So here it is! Chapter 15! I am really excited for this one and I really hope to get some opinions on it! This is a pretty big turning point for our lead characters! Enough from me, I'll talk at the end! Enjoy!
Draco
"Potter," I called quietly into the darkness. I waited a moment to be met by pure silence. There was still almost five minutes until he was supposed to be here, but I would imagine he would have been on his way by now. I looked up towards the castle and saw no figures moving in the darkness.
"Lumos," I whispered and my wand lit up. I moved from behind the brush closer to the apparation point. The light from my wand showed me absolutely nothing. Potter wasn't here and the minutes were ticking by. At this rate he would arrive down here at the exact same time Bella would. I pulled out the pocket watch in my cloak and read that it was now 12:18.
I needed to leave, and it didn't look like Potter was showing up. I headed back to my hiding in the brush. Before I could lift my wand to apparate I saw a figure running down the hill. Fuck. Sprinting right towards the Forbidden Forest was a small figure and a mass of unruly hair. Why does Granger need to make my life so difficult?
I glanced back at the watch, Bella should be here by now. I waited quietly as I watched Granger's petite body approach even closer. The anticipation was killing me, and I had half a mind to run out there and tell the damn girl to turn around, stay in Hogwarts where it's safe. Sadly, she crossed the boundary where she was no longer protected by the invisible Hogwarts shield. She held her wand up like she was about to apparate. Good Granger, get out of here! I wanted to yell at her.
With anticipation bubbling I receded back further into the brush, sinking to the floor, as I waited for her to leave. I hid myself completely so I couldn't be seen, which also meant I had no direct vision of her either. I took a deep breath and focused on listening. The minute I knew she was gone I would make my escape as well. The faint popping noise could barely be heard and I sighed with relief. She was gone.
I stood up, relieved, but when I went to raise my wand another's was at my throat.
"Draco? What are you doing here?" It was Granger, her wand digging into the side of my neck. She lowered it cautiously, looking relieved to see me. Wait. What the hell was she doing here. I know I heard her leave.
"It's dangerous, get out of here, Granger. I thought you had apparated already."
"You've been spying on me?"
"No! Granger, look you need to leave. Now. Bella should be here any second. She's actually late," I say pulling my watch out. 12:25.
"You know me better than that, my dear! I am never late," Bella's icy voice broke my thoughts. Damn. It was Bella I heard apparate. I stood with my back to Granger, protecting her from Bella's sight, not that it would do any good. I wish this stubborn girl would just leave. At least one of us would be safe then. We moved out of the brush and I backed up, trying to force Granger back to the protection of Hogwarts.
"I can't believe your father was right about you. Here I always thought you valued your family more than anything else," she says pointing her wand at me.
"I do. You were not mistaken about that," I answer cooly.
"Liar!" she yells at me.
"You are protecting a filthy, lowly, mudblood and you want me to believe you value your family? You sicken me!" Bella's words are dripping with venom.
"I always thought it would be your father I would have to kill for treason, not you, Draco," her voice was disappointed.
"I always thought you were smarter than people gave you credit for. Obviously I was wrong," I shrug. I was found out now, and Draco Malfoy wouldn't die a coward.
"How long, Draco?"
"How long what?"
"How long were you an informant for the order?"
"A couple of months I guess," I say holding my wand up to her as well. I am still backing up ever so slowly. Granger is only a couple of feet away from Hogwarts protective veil.
"Why did you do it?"
"Personal reasons."
"So now the mudblood is a personal reason? Did you really plan on mixing your pure blood with hers filth?"
"I never said it had anything to do with her. Don't jump to conclusions, Aunt Bella."
"I am no Aunt of yours anymore!" She threw a stunning charm at me, which I instinctually blocked. Out of the darkness my father flanked Bella's right side.
"I knew it all along. To think I gave life to something so vile," he says, disgusted with me. I should have felt hurt, I should have been angry, but I felt nothing.
"You didn't. Mother did," I say factually. I see my father tense up as he wants to conjure the darkest spell he can think of. Bella holds out her hand to stop him.
"Speaking of your mother," Bella says and smirks. My whole body tenses up. Again, from the darkness, my mother flanks Bella's left side.
"Mother,-" I don't even know what to say to her.
"I told you to be careful," she whispered. She was doing everything in her power not to cry. She knew, just as well as I did, that I was going to die at the hands of my own family. Both Bella and my father turned to look at my mother.
"You knew?" Bella was shrieking at my mother.
"Of course not, but I had my suspicions, like Lucius," she whispers.
"She knew nothing, if she had she would have tried to stop me," I say in my mother's defense. That answer seemed to satisfy my Aunt and father.
"I'm going to miss you, Draco," Bella smirks at me.
"So what's it going to be? The killing curse?" I ask nonchalantly.
"Draco, dear boy, you may be family but you will still have to suffer for what you have done. Maybe I'll skin you in front of everyone. Perhaps I'll just make a small incision on a major artery and we can all watch as the blood drips from your body. That seems fair to me. You don't deserve to be buried with pure blood in you. We will wait until every ounce of that Malfoy blood is gone," she almost giggles with delight.
"Granger, leave," is all I say once Bella finishes. I was their target now, she could live to see another day.
"No, I won't!"
"You are facing death and still you are thinking of the mudblood?" My father sounds disgusted.
"Granger," I raised my voice in a warning tone.
"Take them both. We're going back to the manor," Bella ordered my parents. My father was moving towards me but stopped when he saw my mother stand her ground.
"Narcissa?"
"I won't do it, Lucius. I won't watch my son be killed."
"You will do exactly that!" He yelled and grabbed my mother by the arm. I wordlessly shot a disarming spell at him. Apparently, that counted as making the first move, everyone was on the defense. My mother threw my father off of her, but he quickly retrieved his wand. I thought Granger was still behind me, but she had moved to my left side, giving me a half smile. Before I could tell her to leave again she stopped me.
"You saved me plenty of times. It's about time I returned the favor," she says. Together, we stand there waiting to take what they will throw at us. At first, nothing happens. I hadn't noticed when it had happened, but behind Bella stood three more hooded death eaters. My mother had moved herself off to the side. She wouldn't be fighting for either one of us today. If she fought for me and I died, they would kill her too; but it looks like she couldn't be the one to take her son's life either. Even if he was with a mudblood.
The spells start coming at a rapid fire. Together, Granger and I deflected them and send back as many as we can. I knew they were trying to tire us out. Bella wanted both of us alive. She needed Granger for a later time and she wanted to make a spectacle of me. Like hell she would.
It was time to get serious. I blocked a stunning spell Aunt Bella produced and I quickly hit a death eater, who was focused on Granger, with a stunning spell. He falls quickly and I block a hex from my father.
I hear Granger yell "Decendo" as the ground behind Bella and my father cracks and sinks down. The remaining two death eaters fall through the open ground.
"Enough playing! Lucius, what we talked about. Goodbye my dear," Bella smirks and she lifts her wand. Things seem to slow down in that moment. Two bolts of light merge together in one as I hear Bella and my father speak the same incantation.
"Sectumsempra," they both shout. I raise my wand to deflect it but it reaches me too quickly. I look over at Granger for what I know will be the last time, when I see her mouthing something.
"Protego Duo!" she yells and a faint shield is cast around her body and my own. The bloody most intelligent, powerful witch I know.
Hope washes over me for a moment as I watch the spells rocket back to Bella and my father. They cast a similar charm and the dual spell is ricocheted yet again. Granger still has our shield up but the spell never comes back for us. The full force of the sectumsempra spell hits my mother.
I stand there stunned as I watch my mother start to bleed from several gashes that have broken out all over her body. I can tell, even from this distance, the incisions are deep and fatal. Both Bella and my father are looking at her as well, all of us are frozen still.
"Willow's Wake, Granger," I say to her and I sprint for my mother. I dive on top of her body as I hear Bella start to send another spell my way. Granger's shield is still holding up, and I can feel it around my body until I apparate with my mother, to Willow's Wake.
She is laying on the floor of the small living room and I am kneeling by her side.
"Don't worry, I'll save you," I whisper to her as I hold her hand. I flip through all the spells I know but my mind draws a blank. I almost died from the same thing. I wrack my brain thinking back to when Snape healed me. What were the words, what was the incantation. I try to perform the few healing spells I know, but they are all in vein attempt. The lacerations are so deep that I can't heal what I see.
"It'll be alright. Don't worry. I'm glad you are safe," my mother whispers and strokes my face. I can feel the tears start to swell. I haven't cried in years, I didn't think I could physically still do it.
"I'm happy you got out of there. Now we are both free," she whispers and coughs. Blood splatters the hand she used to cover her mouth and I wince.
"I'm going to save you. Don't worry, mother," I keep saying.
"Shh, my dear boy. You were always such a good boy, Draco," her eyes flicker away from my face and she looks past me. I turn my head to see Granger standing a few feet behind me.
"I'll give you some privacy," her small voice quivers.
"No. Sweet girl, come here, please," my mother extends her hand for Granger.
"I am so glad you found happiness, Draco," my mother squeezes my hand as Granger kneels next to me.
"It isn't like that," I try to say. Granger doesn't even know how I feel about her. How I ever felt about her.
"I can tell that it is. You care very much for the girl," she is struggling to speak now, but she won't let me stop her from talking.
"I wish you both happiness. Whether that is in friendship or romantic inclination. You have never disappointed me, Draco," her breathing is staggered and pained. I hold her in my arms, burying my face into her shoulder.
"I love you, mother. I never said it enough. I'm sorry for everything. This is all my fault."
"No, I couldn't be more proud of you than I am in this moment. , please forgive me for ever wrong I have caused you as well. Watch after Draco for me, alright?" she asked reaching for Granger's hand.
"Yes, ," is all Granger can say as she holds my mother's hand. My mother's head is resting on my lap as we sit there in silence. When she starts to speak again I lean down close so I could hear her last words to me.
"I love you, Draco. With all my heart. You were the only thing in my life I did right," she whispers and kisses my forehead like she always did. In that moment, I lost the only woman who had ever loved me. Granger placed her free hand on my back as tears spilled down her face. We were two very broken people who had each just lost someone they loved.
I let myself be weak in this moment. I always was around Granger recently anyway. She rubbed my back and we sat there in silence. I lowered my mother onto the floor and held her hand. I looked at her beautiful face, that would never again smile at me. Granger's small fingers found their way to my free hand. She weaved her fingers with mine and we sat there, together, broken.
Now I knew how Granger had felt a night before. Losing someone who made the world make a little bit of sense to already dim world had grown immensely darker when the light left my mother's eyes. I thought back to the words she whispered to me. She was proud of me, she wanted my happiness. As hard as it was to accept that she approved of everything I was doing, I wanted to keep making her happy. I looked over at Granger.
That girl would return the light to my life. I wanted nothing more than to show her not all of us have to live in the dark. We would get through this. Together.
So I have been looking forward to writing this for a while. It got a little emotional for me. I hope you guys enjoyed it but I am seriously interested on what everyone thought. Please let me know and I will respond to you in the next chapter! You are all beautiful and I can't thank you enough for reading it. I love to hear from people so don't be shy! xox-Allie
For those of you who wish to stay connected with us through twitter we now have one! it's our_own_eyes