Unofficial Portkey Archive

(A/N: I need to thank you all, for following the story until now, especially Misadies1, who is a new reader and who has read the whole 30 chapters in one day!!! Ok, since there are 35 chapters in total, there are 4 more chapters until the end, and I'm sure you'll enjoy reading them! Are you worried for Mark Evans or are you maybe upset with him? Let's see what happens next, then!)

Chapter 31. HOLDING THE LAST BREATH

...
United
Indivisible
Near
But unreachable...
...
"Loving each other just a bit" by Lucio Battisti

Harry, Ron, and Hermione slowly entered a dark alley. Ron was limping and Harry was dragging himself along heavily, supporting himself on his best friends' shoulders. They reached an intersection and after a second of hesitation, they chose to go left. At the end of that alley, there was another intersection.

"Damn it! This place is a labyrinth!" Ron was starting to lose his temper. He was extremely tired and his arms and chest were in pain.

"Wait! I've got an idea!" Hermione put her wand in the palm of her hand and said, "Point me!"

The wand started spinning and then stopped, pointing to the left.

"It always marks north, and Diagon Alley should be to the east. Let's go this way!" said Hermione, determined.

The three friends turned to the right; at the end of the alley, they found themselves in a small, deserted square, with three other dark alleys converging into it. They stood there in silence, looking around worriedly. Then Hermione spoke first. "We shouldn't stay here too long, we aren't safe yet. There could be..."

"Hey, wait a minute!" Ron cut her off abruptly, "Did you hear that? There's someone else here, not just us!"

Harry and Hermione listened carefully, but they heard no sound. Everything was incredibly quiet. Maybe too quiet.

Hermione pulled her cloak around her tighter, freezing, feeling an unusual sensation of sadness as her most painful memories started coming into to her mind.

Harry felt the same sensation. Knowing all too well what was about to happen, he raised his head and spoke in a trembling voice. "Dementors! They're coming!"

"Please, not the dementors!" Ron huddled even closer to the other two as his most horrible fears started crowding his mind.

From the quiet obscurity of the alley in front of them, a group of tall hooded figures silently emerged, inexorably gliding toward them.

Harry felt a chill go down his spine. In his condition, it would be impossible to conjure a Patronus strong enough to get rid of so many dementors. It was the end, unless someone came and rescued them. But who? Suddenly, Harry turned to Hermione. She was still staring at the dementors in shock as she held him up with her arms.

"I can't face them, but you can!" Harry whispered in her ear.

"I-I can't! I've never done it before!" she protested, frowning at him.

"You must do it! You're our last hope!" Harry insisted.

"If there's anyone who can do it other than Harry, it's you!" Ron exhorted her.

Hermione nodded uncertainly. Harry removed his arm from her shoulder and leaned on Ron. Hermione then slowly moved forward, holding her wand tightly in her hand, and pointed it at the dementors, which were now only a few meters away from them. She closed her eyes in concentration and breathed deeply.

"I know you can do it! Find a happy memory!" Harry told her, nervously.

Hermione gathered all her courage and forced herself to think of something happy, even though she was feeling in her heart the evil influence of those dark creatures. When she was ready, she opened her eyes.

"Expecto Patronum!"

From her wand sprang a thin puff of silvery smoke, which had absolutely no impact, as the dementors were still moving forward, unaffected. They were only a few steps away from them, close enough to see their rotten hands sticking out of their black cloaks and to smell the air of death emanating from their mouths.

Hermione felt overwhelmed by panic.

"Do it again! You're too nervous, try to calm down!" Harry was still encouraging her; Ron was completely paralyzed by fear.

Hermione's hands and forehead were now covered in sweat. The more the dementors came forward, the more she stepped backwards.

Harry's mind was crowded with images of Sirius falling through the Veil of Death. He shook his head vigorously, forcing himself to come back to his senses. Suddenly, he felt something dragging him down. Ron had just collapsed to the ground, unconscious, pulling Harry down with him.

"Ron! Talk to me, Ron!" Harry shook his shoulders frantically, but it seemed useless. He then raised his head and his eyes widened in horror.

One dementor was bending toward Hermione as she stared at it, terrified. With the last of his strength, Harry stood up and grabbed her by her arms, dragging her to the ground.

"Don't you dare hurt her, you BASTARD!"

Harry's desperate shouting brought Hermione back to her senses. Realizing the seriousness of their situation, she stood up again and pointed her wand at the dementors. She held in her mind her happiest memory and pronounced the incantation with a stronger determination.

"Expecto Patronum!"

Finally, a shining surge of silver light erupted powerfully from her wand, taking the form of a small otter. The Patronus jumped toward the evil creatures which, unable to endure its powerful aura, were swept away like paper dolls. Hermione stared at the silvery otter with affection as it trotted happily toward her before disappearing with a slight pop!

The atmosphere of the square became quiet and silent, as it was before the dementors' attack.

Hermione was deeply proud of herself; she had managed to save her friends. She ran toward them, her heart beating faster from emotion.

"I knew it! I knew it!" Harry told her, smiling, and she looked at him thankfully.

"How's Ron?" Both bent to their friend, who was still lying on the ground, unconscious.

"We have to get him away from here, before someone else shows up! Come on, help me pull him up!"

"Are you sure you can make it?" Hermione stared at him worriedly and Harry nodded. He was still extremely weak, but at the moment, his condition was better than Ron's.

Harry had just put Ron's arm over his shoulder when he felt his scar throbbing painfully and raised a hand to his forehead.

"Aaaaaaah!"

"What's happening?" asked Hermione, alarmed, "It's your scar, isn't it?"

Harry nodded, still holding his forehead with his hand. The pain had become so unbearable that he felt as if his head was going to explode at any moment.

"Let's get outta here!" Harry shouted, lifting Ron.

"I see that you're in a hurry!"

Harry and Hermione jumped in surprise at hearing that voice and turned abruptly to the alley on their right. From out of the darkness, a tall hooded man walked toward them. They recognized Lucius Malfoy's voice.

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw more Death Eaters slowly emerging from the other alleys, surrounding them and blocking any possible escape.

It was all too much. Harry felt his heart crushed by despair and guilt, but his sense of responsibility for his friends was stronger than his fears.

They've come for me, and it's only me they're going to fight! he thought, determined. Then he turned to Hermione and stared at her directly in her eyes.

"Listen carefully!" he whispered with a trembling voice. "Don't follow me, no matter what! Swear to me that you'll stay here and take care of Ron."

"B-but I..."

"Please, I need to know that you'll stay here!"

Hermione had never seen Harry so determined; he almost scared her. She had no choice other than to agree; after a few seconds of hesitation, she nodded, looking at him with tears in her eyes. She then took Harry's wand out of her pocket and gave it back to him.

Harry kept staring at his beloved, trying to let her understand his true feelings: how deeply he loved her and how overwhelmingly concerned he was about her well-being. He took Ron's arm off his shoulder, lowered it gently, and then slowly stood up and moved a few steps forwards, stopping right in front his adversaries.

"Very well, we understand each other perfectly, young Potter." Malfoy laughed with satisfaction; Harry glared at him hatefully.

"The Dark Lord has been very impressed with your new powers and has a proposal for you." Malfoy stopped for a moment to watch Harry's reaction, but Harry didn't move a muscle.

"Having a wizard like you on his side would be extremely useful. If you choose to join us, you could become even more powerful... you could have the entire world at your feet." Malfoy pronounced each word with great delight. Seeing, however, that he wasn't arousing the slightest interest in Harry, he changed tactics.

"If you choose to stand on the Dark Lord's side, your friends' lives will be spared, nobody excluded." Malfoy finished the sentence nodding his head in Hermione's direction; Harry shuddered all over.

"I don't care about your offer, Malfoy!" Harry said recklessly, but Malfoy didn't seem bothered.

"Well, in that case, we won't show any mercy to your friends. We'll crush them all like insects. And for you, the Dark Lord will reserve the slowest and most painful death!"

"Better dead than allied with Voldemort!" Harry shouted in anger. How dare you even think I would join Voldemort!

"Are you sure about your choice, Potter? Before we finish our conversation, I'd like to show you something." Malfoy made a sign with his hand and one of the Death Eaters on his right nodded. He disappeared and then came back a few seconds later, dragging an unconscious man and throwing him to the ground.

Harry's eyes widened in surprise. Mark Evans was lying in front of him, his hands and feet bound by magical ropes. He showed clear signs of being in a fight: his face was bleeding and his robe was tattered.

"Tell me now, who's stronger in this war? I'll give you a tip, Potter. If you want to save yourself, you should understand with whom it's best to take sides!"

Harry clenched his fists angrily and tried to think quickly.

"By the way, there is another interesting thing I wanted you to see before you made your decision." Malfoy turned to other two Death Eaters on his left. "Bring them here!"

Wasting no time, the two Death Eaters left and after a few minutes came back, each holding a young wizard by his arms.

"Fred! George!"

Harry was speechless; the Weasley twins were standing there, tied up, struggling to free themselves from the grips of their captors.

"Take your dirty hands off us!" Fred shouted.

"Harry, Hermione! Ron?" George had just noticed their presence.

The twins' faces paled as they realized the seriousness of the situation.

"We found those two snoops strolling about Knockturn Alley all alone, and I thought it'd be nice to let them join our little meeting!" Malfoy explained, satisfied.

"I'll take care of them, Lucius," offered Bellatrix, imagining something extremely amusing.

"Not yet. I'd like to hear Potter's decision first." Malfoy turned to Harry. "Do you want the deaths of these two young wizards on your conscience? Or, why don't you try imagining how life would be without fearing for the safety of your dearest friends? The Dark Lord always rewards his most faithful servants. If you choose to join his side, you won't have to worry about your friends anymore. They'll be safe."

"Don't listen to him, Harry! He's a liar!" Hermione shouted abruptly with tears in her eyes, "There's no negotiating with Voldemort!"

Bellatrix shot a glance full of hate toward Hermione and gripped her wand with anger, trying her best not to use it.

Hermione's right, thought Harry, but if I choose to sacrifice myself for my friends' safety, then Voldemort will finally let them live their lives in peace. It was an absurd thought, but at the moment, he wasn't able to find any other solution. His eyes stopped on Mark, lying on the ground. They then moved to Fred and George, who had been forced to their knees, still bound with their heads bent down. He stared at Ron who was still unconscious, and then finally at Hermione, the love of his life. All of his friends were suffering and the only possibility to save them was in his hands.

A foolish determination took possession of Harry, pushing him to speak. "If I come with you, do you promise that you'll let them go?"

"Nooooo! Harry don't!" shouted Hermione desperately, but Harry didn't even turn to her.

"Of course! I promise!" replied Malfoy, sneering in triumph.

Hermione stood up, deeply shocked. She couldn't believe what was happening; it seemed impossible.

"Harry, please! You don't have to do this. We'll find another way!" she whispered, a strong knot in her throat preventing her from speaking louder.

I'm doing it for you as well, Hermione. Please forgive me, Harry said to himself. He then lowered his wand and moved toward Malfoy.

"Very good! Come to me, Potter. Join the Dark Army." Malfoy's voice was sharp and satisfied, but it reached Harry's ears as if they were padded. He felt dizzy and walked as if in a trance, repeating to himself that this was the wisest decision he could have ever made: sacrifice his life to save the others.

Harry didn't care about dying; they could have killed him right there. The only thing that was important was that from now on, Hermione and everyone he loved would have nothing to fear. They would live a quieter and happier life, far from that awful war. He had just made his decision and he wouldn't turn back.

Harry was now standing a few steps away from Malfoy; they stared each other directly in the eyes. At a distance, he could still hear Hermione sobbing, while in front of him, Fred and George looked petrified.

In that moment, Hermione felt a sharp pain in her chest, as if someone were ripping out her heart. She knew it would be impossible for her to live without Harry. She needed to do something. Taken by an impulse of desperation, she ran toward him, shouting, "Harry, Nooooo!"

Harry turned to her abruptly and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Bellatrix raise her wand and point it at Hermione.

In a flash, he recalled the moment when that same evil witch had sent Sirius to his death. Without thinking twice, Harry moved exactly as Bellatrix cast the spell.

"Sanguinem Fundo!"

A jet of red light shot out from her wand, but Harry was faster and jumped in front of Hermione. The curse hit Harry in the chest, throwing him brutally against the wall behind him. The young wizard collapsed face down on the cold stone ground, where he remained motionless.

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