Fic: Call Me Conrad (8/16)
Title: Call Me Conrad (part 8 of 16)
Fandoms: Buffy/Hollyoaks/Harry Potter
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Harry and Draco duel
Amy couldn't believe what was going on. She had laughed when Harry had issued his challenge; duelling seemed like a stupid idea to her, all formal bowing and none of the chaos that marked the little real combat she had seen. Unfortunately nobody had agreed with her. Conrad had insisted that he couldn't turn down the challenge even though he was sure to lose, Josh had readily agreed to allow them to duel in the Grove provided they didn't damage the trees, and Mr Harris's friends Willow and Kennedy were happy to be drafted in as referees. Amy's only consolation was that all eight druids had stood with her in Conrad's corner, while Harry only had his two friends.
Conrad and Harry stood facing each other now, a fair distance between them. Harry looked annoyed at the whole business, not that Amy cared. She was focused on Conrad, how nervous he was and how she could cheer him on.
"OK," Willow said from her position halfway between the combatants. "I'm going to give you a count of three, and when I say 'Go' you start. Is that alright?" Both duellists nodded. "Good. Three... Two... One... Go!"
Harry was lightening-fast, and Amy was impressed in spite of herself. Conrad tried to defend himself, but his wand went flying out of his hand before he managed to do anything.
"Let's call that a practise round, shall we?" Harry said lazily.
Kennedy looked at him narrowly. "Very sportsmanlike of you," she said with great sarcasm. Amy had to restrain herself from cheering.
Willow shushed her girlfriend and restarted the duel. This time Conrad did get a shield up in time, but it was obvious that Harry let him. He tossed spell after spell at Conrad just slowly enough for them to be deflected, and he made it look easy while Conrad desperately scrambled to defend himself.
"Is this the best you can do?" Harry jeered, not letting up the pressure for a moment. "Seriously, Malfoy, this is pathetic even by your standards."
Why couldn't he just get it over with, Amy thought angrily. Harry was obviously the better of them, but he seemed to be determined to prolong the duel and belittle Conrad into the bargain. Even Hermione was beginning to look disapproving, not that Amy took much comfort from that.
"I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised to find you hiding," Harry continued, passing up another opportunity to slip under Conrad's guard. "You always were a coward."
Amy leaned forward, waiting for a good moment to spring to the attack and wipe the sneer off Harry's face. Nobody talked to Conrad like that, and to hell with the duel. She was surprised when a hand landed heavily on her shoulder. "Let them be," Mr Harris said quietly in her ear. "Harry's up to something."
"He'll be up for a black eye in a minute," Amy said through gritted teeth, but she held herself back. Whatever it was Mr Harris thought was going on, so far it was only making Conrad more miserable and withdrawn. If that was Mr Harris's idea of something they should allow to happen, Harry wouldn't be the only one getting thumped when this duel was over.
"What would your family say, you living with Muggles?" Harry carried on relentlessly. "And with a Muggle girlfriend too. Though with two kids to look after already, I supposed she needed help with the childcare."
Conrad's shoulders stiffened. "Amy's not like that," he said weakly.
"Sure," Harry drawled.
"She's not," Conrad insisted, drawing himself up.
"It's not like anyone would blame her," Harry said. He causally batted aside the spell Conrad found time to throw at him. "You're not exactly ugly, and you're so pathetically grateful for pretty much everything. Who wouldn't try to take advantage of someone like that?"
"She wouldn't... She didn't... Take that back," Conrad demanded.
"Make me," Harry hissed.
Conrad seemed to explode into action at last, forcing Harry to protect himself. The air between them fizzed with the magic they were throwing around and neither of them were talking any more, too busy weaving their spells to have breath for anything else. It was mesmerising, Amy thought. The Slayer in her recognised the cut and thrust of fencing in their moves, even though she had no idea what the spells they were casting did.
The fight was fast and furious, and it couldn't have lasted more than half a minute from the time it got serious. Still, it seemed like an age before Amy saw Conrad move a fraction too slowly, and then suddenly he was spinning to the ground as his wand was knocked out of his hand. Harry stood panting with his wand raised for a moment, then shouted "Yes!" and hurried to where Conrad was lying dazed.
"I knew you could do it," Harry crowed as he hauled Conrad to his feet. "That was bloody brilliant."
"But I lost," Conrad said in confusion, and Amy finally got it. Not that it would save Harry from some form of payback, but she understood why he had been needling Conrad so.
"But you fought," Harry countered, "and honestly, that was the hardest I've had to work for ages. I knew you could, if only I could get you angry enough."
"If only you what?" Conrad asked faintly.
"Would you have believed you could come that close to taking me out if you hadn't done it? And would you have done it if I hadn't been so insulting? Oh..." Harry paused and drew himself up stiffly. "I fully and formally retract everything I said about you and the people you love. I didn't mean a word of it." He rather spoiled the apology by grinning broadly.
Conrad blinked a couple of times, then looked narrowly at Harry. It was the nearest thing to a glare Amy had seen from him, and she felt oddly cheered by it. "That was very Slytherin of you," he said. "I suppose I should have expected it, seeing how Weasley is as loyal as a Hufflepuff and most of the school wonders why Granger wasn't sorted into Ravenclaw."
"Who the what how?" Mr Harris asked. His hand was still on Amy's shoulder as if he thought she might still start something with Harry. Which she would, but in her own time, and probably involving strong-arming him into changing nappies rather than actual violence.
"Sorry," Harry said brightly. "Pupils at school are sorted into four houses, each with different traditions. Gryffindors," he gestured at himself, Ron and Hermione, "are expected to be brave, Slytherins," he nodded at Conrad, "are noted for their cunning..."
"Huff'n'puffs are loyal and Ravens are smart," Harris finished. "Gotcha."
"Whatever," Ste said, "that was pretty amazing to watch."
"Yeah," Craig agreed, "you were moving so fast I didn't see half of what you were doing. I kind of wish we'd recorded it so I could watch it back in slow motion."
"It'll take years to get anything like that fast," John Paul said ruefully.
"I'm not sure we can ever get that fast," Josh said. "The way we do rituals gives us lots of power, but it's slow."
"And wands make a lot of the fiddly stuff easier," Willow agreed. She was eyeing Conrad's new wand with great interest, Amy noted. She shrugged off Mr Harris's hand and walked up to Conrad.
"Well, I thought you were amazing," she said firmly. He beamed at her.
"OK," Mr Harris broke in, "before things get majorly mushy or terrifyingly technical, we all need to go home and get some rest. I don't want anyone going into the Manor tonight tired."
"But I've got so many question about wands," Mr Wells whined.
"We'll still be here in the morning," Harry laughed. "Besides, for the technical stuff you want Hermione or Conrad, not me."
The group's slow movement out of the Grove stopped as everyone turned to look at Harry. "You called him Conrad," Amy said, not quite believing her ears. The wizards had been so set on calling him Malfoy.
Harry nodded. "As far as I'm concerned," he said to Conrad, "you've earned the right to be called whatever you want to be called. And you can call me Harry, if you like."
Conrad gaped at him for a moment. "Thank you... Harry," he said eventually. Amy couldn't help but smile as she noticed him stand a little taller and look a little more self-assured. Perhaps there wouldn't be soiled nappies in Harry's future after all, she thought. At this rate it wouldn't be long before Conrad was confident enough not to need to lean on her anymore.
She would miss him when he was gone.
******
'Hurry up and wait' had never been Ron's favourite occupation. It turned out to be even less fun when he was hiding in the dungeons of Malfoy Manor waiting to see if a slightly terrifying Wiccan could unlock a cell door without setting off every alarm in the building.
There were more of them than Ron was really comfortable with anyway. The three of them and Mal- er, Conrad were a given, but Amy had insisted on coming with her boyfriend. Then Kennedy had decided her sister Slayer needed backup, and Willow insisted on going with her girlfriend. Or possibly the other way round; Ron's brain had sort of seized up at the word 'girlfriend' and had taken a while to get going again.
Seven people was a lot to sneak into the manor house. There were more slayers and druids and what have you that they had side-along apparated outside, but they were staying well back from the wards and were only supposed to come charging in if everything went pear-shaped and Harry needed rescuing. Ron was glad that they were there, and even more glad of whatever spell they had cooked up that prevented anyone from seeing them approach the manor, but it made him nervous none the less to be relying on so many people he didn't know.
They had sneaked in easily enough once Conrad had slipped them past the wards, and it hadn't taken them long to get into the house and find Luna, Dean, Ollivander and a goblin named Griphook locked up in the dungeons. It had all been suspiciously easy, and no matter how much Harry had insisted he didn't feel any anticipation from Voldemort or how often Hermione pointed out that it was well past midnight and most of the Death Eaters would be in bed, Ron couldn't help but think that trouble was waiting for them just around the corner. At least he wasn't alone; Conrad and Kennedy seemed to think the same way he did, even if all their other halves seemed to be enjoying themselves way too much. Harry didn't, but he had pulled his invisibility cloak on readily enough. Ron took what comfort he could from the thought that even if they were surprised down here, Harry would still have that advantage.
"Honey, I don't want to hurry you," Kennedy said quietly from her current post at the foot of the stairs, "but how long is this going to take?"
"Not long now," Willow said absently. "I've tied off all the alarms, it's just a matter of breaking the lock without making too much noise. Stop fussing."
"They're probably all asleep anyway," Hermione offered.
"Not all of them," Kennedy said. "I can hear people moving around every now and then."
Ron grimaced, not that anyone was looking at him. "Brilliant. Let's just hope none of them decide to move down here. Harry, maybe you should watch from the top of the stairs."
"He's already up there," Kennedy said. "I felt him pass me. Damn but that cloak is good."
"Got it," Willow said. "Just a moment and..." There was a click and the cell door swung smoothly open.
"That was very interesting," Luna commented in her disconcerting way. "Are you sure you've never seen a crumple-horned snorkack? My father is certain that their breeding grounds are in America."
"There's quite a lot of America," Hermione said diplomatically. "We can talk about it later, once we've got out of here."
Luna nodded. "Only I don't think Griphook and Mr Ollivander can move very quickly, so I thought we would have lots of time to talk."
Ollivander did not look well, and the goblin looked like he'd been tortured so badly he could barely walk. He still had the energy to give Amy a venomous glare when she made a move to help him - he had made it abundantly clear that he didn't want either of the Slayers anywhere near him - but Ron didn't think that would get him very far.
Conrad stepped forward and bowed. "I must apologise for what has been done to you in this house," he said formally but with more determination than Ron had heard from him in a while. "May I be permitted to help you now?"
Ollivander nodded gratefully, but Griphook looked at him oddly. "A wizard offers to help a goblin?" he practically sneered. "What do you want, Master Malfoy?"
"The knowledge that the smallest part of the harm my family has done has been repaired," Conrad said calmly. Griphook tilted his head quizzically, but Malfoy didn't elaborate. Ron tried to contain his own curiosity. He dearly wanted to know what Malfoy had been through that had turned him into something resembling a decent human being, but Mal- Conrad wasn't talking and neither was anyone else who knew.
"Very well," Griphook said after what felt like an age. "On the strict understanding that I owe you no favour for this."
Conrad nodded and brandished his wand. Two comfortable-looking armchairs popped into existence in front of him, floating about a foot off the ground. "These should only be needed to get up the stairs," he said. "Once we are clear of the dungeons we'll be able to apparate you to safety."
"Wait, we get to teleport out?" Amy asked. "Or whatever you call it. Why couldn't we have come in like that and saved all the sneaking around?"
"We'd have set off every ward in the building," Ron told her. Conrad nodded in agreement. "We'll still set some off going out, only we don't care then."
"Can we discuss this once we're out of here?" Kennedy said impatiently. She turned and hissed up the stairs, "Are we clear up there?"
There was no reply. Concerned, Ron moved over to join Kennedy. "Harry?" he called up quietly. "Are you there, mate?" Silence.
"Someone must have spotted him," Hermione said fearfully.
Kennedy shook her head. "I'd have heard a scuffle," she said. She sounded annoyed, and it didn't take many seconds for Ron to figure out why. Harry must have decided to search Malfoy Manor for clues as to where Voldemort's remaining horcruxes were. This was the only place Ron could think of where there might be any hints, but that didn't make Harry wandering off on his own a good idea.
"I'm going to strangle him," Kennedy announced.
"He's my best friend," Ron disagreed, "I get to strangle him first."
"Perhaps I could look for him?" Malfoy offered.
"It's too dangerous," Amy said immediately. Ron nodded his agreement.
"I've got the best chance of anyone here of talking my way out of trouble," Malfoy pointed out.
"And when You-Know-Who starts riffling through your mind to find out what you've been doing?" Hermione asked. Conrad blanched. "We need to stick together, and move slowly and quietly just like we did to get in here."
There was a shout of "Intruders! Intruders!" from upstairs, and the sounds of a magical fire-fight began.
"Or we could just head for the most trouble we can find," Amy snarled. She and Kennedy started up the stairs, Ron hard on their heels.
They found Harry in the ballroom, facing off against a pair of Death Eaters while trying to protect a dizzy-looking Dobby. Ron and Conrad caught the Death Eaters by surprise and knocked them flying with stunners. "What happened to Dobby?" Ron asked.
"He jumped in front of a spell meant for me," Harry said, checking the house-elf over worriedly. "Dobby, are you OK?"
"Dobby does not feel well, Harry Potter sir," the house-elf wailed. "Dobby is sorry. Dobby will-"
"No!" Harry said quickly. "You mustn't punish yourself for being hurt. I forbid it."
"What is that?" Amy asked, looking askance at Dobby.
"It's a house-elf," Malfoy explained. "They're... basically they're household servants."
"What?"
"Exactly," Hermione fumed. Ron sighed and braced himself for another rant about 'barbaric practices', but fortunately Harry intervened.
"Ron, Hermione, I need you to get Griphook and Mr Ollivander to safety. Take them to Bill and Fleur's, they should be able to help. Get back here quickly, though; we'll need help to apparate everyone out." Ron nodded and moved over to Ollivander's armchair. Ollivander would have to be carried, and Ron didn't think Hermione would be able to manage his weight.
Harry reached into his pouch and pulled out Gryffindor's Sword. "You'd better take this," he said, handing it to Kennedy. "Be careful with it. The last time I used it, it got covered in basilisk venom, and that's really nasty stuff."
Ron cautiously apparated out as Kennedy and Harry began arguing about proper care and cleaning of weapons. He was relieved to see the outline of Shell Cottage looming out of the darkness, quiet and peaceful as it should be. He set Ollivander down carefully and began knocking loudly on the door.
It took far longer than Ron liked for Bill and Fleur to come to the door. He left Hermione explaining and apparated hurriedly back to Malfoy Manor just in time to see Amy throw something small and hard at one of the Death Eaters now in the room, knocking him straight out.
"-sword's been in my family for generations," Kennedy was shouting at a disarmed Bellatrix Lestrange. "You keep your hands off it." Ron was instantly confused; she was waving Gryffindor's Sword, which to Ron's certain knowledge she hadn't seen until just now. This wasn't the time to ask, though. He threw a quick spell into the general melee, grabbed Dean and apparated out.
Moments later he was back, Hermione with him this time. She grabbed Luna and disappeared, while Ron took stock of the situation.
Things seemed to have paused, at least for a moment. Two more Death Eaters were lying still, having evidently fallen victim to the large number of marbles on the floor. As Ron watched, the marbles drifted back towards the far door, presumably under Willow's control, to trip up any more unwary Death Eaters coming for them. Meanwhile, Harry was keeping his wand trained on Bellatrix while trying to keep hold of Dobby with his other hand. Mal- Conrad was standing stiffly beside him, Amy at his shoulder tensed for action. He was facing his parents, who had been disarmed somehow.
"Father, Mother, please come with us," Conrad said. "You know what the Dark Lord is doing is wrong."
Ron stepped back between Willow and Kennedy just in time to hear Willow mutter, "There's a clue in the name." He made sure he was close enough to grab both of them; he could apparate both of them out if he had to, though he didn't fancy his chances of not splinching.
"Don't be ridiculous, Draco," Lucius Malfoy sneered. The effect was ruined in Ron's opinion by his appearance; far from his usual immaculate image, Lucius was unshaven, his hair was a mess and he just looked like a nervous wreck trying to pretend that everything was alright.
"Please, Draco," Narcissa said, and Ron felt a pang. She sounded just like his mother when he told her he was going back to Harry and Hermione. "Your place is with your family."
"And you of all people should know that the Dark Lord's victory over that child is assured," Lucius added.
Conrad shook his head. "That child... this man is one of the best people I have ever known. My place is with him, and with the people who saved me."
Lucius gave him a look of utter contempt. "No son of mine would consort with Mudbloods and Halfbreeds," he sneered. Conrad flinched at the dismissal, but squared his shoulders and stood straight again. Ron cheered inwardly.
Giving a small, sad nod of the head to Lucius, Conrad turned to Narcissa. "Mother?" he pleaded. She looked at him regretfully for a long moment, but eventually lowered her eyes and took a tiny step closer to her husband.
Hermione reappeared. She had managed to get herself turned around somehow - Ron didn't know what it was about transport magic, but somehow it never worked quite right for her - and arrived staring over his shoulder. "Behind you!" she shouted.
Ron ducked and spun, catching sight as he did so of Harry and Conrad both ducking underneath the spell aimed at them. The caster was Peter Pettigrew; the little rat must have sneaked round behind them, Ron thought. He cast a stunner and missed, largely because Kennedy pulled him out of the way of yet another Death Eater's attack. Hermione's stunner didn't miss. Pettigrew went flying and hit the panelled wall with a satisfying thud.
"Retreat to the girls," Ron heard Harry shout over the sound of more spellcasting. A tactically sound idea, Ron thought. Any Death Eaters who managed to follow them to where the other Slayers were gathered would get mobbed pretty rapidly.
Hermione didn't bother to reply, just took hold of Willow and disappeared. Ron grabbed Kennedy's wrist, but turned to check if Harry and Conrad needed any help. "Watch out," he yelled, seeing Bellatrix move.
It all happened incredibly quickly. Bellatrix threw something at Harry as he and Conrad began to apparate out. Dobby pushed himself in the way and Amy moved, but they had all disappeared before Ron could tell what was happening, along with whatever Bellatrix had thrown. Ron followed suit, not wanted to face so many Death Eaters on his own.
He arrived in the clearing to see Harry and the others collapsed in a tangle. By the light of the Muggle torches, Ron could see a white-faced Amy holding an ornate dagger by the blade, its point barely an inch away from Dobby's chest.
"That was too close," Harry said shakily.
"Are you alright?" Conrad asked, looking anxiously between Amy and Dobby.
"I think I cut myself," Amy said faintly. Ron couldn't see any blood dripping, so it couldn't be too bad."
"You're supposed to catch it clean," Kennedy observed as the other Slayers - who Xander had referred to as 'minis' for some reason - helped the fallen foursome upright. "I know it was a lousy angle at the edge of your reach, but you still want to be careful in case-"
"Conrad, I don't feel well," Amy announced and collapsed on her boyfriend.
"In case it's poisoned," Kennedy finished grimly.
Fandoms: Buffy/Hollyoaks/Harry Potter
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Harry and Draco duel
Amy couldn't believe what was going on. She had laughed when Harry had issued his challenge; duelling seemed like a stupid idea to her, all formal bowing and none of the chaos that marked the little real combat she had seen. Unfortunately nobody had agreed with her. Conrad had insisted that he couldn't turn down the challenge even though he was sure to lose, Josh had readily agreed to allow them to duel in the Grove provided they didn't damage the trees, and Mr Harris's friends Willow and Kennedy were happy to be drafted in as referees. Amy's only consolation was that all eight druids had stood with her in Conrad's corner, while Harry only had his two friends.
Conrad and Harry stood facing each other now, a fair distance between them. Harry looked annoyed at the whole business, not that Amy cared. She was focused on Conrad, how nervous he was and how she could cheer him on.
"OK," Willow said from her position halfway between the combatants. "I'm going to give you a count of three, and when I say 'Go' you start. Is that alright?" Both duellists nodded. "Good. Three... Two... One... Go!"
Harry was lightening-fast, and Amy was impressed in spite of herself. Conrad tried to defend himself, but his wand went flying out of his hand before he managed to do anything.
"Let's call that a practise round, shall we?" Harry said lazily.
Kennedy looked at him narrowly. "Very sportsmanlike of you," she said with great sarcasm. Amy had to restrain herself from cheering.
Willow shushed her girlfriend and restarted the duel. This time Conrad did get a shield up in time, but it was obvious that Harry let him. He tossed spell after spell at Conrad just slowly enough for them to be deflected, and he made it look easy while Conrad desperately scrambled to defend himself.
"Is this the best you can do?" Harry jeered, not letting up the pressure for a moment. "Seriously, Malfoy, this is pathetic even by your standards."
Why couldn't he just get it over with, Amy thought angrily. Harry was obviously the better of them, but he seemed to be determined to prolong the duel and belittle Conrad into the bargain. Even Hermione was beginning to look disapproving, not that Amy took much comfort from that.
"I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised to find you hiding," Harry continued, passing up another opportunity to slip under Conrad's guard. "You always were a coward."
Amy leaned forward, waiting for a good moment to spring to the attack and wipe the sneer off Harry's face. Nobody talked to Conrad like that, and to hell with the duel. She was surprised when a hand landed heavily on her shoulder. "Let them be," Mr Harris said quietly in her ear. "Harry's up to something."
"He'll be up for a black eye in a minute," Amy said through gritted teeth, but she held herself back. Whatever it was Mr Harris thought was going on, so far it was only making Conrad more miserable and withdrawn. If that was Mr Harris's idea of something they should allow to happen, Harry wouldn't be the only one getting thumped when this duel was over.
"What would your family say, you living with Muggles?" Harry carried on relentlessly. "And with a Muggle girlfriend too. Though with two kids to look after already, I supposed she needed help with the childcare."
Conrad's shoulders stiffened. "Amy's not like that," he said weakly.
"Sure," Harry drawled.
"She's not," Conrad insisted, drawing himself up.
"It's not like anyone would blame her," Harry said. He causally batted aside the spell Conrad found time to throw at him. "You're not exactly ugly, and you're so pathetically grateful for pretty much everything. Who wouldn't try to take advantage of someone like that?"
"She wouldn't... She didn't... Take that back," Conrad demanded.
"Make me," Harry hissed.
Conrad seemed to explode into action at last, forcing Harry to protect himself. The air between them fizzed with the magic they were throwing around and neither of them were talking any more, too busy weaving their spells to have breath for anything else. It was mesmerising, Amy thought. The Slayer in her recognised the cut and thrust of fencing in their moves, even though she had no idea what the spells they were casting did.
The fight was fast and furious, and it couldn't have lasted more than half a minute from the time it got serious. Still, it seemed like an age before Amy saw Conrad move a fraction too slowly, and then suddenly he was spinning to the ground as his wand was knocked out of his hand. Harry stood panting with his wand raised for a moment, then shouted "Yes!" and hurried to where Conrad was lying dazed.
"I knew you could do it," Harry crowed as he hauled Conrad to his feet. "That was bloody brilliant."
"But I lost," Conrad said in confusion, and Amy finally got it. Not that it would save Harry from some form of payback, but she understood why he had been needling Conrad so.
"But you fought," Harry countered, "and honestly, that was the hardest I've had to work for ages. I knew you could, if only I could get you angry enough."
"If only you what?" Conrad asked faintly.
"Would you have believed you could come that close to taking me out if you hadn't done it? And would you have done it if I hadn't been so insulting? Oh..." Harry paused and drew himself up stiffly. "I fully and formally retract everything I said about you and the people you love. I didn't mean a word of it." He rather spoiled the apology by grinning broadly.
Conrad blinked a couple of times, then looked narrowly at Harry. It was the nearest thing to a glare Amy had seen from him, and she felt oddly cheered by it. "That was very Slytherin of you," he said. "I suppose I should have expected it, seeing how Weasley is as loyal as a Hufflepuff and most of the school wonders why Granger wasn't sorted into Ravenclaw."
"Who the what how?" Mr Harris asked. His hand was still on Amy's shoulder as if he thought she might still start something with Harry. Which she would, but in her own time, and probably involving strong-arming him into changing nappies rather than actual violence.
"Sorry," Harry said brightly. "Pupils at school are sorted into four houses, each with different traditions. Gryffindors," he gestured at himself, Ron and Hermione, "are expected to be brave, Slytherins," he nodded at Conrad, "are noted for their cunning..."
"Huff'n'puffs are loyal and Ravens are smart," Harris finished. "Gotcha."
"Whatever," Ste said, "that was pretty amazing to watch."
"Yeah," Craig agreed, "you were moving so fast I didn't see half of what you were doing. I kind of wish we'd recorded it so I could watch it back in slow motion."
"It'll take years to get anything like that fast," John Paul said ruefully.
"I'm not sure we can ever get that fast," Josh said. "The way we do rituals gives us lots of power, but it's slow."
"And wands make a lot of the fiddly stuff easier," Willow agreed. She was eyeing Conrad's new wand with great interest, Amy noted. She shrugged off Mr Harris's hand and walked up to Conrad.
"Well, I thought you were amazing," she said firmly. He beamed at her.
"OK," Mr Harris broke in, "before things get majorly mushy or terrifyingly technical, we all need to go home and get some rest. I don't want anyone going into the Manor tonight tired."
"But I've got so many question about wands," Mr Wells whined.
"We'll still be here in the morning," Harry laughed. "Besides, for the technical stuff you want Hermione or Conrad, not me."
The group's slow movement out of the Grove stopped as everyone turned to look at Harry. "You called him Conrad," Amy said, not quite believing her ears. The wizards had been so set on calling him Malfoy.
Harry nodded. "As far as I'm concerned," he said to Conrad, "you've earned the right to be called whatever you want to be called. And you can call me Harry, if you like."
Conrad gaped at him for a moment. "Thank you... Harry," he said eventually. Amy couldn't help but smile as she noticed him stand a little taller and look a little more self-assured. Perhaps there wouldn't be soiled nappies in Harry's future after all, she thought. At this rate it wouldn't be long before Conrad was confident enough not to need to lean on her anymore.
She would miss him when he was gone.
******
'Hurry up and wait' had never been Ron's favourite occupation. It turned out to be even less fun when he was hiding in the dungeons of Malfoy Manor waiting to see if a slightly terrifying Wiccan could unlock a cell door without setting off every alarm in the building.
There were more of them than Ron was really comfortable with anyway. The three of them and Mal- er, Conrad were a given, but Amy had insisted on coming with her boyfriend. Then Kennedy had decided her sister Slayer needed backup, and Willow insisted on going with her girlfriend. Or possibly the other way round; Ron's brain had sort of seized up at the word 'girlfriend' and had taken a while to get going again.
Seven people was a lot to sneak into the manor house. There were more slayers and druids and what have you that they had side-along apparated outside, but they were staying well back from the wards and were only supposed to come charging in if everything went pear-shaped and Harry needed rescuing. Ron was glad that they were there, and even more glad of whatever spell they had cooked up that prevented anyone from seeing them approach the manor, but it made him nervous none the less to be relying on so many people he didn't know.
They had sneaked in easily enough once Conrad had slipped them past the wards, and it hadn't taken them long to get into the house and find Luna, Dean, Ollivander and a goblin named Griphook locked up in the dungeons. It had all been suspiciously easy, and no matter how much Harry had insisted he didn't feel any anticipation from Voldemort or how often Hermione pointed out that it was well past midnight and most of the Death Eaters would be in bed, Ron couldn't help but think that trouble was waiting for them just around the corner. At least he wasn't alone; Conrad and Kennedy seemed to think the same way he did, even if all their other halves seemed to be enjoying themselves way too much. Harry didn't, but he had pulled his invisibility cloak on readily enough. Ron took what comfort he could from the thought that even if they were surprised down here, Harry would still have that advantage.
"Honey, I don't want to hurry you," Kennedy said quietly from her current post at the foot of the stairs, "but how long is this going to take?"
"Not long now," Willow said absently. "I've tied off all the alarms, it's just a matter of breaking the lock without making too much noise. Stop fussing."
"They're probably all asleep anyway," Hermione offered.
"Not all of them," Kennedy said. "I can hear people moving around every now and then."
Ron grimaced, not that anyone was looking at him. "Brilliant. Let's just hope none of them decide to move down here. Harry, maybe you should watch from the top of the stairs."
"He's already up there," Kennedy said. "I felt him pass me. Damn but that cloak is good."
"Got it," Willow said. "Just a moment and..." There was a click and the cell door swung smoothly open.
"That was very interesting," Luna commented in her disconcerting way. "Are you sure you've never seen a crumple-horned snorkack? My father is certain that their breeding grounds are in America."
"There's quite a lot of America," Hermione said diplomatically. "We can talk about it later, once we've got out of here."
Luna nodded. "Only I don't think Griphook and Mr Ollivander can move very quickly, so I thought we would have lots of time to talk."
Ollivander did not look well, and the goblin looked like he'd been tortured so badly he could barely walk. He still had the energy to give Amy a venomous glare when she made a move to help him - he had made it abundantly clear that he didn't want either of the Slayers anywhere near him - but Ron didn't think that would get him very far.
Conrad stepped forward and bowed. "I must apologise for what has been done to you in this house," he said formally but with more determination than Ron had heard from him in a while. "May I be permitted to help you now?"
Ollivander nodded gratefully, but Griphook looked at him oddly. "A wizard offers to help a goblin?" he practically sneered. "What do you want, Master Malfoy?"
"The knowledge that the smallest part of the harm my family has done has been repaired," Conrad said calmly. Griphook tilted his head quizzically, but Malfoy didn't elaborate. Ron tried to contain his own curiosity. He dearly wanted to know what Malfoy had been through that had turned him into something resembling a decent human being, but Mal- Conrad wasn't talking and neither was anyone else who knew.
"Very well," Griphook said after what felt like an age. "On the strict understanding that I owe you no favour for this."
Conrad nodded and brandished his wand. Two comfortable-looking armchairs popped into existence in front of him, floating about a foot off the ground. "These should only be needed to get up the stairs," he said. "Once we are clear of the dungeons we'll be able to apparate you to safety."
"Wait, we get to teleport out?" Amy asked. "Or whatever you call it. Why couldn't we have come in like that and saved all the sneaking around?"
"We'd have set off every ward in the building," Ron told her. Conrad nodded in agreement. "We'll still set some off going out, only we don't care then."
"Can we discuss this once we're out of here?" Kennedy said impatiently. She turned and hissed up the stairs, "Are we clear up there?"
There was no reply. Concerned, Ron moved over to join Kennedy. "Harry?" he called up quietly. "Are you there, mate?" Silence.
"Someone must have spotted him," Hermione said fearfully.
Kennedy shook her head. "I'd have heard a scuffle," she said. She sounded annoyed, and it didn't take many seconds for Ron to figure out why. Harry must have decided to search Malfoy Manor for clues as to where Voldemort's remaining horcruxes were. This was the only place Ron could think of where there might be any hints, but that didn't make Harry wandering off on his own a good idea.
"I'm going to strangle him," Kennedy announced.
"He's my best friend," Ron disagreed, "I get to strangle him first."
"Perhaps I could look for him?" Malfoy offered.
"It's too dangerous," Amy said immediately. Ron nodded his agreement.
"I've got the best chance of anyone here of talking my way out of trouble," Malfoy pointed out.
"And when You-Know-Who starts riffling through your mind to find out what you've been doing?" Hermione asked. Conrad blanched. "We need to stick together, and move slowly and quietly just like we did to get in here."
There was a shout of "Intruders! Intruders!" from upstairs, and the sounds of a magical fire-fight began.
"Or we could just head for the most trouble we can find," Amy snarled. She and Kennedy started up the stairs, Ron hard on their heels.
They found Harry in the ballroom, facing off against a pair of Death Eaters while trying to protect a dizzy-looking Dobby. Ron and Conrad caught the Death Eaters by surprise and knocked them flying with stunners. "What happened to Dobby?" Ron asked.
"He jumped in front of a spell meant for me," Harry said, checking the house-elf over worriedly. "Dobby, are you OK?"
"Dobby does not feel well, Harry Potter sir," the house-elf wailed. "Dobby is sorry. Dobby will-"
"No!" Harry said quickly. "You mustn't punish yourself for being hurt. I forbid it."
"What is that?" Amy asked, looking askance at Dobby.
"It's a house-elf," Malfoy explained. "They're... basically they're household servants."
"What?"
"Exactly," Hermione fumed. Ron sighed and braced himself for another rant about 'barbaric practices', but fortunately Harry intervened.
"Ron, Hermione, I need you to get Griphook and Mr Ollivander to safety. Take them to Bill and Fleur's, they should be able to help. Get back here quickly, though; we'll need help to apparate everyone out." Ron nodded and moved over to Ollivander's armchair. Ollivander would have to be carried, and Ron didn't think Hermione would be able to manage his weight.
Harry reached into his pouch and pulled out Gryffindor's Sword. "You'd better take this," he said, handing it to Kennedy. "Be careful with it. The last time I used it, it got covered in basilisk venom, and that's really nasty stuff."
Ron cautiously apparated out as Kennedy and Harry began arguing about proper care and cleaning of weapons. He was relieved to see the outline of Shell Cottage looming out of the darkness, quiet and peaceful as it should be. He set Ollivander down carefully and began knocking loudly on the door.
It took far longer than Ron liked for Bill and Fleur to come to the door. He left Hermione explaining and apparated hurriedly back to Malfoy Manor just in time to see Amy throw something small and hard at one of the Death Eaters now in the room, knocking him straight out.
"-sword's been in my family for generations," Kennedy was shouting at a disarmed Bellatrix Lestrange. "You keep your hands off it." Ron was instantly confused; she was waving Gryffindor's Sword, which to Ron's certain knowledge she hadn't seen until just now. This wasn't the time to ask, though. He threw a quick spell into the general melee, grabbed Dean and apparated out.
Moments later he was back, Hermione with him this time. She grabbed Luna and disappeared, while Ron took stock of the situation.
Things seemed to have paused, at least for a moment. Two more Death Eaters were lying still, having evidently fallen victim to the large number of marbles on the floor. As Ron watched, the marbles drifted back towards the far door, presumably under Willow's control, to trip up any more unwary Death Eaters coming for them. Meanwhile, Harry was keeping his wand trained on Bellatrix while trying to keep hold of Dobby with his other hand. Mal- Conrad was standing stiffly beside him, Amy at his shoulder tensed for action. He was facing his parents, who had been disarmed somehow.
"Father, Mother, please come with us," Conrad said. "You know what the Dark Lord is doing is wrong."
Ron stepped back between Willow and Kennedy just in time to hear Willow mutter, "There's a clue in the name." He made sure he was close enough to grab both of them; he could apparate both of them out if he had to, though he didn't fancy his chances of not splinching.
"Don't be ridiculous, Draco," Lucius Malfoy sneered. The effect was ruined in Ron's opinion by his appearance; far from his usual immaculate image, Lucius was unshaven, his hair was a mess and he just looked like a nervous wreck trying to pretend that everything was alright.
"Please, Draco," Narcissa said, and Ron felt a pang. She sounded just like his mother when he told her he was going back to Harry and Hermione. "Your place is with your family."
"And you of all people should know that the Dark Lord's victory over that child is assured," Lucius added.
Conrad shook his head. "That child... this man is one of the best people I have ever known. My place is with him, and with the people who saved me."
Lucius gave him a look of utter contempt. "No son of mine would consort with Mudbloods and Halfbreeds," he sneered. Conrad flinched at the dismissal, but squared his shoulders and stood straight again. Ron cheered inwardly.
Giving a small, sad nod of the head to Lucius, Conrad turned to Narcissa. "Mother?" he pleaded. She looked at him regretfully for a long moment, but eventually lowered her eyes and took a tiny step closer to her husband.
Hermione reappeared. She had managed to get herself turned around somehow - Ron didn't know what it was about transport magic, but somehow it never worked quite right for her - and arrived staring over his shoulder. "Behind you!" she shouted.
Ron ducked and spun, catching sight as he did so of Harry and Conrad both ducking underneath the spell aimed at them. The caster was Peter Pettigrew; the little rat must have sneaked round behind them, Ron thought. He cast a stunner and missed, largely because Kennedy pulled him out of the way of yet another Death Eater's attack. Hermione's stunner didn't miss. Pettigrew went flying and hit the panelled wall with a satisfying thud.
"Retreat to the girls," Ron heard Harry shout over the sound of more spellcasting. A tactically sound idea, Ron thought. Any Death Eaters who managed to follow them to where the other Slayers were gathered would get mobbed pretty rapidly.
Hermione didn't bother to reply, just took hold of Willow and disappeared. Ron grabbed Kennedy's wrist, but turned to check if Harry and Conrad needed any help. "Watch out," he yelled, seeing Bellatrix move.
It all happened incredibly quickly. Bellatrix threw something at Harry as he and Conrad began to apparate out. Dobby pushed himself in the way and Amy moved, but they had all disappeared before Ron could tell what was happening, along with whatever Bellatrix had thrown. Ron followed suit, not wanted to face so many Death Eaters on his own.
He arrived in the clearing to see Harry and the others collapsed in a tangle. By the light of the Muggle torches, Ron could see a white-faced Amy holding an ornate dagger by the blade, its point barely an inch away from Dobby's chest.
"That was too close," Harry said shakily.
"Are you alright?" Conrad asked, looking anxiously between Amy and Dobby.
"I think I cut myself," Amy said faintly. Ron couldn't see any blood dripping, so it couldn't be too bad."
"You're supposed to catch it clean," Kennedy observed as the other Slayers - who Xander had referred to as 'minis' for some reason - helped the fallen foursome upright. "I know it was a lousy angle at the edge of your reach, but you still want to be careful in case-"
"Conrad, I don't feel well," Amy announced and collapsed on her boyfriend.
"In case it's poisoned," Kennedy finished grimly.