They Won and We Lost

"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 battle is won," Voldemort's voice thundered all around the castle like it did an hour ago but this time Draco was sure he heard it wrong. There was no way Harry was dead but before he could question it, Voldemort continued, "There will be no more war. Anyone who continues to resist, man, woman, or child, will be slaughtered, as will every member of their family. Come out of the castle now, kneel before me, and you shall be spared. Your parents and children, your brothers and sisters will live and be forgiven, and you will join me in the new world we shall build together."

A tense stunned silence followed Voldemort's declaration. Draco looked around the Great Hall and saw almost everyone looking as shocked and bewildered as he felt, and some people displayed looks of terror like his parents. Before anyone else could react, Sirius Black ran out of the Hall with Aurelia following behind. Ginny exchanged panic looks with Luna, Colin, Ron, and Hermione, before meeting Draco's eyes. Professor McGonagall walked out with an urgency in her steps and everyone else quickly followed.

"Draco, where are you going?" Lucius grabbed Draco's arm as he tried to follow the crowd. "We need to get out of here. If Potter is dead then you know we will be next and I –"

"Father," Draco pulled back his hand. His mind reeling from what Voldemort said but he knew Ginny and his family would never step back even if Harry was dead. "If Potter is dead then so will be the rest of us. There is no hiding, you know it and I would rather see this through today than live a remorseful, helpless life."

Leaving his parents more shocked, Draco walked quickly to catch up to Ginny.

The sun was slowly peeking through the horizon, bathing everything and everyone in Hogwarts – or whatever was left of it – in a creamy orange and pink light but the atmosphere was far from warmer. The almost peaceful surroundings were broken by screams of people Draco never expected. Screams that confirmed this nightmare.

"HARRY! HARRY!" Sirius yelled.

"NO!" Screamed Professor McGonagall. 

Sirius Black was the first, who saw Harry in Hagrid's arms, who was standing behind Voldemort, bound in chains. Sirius yelled and called his grandson again before rushing towards him, only to be thrown back with a wave of Voldemort's wand.

"No!"

"No!"

Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger screamed as they realized it was indeed Harry Potter's lifeless body that Hagrid was holding.

Draco reached Ginny and she screamed next. He held her hand, she was too shocked to do anything else other than stare at Voldemort and Hagrid blankly.

"Harry! HARRY!"

More screams and shouts.

"SILENCE!" cried Voldemort, and there was a bang and a flash of bright light, Draco quickly gripped his wand but Voldemort cast a silencing charm upon them all before they could react. "It is over! Set him down, Hagrid, at my feet, where he belongs!"

Draco's heart was beating out of his chest as he saw Hagrid being compelled to put Harry down at Voldemort's feet. It felt like an ending. All of Draco's hopes and assurance to himself that all of this fight would be worth it felt like a dream now. He looked upon the rows of Death Eaters and Maligno's minions. There were still so many of them while Hogwarts had lost so many of its defenders. Draco couldn't help but compare the armies on both sides and realized that if the fight began again and they had no support from vampires, there was no way they would win. They have truly lost, which meant Voldemort would kill his family next and all the people who went against him. Like the Weasley family. Draco looked over at Ginny, fear gripping his heart even at the thought of seeing her hurt or dead along with his family.

"Don't you dare touch my Grandson!" Sirius shouted as he attacked Voldemort again but it was clear that he was exhausted and Voldemort stopped him without much difficulty. But Sirius kept on, "HARRY! Get up! HARRY!"

"Sirius Black," Voldemort spoke with annoyance as he threw Sirius off again and Aurelia came to help Sirius but Bellatrix quickly intervened. Voldemort barely glanced at Aurelia before ordering, "She is also a pure-blood witch, Bellatrix. Do not kill her."

"But my Lord," Bellatrix began but as soon as she saw Voldemort's eyes, she used a spell and knocked Aurelia over.

Aurelia fell down unconscious as a few wizards rushed to her, while Sirius looked furious.

"Auri! How dare –!" Sirius couldn't finish before Voldemort's spell morphed into a smokey white transparent snake and wrapped around Sirius, tying his legs and arms, and dragging him down to his knees.

"Black family was the noblest of wizarding families once, but look at it now," Voldemort said with disdain in his voice. "The blood got ruined with the last of its line. Though you are far better than that weak brother of yours, Sirius Black and that's why –"

"Keep my brother's name out of your filthy mouth!" Sirius's eyes were bloodshot, his vein popped as he spoke. "He was a far – far better man than you are! He was one of the people who knew your secret and set the path to ruin you! Regulus knew – mmmffff . . ." 

For a split second Voldemort looked surprised at Sirius's words but it was gone within a second, and the next moment, he waved his wand and the smokey snake binding twisted around Sirius's mouth muffling his words.

"Enough! I will not tolerate this anymore! You will all listen to me," said Voldemort as he stepped on Harry's unmoving body. "Harry Potter is dead! Do you understand now, deluded ones? He was nothing, ever, but a boy who relied on others to sacrifice themselves for him!"

"He beat you!" yelled Ron as some of them already undid the silencing charm.

"He was killed while trying to sneak out of the castle grounds," said Voldemort silencing them again. "killed while trying to save himself - "

"Liar!" Ginny yelled breaking off the charm and cutting Voldemort off. "Harry would never do that! You are a liar, Tom Riddle. You always were!"

There were loud audible gasps that rose from the Death Eaters' side, hearing Ginny's outburst and her openly calling Voldemort by his mortal name.

"You dare!" Voldemort's snake eyes flared as he raised his wand and Draco knew what was going to happen even before it did. "Crucio!"

Draco whirled and hugged Ginny, shielding her body with his own as the Cruciatus curse hit him on his back. Draco knew how painful the Cruciatus curse could be, but it was the first time he felt it, and realized how knowing about it and receiving that curse were two very different things. His bones felt like they were on fire and something was eating away his skin and flesh very slowly. He couldn't breathe. It was a painful experience beyond any imagination, he couldn't take it much longer and dropped to his knees. He thought he heard two people yell his name, one of them was Ginny. She held Draco and kneeled on the ground with him.

"Draco! Draco, are you ok? Draco?" Ginny whispered panicked and fear-striken.

"Draco!" Narcissa Malfoy rushed to her son's side looking absolutely terrified. "My boy, are you -- you are not -- oh my god!"

The agonizing pain was gone but the after-effect left Draco disoriented. Yet, he forced his eyes to open, and dark edges appeared around his vision of Ginny and his mother hovering over him concerned. 

"Draco, darling, are you ok?" Narcissa whispered almost close to tears.

But before Draco could answer, Voldemort spoke again with a mocking tone.

"Is that Draco Malfoy? The pride of the Malfoy family? Well, I thought after Lucius's betrayal that all of you would be cowards but Lucius, your son is braver than you . . . far braver. Pity, he chose the wrong side. Still, I wouldn't like to spill such a pure family's blood, if . . . you and your entire family beg for forgiveness on your knees, Lucius."

Draco stood up and looked up at his father while the Death Eaters and Maligno's people laughed out loud. Draco's father looked at Draco and Narcissa with fear and humiliation in his eyes, and Draco immediately knew his father was considering it. Draco felt sick, he was not going to beg for mercy after what those people had put his mother and father through. However, before he could say anything, someone else spoke.

"You haven't won yet," said Neville stepping forward. "Chris will –"

"Are you still waiting for your savior girl, my boy?" Malgino's cold voice swept through the crowd and everyone fell silent at once, without any charms or use of magic. Draco felt compelled to stay quiet and he finally understood why Ginny always said Maligno was far more dangerous than Voldemort. He and his powers were so ancient that he didn't need to lift a wand or utter a spell to do magic, his normal speaking voice was powerful enough. And Maligno was aware of it. Standing at the edge of Hogwarts' boundaries, he spoke again with a sick and twisted smirk, "But where is she? Where is Christina Norton? The girl who was supposed to save you?"

Ginny wildly looked around for Chris and so did everyone but Draco already guessed that Chris wasn't among them. Because if she was there, Sirius wouldn't be the only one rushing to fight Voldemort. After seeing the way, Chris threatened Pansy for suggesting that they hand over Harry to Voldemort, Draco was sure she would have gone completely insane if she had seen Harry dead and Voldemort stepping over Harry's dead body.

"Oh, this is just gold," Maligno started laughing. "She fled! She ran away!"

"NO, she didn't. . . She would never –" Ginny shouted.

"Then where is she? And would you like to know something interesting? She knew what was going to happen, I told her about your fate . . . all of yours and this school's fate . . . about what was going to happen to all of you next. How every last of you is going to die if you do not agree to obey us . . . and what did she do after knowing that? She fled leaving all of you here to die."

"You are lying, Maligno," said Colin, who was still leaning on Luna for support as he was still very weak after his injuries. "We know her. We know she would never leave us to die."

"My friend the Dark Lord is merciful, but I will not tolerate any disrespect from a Mudblood like you," Maligno said coldly and then waved his finger which made Colin lurch forward, Luna screamed trying to help Colin but before either of them could reach for their wands, Maligno glanced at Voldemort, "Would you like to do the honors or should I, my friend? It is time they see what will happen if they disobey us."

"Yes," Voldemort smiled which made Draco's skin crawl. "It's that Mudblood girl's friend, so I will let you consume him. Go ahead, demonstrate what happens when they think they can continue to oppose us."

"NO!" Luna, who was helping Colin off the ground, screamed and shielded Colin with her whole body as she heard Voldemort's words.

Ginny was by their side the next second holding up her wand, ready to fight. Ron, Hermione, and Neville along with a few Gryffindors and Professor McGonagall stepped forward too but Maligno just smiled.

"You all are too naive if you think shielding him from me would stop me," Maligno raised his hand and drew a pattern in the air. "Each and every one of your lives is in the palm of my hand, you fools. Up until now, I was holding back but now you all will know the definition, the epitome of magic and sorcery . . . of true power."

Maligno's yellow eyes glowed as he finished drawing the pattern in the air and Draco realized none of them could move anymore. Colin, Luna, and Ginny exchanged terrified looks as Maligno pointed his finger at Colin and their surroundings started to swirl —

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Maligno."

[To be continued]