nothing i wont do anymore

two truths and one lie.

An alternate ending to the Battle of Hogwarts.

Hogwarts May 2nd 1998. Some time in the afternoon.

The zap she had received to the back was sure to leave a mark on her pale skin even through her clothes, Narcissa thought as she moved over the fallen leaves of the forest floor. Forwards towards the lifeless body of the Chosen One. But instead of the dark ruffled hair, she could only picture that of her son's bright blonde, imagining him lying somewhere in the cold corridors of Hogwarts alone. Herself and Lucius had asked- practically pleaded with the Dark Lord himself to be allowed to go and retrieve their son, but their request was met with a cruel rebuttal and laughter at their weakness. But Narcissa knew that the love she had for her son was not weakness at all. It was in fact a great strength.

As she crouched down, it took her the entirety of that strength not to jump back up at the quiet sounds of the boys breathing. She chewed on her lip for a moment as she weighed her options. This could be the out she had been searching for. A way to get herself, Lucius and Draco away from all this mess. She reached down, putting her cool hand against the boy's skin. He did well not to flinch. She lowered her head as if to check for his heart before she spoke.

"Is Draco alive? Is he in the castle?" she asked, voice barely audible even with the stillness of the forest.

The boy remained motionless and for a moment Narcissa feared the worst. Her own pulse was pounding in her ears, eyes trained on the boy. He moved his head once- up and down- and then breathed out the only word she wanted to hear. Yes. Narcissa wanted to collapse in relief. But she didn't allow herself that luxury. She needed to continue to play her part. She slowly stood, still looking down at the body in the leaves before turning back towards the crowd, focusing her entire mind on the lie, in case anyone tried to peer inside.

"He is dead." She announced simply. Lucius' relief was what she saw first before the crowd erupted in glee. The Dark Lord watched her momentarily, never for a moment doubting her, before turning to her sister. Narcissa dutifully returned to Lucius' side and squeezed his hand. He returned the gesture encouragingly.

People around her spoke- the boy was scooped up but Narcissa did not take notice of anything. The only thing she could think about was getting to the school to find her son. She tugged on Lucius' hand as the group started to move, determined to be as close to the front as she could. He followed along with her quietly, most of the fight in him having left long before. Her sisters splitting laughter rang in her ears as she focused on the feeling of her feet against the ground, the hollow sound of heels on cobblestones echoing up towards the courtyard.

Many had amassed there. Students, teachers, Auror's. Come to see the fate of The Chosen One. There were shouts and cries- a Weasley tried to run forward towards the boy but she was held back. A teacher could be heard screaming out to the body that was limp in the giant's arms. Narcissa didn't care about her. Or any of them. She was just searching for her son. Her eyes moved over every face she could find in the crowd but none seemed to be who she was looking for. Lucius held her hand even tighter, as if sensing her distress.

"Harry Potter is dead. He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him. We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone." The Dark Lord declared and Narcissa shivered, dropping her gaze.

"The battle is won. You have lost half of your fighters. My Death Eaters outnumber you and the Boy Who Lived is finished. There must be no more war. Anyone who continues to resist, man, woman or child, will be slaughtered, as will every member of their family." That caught Narcissa's attention and she spared a glance towards the body. How long would he lay there? And would it be long enough to allow her family to escape. Suddenly Narcissa was worried that she had made a very, very big mistake,