14
Harry was so excited and so anxious at the same time that he couldn't keep from smiling as he made his way from the Gryffindor tower down to where he knew he would find Elle. Everything he wanted to say to her were all scrambled in his head, and even if he knew he could make a fool of himself, Harry brushed that away and resolved to just let it out. Just tell her you love her, he thought. He couldn't hold it in any longer, and having her think he hated her was the last thing he wanted then.
When he was just two corridors away from the Great Hall—which he knew would be packed that night due to the dueling club—he heard a voice, heavy whispers and a whimper. Harry slowed down and stopped with his back on the cold wall as he listened. It sounded like whoever it was that was talking threatened the one that whimpered. Harry peeked slowly. What he saw immediately altered everything he was feeling at that moment. A wave of anger replaced the excitement. It was Draco. He had Elle pinned to the wall with his one hand pushing her shoulder down and the other hand held his wand to her face. Elle's face was so wet with tears and sweat and contorted with fear as she pleaded.
"Please, I didn't…" was all Harry could make out from what she struggled to say. Draco was whispering too soft for Harry to hear, but every now and then would say something with an angry growl. Harry couldn't stand there another minute.
"Oi, Malfoy!" Harry yelled. Startled, Draco released Elle and spun around to Harry. Elle dropped heavily on her feet, but too weak with fear dropped on all fours, whimpering.
"Potter." Draco snickered, looking at him.
"So the rumors about you were right. You are just as dismal and dim-witted as your father." Harry said, he had one hand in his robe clutching his wand, ready. "Hurting a girl like that, how pathetic can you get!"
"It's none of your business, Potter. I suggest you stay out of it." Draco sneered as he slicked back his gold hair with one hand. "Now if you'll excuse me." He turned, raised a brow as his gaze swept over Elle and started to walk away, towards the next corridor.
"Get back here, git!" Harry called out following Draco. Elle had managed to wipe her face clean, but was still trembling.
"Harry, don't!" she begged as Harry passed her. But of course, filled with rage and images in his head of Draco being tortured, Harry ignored her.
Draco stopped for nothing. He turned to the corner that led him straight to the Great Hall and without a moment's hesitation entered. Harry followed, still calling out to him. He had his wand pulled out now. He wanted nothing more than to give Malfoy what he deserved. The Cruciatus curse was the first and only thing on his mind.
Harry entered the Great Hall and everyone had their eyes on him. Apparently, Draco ordered them to stop and was now on his way to the large table they were using for the duels. Harry stopped when Draco turned to look at him and the grip on his wand tightened. He wanted to wipe that stupid smile from Draco's face.
"Come on, Potter. I see you're more than ready to fight. Now, fight me." Draco said aloud. Professor Snape watched with curious confusion. Professor McGonagall was on the other side, looking from Draco to Harry, her face frowning in fear. Without hesitation, Harry hastily walked up to the opposite end.
"Cheer, everyone. The famous Harry Potter has just accepted my invitation... to die." Draco announced, and the room erupted with cheers, thinking this was some sort of show. But nobody could've known the horror they were about to witness.
Harry and Draco were on either side of the table now, wands ready before them. The cheers were so loud Harry couldn't hear himself think. His housemates too watched with sheer excitement, shouting out things like "give it to him ,Harry!"; "no mercy, Harry!"; and "finish him!". And for a while, Harry considered every single one of them.
Soon, they were whipping out spells from their wands. First, Harry flew back in Draco's spell, and he returned it with one just as powerful, enough to send Draco crashing hard on the marble table. And it went on, back and forth. Flashes of vivid colours and smoke filled the dueling ground so quickly, the cheering didn't even die down.
Elle appeared in the doorway with her ashen in fear. She was so shocked at the sight that it looked like everything started moving in slow motion, whirling around her. Hermoine, after deciding to witness the duels and walked down moments after Harry, not knowing what she was in for, spotted Elle when she couldn't get passed the crowd and dashed to her in tears.
"Elle! You've got to do something before one of them gets killed!"
Elle looked at Hermoine with so much fear in her eyes she couldn't find anything to say. Hermoine pulled Elle to the crowd and forced her through, pleading with her to put an end to it.
"Hermoine, I don't know what to do." Elle said, sniffling and breathing hard. "I can't stop them."
"Yes you can!" Hermoine pulled Elle's hands to look her in the eye. "Look at me, Helena. Yes you can. One look of you and Harry's madness will go away. Draco will stop. You can stop them."
Elle said nothing, but continued to cry. She gave a nod and Hermoine continued to get her through the wild throng. Elle was soon facing the marbled platform, and Hermoine helped her up by lifting Elle with her feet, one at a time. Elle pulled herself up weakly, shaking. This time, Harry was sprawled on the floor, coughing as he struggled to get up, while Draco was on all fours, panting and spitting out blood. Elle looked from left to right—Harry to Draco. She didn't know which one to run to first.
It took Elle several seconds to make up her mind, but when she did, even Hermoine gasped. Elle was next to Draco, rubbing his back.
"Draco, you must stop this or you'll die." Her voice trembled.
"Stop? This is exactly what I've been waiting for, remember? One on one with him." said Draco and he spat out a chunk of blood. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand and reached out for his wand lying a short distance away. "Now move aside. Let me have my victory. Let me show the Dark Lord who I really am and what I can do."
Harry panted, catching his breath. He felt his whole body ache, but it was no match to the anger that still boiled in his veins. The cheering from the people next to him deafened him, but a particular one caught his attention. "Look, it's the girlfriend to the rescue."
Quickly, Harry turned to look at Draco. Elle was kneeling next to him.
At that moment, something inside Harry snapped. He found himself, a second later, standing on his two feet, heaving heavy breaths. He was so angry the pain had suddenly subsided; so angry, the roaring of people suddenly sounded like the noise of silence; so angry, the pain coming from his scar sent flames all over him; so angry, his body began to tremor.
The growing cheers caught Elle's attention. She looked at the people around her and saw that they were all looking at Harry's direction. Fear washed over her instantly. Looking back, Elle gasped at the sight of Harry, standing. Draco whirled around in shock. When he saw Harry, he hurried to his feet, wincing in the pain.
"Draco, no! Don't do this! Look at him! He's gone mad! Please give up!" Elle begged in tears. But Draco was too stubborn. Angry, he pushed Elle off with a strong shove, sending her to hurtle before him so heavily that the table shook under Harry's feet. She yelped in pain. Harry watched in jealous passion and bellowed over the noise.
"I've had enough of you, Malfoy! You've gone too far!" and with that, Harry lifted his wand, swung it in the air and shouted out a spell. It sent a wave of raging colours to burst out from the tip of his wand. Elle knew this next blow would kill Draco and, with all the strength she had left, pushed herself to her feet and stood in the line of fire.
The Great Hall fell silent.
Harry's wand fell from his hand the moment the curse hit Elle. Even Draco's sour expression dropped. Elle, seemingly unharmed by it—because it only sent her to move back a few steps—kept her eyes on Harry with tears continually streaming down her face. She fell back on the floor with a loud thud, unconscious.
Harry, now frozen in shock, felt as though his whole body started falling apart, because a second after he was on his knees with the world spinning fast into darkness.
He fell flat on the floor faced down.
And as though the world had just turned blank, he was gone.