Funerals and Weddings

For disclaimer, summary, story codes and other information, please see the prologue.

Chapter the Thirtieth: The Duel
A week later
20 December

The last week of classes finally came and went. Despite his run-in with the bludger, Harry did extremely well on all of his end-of-term tests due to all of his recent studying. The first morning of break, he slept in ‘til almost noon. He figured he’d earned it.

He looked around his dorm and wasn’t surprised to find it empty. He and Ron were the only two Gryffindor 6th years staying for the holidays. Ginny was still at Hogwarts as well, but Hermione had left the night before. She and her parents were spending Christmas with relatives in Dover—all of the Muggle families with magical children had been strongly encouraged to spend the holidays away from home for safety.

Ron and Ginny were really only staying until Christmas Eve; then they were flooing home to the Burrow. Harry knew Ron and Ginny were staying at Hogwarts the first few days of the holidays to keep him company. It hadn’t been stated out loud, but it was just like them to do something like that so Harry wouldn’t be alone. Dumbledore was allowing Harry to go to the Burrow with Ron and Ginny on Christmas Eve, but he had to return Christmas night. Dumbledore didn’t think the Burrow was safe enough for a long period of time. Harry didn’t mind; he was grateful for the short visit and didn’t want to endanger the Weasleys by staying longer.

Yawning, Harry got out of bed. After showering and dressing, he made his way down to the Great Hall to find company and food. His stomach was protesting loudly about missing breakfast.

Harry was surprised to see Malfoy and Blaise Zabini at the single table being used for the small number of people staying for the holidays. Malfoy didn’t usually stay at Hogwarts for the holidays. Of course, he’d stayed back in fourth year during the Triwizard Tournament—everyone had. And he’d stayed second year as well, because that had been the year they’d used the Polyjuice Potion to unsuccessfully trick Malfoy into revealing who was the Heir of Slytherin. Harry didn’t remember Zabini ever staying over the holidays, but then again, he’d never paid that much attention to the boy.

He was a little uncomfortable as well. Harry hadn’t had much contact with Malfoy since being hit by the bludger; the students had been sitting tests in all of their classes, including DADA. Harry had pretty well convinced himself that he had dreamed Malfoy kissing him in the hospital wing that night. His brain couldn’t come up with any other logical explanation for it, other than Malfoy fancying him and Harry just couldn’t see that as being possible. The boy certainly didn’t act like he fancied Harry—a fact that Harry told himself sternly he was grateful for, despite the tingle in his stomach and stirring in his groin whenever he thought of Malfoy kissing him or having a crush on him.

Even having decided it had been a dream, Harry still felt awkward as he sat down at the table next to Ron and Ginny—thankfully, they were several places down from Malfoy. He promised Ron a game of Wizard Chess later on that day as he enjoyed his meal. Harry told himself firmly that he was ignoring Malfoy, but his eyes wouldn’t listen and kept straying to the blond’s end of the table. ‘Did he really kiss me?’ ran through Harry’s head every time his eyes lit on the Slytherin.

Draco was too tense to notice Harry’s glances. He was half-expecting his father to come striding through the door any minute. Of course, that was ridiculous; Lucius was an escaped convict. He wouldn’t risk recapture by showing up at Hogwarts no matter how angry he was at his son for not coming home for Christmas.

Draco, with Snape’s approval, had written home at the last possible moment to inform his parents he would be staying at Hogwarts for the holidays. They’d devised a story in which Dumbledore was requiring all of the prefects to stay on at the castle to help protect the students staying for the Christmas break. Draco has assured his father that he was very disappointed not to be going home but that he didn’t see a way of avoiding Dumbledore’s demand without raising suspicions. He’d added that he hoped that the “special celebration” could be planned to coincide with his 17th birthday in February. Just as with his last two letters, he had received no response.

The meal finished, Draco and Blaise headed back to the Slytherin common room. Draco decided to take a nap. He’d finally given in and was taking sleeping potions occasionally, but he was still very tired. Leaving Blaise to his own devices, Draco made himself comfortable in his big bed and fell asleep almost immediately.

Ginny had nagged Ron into returning to the Gryffindor Tower to wrap their Christmas gifts for their family. Harry, not having any family to wrap gifts for, decided to have a visit with Hagrid. He’d been so busy lately, he hadn’t been down to see his half-giant friend in ages. After dashing up to gather his winter cloak, hat, scarf and gloves, he waved goodbye to the Weasleys. Loping back down to the Entrance Hall, Harry exited the front doors of the castle and started across the snowy lawn to Hagrid’s hut.

Alternating between watching the ground to avoid stepping into any large snowdrifts and looking forward so he didn’t accidentally walk too close to the Whomping Willow, Harry was surprised to see a tall figure walking towards him and the castle behind him. The person was wrapped in a long black cloak, so Harry couldn’t see tell who it was. He figured whoever it was had just come from Hagrid’s hut, seeing as the only other place they could have emerged from was the Forbidden Forest.

He continued forward, prepared to nod a greeting to the unknown person, when the person stopped a couple of metres away from him.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t Harry Potter,” a familiar voice said. “Fancy meeting the Saviour of the Wizarding World out here, all alone.”

Harry stiffened. He recognised that cold voice and when the man lowered his hood, what his ears had told him was confirmed: Lucius Malfoy. Harry was glad for the comforting feel of his wand in his hand, deep inside the folds of his cloak.

“More like fancy meeting an escaped Death Eater here, wandering the grounds of Hogwarts, I’d say,” returned Harry coolly. “What are you doing here, Malfoy? Searching for your one-way ticket back to Azkaban?”

Lucius Malfoy sneered. “And I suppose you think you’re the one who’ll be sending me back to that miserable place?”

Harry lifted a shoulder. “If you like.”

Laughing, Lucius smoothed his hair away from his face. “That’s odd, I don’t see that old crackpot Dumbledore here to save you this time. Regardless, I don’t plan on ever going back to that hellhole. Move aside, Potter; I’m here to collect my son, then we’ll be on our way.”

“I don’t think so, Lucius,” Harry replied, deliberately using the man’s given name to insult him. “I don’t think Dumbledore’s in the habit of turning over students into the care of escaped, convicted criminals, even if they are their father. Why don’t you save yourself a lot of trouble and just turn around and leave?”

Lucius’ eyes hardened as he stepped closer to Harry. “I’m here for my son and no Muggle-loving old fool or his Boy Wonder is going to stop me.”

“Oh, yeah?” Harry said softly, drawing his wand. “Are you sure about that?”

“You’re going to fight me?” Lucius said, smirking and withdrawing his own wand. “Won’t this be amusing? A Wizard’s Duel with Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Is-Finally-Going-To-Die.”

“I won’t fight you unless you force me to,” Harry said evenly. “This is your last chance: I suggest you leave now.”

“My last chance?” Lucius unfastened his cloak and let it drop to the ground. “More like your last chance, Potter. Get out of my way now—or we duel.”

Heart pounding, Harry tossed his own cloak and scarf to the ground. Didn’t anyone realise Lucius was here? Wasn’t anyone looking out the window?

Taking a deep breath and focusing on his inner magic like Professor Marchbanks had taught them, Harry nodded to the older wizard.

“Then we duel.”

An evil grin spread across Lucius’ face. “And do you remember the proprieties of duelling from your last lesson with the Dark Lord, Potter? First, we bow…” So saying, Lucius swept Harry a mockingly deep bow.

Harry returned the bow silently, then lifted his wand to the accepted duelling position.

“Ready then, Potter? Now, we duel!” Lucius shot off his first hex the moment he said the word ‘duel.’

Harry was expecting the former Slytherin to play dirty and was ready. A muttered ”Protego!” shielded him from the hex and he dropped to the ground, rolling to the side to return fire.

After that, the spells flew thick and fast. Lucius’ curses grew steadily more vicious as Harry continued to elude him. He laughed wildly when a bolt of flame caught the edge of Harry’s sleeve and Harry had to roll in the snow to douse it. Mid-roll, Harry retaliated, catching the blond Death Eater off-guard.

”Sectumsempra!” Harry cast the spell non-verbally and felt a rush of adrenaline as a gash opened on Lucius’ pale cheek, spilling blood onto his robes. Harry readied himself for Lucius’ next attack as he made a second gash appear on the Death Eater’s other cheek.

Lucius roared in pain and anger. “You’ll pay for that, brat! Crucio!”

Harry leapt nimbly to one side and evaded the curse. Before he could hurl a hex back at his enemy, Lucius leveled his wand and cast again:

”Avada Kedavra!”

No sooner had the first syllable left Lucius’ twisted mouth then Harry started the difficult incantation for the silver shield spell Draco had taught him in DADA. Without a second to spare, the shining shield appeared in front of him and deflected the green jet aimed at killing him.

The green light splashed against the shield, then seemed to re-form into its original beam of light. Squinting his eyes against the brightness, Harry stood dumbfounded as the Killing Curse rebounded and struck its caster dead in the chest.

The shield that had saved his life faded away as Harry watched Lucius Malfoy’s eyes go wide in shock just before his body toppled soundlessly to the ground.

Harry stood frozen in shock for a moment. Then he shook himself out of his daze and cautiously approached the man lying on the trampled snow. He kicked the wand away from where it had fallen from Lucius’ hand. Taking a deep breath, he pointed his own wand and cast the spell Professor Marchbanks had taught them just a few weeks ago:

“Mors mortis verus.”

A cold blue light shimmered briefly over Lucius’ heart before fading away.

He was dead.

Harry stood staring down at his vanquished foe. He’d killed a man. He’d really killed a man. He expected to feel horrified, but at the moment he couldn’t feel anything. His entire body felt numb. He simply stood there and watched the blood from Lucius’ cheek stain the snow below it a dark pink.

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This is how Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall and Severus Snape found Harry a few moments later. The Headmaster had been at the Ministry when he’d felt the breach in the Hogwarts wards and he had rushed to firecall Minerva. She had told him, worriedly, that she was aware the wards had been breached, but no intruder could be seen on the grounds! Albus had immediately converted an empty teacup into a portkey and returned to Hogwarts.

By the time he arrived, the intruder had been located: he had apparently been under a very strong Disillusionment Charm during the first sweep of the grounds and had thus gone undetected. But the Charm was now no longer in use and it was quickly apparent by the flashes of lights coming from the lawn between the castle and Hagrid’s hut that a fight was taking place. Directing Filius Flitwick and Pomona Sprout to keep the students inside the castle, Albus had rushed outside with Minerva and Severus in his wake.

From a distance, they’d seen the taller of the two combatants fall to the ground in a flash of green light and the other wizard move to stand over him. Drawing closer, Albus heard Minerva gasp,

”Harry!”

His fears confirmed, Albus slowed and approached Harry carefully. He motioned the other two professors to stay behind him, but he heard Severus’ indrawn breath when he recognised the victim.

“Harry,” Albus said quietly, not wanting to startle the young wizard, “Harry, over here.”

Harry turned his head slowly and gazed at the three waiting adults.

“He’s dead,” he said evenly. “He’s dead and I killed him. Just like you knew I would. Just like Draco’s dream.”

McGonagall stepped forward. “Come inside with me now, Harry. It’s cold out here and we need to get you to the infirmary.”

Harry nodded and stepped away from the body. “All right. But I’m not hurt. Draco’s silver shield spell—it saved me.”

Nodding, McGonagall wrapped her own cloak around the shivering boy. “Then I shall forever be grateful to him. Come now, Madam Pomfrey will want to check you over, just to make sure you’re ok.”

As his Head of House led Harry away, Dumbledore turned to Snape.

“We must act quickly. The Ministry cannot know that Harry was involved in Lucius’ death. I’ll have Hagrid keep the body in his house until we decide what to do with it. Harry will have to be taken to Headquarters as soon as he is able to be moved. Can I ask you to inform Draco? He may have foreseen this, and he may hate his father, but this will still be hard on him. And Lucius’ death must be kept secret from everyone else until his body can be ‘discovered’ publically.”

“Of course, Headmaster,” Snape said. “I’ll see to Draco at once. Do you have any ideas as to where we can leave Lucius’ body to be ‘discovered’? If not, may I suggest just outside the Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade? It’s isolated enough that we can deposit the body without being seen, but public enough that the body should be found quickly. We can make it look as though Lucius was hiding in the shack until someone found and killed him.”

Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully. “Excellent idea. We’ll take care of it tonight after dark.”

Snape nodded, and with one last look at his former friend, headed back to the castle to inform his favourite student that his father was dead.

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A/N: And now we are almost back to where we started: the death of Lucius Malfoy. Three cheers for Harry Potter for ridding the world of that evil bastard! And of course, now that Lucius is dead, Draco is free to make his dreams reality…

I created one spell for this chapter: Mors mortis verus. The terms are from Latin and the purpose of the spell, obviously, is to check whether a person is living or dead.

mors mortis = death
verus = real

Let me know what you think everyone! Reviews are like finding a four-leaf clover: good luck!

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