The Fall of Darkness

Chapter 11

The higher the level of the Ministry, the more people recognized Draco and the more glared at him. He quickly became self conscious, reaching up to grab the hood of his cloak. Hermione's hand shot out, grabbing his arm,

"Don't. Don't worry about them, Draco. They won't pull anything, they're just ignorant. Everyone knows Harry had you cleared of charges."

"Still... it's disconcerting." Draco replied, choosing to ignore them. He still held his head high, his shoulders back. He still looked the Aritrocratic part that his father had. Draco was a Malfoy, afterall. It didn't take them long to reach the Auror department, the doors swinging open in front of them in recognition of Hermione's magical signature. Not as many memos flew about here, it was a large room, filled with around fifty oak desks, each one for a different Auror. Two desks sat at the front of the room, for the Head Auror- Harry, and his second in command- Ron. Yet they weren't there. Hermione frowned, scanning the room and the other Aurors, no one had noticed them yet.

"That's odd," she mumbled, "they weren't supposed to go out in the field today..."

"Maybe something came up?" Draco asked, looking around. No one seemed to be particularly busy, no serious emergency anyway.

"Oi! Hermione, how are... you?" An Auror asked, approaching. Draco recognized him as Seamus Finnigan.

"I'm fine, Seam. You remember Draco, don't you?" Hermione replied, acknowledging that Seamus was unabashedly staring at her companion.

"Finnigan, nice to see you again." Draco said cooly, staring straight back at him. Seamus' mouth snapped shut.

"Yeah, Malfoy, I guess. Harry and Ron aren't here right now, 'Mione. There was a large fire not far from the Burrow Ron said. Magical fire, caused by Veelas. They can control fire," Seamus said, informing Draco who smirked.

"Oh? Interesting," he replied, not bothering to point out that he very well knew that.

"Are you sure it's safe?" Hermione asked, looking about worriedly, "it doesn't look like many Aurors went with them."

"Ah, you know Harry. When the reports came in, they said there was no one there now. Two Veelas had flown off. Harry was worried they might attack again so he and Ron went alone. They just went to see what they were burning and put it out. No big deal, so don't be too hard on them." Seamus said jovially.

"There was nothing anyone knew of there to set on fire?" Draco asked suspiciously. Seamus nodded,

"Yeah, nothing there but an old shack or two. Probably be a dead body in there or something," Seamus replied, looking a bit taken aback by Draco's sudden interest.

"Why would they do that? Way out in the middle of nowhere?" Hermione asked, feeling Draco's suspicion.

"To not get caught," Seamus replied as Draco said the exact opposite, "to set a trap." Hermione gasped, reaching for her wand.

"Where's the location?!" she asked, just as alarms went off- signalling an attack on Auror's in the field. Hermione didn't have to look to know Ron and Harry's faces were on the alarm clock.

"I'm not sure!" Seamus yelled over the alarm, "Harry and Ron took the reports- it'll take a bit to figure it out!" He was yelling over his shoulder, already running to the front of the room where Harry and Ron's reports would be.

"The Burrow? Where is that?!" Draco yelled over the commotion, "Can you apparate with me there?!" Hermione nodded, reaching out to grab him as they disapparated.

Draco landed lithely, much like a cat, crouched down, fingers on the ground. Talons had already sprouted, his tail was cracking in the air behind him. He reached out to grab Hermione, pulling her down in the tall reeds. They had apparated just outside the wards of the Weasley's Burrow. Draco could feel them burning behind him, reacting to where he'd had a dark mark. Ahead of him, he could see smoke billowing into the air- a large fire, though still some distance off.

"We'll have to apparate again," Hermione said, eyeing the smoke as three winged Veelas burst from it, pausing a moment in the air as a spell barely missed one and another hit it's mark, pushing a Veela back. Draco nodded curtly and they disapparated again, just far out enough to be seen. They went seperately this time, because Draco could see his mark. There was no need to side apparate and when Hermione landed, crouching instantly, she did not see him. They had chosen different marks.

Harry's voice screamed out a spell, pushing another Veela back and Hermione could see that they were both taking shelter in one of the shacks, the other one, not far off blazing with flames. Nearby another Veela lay dead, sliced to pieces. Hermione snuck around, trying to enter the shack from the back. There didn't appear to be any Veelas there and she stood from the reeds, moving quickly and bravely toward an open window.

"ALIABICIO!" was all she heard, Draco's voice ringing clear from somewhere to her right, a Veela falling, wingless and broken with a terrible wail right in front of her. She watched in horror as it's wings seemed to break and wither, shattering as it screamed and died. "GO GO GO!" Draco was yelling. She snapped to, diving through the open window and nearly getting struck by a curse thrown from Ron.

"It's me!" she cried, diving away.

"What are you doing here?!" Ron cried, pulling her to him in an embrace, "it's too dangerous!"

"Draco's here too! He just brought one down!" Hermione yelled back over the roar of the fire and the shrieking of the Veelas. They had discovered their missing member.

"Where?!" Harry yelled, trying to peek out the window they'd broken. Hermione shook her head,

"I don't know! I thought he'd follow me!" Hermione cried back, glancing around frantically. The blonde was nowhere to be seen. A blast of fire burst through the window, singing Harry's hair and robes as he dove away. Ron sprayed him with cool water while Hermione tried to put out the blaze.

"We can't hold out here forever! There are still five out there!" Harry yelled, the shack was old, dried out. It would make excellent kindling. Hermione didn't doubt it that they'd spent the most of the fight putting out fires and just keeping the Veelas at bay. This did not look good. There was another shriek.

"That was my CHOSEN HARRY POTTER! You will PAY!" a Veela shrieked, obviously mourning the death of her lover that Draco had just maimed. Another burst of flames headed toward them again, bursting the door open. All three of the Golden Trio dove away from it, spraying it with water.

Then there was a sound none of them had ever heard, a sort of wail that sounded a lot like an eagle attacking and a Harpy shrieking, all mixed into one.

"LEAVE!" Came the call, they recognized Draco's voice and they all scrambled to the open and broken door, looking out.

"We do not fear you, dear inpennatus!" one of the female Veelas, the one that had screamed at Harry called from the air, laughing.

"What can *you* do, inpennatus? You have nothing but your bravery!" Another called, also laughing.

"I SAID LEAVE, LAST CHANCE!" Draco roared, his fists clenching, a wand in one.

"You leave, leave us to the wizards!" the third one called, pulling back a bit and looking confused. He was questioning Draco's bluff.

"THEY ARE UNDER MY NAME!" Draco roared, a very low growling sound coming from his chest. Ron snorted and Hermione elbowed him.

"DRACO! GET in HERE!" Harry yelled, looking as though he was going to rush out. Ron held on to him.

"MALFOY! ARE YOU NUTTERS?!" he yelled out, holding tightly to Harry even though he wasn't struggling. Draco ignored them.