supposed to be working for Dumbledore? Why is he pulling a wand on Potter?'

'I know him, Father,' Draco said. 'This is either Black, or someone who took Polyjuice Potion to look like him.'

Sirius, or whoever that was, waved his wand in the air. His other hand was marking large circles in the air in coordination with his mouth. Draco could not hear a word he was saying, but he was undoubtedly shouting.

'He's not one of us,' Pettigrew said. 'I'd have known if he was.'

'Definitely not,' Nott agreed. 'He's trying to get Potter back into the castle. None of us would have done that. We'd have tried to get him as far away as possible.'

Sirius stopped yelling and resorted to trying to push Harry back in. As a result, his godson, too, had his wand in his hand and he raised it threateningly. Ron and Hermione, who until then stood on the side and watched, tried to disarm him.

'Let's hope he fails,' Pettigrew said. 'I don't want to have to wait for him to come out again.'

'Maybe we should attack now,' Draco said. 'Who knows when he'll be out again. Sirius may keep him inside until school is over.'

'Black, Potter, and two others are not very favourable odds,' Lucius said, changing his hold on Draco so he could hold his son back. 'That possibility sounds very remote, anyway. The boy is notorious for not obeying the rules. I don't see how Black could keep him inside for a week.'

For a moment, it seemed like Sirius gave up. He took his hands off Harry and watched him as the boy strode off, rapidly increasing the distance between them. Then, a blue spark left his wand, which he'd never lowered. An instant later, Harry was lying face down on the fresh grass that was growing right outside the Hogwarts castle.

'So that's how he plans to do it,' Lucius said.

Hermione rushed to Harry's side, skidding the last of the way on her knees. She turned him over and brushed the earth off his face. Ron and Sirius were right behind her, both having their wands out now.

'Seems like we'll have it your way after all,' Lucius whispered in Draco's ear, letting go of him for the first time since Harry came into their view.

With a touch of his wand, Sirius levitated the unconscious Harry and began navigating him back towards the castle. Draco had a painfully sharp memory of doing the very same thing himself, one fateful Christmas night, a year and a lifetime ago. All to win a girl's heart. A girl he had lost to the very one he had saved. The way she was hovering over him, holding his hand - he took his eyes off the sight, but was still barely able to hear his father's words.

'Pettigrew,' Lucius began giving out orders, 'You, Nott and I will take on Black. I don't think it would take all three of us to bring him down, but better be on the safe side.' He scanned his son along with the other two Death Eaters there. His soft black cloak billowed around him in a way that reminded of the Dark Lord himself. 'The rest of you will divert Potter here. Do whatever it takes.'

Harry and his companions were nearly at the foot of the stairs to the castle. It was now or never. Draco watched the others lower their masks onto their faces and followed suit. He felt like he was in a dream, and looking through the white slits, that sensation grew stronger still. Like the others, he ran out of the forest, his wand in his hand. Green and white flares began shooting all around him. The morning mists broke the jets of light, and the air around them was filled with all colours of the rainbow.

Sirius stopped for a minute, his wand still suspending Harry in the air, when a purple flash hit his shoulder. He was thrown several feet away from the boy, who fell to the ground with a thud. Not disabling him, the hit he took seemed to have helped Sirius make up his mind. He moved to protect Harry with his body, and held his wand in the direction of the masked men charging them. Hermione and Ron did the same, although they both shook violently.

The six Death Eaters stopped less than twenty feet away from the defenders. One of them had been mildly injured by a curse thrown at them while they were running, but so was the Auror who had cast it. At the moment, they were on the upper hand, but they needed to move quickly, before anyone came out of the castle. They still had a long way to levitate Harry before they were safely inside the Forbidden Forest and able to Portkey away. Draco took a deep breath and watched the first curse of the renewed battle leave his father's wand.