Epitome of a Soldier - What it is to be Necessary

Hi everyone :)

Reviews need replies!

Kuromei
Harry works in strange and mysterious ways but he knows what he's doing...Mostly XD *hugs Kuromei-chan*

Dragon
Yeah, Harry quoting Dumbledore there just felt right to me. Seemed like the sort of thing Dumbledore would've said to Harry a million times during his incubation period.

Snivelly
Yay for tub smex XD I'm glad you liked it. As for who was controlling Pansy, read on to discover!

Polka dot
Is he being stupid? Or is he the only one smart enough to see that Pansy isn't all bad? Makes ya wonder, huh? XD

MewMew2
I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter so much ^_^

thrnbrooke
Yep, and he's made everyone doubt him by doing so XD

dana_aeryn
Go ahead and read on to discover the true villian.

DragonHeartstring
Yeah, you probably do know as it's not hard to figure out at this point in the story. But by all means read on to discover whether you're right or not :D

DTDY
I imagine you're probably right; not hard to figure out at this point XD

GabrielAiden
I'm glad to hear I've managed to entertain you ^_^

Many apologies for this being a day late; builders in the house meant I couldn't access the computer yesterday -.-
Enough from me, on with the story!

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The week Harry had secured to prove Pansy Parkinson innocent was almost over and although there was no doubt in his mind as to who it was trying to kill him, he had no way to prove it. He had no solid evidence which could be used to point the finger in his attacker's direction and time was rapidly running out. Simply stating the accusation wouldn't work. His attacker was a wily type and without evidence there was too great a risk that they'd be able to talk their way out of their guilt.

If he was anyone else, he may have started to let his frustration and concern get the better of him. Harry was nothing if not calm and methodical about everything however, and so he continued to bide him time. He knew that with some discreet manipulation of certain situations, he could draw his attacker into the open. Once he had done that then exposing them for what they were would become the most simple task in the world.

So, he remained patient. He watched and he waited and when oppotunity arrived, he seized it with both hands.

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2nd March 1998: Late evening

The bathroom door clicking shut was Harry's cue to leave. It was the night and he was determined to make sure what was going to happen happened as far away from Draco as possible. So, as he pulled on his outer school robe and checked the pocket to make sure his wand was in there, he quietly slipped out of the room he and Draco shared. He guided the door shut completely silently despite the fact it was highly unlikely that Draco would hear from inside the bathroom, especially with the tap of the bath running, but such things could never be taken for granted. Draco couldn't know what Harry was planning. If Draco knew, he'd want to help and that would put him in danger and it wasn't his fight to put himself in danger for.

Harry passed through the Slytherin common room like a shadow, going unnoticed by the majority of the students who inhabited the area. The few who noticed him, he noticed back: Gregory Goyle; Vincent Carbbe; a Sixth Year whose name he didn't know. They glanced at him and Harry glanced back. No words were exchanged. They all looked away together moments later.

Although that night was definitely the night, it (whatever "it" turned out to be) wouldn't actually happen for quite a while, Harry decided silently. No, first there would be some stalking from his attacker as they tried to figure out whether it was the time to strike again. Then, they would wait until the Wizarding world's saviour was in the ideal location. With the attacker deciding when and where everything would happen, one would be forgiven for assuming it was they who had the control. In reality, Harry was quite confident in the level of control he had of the situation. Everything his attacker would do would be expected and so nothing could surprise him and he was confident in his ability to hold his own in a duel.

In the end, it took twenty minutes for things to finally start by which time Harry had made his way from the dungeons and up to the eighth floor. His original intention had been to make his way up to the Atronomy tower to make sure whatever happened was no where near anyone in the castle. That intention was never realised however as, while he was walking up one of the moving staircases, a wand was suddenly dug into his back. It was no surprise, he had heard the footsteps of his attacker long before he had felt the wand.

"So, you have decided to finally confront me directly, Goyle."

"You knew it was me the whole time, didn't you?" Goyle's voice asked gruffly from directly behind Harry, voice laced with suspicion.

"I have had my suspicions and you have just confirmed them."

"Then why did you intentionally leave yourself alone, at this time of night, when you knew full well I was awake too?"

"I do not think it would be wise of me to tell you that, but I wonder if I really even need to worry." Harry turned then and looked the larger male, who was still slightly taller than him despite standing on a lower step, straight in the eyes, eyes that weren't the same as they usually were. "Four times with four different methods you have tried to take my life, and each time you have failed. I think, perhaps, you are more of an annoyance than a threat."

"You weren't saying that when you were dying in the Infirmary after I slipped you the poison." Goyle said nastily as he reached forward to dig a hand in Harry's pockets in search for his wand.

"But even that turned out to be little more than a distraction. The poison you used was incomplete, it was never going to be lethal. Whoever you bought it from was apparently not very trustworthy."

"I made it myself."

"Then inadequate potions skills is what let you down." The comment would've perhaps sounded more mocking if not said in Harry's usual monotone. "I wonder what will let you down this time."

The Death Eater seemed slightly confused by that statement. "This time?" He echoed, throwing Harry's wand away to the side so it disappeared over one of the banisters.

"Are we not to fight? Do you not still wish to kill me?" Harry queried. "After all I have done to you by defeating Voldemort: your family in Azkaban; your fortune frozen; the only life you had ever known gone in the instant I killed your Dark Lord. Is that not why you wish me dead? Why you pushed me off the stands during the Quidditch match, why you poisoned my spoon, why you allowed the Death Eaters entrance into Hogwarts." He paused as he tilted his head back slightly to maintain eye contact, he lowered the volume of his voice to barely above a whisper. "Is that not why you shall kill me now?"

Goyle looked at him very carefully, as though trying to figure out whether or not he was being tricked. "Do you want to die?"

Harry leaned in a little closer to the heftier young man. "You are far too easy to distract." He whispered as he pressed his right hand lightly against Goyle's chest. With a mere thought and a push of magic, the large young man collapsed to the floor heavily. Harry watched him fall before lifting his gaze. "I see little point in you continuing to hide, I am aware of your presence." He spoke to the immediate area in general rather than a specific point.

A movement in the corner of his eye prompted Harry to look slightly to his left just in time to see who he expected to step out of the shadows. A dark, hateful sneer on her face and a wand clutched tightly in her left hand, Millicent Bulstrode emerged from a shadowed alcove. She stepped forward only two paces before she came to a stop.

"And there was me thinking I really did have you fooled." She admitted, her sneer turning slightly amused.

"Perhaps if you had used someone other than Gregory Goyle to confront me with." Harry suggested quietly, keeping his gaze steadily fixed on his enemy. "It was an intriguing plan, you used the Imperious Curse on our house mates so that everyone except yourself attacked me at some point. Unfortunately for you, it was such that singled you out in my mind and your failure to mimic Miss Parkinson's personality merely confirmed your guilt. I assume the warning you gave me on Valentines afternoon was also supposed to cover your scent, as it were. That, I must admit, worked. Even when the Death Eaters revealed that it was you who allowed them into the school, I doubted your guilt." He paused then and seemed to study the girl carefully. "Your mastery of the Imperious Curse is far superior to others of our age."

"Is that a compliment?"

"Simply a fact, though I am interested to know how you became so proficient in it."

Practice; a lot of it."

"I see." Harry murmured quietly. "I assume you have also had a lot of practice in the art of deception; how else could you so brilliantly hide your status as a Death Eater?"

"What makes you think I am?" Millicent asked as she started to move towards him.

"Simply an assumption. I can think of no other motive to try and kill me."

"Hmm, well, as loathe as I am to admit it, you're right again." The dark haired girl admitted, steadily moving ever closer.

"You have not lost as much as any other Death Eaters have, your family were never supporters of Voldemort..."

"Stop saying his name!" Bulstrode suddenly ordered angrily as she raised her wand straight towards Harry. "You, you filthy half-blood, have no right to speak his name!"

"You call me filthy when your blood is as dirty as mine." Harry murmured, simply stating a fact.

"I know my blood's dirty, I know I'm not as pure as my superiors, but the Dark Lord forgave me that and allowed me to fight for him nonetheless."

"You have great talent as an actress, though not because of your attempts to appear as a friend to me, more because not once have I ever thought you possible of such delusion." He pinned a hard look on his opponant. "Lower you wand Miss Bulstrode."

"Why? So we can talk? So you can stall for time? You don't have your wand Potter, and no one knows you're out of bed, do you really think I'm going to let this oppotunity pass me by?" Millicent all but cackled.

Harry said nothing to that and instead simply lifted a hand, wordlessly summoning the girl's wand from her hand to his own. "Do you really think I am going to let this oppotunity pass me by?" He echoed her words.

A look of pure anger crossed Bulstrode's face then and she did something which caught Harry completely off guard; she charged at him. Before the young man could properly think, the girl had barged into him, sending the wand flying from his weak grip and pushing him off balance. He had no time to right himself before he received a punch in the stomach which forced the air out of his lungs and then an extremely violent shove which sent him falling back against the banister of the staircase.

Perhaps some would think that it was an incredible sight, Harry Potter being physically beaten up by a girl, but he had never claimed to be physically strong because he just wasn't. Whether it was a side affect of his incubation or it was a genetic thing or whatever, he simply wasn't a physically strong person and there was no greater proof of that then when Bulstrode grabbed one of his wrists and he was powerless to stop her from roughly hauling him up off of his feet.

"Let's see you miraculously survive this." Millicent seethed before lifting and pushing the slight form of the teenage boy up and over the banister, sending him into a free-fall towards the floor hundreds of feet below.

Harry's blood rushed and his heart pounded in his ears. This was doing nothing for his fear of heights! He felt dizzy, he felt sick, he couldn't concentrate, was he going to die? Would anyone arrive to save him? If not, how could he save himself? No, no, he had to calm down! He was running out of time! This was what he had been preparing himself for ever since that Quidditch match. He could save himself, he just had to focus and plan very quickly.

Apparating was out; he wasn't strong enough to wandlessly move through the wards of Hogwarts. Perhaps a cushioning charm on the ground below? No, there was a chance that wouldn't pad the landing enough. Perhaps flying; he could Accio a broom. He had never flown a broom before though. Would that cause problems? Or, more importantly, did he have time to think of another plan? He already knew the answer to that last question.

He made a decision, he would have to simply take a risk. "Accio Draco's Firebolt." Harry murmured as he squeezed his eyes shut tightly in both fear and concentration.

The faint crack was heard and Harry immediately opened his eyes to see, thank Merlin, that Draco's racing broom had appeared just in front of him. He reached out and took it, positioning it between his legs and clutching to the tip tightly. Then, using every single ounce of strength in his body, he tried to pull back in order to straighten himself out and stop his decent. It was possibly the hardest thing he had ever had to do and his entire body protested at the strange use of his muscles, but he persevered and, rather suddenly, he straightened out. He didn't pause for even a moment before he was shooting back up, passing over Bulstrode's head and then heading off down a random corridor.

Part of him, a large part of him, was completely terrified and he clung onto the broom handle for dear life as he whizzed almost blindly through the corridors of Hogwarts. However, there was another part of him which was exhilerated and thrilled with the freedom and sense of wrecklessness that flying was giving him. The rushing wind through his hair felt wonderful and Harry found that as long as he didn't look down and tried to ignore the ground, then flying was actually rather enjoyable.

"Avada Kedavra!" Bulstrode's voice yelled behind him suddenly.

On pure instinct, Harry leaned heavily to his left and successfully managed to dodge the green light which had been flying towards him. He glanced over his shoulder as he straightened his flight path again and saw that his attacker had also summoned a broom and was hot on his tail. With Millicent firing Killing curses at him so thoughtlessly, Harry thought it best if he steered the chase/fight outside to avoid any innocent casualties. After all, just because he was able to dodge the green light, that didn't mean an unsuspecting prefect would be able to.
How to get out though? The doors into the school would be locked and he was reluctant to break a window. The only thing he could think of which might just possibly work would be if there was an open window in one of the greenhouses. It was a slim chance and if there were none open and Harry was forced to break one in a greenhouse then at least he would feel better about it than breaking one of the old, stained glass windows of the main building.

So, with that decision made, Harry quickly determined what part of the school he was in and which direction he'd have to go in to reach the greenhouses. He realised that not only was he very fortunately already facing the correct direction but he also didn't have that much further to go. In fact, he only turned two corners and flew down three more corridors before he was in the first of the glass houses.

Harry glanced over his shoulder quickly as he rose higher on the broom. Bulstrode was no where in sight. Had he lost her? Even if he had, he couldn't take it for granted and so he thought it best to still head outside. At least with his attacker not immediately present it gave him time to open a window manually.

And that was what he did. He flew up to the glass roof and pushed open one of the glass panels. Then, just as he was about to fly outside, he caught sight of Bulstrode flying in through the greenhouse's door. He picked his speed up again, getting outside swiftly and then closing the window behind him. It did little good as two seconds later the glass exploded out as green light shot out from inside. Harry reared back on instinct (because the light was actually no where near him) and turned that movement into an upwards flight as the chase was resumed.

However much time passed then, whether it was seconds or minutes, it was both terrifying and exilerating at the same time. The more Harry flew, the more he came to love it and he decided, at the back of his mind, that if he lived to see another day then he would definitely try to start flying more often. If Bulstrode got her way, he wouldn't get the chance though as the girl was almost constantly aiming Killing curses at him. Green light was shooting past him with only a few seconds between each one. The dodging and the weaving was hard to keep up and it was because of this that Harry's luck eventually ran out.

The cry of the Killing curse came once more and Harry steered to one side accordingly. However, whether it was because Bulstrode was closer than he thought or he simply didn't move in time, the green light caught the end of his broom which jolted him very suddenly and very sharply. He toppled over and lost his grip which meant the broom fell away from him and he was, again, in a free-fall. On the fortunate side, it was over the lake so he'd survive. On the unfortunate side, he had never swam before.

This time, however, Harry had the good sense not to completely panic. He covered his nose and mouth with both of his hands and started to concentrate. The moment he felt himself penetrate the water he cast the spell he wanted and removed his hands to reveal a large bubble which now covered the lower half of his face. That was his breathing taken care of which was one less thing to worry about. His main problem then was how he was going to get back onto solid ground when he didn't know how to swim. He supposed he must've been able to, almost every creature could swim if they had to after all, and so he simply followed what felt right. That resulted in a slow, clumsy doggy paddle towards the surface but at least it worked and, eventually, it got him back onto dry land even though it completely exhausted him.

Harry just about managed to drag himself out of the water but then he really didn't feel like he could move anymore. Never before had he worked his muscles so hard and he was panting from the exertion and everywhere seemed to burn from the exercise. His limbs shook alarmingly as he struggled to push himself onto his knees but he forced himself to continue up; he didn't have the luxury to stay still until he had recovered sufficiently.

"I wonder," Bulstrode's voice came from further ahead and Harry looked up to see the girl had landed several feet away and once again had her wand pointed straight at him. "What use is a saviour who can't even move after a little swim like that?"

Harry said nothing, mostly because he had nothing to say but also because he didn't have the breath to speak.

She sneered at him. "You're nothing more than a sitting duck now. Want me to put you out of your misery?" Her sneered widened. "Avada Kedavra!"

Harry saw the light but just couldn't move his body in time. He heard voices scream his name from somewhere as the same curse which killed his parents hit him square in the chest. His body flew backwards a couple of feet from the impact and hit the ground roughly, rolling with the remaining momentum before coming to a rest on his stomach, face down to the ground.

At the sight of the still form, Millicent dropped her wand as her eyes widened and her jaw began to lower. She was aware of the approaching group of professors, including Sirius and Remus, as well as Pansy and Draco but that didn't change anything. In fact, it made it all the sweeter. She, Millicent Bulstrode, had killed Harry Potter. Her open mouth twisted into a sickening grin as she burst out into hysterical laughter, not stopping even when she was grabbed by Sirius and shook almost violently.

"You bitch!" Sirius yelled, somewhere between an angry shout and a sob. "You evil, cunniving little bitch! My godson, you killed my godson!"

"Sirius, don't!" Remus cried as he tried to pull his sobbing lover away from the girl. Just then, Pansy and Draco rushed past the scene, heading over to Harry's still form.

"She killed him!" Sirius wept, suddenly losing all of his strength and sagging in Remus' arms. "Oh dear Merlin, he's gone again!" He stopped talking then and simply freed all of his grief against his lover.

As the still cackling Millicent was secured none-too-gently by Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout, the two Slytherin students reached Harry finally. While Pansy slowed to a stop and remained standing, Draco didn't even slow down before he was on his knees beside Harry. Instantly, the Malfoy, fighting through tears and sobs, grabbed hold of Harry's robes with the intention of rolling him over to see his face. It was when he did this that he almost forgot to breathe as he thought he felt something.

Pansy, upon seeing the blond man pause, looked down at him carefully. "Draco?"

Draco didn't reply and instead snapped himself out of his freeze and slowly, gently, lowered himself down closer to his lover's body. "Harry?" He spoke gently before going very quiet and very still.

The blonde girl beside the two young men watched in concern as Draco just seemed to stop functioning. He wasn't moving, he was as still as Harry was. Then, it was just as Pansy was about to rest a hand on the Malfoy's shoulder that the blond shot up, his eyes wide. Frantically, he straightened up slightly and started to awkwardly tug Harry over as well as up at the same time. Pansy really didn't know what to think about the sudden change and so instead stood there, still looking concerned but also feeling slightly hopeful; Draco's sudden movement had to have been caused by something.

Eventually, despite rushing and taking no real care, Draco had Harry on his back and supported in his arms and Pansy could suddenly see why the Malfoy was so happy. Harry's face was twisted in a grimace of discomfort, his eyes screwed shut tightly, and his body shook as he obviously struggled to breathe properly. The Slytherin girl felt relief sweep through her, relief which Draco shared as he gave a happy sob and clutched Harry tightly to him.

"Oh God, thank Merlin, thank you, thank you." The Malfoy wept as he rocked the dark haired youth in his arms.

Pansy turned to look behind her to the group of adults and the restrained Millicent. "He's not dead!" She announced to them happily. "He's breathing! He's alive!"

Sirius's head was up in an instant and the blonde girl stepped to the side so she didn't obstruct the adults's view of the youth in question. Indeed, they all saw that, low and behold, there was Harry Potter in the arms of Draco Malfoy. The saviour's green eyes were open once again, a little glazed over, and his chest was heaving heavily though it was clear he was now able to breathe more normally.

"NO!" Bulstrode screeched and she probably would've thrashed to get loose if it wasn't for the fact she was both stunned magically and held physically.

Sirius really didn't seem to know what to do for several seconds after the announcement of Harry's survival and it took a bit of prompting from Remus to get him moving. But then, when he did start moving, there was no stopping him. He sprinted the entire distance and did much the same as Draco had upon reaching Harry; he fell to his knees beside his godson and immediately clutched him as tightly as he could, totally ignoring the presence of the Malfoy who was also still holding the saviour. Remus was soon with them. He knelt down behind Harry and leaned down to kiss the top of his head while he rested a hand on Sirius's shaking shoulder.

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2nd March 1998: Night

"It is not normal for a student to so frequently visit this place, is it?"

"No, it's not. Most people manage to avoid it completely."

"You've never even been close to normal anyway."

"Hmm."

Harry sat in a bed in the Infirmary, Draco sitting on the bed with him and Parkinson sitting on a chair to the bed's right. They were waiting for various adults to return for various reasons: Madam Pomfrey was calling someone from Saint Mungos to attend the "emergency"; Remus was getting Harry some pyjamas (as he was once again being forced to spend the night in the Infirmary); and Sirius was with the Aurors who were in the process of taking Bulstrode away.

"What do you think's going to happen to Bulstrode?" Pansy mused idly, leaning her chin on her hand which was propt up by the elbow resting on her knee.

"She might try and claim insanity though I doubt that'd stick." Draco replied as he ran his fingers through Harry's hair. "She'll definitely be sent to Azkaban though whether she's convicted of attempted murder, use of Dark magic or of being a Death Eater."

"Well I'm seriously considering sueing her for what she did to me." The girl said primly.

"What she did to you?"

"Bulstrode placed Miss Parkinson under the Imperious curse; that is why she threw the extra ingrediants into our cauldron." Harry murmured, his voice so tired that he sounded half asleep. "I did tell you that there was something about the way she was acting during the class which was suspcious."

Draco sighed. "In the future, I'll just accept everything you say as fact then, all right?"

Harry simply gave a small hum to that as he allowed his eyes to close.

"Hey, hey," the Malfoy said quickly, using the arm he had around his lover to jostle him several times. "No going to sleep, remember? You have to stay awake at least until the Saint Mungo's doctor has given you the all clear."

"I am just resting my eyes, I do not intend to fall asleep."

"Just be sure you don't then. After all, we don't know if there are any side-effects to surviving being hit by a Killing curse."

"Were there any the last time it happened?" Pansy asked Harry curiously.

"The only one who would know the answer to that question is Dumbledore." Harry said quietly as his head fell to the side to rest on Draco's shoulder. Then, his eyes opened again, just a bit. "I wish he were here now." He almost whispered. "Perhaps he would be able to explain why I am apparently immune to that spell."

"We'll never know everything about everything, perhaps the mysteries surrounding you will always remain so, maybe the answers died with Dumbledore." Draco mumbled thoughtfully.

Harry gave another hum before the three teenagers fell silent again. Draco could very probably be right and no one may ever know why he, the one known to the world as Harry Potter, had survived the Killing curse, not once but twice. And perhaps that wasn't really important, at least not to him. He had no intention of letting himself get into another situation such as that and so would never have to face a third Avada Kedavra to see if he would survive that as well.