Featherlight Taction

ckret2 (fanfiction.net): I thoroughly enjoyed your review for chapter ten. You’re spot on about my intentions and you’ve interpreted my story exactly how I’ve wanted people to interpret it. I’m thrilled to have you as a reader!

A/N: For those of you who were not graced with the reading of ckret2’s review, you truly should. They even figured out that the sandwich dream was a complete and utter metaphor. Like I said, that dream wasn’t just pointless comedy, though I did enjoy writing the humor. It had a meaning.

Warning: This chapter is a really sudden mood change from chapter 10, just to let you all know. This is a lot less fluffy and a lot more… uh…….MORE

Anyways…

READ NOW AND THEN REVIEW OR I WILL THROW PICKLES AT YOU ALL!

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Lie awake in bed at night
And think about your life
Do you want to be different?
Try to let go of the truth
The battles of your youth
’Cause this is just a game

It's a beautiful lie
It's a perfect denial
Such a beautiful lie to believe in
So beautiful, beautiful lie makes me

It's time to forget about the past
To wash away what happened last
Hide behind an empty face
Don't ask too much, just say
'Cause this is just a game

It's a beautiful lie
It's a perfect denial
Such a beautiful lie to believe in
So beautiful, beautiful lie makes me

Lie...Beautiful

Everyone's looking at me
I'm running around in circles
A quiet desperation's building higher
I've got to remember this is just a game

So beautiful, beautiful...

It's a beautiful lie
It's a perfect denial -
Such a beautiful lie to believe in
So beautiful, beautiful lie makes me

-30 Seconds to mars- Beautiful Lie

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Featherlight Taction

Chapter 11- Acrimony

Draco shifted uncomfortably in a plush armchair of the room. He was currently, very unwillingly so, waiting in his study as his father, mother, and Severus Snape tried to calm an irate Dark Lord. The young blonde had absolutely no idea what had made Voldemort so furious, and he had absolutely no desire to find out.

He glanced at the door in worry as there was a loud, angry bellow and a crash. He considered getting up to make sure his father and mother were ok, but his father had told him to stay put, and frankly, he wasn’t brave enough to face whatever chaos was taking place downstairs.

Instead, as another shout and a shattering of glass was heard, Draco stood up hastily and grabbed his broom, pushing open the window and taking off out of it without another thought, wanting to get as far away from the manor as possible.

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His heart beat raced and slowed continuously with his thoughts, an angering undulation. Harry paced back and forth in his room, throwing vicious glances at the wall, the door, the bed. His fists were clenched into tight balls and his eyes fluttered rapidly with his heartbeats.

Voldemort had kissed him. What the bloody hell had that been about?! That bastard had probably been mocking him. He was probably showing how easy it was to get close to Harry when he was unable to defend himself. Harry let out a ferocious kick to his bedside and his rage ebbed for a moment.

He knew somehow that, that had not been the reason for the Dark Lord’s actions. Maybe that had driven it, somehow, but Harry felt deep down that something else lurked beneath the surface of Tom Riddle’s strange and perplexing behavior.

However, Harry would much rather believe the incident to be one of complete malice. To think that something less threatening was the true cause would give Voldemort too much humanity. He did not deserve an ounce of humanity, and Harry was not about to grant him that benefit of the doubt.

He felt his stomach twist and his anger rose again. He hated that he could still feel Voldemort’s lips on his, like a burning scar that would never leave. He began to rub at his lips vehemently with the back of his hand. His swiped at them, again and again, until they were so sore he thought he must have rubbed the very skin off. He dropped his hand and scowled at the rug below his feet.

He was sick of being so confused. Ever since the day they had destroyed the diadem, everything in Harry’s life had crashed in all directions, rippling into a thousand tiny pieces that he could no longer decipher. He was lost.

And as the days wore on, he wondered maybe if just continuing Dumbledore’s mission would make it go away. This had all started with the destruction of the horcrux. Maybe destroying another one would make it all stop. Maybe if he destroyed all the horcruxes, he would finally be able to destroy Voldemort, and he would never again have to wonder about that look in the Dark Lord’s eyes as he was changed into that man from his dreams. Never again would he have to think about that man. Never again would he have to touch him…

Could it possibly be that easy?

Probably not. Things were never that easy… or that simple. Yet, at least searching for the horcruxes would take his mind off of… whatever was going on. He didn’t want to think about it any more, and if destroying the horcruxes would help him with that, he would kill two birds with one stone.

As such, Harry spent the days following that night at Atherton Circle either locked in the library or interrogating various Order members on where known Death Eater hideouts were.

So far, they’d gotten absolutely nowhere.

“Come on, Remus, just tell us!” Harry pleaded with Lupin, leaning across the kitchen table as he did so.

Remus sighed and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his forehead. “I don’t see why you three need this information. What would you achieve by going to the residences of known Death Eaters?”

“We believe that some things could be hidden where they live,” Hermione responded from her spot at the end of the table. Her bushy brown hair was tied back into a long ponytail and she was currently leafing through her notes. Ron nodded from behind her. He was standing in the kitchen doorway, hands stuck in his pockets and expression bored. They hadn’t talked to Harry about his latest fit of horcrux obsession, deciding that it was better than him not wanting to search for them at all.

They knew their friend was hurting and confused, but they also knew that to force Harry Potter to tell them why was worse than remaining silent and letting him tell them in time.

Remus still looked unsure. “You cannot be certain-“
’Of course we can’t be certain!” Harry interjected, his hair more messy than its usual chaos and dark circles under his eyes. He looked a mess. “Nothing in this war is certain, but we do know that Voldemort has some high level Death Eaters. He probably entrusts them with all sorts of things. Where better to hide stuff than with your most loyal and most deadly followers?”
Remus felt his heart sink when Harry had said the word “war”. He knew that this was a war, but hearing Harry say it held a different kind of connotation. It made the whole thing seem more terrible, somehow. “I…” he trailed off, torn between responses. He could tell that Harry had not slept in days. The boy’s obsessive nature would possibly be his downfall one day. Remus felt obligated to tell him nothing, make sure the teen got some sleep, and then possibly hope that they would no longer want to know this information; but he was wise enough to know from experience with Harry and James that the green-eyed wizard would not rest until he had sated his obsession with his latest quest. If Remus didn’t tell them what they wanted to know, they were likely to go out uninformed, putting them in more danger than they’d be in if he helped them.

“Who’s location do you wish to know?” the werewolf sighed, defeated.

Harry’s eyes lit up and even Ron and Hermione smiled triumphantly.

“Well…” Hermione thumbed through her notes for a moment, scanning the parchment. “We figure that Lucius Malfoy would be a great place to start. He’d bragged to Harry before about being in high regard with Voldemort, and we all know that he recently escaped from Azkaban. He couldn’t have done that without help, so it’s pretty obvious that Voldemort values him at least.”
Remus chuckled with little mirth. “I was afraid you would say him. Malfoy manor is a very well protected place. How do you intend on getting in and out undetected? You three may be good at magic, but you’re not good enough to do it on your own.”

“Well they’re not going alone, so I guess that won’t be a problem.” A light, cheery voice had entered the room. It was Tonks.

“Tonks! When did you get here?” Hermione cried happily. She and Tonks had become great friends over the past few months, the pink haired witch being one of Hermione’s few female contacts since the trio had left Hogwarts.

Nymphadora grinned. “I was tired of doing nothing, so I decided to visit!”

A low growl sounded behind her. “Have some dignity as an auror. Tracking down Death Eaters is not “doing nothing”.”

“Moody!” Harry said with a smile, standing from his chair to greet the grumpy wizard, whose eye was currently spinning around as if it was trying to spot a golden snitch.

Mad-Eye grunted with a slight nod and turned his gaze to Remus. “To think you’d let children go off to the Malfoys. I won’t hear of it!” He hobbled into the room and ignored Lupin’s offended look as he took a seat at the table.

This comment caught Harry’s attention, though. “Moody, we have to go alone,” he said, frowning.

“Ha!” It sounded more like a cough than a laugh. “Don’t even think about it, Potter,” the rough ex-auror replied indignantly. “If you think we’re going to let you go to Lucius Malfoy’s house alone, then you’ve got hit with a few too many spells, boy. We’ll go with you and that’s that.” He eyed Harry pointedly and Harry opened his mouth vainly to reply, glancing helplessly at Ron and Hermione. They looked just as trapped as him.

Tonks seemed to understand their reluctance, and she piped up suddenly, her bubblegum hair bouncing a little as she spoke. “Look, you guys don’t have to tell us why you have to go there. All we know is that you need our help, and that’s what we’re here for.”

Moody frowned, not really liking being uninformed, but he nodded anyway in agreement.

Ron and Hermione smiled, relieved. They seemed to like the idea. Harry wasn’t as sure.

“I don’t know, guys…”

“What’s not to know?” Moody huffed, “You have to be smart about these things, Potter. Constant vigilance!”

“They’re right, Harry,” Hermione ventured softly, gazing unblinkingly at her friend. “We need all the help we can get, and we don’t have to tell them anything.” Tonks winked at Harry when Hermione said this. It made him feel a bit better.

Harry looked away from them all, thinking over the idea. Help would really make things go a lot easier, especially from Tonks and Moody. He didn’t want to put them in danger though, but it was probably more likely that he, Ron, and Hermione would be in even more danger if the others didn’t help them. After all, the Malfoys were dangerous people.

Sneaking into their house was not going to be simple.

“It’s going to take a lot of planning,” Harry said slowly, “I’m not even sure if we can do it. I mean, how are we supposed to find something in a manor that we’ve never been to before?”

“Well that’s simple!” Tonks, answered, causing all heads to turn to her. She walked up to the table and leaned forward on it excitedly, her palms resting heavily on the wooden surface. “We’ll just make them think we’ve been there before.”
”And how do you suppose we do that, Nymphadora?” Moody responded disbelievingly, raising an eyebrow at her.

She glared over at him for the use of her first name and then turned to the teens with a toothy grin. “I assume you three are familiar with Draco Malfoy?”

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Normally, there would have been a bit more planning before going on such a dangerous mission, but Tonks, Ron, and Harry had been so gung-ho about the whole thing that the plans were roughly finished by evening. They were ready, save for three very annoyed comrades who believed that they needed more time to plan. These comrades being the very formidable Moody, Remus, and Hermione.

--

“This is ridiculous!” Hermione shrieked as Harry grabbed his cloak. He whirled around to face her, looking terrified. He’d never heard Hermione shriek before. “I can’t believe you are ready to go to the Malfoys’ with so little planning!”

“’Mione…” Ron tried nervously to calm her, but she batted him away with a rushed “Quiet, Ronald!”

“Hermione,” Harry said defensively, standing straighter as if preparing himself to battle a dragon. “It’s not just a little planning. It’s perfect. We can go there on broom and Ron will polyjuice himself into Malfoy once we find him and knock him out, which shouldn’t be too hard.” Ron snickered, but Hermione shot him a baleful glare and he silenced. “You and I will follow him under the invisibility cloak and-“

“That’s absolutely stupid!” Hermione cut Harry off, her bushy hair bouncing as she spoke with fervor. “The invisibility cloak is not going to help you if they suspect something. It’s completely unsafe!”

“No one’s ever caught us under that thing, Hermione!” Harry replied.

She paused for a second, her face flushed. “That’s not the point! What if they catch us? What if they realize Ron isn’t Malfoy?”
”We’ve been to enough years of school with that git that I’m sure I can play him perfectly,” Ron responded mimicking Draco’s arrogant smirk.

“Hermione, if worse comes to worse, they’re just the Malfoys,” Harry said calmly, grabbing his invisibility cloak from under his bed. “And Tonks, Moody, and Remus will be waiting above the house on their brooms. If anything goes wrong, they’ll be there to help us in a second.”

“But Harry-“
”Hermione,” Harry said more firmly, looking at her with a pained stare. “I need this.”
Caught off guard, the witch sighed and slouched a bit. “Fine… but promise you two will be careful.” She turned to Ron with an anxious expression.
Ron walked forward and placed a comforting hand on the girl’s shoulder. “We promise.”

--

“Nymphadora!”

“Don’t call me Nymphadora!”

“Tonks,” Remus tried, sitting a calming hand on Mad-Eye’s shoulder. “Do you really think it is wise to do this?” ”Don’t be silly!” Tonks retorted. “It’s about time we had something to do, and let’s hope the Malfoys are dumb enough to attack Harry so we can fight back and send them all to Azkaban again.”
”Ha!” Moody laughed gruffly. “Voldemort will have them out in a day!”
”Then I guess we’ll have to do something besides send them to Azkaban,” Tonks replied devilishly. Moody rolled his eye.

“Tonks, surely you can’t expect the kids to get in and out of there without a hitch?” Remus asked, hoping she would suddenly see reason and stop encouraging the teens to move forward with the plan.

“Of course they won’t,” the pink-haired witch replied. “But I also know that Lucius Malfoy won’t dare hurt Harry without Voldemort’s consent.”

“That doesn’t say what will happen to Ron and Hermione.”

“We’ll be right above the house! If anything happens, we’ll be there in a second,” Tonks replied with annoyance. “Those kids are strong, and Lucius isn’t that much of a threat. He’s dangerous, but he’s not as skilled as he boasts. You’ve fought him before. You should know!”

“Yes!” Moody spat back, his magical eye swirling like a top. “I have fought him! But he is a Death Eater! These children do not know the magic that he is capable of. They do not understand what he will do to them without a moment’s hesitation.”

“Yes we do.” Harry’s crystalline voice had entered the room, and the three squabbling adults turned to face him.

Harry had the invisibility cloak tucked under his arm and Ron and Hermione stood by him like sentinels. “We know exactly what they are capable of. If you haven’t forgotten, we’ve fought them before as well.”
The room was silent. Hermione broke it.

“With all due respect,” she said, “We aren’t children anymore. Harry, Ron, and I have faced a lot more than most people our age. If there’s anyone who can handle Malfoy…”

“It would be you,” Remus concluded solemnly.

Moody and Tonks were regarding the three with a silent respect. It was true. The trio really had grown up.

“Right then,” the ex-auror said suddenly, hobbling over to the doorway and giving Harry a look of what could have only been fondness. “Why are we all standing here? Let’s get a move on.”

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Draco had stopped in the grass a few football fields away from the manor. The huge house looked now like a toy, placed randomly on miles and miles of forests and fields. The flashes of light had stopped coming from the windows, but he was certain that if he would have stopped closer, he would still be able to hear the angered screams of the Dark Lord and his father’s lame attempts to calm him.

He glanced up at the blue sky and then back at the house. Wait…

His eyes shot skyward. Six figures on broomsticks loomed high above the grounds. At first he had thought them to be birds, but upon closer inspection he found that those were definitely not winged creatures of any sort, and they were heading towards the manor.

Draco knew well by this point that if Death Eaters ever visited his home, they came by way of apparition, never broomstick. Hopping onto his Nimbus, he sped off to the house. He had to warn his father…

Suddenly, there was a flash of red light, almost invisible against the light of the sunny day, and Malfoy fell from his broom unconscious.

The sound of numerous feet hitting the ground could be heard around the unconscious boy, and someone laughed. “Bloody hell! What was he doing, waiting for us?”

“We should have known Malfoy to be stupid enough to make this easy for us,” Harry snorted.
”I wonder why he was out here?” Hermione pondered aloud, looking over at the majestic manor down the hill.

“Who cares?” Ron replied, tugging out a lock of Malfoy’s hair a little too roughly and handing it to Moody.

Hermione frowned and looked down at the crumpled figure, feeling a moment of pity before Harry and Tonks picked him up and started carrying him towards the forest. “What are you going to do with him?” she called, not really knowing why she even cared. She had gone to school with him, and even if he’d constantly called her “mudblood” and other such profanities, she still felt a kind of connection to him; at least through age and experience, if nothing else.

“We’ll immobilize him and stick him in a tree, I suppose,” Tonks called back with a smile. Harry was grinning and Ron began to guffaw.

Moody slapped Ron roughly on the back and Ron let out a kind of choked hiccup. “What was that for?!”

“Here’s the potion,” Moody stated, shoving it into Ron’s palm.

“Oh…” It was a shimmering gold. Ron grimaced. “Just like Malfoy. Even his polyjuice potion looks like money.”

“Hurry up and swallow it,” Moody growled, picking up his broom and mounting it as Remus did the same. “The sooner we get this done with, the better.”

Ron nodded and eyed the contents of the vial suspiciously before downing it and coughing directly afterwards. “Ugh! Tastes like earwax!”

“Bet it was at least better tasting than Goyle’s,” Harry stated with amusement as he and Tonks returned from the forest.

Ron didn’t reply as he witnessed his body change. He’d almost forgotten what it was like to take polyjuice. It wasn’t exactly a pleasant experience to feel your skin bubble and your skeleton change shape. To his surprise, Malfoy wasn’t that much shorter than him, and he was far more lean; bordering on the point of bony. Hermione was looking at him bitterly and Ron pointed an affronted finger at her. “Hey! Don’t look at me like that! I’m not actually him, you know!”

Hermione blushed and looked away. “Sorry, it’s just that seeing his face reminds me of all the nasty things he’s done.”
Ron frowned. “He was a right git to treat you like that, ‘Mione,” he said earnestly.

Hermione turned to him and her eyes widened. Out of nowhere, she burst out laughing.

“W-what?!” Ron spluttered, clearly embarrassed and confused.

Hermione was doubled over, unable to control her laughter and tears popped out at the corner of her eyes. “It’s…it’s just so funny to see Malfoy calling himself a git!” Hermione giggled, finally regaining some ounce of control.

Ron turned to Harry with a helpless look.

Harry winked at him and tried valiantly to hold back his laughter. “You should have seen your expression, mate,” he said, “It was way too… nice-looking for Malfoy.”

“Well it’s not like we’re at the manor yet!” Ron replied defensively. He looked at his left arm and frowned. “He’s even got the Dark Mark,” he murmured with revulsion.

“You best get into character now, Ron,” Remus said, nodding towards the house. “You three should get going. The potion does have a time limit, you know.”

The teens turned serious and nodded, shrinking their brooms and placing them in their robe pockets. Harry picked the invisibility cloak and, with one last nod at Tonks, Remus, and Moody, he swung it around his and Hermione’s shoulders and they disappeared.

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Voldemort paced back and forth in the library, his wand drawn and shattered glass from a vase lying around him. Lucius, Narcissa, and Severus were watching him carefully. Lucius’ cheek bore a long cut from one of the Dark Lord’s vengeful curses; just inches away from his eye.

“You have found nothing?!” Voldemort repeated for the umpteenth time, turning a severe eye to Severus.

Severus bowed, his long, black hair curtaining his face. “No, my Lord,” he stated blankly. “No books that we have found speak anything of such an occurrence. It is unheard of.”

“Well obviously it is not unheard of or it would not have happened!” Tom spat back, mercilessly casting the Cruciatus on the ex-Professor and scowling as he watched the man cry out in agony as his friends watched on in horror.

Sighing, he lifted the curse and turned away from the panting and shaking man, his gaze now focused on Lucius. “You have disappointed me.”
Lucius bowed deeply. “I am eternally sorry, my Lord,” he said smoothly. “I assure you, I have done my best.”
”Well your best did not succeed in doing much, did it, Lucius?” Voldemort responded cruelly, his red eyes narrowing.
”No, milord, I am sorry. I will accept any punishment.” The man was still in his bow.

Riddle was about the raise his wand and cast another bout of pain when they heard the front door of the manor open. They all looked towards the direction of the sound, and Voldemort nodded to Lucius, who hurriedly left the room to find out who had just entered his home.

Ron walked forward cautiously, feeling extremely exposed in the elaborate entryway of Malfoy manor. He could hear the quiet breathing of his friends behind him, and they pushed him forward softly. He’d taken only two steps into the house when none other than a very bedraggled Lucius Malfoy appeared before him. A deep gash colored his left cheek and he was very sweaty and pale. What was going on?

“Father,” Ron said slowly, the sound of saying such a thing to Lucius very alien to him. It was almost as if he had just cursed.

Lucius looked furious. “I thought I told you to stay in your study!” he growled, glancing back from where he had come with apprehension.

“I…I was just going for a walk,” Ron said dumbly, looking back where his friends stood with fear.

“You went for a walk while the Dark Lord is here?!” Lucius spat, both shocked and outraged. “What is the matter with you?”

Ron looked like a deer caught in headlights and Harry’s mind raced. Nononononono… Voldemort was here? But why?

“I am sorry, father,” Ron said softly, averting his eyes shamefully.

Lucius’ demeanor seemed to soften slightly as he saw his son cower. He opened his mouth to respond, but a high, cold voice beat him to it.

“Draco,” the Dark Lord hissed as he walked from the shadows to stand next to Lucius. Severus Snape and Narcissa Malfoy followed close behind him. Narcissa looked very scared as she stared at her son with horror. Snape’s robes were torn and he was hunching slightly, as if in great pain.

The trio realized quickly that they couldn’t have chosen a worse time to come to Malfoy manor.

Ron bowed to the reptilian man, having absolutely no idea of what he was supposed to do.

Voldemort chuckled. “No need to be so tense, boy,” he said softly, advancing slowly. Ron was sweating torrents now, his raging heartbeat matching those of his friends’ behind him.

Tom Riddle stopped before the pale blonde, looking down at him suspiciously. “May I ask what you were doing?”

Lucius took a step forward. “My Lord, he was merely-“
”I did not ask you that question, Lucius,” Voldemort snapped coldly. Lucius fell silent.

“I… I was taking a walk, my Lord,” Ron muttered, his eyes staring with a strong determination at the marble floors.

“Is that so?” the Dark Lord said, smiling. “Is my company that hard to bear? That you must leave this house?”

Ron felt a jolt of horror strike through him. “…Please, no. I do not think that at all!” he was losing his cool and Hermione knew it. She reached up and touched his back softly. This was the wrong this to do. Ron jumped and Voldemort’s eyes narrowed. He turned around to face Lucius. “This is no our son,” he said simply.

“W-what?!” Lucius sputtered, looking past his master to his terrified son, who was staring at him with wide gray eyes. “Of course he is!”

“Don’t be a fool, Lucius,” Tom replied, spinning his wand towards the fake Draco. Narcissa let out a frightened cry as Ron flew back into his friends and the three collapsed to the floor. Harry saw his foot peeking out from the invisibility cloak and tried desperately to pull it back in, but Voldemort had already noticed and he was walking towards them quickly.

In a split-second decision, Harry and Hermione threw of the invisibility cloak and drew their wands. Gasps of surprise echoed throughout the hall and Tom stopped dead, staring at Harry with an unreadable expression. “Potter,” he said darkly.

Harry returned his look with a venomous stare.

Hermione saw Lucius and Snape exchange shocked looks before turning back to the center of the room and drawing their wands with… was that hesitance?

Ron pushed himself up off the floor and saw Lucius beckoning to him. “Come here, son,” he said, softly so as not to disturb Voldemort and Harry’s staring contest.

Ron shook his head and Lucius’ expression went dark. “You are not him?” he asked. Ron shook his head again.

“Where is he?” His tone held a deep worry and Ron couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty. “He’s fine,” he said quietly. Lucius drew back a bit, obviously relieved.

“Enough of this!” Voldemort snarled, pulling back into a dueling stance. “Kill them now! Potter is mine.”

Snape and Malfoy looked shocked at the order for a moment, but they quickly remembered themselves and aimed their wands at the two Gryffindors.

“Avada Kedavra!” Snape shouted, purposefully missing Hermione by a few centimeters.

She cried out as the hissing magic scalded her ear and she shot off a stunning spell towards the sallow-faced man, who dodged it easily.

Ron and Lucius were staring each other down, neither willing to make a move. It seemed Lucius was unable to attack even the image of his son. This hesitance was mirrored by Ron. He felt bad, for some reason, to attack Lucius while he looked like Malfoy. It would be like him attacking his own father.

Voldemort called out a spell that sounded a lot like Reducto, and moments later, the door by which Harry had been standing was blasted to bits, sending shards of wood everywhere. Harry had dove out of the way just in time, taking Ron with him as they fell to the floor to avoid the blast.

Harry sent a body bind towards the Dark Lord, who flicked it away with agitation. Flashes of light were everywhere now. Narcissa had finally decided to do something and she was attacking Hermione mercilessly. Ron was trying to help her, but as soon as Lucius saw the visage of his son attack his own mother, he came to his sense and began to throw spells at the thief of his son’s skin.

Severus was trying to calm Lucius and was throwing spells at absolutely no one as he did so, trying to make it look like he was doing something.

Harry was being driven out onto the grounds as Voldemort attacked him with a furious onslaught of spells. Even through all the jets of light, Harry realized that the man had not cast one unforgivable. In fact, he was only casting minor curses and jinxes; nothing that would do actual damage to him.
For some reason, this only made Harry more furious. He began to attack back with equal ardor as he and his friend were driven into the middle of a field outside the manor.

Soon Tonks, Remus, and Moody had landed on the ground behind the teens, and the battle stopped for a moment.

Voldemort scowled as he realized what was happening. “Severus!”

Snape walked swiftly over to the Dark Lord and nodded. “Yes, my Lord?”

“Give me your arm.”

Severus knew what was happening, but he could not risk hesitation, lest he give away his desire to do their opponents no harm. He knew, as he held out his left arm to Voldemort, that this would not bode well for the Order members. Tom pressed a bony index finger to Snape’s dark mark, and it immediately began to twist and burn.

“He calling Death Eaters,” Moody growled from behind Harry and Hermione. He, Tonks, and Remus already had their wands drawn. Lupin was currently glaring daggers at Snape, and Tonks was continuously changing her facial features and making faces at two disgusted looking Malfoys.

Sure enough, the sky began to hiss with black smoke as Death Eaters appeared from nowhere, shooting from above to land on the grounds, masks in place and wands drawn. There were about six of them in total, including the Malfoys and Snape. Six against seven. Those were okay odds. Of course, that was only if one would count Voldemort as one wizard. He was, naturally, a bit more lethal than that, but they decided not to consider this fact.

The air was still and silent as the two groups stared at each other.

Harry spoke, his eyes locked with the slitted, ruby orbs of Tom Riddle’s. “Well this is a change of pace.” His voice was mocking and Remus turned to him. What was he talking about?

Voldemort seemed to understand the comment, though, and with a snarl of strong detest, he cried “Crucio!” Harry dodged it, but just barely, and the battle began.

“Impedimenta!” Harry cried, stopping a masked Death Eater in his tracks just as he was about to cast the Avada Kedavra on Hermione. Ron and Tonks were locked in battle with Narcissa and a short, plump Death Eater who had removed his mask to reveal a puffy face with tiny, black eyes.

Remus and Snape were letting out on each other, constantly shouting angry insults at one another, mostly about their school years together.

Moody had come to Hermione’s defense and had sent a severing charm at one Death Eater. It hit the wizard’s wrist and his wand fell with a thump to the ground, along with his entire hand.

Harry blocked out the Death Eater’s scream of shock and pain and moved just as Voldemort sent another Cruciatus at him. It hit the side of his arm and it began to bleed. Baring his teeth, he shouted, “Sectumsempra!”

Voldemort sliced his arm through the air and blocked it with a silent shield spell, causing the air to momentarily light up brightly, a shocking change to the evening haze. His arm swung back down in the recoil and he flung Harry backwards into the ground.

Harry cried out at the impact, but ignored the pain in his back and sat up, casting a disarming jinx and a stunning spell in the same breath. They knocked Tom back a bit, but had no other effect other than to aggravate him further. “Crucio!”

Harry writhed on the grass, his strangled screams cutting through the sky.
”Harry!” Ron shouted, his still blonde hair spinning around his face as he threw a curse at Voldemort. It distracted the man enough for him to drop the curse and Harry struggled to his feet, his eyes watering.

Harry was livid. “SECTUMSEMPRA!” he roared, hitting Voldemort fully in the left side of his chest. The wizard let out a shout of pain as his robes and skin split open and blood as red as his eyes began to pour down his side. His eyes shot to Harry’s and Harry faltered, remembering the eyes of Tom Riddle the previous night. The night when he had kissed him.

Voldemort was panting heavily from the loss of blood and a Death Eater had rushed over to him. He shoved them away and straightened his back, his eyes never leaving Harry’s.

There was a flash of green light and a horrified scream and Harry felt all time crash to a stop as Hermione shouted, “Tonks! No!”

His head turned slowly, everything moving at half speed and all sounds of battle drained from his ears as he saw Tonks, still and silent, dead on the ground a few yards away. His heart pounded in agony and rage and hot tears began to spill from his eyes. Not Tonks! No, not her! Please!

His head was spinning and an overwhelming fury engulfed him. “CRUCIO!” he screamed, hitting the Death Eater who had killed her straight in the chest. The man flew back with an outcry of pain.

Suddenly, another voice cut through his anguish. It was high and cold. “That is enough!” Voldemort bellowed, taking a few swift strides towards his Death Eaters. Spells stopped at once. Even the Order members seemed to restrain themselves and they battled with the torment of their fallen friend. Hermione’s face was flooded with tears and Remus looked thunderstruck as he stared at Tonks’ lifeless body.

Harry’s mind faded away and it was replaced with an inexpressible malice. He began running forward, winding blowing past his ears. “You!” he yelled as he ran. Voldemort turned, his expression dangerously placid.

A Death Eater stepped forward, but the Dark Lord raised his hand and shook his head. He let Harry come to him and the boy fisted his hands into his robes, not touching his skin. Harry faltered when Voldemort didn’t change as he touched him. The change must only happen when he touched the man’s skin. That was good to know.

He dug his fists deeper into the man’s dark robes and pulled his face close, thrown when Tom didn’t fight back at all. “You,” he repeated, his emerald eyes miserable and fierce.

Riddle merely stared back at him, his mouth frowned slightly as he looked into the face of his enemy.

His enemy…

Their animosity was palpable as they stood there, Harry shaking as he felt unable to keep his grips on Voldemort’s robes any longer. “You…” he whispered, his voice heavy and leaded with sorrow. All energy was drained from him now. His pushed against the dark wizard, but the man didn’t budge, so it ended up only being leverage to move himself away.

Everyone around them looked on with a morbid fascination. Dark and Light alike shared in their confusion at the encounter. They knew that the interaction had been beyond their understanding, and thus, they had stood by and watched as Harry Potter grabbed the Dark Lord like any other man; and Voldemort had just stood there… uncaring.

Harry looked away, refusing to let his eyes rest on Tonks’ crumpled body. He felt numb. The horcruxes were long gone from his mind now. He knew Tom was still looking at him, but he ignored the stare. He didn’t want to see those eyes again, or what they contained. Forcing his legs to move, he nodded to Remus and Ron—who had finally changed back to his red-headed self—and together they walked to Tonks’ body, putting their wands away.

A few of the Death Eaters stirred, but Voldemort stilled them with an icy look and they stood back, watching as Harry and his companions ignored them and carried Tonks away in silence.

“My Lord,” Narcissa Malfoy ventured nervously, “Why do you let them go? We had them!” Voldemort broke out of his stony silence and he turned, ever so slowly, towards her. She shrank back at the look he bore. Within his countenance he held the utmost contempt and hatred. His wrath emanated from his very being as he opened his mouth to speak. “You dare question me?” he asked, his voice so quiet it could barely be heard above the breathing of the group; but it was clear.

Narcissa began to tremble and she fell to her knees, kissing them hems of his robes. “No, I do not question your greatness, milord!” she cried.

Tom stepped away from her and sighed, suddenly very tired. “Leave me,” he said, waving his hand lazily through the air. The Death Eaters left without hesitation, whirlpools of black smoke careening into the night as Lucius and Narcissa hurried into the manor, whispering nervously to each other about the whereabouts of their son.

Severus Snape stayed behind, however, and he approached the Dark Lord with caution.

“My Lord,” he said carefully, “Your wounds.”

Tom looked down at his chest. It was soaked through with his own blood and his robes were almost shredded by the shoulder. He had forgotten entirely about that. At least now he knew why he was suddenly so tired.

“Take me to my manor, Severus,” he said, looking out over the darkening hillside as the potions master nodded and grabbed his good arm. After a moment’s worth of thought, they apparated away from Malfoy manor.

FTftFTftFTftFTftFTftFT FTftFTftFTftFTftFTftFT FTftFTftFTftFTftFTftFTFTftFTftFT

Don’t hate me, Tonks-lovers!

This was the longest chapter yet, btw. 13 pages, I think. Not bad.

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