Revealing The Plan

Harry/Draco

When Harry saw Hermione and Draco return to the mansion, an hour and a half later, he was relieved to see that they were all right, but perhaps for that reason, he had not seen what Ron saw and before either of them could say anything, Ron moved to look at Hermione before suddenly hitting Draco in the stomach. His action caused Draco to fall on his hands and knees, panting for the air he lost when Ron hit him. Harry however, moved to grab his angry friend, in case he tried to hit him again, while Hermione knelt beside Draco, to make sure he was alright.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Hermione asked, staring at the red-haired young man with a deadly look that would have frozen Ron, if he wasn't so busy trying to get away from Harry's hold and she was quite tempted to use Avis charm (the spell of birds) upon him once again.

"You are covered in blood and you ask me, what's wrong with me?" Ron asked as he pushed Harry away from him.

"Huh? Blood? What the hell are you talking about? " She asked, while she rubbed Draco's back, because he still had trouble breathing.

"Just look at yourself!" And she did, and gasped in horror as she realized that Ron was quite right to say she was covered in blood. Apparently, while they were kissing, Draco had unintentionally stained her clothes with his blood, which only reminded her that Draco's wound, was still open and bleeding a little.

"Hermione, are you okay? Did he do something to you?" Harry finally asked, when he gave her a better look. Although her jacket was dark brown, he could see the stains now and it certainly looked like blood. He had trusted Malfoy before, but if he dared to do anything to her...

"Of course I'm fine and why would Draco do anything to hurt me now, when he had many opportunities to do so before? This blood is not mine, it's his... and that idiot punched him without asking! Draco risked his life to find a solution to end the war and that's how you treat him?! He's not fully recovered yet, for heaven's sake and now you have inflicted him more pain!" She shouted, utterly angry with Ron, who suddenly recoiled when he realized his mistake and saw that some other house elves had appeared, out of nowhere looking at him, as if they wanted to kill him, for daring to harm their master. Ron raised his hands a little, in sign of surrender, but apparently that was not enough for the elves, who came closer to him instead of moving away.

"It's okay, Hermione and also, you guys as well..." He said, looking at the angry house elves. "I suppose this was bound to happen anyway at some point, and we don't have time to fight between us now, of all times... actually, we have no time to lose." Said Draco, rising again with Hermione's help. Ginny, Luna, Neville and the rest of the Weasleys who were not with Harry and Ron, when they came back and saw Ron hit Draco, rushed to his side to find out what had happened.

"Hey, what was that? Why did you hit him?" Ginny asked first and narrowed her eyes when she saw the blood, but when she realized that it came from Draco's hand, who was holding Hermione for support, she sighed and gave her brother an unpleasant look. "Ron... Kragkor told us that a blood seal protected the room and that Hermione needed to be in contact with her blood to enter... Did you hit him because you thought the blood was from Hermione? Geez, go and apologize to Draco right now!" Harry flinched for a second with her intensity and felt guilty, the same as Ron, since he had forgotten that part as much as Ron did.

"Oh... yeah... hum... about what I did... hum... s... so... sorry about that... my bad." He said in a whisper, while suddenly founding the ground too interesting to look at Malfoy in the eyes, which only enraged Hermione more, but Draco persuaded her to give up the idea of cursing him with some spell, when he whispered to her that she should let her anger go, because they had to continue working together.

"So, Malfoy, did you manage to find the lost Horcrux?" Luna asked, changing the subject before Hermione could really hex Ron, since she was sure it was very close to happening.

"Yes, and its location was so obvious that it makes me want to slap myself... however, there is still something I have to do before going hunting Horcruxes." He said releasing Hermione and taking out his wand in a rapid movement, to point it towards the twins.

"Fred Weasley, as the absolute master of this house, I forbid you to leave this mansion by any means possible, until I say otherwise." He said and suddenly, Fred felt a few strings or more like chains, completely invisible to his eyes, but heavy to his senses, curling around his body, making him stiff for a few seconds before relaxing back to normal again.

"What the hell did you do to me, Malfoy?!" Fred yelled angrily, but before he could step forward to approach Draco, to demand an explanation, Luna laughed with humor, seemingly very amused.

"That was brilliant, Draco... I even heard some chains..." She manages to said between laughs, while Bill looked at Draco, a little impressed with the boy's mastery in advanced magic.

"Just what did he do to Fred?" George asked as he pushed his brother to see if he could still move or if he was stuck to the place. Fred, of course, moved forward by the impulse of the push, without feeling different from before.

"He did what he said, you idiot. He forbade Fred to leave this place. It is an advanced spell quite difficult to perform in a mansion so large. In a way, Draco is not directly controlling Fred, but the magic inside this place and that is quite difficult to do, since the magic itself has a certain level of self-awareness. I'm sure it requires a lot of magical power as well as complete control over the magic. Someone so young should have problems mastering such a strong spell, but he commands this place so effortlessly... you're very talented Draco Malfoy." Bill said, but Fred did not find it so impressive or amusing.

"Yeah, he is talented alright, but why in hell, am I forced to stay here? And why is it even necessary? I thought we already couldn't leave this place without his permission. So, why only me and not the rest?" A sudden silence and nervous looks among most of the surrounding people, made Fred wonder if he should know the answer, since he was sure that the others already knew what he didn't. Draco sighed before answering him.

"Firstly, personally keeping you here, is necessary in your case, since even if you are not allowed to leave without my permission, as I am sure you have already tried, you still have a well-known affinity for breaking the rules. You could end up convincing one of the elves in the house, who are allowed to leave or take people out in case of an emergency, to get you out too, with a very convincing story, that would make sense to them. Now, even they cannot get you out, since I personally had ordered the magic at work inside this house, otherwise." He started, then looking at Ginny and Ron Weasley for a second, he prepared to explain his second question.

"Now, you asked why you alone and not the rest of us... well, the answer, albeit a little disturbing, is quite simple and most of us already know what it implies. If you go to Hogwarts, no matter the reason, you will be killed. Dumbledore knew it was going to happen, so he tried to change things for good. However, whatever changes we've already put in motion to alter our future, yours will remain the same if you return to Hogwarts, just like... " He stopped, realizing he was going to say Harry.

"Just like who Draco?" Luna pressed.

"Just like Snape." Draco said instead, which was not exactly a lie, but Harry knew, at the moment Malfoy avoided looking at him, that he really meant him. It was not a surprise, as he had even seen the spirits of his dead parents last night, but it was a bit difficult to have confirmation of what he already knew, he was going to die. Unconsciously, Harry moved closer to Ginny and took her hand in his, entwining their fingers, which calmed his inner turmoil somewhat.

"Well, Fred stays... but what about the rest of us? How do we end the war?" George asked in a serious tone, Fred did not know he had.

"We need to split up into different groups for this to work. The Horcrux at Hogwarts is easy to get, now that I know where it is, which, believe it or not, is within the room of requirements..."

"What?! But we were there for months..." Neville said in disbelief.

"Yeah, but back then, none of us were looking for Horcruxes, we just needed a place to practice defense spells and hide from the Carrow's and the stupid Slytherins..." Ginny started, but stopped when she realized that she had insulted the only Slytherin present in the mansion. "I'm sorry, Draco, I..."

"No need to feel sorry, I was a stupid Slytherin, so I'm not offended and you're right. The room is transformed depending on who is in need of using it, and what that person seeks at that time. Tom Riddle wanted to hide the tiara and so the room gave him a place to do it. Actually, I was right there when I needed to hide the Vanishing Cabinet to fix it, and I spent so much time there, so worried about what could happen to me and my family if I failed, that I never noticed that a Horcrux was within my reach for months."

"However, how do we approach this new problem? I am sure the room will be guarded, just in case some of the remaining students inside the castle try to escape or hide from the Death Eaters." Luna asked.

"There is only one thing to do, distractions, we need distractions. Fortunately for us, Voldemort is not aware of the destroyed Horcruxes just yet, so we will have the advantage if we act simultaneously, but it will be difficult. We have to destroy the remaining Horcruxes at the same time, otherwise it will not work because Voldemort will know for sure what we are doing and protect the snake, himself. In the worst case, he will disappear along with the snake and all possibilities of ending this war will die there. So, if any of us don't do what we were meant to do, we all pay the consequences, losing the war. As I saw it, Harry, Hermione and I, along with Bill Weasley and other volunteers are going to break into Gringotts. We can use the attacks in the cities by the Death Eaters as our cover and disguise ourselves as them. I have the mark, and I will show it, to convince the people inside that it is a genuine attack, not a break-in to a vault. We will still have our share of problems, but no matter what happens, we have to find the Hufflepuff cup inside my aunt's vault."

"So, we just wear black cloaks and do what? We cannot exactly start killing people like it will be expected from committed Death Eaters, not the goblins who work there and the vaults are heavily protected, more so when there is trouble outside..." Bill intervened.

"There is no need to kill, we all know there are many types of Death Eaters. Some, just love to destroy things and that is exactly what we will do. When people begin to protect themselves from the slight destruction, Harry, who will cover himself with the invisible cloak, will use Imperius curse to control one of the goblins, it will be easier to access the vaults and the spells protecting it, with one of them undoing them for us. Things may go wrong, but we still have to do this. Once Harry have control over a goblin, Hermione and I will join him and descend to the vaults. You just need to keep the goblins busy long enough, for us to descend to the vault. Just a few minutes should do, the rest we can handle on our own." Bill wasn't so sure of the risky plan, but he had to admit they didn't have much choice and his plan, while far from perfect, was at least… possible.

"What about Hogwarts? There's a lot of real Death Eaters there..." Ron asked.

"Hogwarts will have three different groups working at the same time. The first, will find the Horcrux in the room of requirement. I saw you, Ron, Luna and some other students looking for the tiara. It will be a bit difficult to find, as there are a lot of things inside, but somehow you will manage to find the tiara, just don't destroy it yet. Once you find it, leave the room with it and regroup with those who will take care of the snake."

"Which are...?" Luna asked.

"The second group will be formed by Neville and Ginny, and they will have the task of... killing the snake with the Gryffindor sword." Harry looked daggers at Draco, when saying that.

"What?! Just the two of them? Are you crazy Malfoy?! That snake is always by his side, how will they get closer to it, without being killed?" Harry protested as his heart raced like hell, knowing that his girlfriend was going to be closer to Voldemort than any of them.

"Hermione, she still has enough Polyjuice potion for two and the magic of the elves can make it last longer than usual. Dobby will bring here a hair of the Carrow's, one of each, that will help them move among the Death Eaters without being caught. Voldemort is a powerful wizard, but he is not almighty, it will work."

"No! I'm going to Hogwarts and Ginny can take my place in Gringotts." He demanded, but Ginny squeezed his hand, already entwined with hers, to calm him a little.

"Harry, is sweet that you want me safe, it really is... but I can do this. I am committed to this cause as much as you are. I want to do this."

"No. I refuse."

"Harry, please. Just trust me... I'm not afraid of him..."

"He almost killed you last time!"

"No, he wanted Draco to kill me, but he didn't, he saved me instead. Besides, I will not be alone, Neville will be with me too, and he's one of the bravest guys I know." Hearing that, Neville could not help but feel proud of himself and grateful for her words, they meant a lot to him.

"I'll protect her with my life, Harry, you know that." Neville said, approaching. He could not deny that he was afraid, then again, he had lost so much because of Voldemort, that it would be his pleasure to be part of his fall, an important one.

"Come on Harry... we can do this... please." Ginny said, giving him a light kiss on the lips, which didn't convince him, but he enjoyed feeling her soft warm lips, over his.

"Come on man, she's more than cable to do it, we all know how fierce she can be..." Seamus said, approaching, as he had heard them talk, almost from the beginning. "Also, I want in too..."

"Me too..." Said Cho Chang and a few other DA members and Harry sighed. The fools...

"Hey, what about me? What part will I play in this?" George asked with a wicked smile. He wanted a juicy part, since Fred was out of action for his own good.

"That will be the third group, the ones who will keep the Death Eaters busy while the others find the Horcrux. You'll do what you do best... cause as much chaos inside the castle as you want. If I remember correctly, you and your brother did wonderfully before leaving school... Umbridge just loved it, it was written all over her face..." Draco said humorously, remembering how angry the woman was with the twins, which made both twins laugh like never before.

"I like this new Malfoy... even after he chained me here." Fred said to his brother between laughs, who nodded in agreement. Although Draco was pleased with the approval, he felt rather strange. He never had that kind of friendship with Crabbe or Goyle, not a one so free, honest and real anyways, so Draco felt lost for a moment, which made Hermione smiles in return.

"About the timing for the destruction of the Horcruxes, we will use the coins. When each group finds one, write it on the coin, for the rest to know and when we have the Gringotts and Hogwarts ready for their destruction, then you prepare to kill the snake. As I saw it, when that time comes, we'll all be at Hogwarts and ready to face Voldemort."

"I will give more details before we leave, but now we have to find some more students who are willing to go with us. Volunteers need to know how to defend themselves and how to cast a Patronus and, above all, they need to understand that it will be a very dangerous task. The elves, of course, will help them distract the Death Eaters, but it is not a guarantee of safety by all means. Make sure they accept, knowing fully that they will risk their lives as much as the rest of us. "

"Well, most of the DA members are willing to help no matter the risk. Most of us were already risking our lives going against the Carrow's, so finding more people shouldn't be that hard. I'll go gather some more…" Seamus said, moving away to find more DA members, Cho Chan followed him, to aid him with the recruitment.

"About you-know-who…" Ron begins.

"We will not face him alone, members of the Order will be there too. Your parents and bothers are currently at Hogsmaede, so they will be there to help you as well. Kragkor..."

"Yes, Master?" The elf asked, although he already knew what he needed to do.

"Go meet with Dobby and bring us the Carrow's hairs and make sure they are out of action for a while."

"Of course, Master." He said and was gone right after.

"Hermione..." He looked at her.

"Yes, Draco?" She asked back and he unconsciously looked down at his hand, because with all honestly, it still hurt like hell.

"Can you heal this wound for me?" Draco asked showing her the open wound.

"Oh, I'm sorry... I'll heal you now, just a second..." He said while she reached for the bottle of Dittany in her magically enchanted bag. As she did so, Harry and the others scattered to find more people willing to help them, leaving them on their own.

"Hermione..." He whispered, as she begins heal his wound.

"Mmm?"

"You really need to change clothes. I hate to say it, because I was the one who stained your clothes, but... it's... a little..."

"Gross? Disturbing? I know... I'm going to change after this." She assured him, while pleased that this time, the potion was working on him, as it should.

"That's good..."

"Draco, what did you saw while you were inside the living stone? Can you tell me?" She asked with curiosity.

"I saw our future, yours and mine, united." He said while smiling at her.

"And...? Come on Draco, I need more than that... I want details..."

"Of course you need more, but I will tell you everything after we win this war..."

"That's not fair..."

"But I assure you it will be worth it... very worth it..." He said as he gave her a light kiss on the lips, causing some of the nearby students to murmur about their unexpected relationship. Someone dared to say that the relationship between them was one made in hell, but he didn't mind, since he already knew otherwise. It was a relationship made in heaven, or at least that was what it seemed to him when he glanced a little at his future.

"Go change and prepare the potion, Kragkor and Dobby will be here soon." Draco told her, and she did as she was told. Draco then took the opportunity to call Harry and Neville aside, since Ginny Weasley was also busy looking for volunteers. He told them to follow him to a nearby room, where they would be alone.

"What is it Malfoy?" Neville asked a bit nervous, but Harry knew what Draco was going to tell them.

"Voldemort is waiting for Harry and me inside the Slytherin chamber, the password is more than obvious, just say his name. When we find the Horcrux in Gringotts we will go directly to Hogwarts, where Harry will face Voldemort, alone." Yes, I was definitely right, thought Harry.

"He is going to kill me, right?" Harry asked bluntly, which surprised Neville, because his face showed horror, but Draco was far too calm.

"Yes, I'm afraid so."

"What?! Hey, we can't let that happen!" Neville shouted.

"Longbotton, I called you here too, so you will understand one thing. Harry has to be killed by Voldemort himself, for a good reason. Apparently, when Voldemort tried to kill you when you were a baby and failed, because of your mother sacrifice, he unknowingly turned you into a Horcrux as well." Harry's eyes widened, as he honestly didn't expect that one.

"What?!" Neville shouted again, taken aback by the new information.

"So, for Voldemort to be human again, you must let him kill you... However, I believe that when Voldemort uses the killing curse upon you, he will only kill the Horcrux part within you, the part that had bound you to him for years. You know what I mean, right?" And he knew the meaning. Actually, that will explain a lot of things, like the reason he was able to talk in Parseltongue and the inner visions he has of Voldemort doing something.

"Yes, I know what you mean."

"Then you also must know, that his curse will not truly kill you, only the part of him that he left in you by accident. Still, Voldemort will ask Longbotton, disguised as Amycus Carrow, to see if you're dead. Longbotton will know you are still alive, but he will give him confirmation and when Voldemort asks him to carry you to the great hall, he will agree and do as he say. Most of will be inside the great hall by then and seen your lifeless body will have a great impact among us and he will rejoice in the desperation he will see. Is then, Longbotton when he will be most vulnerable and the moment when you need to kill the snake. Only then Neville, remember that and the rest will be history…"

"But what about Ginny? She will be devastated when…"

"Ginny Weasley will play her part very convincingly in front of Voldemort, he will not suspect her and therefore he will not suspect you either Neville, that's her task... However, when we return to Hogwarts, she will be taken back to the mansion, I will make sure of that, so the plan will run smoothly. She will not be there to watch Harry be killed by Voldemort." Harry sighed in relief.

"Thank you, Draco… I would not want her to see it."

"There is still a chance we all fail Harry, but if we do this right, you both will have your happy ending."

"Then. Let's do our best to make it happen." Harry said extending his hand, which Draco took, to seal their commitment.

"One more thing Harry… let's had a friendly duel again, you need to be the true master of the Elder Wand, come and disarm me… if you can, that is…" Draco said, quickly pulling out his wand. Harry smiled at his challenge and also pulled out his, which had been provided by Draco, as his, had broken in Mr. Lovegood's disastrous rescue.

"That will be a piece of cake, Draco… piece... of… cake…" Draco laughed.

"We'll see, Harry... we'll... see..." Harry laughed too.

"Seriously, these two are getting along well... Geez…" Neville whispered humorously, as they even counted numbers as they walked in opposite directions before confronting each other. They seem to be having fun. Neville thought, just before the duel began and end in seconds, the winner was obvious, but the loser didn't care, it was necessary for him to lose it anyways.

Fifteen minutes later, they were ready to leave, Draco had glanced at the volunteers, discarding those he knew were more likely to die and after making sure the coins were working properly and everyone knew what they had to do in more detail, they were ready to face their destinies. Draco took Hermione's hands and a second later, they all appeared in a solitary alley, near Gringotts, where they would soon begin their part.

"This is it, are you ready?" Draco asked as he put on his black hood and mask in place.

"Yes..." They all said at the same time, since there was no turning back.

AN: Thanks for reading.