Voices Beyond the Veil - 3

"A Portkey?" Draco asked, sounding both alarmed and impressed. "So, she's still in the forest then?"

"Where did it take you?" Ginny asked, grabbing the hand of his uninjured arm and pacing with him. When she felt the blood on his hand from Snape's Hex, she mutely held it towards Hermione to be healed.

"To Voldemort," he replied. "Pansy followed us there. She'd made a bargain with Snape and Voldemort to spare you in return for handing me over to them."

Draco blanched. "The Dark Lord would never agree to that."

"No," Harry said simply, stopping and staring at Draco intently.

"He killed her then?" the Slytherin asked in a strained whisper.

"He reneged on his deal, then offered her a place in his ranks. She said not without you, so he killed her," Harry said, squaring his jaw. He knew he was hurting the other boy, but he felt he had to show him the callous truth. It was Voldemort's way or no way. There was no in between.

Draco dropped his head, clenching his eyes tightly.

"I'm sorry, Draco," Hermione said, her eyes bright. She gently reached out and placed her hand on his arm.

Draco nodded, firmly setting his jaw. His voice shook as he spoke, "She wanted us to have a chance for a future."

"By sacrificing Harry," Ron snapped, apparently unable to accept any grief over Pansy.

"She did the wrong thing, and I'll never forgive her for putting Harry through this, but I can understand her desperation," Ginny admitted grudgingly, her eyes sweeping over Harry.

"Voldemort wanted to keep me safe but out of the way," Harry said. "Snape brewed the Draught of Living Death, and they forced it down my throat."

"What?" Hermione shrieked.

"I spat it out without swallowing, but I think some of it was absorbed anyway. I don't feel so good," Harry said, listing to the side.

Ginny caught him and propped him back up.

Draco's head snapped up. He seemed stunned by the fact Harry was given the Draught and remained consciousness. "That's not good," he said. "You'll probably not recover from that. The antidote is supposed to be given instantaneously and all in one dose."

"Thanks, Draco," Harry replied dryly.

"How did you and Snape get here, then?" Hermione asked. "Did your stone somehow tell you where we were? Ginny's has been burning all evening." Her curiosity about the stones was visibly battling with her concern over Harry's condition.

"I don't know how that happened," Harry said truthfully. "My stone was burning, too. I panicked after Snape had given me the Draught, and I somehow broke the bonds that were holding me and got away. Snape and I were fighting over my wand on the floor of the cavern one minute, and the next minute we were here still fighting. The stone must have transported us like a Portkey."

"That's not possible," Hermione said, shaking her head. "It's just a legend, and it's only supposed to help you find one another. You must have Disapparated."

"No. It definitely had something to do with the stones," Harry said, shaking his head. "Voldemort was furious. I heard him bellowing when we disappeared. There were Anti-Apparation wards all over the place."

"Yeah, but it's not like you haven't done things that were supposedly impossible in the past," Ron said, shrugging.

"I don't know," Harry replied. "We don't have time to figure it out. Voldemort sent his troops to Hogwarts. He probably went there looking for me after I disappeared. What are we doing here, anyway?"

"We thought you might have slipped away from us to take on Voldemort alone," Ron said sheepishly.