Remington was slightly surprised that she hadn't been called to Snape's office first thing in the morning. She headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast, her sneakers still caked with dry mud from the night before. Of course, she shouldn't have expected to get off easy.
The halls were somewhat busy, what with everyone travelling downstairs. She normally didn't move with the crowd, but she decided to sleep in a little later than she usually did, being how heavy her feet felt from her lack of sleep.
She saw Draco making his way against the flow of people, some sort of frenetic emotion hidden beneath the surface of his face.
As his eyes met hers, though, something flashed in his expression. Before she even had a chance to process it, the spell hit her. She was vaulted onto the stone floor from the force of it, her body tensed and curled in on itself. The Cruciatus Curse worked its way into her muscles, blood, bones, and her mind.
When the pain lifted, she didn't move, breathing heavily, absolutely exhausted. Her body hurt. The last shocks from the curse ran down her spine, causing her fingers to curl in, her nails cutting into her palm.
The corridor seemed to have cleared out, but really the students had either shoved their way to run for it, or pushed themselves against the walls so as to avoid Alecto Carrow's wrath. There had been screams other than her own, Remington realized as the ringing sound resonated in the hall.
"I thought we agreed that your insubordination would be cured quickly." Alecto remarked, in a mocking sort of pity as she walked closer to the girl's shuddering body..
"I agreed to nothing." Remington said breathlessly, but the venom in her voice was lost to the lingering traces of pain. Her chest heaved to drag in air, even though the movement sent stabs across her ribs.
Alecto made a chastising sound, flicking her wand at Remington, who screamed and twisted on the floor, "There will be no attitude from you, Alvers." She said as she released the spell.
Rem's body relaxed again, lying on her back, tear tracks running from the corners of her eyes. The corridor was empty now.
"Have you thought better of your insolence, yet?" Alecto inquired.
Remington was either a girl near breaking, or else one with enough gall to not give in, but enough fear of something to not climb back to her feet. Alecto seemed resolved to find out which.
"I prefer the term resolution." Rem responded.
"Resolution." Alecto scoffed, turning her wand on the girl once more, who made a sharp sound of pain as the scar on the side of her face tore open again, blood beginning to run down her cheek afresh. "You'll get to look it in the eye every day of your short life."
Remington heard her footsteps leave the room as she rolled her head to the side, her unmarked cheek on the floor once more, the other leaking blood down her chin. Her eyes stung with tears.
Giving in would be like giving up the last hope that Harry was still out there, preparing to end the Dark Lord. She may have downtalked all the thoughts that Harry might return, but it would be the end of all possibilities of ever feeling safe or genuinely happy again. Nobody could afford that kind of outlook.
She heard footsteps cross the corridor, walking around her and stopping where she could see the black shoes that made the sound.
"Remington." Draco said quietly, crouching down and taking her hands, smoothing them out of their fists and brushing her hair away from the reopened wound on her cheek. "Why?"
"What's the point?" She said softly, "If he's not coming back, it's hardly worth-"
"Can't you try to keep yourself from this?" He said, "For me?"
"You don't have to be around when-" She started.
"You're not the only one who has to see that scar every day." He interrupted her.
Her eyes moved up to look at his face, which was resolutely blank, though she could see the pain in his eyes, which looked slightly red.
Tears clouded her gaze. "Draco." She said, a bit thickly.
"Don't." He said, pulling on her hands. "Let's go to the infirmary."
"I can't handle it anymore, Rem. I'm going to end up hexing that goddamn woman into oblivion for what she's done to you- And you'll hate me for it."
She didn't say anything, looking down at her sneakers as they walked down the corridor right before the hospital wing.
"I'm never going to win with you, Rem." He said quietly, a hint of defeat leaking into his voice.
"Neither of us are ever going to win until this war is over, Draco. You know it just as well as I do." She told him, "There's no way this can be any easier for us right now- we're lucky we're not dead, for how many people are getting killed." She slowly moved her eyes up at him.
"You've been disregarding your luck since you got back here, Rem-"
"I'm sorry." She interrupted him, sounding slightly indignant, but still sincere. "It's a lot harder than you think to decide between fighting for what you believe in, and protecting what you've got left. I'm not like you, Draco. My family is more than half gone already. I've missed them." She said quietly. "I'm not afraid of dying." He was silent, completely at a loss as to what he should say to that. "I am afraid of leaving things behind, though. And pain. I've always been a bit afraid of pain."
