Draco shook violently as sweat poured down his face. The flames drew closer, but he dared not move too fast. They were still there. Still watching. Still waiting for him to come crawling out from under the bed frame, begging for mercy. But he wouldn't give them the satisfaction. He would burn to death before letting them have the pleasure of finishing him off. Breathing as lightly as possible, he inched towards the wall on his stomach. Although his eyes were watering, he could make out a section of wood which appeared to be rotted. With a pale, shaking hand he reached and pushed it. Instantly, the wall began to crumble and the cold, outside air kissed his face.
"Let's get away from here. This place is gonna fall down soon. If 'e is here, he'll be dead in a few minutes." A gruff voice rang out.
"Draco! Draco, it's auntie Bella! Did you hear Rabastan? If you keep hiding, you're going to die!" Bellatix cried shrilly.
"Let 'im die, Bella. It'll save the Dark Lord the trouble of gettin' his 'ands dirty!"
Draco stood perfectly still. Every muscle in his body ached.
"Don't listen to him, sweetie! No one's going to kill you!" Bellatrix spoke as if to a baby. "Cissy is worried about you!"
Her plea was met with silence.
"You know what? I really think he's not here, Bella! Is 'e has any sense, he's most likely disapparated. And, if you don' mind, I think that's what I'm gonna do. I don't fancy a burial tonight, thank you very much."
"Fine. But you have to tell the Dark Lord."
"Fine! Now let's get out of this hellhole."
A loud clap rang out. They were gone. Wasting no time, Draco flung himself through the crack in the wall and tumbled into the bushes below. He could feel the branches scratching him through his thin shirt, but he didn't care. He'd escaped. That was the closest he'd ever come to getting caught. For a moment, he simply lay in the foliage, gasping for breath. He almost cried for pleasure as his lungs filled with the cool night air. Then, he felt a shiver run down his spine as the sweat covering his body turned cold in the chilly breeze. Rubbing his eyes, he rose shakily to his feet and looked around.
And his heart stopped.
All but half an hour ago, this had been a quiet, muggle inhabited neighborhood. Now it resembled a bone yard. The once beautiful houses were only charred skeletons of their former glory. Some were still on fire, bathing the street in orange glow, while others let off thick clouds of grey smoke. Looking up, Draco noticed that the stars were no longer visible through the white haze. As far as the eye could see was apocalyptic destruction. It was no use looking. The muggles hadn't even had a chance. Cursing, he readied himself to disapparate but something caught his eye. Inside one of the blackened house frames, there was a movement. Heart pounding, Draco sprinted over to it. A man stared up at him, wide eyed. Several burns covered half of his face and both of his arms.
"Who- Why-" The man gasped, thrashing about. Then, he reached out and gripped Draco's arm. He flinched. "My family! Are they alive?"
"I...I don't know!"
"Tell me boy!" The hand's grip tightened.
Feeling his stomach turn, Draco looked around desperately. And, swallowing hard, he nodded. It wasn't true, of course, but the man was obviously dying. He would never know any different. With a pang of guilt, he watched a smile grow on the man's face.
"Thank you. Thank you." The man whispered, as his last breath escaped his lips. Without thinking twice, Draco removed his own shirt and covered the body with it. He felt an urge to stay and give it a proper burial, but it wasn't possible. Bellatrix and Rabastan would be back any minute to look for his own body. So, with a final glance, he disapperated, glad no one had been there to see the tears which poured down his face.
Ron held a tarnished poster in his hands. Draco Malfoy's face glared up at him, nose wrinkling in disgust. His mouth formed angry words but no noise escaped.
"Oi! Hermione?" Ron called, looking up from the paper. "Hermione, come here! Look what I found!"
"What is it, Ron?" She sighed, obviously frustrated by the disturbance. They were in yet another abandoned Muggle structure, this time a barn. The owners had evidently left in a rush because their animals were all roaming the land and a pot of soup was still on the stove.
"Take a look at this, will you?" Ron said once Hermione had reached him. "I wonder how ol' Malfoy managed to get on the Death Eater's bad side!"
Snatching the poster out of his hand, Hermione began to scan it with her eyes. After a few minutes, she gasped.
"What is it?" Ron asked, looking over her shoulder, "Tell me! What's wrong!"
"If you'll shut up, I will!" She turned to glare at him before clearing her throat. "Ahem. Wanted: Draco Malfoy, If found, please report to the authorities immediately and you will receive a handsome reward. Charges include: Conspiring against the Dark Lord, the possible murder of three Death Eaters, protecting a muggle child, and freeing a family of mudbloods. Last seen: Dec. 19 in Brookdale Grove."
She stopped and looked up, meeting Ron's confused gaze.
"Well," Dennis Creevey said, peering down at them from the loft, "I suppose that's a good thing, isn't it?"
"Yes...yes I suppose it is. It's just...shocking." Hermione folded the poster and placed it in her pocket. But, as she went back to putting up the protective charms, she couldn't decide whether it was the news it's self or the fact that she hadn't seen it coming, that was shocking.
A/N Hey guys! Thank you so much for reading! How's your day going? Yet another short chapter today. Sorry about that. But, I hope you enjoyed it! Please do review! It's how I know if I should keep writing a story. But also follow and favorite! Love your faces.