Now my charms are all o'erthrown,
And what strength I have's mine own,
Which is most faint. Now 'tis true
I must be here confined by you
- Prospero's Speech, The Tempest

June, 1997

The hex, red and bright in the darkness, streaked through the night, narrowly missing him on the left, and Draco swore he could feel the heat upon his pale cheek as it shot past. He wheeled instinctively with a curse on his lips and wand raised, his momentum causing his dark robes to swirl about his thin frame and his pale hair to fly wildly. Beside him, Professor Snape turned as well, his own wand leveled at their rushing opponent.

"Run, Draco!" the elder man shouted before advancing toward Potter, his tall, lithe body tight with tension and restrained rage.

Draco heeded his professor's words and ran. He ran like the hounds of hell nipped at his heels, with the air blazing in his lungs and his pale hair, wet from exertion, slapping against his face and stinging his eyes. Stress and fear propelled his naturally long stride further, until it felt as if he was nothing more than burning breath and aching limbs as everything was momentarily scoured away by the overwhelming need to reach the gates. There was no thought of future beyond leaving Hogwarts, where, should he be caught, he would surely be killed for his deeds- or worse. There was only the knowledge that he must escape. As he neared the looming gates, Draco raised his wand to the ready, preparing to Disapparate, and shot one last glance over his shoulder for Professor Snape.

It immediately became clear that his Head of House was in no danger from Potter, as the older man towered over the boy toppled on the ground, and so Draco felt no qualms about being the first to Disapparate from the scene. As he performed the incantation, his gaze fell on the dark towers of Hogwarts and their illuminated windows, knowing that it would be the last time he set eyes on the school. As the spell was completed and the world rushed around him, Draco Malfoy found himself oddly unsettled by the notion.