Tell me that it's worth it
'Cause I'm doing all I can to fight it
And I've never been this scared
And my moment's finally here
I'm ready to give this all I have
'Cause I'm standing here alone
Trying to make this life my own
And nothing will keep this heart from beating
I'm still breathing
Where do we all find love?
Promise me some dignity
If I were to stand and die here
'Cause my heart is somewhere else
It's a pain I've never felt
[Still Breathing by Mayday Parade]
The night glared black with no specks of light peeking in the skies except a red glow waving in the distance behind them. He didn't know where he was going, past the brushes of trees, through the damp dirt hardening on the bottom of his shoes, it didn't matter. Draco ran, letting himself follow the black robes of Snape and Aunt Bellatrix lead the way.
His pale fists tore through the cold air, shakily clutching onto his wand. What had he done?
They ran and ran until, out of nowhere, someone took his arm and the dark Hogwarts grounds blurred in front of him.
Draco's legs collapsed beneath him and hit the dew covered grass. They arrived at the manor, just outside of their pearl gilded gates and the peacocks lazily skulking around inside them.
Each one slowly turned its head at the late night visitors, their bright luminous eyes staring as if to ask what was the purpose of their late night disturbance.
Draco turned away from their accusing stares and let his gaze fall to the ground.
"What is the meaning of this?" said a voice.
The light switched on and showed his father and mother coming down the stairs.
"Draco!" his mother rushed to hug him.
Comfort only made him stiffer, more repulsed at himself and what he had just done.
This, what they called, "accomplishment" was over and the entire conversation passed by his ears and thoughts so quickly that Draco soon found himself in his room.
With eyes heavy and every limb almost pulsing with the need for sleep, he sat at the edge of his bed and stared out at the black sky.
Four seventeen in the morning and yet again, Draco woke up, wiping the cold sweat at his hairline from what seemed like a horrid curse. He almost didn't mind the recurring and reliving nightmares that happened every night this summer so far. They were his punishment.
Each time, he uttered the same damned curse. He'd watch it, feeling satisfied when it struck her, when it knocked her down and killed Brooke Miller.
Getting up from the bed, Draco moved to the balcony. The bulge in his pocket reminded him of the annoying question posed since the top of the Astronomy tower. Draco took out the small bag and held the golden locket, letting it hang and twist in front of him.
The old man probably hoped giving it to him would spare his life.
Draco would have like to believe this, but he still found himself trying to connect the pieces as if the answer led back to her.
Maybe Dumbledore knew Draco was going to kill her. Tossing him the locket was a warning and an attempt to stop him, but he didn't.
"We'll go to Diagon Alley tomorrow for your school things?" his mother asked one morning at breakfast.
"I'm not going," replied Draco.
"You need fresh air, Draco," she said.
"I'm not going back to Hogwarts," he restated.
There was a scrape of fork against plate.
"Pardon me?"
"I'm not going back there," Draco repeated.
"What do you mean you're not going back?" his mother hissed, leaning forward. "Do you know what they are planning to do with this house?"
Of course he knew. Anyone residing in the household would know from the constant boasting from his father of how the Dark Lord designated the manor as headquarters.
"There is no reason for you not to go to school, Draco," she continued, "It will be safer there and with Severus in charge, there is nothing to worry about."
"I don't care," he said. "I'm not going."
His mother sighed stiffly. "I will speak with your father about this," she said, meaning for it to be a threat.
Draco stood up from the table and walked away.
/
One sugar cube dropped in the cup and she stirred. Then she dropped a couple more in and watched them dissolve.
Yawning, Brooke stretched her arms in front of her. After a month staying at Hermione's, she expected herself to be used to waking up as early as seven in the morning on a summer day.
The primary reason for her stay had been for the relocation of her mother, sister, brother in law and nephew. With the Ministry failing and beginning to be corrupted by Death Eaters, the Order decided to act quickly and relocate them elsewhere. Brooke only had a couple days at home before Mr. Weasley and Kingley showed up at the front door. They explained that although the location was under the Ministry in America, the Ministry in Britain still had files on their case and could easily access that information.
Thankfully, the move wasn't as big as leaving the country, however Brooke couldn't help but feel the twinge of guilt.
The second reason being at the Grangers' was for Hermione.
"So are you going to go through with it?" asked Brooke once Hermione sat back in her seat.
"Yes, I think so," she said regrettably. "It's the only foolproof way I can think of."
Mr. Weasley and Kingsley had also shown up at Hermione's.
Although a plan well thought of in the past two weeks had been set in Hermione's mind, not at all was she enthusiastic to pull through with it.
"What if I cast something wrong?" asked Hermione, anxiously staring into her lukewarm tea. "Or I can't reverse it?"
"Well, what if you don't do it at all?" replied Brooke.
Hermione groaned. "Oooh, I know, I know!"
The same conversation occurred multiple times in slightly different varieties until just before the month of August. It was time for them to leave and be at the Burrow the next day.
"Ready to say goodbye?" Brooke asked with their bags all piled in one place.
Nodding, Hermione held her wand in both hands nervously and went into the kitchen, where her mother and father sat for their usual morning breakfast.
To be polite, Brooke walked in the opposite direction, and settled for a spot next to the window.
Maybe it wasn't a big of a shock to leave her family since Brooke's had to be incognito for half of last year anyway. Hermione, however, was taking this much worse and it was understandable. The effects of the wizard world hadn't chanced to impact her parents until this very moment.
She had come back with a guilty expression.
"They just left for their flight," she said, sniffling, "I just need to grab one more thing."
Coming down from the stairs, Hermione placed the small beaded purse in her hands inside the last bit of space in her luggage.
This time, only Mr. Weasley was standing the nearest street corner, ready to apparate them to the Burrow. It looked the same with its high wooden walls, its slightly crooked standing and the dimly lit windows, however inside was more solemn than she remembered.
Mrs. Weasley was still cooking like mad in the kitchens, but she had a permanent shadow of worry upon her face, as did everyone. The night they planned to fly to Little Whinging, people in the Order arrived slowly, so as to not draw too much attention.
They left the same way they came. By twos and a pair every one minute in different directions. She got onto the broom and held onto Ron's brother Charlie for dear life. Flying wasn't a problem. Flying while another person controlled the way was another thing.
Soon, they landed in a quiet neighborhood nearby Tonks, Ron, Mr. Weasley, Fred, Moody and Mundungus. Quietly, the group waited until Kingsley, Hermione, Lupin, George, Bill and Fleur arrived. Another five minutes passed before they walked up to the back door to see Harry.
Immediately, she, Ron, and Hermione flung their arms around him and the elated greetings moved on into the kitchen.
With the extra inch taller and some peculiar change in his face, he looked older, especially now with the house to himself.
"How're you doing, mate?" said Ron, his hand on Harry's shoulder. Despite Harry's growth, Ron still had a couple inches over him.
"Great," he smiled, "I didn't realize all of you were coming."
"Well, of course we would," she said, "We all wanted to come and see you."
"Among other things," included Hermione.
"Alright, alright, we'll have time for a cozy catch-up later!" roared Moody over the chatter. "As Dedalus probably told you, we had to abandon Plan A. So we're going to use the only means of transport left to us: brooms, thestrals, and Hagrid's motorbike."
"…Fourteen of us flying to Tonks's parents'?" Harry said skeptically.
"Ah, I forgot to mention the key point. There will be seven Harry Potters moving through the skies tonight, each of them with a companion, each pair heading for a different safe house." Moody, then, took out the flask filled with Polyjuice Potion.
"No!" Harry said loudly. "No way!"
"I told them you'd take it like this," said Hermione.
"If you think I'm going to let six people risk their lives-" "-because it's the first time for all of us," smiled Ron.
"This is different, pretending to be me-"
"Everyone here's overage, Potter, and they're all prepared to take the risk," growled Moody.
Brooke was more than willing to take the risk. After the previous year, she decided that there is only one thing she would be satisfied doing and it wasn't sitting around Hogwarts. Helping Harry became her first priority.
After minutes of rushed persuasion, it finally occurred to Harry that Moody's plan was the only way any of the fourteen of them would take him safely to the Burrow.
Taking the glass of golden liquid, Brooke chugged the warm, almost sweet contents. Immediately she felt her skin start to mold out of shape to let her arms grow bigger and her legs get longer. Her scalp felt pressured like a headache, but saw that her dark hair was growing backwards. It wasn't long before she saw Harry staring back at her through the reflection on the kitchen counter.
"You don't look so great in this sweater, Harry," she joked. He only looked mildly amused behind the uncertainty he took to the plan.
"You guys don't have to do this," he said to her. "There are a million things that could go wrong."
"Which is why we need to do this," she replied, grabbing the backpack with better fitting clothes. "If this is what it takes for you to make it out of this place with us, then that's what we have to do."
After she, Ron, Hermione, Fleur, Fred, George, and Mundungus became convincing Harry Potters, they got into their pairs and prepared to take off.
"You good to go back there?" asked Charlie.
"Yep," she nodded, holding on tight around his waist and hoping the extra weight wouldn't make it easier to fall off the broom.
"Good luck, everyone," shouted Moody. "See you all in about an hour at the Burrow. On the count of three. One…two…three!"
Kicking off the ground, they sped up into the air, heading straight towards the Burrow. Since Charlie spent the majority of his time in Romania, knowing directions in England wasn't the best of his abilities. Rather, flying was his charm.
Before they could speed off as fast as they came, about thirty hooded figures had surrounded them.
"What?" she said breathlessly.
Without a word, Charlie swerved and flew as fast as he could, avoiding the shower of green light. She didn't even bother looking back. Her eyes automatically scanned for clear pathways and routes to avoid the Death Eaters, while her arms held on tighter.
A black figure swooped in front of them.
"Stupefy!" she yelled in Harry's voice and the Death Eater lost balance on his broom to avoid the spell. It occurred to her that with both the Death Eater and her own disguise, it could be anyone underneath that hood.
There was only one more Death Eater trailing after them. Brooke almost didn't want to shoot spells and instead, simply reach out to take their mask off. All she needed to do was a summoning spell.
Shaking her head, she knew she couldn't be distracted.
"Hold on!" shouted Charlie.
They sped up even more until the city below became a glowing blur. The side of the bridge approached faster and faster. She hoped Charlie could even see the part of the bridge within the darkness.
Suddenly, they jerked to the right and heard a painful clang of flesh on metal.
The others were out of sight and the two decided it would be best to keep pushing for the Burrow.
She breathed out as she saw Hagrid towering amongst a smaller group of people. Once their feet touched the ground, Lupin grabbed her by the neck of her sweater. By now the Polyjuice Potion had worn off and it hung past her waist.
"What animal can you transfigure into!" he yelled.
"A-a tiger," she said, startled.
"Show me!"
Unsure of her concentration at the time, Brooke easily transfigured and shook herself off from his grip.
Lupin sighed.
"What in the bloody hell was that all about?" asked Charlie.
"I'm sorry," said Lupin, "but someone must have betrayed us. They knew we were transporting Harry on this very night."
"Harry!" she exclaimed and threw her arms around him. "Where's everyone else?"
"This is everyone," he said solemnly. "Except George's inside. He's…"
Brooke frowned.
"Wait, what? What's happened to George?" Charlie asked, rushing to inside the Burrow while the rest followed.
Mrs. Weasley was busy, kneeling at the couch. Brooke could make out the red hair and the bloody mess being cleaned up.
"He'll be fine, just lost an ear," she sniffed with her hands shaking. "Oh, Charlie. Thank goodness there's not a scratch on you."
Another thump on the ground outside, and the seven of them, including Ginny, ran out to the front of the house to see Hermione and Kingsley.
Hermione shakily, but gratefully slid off of the thestral and ran towards them.
"Are the rest of them inside? Where's Ron?" she asked, peering behind them.
"You guys came just after us," replied Brooke.
"The last words Albus Dumbledore spoke to the pair of us?" said Kingsley with his wand pointed between Lupin's eyes.
"'Harry is the best hope we have. Trust him,'" spoke Lupin.
Convinced, Kingsley stashed his wand back into his robes.
"Well somebody gave us away. They knew, they knew it was tonight!"
"So it seems," replied Lupin, "but apparently they did not realize that there would be seven Harry's."
"And You-Know-Who was there, too. As with Snape," added Kingsley.
"Snape?" shouted Harry. "You didn't say-"
"Lost his hood during the chase. Sectumsempra was always a specialty of Snape's."
Brooke gulped, trying to repress her curious thoughts. She turned her eyes toward the sky, waiting for any sign the others were still alive.
"Give us a hand, Harry?" called Hagrid from the door.
With Kingsley, Lupin and George in a whispered conversation a few feet away, she and Hermione stood silently.
"Are you alright?" Hermione asked hesitantly.
"Hm?" Brooke blinked. "Oh, of course."
"There were a lot of Death Eaters surrounding us," said Hermione. "Do you think…do you think Draco was there too?"
A lurch in her stomach made her think she was about to throw up at the sound of his name. Brooke hadn't heard it out loud all summer. But the idea occurred to her the second she realized they were Death Eaters.
Brooke shrugged and walked back into the Burrow.
A crunch on the grass told her another pair survived.
"I'll prove who I am, Kingsley, after I've seen my son, now back off if you know what's good for you!"
Mr. Weasley stormed past Kingsley and Lupin with Fred following quickly after him. Leaving the Weasleys alone, Brooke leaned on the side of the door.
A couple feet away from her, Hermione stared distantly at the huddle of red hair around George. Although Hermione was concerned about George as well, Brooke knew she couldn't help but thinking about where Ron was.
"Hermione," she said suddenly, staring at the broom heading towards the ground.
"It's them!" she yelled and rushed out the door.
Tonks and Ron landed, looking tired and ruffled, but alright nonetheless. Hermione flung her arms around Ron.
"You're okay," mumbled Harry, smiling feebly.
"I thought-" gasped Hermione, slightly muffled by Ron's shoulder.
"M'all right," said Ron, patting her on the back. "M'fine."
Brooke smiled at him, relieved.
Their reunion was cut short when a thestral's cry moved their attention on Bill and Fleur's much delayed arrival. Fleur's silvery hair was frizzed in a couple places and her face looked tear stricken and shocked.
"Bill! Thank God, thank God-" called Mrs. Weasley, grasping her son.
"Mad-Eye's dead," he said stiffly to his father.
Silence wiped across them immediately, wondering whether they had heard him correctly. It began to feel more real than Brooke had wanted. She'd been focused all summer, practicing her Animagus and even looking through some of the spell books Hermione had around her house, almost excited for what they would be doing.
Only now did the reality of the situation hit her. George had his ear blown off.
And Mad-Eye was dead.
A/N: Hi! I know it's been so longg. My month long break turned into 3 months. I'm so sorry! But hopefully, I can get in the chapters quickly. This first chapter wasn't my favorite, I have to admit, because it's quite in line with J.'s book (to whom, I give full credit to except Brooke Miller). But I promise promise promise that this last book is quite different than what I've written before and focuses heavily on Brooke and Draco rather than Harry's quest and the Deathly Hallows.
Anyway, please review. It doesn't have to be about this chapter specifically, just about the characters, or expectations or past stories. Please review, it helps me to see if people are actually reading or not. :) Thanks! 3