"That is the most absurd plan, Potter," Professor McGonagall said in her sternest voice. "Wouldn't you say, Severus?"

"It seems that the girl from the future has informed the Dark Lord about my contributions to his downfall. I've been cut off from all my sources of information," Professor Snape said in his clipped tones, "But if I were the Dark Lord, I would have tripled the enchantments on my Horcuxes and made sure they are well out of your reach. Unless... you are no longer a threat."

His black eyes seemed to bore a hole in Harry but the boy did not flinch away, "Then I will meet him and let him kill me."

Professor McGonagall gasped at his words, but he continued, "It will be up to the Order to eliminate the Cup and Nagini."

"The Cup?" Professor Snape drawled, lifting an eyebrow in question.

"Helga Hufflepuff's Cup," Harry said in response. "Its last known location is the Lestrange's vault at Gringotts."

Professor Snape seemed to consider Harry's words before parting his lips again, "To the best of my knowledge, Bellatrix was commanded to retrieve something from her vault the night that Dumbledore fell... she was tasked to guard it with her life...she was also tasked with hunting down Narcissa Malfoy."

His words formed a vice around Draco's throat, constricting it and choking him with fear.

"Not if we hunt her down first." Harry said, feeling pity for Draco, whose face had turned a sickly shade of green.

"If the ministry has fallen to spies," Professor McGonagall pointed out, "It would mean that You-Know-Who is aware of Albus' demise. You might not have to go to him, Potter... He will come to you."

"That's right..." Harry said slowly, a new plan forming in his mind, "And when he comes, we'll be ready. When he comes, it will be the perfect diversion for you to find Bellatrix and destroy the Cup." His last words were aimed at Draco.

"I'm not going to sit around while my mother is being hunted," he seemed to have found his voice and it was angry.

"Sometimes, sitting tight is the best course of action." Harry said, thinking of all the times that he has been ordered to do nothing.

"No, if the Dark Lord thinks you are unprotected, there's no reason for him to bide his time," Draco argued.

"Unless he thinks he's walking into a trap, he needs to be lulled into a false sense of security, and the only way we can do that is by doing nothing!" Harry raged back.

Having heard enough, Draco turned on his heel and stormed out. Torn, Hermione glanced at the thunderous look on Harry's face and raced after Draco.

"Draco, wait, stop! Please!" She shouted, but he didn't seem to hear her.

"Draco," Hermione grabbed his wrist upon catching up to him and pulled him to a halt, "I know that it might seem like–"

She was cut off by a sudden flurry of commotion coming from Professor McGonagall's office. There was a loud thump and several exclamations. She wanted more than anything to rush back in but she was unwilling to let go of Draco who stood firm.

"I-it's–" She began, but Draco cut her off harshly.

"Is that what heroes do?" His voice was cold, "Sit idly by?"

Hermione cast her eyes downwards, "What do you want to do?"

"I want to leave Hogwarts now and find my mother before Bellatrix does. If I get to her before Aunt Bella, we can still have a chance at destroying the cup!" He said pleadingly.

"He's coming!" Professor McGonagall's voice was shrill as she rushed out of her office and swept past them.

"H-he's coming? Now?" Realisation dawned on Hermione as she realised that Harry was right all along. Scrimgeour was indeed compromised and he must have alerted You-Know-Who to Harry's plan of leaving Hogwarts to hunt down his Horcruxes.

"Looks like you don't have to sit around after all," Hermione said weakly, pulling Draco with her as she made her way towards the office.

When they arrived, Ron burst from the Gryffindor Common Room with an armful of Basilisk fangs. Wordlessly, he handed one each to Hermione and Draco.

"Let's go." He said.

"You should stay with Harry," Hermione answered, "H-he needs you."

Peering into their Head of House's office, she saw Harry with his hand clamped over his scar, knowing that he must have experienced a sharp pain along with vestiges of the Dark Lord's emotions.

Ron watched as Harry clambered to his feet, "Where's the Time Turner? Do you have it?"

"Here," Ron pressed the golden necklace into Harry's hand.

"No, you take it," Harry said, gesturing at Hermione. "I won't need it here."

Gingerly, Hermione took the Time Turner from Harry and gave it to Ron, whispering under her breath, "Keep this and stay out of sight. If anything happens, you can rewind time and get another chance. Do you understand?"

"Be careful," Ron nodded begrudgingly without turning to face the two who took off towards Slytherin dungeons for Draco to fetch his broom. When he arrived, he ran into Theodore who gazed sullenly at Hermione. There were other, younger Slytherins loitering in the common room, but none dared to question Draco.

After he retrieved his broom from his room, the two were out the door and racing towards the Owlery.

"Find mother," he said to a handsome Eagle Owl and straddled his broomstick, waiting for Hermione's arms to circle his waist before kicking off.

The owl did not need telling twice and he extended his great wings in a big stretch before flapping, once, twice, and was off. Draco and Hermione zoomed after the bird, the cold wind whipping through their hair.

Back at the castle, Professor McGonagall has made an announcement that the headmaster of Hogwarts has been slain and that the Dark Lord was on his way. She left out the gritty details, but made sure to impress on the entire faculty and student body how grave their current situation was.

"Leave your possessions! I want everyone evacuated to Hogsmeade."

There were several arguments amongst the students who wanted to fight, notably from Gryffindor and the members of Dumbledore's Army, but with the help of the caretaker, Flich, and Madam Pomfrey, many were ushered out of the Great Hall, their protests falling on deaf ears.

Harry remembered the fallen that Delphini listed off and he was determined not to have their deaths on his conscience, not if he could help it. No Hogwarts students were going to die on his behalf.

The remaining staff was almost a pitiful resistance against the Dark Lord, but their numbers were soon enhanced by the arrival of the members of the Order.

"Lupin!" Harry shouted as soon as he caught sight of his father's old friend, "Why are you here? Delphini–"

"Her predictions aren't going to come true, Harry. Nothing is the same. I'm not going to die... But if we survive this, Harry, I'm going to ask her to marry me. Now that I know I don't pass my affliction to my children, words can barely describe how happy I am." Lupin's eyes did shine with joy and he looked a lot less haggard than Harry remembered.

"Well, okay, let's not die, then." Harry said with a hopeful smile and joined the group that had gathered in the Great Hall.

"With any luck, Voldemort will have his snake with him," Harry told them, "If I am... indisposed... make the snake your number one priority. And listen, nobody is to step in when he tries to kill me..." sensing that Molly Weasley was about to chime in with her protests, he said loudly with a note of finality, "... it is the only way. But before that happens, we'll need to fortify the castle so we can buy Draco and Hermione some time. They've gone to hunt down a piece of the puzzle we need to defeat him."

There was some confusion amongst the faculty and even though the Order did indeed see Draco in their midst the night that Dumbledore fell, they still questioned why the youngest Malfoy were now considered one of them.

"That's odd," Hermione pointed out, squinting against the setting sun as they chased after the owl, "I think it's headed to London?"

Indeed, they were passing over Edinburgh and making a beeline for the capital of England.

"Why would your mother be in London?" Hermione asked, half-yelling so that Draco could hear her.

Draco didn't have a response for her, but he angled his broom to increase the speed, causing Hermione to hang on tighter. She had always hated flying. It was unpredictable and scary because while it was easy to understand the theory, Hermione wasn't the best when it came to applying it, chalking it up to her muggle background and knowledge of physics. But she found Draco's flying comforting. His manoeuvres were smooth and he didn't make any unexpected dips or turns, keeping his flight path relatively stable.

There wasn't much room for conversation, considering how the wind ripped each syllable away, casting it into the sky behind them. But she clung onto Draco, hoping that she could impart some small comfort through her embrace, all the while wondering what was happening back at Hogwarts, but they were too far to see anything now.

If they could, they would have seen the scorched green skies which cast an ominous gloom over the castle, accentuated by the setting sun.

"Harry Potter," Everyone in the castle whipped around, looking for the source of the voice which seemed to come from right beside them. "I know what you mean to do... you will not succeed... I have come to accept your defeat."

A lone figure descended upon the viaduct that connected to a courtyard in Hogwarts. Upon realising that he could not step onto the bridge itself, Lord Voldermort laughed, "These flimsy enchantments will not keep me out for long... Come out, Harry Potter. Come out and meet your doom."

The dark wizard pulled his wand from the sleeves of his robe and plunged it into the shield surrounding the castle, forcing the enchantments back and peeling them off, layer by layer.

"I see you, Muggle-lover," Voldemort called out, catching sight of the red hair he had come to loathe. "A disgrace to the wizarding community, your infatuation with the muggles. It's a wonder you didn't marry one yourself!"

The dark lord sent another pulsating wave of energy into the castle, which was absorbed by the sphere that surrounded it. He gave another glancing laugh when he saw the mismatched army of statues and suits of armour making their way down the viaduct, standing right out of reach.

"If you think this army of toys will thwart me, you are going to be sorely disappointed! My patience wears thin, boy. Come out! Be brave like your mother and face me!" He demanded, pouring his power into dissolving the magical charm that stopped him from gaining entry.

Black figures appeared in the forest, summoned by the Dark Mark that lit up the sky.

"Argh," Draco swerved suddenly, clutching his left forearm. He wasn't expecting the mark to burn so severely and wondered if the Dark Lord had meant for it to hurt him. Hermione gave a little shriek as she was jerked from the broomstick, sliding towards the tail. Realising his mistake, Draco grabbed the broom with his searing arm while reaching his right arm around to pull Hermione up.

"Sorry," he panted, still lightheaded from the sudden pain. "He's called the Death Eaters to him."

"Won't Bellatrix–" Hermione began worriedly.

"She won't lightly abandon her mission, especially if she thinks her sister has betrayed her." Draco said with great effort. They were almost nearing London and Hermione could make out the sprawl of the city. It was really rather breathtaking to see it from a bird's eye view. Though she doubts she would have enjoyed it as much if it were with anyone else.

The owl began its descent and soon, they found themselves flying right above rooftops. They could see muggles pointing at them and scratching their heads in confusion. Was it a large bird? Some unidentified flying object? Muggles have a way of seeing without believing and have the ability to change their perspective to fit their narrative.

"Did you see that?" One passerby called, "Coulda sworn I saw a flying boar."

Seeing Draco's owl zip into an underground station, Hermione gave a small yelp and clutched Draco even tighter, pressing her face into his back and squeezing her eyes shut. She could hear a chorus of exclamations, but Draco never wavered. He flew directly towards his owl and stopped short in front of a red telephone booth.

"A-are we going to the ministry?" Hermione said shakily as Draco helped her to the ground.

"Looks like it," he said grimly, pushing back on the terror that filled him at the thought of his mother being locked up in a cell like Delphini's.

The two stepped into the phone booth, pressing up against each other as the owl looked on with a fierce expression. Draco picked up the receiver and dialled the numbers he often saw his father use: 6-2-4-4-2.

Draco had expected the cool, calm voice to request for their name and purpose, but nothing came on. The platform they were standing on simply gave a shudder before descending underground.

"Something's not right," he whispered into Hermione's hair. "Stay close."

Hermione took her wand out and held it low, waiting for the booth doors to spring open. When they creaked to a stop, the doors opened to reveal a cavernous Atrium, without a soul in sight.

Draco took a small hesitant step out of the booth, "This is not right at all." But the image of his mother being held captive propelled his feet forward and he found himself walking towards the adjourning hall where the elevators were. He moved mechanically and jabbed the button for the tenth floor.

"Level Ten," the voice Draco had expected from the phone booth announced, "The Ministry Detention Area."

As the lift jangled and creaked, Hermione glanced up at him nervously.

"Do you think h-he's taken over the Ministry?" She whispered.

"It looks like it." Draco answered stiffly.

The moment the doors opened, the two of them were overcome with a chill that seeped into their bones. If they had arrived a little earlier, they might have been flanked by Dementors, but as luck would have it, all that was left of them was a thick air of despair. A clanging sound punctuated the silence and they approached cautiously, finding a half-deranged witch banging her food bowl on the bars.

She didn't even seem to notice them and continued banging away as they averted their eyes.

"Draco," Hermione whispered, catching his hand in hers. "Look."

Up ahead, his Eagle Owl was perched on one of the cell doors. Draco rushed to it and peered in, almost relieved to find his mother, but also afraid of what it might mean.

"Mother," Draco said, grabbing her torn robes, "it's me. Draco."

"Draco?" Narcissa stirred from the floor and grabbed Draco's hands through the bars, "I'm sorry, my darling, I tried to run but Bella, she said that the Dark Lord would kill you if I didn't comply." Her sobs joined the cacophony of the banging.

Hermione looked into each cell before stopping in front of Delphini who was looking gleefully at the Malfoy's teary reunion.

"I see your father has deemed fit for you to stay behind bars," Hermione said sceptically. If she was being honest, she had expected Delphini to have orchestrated everything. She seemed the wily sort. Truth is, she was burned by the thought that Delphini had a hand in her friendship with Draco. She wanted to believe that their romance had blossomed on their own. The knowledge that Delphini played a part sullied it somehow.

The grin disappeared from Delphini's face, "He didn't even look twice."

"Why do you care so much about him? What has he ever done for you? He might as well have been a sperm donor," Hermione said, unable to keep the bite from her voice.

The forlorn expression on Delphini's face dulled the resentment in Hermione's heart. "I... don't know. I've always been alone, felt alone... I thought maybe he would give me a place to belong."

Hermione wasn't expecting the vulnerability that Delphini expressed, though it did nothing to soften her towards the witch.

"He's a Dark Wizard!" Disbelief coloured Hermione's voice, "Didn't you study history? What makes you think he's capable of offering you any kind of validation? Or did they muck up history in your time and someone he's made out to be some kind of martyr?"

"History is penned by winners," Delphini challenged with a pout, "A father is a father, is he not?"

Hermione shook her head in pity, "You-Know-Who isn't capable of love. And as far as I'm concerned, someone so obsessed with immortality doesn't care of any spawn he bears. What kind of parent do you think someone who has ripped their soul into seven parts could possibly be?"

"How touching..." A nasty voice rang loudly from the door. "How dare you, Draco? How dare you bring such shame onto this family?"

"Aunt Bella," Draco said, standing up. "It's over, hand over the Cup."

"What Cup?" She laughed maniacally, "This Cup?" Bellatrix reached into her robes and drew out a gleaming ornate cup, brandishing it above her head before stashing it into her robes again. "Has the mudblood addled your brain, Draco?" She snarled ferociously, whipping out her wand and shooting golden strands towards Hermione.

"Protego!" Hermione screamed and a shield ballooned forward, causing the magical bonds to bounce off harmlessly.

"Bella!" Narcissa bellowed from her cell. Draco had never heard his mother utter such a guttural sounding cry. She had always been composed, even when the Dark Lord paraded prisoners through Malfoy Manor and tortured them where they dined.

"You will raise your wand against your own kin?" She questioned, her eyes burning with a fierce desire to rip the wand from her sister's fingers.

"Have you forgotten dear old Annie?" Bellatrix shot back, twirling her wand between her fingers. "There is nothing I will not do for the Dark Lord."

"You've lost your mind!" Narcissa said, pulling herself to her feet.

"No, Cissy, you've lost your mind. What were you thinking? Letting Draco run amok with this mudblood!" Bellatrix shot out at Hermione once again and the abruptness of her attack didn't give Hermione any time to defend herself. She accio-ed the younger girl towards her and grabbed her by the hair, whispering into her ear, "Let me see for myself whether she bleeds red."

Draco threw open his mother's cell with two angry slashes made with his wand which made the metal glow red. "Go, mother. Disapparate."

"I don't have my wand, Draco!" She fretted. Draco straightened up calmly and in a split second, turned his head and wand on his aunt, "Expelliarmus!"

Bellatrix's wand flew into his outstretched hand, "Now you do."

"I'm not going to leave you," Narcissa said, she whirled on Bellatrix whose eyes were as big as saucers, but she didn't let her guard down. Not again. Whirling Hermione in front of her, Narcissa's spell hit Hermione square in the chest.

"No!" Draco cried in anguish. All he could see was the shock on her face, blind to everything else. Holding his wand stiffly by his side, he made a dash towards Bellatrix who danced out of the way as though Hermione was nothing more than just a ragdoll.

"You surprised me, sweet boy," she said in a cloying voice, but the next words out of her mouth were harsh and cruel, "don't expect it to happen again."

Bellatrix reached for Hermione's wand which was frozen in place when she was hit by the full-body bind. She pointed it at her advancing nephew but seeing that his steps did not falter, she turned it towards Hermione's exposed neck.

"Fancy discovering what runs through her veins?" Bellatrix said with a nasty smile which stopped Draco in his tracks.

"Stop!" He commanded forcefully, "Don't do it."

"Awww... does wee little Draco have some affection for this mudblood?" She laughed, sticking out her tongue and dragging it across Hermione's cheek before spitting on the ground, "Tastes like filth."

"Aunt Bella, please." He said in a more restrained manner.

"Let the child go," Narcissa joined Draco and attempted to disarm Bellatrix without hitting Hermione but she just twirled out of the way.

"You're slow, Cissy. You've grown complacent and forgotten how to fight," she said gleefully.

"Put the child down and I'll show you what I've got." Narcissa said.

"I already know what you've got – a failure for a husband and mudblood-loving son. You should end him here and now! He has disgraced you and your house!" Bellatrix cried.

At her words, Draco launched himself towards his aunt and knocked her off her feet. He grappled for the wand she held and heard a horribly loud clang on the floor. Realising that the Cup had dislodged itself, he seized it and swapped his wand for a fang.

"Ha-ha!" Bellatrix laughed, "What's this? A primitive weapon will hardly–" Before she could complete her sentence, Draco drove the fang into the cup. A horrific cry emitted from it, but it wasn't enough for Draco. He stabbed it over and over again until only fragments of it lay on the ground.

Flinging Hermione to the floor, Bellatrix dropped to her knees and gathered the pieces with a wail. Ignoring her, Draco went to Hermione's side and picked her up as tenderly as Bellatrix handled the destroyed Cup.

"Finite incantatem," he cast the spell over her and felt her body go pliant for a moment before it seized up again.

"Draco!" She screamed, shoving him out of the way and standing between him and his aunt, who had taken the jagged Basilisk fang, swinging it around in blind rage until it sunk it deep into Hermione's shoulder.

"Oh," Hermione gasped as sagged backwards towards Draco.

"No, no, no, no, no..." Draco scrambled to his feet, clutching the protruding fang and ripping it out, throwing it as far as humanly possible. He caught Hermione and felt her lean heavily into him. "No, no, Vulnera Sanentur, Vulnera Sanentur, Vulnera Sanentur..." he murmured, waving his wand around the wound, watching the skin stitch itself back together and reopen due to the venom.

A cold chill had fallen over Hogwarts as Dementors arrived in droves, seeking a way into the castle. Their presence alone weakened the resolve of those safe within the protective charms. Along with the consistent attacks that Lord Voldemort and his band of Death Eaters were laying on it, the charms would not hold much longer.

The moment the protective barrier was breached, the suits of armour and statues which were standing by leapt into motion and the sounds of battle was deafening. Instantly, the air was showered in explosions of light as witches and wizards threw everything they could into fighting for their cause.

"No," Harry said softly, "It is time..."

Molly Weasley was the closest to him and when those words left his lips, she clapped her hand over her mouth. Harry had walked – quite literally – into her life a skinny young lad with no knowledge of the magical world that he belonged to and now he had blossomed into a soldier of war at only sixteen. She couldn't help but feel that she was about to lose a son.

Catching sight of her face, Harry nodded reassuringly at her, "It's going to be okay, Mrs. Weasley, you'll see."

He pressed the Golden Snitch to his lips, hoping he could see Dumbledore one more time to tell him that he forgives him for knowing that he had to die in order to vanquish the Dark Lord once and for all. Turning the stone over three times, he was greeted by familiar faces that smiled sadly at him.

"Mom, dad..." He said softly, looking at their ghostly forms.

"We just want to tell you how proud we are, Harry, and we love you more than you would ever know." His mother said, touching his face tenderly.

His father nodded in response, "Look at how far you've come..."

"I've still got a little ways to go," Harry said determinedly, "it's not over yet."

He stepped onto the stone bridge and faced the Dark Lord who stood on the other end.

Voldemort held up his hand and instantly, the battling stopped. He waited to see what the boy would do. A smile crept onto his face when he saw Harry walking towards him. Wandless.

"No, no," he protested, "we need to do this the right way... Where is your wand, boy?"

"I am not going to fight you," Harry said loudly, "I've come to put an end to your reign of terror. You want to kill me, don't you? So, kill me."

If the words confused the Dark Lord, he did not let it show on his face.

"Avada Kedavra!" He yelled, pointing the wand directly at Harry. The force of the spell knocked Harry backwards into the stone floor where he stopped moving.

"The Chosen One has chosen to die!" Lord Voldemort bellowed the announcement, "He is dead!"

The Dark Lord strode towards the castle, stepping over Harry's body where it lay prone. He couldn't help but steal a look at his face, thinking about how a mere boy had been the bane of his existence for the past sixteen years. But now, he was as dead as his parents.

The members of the Order looked on, hoping that Harry would rise again as he said he would, but he lay still and unmoving like a broken toy. Forgotten and forlorn.

"I will not let his sacrifice be in vain," the Dark Lord said with a sarcastic sneer, "Hogwarts will continue to exist, but its degraded values will be reinstated to the full glory of what Salazar Slytherin intended. No muggles!"

His words brought on a chorus of cheers, punctuated with slurs and insults to muggle-borns and wizards or witches who chose to marry one.

"The new Hogwarts will teach you the truth, that we are superior, and no witch or wizard should ever have to endure the insult of being associated with muggles."

The Dark Lord swept into the courtyard and his horde of Death Eaters followed behind him. Some opted to give Harry a kick, others a spit in his direction. Soon, the viaduct was deserted, save for one pale body, small and harmless in death.

The members of the Order approached Harry's body tentatively as the last Death Eater crossed the bridge. Molly broke into a run as she neared him, bursting into tears at the image of his sightless eyes. She pulled him into her lap and cradled his head, "Harry," she whispered.

"Come back."

Harry had entered a state of limbo where he saw Dumbledore again. He had enough time to work through the betrayal he felt when he discovered that Dumbledore had always known that Harry would need to face his death and still allowed him to walk the path alone. Though Harry understood why he had done it. What was one life when compared with the thousands that Voldemort might dispatch if he wasn't stopped?

When he saw that ugly creature which had latched onto his soul, a shudder went past him and he looked to his old headmaster for guidance. Though it seemed like an eternity and no time at all, he was transported back into his body.

He first became aware of movement. Then he felt the softness that enveloped him. Hagrid's sobs wracked his body, paired with each thunderous footfall, Harry felt as though he was being shaken awake.

"Hagrid," he whispered and the sobbing stopped abruptly. "Don't! Pretend as if I'm still dead," Harry continued, speaking against the half-giant's chest.

"Do you see Nagini? Has it been killed?"

"Oh, 'Arry, no..." Hagrid moaned as if he was mourning his friend.

"Keep an eye out and... put me somewhere out of sight." Harry said, but Lord Voldemort had other plans. When he saw Hagrid carrying Harry, he conjured a catafalque in the middle of the field.

"Put him down," he commanded. "Show them what happens to heroes."

Torn between what to do, but deciding that it was too suspicious to do otherwise, he stumbled towards the table and set Harry down as gently as possible.

Many miles away, a determined Draco furrowed his brow in concentration, recalling any healing spell he's learnt over the years, administering them with a deft precision. Bellatrix had gone to confront her sister, promising her that she would hand deliver her to Lord Voldermort herself. They warred around Draco but he only had eyes for Hermione.

"You should–" Hermione coughed, "help your mother."

"I need to help you." He insisted, pressing down on the wound that just refused to close, the blood soaking through his robes and staining the floor a deep crimson.

Hermione shook her head weakly, "I-I think I'm beyond that now."

"No, no, don't say that!" Draco protested as a jet of red struck the floor beside him, just missing him by inches.

"It's too dangerous here, Draco, please. Save yourself... and help Harry." Her eyes shuttered for a moment and Draco shook her until she reopened them.

"Stay with me," he said quietly, "stay."

"Okay..." Hermione trailed off, reaching up to cup his face. When he felt her cold fingers, he pressed into them, willing his warmth to go into her. He could feel the strength leaving her and he couldn't bear that she would never know how he felt about her.

He bent over to plant a kiss on her forehead, "I love you, Hermione Granger. I never thought I would, but I do, and I would do anything, anything to keep you."

Hot tears swam in his aching eyes, they burned a way that he had never felt before. When he pulled away, her hand fell limply to the ground. A dull realisation hit him as pain ravaged his heart. Unyielding to the truth, he cupped her head and shook it gently.

"Hermione?" He whispered, "Hermione." The tears spilt on her cheeks and he moved to wipe them away. "Please, please, no." His chest constricted and a sob escaped noisily.

"Oi, Draco." Delphini called out, her arms waving languidly between the bars of her cell. "If you can get me the Time Turner, I could... save her."

Draco's piercing gaze was tinged with the deepest despair, "Don't – joke. You can't undo what has happened tonight, if you could, you already would. Unless another you waltzes through that door with a bottle of Phoenix Tears–" Draco paused, "you could, couldn't you?"

"No. Didn't you hear her? We have to remain out of sight from our own selves or the entire timeline would unravel. I meant I could undo all of this. Go back to my time where she's alive and well."

That gave Draco pause and he glanced down at Hermione, the ghost of a smile on her face. Frozen in death.

"And how would that serve you?" He asked, the offer she dangled in front of him so delicious that it dried up his tears.

"Why, my father would be dead." She answered plainly.

"He might have already been defeated," he said bitterly, though the Dark Mark on his forearm suggested otherwise. If Voldemort had truly been vanquished, all traces of his magic would die with him.

"Come on," Delphini persuaded, "let me out and let me save her."

"If you try to run, I'll kill you where you stand," Draco hissed before shooting a streak of green light towards the cell door.

"Bombarda?" Delphini laughed, picking her way out of the rubble, "A simple Cistem Aperio would have sufficed..."

Stunned by the sudden noise, Bellatrix turned to look and was finally overpowered by Narcissa, who thrust her into a cell.

"You are no sister of mine!" Bellatrix screamed with her fingers around the bars as though she was trying to rip them open.

Narcissa ignored her and moved towards Draco and Hermione. One look at the grey cast that has fallen over her complexion and Narcissa's face turned grim.

"Let's go, Draco, there's nothing you can do for her now."

"I won't leave her," there was venom in his voice and his mother knew better than to talk him out of something he's already set on.

"Very well," Narcissa said, using her sister's wand and performing a levitation charm.

Satisfied, Draco took Hermione's hand as she floated through the air while Delphini followed them from behind. The three of them made their way back into the Atrium where Narcissa offered her arm to Draco for side-along apparition.

"No," he protested, "take her. I'll go with Delphini."

Her mouth set in a line, Narcissa touched Hermione gingerly, as though afraid of soiling herself with her blood.

"All this, for a girl?" She asked. Draco had told her about his plans to retrieve the Time Turner from Hogwarts and send Delphini back to when she came from. If she were another kind of mother, she might have been proud that her son was capable of such love. But she was not and though she felt it foolish, a fool's errand, she was never one to deny him.

They appeared in Hogsmeade after a few jumps to avoid splinching themselves. It was exceptionally hard to do side-along apparition especially with someone you are not familiar with. You need to visualise them along with the destination and if the image isn't clear enough, it would be too easy to splinch their passenger. Given Draco's nature, he probably wouldn't take it kindly if the muggle girl lost a limb, even if she had no use for it anymore.

Narcissa found the entire endeavour distasteful and she didn't hide it, even as they trudged up the worn path and found the Dark Mark floating over the castle.

"You know, we really do look like a family, don't we?" Delphini chirped, seemingly oblivious to the thunderous expression that the Malfoys wore.

"Shut it." Draco snapped, but his eyes glanced at Delphini's gleaming blonde hair instinctively. Seeing that familiar shade in his mother's hair only made his blood boil but he needed to stay focused on their objective. "No matter what happens, you take the Time Turner, and you go home."

"Yes, young master," Delphini said in a mock salute and fell quiet. The fact is, she really wanted to be there when her father is destroyed by Harry, so she could spit at him and tell him that his penchant for hate left no room for hope and ensured his own downfall. She spent the rest of the walk thinking about the exact words she would say when he met his eventual doom. Maybe, if she was lucky, she would get to cast the killing blow.

"Draco," Narcissa said quietly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It's best if we leave her here."

Her son turned to face her and she recognised that hateful glare he wore. It reminded her of a petulant child who refused to accept that he would not be able to join them for their annual vacation because his grades were less than stellar, losing out to the same muggle-born who levitated at the end of her wand. He threw a splendid tantrum, upturning a portion of his room and storming out with a luggage packed saying that he was ready to go.

"No." Somehow he managed to pack all of his rage and entitlement into that one monosyllabic word.

Narcissa put a hand to her temple and rubbed it, "How do you think it would look– alright, have it your way. You can levitate her. I will not be dragging a corpse... undignified... who he takes after..." she began muttering to herself at the end.

"Gravitas Levavi," Draco tapped his wand on Hermione's hand. His mother looked on wondering why he was so intent on keeping her body close. What comfort could it bring him? It was a horrible reminder of death.

With Hermione now light as a feather, Draco carried her as if she were only sleeping.

"This is obscene, Draco, why do you insist on parading her body? Give the poor girl some dignity."

Draco moved toward the castle while considering her words, "I am, mother. The world should know what Hermione Granger contributed to the war."

The maturity of his words halted Narcissa's dissent and the words died in her throat where a lump grew. They had only wanted the promised glory of Death Eaters, she had never wanted the subsequent horrors to force her little boy to grow up faster than he needed to. Silently, she cursed herself for her own continued support towards her husband's pursuit of prestige. In a huff, she followed the boy up the path leading towards the Quad. Instead of bursting through the Entrance Hall, they crept through the courtyard and listened carefully for signs of Lord Voldemort.

"... if not... informant... loyalties... reward..." Faint traces of his voice carried into the Entrance Hall and Delphini stopped to cast a Disillusionment charm on them. Draco had reluctantly given her Hermione's wand while his mother kept hold of her sister's wand.

So confident in his success, Lord Voldemort didn't bother casting any protective wards around Hogwarts after taking them down. After all, who would be so foolish as to walk into a gathering of Death Eaters?

The crowd looked on as Professor Snape was ushered forward and he knelt in front of the makeshift catafalque which held Harry's prone body. The boy fought to stay as still as he could, breathing shallowly and hoping that nobody noticed the subtle rise and fall of his chest.

"You have been a faithful servant, Severus, to be sure... but I was told that you aided the Order as a spy... nothing I wasn't aware of... except," The Dark Lord hurled himself into Snape's mind, fighting to look for something that would confirm that his most trusted servant harboured ill-will towards him, and he found it. A spark that Snape guarded most fiercely. Voldemort dove towards the thought, ripping it free and peering into it. A pair of bottle-green eyes.

Enraged, the Dark Lord threw Snape across the Great Hall. The professor skidded across the floor, rolling over and over again until he came to a final stop.

"My lord," he panted from where he lay, propping himself up, "I..." he grunted with great difficulty, "... was contemplating... the death... of... Harry... Potter..."

"Save your breath, Severus. You won't have many more." While Voldemort did not feel hurt or betrayed, he did loathe the idea of being deceived and for so many years. The eyes he saw were not the childish shape of a boy's, but one that he recalls, many summers ago, when he lifted his wand against a mother protecting her child.

Snape had turned himself over now, looking at the Dark Lord and deciding that if he were to die in the next few minutes, he might as well drop the facade.

"Your indifference is your downfall, my lord," he muttered, wiping the blood from his lips. "If you weren't blind to human emotions, you would not have attacked the boy..."

Voldemort's laugh was mirthless and ferocious, "I have seen what love does, it makes you weak!" He had summoned Nagini and the great snake was now winding down the Great Hall, entwining with its master.

The appearance of the snake sent a murmur through the Order and everyone looked at each other, thinking how they might be able to vanquish the murderous snake. Those with a Basilisk fang in their possession shifted uneasily. There was no way they could coordinate their attack, not with Death Eaters in their midsts.

Both Order members and Death Eaters alike stood transfixed as the snake slithered towards the professor who had got to his feet. His expression was just as unreadable and unlovable, but Voldemort's recoil at his memories changed how the faculty viewed him. Snape? Love?

"Love..." he said, "... is what defeated you, and it will again."

Nagini had slithered to a stop in front of the professor who looked it full in the face, without cringing back or showing the least bit of fear.

"Kill," Lord Voldemort hissed.

As Nagini reared to strike, something odd happened. The great snake seemed caught in mid-air before a red-headed boy exploded out of thin air, Harry's invisibility cloak sliding down his shoulders.

"Gladly!" Ron roared, pulling the Basilisk fang out from under the snake and stabbed it for good measure through the top of its head.

The silence that filled the courtyard was deafening and Harry broke that spell by leaping off the platform, facing Voldemort with triumph in each line of his body.

"Snape was right, Tom, love always wins." He said, whipping out the wand he had concealed on his person and before Lord Voldemort or his Death Eaters could react, he used the one spell that he had been ridiculed for.

"Expelliarmus!" The Dark Lord's wand flew into Harry's outstretched hand which he pointed at him.

"Die!" Delphini shouted from across the courtyard, surprising those within. In the chaos that ensued, nobody had noticed their arrival. Using wingardium leviosa, she whipped the fang out of Ron's hand and sent it flying right into Voldemort's chest.

Eye widened in surprise, Voldemort whirled on his daughter, "Y-you–"

"Yes, it's me, your daughter, your flesh and blood. I, Delphini!" She said, savouring every moment of her father's disbelief as he crumpled on the floor.

One by one, his Death Eater vanished in a puff of smoke. Without the wards, there wasn't anything to stop them from disapparating. Draco took the opportunity to lay Hermione tenderly on the catafalque that Harry had vacated, drawing questions and exclamations as they realised who it was.

Harry's hand was on her hair in an instant and he looked her up and down. "Oh, no... Hermione..."

The small smile she still wore gave him some small comfort that she did not die a horrible or terrifying death.

"Draco," He couldn't look at him, so he kept her eyes on Hermione's unmoving face, he knew he wouldn't be able to face him with the question he was about to ask, "did you two succeed?"

The bite that he expected to hear in Draco's voice did not come. All he got was a curt, "Yes."

"No! Hermione!" Ron raced towards her, along with Professor McGonagall, Madam Pomfrey and even Professor Snape. Ignoring the commotion, Draco grabbed Ron by the front of his shirt, demanding for the Time Turner.

Ron passed it to him without a moment's hesitation, desperate to turn back to Hermione. To make sure that she's alright.

Draco looked at the Time Turner in his hand and turned it over, slowly. Looking at the small magical device that held the power to destroy and restore... He closed his eyes and thought about all the time he could have had with Hermione and how they had squandered it all. The tears came unbidden down his cheeks and he looked at Hermione one last time, meaning to memorise every strand of hair, the shape of her fingers, the curve of her lips...

"Dephini!" He shouted, throwing the Time Turner high into the sky and using his wand to guide it towards her.

"What are you doing, Draco!" Harry yelled, watching the golden necklace soar through the air and trying to make a grab for it.

"I'm putting things back to the way they were." Draco said solemnly, devoid of emotion. He couldn't allow himself even the smallest smidge of feeling, because he was afraid that the torrent of anguish and grief would batter him into a catatonic state if he were to feel anything at all.

"But we've won." Harry uttered, his voice soft with disbelief. He couldn't reconcile the fact that Draco was willing to undo all that they had done when they had finally reached the end of the line.

"Not if winning costs her life!" The words ripped out of Draco and all the emotion he refrained from feeling poured into his rage.

"People die..." Harry said with averted eyes. They would grieve later and rebuild from the ashes. It was over, Voldemort was defeated. They've won the right to this timeline.

"She wasn't meant to die!" Draco screamed. Couldn't Harry understand? Her best friend? How could he just accept it so easily? Accept it without so much as a fight?

Delphini's fingers closed around the Time Turner and Voldemort wheezed his final breath into a weak ironic laugh, "... love."