So I just realized that I had this chapter done for awhile and it was just sitting on my laptop *nervous laugh* my bad! Please note, there IS MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH in this chapter, if thats a trigger for you, please don't suffer through that.
The only sound to be heard was Hermione's sharp gasp as she squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn't look, couldn't watch the moment when Draco was forced to take the life of his best friend.
"Stupid boy! What have you done?!" Rodolphus' sudden admonishment had Hermione turning her head sharply, her curiosity getting the better of her. She needed to know what had supposedly gone wrong.
Instead of seeing Theo dead, his blood flowing out across the altar, her eyes feel on the deathly pale face of the Malfoy heir. His breath was coming in harsh gasps, the knuckles of one hand turning white with the tight grip he had on the altar. His other hand was placed firmly against his abdomen right below the ornate handle of the knife.
Wait. The knife? No. No! No, no, no, no! She watched in dawning horror as Draco's life slowly stained his shirt, running over the hand held against his body. As she watched, the Slytherin slowly backed away from where she and Theo lie prone. His steps were staggered and she could see how much effort it was taking him to force his body to move. Once he reached the ritual circle, Draco fell to his knees, both hands coming down in an attempt to catch himself.
"Traitor" The word was hissed from Hermione's other side. She had completely forgotten about the Death Eater standing near her. She watched as he swept around the altar, heading straight for his nephew, his fury was obvious in every movement of his body.
Before he could reach the wounded blond, Draco looked up, a horrifying facsimile of a smile across his face, his barred teeth covered in blood.
"Oh Uncle, you have no idea." Before Rodolphus could move to stop him, Draco swiped his hand through the runes, effectively breaking the circle.
Hermione shrieked, the backlash of the broken circle unleashing the Dark Magic that had been trying to break free. It swirled away from her in dark billowing clouds, ripping from her body. She couldn't see or hear anything, the magic screaming in her ears. She was slightly reassured when she felt Theo grab hold of her leg, Hermione immediately returning the gesture.
She felt her body and magic regaining control as Theo's thumb rubbed back and forth on her leg. She hadn't realized she had closed her eyes until she could see the light slowly beginning to turn her eyelids red. Taking in a shuddering breath she looked around. The Magic had known who the real threat was. Rodolphus was crumpled at the base of the altar having clearly been thrown against it with some force. He was unconscious, his breath rattling in his chest. Hermione couldn't find it in herself to be particularly concerned. Not when she realized the Magic had also freed her and Theo from their restraints. The Gryffindor moved quickly, praying there was still time to save the blond who had become so important to her. She hadn't even noticed Theo following her until his hands came unto her view, trying desperately to stem the steady flow of blood.
Though she wanted to deny it, Hermione could tell they were already too late. His body was completely limp and there was obviously no life left in his features. She stroked his fine hair back from his forehead as tears began to blur her vision, obscuring the pale face she had become so focused on. Her own blood was pounding in her ears, obscuring all other sound.
She was startled from her grief by a pair of rough hands grabbing her by the shoulders, spinning her around, and pulling her tightly into an all too familiar chest. Harry. He had found them, albeit too late to save Draco. Hermione took the safety of her friends arms as permission to completely succumb to her grief in that moment. Everything had been moving so quickly since she had been allowed to leave the ministry and now this.
The clearly of a throat brought her attention back to her surroundings and she turned her head to see who else had accompanied Harry. The first thing she noticed was Theo. Sweet, sweet Theo, wrapped in Pansy's arms. The shaking of his shoulders the only indication that he was crying as hard as she had been moments before. The Slytherin girl sat quietly as she ran her fingers through her distraught friends hair, her own tears silently streaming down her face as she continued to stare at her now deceased friend.
Hermione only noticed the final person because he cleared his throat for a second time. Ron was standing off to Harry's other side, which was how she hadn't seen him straight away. He looked uncomfortable in the face of such blatant grief. He may not have liked Draco personally very much but it was obvious how much the other people present had cared for him. He shifted from one foot to the other, at a loss as to what to say or do until he spotted Lestrange sprawled at the altar, clearly still alive.
Clearly his throat for the third time he seemed to have made a decision and headed over in the direction of the altar. "Better make sure this sicko doesn't sneak off while our backs are turned." It was obvious he wasn't talking to anyone in particular; more so just trying to fill the suffocating silence that had descended upon the group. She watched as Ron gave a quick flick of his wand and the Death Eater was bound tightly in conjured rope.
Seeing that Ron had everything under control, Hermione turned her attention back to her friend whos' shirt was now soaked, having absorbed her tears.
"How did you even find us?" Her voice was scratchy from all the yelling and screaming earlier, and now that the adrenaline was leaving her body, it was becoming difficult to keep her eyes open. There was still too much to do. She needed to focus.
"Pansy came and alerted me and Ron to what had happened. Unfortunately Lestrange is a smart bastard and had scrambled the floo access so we couldn't immediately trace the last location that had connected. It took all three of us just to get it figured out in the time that we had. I only wish we could have made it sooner." His eyes quickly flicked to the body still lying behind Hermione and then away.
Knowing exactly what was going through Boy Wonder's mind, Hermione gave him a sad smile and said, "There was nothing you could have done any differently Harry. We had no way of predicting this would happen. In the end, Drao's actions saved me and Theo. Don't blame herself for this Harry. This isn't on you. This is just another horrible result of Voldemort's reign of terror." She allowed herself one more shuddering breath before locking away her grief and despair. They needed to move Draco and she wouldn't be able to handle looking at him if she continued to fixate on the fact that he was truly gone.
Before she had a chance to formulate any kind of a plan the air was suddenly filled with shooting red lights as stunners were shot at them from the open doorway leading back inside. Whipping around Hermione felt her mouth drop open in surprise as a dozen Aurors came spilling out onto the lawn.
