Not Quite Dark Magic

Final Battle

The moment Hermione was gone Draco attempted to follow her. When he spun to apparate, he wasn't able to.

Damn it, how was she able to throw up an anti-apparition ward so quickly?

He stood still for only a moment, dragging his fingers through his knotted hair, wishing they were still Hermione's.

Then he was moving, dashing out of the door and out into the woods. If he wasn't able to apparate to Grimmauld he would run. Anything. Anything to stop her from doing this.

Because he knew what she was planning.

---

Hermione landed with a thud onto the rooftop. The world hadn't even come into focus before she was sprinting down the steps and into Harry's room.

When she entered, he was on the bed with Luna. Their heads were tilted towards each other and she could tell they had been whispering, discussing something important. At another time, she would have felt bad for intruding.

Not now, though.

"It's time," she said.

Harry snapped his head up. Luna stood and then froze.

"Draco's going to blow it, Harry." She walked towards him and she couldn't imagine how it looked. Her voice was edging on desperate and her breathing was erratic. She hadn't bothered to smooth down her hair that had just housed Draco's fingers. She could feel a love bite throbbing at the base of her neck.

And none of this took into consideration that she hadn't yet returned from her undercover rescue mission. She knew the prisoners had made it out, the Order knew she wasn't able to go with them. For all they knew she was still in the dungeons at Malfoy Manor.

"He got me out," she began before Harry could even open his mouth. "He got me out in the stupidest way and now he's trying to use himself as a sacrifice and it can't happen." She was just inches away from him now, and she could feel her Occlumency fumbling. There were waves a hundred feet tall smashing against her walls with the force of everything she'd ever buried threatening to rise up. She felt the tears rise in her eyes. Her throat clicked with her held back sobs.

"Please," she said. "Please look at Luna and tell me you wouldn't be asking the same thing."

Harry's eyes stayed glued on hers for a moment. She could feel the answer echoing in the room before she'd said that. There were a million reasons why now wasn't the time for the Final Battle.

Because that's what she was asking. She wanted to have a face off with Voldemort and the Death Eaters in order to save Draco's life.

It was the only option. Kidnapping Draco would just lead Voldemort right to them because of the trace on the Dark Mark, and after the stunt Draco had pulled there was nothing else that could be done.

They weren't prepared. A few hours notice wasn't enough time to properly line up a battle plan. Even if they'd had one set up for weeks. There were people out on missions, injured and just straight up not mentally ready. It was such an essential part of being on the battlefield that Moody and Kingsley screened each person before they headed out. An unprepared mind was just cause for error and therefore more deaths they couldn't afford.

But Harry couldn't say no. If he said yes to her, then everyone else would fall in line. They would summon home everyone off base and they would draw up their best plan and they'd be off within the hour.

His eyes remained on her and she could feel his resolve cracking. She just needed to push a little harder.

"Tell me if you knew Luna wasn't about to die you wouldn't do everything in your power to prevent that." Her voice was steady now. She needed to be calm and rational. Draco was relying on her for this. She could do anything if it was for Draco.