RATED M: for adult language, sexual situations, and violence.
WARNING: Please be aware of the darkish/angsty nature of this story. We are dealing with a post-war world, and the Death Eaters we will encounter bring with them unsavory topics which can sometimes be triggering to readers. Out of the Flames might have murder, death of major canon characters, torture, discussions of previous suicide attempts, brief allusions to rape/attempted rape, drug abuse/addiction, birth trauma, and general Death Eater drama. These topics will be handled with sensitivity and will not be overly detailed or gratuitous. This will be your only warning.
DISCLAIMER: We do not own Harry Potter. We bow down to kiss the robes of J.K. Rowling for loaning us her characters in this tale of a Dramione romance, but she holds the copyright, and we do not profit off of this story in any way. Any Harry Potter themes, elements, or characters that are recognizable to the reader are JKR's alone.
THANKS: This story would not be possible without the incredible team of people who support us and push us to make this story something excellent. Each of these women have helped in various ways, including alpha reading, beta reading and editing, creating aesthetics and art, Brit picking, promoting and recommending, and generally keeping us going when we have felt unable to do our ideas justice. We are forever indebted to you! goldensnitch18, olivieblake, thewaterfalcon, I was BOTWP, Clairebellaou, ErisAceso. SO MUCH LOVE.
We are also so thankful for the supportive and encouraging community of fanfiction friends we have met online; without them, we would not be writing this together! If you are also looking for such type of community please search for Home Away From Hogwarts on Facebook. We would love to have you join us!
~ Love, oblivionbaby and RooOJoy ~
OUT OF THE FLAMES
BY PhoenixTwins
CHAPTER ONE
Dust, bits of shattered stone, splintered wood, broken bodies, and the horrifying smell of blood littered the cold stone floor. The Great Hall was was unrecognizable. He could hardly see through the thickness of it all. The sounds that came from every corner of the room were filled with pain and fear. Fear of dying, fear of being overcome, fear of what was next. As he watched the Dark Lord strike every man, woman, and child that came close, he found himself flooded with that same fear. Draco Malfoy didn't want to die, but he didn't want to live under this madman either.
He cowered in the corner behind an upturned bench; being wandless during this battle was a death wish, and he swore to Salazar himself to somehow get out of this alive. He wasn't sure where any of his allies were. Where were Blaise and Theo? Where did his parents go? They were all standing right next to him when Neville cut Nagini's head off, but his body moved him without recognition, and he was separated from them.
From out of the kitchens, house-elves swarmed the battle, and it became harder to hide inconspicuously along the wall as the fear of being noticed grew. He watched, somewhat disconnected, as Yaxley hit the ground, and as Macnair flew through the air hitting the stone wall with a sickening sound, blood leaking from his hairline as he slid to the floor. The Dark Lord stood in the center of the room cackling with mad glee as he battled McGonagall, Slughorn, and Kingsley.
Draco heard the unmistakable sound of fury and turned to watch as Molly Weasley thundered across the floor, panting heavily as she stormed into the duel closest to him. "NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!"
Bellatrix, his unstable aunt, was throwing curse after curse at Molly Weasley. Bellatrix's face was an easy shade of cream, showing no sign of strain and even a bit of pleasure. The light danced between the two witches as they aimed curses to maim and kill.
She taunted the Weasley matriarch. "What will happen to your children when I've killed you? When Mummy's gone the same way as Freddie?"
Draco had never seen such a change in a person before. He watched as Molly's face turned red with the effort of fighting and she swore, "You - will - never - touch - our - children - again!"
Bellatrix threw her head back in twisted delight, dark hair tumbling down her back. He watched as a curse flew straight into her chest, her head still back from her maniacal laughter, eyes widening with the realization of what her opponent had just done. She crumpled to the ground, dead. She would not be grieved by him or anyone else, and he did not feel the slightest pang of guilt over that fact.
Draco could not believe his eyes. He never thought anyone could be more terrifying or threatening than his aunt, except, of course, Lord Voldemort himself; but Molly Weasley defending her family was one to rival that title.
The Light was going to win this, he concluded to himself, hope springing up amidst the terror in him. He only needed to stay hidden and ride this out long enough to stay alive, and then he would be free. He didn't want to be in this fight; this is not what he signed up for, what felt like centuries ago, when he took that Mark. The Dark Lord was supposed to be the answer to their family's safety and restoration of their good name among purebloods. However, this battle, he was painfully aware, was suicide. Just stay down, and you'll survive.
Time passed slowly and quickly, all at once. His thoughts of survival were the background to his quiet, and seemingly calm observation of the pandemonium ensuing around him. He should be more panicked than he was, but logic and reason don't really insert themselves into war, and Draco couldn't be bothered to remove his feet from the spot against the wall where he stood frozen. He looked to the woman who had taken down Bellatrix Lestrange and met the eyes of her daughter Ginevra Weasley; full of fire and something else he couldn't place. He noticed there was no fear in her eyes, like so many surrounding them. Their contact only lasted a second, preventing him from understanding what emotion replaced her fear. His misplaced curiosity was interrupted by a chilling shriek which shattered through the air, filling the entire room with dread, as Voldemort screamed in angst at his most loyal servant's defeat.
"PROTEGO!"
Craning his neck so fast it was painful, he shifted to stare at the voice that cast a Shield Charm from the center of the room. Harry Potter was emerging from under a cloak. People all around were whispering his name, some shouting, "He's alive!" The voices were immediately stifled as Voldemort and Harry began to circle one another. Almost every scrimmage paused as the Great Hall took notice of the two enemies finally meeting. Draco watched as they conversed, his thoughts shifting in and out as he tried to focus on their words while hazily considering the implications of them. They were talking of love, and power, Dumbledore and Snape, and then of wands; the Elder Wand. Wasn't that a child's story? Are we fucking reading bedtime stories while people bleed all around us? Moments later, Draco unmistakably heard his name as he was torn from his rumination. "The true master of the Elder Wand was Draco Malfoy."
He leaned against the stone wall as he cowered in fear, the reality of what was happening crashing in around him.
Voldemort replied to Harry's latest statement with complete confidence, "But what does it matter? Even if you are right, Potter. It makes no difference to you and me. You no longer have the phoenix wand. We duel on skill alone… and after I have killed you, I can attend to Draco Malfoy…"
Draco noticed all feeling fall from his body. His legs gave way, and he slid to his backside on the debris covered floor. The Dark Lord will not stop till I am dead. I have to run. I have to leave. Thoughts of survival shifted Draco's being, motivating him to flee, and he hastily scrambled to his feet. As soon as he moved to leave his hiding spot, the blazing light of the rising sun shone down through the highest windows in the Great Hall. Draco's opportunity for escape was cut off as the sun's light struck his eyes and obscured his vision, causing him to fall to the ground once more. It felt like hours, but it was probably only seconds, when he heard Voldemort's curse, and collected himself enough to see the green light head towards the Boy Who Lived. The prominent lightning bolt scar on his sweat slicked forehead was evidence of his surviving this same curse years ago. The Boy, who was now a powerful wizard in his own right, could survive again; he had to. The green light was dispersed with a golden light from Harry's wand. Their wands seemed to connect to each other, fighting for dominance over one another as if they acted with their own power. Draco was hypnotized for a breath as he watched this strange magic take place before him; it was unlike anything he had ever seen or heard of. The mingling of their magic blinded the transfixed crowd, and Draco snapped his eyes tightly shut. He could feel a distinct chill in the air despite the warmth of the sun's golden rays empowering the Hall. All sounds were stripped from the room as the weight of incredibly powerful magic trembled around them in perfect silence.
As the wand's light faded, the voices began to return around him. Whispers of, "Is he dead?" and, "No, he can't be," and, "Round them up. This doesn't end here."
Chaos broke out from the resulting duel. He watched, dumbstruck, as Death Eaters tore their masks of and began to fight in earnest. They attacked children like they would their peers, throwing Dark Curses at anyone who crossed their paths. Draco didn't know where to turn to exit the upheaval, and he frantically searched for an opening in the ferocious mob.
"Draco, run! We have to get out of here." Blaise Zabini was suddenly there pulling him by his arm towards the doors of the Great Hall. He felt the surge of people around him, some running, others fighting, most falling to their deaths. As he found himself slipping from the devastated rubble of where he used to eat meals with his classmates, he couldn't help but look back at the destruction. His eyes focused on a body in the center of the room. A head of black hair was hardly noticeable as a sobbing form draped themselves over Harry's lifeless body; her wild, golden curls splayed over Harry's face as she buried her head in his neck. He didn't have time to observe anything more as he was firmly yanked into the Entrance Hall.
Once in the Entrance Hall, they began fighting their way towards the massive oak doors. Flashes of all colors danced around them as hexes and curses were flying everywhere, rebounding off walls and Shield Charms, and then ricocheting into the crowd. Draco saw a red light heading their way from the staircase, and he pulled Blaise down to the ground just in time to have the hex hit the Slytherin hourglass causing emeralds to rain down across the floor.
"Well, well, well, who do we have here? Running away, are we boys?"
Draco and Blaise looked up into the enormous face of Rodolphus Lestrange. Having seen this man on many occasions, Draco knew he was not a man to go up against. This man was spoon fed by his wife and Lord. They were able to keep him chained to do their bidding, but in return, they gave him every indulgence of his sociopathic wants and needs. Now that they were gone what would become of him? Who would he become now that the leash had been taken off?
Draco donned his best sneer, one that came naturally even in the fear of death, and lifted his face to answer the unmasked Death Eater.
"Actually, Uncle, we are headed to the grounds to round up the remaining traitors. Come help us."
He noticed that Blaise held his breath next to him, nails digging into his arm. Rodolphus noticed Blaise's demeanor as well, and turned to him. "You, boy. Who are you?"
Before Blaise had a chance to answer, Rodolphus was knocked backwards. He flew up into the air and fell to an ungraceful heap on a nearby staircase that promptly moved, obstructing his uncle from their view. They looked sideways as Theo Nott was sauntering towards them. He seemed to be holding up a limping and bleeding Astoria Greengrass. "I didn't think I'd need to save you two so quickly. Come on, let's get the fuck out of here before we end up as Death Eater hors d'oeuvre."
The four of them left the broken doors of Hogwarts into the early morning light and made their way as quickly as possible towards the Forbidden Forest. They didn't have a clue where they would go, or how to even get there, but with Death Eaters hunting all living souls, and the Acromantula not caring which side anyone fought on, they knew they had no choice but to hide.
Theo struggled with Astoria, and she let out a cry of pain as they toppled over something in the grass. Draco and Blaise looked back at the fallen pair as Astoria let out the most tormented scream Draco had heard in the course of the battle that day. Across the grass of the grounds they could see bodies scattered everywhere, their decaying flesh causing a putrid steam to rise in the chilly morning air. It briefly occurred to Draco that he had not noticed them before. He was equally detached and involved in this series of events that made up the fight. War is strange. How can I be so far removed from something so atrocious sitting at my feet? How did I run across the dead without a second thought?
Draco ran back to his best friend and the girl, avoiding a few fallen schoolmates, to see what or whom they had tripped over. Daphne Greengrass, Astoria's older sister, lay face up, eyes wide, staring at nothing. Astoria's already petite frame seemed to shrink even smaller as she crumbled in grief to cover her sister's cold body with her own, willing her to breathe. Daphne would not breathe; she had long since passed. Draco was aware they would be joining her soon if they did not get out of the middle of the exposed field to some kind of cover. He grabbed the blonde firmly by the upper arms, and attempted to haul her sobbing form away. Astoria was wrought with despair, and clutched her sister's face and hair tightly. Theo unclenched each of her fingers, one by one, and Draco scooped her legs into his arms to carry her away, barely missing the club of a giant as it came barreling towards them through the air.
They ran towards the Herbology greenhouses till their muscles ached and their chests burned. As they neared the buildings, the group began to slow, taking a moment to catch their breaths. They needed to regain their composure if they were to get out of this alive. Astoria slid out of Draco's fatiguing arms in a heap, still in sight of anyone who remained on the grounds. She began to rock back and forth, with her arms holding her legs close to her chest, and eyes wide with shock, tears pouring heavily from them; she made no move to wipe them away.
"Shhhh, do you hear that?" Draco threw his arm out, immediately halting the other two as they strained their ears for any sound.
Theo bent down and scooped up Astoria with one arm supporting her knees and the other her back, and they quietly approached the shadows of the building closest to them.
From the edge of the Compost Shed, they could hear a dark, gravelly voice speak, "Oh, this one is so pretty. She reminds me of someone though, the dark hair and upturned nose."
"Don't fucking touch me, you piece of shit!" the girl spat out.
"That's Pansy," Blaise unnecessarily whispered into Draco's ear.
They listened as a new voice spoke. "That's because she is Parkinson's daughter."
"Oh, what fun you will be then. I expect I will not be the only one to enjoy teaching you a thing or two about what it takes for slags like you to serve the Dark Lord. What your precious daddy doesn't know, he can't stop. Incarcerous!"
They stood and listened as Pansy's voice became strangled. She couldn't speak due to the ropes that now were holding her captive, but she was trying like hell.
"We have to do something!" Astoria urged, the panic gone, and a new light in her eyes as she wiggled for Theo to set her down.
"But what?" Draco asked, anxiety clear in his voice.
Theo stepped forward and grabbed Draco's upper arms in both his hands. "When I step out, I will blast him backwards. You cast a shield around me, and then I will take the other one down."
Draco looked back at Theo, and shook his head. "Theo, I don't even have a wand, and you don't how many there are. What if you hit Pansy?"
"Trust me, mate," Theo said, pulling an unknown wand from his pocket and shoving it at Draco's chest. "We don't really have any other choices at this point."
Theo stepped from the shadows before Draco could even argue or think of whose wand he now felt tingling in his palm. He heard Theo shout, "Petrificus Totalus," not knowing if the spell made contact or not. They watched as Theo ducked, barely missing a purple light aimed right where he had been, and Draco wasted no time in casting a Shield Charm around him. A new curse rebounded towards the caster of the purple spell. Theo aimed his wand and cast a spell that must have taken the remaining man down, because he looked at the three in the shadows and declared, "Geez Draco, you could've been a bit quicker with that Shield Charm. It's a wonder they didn't choose me for the Quidditch team."
Draco rolled his eyes, while Blaise and Astoria tore off around the edge of the shed to get to Pansy.
"What do we do now?" Draco turned to Theo.
"Let's just get into the shadows of the Forest and Apparate somewhere. The wards are down, we can leave."
"But what about the girls?" Draco asked.
"What do you mean, 'what about the girls'? Draco, we can't leave them. Astoria is hurt, and Pansy was almost raped. They come with us."
Draco looked like he was about to argue, but there was no time as their conversation was blown apart by an intensely hot fire. They immediately ran the remaining distance to the Forest. Hidden from view in the treeline, they watched the ignited Greenhouse disintegrate just before it exploded.
"Just go to the hills south of the Manor where we used to fly. GO NOW!" Draco screamed over the sound of the explosion. He watched as Theo Disapparated with Astoria, and Blaise with Pansy. Before raising his borrowed wand, he glanced back towards the castle; he was met with the haunting image of Hogwarts ablaze.
A/N: Please note, some of dialogue in this chapter is stripped straight from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows itself during the Final Battle. We do not claim those words, but we do claim the look from a different character's POV. Hope you enjoyed!