A deafening blanket of silence fell over the courtyard. Astoria stood frozen from head to toe, her blood threatening to halt in her veins. The large crowd of masked Death Eaters stood ominously behind their leader. His milky white skin standing out against the dark cloaks like the moon in a sky of pure evil and death. Astoria's eyes fell on one particular masked figure; the long wisps of white blew in the silent wind revealing their identity. Astoria felt her blood pumping faster then ever as she stared into the eyes of Lucius Malfoy. His body had grown thin and frail but he still stood with the stink of superiority. Narcissa Malfoy stood stooped and shaking from fear and sobs, Her eyes were searching the crowd and fell on Astoria. Astoria felt the pain of Narcissa flow through the woman's grey eyes into her soul. She had not chosen this for her son; he was in the crowd of frightened Hogwarts students but unlike everyone else, he would soon be joining the Death Eaters.
Narcissa dropped her eyes to the floor, groping for her husbands hand she squeezed tightly against his unresponsive fingers. Astoria robes hung onto her frail frame. Tears scattered over the sleeves, blood splattered over her Slytherin emblem. Astoria forced herself to look Voldemort in his red eyes, he cackled to the crowd. The sound echoed around the pillars taunting the huddle of teenagers, Astoria tensed her fists against his amusement. How could a person so willing to kill thousands, have the capacity to feel emotions? Let alone find humour in the death of a 17-year-old boy. Harry Potter's body lay splayed out on the stone floor of the courtyard, blood covered his body and his wand laid metres away from him.
"HARRY POTTER IS DEAD!" Astoria shut her eyes as a single tear rolled down her cheek. The cheer of the Death Eaters was deafening in her ears. The last hours all Astoria had heard were the screams of dying children and teachers. Her eyes were squeezed tight against the Death Eaters enjoyment. "You will now take orders from me. Now, as any good leader would, I will give you all one chance to make a choice. Either stay with your remaining teachers and blood-traitors, or join me, and survive."
Astoria's eyes opened scanning the crowd and everyone remained still. Astoria saw the tip of a white-blonde head a few people away from her and she froze. He had stayed. Despite his own parents waiting for him to fight with them, he had remained. Astoria's heart rose as he turned his head to her and they locked eyes. His face was fearfully pale and sunken under his cheekbones. He had been fighting. Fighting for whom, she didn't know. A deep gash tore into his right eyebrow, covering the side of his face in blood. Astoria stepped closer to him and he did the same. Astoria returned her eyes to the Voldemort, his eyes were scanning the crowd and they stopped on her. She refused to look away; faking a confidence in her she wouldn't have been able to muster without Draco so close. Voldemort smirked at her and looked behind him to two Death Eaters in particular. Astoria followed his gaze and her eyes fell on the two people should have rather died then see waiting for her.
"Astoria and Daphne. Your parents are wondering where you are?" Voldemort chuckled as students in the crowd gasped. Her parents had never been named as Death Eaters to the public. To Hogwarts the Greengrass' were one of the good Pureblood families. Astoria shut her eyes against the boring eyes of her peers, tears threatening at her eyes. She felt herself begin to crumble at the heart; her body grew weak and shook slightly. Her grip on her wand grew so light that it dropped to the floor and the people around her jumped at the sound. A strong hand suddenly gripped Astoria's frail palm, pulling her out of a downward spiral. She looked to her side seeing Draco squeezing her hand reassuringly.
Everything will be ok. I'm here.
Draco's lips moved silently and Astoria felt warmth return to her body. Her eyes returned to Voldemort, his face had grown angry as he watched Astoria remain with the Hogwarts students. He paced across the Death Eaters with all eyes on him.
"Draco Malfoy, come and join us. Where you belong." Draco stiffened in his place. Astoria gripped his hand just as tightly as he had hers. Astoria watched Narcissa sob quietly in her spot, Lucius ignoring her cries. Draco's face was stone, his eyes locked on his mother. He pulled his hand out of Astoria's fingers and began to stride across the courtyard. Astoria stood stunned as she watched him push the crowd of students out of his way. Tears began to stream down her face and her feet began running after him.
"Draco, please!" Astoria grabbed Draco's arm pulling him back to her. She clawed at his shirt to stop herself from falling to the floor. His large hands gripped her shoulders holding her still.
"I have to Astoria." Astoria looked in Draco's eyes through her stream of tears. Her sobs filled the courtyard as everyone watched the scene. Draco turned to his mother who was sobbing so hard she had dropped onto her knees. "She needs me."
"I need you Draco! Please don't do it! He hasn't won! He can't have!" Astoria yelled into Draco's chest as he tried to force her off him.
Draco stopped fighting her and Astoria wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. He cupped her face and kissed her softly, Astoria felt the presence of the Death Eaters disappear. She forgot about the war, about the many cuts and bruises on her body and the fact that she was about to die. Draco pulled away resting his forehead against hers.
"I need you too, but this isn't about us anymore." Draco let go of Astoria and she fell to her knees in the rubble of her second home. Astoria's eyes were squeezed shut, tears flowing furiously down her bloody cheeks. She listened painfully as Draco's footsteps grew quieter.
"You have made the right choice Draco. You are strongest when alone." Astoria forced her eyes open and saw Voldemort resting a hand on Draco's shoulder. He continued to his mother, all his thoughts on her. He pulled her from the floor, wrapping a secure arm around her.
Astoria could hear Narcissa's sobbed apologies and cries from the rubble. She sat frozen to the ground, watching the boy she loved join the dark side. Voldemort was watching Draco with a proud look. The frame of a girl began to stride across the tense courtyard. Astoria turned and saw and the dark brown hair of her older sister Daphne. Astoria tried to force herself to her feet but they refused to move. She fell into the rubble with a loud crash, catching Voldemort's attention. His eyes fell on Daphne and his brow furrowed.
"I recall, calling for you Daphne, did I not?" Voldemort's voice drawled in Astoria ears. His tone was threatening and she knew what was about to happen. Draco's head snapped up as he watched his classmate freeze halfway between the students and the Death Eaters.
"I- I'm sorry." Daphne stuttered her voice filled with terror.
"I gave you your chance Miss Greengrass and you did not take it." Voldemort began to raise his wand and Daphne's face fell. Astoria climbed to her feet and began running for her sister, no wand in hand. Draco watched Astoria run across the courtyard frozen with terror as Voldemort tightened his grip on his wand. "Avada Kedavra!"
Daphne's body fell the floor limp, heavy and dead.
"NO!" Astoria skidded on her knees to her sister's side. She pulled her sisters body into her lap, forcing her face towards her own. "No, no, no. Please, no. This can't be happening." Astoria whispered to her sister's dead eyes as she sobbed uncontrollably, her tears flowing from her eyes, dropping onto Daphne's cold cheeks. Cries emitted from the students as they watched the scene. Daphne's limp body rocked in Astoria's arms, her cries filling the courtyard. Astoria lifted her eyes to Voldemort who was smiling down at the two sisters on the floor.
"YOU DID THIS! YOU KILLED MY SISTER!" Astoria screamed with fury. She dropped her sister's body to the floor running at Voldemort. Before she had travelled a few metres her body filled with complete anguish. Every single nerve seared in fiery hot pain, her body crashing to the floor shaking violently. Her screams of agony filled the ears of everyone watching and then just as suddenly as it had started, it stopped.
Astoria felt a pair of arms wrap around her and she was being pulled from the floor. Her vision blurred around the edges of the person hovering over her, she blinked away her tears of pain to see that face. His face.
"Get off me!" Astoria fell back to the scraping stone floor. Her father on his knees at her side his face blank of emotions. Astoria's mother lay over the dead body of Daphne, crying furiously. Astoria filled with fury, finding her strength she pushed her father to the floor pulling herself to her feet.
"Get away from her! This is your fault!" Astoria growled, she pulled her mother off Daphne's body thrusting her away. Astoria claimed the space at her sisters side, tightly holding her cold hand.
"Astoria please… We've lost her too." Astoria snapped her head to the two people she hated most in the world. Her mother was a wreck, her face wet with tears and her robes covered in dust and patches. Her father stood proudly with his family, over his first child's corpse.
"Lost her? We didn't lose her. You took her. The reason she's d- dead is you! Why do you think she would be walking to join you two? He would have killed us. Yet you're still supporting him! He's now killed your eldest daughter and I'm guessing I'll be next. But will that make you stop?" Astoria was crying heavily as her parents stood unresponsive.
"Astoria, I would not curse you with the same fate as your sister. You can still be saved." Voldemort stood mere feet away from the Greengrass family, watching the youngest of them intently. "I can understand that you must have been scared, you are only 16 and were so obviously worried about leaving Draco. But you can join him now, if you like?"
Astoria watched Voldemort stop at her side; holding out his hand for her to take. Draco eyes locked with Astoria's his mother still securely under his arm, he nodded to her. Astoria raised her face to look at the Dark Lord, she was totally eclipsed by his shadow and she lifted her hand to his. He lifted her from the ground smiling at her kindly; his blatantly fake expression of emotion sent a shiver up Astoria spine. She hurried away from her parents to the large crowd of dark faces. Narcissa pushed away from Draco; he took the chance to pull Astoria into his strong chest. His arms wrapped lovingly around her frame, Astoria let herself crumble into his embrace allowing the tears from her sister stream never-endingly down her cheeks. She sobbed into his robes feeling his shaky breathe on her forehead. His heart was wearing thin, he had seen too many people die, too many friends. He had seen more people die that day then some soldiers see in their entire career. But he was a soldier, a soldier for his family. He fought for his mother and we has fighting so people like Astoria didn't have to watch others die.
Lucius Malfoy watched his son embracing the young Astoria like he, himself, had to hold Narcissa when Andromeda left. His body filled with a familiar regret and his heart sunk. Narcissa's shaky fingers entwined with his and he squeezed them tightly. Lucius pulled Draco to his side and held his face in his hands, they at each other like they used to when Draco had admired his father in his youth. Draco used to see Lucius as the best a man could be, but Lucius was now the shell of a man. He had failed at being a father to Draco and failed at being a husband to Narcissa. But was not giving up.
"Draco. Take her and your mother and get out." Draco's tear-shot eyes stayed on his father.
"What about you?" Draco whispered; his voice drenched with worry. His father shook his head violently.
"No. You will be better off without me… This is goodbye my son." Lucius' voice cracked as his pride crumbled and he pulled his son into a tight embrace. Draco returned his father's hold and let a tear roll down his face. He pulled away, grabbing Astoria's hand.
"No, this isn't goodbye. I will see you again." Draco words were as certain as the sun's shine. Lucius smiled weakly pulling Narcissa closely to him. He looked into her eyes like they were young again, even in war times she still remained to be the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Their lips connected like a jigsaw puzzle, Narcissa letting all her love for Lucius flow into his soul. Narcissa pulled away from the kiss resting her hand on Lucius' cheek.
"Be strong my love." A tear rolled silently down Lucius' cheek. Draco's fingers entwined in his mothers and she smiled up at him reassuringly.
Draco then pulled the two women he loved most away from the war of Hogwarts. Away from the hundreds of children who were about to be brutally murdered, away from the expectations of being a pureblood, away from Voldemort.