He advanced, and Hermione could only watch in terror as Draco countered every curse, each one coming quicker than the last. The walls rattled as she tried to channel her magic to help him.

Dolohov's eyes shot to her, and with a flick of his wand, a red light came barreling at her chest—

White hot fire lit up her skin. Her bones were splitting open, her throat clogged with lava as she screamed.

The curse lifted, and she panted on the floor, her muscles still seizing, the pain still rippling.

Yelling filled her ears. She dragged herself to her knees and crawled.

Dolohov stood over Draco, his back facing her. Draco was screaming, writhing on the ground.

Her heart stopped. Her legs shook as she pushed herself to stand, ready to throw herself at him. Anything to make him stop screaming.

She took an unsteady step forward as her mind whirred, begging her to think — and her eyes caught on Draco's hawthorn wand, just feet away.

Her knees almost buckled as she scrambled for it, snatching it off the floor and dragging her body upright again. Draco's screams slashed through her like a knife as she lifted his wand.

"Avada Kedavra."

There was a crack. A fissure. A chill swam through her chest, and then — a ringing silence.

Dolohov's body crumpled.

Draco was panting, catching his breath. She told her legs to run to him. But a piece of her was escaping…

A shard falling away.

She stared down the end of the wand, wondering where it went.

Draco stumbled to his feet, sweating and shaking. He stared at her with something burning in his eyes.

Sound returned to her, echoing in her ears. Draco looked toward the doorway, and she realized the noise was coming from outside, running up the steps.

Draco staggered to her, grabbed the wand from her fingertips, and aimed it at Dolohov just as Rabastan and Rookwood burst through the blown-out doorway.

It was silent again.

Rookwood stepped forward. "What happened here?"

"I found him assaulting my Lot. I confronted him, and he attacked me. Check his wand."

"Fuck." Rabastan pried Dolohov's wand from his grip and performed Prior Incantato. Spells burst from the tip, one after another. Cruciatus, hexes, Killing Curses.

Rookwood stared down at Dolohov's corpse. His expression was pinched. "The Dark Lord won't like this, Draco."

Draco cleared his throat. "Am I not to defend myself when my life and my property is endangered?"

"Still. You'll need to explain this to him. Why it came to this," Rookwood said, and Rabastan cursed again. "He's traveling this evening, and I'm not sure when he'll return. But when he does, I'll have to inform him."

Draco nodded. "I need to get my Lot home."

Rabastan tore his gaze from Dolohov's corpse. "Go home, Draco. We'll take care of the body."

"I'll come by in the morning," said Rookwood.

Draco nodded again.

Rookwood's eyes followed them across the room as Draco tugged her to the fireplace. He summoned the Floo powder and called out for Malfoy Manor.