It was the first year. Everybody knew that they would do something. Something bad. But this? It was completely unexpected. Death-eaters were meant to put you under the cruciatus curse and watch while you convulsed on the floor, while you slowly lost your mind. But this? It was more than insane... People guessed that they would overthrow the Ministry but nobody thought they'd see the day where students would have to fight against each other- twenty four of us. Only one survivor.

"If we come face to face in the arena, is what I'm talking about. We won't end up being able to kill each other." I said, looking back in front. "That's why we're not enemies."


"You may not kill me, Granger, but I won't hesitate to do what it takes to win this." Despite the coldness of the words, they didn't hold enough of the Malfoy malice for me to actually believe them.

I had blood on my hands. That was a fact. One I couldn't dodge.

Charley's words rang through my mind- "You're going to watch people get slaughtered. You're going to have to kill. You can't allow your emotions to take over at any point." 

One slow step after the other, I watched as she reached her friends. She fell to her knees beside them. She doubled over. And she cried. 

I could say nothing. I could do nothing. At times like this, there is nothing one can do to make it better. The pain hits. And it stays. It does not go no matter what words are spoken. No matter what reason is given. 

"Damn you, Malfoy." I spat. "No one's asking you to come with me. I know we have no trust between us but I thought it was established that we didn't exactly want each other dead. And the fact remains that you've saved my life more than once so if you think I'm heartless enough to want you dead after everything, then- then just forget it. You go your way and I'll go mine." I pulled my arm out of his grasp and turned on my heel, walking away. 

The squawking was getting maddening. It was making my head hurt as it blared through my ears.

Almost there...

Malfoy held his hand out. I grasped it. He pulled me towards him and then pushed me through the hole and then moved to roll the rock to cover the entrance. The rock began covering the hole and just as he was about to slide inside, I heard him hiss with pain.

They were so busy that they didn't hear the metal door slide open before it was too late. "What is going on in here?" Evvie and Charley's heads snapped towards the entrance where two death eaters stood, their wands out.

"Charley Avons and Evvie?" One of them asked, his wand lowering for a moment.

"Stupefy!" Evvie said, knocking him to the floor.

"Avada Kedavra!"

I went up to the only place I knew nobody really knew about. I walked up the stairs and into the square room, the three walls made of glass showing the same view it had been showing the last time I had been here. It was the one thing that hadn't changed. The streets were still lit up and busy with the evening rush hour and people moving about for dinner and stumbling down the streets with friends or by themselves. Not one thing looked different. Not even the dark night's sky and stars seemed to have changed colour or moved position.

He smiled gratefully before gesturing to Malfoy to swap. The two gracefully moved into each other's places. Malfoy placed one hand lightly on my waist and took my hand in his other. I placed my hand on his shoulder. He was shorter than Charley was at least.

"Five galleons that Evvie and Charley are you know-" Malfoy smirked, wagging his eyebrows suggestively. I found myself fighting a smile. It was always him.

"That is cheap, Malfoy. Mind your own business."

"Who goes there?" Blaise just about had enough time to push Luna into a dark alley before a wand was lit in his face. The ugly face of a death eater stared at him.

"Who are you?" The man spat at him. His eyes narrowed. "Aren't you that Zabini boy? The one whose mother was with us? Useless lady?" Blaise grit his teeth together, his hand slipping inside his pocket and clutching his wand.

"I swore there was another one!" Another hoarse voice said from somewhere near. "A girl, I think."

"Thank you." She said. He watched them climb through the door and down the ladder. Taking a deep breath and hoping that nobody was left behind, he used his wand to set fire to the room. He hurried upstairs to the main floor and began spreading the fire throughout the Inn. A death eater burst through the front door and he raised his wand, prepared. They would not know of the Resistance. Not while he was still alive.

"Look at me." He said, his voice gentle. I looked at him through blurry eyes. "I'm not going to leave you. Okay?" I nodded numbly, wiping my tears with my sleeve. He suddenly began coughing. "Call Andr-" He fell into a coughing fit and I watched with wide eyes, frozen.


"Andromeda!" I heard Neville call, leaving the hut. Arms wrapped around my shoulder and I was pulled out of the hut quickly.


"You don't want to see this."

An explosion from above sent houses breaking to rubble and trees falling. We kept our ground, wands at the ready. The next explosion, though, was the worst and we knew it would be the last. The skies began disappearing- turning from dark velvety blue to brown mixed with a dirty grey, the nature died in an instant and finally, three-fourth of the area caught fire with no particular source. The magic had been stripped away. The Resistance was no longer alive. It was time.

And then I opened my eyes- everything was black at first but then as soon as the blackness came, it went. It was replaced by bright white that made me cringe, my eyes fly shut and my head hurt. I opened them slowly again, trying my best to breath evenly. The pain was making it extremely difficult.