Draco Malfoy and the Deathly Hallows (BOOK 7 of 7)

Chapter 39-Accepting Fate

Draco burst into the castle just as a shrill voice pierced his head.

"You have fought valiantly but in vain. I do not wish this. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a terrible waste. I therefore command my forces to retreat. In their absence, dispose of your dead with dignity. Harry Potter, I now speak directly to you. On this night, you have allowed your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. There is no greater dishonor. Join me in the Forbidden Forest and confront your fate. If you do not do this, I shall kill every last man, woman, and child who tries to conceal you from me."

When the message was over, Draco made his way to the Great Hall, where rows of dead and wounded wizards lay on the ground, as well as piles of rubble that resulted from the fire and the battle. A Quaffle-sized chunk of the wall broke off and descended towards an injured fifth year. With a wave of his hand, Draco cast the chunk aside and let it fall on a pile of rubble. From a distance, he could see Flitwick and McGonagall working tirelessly to put out the fire and keep the castle together.

"Draco!" called Hermione.

The boy in question turned to find Hermione at the feet of Fred Weasley, along with the rest of the Weasley family. He jogged over and knelt beside her.

"I'm really sorry this happened," Draco told the grieving family. "I'm fairly certain I know who his killer was and I assure you he'll be taken care of."

"Percy already got to her, actually," said Bill.

"But it doesn't make up for anything," Percy added sadly.

"Miss Granger," called McGonagall. They turned to look at her. "If you don't mind, we must stop Hogwarts from burning down. Gather as many of your friends as you can and report to me."

"Of course, Professor," Hermione replied, standing.

Draco rose with her. "Wait, where's Potter?"

Hermione looked glum. "Harry looked really hard into Voldemort's head to figure out where he was so we went to the Shrieking Shack. We watched as he...he killed Snape."

Draco shook his head. "Snape's not dead. I took him to St. Mungo's."

A look of relief washed over Hermione. "Thank Merlin. But he must have thought he was going to die so he gave Harry his memories and told him to go to the Pensieve in the Headmaster's office."

Potter was going to learn that he had to die. And before he went to go meet Voldemort, surely he would say goodbye to his friends.

"Hermione, when you see him, give him this." Draco reached into his pocket and pulled out Marvolo Gaunt's ring. "It's the Resurrection Stone."

Hermione gaped at him. "You never told me the ring was one of the Hallows!"

"I didn't think it was relevant, and I've never even used it before, but I reckon Potter will want it after he sees the memories."

"Why? What will he see?"

Draco was about to tell her when he spotted two familiar faces entering the Great Hall. "He'll tell you," Draco assured her. "And it's not my place anyway. I have to go." He gestured towards the entrance.

Hermione nodded and took the ring. "I'll see you later, then." She took off to find help for McGonagall.

Draco strode towards the entrance to the Great Hall, making eye contact with both wizards. "I'm really glad to see you're okay," he told them as he approached.

"That we're okay?" repeated Narcissa Malfoy. "Can you possibly imagine what went through our heads when Sirius owled us to let us know you had exposed yourself and asked us to come fight?"