CURSED: FROM THE BEGINNING [D.M]

-(96) i understand where your heart lies

DRACO walks alongside Harry, Lumos cast from their wands for them to see around the dark room. The diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw was something he had seen while he was trying to fix the Vanishing Cabinet in there last year. "This way", he tells Harry and rounds a corner with Hermione and Ron following close behind.

"I can sense it", Harry says and even though Draco finds it strange, he doesn't question it. Of course, he would have had some way to detect these things. How else, could he hunt them down?

They reach the table upon which the diadem rests inside a chest. Draco takes it and hands it over to Harry who opens it and there it is, the sixth horcrux.

"How do we destroy it?", Draco asks, assuming something simple would not even leave a scratch on something so powerful as that.

But before Harry can even answer him, the diadem gets knocked off his hands and onto the top of a pile of things beside them. Draco spins on his heels to be met with Crabbe and Goyle, dark smirks on their faces.

"Well well, behold the traitor", Crabbe spits out in spite, eyeing Draco with disgust.

"Crabbe, this isn't what you want to do", Draco tries to tell him, tries to make him understand but he forgot how deeply brainwashed they were onto the dark side.

They start firing off charms but Draco, Harry, Ron and Hermione deflect them and counter them. Seeing that they were outnumbered, they run off but Ron and Hermione take off after them.

Harry instantly gets to climbing the pile and Draco follows him, stepping through chairs, sofas, broken benches and such. As they get to the top, the pair of them push aside the couch where the diadem has wedged itself between. With their combined effort, they are able to retrieve it and get back down safely.

"Thank you", Harry meets his eyes and mumbles, adjusting his glasses properly.

"I'm not doing this for you", Draco mutters back in response. "I'm doing this for her."

Harry nods and looks away, shifting on his feet uncomfortably.

And for some reason, he doesn't quite know, Draco finds himself correcting his statement and spilling the truth to Harry, his rival from day one. "Actually", he says, his voice catching. "I'm not just doing this for her." He takes a deep breath and steadies himself, looking away as Harry's gaze wanders back to him. "He took a lot from me."

And out of the corner of his eyes, Draco can see Harry nod his head. "He took a lot from me too."

At that, Draco closes his eyes and the first thing that pops into his mind is Pansy's annoying little smile. The way the skin near her eyes crinkled and her ears reddened. The way it was so damn contagious that even he could not resist it. And Voldemort took that away from him. He fucking took that away from all of them.

"Draco", Harry calls and he opens his eyes straight into those green ones. He had edged closer to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I understand you."

In that moment, all Draco wants to do is to crumble.

But he has to stay strong. He has to stand tall.

And he has to kill that motherfucker.

"I understand where your heart lies, Draco", Harry says, his voice soft, his words filled with meaning.

And for the first time in all the while he has known him, Draco Malfoy gives Harry Potter a genuine smile.

"I'm glad you do", he tells Harry and pats him on the shoulders.

But the moment is shortlived as a screaming Ron runs up to them with Hermione. "Run! RUNN! Goyle's set the bloody place on fire"

Harry and Draco set right into motion after them as they see the fiendfyre approaching. No matter what they push into the way or the direction they take, it follows them- it hunts them down. That was the nature of fiendfyre. It was capable of hunting people down despite being non-sentient. It was also extremely powerful that it cannot be extinguished by normal or enchanted water. Draco's mind draws a blank when he tries to think of how to escape it.

"There!", Hermione points to the broomsticks huddled up in one corner and in an instant, all four of them run towards it, mount it and set off the ground.

The way towards the door was not yet engulfed by the fire and it provided a clear path and any man with common sense would take that without a second thought. But as Draco looks to his left, he sees Crabbe and Goyle on top of some boxes, seconds away from being burnt alive. And no matter how much he wants to leave right then, he can't turn a blind eye to them. Not when he has known them for almost his whole life.

"I'm going to get them", Draco shouts out to the rest of them and without even waiting for a reply, he turns his broom in that direction and sets out for them.

"I'll come with you", Harry shouts back and follows him and he scoffs. Of course, the good Harry Potter would accompany him and help out someone who tried to kill him. And this time, he feels complete gratitude at that instead of any sort of annoyance.

Ron grunts out, shock and disbelief in his voice. "If you die for them, Harry. I'm gonna kill you."

And Harry who has slipped into pace with Draco turns to him and chuckles, causing Draco to do the same.

"Go on, Ron. We'll be right there", Harry shouts back before splitting off to get Goyle as Draco heads for Crabbe.

And it is no easy feat to get them on top but somehow they manage and round about towards the exit, the flames right on their tail. Hermione clears the way with a charm and they fly straight out of the room and onto the ground. Harry takes out something that seems like a giant snake's tooth from inside his jacket and uses it to stab the diadem. The black magic residing in it erupts out towards them in the shape of Voldemort's head but before it can reach anyone, Draco kicks the diadem into the room and the door swings itself shut, the diadem getting engulfed by the fire.

The moment he spins on his heels, Zilliah crashes her head into his chest, kissing his shoulder, panting hard. "You alright?"

"I'm alright", he mumbles, ruffling her hair and kissing her head before pulling away.

They look to the side and Harry coughs, his eyes haunted like he has just woken from a nightmare. "The snake", he mumbles, his voice rough and strained. "The snake is the last horcrux."

"Nagini?", Draco gasps, understanding the difficulty of even getting five feet near that snake.

"Yes", Harry breathes, trying to get up but failing to. 

Ron and Draco rush to his side and help him up as Hermione asks Harry to look into Voldemort's head and see where he is. "Only then we can kill the snake", she says and Harry nods, steadying himself as he closes his eyes.

After a minute of visible discomfort, Harry opens his eyes, his breath catching.

"You saw him?", Draco asks, apprehension in his voice.

"Yeah", Harry replies, getting himself out of their grip and standing on his own. "I know where he is."