It was not lost on Draco at how easily Harry navigated his way through the Ministry. He knew exactly where he was going. He also managed to avoid the few who were working so late- or early, depending on your perspective.

Harry came to an abrupt stop when he reached the hallway. He stretched his senses for danger, on high alert. Nothing stood out to him- he could tell there was one person waiting at the door. He rounded the corner, wand at the ready.

"Harry?" Remus asked incredulously, his own wand pointed, a fraction of a second from attacking.

Harry's shoulder's slumped in relief. "What did Sirius get me for my first birthday?"

Remus raised his brows. "A toy broomstick." He said. 

Harry lowered his wand, and jogged the remaining distance. He set a hand on Remus' shoulder, and felt his magic. It was Remus, without a doubt. "Thank god." Harry said softly.

"Harry, Ron, what are you doing here?" Remus asked.

"You need to get out of here." Harry said. "Well, I need to go destroy that thing."

"You know what's-?" Remus began, "Oh. Right."

"Let's make this quick." Harry said. "We don't want anyone else showing up."

"Quicker." Draco said, realizing he'd recognized a portrait they'd passed. "A portrait saw us."

Harry cursed, knowing which one he meant. A nasty man who was also in Malfoy Manor. "I forgot about that bastard, we removed him ages ago-" 

Harry bolted in the room, dashing through the shelves as Draco and Remus exchanged an awkward look before following. Where was it, where was it, which shelf? It had been so long... Harry ran right past it once, before halting and backtracking. 

Remus and Draco couldn't help but look around in awe at all the orbs, all prophecies. Harry snatched his from the shelf and met the other two on the way out. "Let's get going."

"What's the danger?" Remus asked once they were in an elevator. 

"Something changed." Harry said. "The dream I had- it used to be Arthur who was on guard- and it was a lot closer to Christmas."

"That doesn't tell me what's wrong, though. What do I need to watch out for?" Remus asked.

"Tom's snake, Nagini. And Death Eaters." Harry replied.

"That's lovely." Remus said, shifting his weight from foot to foot. 

Draco felt a weight in his gut. What if his father showed up? His mother? He looked like Ron Weasley, they wouldn't be afraid to attack him in some manner or other. He would have to fight them.

"You brought Ron but not Hermione?" Remus asked curiously. "How did she agree to that?"

"I'll explain later." Harry said. "That's not Ron."

Remus looked between the two of them with an expression akin to the horror of someone being allergic to your favorite food. "Who are you then?"

"A friend." Harry said, and the doors opened. "Trust me."

"For now." Remus agreed.

They didn't make it far after they left the elevator before Death Eaters blocked the path in front of them.

"Well, what a pleasant surprise." Lucius drawled. "I'm sure you know what we want, Potter. Hand over the prophecy."

Harry drew it from his pocket. "What, this thing?"

"Now's not the time for games, boy." One of the others said. Harry didn't care who. He was trying to figure out how to get Remus and Draco out safely.

"All you want is this?" Harry asked, glancing at the prophecy. "If I give this to you, you'll just let us leave?"

Bellatrix cackled, and Harry barely held himself from attacking her right then. She wasn't the only one to laugh.

"Yes, you can go." Lucius smiled. "We just want the prophecy."

"I'm not sure if I should be insulted that you don't want to take me, too." Harry said, sighing and taking a few steps forward. Several wands raised sharply. 

"There will be other opportunities." Lucius said.

Harry turned to look back at Draco and Remus. They were both wearing expressions that told him not to hand over the prophecy. Harry's expression asked them do you think I'm an idiot? He mouthed "get out".

Harry took a few cautious steps toward the Death Eaters. "This must be pretty important, huh?" Harry could see eager eyes and grins. 

"I must admit, I'm a little disappointed. I thought you'd put up more of a fight." Lucius said.

"You are Draco's father, aren't you?" Harry asked, as though Lucius' words had hurt him. "I thought you knew how much I cared for my friends."

"That's right, isn't it, Malfoy?" Rookwood said. "He's made friends with your boy. He trusts you now."

"Yeah, Malfoy!" Dolohov laughed. "You're part of his family now!"

The Death Eaters laughed- Bellatrix's cackling and Greyback's howling standing out amongst the rest, and Lucius was smug.

The innocent expression Harry had been wearing vanished in an instant. "Like hell he is." Harry said darkly, and threw the prophecy to the ground, where it shattered on the marble.

The laughing stopped abruptly.

"Oops." Harry said.

Bellatrix screeched, and fired at him. He deflected the spell, and bolted for some kind of cover. Draco and Remus had already found their own, but they weren't going to last long- three against twelve was not in their favor.

But Sirius must have taken 'Soon' to heart, and Harry was thankful. He spotted Mad Eye Moody and Tonks on the other side of the Death Eaters. Suddenly they had to defend themselves from two sides.

The Death Eaters made an obvious effort to spread out so they wouldn't be flanked. More members of the Order began to arrive- a few Harry didn't remember. Things were going well. 

Harry received a few nicks, he had a burn on his thigh. Nothing too severe. Draco was holding his own against Nott senior, though he favored his left arm.

The battle had spread out by the time Voldemort arrived. Harry saw him, across the room. Their eyes met. Snakelike and red, human and green. Harry felt his power, a vile unstable thing.

The Death Eaters were encouraged by his arrival. Their enthusiasm fell when Dumbledore arrived a few moments later, looking as if he were attending a casual meeting. 

"You shouldn't have come, Tom." The headmaster said.

Harry disarmed Jugson, and made a dash for where Remus and Tonks were standing back to back. He joined their formation and provided them with shielding spells while they attacked. A Death Eater fell, and Harry realized he couldn't see Draco.

"Where's Ron?" Harry barely managed to say the right name.

"Hallway behind Rodolphus!" Tonks said, without pause in her flinging of spells.

"I'm going after him." Harry said, making a beeline for where Rodolphus was engaged with Molly Weasley.

"Ron?" Harry asked her, pointing down the hallway.

"Yes! Go!" She said, hurling a body bind that Rodolphus barely avoided.

"Shut up bitch!" He snarled.

"After you." Molly returned, menacingly.

Harry ran. How far had Draco gone? He couldn't see him, but then the hallway split, and Harry was just in time to see Fenrir Greyback hunched over Draco, having pinned him to the floor. Draco's wand lay a few feet from his outstretched hand.

Harry hit the werewolf with a stupefy that carried the force of three, and he flew off of Draco. Draco rolled onto his side and reached for his wand, his fingers wrapping around it as Harry kneeled beside him. 

"Are you okay?" Harry asked, and then he saw it. Blood on Draco's shoulder, small cuts in his shirt. 

The glamour was gone. The pain and fear was clear on his face. He'd been bitten by Fenrir Greyback.

Harry wrapped his arms around Draco and apparated them away. They landed in Grimmauld place. Sirius heard the crack of their arrival, and stepped into the dining room ready to attack. He recognized Harry's wild locks immediately.

"Harry!" Sirius dashed to his side, recoiling at the shock of finding Draco instead of Ron. "What the-"

There was the sound of footsteps in the hallway, several pairs.

"Where's Remus?" Harry asked frantically. "Remus!"

"Harry!" Remus pushed past someone to get into the room. He came to a stop at Harry's other side. Harry's back was to the doorway, and his body was shielding Draco's head from view. He recognized the bite. "Fenrir?" He asked, begging to be wrong.

"What do I do?" Harry whispered, holding Draco close.

"No." Molly said in horror, only knowing that her son had gone down that hallway followed by the werewolf. She pushed Remus to get a look at who she thought was her son- only to see a different boy with his eyes and jaw clenched shut in an attempt to not cry. "Oh, no..."

"What's going on?" Moody's gruff voice broke the silence.

"I need Severus." Remus announced. "C'mon, let's get him cleaned up."

Harry nodded, being wary of the arm Draco had favored earlier, and trying to adjust his hold so he could lift him up. Sirius saw him struggle, and assisted. They got him on his feet, but he was leaning heavily against Harry.

"What the hell-" 

"-Merlin's beard-"

"What is the meaning of this?" Moody demanded.

"He's with me." Harry said, as firmly as he could.

"He's with you? He's a Malfoy!" Moody growled.

"He's a boy." Dumbledore said from behind the cluster, Snape at his side.

They parted to let Snape and Dumbledore through. Snape immediately began to inspect his godson's wound, and exchanged silent words with Remus.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"There is something I can try." Snape said, "No guarantees."

"Please." Harry didn't think he had ever said that to the man before.

"Let me take him." Remus said gently, reaching to take Draco's weight.

"What? No, I'm not leaving him-"

"Fine." Draco managed to say, his words airy, and as though they took all the breath from his lungs. "I'll. Fine." He leaned toward Remus.

"But-"

"It's. Okay." Draco said to him, forcing the tiniest smile.

It wasn't okay. But Remus scooped Draco into his arms, giving Harry what was intended to be a reassuring smile. Sirius sensed Harry's muscles tense, and wrapped him in a hug before he could chase after them.

"You stayed." Harry said softly.

"It was one of the hardest things I've ever done." Sirius said, equally quiet.

"You're the reason why he didn't go?" Bill asked.

"Yes. I made a promise to him." Sirius said. "Molly, can you help me fix him up?"

Molly sprung into action. The healing spells and magical burn ointment overloaded his senses. It was all too warm and blurry. It only heightened his feeling that something was wrong. Right, something was. Draco was hurt.

"Harry?" Molly asked, her voice sounding far too distant for her to be but a foot away. "Harry dear?"

Harry bolted up from his seat, heading for the door. Sirius grabbed a hold of him, stopping him in his tracks.

"Let me go." Harry said.

"You need to rest, you aren't thinking clearly." Sirius told him.

Harry heard Draco yelp in pain from another room, but he sounded clear among all the others.

"Let go." Harry said.

"You'll only get in the way, dear. It's better to just let them work." Molly said. "I'll go check on them."

Harry felt a sharp phantom pain in his shoulder, that burrowed into his chest. He struggled to get free of Sirius' hold.

"Harry, it's okay!" Sirius said.

Sirius was too strong, and Harry couldn't break his grasp. Panic was building, and his form shifted to that of the merlin falcon, and he darted down the hallway. He left behind exclamations of surprise.

He startled Remus badly enough that he cursed when he shot into the room and made a rough landing in his human form next to Draco's side.

"Potter, what on earth do you think-"

Harry held his hands over the bite on Draco's shoulder. He called out to his magic, and it responded. The magic of the curse was still trying to latch onto Draco completely. Harry took his magic and pulled at what he could, drawing the cursed magic away from his lover's body. It took the form of blackened congealed blood, a shifting, undulating mass.

Strands still clung to Draco, like melted cheese from the fork to the plate. Harry pulled, and it snapped. He flung his glob of disgusting curse goo onto the floor, where it hissed like acid, and slowly lost its form without a host.

Harry watched the curse fade for a moment in complete repulsion. Then he fainted.

~~~

When Harry woke, Draco was sitting on the bed next to him, reading a book. He had bandages wrapped around his shoulder.

"Draco..." Harry said, and sat up.

"Oh, good, you're awake." Draco said, relief in his voice. "I was worried you'd be out for a lot longer than that."

"How are you?" Harry asked.

Draco sighed, and closed the book. He set it on the nightstand. "I'll be okay."

"What happened?"

"You did your magic thing. Tore out most of the werewolf curse." Draco said.

"Most?"

"Some of it's still there. I'm a werewolf." Draco said, emotionless.

"I'm so sorry." Harry pressed his hands to his eyes. "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have ever dragged you into this. I'm sorry, I'm-"

"Harry." Draco grabbed Harry's wrists and pulled his hands from his eyes. "Look at me."

Harry forced himself to look. Draco was visibly tired, drained.

"This is not your fault." Draco said. "Do you understand?"

"You're a werewolf. Because of me." Harry said miserably.

"I am a werewolf, and I will survive. But it is not your fault, Harry. I knew the risks and I still followed you." Draco said. "Severus and Lupin agreed, they think my 'condition' won't be so severe."

Draco's stomach ruined the moment by growling. He sighed. "Can you help me put that shirt on?"

"Yeah." Harry said weakly. He helped Draco into the band t-shirt he knew Sirius had lent out. It was a bit surreal, to see Draco in muggle clothing. Then he was brought back to reality when he saw a hint of bandage showing through the collar. 

Downstairs, there were a few voices talking in low tones. Harry and Draco found many members of the Order gathered in the room. There were all the members who'd been at the battle, plus Ron and Hermione, who McGonagall had escorted.

Harry could see it, he could feel it in the room. "What happened?"

"Harry, you might want to sit down..." Arthur said, gently.

"What. Happened?" Harry asked forcefully.

Kingsley met Harry's gaze. "Tonks is dead."

A/N

Well, Sirius lives...