Chapter 30 The Eve Before Dawn

The sky at the edge of Hogwarts' Forbidden Forest was covered with lead-gray clouds, and rotten leaves were swirling in the wind.

Draco leaned against the moss-covered ancient oak tree, his pale fingers stroking the wand repeatedly, the delicate lines on the surface almost becoming pulpy.

A rubbing sound came from behind. He turned around and saw three figures quietly emerging from the bushes.

The tip of Ron's wand glowed faintly, illuminating the furrowed brow of his face.

Ron's wand was pointed directly at Draco, his arm slightly stiff due to nervousness: "Harry, this might be a trap! How could the Malfoy family..."

"Put your wand down." Harry stepped in front of his friend. The sound of his boots crunching through dead branches startled the night owls in the treetops. "He's not his father."

Before he finished speaking, Draco chuckled, his Adam's apple rolling under his pale skin.

"Weasley, put away your mean mind. We are not the same."

He threw the Horcrux towards Harry, and a silver light streaked through the gloom. "But, it doesn't matter. Anyway..."

"That's enough!" Hermione suddenly stepped forward and snatched the Horcrux, her brown curly hair swinging with the violent movement. "Malfoy, winning or losing in words won't get you what you want."

She held up the Horcrux, her pupils reflecting the spells flowing on the metal surface. "And, Ronald, you should also restrain yourself. At least now he is indeed our comrade."

Draco's eyelashes trembled violently, and a short sound of surprise escaped from his throat: "Companions?..."

Glancing at Harry's suddenly gloomy face, he turned his face away and snorted, "You win."

As he turned, his shoulder blade swung across Ron's shoulder, and the latter took a half step back, almost dropping his wand.

"Ron," Harry pressed his friend's tense shoulders, but his voice was directed towards Draco's back, "He's gambling just like us."

These words made Draco pause. A breeze just happened to penetrate the shaded forest, ruffling his messy blond hair and revealing the suspicious redness on his ears.

The black vortex twisted in the clouds, and the dome of Hogwarts suddenly became a terrifying scene of evil god descending to the world.

As if to echo the heavens, the brand on Draco's forearm came alive, moving beneath his skin.

The burning pain spread through his blood vessels, almost tearing his consciousness apart.

He jerked Draco's back straight, digging his nails into his palms.

"Damn..." He groaned and gripped the tree grain tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force.

The oak scraped harshly under his nails, startling Harry, who was standing nearby, into a look of panic.

"What did he do to you?"

"It's too late!" Draco shook his hand away, cold sweat dripping down his chin onto his silver and green tie.

The Death Eater Mark surged beneath his skin like a snake coming to life.

He gritted his teeth and propped himself up, then smiled at Harry in a hoarse voice: "Harry, destroy it as soon as possible. And -"

[We must win!]

Draco's expectant gaze fell into Harry's deep green eyelids. "I'll wait for you."

"Granger, do you know any healing magic?"

"ha?"

Confused by Draco's baffling question, Hermione quickly answered.

"Yes. I learned some from Fred."

"Then I'll leave it to you."

Draco stared down at his right hand, which had a hideous scar that had now turned red.

Hermione glanced from Draco to her wand.

"I can only try to help you. After all, this kind of injury may not be cured."

Draco shook his head. "It's alright. Just do your best to heal me so I can get on with my journey."

Harry looked at Draco, whose cheek muscles twitched and beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

[It hurts, right?]

Harry knelt on one knee, rolled up his sleeves, and wiped the sweat from Draco's forehead.

"fine."

"I'll do my best."

Draco was stunned for a moment, and in an instant, the wrinkles on his forehead were all twisted together.

The young man's tall figure was penetrated by the green light that tore through the twilight. He fell backward like a puppet with its strings cut, and the Golden Snitch necklace drew a glaring arc around his neck.

"No!" Hermione's scream pierced the silence, and Ron's wand fell to the ground, making a dull thud in the pile of dead leaves.

The Death Eaters burst into shrill laughter, and Bellatrix's manic laughter mixed with the sound of her wand waving through the air, throwing the forest into chaos.

Draco felt a fishy taste in his throat, and his fingers dug deep into his cheeks, with warm blood oozing from his palms.

"Look at what happened to the savior!" Voldemort's snake-like face was cold in the dim light, and he pointed his wand at Harry's limp body.

"Go and take a look. If they're dead, drag their bodies to the castle and put them on display!"

The Death Eaters pushed forward.

Draco suddenly rushed out, his dark black robe fluttering in the wind, revealing the blood-soaked white shirt underneath.

"Draco! Are you crazy?" Lucius' roar was left behind him.

Narcissa grabbed Lucius. The calm Narcissa made Lucius, who was about to pounce on her frantically, sober up instantly.

Draco knelt on one knee on the scorched earth and reached out tremblingly to feel Harry's pulse.

The cold touch made a dazzling white light explode in front of his eyes. In a trance, he saw the pair of green eyes in the Hogwarts Great Hall smiling at him cunningly across the long table.

But at this moment, his green eyes, which always showed a smile, were closed tightly, and the lightning scar on his forehead had lost its former luster.

"Get up..." He put his ear to Harry's chest, his voice more broken than the cold wind in the air, "Potter,... open your eyes, look at me, please -"

Draco thought of the system props that inexplicably appeared next to his father's pillow after he was released from prison.

He gritted his teeth and pressed the badge against Harry's heart, "Damn it. If this is a fake, I will chase you to hell and kill you with my own hands!"

A few more seconds passed, and Harry still didn't move.

"Move!" Draco's voice was filled with tears, and the blue light of the badge began to flicker unsteadily.

"Didn't you say you would come back? Potter, get up and look at me!" Draco murmured in a low voice, his voice full of sadness and helplessness.

Deep in the damp secret passage, candlelight flickered strangely in the magical air currents.

The black-robed man's fingertips stroked the crystal ball, and the surface of the sphere reflected the image of Draco trembling as he pressed the system prop against Harry's chest.

The sound of fabric rubbing could be heard from the shadows. Another figure wearing a bronze mask slowly approached, the feathered serpent embroidery on the cuffs faintly visible in the dim light.

"This kid is quite naive. He's faster than we expected."

"Are you sure you don't want to change it?" The man in the gilded mask turned around and looked at the person who came.

Fingers were unconsciously stroking the black gem inlaid on the top of the staff.

"This is just an inevitable node on the Möbius strip."

The black-robed man frowned and moved closer, and the flickering runes on the ring suddenly showed the image of Draco trembling and rescuing him.

"Look, the wheel of fate is about to turn."

In the crystal ball, Harry's eyelashes suddenly trembled, and a drop of warm blood dripped down Draco's wand onto the back of his hand.

Draco was stunned, then overjoyed.

He stood up quickly, turned to face the approaching Voldemort, and said this without changing his expression.

"He's dead."