Of Butterflies in a Hurricane

*

Harry dashed to the side as a flash of red light whizzed past his ear, barely ruffling the hair on his head. He scurried around the back side of Voldemort even though he was surrounded in all directions. Voldemort just stood in the middle of the circle and laughed.

"What's wrong, Potter?" he asked in a mocking voice. "Can't defend yourself against five lowly Death Eaters?"

Harry paid him no attention; too busy keeping an eye on the Death Eaters as they advanced on him. He caught sight of Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange, two he didn't know, and Snape. Harry's blood began to pump furiously through his veins as he glared at Snape, too full of hate to do anything.

"Mmhphmfmhp!" came a muffled cry from behind him.

Harry turned sharply and saw one of the unknown Death Eaters bearing down on him. He whipped his wand around, slicing it through the air. "Stupefy!" he cried.

The spell hit the man in the chest and he faltered, falling to the ground. Voldemort paid him no mind and yelled at the remaining four. "Get him!"

Harry began to panic as the others advanced on him. He barely missed a jet of white light sent at him by Lucius. He looked into those cold, grey eyes and felt a rush of hatred.

"Expelliarmus!" he shouted, shooting the wand from Lucius' hand. Lucius let out a cry of rage and nearly charged Harry but was prevented by Bellatrix, who had her wand pointed at Harry, malice shining in her face.

"Hello again, Potter," she breathed, her dark eyes shining. "How would you like to join your wonderful godfather tonight?"

Harry paid no heed to her words, knowing she was trying to provoke him into acting. Meanwhile, the other two were advancing on him slowly as he backed further into the forest. He stumbled over a protruding root and knew this was no way to go. They would herd him into the forest and he would lose.

Instead of listening to Bella, his mind raced for an escape plan. Unfortunately, the only thing he could think of was that Hermione had been right about his plan. He should have expected something like this.

Bella raised her wand and brought it slicing down through the air, a bolt of blue light zigzagging from the wand. Harry dodged it at the last minute and heard the singeing of a tree where he had just stood.

"Ferula!" he cried, shouting the first spell that came into his mind. Bella's legs were suddenly bound together with a kind of crutch. She let out a howl of rage as she tore at the bindings.

Harry took the opportunity to fling himself to the side of the encroaching Death Eaters, and stand up, running around the other side of the house. On his way, he passed Hermione, who was still tied in invisible ropes and unable to move. He knew he had to help her get out of them if either of them had a chance of surviving.

He doubled back, narrowly missing the curse sent by Lucius, who had regained his wand. He dove into the trees and to Hermione's side. He scrabbled at the invisible robes with his hands, trying to find some way to untie them.

"Hermione, how do I do it?!" he exclaimed, sure she might know.

"Mhpmh mhfmpgmh mpfhpfp!" was the muffled response. Harry knew it was no use. Obviously, they were binding her mouth as well. Her eyes were wide as she watched behind Harry. "Mphfhppgpfmf!"

Harry jumped a foot in the air as there was a mighty crash behind him. He whirled around, seeing that a tree had crashed down just inches from him, felled by a badly-aimed curse from one of the Death Eaters.

Harry immediately abandoned Hermione. He didn't want to, but he knew it would do him no good to try to help her when he didn't know how.

All of a sudden, he arm was seized and he was spun around to face a masked Death Eater, one he didn't know. His arm was in the tight grip of the man that was getting tighter every second.

Harry raised his wand and pressed it to the man's arm. The Death Eater immediately pulled it back, a shot of pain searing through it. He let go of Harry and Harry took the opportunity to escape through the underbrush.

"Stop him!" he heard Voldemort cry from the house.

Harry stopped. Why was he running away? He needed to be going after Voldemort. The only problem was the Death Eaters that continued to stalk him like a lion and its prey.

He struggled through the trees and back toward the house, making sure to avoid the continuing stream of curses that issued from Bella and Lucius' wand. Snape, it seemed, was not participating in the fight. Harry's mind was automatically suspicious as he looked at the greasy-haired man standing by Voldemort's side, almost casually.

He had no time to ponder the matter, though, as a shooting pain ripped through his left shoulder. While he had been preoccupied and staring at Snape, Bella had taken advantage and hit him in the shoulder with a Freezing Charm. It had frozen his muscles momentarily.

He gritted his teeth through the pain and whipped around, fury in his face. Bella didn't even have the decency to look scared.

"Cripplatus!" Harry shouted, sending the Crippling Curse directly at her. She screamed in rage as her legs collapsed underneath her.

"Potter!" she shrieked. "Come back and fight like a man!"

Harry didn't listen, just took off in the opposite direction, still running towards the house. He was ten feet from Voldemort and Snape when Lucius Malfoy stepped in his path, his wand aloft and his face alight with malice.

"I'll get you, Potter," he growled menacingly. "You've ruined everything!"

Harry didn't even bother to understand what that meant, but he knew he needed to get out of there. The two objects of his rage were standing just beyond him. Voldemort was watching the scene with cruel interest. Snape had no expression on his face; Harry found that particularly odd.

Lucius raised his wand to perform a deadly curse when all went pitch black. Harry looked all around, unable to see anything in the darkness that had, so suddenly, fallen. He raised his hand and realized he couldn’t even see it.

"Wha--" he started to say but then felt a hand on his arm. He made to wrench it away but the pressure increased slightly, a reassuring grip.

"Harry," a desperate voice whispered, sending chills down Harry's spine, "you have to get out of here; he's going to kill you! I love you."

Harry was lost for a second and, in an instant, the hand was gone.

"Draco?" he asked wildly, looking all around in the darkness, but there was no response. "Draco!"

Then the black was gone and Harry could see again. Lucius was gone but Voldemort and Snape still stood before him, both looking a little confused and suspicious. Harry looked around him, searching for Draco. He knew it had been him!

Just then, Hermione appeared by his side, looking angry and determined.

"How did you--?" he asked, completely amazed.

"Now is not the time, Harry!" she yelled as a jet of white light grazed her elbow and she shrieked in pain. Harry could see the blood dribbling out of the cut and onto her shirt. She took no notice of the pain, though, and whipped around to face Bellatrix, who had managed to do the counter curse on herself.

Harry jerked to the side as Bella sent curse after curse at him and Hermione. Hermione took over his fight and began battling with Bella. The flashes of light were flying too fast for Harry to even know which was which.

He turned back to Snape and Voldemort. Voldemort no longer looked cruelly amused; he looked furious. His wand was flourished and Harry barely missed being blasted apart by a crash of lightening.

He rolled to the side and looked back to see a smoking crater in the ground where he'd just been standing. He looked back at Voldemort, who was walking toward him deliberately.

"You have been one tricky little child," he sneered, his red eyes flashing angrily. "But no more, Potter. The time has finally come for you to learn what it's like to face the greatest wizard alive and never live to tell the tale."

Harry's eyes widened and he stumbled back again, his heart rising once more in his chest. To his left, in the trees, he thought he heard the sound someone Apparating in but didn't stop to wonder who it was. With his luck, it would be another Death Eater to help out.

Voldemort raised his wand over his head and made an extremely complicated movement in the air before bringing it down hard, pointing straight at Harry.

Harry's arms flew in front of his face instinctively and he was surprised to feel nothing. He opened his eyes that had been shut tightly and looked up in confusion. Surely, he should have been dead. Before him, Voldemort was looking apoplectic with rage.

It was then that Harry heard a loud noise. The snake on his bracelet was hissing more madly than Harry had ever heard it before. There was a tiny dent in the silver bracelet and the snake was slithering over it, hissing furiously.

Voldemort raised his wand again to send another curse at Harry when a yell broke his concentration.

"I've got him!" crowed a joyous voice from the front of the house.

Harry was completely confused when he heard the cry and didn't know what to do. Even Voldemort seemed to be hesitating. They didn't have to wait long, though, as someone came around the corner, holding a struggling figure.

Harry's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. "Draco!" he yelled, seeing the struggling blond in his father's unforgiving grip.

"Harry!" Draco cried but was soon muffled as Lucius pressed his arm over his son's mouth, preventing him from speaking. Lucius' other hand had his wand poking painfully into Draco's side.

"So you've found our little escapee," Voldemort said with apparent glee. He turned back to Harry, a malicious smirk twisting his features. "And you have something invested in this unworthy little snake?"

Harry glared at Voldemort, a hatred boiling in his gut like he had never known. He raised his wand and pointed it directly at Voldemort. "Crucio!" he screamed.

Voldemort was barely affected. He jerked and twitched for a moment and then began to laugh. "You think that can hurt me, Potter?" he asked in a cruelly amused voice. "You want to kill me? I'm afraid it will take a little more than pain."

"Oh, I know what it takes to kill you," Harry growled, glaring at the man who had made his entire existence a living hell.

Voldemort gave a high, cold laugh, but his eyes were far from amused. "Then why haven't you? Why have you been hiding? Running from everything?"

Harry had no answer for that. If he told him about the Horcruxes, it would ruin everything and he would retreat right then, never giving Harry a chance to kill him.

Voldemort's eyes were cold and glittering as he surveyed Harry. "I knew it, Potter. I'm going to kill you, but first, a little torture."

Voldemort turned to Draco, who was still struggling against his father's grip. He twisted and turned, trying to wrench his body away.

"Let go of me!" he shouted, having wrenched his face out from under his father's arm.

"No," Lucius breathed, his face contorted with fury. "It's time you learned a little respect!"

Harry watched in panic as Lucius prodded his wand further into Draco's side and Draco turned his body as far as he could away from the wand. He saw Lucius whisper a spell and saw tiny waves of a spell travel down the length of his wand and into Draco's body.

"No!" he shouted as Draco's body began to jerk uncontrollably in pain. He desperately wanted to do something and raised his wand, having no idea what to do, but determined to do something.

He never got the chance, though, as a blast of purple light shot past his side and straight at Lucius. Lucius gave a cry and fell to the ground, limp. Draco also fell and lay motionless on the ground.

Harry's hand flew to his mouth as he looked at Draco. He couldn't believe. It couldn't be true, no! He tried to rush forward but Voldemort stepped into his path.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that, Potter," he said in a deadly cool voice. "You see, the little Malfoy has been evading me for a while now. He deserves his punishment."

Harry was too shocked to even absorb what Voldemort was saying. He was busy staring at the ground and didn't notice when Voldemort moved closer, a manic glint in his eye.

"Ow!" Harry cried as, all of a sudden, a twingeing pain hit his lower back, jerking him to his senses.

He looked up and saw that Voldemort was merely feet from him and bearing down upon him, wand in hand and poised to kill him.

He stumbled backwards, completely at a loss for what to do. He looked back at Draco and thought he saw a tiny stirring of movement. A feeling surged in his chest as he watched the body on the ground.

He turned back to Voldemort, who was nearly upon him. Voldemort raised his wand and opened his mouth, "Avada K--"

"No!" Harry shouted suddenly. He ducked down and heard the sickening crack that barely missed his head. He crawled to the side and threw himself to his feet, determined to finish this.

As he stood facing Voldemort, death on the air, he remembered what Dumbledore had told him what seemed like many years ago. "You have the power to love." At the time, it had seemed so stupid and simple to Harry. He hadn't understood then.

But looking at Voldemort and seeing the hatred and cruelty in his face, he knew. Behind him, Draco lay motionless on the ground and Harry glanced at him, feeling a powerful emotion welling up in his chest.

He raised his wand, his face determinedly set. "Diffinito!" he shouted, the words filling the now-silent clearing and echoing for miles.

Harry’s wand drew the line across Voldemort’s neck like he had done the pillow months before. This time, it slashed across the pale skin and crimson flooded from the man before him. There was no sound as Voldemort collapsed to the ground, blood soaking his robes and body.

Harry stared down at the diminishing figure. He couldn’t believe that he had actually done the curse correctly and that Voldemort was gone. He watched as the body went limp and the scarlet blood soaked the grass.

He was frozen for a moment as he looked at the body. He forced himself to look away and, instead, looked around the clearing and saw Hermione struggling toward him. Her arm looked broken from the angle at which it hung.

Behind her stood Blaise Zabini. His expression was mildly bored as he inspected one of the bodies on the ground. Harry saw him poke the Death Eater with his foot and then shrug. Next to Blaise was Snape, looking completely bat-like as usual. His wand was held limply at his side and he looked like he didn't quite know what to do.

Harry stared at him, wondering why Hermione hadn't killed him. Hermione reached him just then and grabbed onto his arm, pulling him to her and into a one-armed hug.

"Oh, Harry!" she cried. "You're alright!"

"Hermione, why--?" he started but never finished as Hermione let out a startled gasp.

Harry whipped around, fully expecting to see Voldemort risen from the dead. Instead, his gaze fell on Draco, who was still lying on the ground. Harry pushed Hermione off him and fell to his knees next to Draco.

"Draco," he whispered, sliding his hands around Draco's back and hoisting him off the ground a little ways. "Draco, wake up."

Draco didn't stir as Harry held him. Harry ran a hand over Draco's neck and up his cheek. "Please," he whispered, bending down and burying his face in Draco's neck. "Please, Draco, wake up. I need you, wake up."

But still, Draco didn't wake. Harry couldn't help it as he began to cry, the tears running down his face and onto the soft grass beneath his knees.

"Draco, Draco," he whispered, rocking back and forth with the limp body in his arms. He pressed his ear to Draco's chest and heard the rapid succession of heart beats.

"He's alive!" he cried, listening hard. Hermione made a sudden movement but restrained herself and stood worriedly next to him. "His heart, it's too fast! He's going to die!"

Harry pulled away and looked at Draco fearfully, knowing he only had a matter of minutes before Draco's heart might overload and kill him. At once, he ripped his pack off his back and began digging through it furiously, searching for anything that might help. He tossed away the Invisibility Cloak, Fred and George's glove, the Marauder's Map, and even the Pensieve. He finally came to the bottom of the bag and pulled out a small, silver box that he had completely forgotten about.

Inside was the gift that Fleur had given him for his birthday. The small, pressed flower's aroma was still as strong as ever and it immediately relaxed Harry. He tore it out of the box and held it under Draco's nose, hoping he wasn't too late.

He watched fearfully as Draco's chest began to move slower the longer the flower was held in place. Next to Hermione, Blaise had cautiously come, peering over her shoulder at Harry and Draco.

Harry took away the flower and pressed his ear to Draco's chest once more, listening hard. He could now hear a steady beating and knew his heart rate had gone down to a more normal speed, but why wasn't he waking up?

"Draco?" Harry whispered again, lowering him back onto the ground and placing a hand on his chest lightly. "Draco, wake up, please. Draco, I love you."

Harry stared down at him on the ground and waited anxiously, wondering if he would ever wake up again. Maybe Lucius' curse had been fatal no matter what they did.

Above him, Hermione was staring down, her hand over her mouth. Her other arm hung at an odd angle to her body but she didn't seem worried about it at the moment.

Harry sighed in despair and hung his head, knowing it was no use. After everything he had done, everything he had gone through, Draco had died. Draco had trusted him to save him, to be there for him and he had failed him. He had failed everyone.

"Harry!" Hermione let out a shriek and Harry looked up sharply. She was pointing down at Draco and Harry turned to look.

His eyes were fluttering, but he could barely keep them open.

"Harry?" he asked in a strained voice.

"Draco!" Harry whispered, bending over him. "You're alive!"

"Of course I am," Draco tried to joke but ended up just coughing. When it finally passed, he looked up at Harry. "I'm sorry, Harry. You shouldn't have done this for me."

"Of course, I should have!" Harry exclaimed. "Draco, I love you! It's going to be fine now! He's dead; Voldemort's dead! We're safe now."

Draco nodded weakly but appeared to be gaining some strength back. He struggled to push himself upright but Harry was having none of it. He pushed Draco back down and he went easily.

Draco sighed. "I can manage," he said in an amused voice.

"Not yet, you can't," Harry replied seriously. "I've finally got you and you are not going anywhere until I'm sure you're alright."

"Alright, alright," Draco sighed exasperatedly and allowed Harry to settle him back down on the ground and sit down beside him. Harry looked up at Hermione, who was smiling at the pair of them. Beside her, Blaise looked mildly interested and behind him, Snape stood awkwardly.

"You didn't mean to," Harry said quietly and Snape looked up.

"It was part of his plan," Snape replied. "He wanted you to believe I had done it out of spite so you might be more willing to go after Voldemort; for causing so many more deaths. I admit, I wasn't sure that I would make it out alive, but Blaise knew of my standing and, graciously, spared me."

Harry looked at Blaise, who shrugged. "Hey, I do what's best for me. The Dark Lord as a ruler wasn't in my best interest, so I kept my mouth shut."

Harry looked between the two in pure incredulity. He couldn't believe how wrong he'd been about Snape, though he wasn't exactly prone to trust him quite yet. That would take some time.

Harry nodded and looked back to Draco, who was lying on the ground, looking tired. Harry sighed and lay down on his side next to Draco, wrapping a hand around his waist and scooting closer, keeping him safe.


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A/N: Just the epilogue left now... review?