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

Chapter 41-At Last

Draco opened his eyes to a fog and bright lights. He looked around and realized he was in King's Cross Station. Not a soul was in sight. He turned around and to his surprise, Dumbledore was approaching him with a faint smile.

"Professor?" Draco called out.

"Not anymore, I'm afraid," Dumbledore answered.

"Why are we here? Is there where Potter came?"

The old headmaster nodded. "But Harry was killed under different circumstances, was he not?"

"Hermione thinks I'm coming back. That's the only reason she let herself do it." Draco paused. "Her soul? Will it split in two?"

"It already has," came the reply. "But love drew the pieces back together, for she believed you would really return to her. You see, Harry had the choice to go back and help his friends or move on. This was because of the love protecting him since the night Lily Potter sacrificed herself. But when you were turned into a Horcrux, it wasn't a rebounding spell, it was completely intentional. You don't have the same choice Mr. Potter did."

"So I can't go back?" Draco asked.

"Well, you certainly can't go on."

Frowning, Draco said, "I don't understand."

"When Miss Granger cast the Killing Curse, her intentions were clear: only destroy the Horcrux within you. It meant you couldn't die, but you can't go back either."

"So possessing all three Hallows didn't help me at all."

Dumbledore shook his head. "Being the master of Death has everything to do with accepting your own fate and nothing to do with the Hallows themselves. Hanging onto the actual Hallows is preventing you from truly accepting your death. You believe mastery is based on the actual objects, yet that is not the case. When you asked Hermione to kill you, you didn't really have a chance to accept death because you believed you would return."

"So I'll be here until I realize I have to move on and I'm okay with it. Only then can I really move on."

"Yes. I will leave you to your thoughts. When I return, it means you are ready."

Dumbledore walked away, fading into the fog.

Draco sat on a bench and waited. So this was it. He would never again see any of his friends or family. Hermione and everyone else would believe she killed him. But it was the only way. Surely they would come to terms with that eventually. They would defeat Voldemort soon, restore Hogwarts, and move on with their lives. His friends had each other to lean on, and his parents had William and Jane to look after. Hermione would find her uncle and bring her parents home. The Grangers and Malfoys would be fine. Hopefully even Snape would be okay.

Draco had prepared for the possibility of death the entire time he'd been at Hogwarts. This was a war, and of course there would be casualties. He had known he might be one, and that was okay. He had faith that everything would work out for the outside world. He'd go down in history for his sacrifice and his contributions, and the world would once again be at peace.

Death didn't seem so bad after all. He'd left everything on good terms, having made up with Potter and the Weasleys, and even Longbottom sort of. It was all going to be fine.

Out of the fog, Dumbledore reappeared and offered his hand. Draco took it and pulled himself up. Together, they descended into the fog once more. Draco's eyes began to droop as he walked until they finally closed.

The next time they opened was to complete brightness. Draco was no longer in King's Cross Station, but lying on some sort of concrete. It wasn't too comfortable, but Draco's body seemed to ache too much to get up and determine where he was. As he tried to turn his head through the searing pain, his hearing came into focus and he heard shouts from all around.

"Draco? Draco, look at me?"

Squinting, Draco turned to his left and saw Hermione shaking him.

"Can't. Get up," he barely managed to utter.

Hermione placed her arm around his back and lifted him up to sit.

"How long?" Draco asked her, reaching for his wand to heal his body aches.

"How long? HOW LONG? Draco Malfoy, how could you do that to me?"

Draco gave her a weak smile as he continued healing himself. "I had complete faith in you. My trusted advisor."

"Never thought that you'd be the first to say you love me much less that I'd have to kill you right after! You really earned the title of most irritable. You're lucky I knew you wouldn't die or I never would've done it."

"Actually, it was a bit of a toss up, whether I'd be back."

"WHAT?"

"Now, how long was I out?"

"A couple of minutes," she replied, rolling her eyes. "Voldemort left as soon as you dropped and Harry went after him."

Time must have passed differently in the strange King's Cross Station. He'd have to talk to Potter about his experience. He chuckled at Dumbledore for a moment. Why did the wise always choose to speak in riddles or half-truths?

"What's so funny?" Hermione asked as she helped him stand up.

"I saw Dumbledore," he replied. "I'll tell you about it later. Right now, we've got to find the Dark Lord and end this."

"Just one thing," Hermione said before kissing him like her life depended on it. When she pulled back, Draco had a huge grin plastered on his face, his eyes practically forming hearts. "And in case we die today, I love you too, you idiot."

Draco kissed her again, then grabbed her hand and made for the castle, blasting anyone who tried to keep them out. Draco's father was dueling both the Lestrange brothers with ease, yet he couldn't defeat either one. Sirius was keeping up with Bellatrix, who seemed to be enjoying herself.

"Draco!" The Slytherin spun around to greet his mother in an embrace. "Oh, you foolish boy." She broke away and hugged Hermione, to the latter's surprise. "When I ran to you, Hermione told me you weren't really dead. Otherwise the Granger line may very well have ended then."

"I'm fine, Mum," Draco assured her as Hermione stepped back uncomfortably. "But we have to go now."

Narcissa nodded and went off to help her cousin fight her sister. As Draco and Hermione sped through the castle looking for Potter, he reached into his pocket for the Elder wand. They reached the Clocktower Courtyard and found Voldemort and Potter facing off once more. The red light from Potter's wand combined with green from Voldemort's as neither could overpower the other.

"Hermione," Draco said, pulling out the Invisibility Cloak. "Take this. I'll distract him, and when I give the signal, we both attack at once."

"What spell? I mean I can't very well use Stupefy and I can't use the Killing Curse again."

Draco thought for a moment. "Disarm him. I'll disarm him too, and Potter's already doing it. If all three of us disarm him at once, the wand will get confused and split."

Hermione nodded and wrapped the cloak around her. Draco couldn't see if she'd gone but after waiting a short moment, he raced out to meet the Dark Lord.

"For seven years I've toiled away, trying to become the best wizard!" he shouted to Voldemort, hoping to distract him. "But that's not why you'll lose today. What you failed to learn is you cannot win alone. And we don't plan to. Hermione, now!"

"Expelliarmus!" they shouted together, Draco using both wands and Hermione dropping her cloak.

The three red streams tore apart Voldemort's wand. His arm began to crack like the wand. Draco watched in shock as the vile creature's body split into millions of tiny pieces and burst into the air, fading away with the wind.

Potter dropped to the ground, panting. Hermione ran to him, and Draco did the same.

"It's over," said Potter as Draco put his arm around Hermione. "It's over."

Draco hugged Hermione to him as Potter looked out over the courtyard with relief. Peace was finally won.

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