'Shut up, Black,' snapped Lucius. His hand went to his throat and closed over the pendant there. He lifted it over his head. Draco looked at him, confused.
'You are my son and my only heir,' said Lucius to Draco. 'For the last time, will you move out of the way?'
Draco shook his head. 'No.'
'Ah, well,' said Lucius. 'I am young. I can marry again. I will have more children.'
And he tightened his hand on the pendant in his fist, digging his nails in.
Draco screamed and crashed to the earth like a tree falling. As he fell, he collided with Harry, who was knocked to the ground with Draco on top of him — blue in the face, but still breathing.
Lucius released his tight hold on the pendant, and Hermione saw it glimmering in his fist — dented, but not broken.
Not yet.
Lucius began striding across the grass towards Harry and Draco. Hermione glanced sideways and saw that Ron, Fred and George all had gone for their wands, and were about to point them at Lucius.
'Not now!' she whispered at them.
They looked at her as if she were crazy.
'Wait,' she hissed.
Lucius reached the crumpled forms of Harry and Draco. He bent down and seized the back of his son's shirt in one hand, and yanked him off Harry. He shoved Draco's limp body aside.
Harry lay on the ground with his hands under him, looking up at Lucius.
'Goodbye, Harry,' said Lucius, lifting his wand.
Harry sat up — and Hermione saw something silver flash sudden and bright in his right hand. It was the sword he had taken from the fencing-room back at the Manor. He slashed out with it, and cut Lucius' wand in half. Harry jumped to his feet as Lucius yelled and fell back, the fingers of his right hand pouring blood, his other hand still gripping the Epicyclical charm.
Harry turned his head towards Hermione and she knew immediately what he wanted her to do. 'Hermione!' he shouted. 'Now!'
Hermione pointed her wand. 'Accio!' she cried, and the Epicyclical pendant shot out of Lucius' left hand and flew through the air towards her. She caught it very carefully and turned to the Weasleys, who had their wands trained on Lucius.
'Go,' she said.
'Stupefy!' shouted Ron, Fred and George.
White light shot from their wands and struck Lucius head-on. Hermione had seen what the combined force of several Stunning spells could do before, but it was no less impressive this time. Lucius was blasted sideways and flew through the air, fetching up against the trunk of a tree, where he lay very still.
Harry dropped to his knees next to Draco, still holding the sword. Hermione and Sirius ran to join him, while the Weasleys hurried to see if Lucius was still conscious, and therefore dangerous.
Kneeling, Hermione put her hand on Draco's shoulder. He was still looking bluish, but his breathing seemed to be regular. She looked up at Sirius worriedly.
'Is he going to be all right?' she asked.
'I think he fainted from the pain,' said Sirius quietly.
Draco stirred, and his eyes opened. 'I did not,' he said. 'I don't faint.'
'That's right,' said Harry. 'You just decided to take a rest in the middle of all the excitement.'
Draco looked at Hermione. 'My father?'
'He's alive,' she said quickly. 'We Stunned him.'
Draco suddenly looked very, very tired. 'That's good.'
There were black shadows under his eyes. Hermione reached out and, very gently, touched his face. 'You were amazing,' she said. 'You really were.'
Draco looked at Harry. 'How did you get those ropes off?' he said.
Harry lifted the sword. 'Sliced them off on the edge of this,' he said, and Hermione saw that his wrists were cut and bleeding a little. 'And you know what else?' he added, and turned the sword over. 'I think your dad might have been right about you all being related to Slytherin.' He turned the blade so the others could see the words inscribed on the handle, just above the green gems: Salazar Slytherin.
'I always knew I was special,' said Draco, and shut his eyes again.
Harry looked at Hermione. He didn't look angry any more. Just tired, and worried, and sad.
'Good Summoning Charm, Hermione,' he said. 'Thanks.'
She nodded at him, not trusting herself to speak.
At that moment, Ron, Fred and George came up. Ron was walking ahead, Fred and George were dragging Lucius between them. Sirius glanced up at them.
'Put him in the back of the car,' he said.
