We had our first day of practicing for the prom. My partner's alright, but it was oh so exhausting :( With all that socializing and insecurities -.- ugh. I just want to roll on that corner and just think about this story.

CHAPTER 42 Safe and Sound

A few seconds after the retreat, the dark lord made his appearance right behind them. Every single oneof them, with their shocked expressions on their faces, turned to face the powerful man looking right inside their souls.

The most loyal servant of them all, no other than Bellatrix, kneeled with the speed so fast, everybody swore they could hear her knees bruising. "Forgive me my lord!" she squealed, her hands pinching the dark fabric on her knees as if her life depends on it. The dark lord sneered in disgust to the woman on the floor, raising his hand, he slapped the top of Bellatrix head, making the woman flinch in surprise.

"Get up" he commande to the fallen woman. As if nothing had happened, she obliged with her back straight. "Thankyou my lord! I am your faithful servant! I didn't desire to fail you! We had a traitor, my lord! Yes! A traitor!" Her eyes went wide as sentence by sentence, her voice was raising with her high pitched tone. The dark lord's lips curled into a cold smirk, with a raise of his hand, he gestured Bellatrix to continue.

The woman turned to face the crowd full of silence. Draco clenches his jaw while looking at his maniac of an aunt, trying hard to fight back the urge to speak his own thoughts. Instead of growling like an animal like what he wanted to do, he let his anger boil right in the deepest side if his mind.

Everybody watches as Bellatrix advances towards the calm Rabastan, who was looking straight to the eyes of the woman like he was almost innocent from the crime. Truth to be told, Draco was surprised and well, nervous. He was surprised to see a man full of fears stand his ground just like that, as if he was truly a hero. The man who he calls himself coward and full of wicked dark thoughts was standing still for what is right. It was a twisted scene, and Draco was having so much respect for the man.

"It was no other than my brother-in-law, Rabastan LeStrange" she stood right infront of him. Raising her hand, she slashed her dirty fingertips to his cheek. Slowly, the wounds opened and gashes out hot trails of blood, but strangely, the man did not make any sign of hurt, he just lifted the sides of his lips and formed a calm smirk.

"I did. I helped Potter out" Rabastan exclaimed, almost as if a slytherin getting inside trouble. But it wasn't, it was after all, the guide to sign your death certificate for the dark lord. And Draco was furious. He was furious because the man who he had been so close to would bother risking his life just for him. That he would even bother dying because of a martyr! Draco knows that this is the end for Rabstan LeStrange, and he couldn't bare the thought of watching him fall.

"Brother, how could you? You betrayed us all! Such a disgrace to the family name!" Rodolphus, who had just entered the scene, shouted angrily tovhis brother. His eyes were as feiry as his wife's, both so loyal, both so dark, both bloodlusted monsters, makes Draco sick.

"Very well then" the dark lord interrupted Rodolphus's attempt to beat his own brother. Clear like a servant, he immediately obliged. With the tip of Voldemort's finger trailing to the snake's head, Nagini hisses in enjoyment.

"Nagini, eat" With those two heart stopping words, the snake slithered it's way to the unmovable man. Rabastan was as still as a statue, never leaving his eyes to the pair of the snake's.

Draco opened his mouth and gasped for air, his fists clench and unclenches as he can"t seem to turn away from the scene infront of him. He can feel his mother's hand clasping his, and he was sure that Narcissa was afraid too. With another hiss, Nagini lunged her way up to the air and looped to the man's neck, strangling him as Rabastan immediately grabbed on her body but ended up collapsing to the ground. The snake craned closer to the skin of his neck, openingh her mouth to show her spiky fangs. Draco bows his head and squinted his eyes, tightening his grip to his mother's hand as Rabastan screamed in agony. He could feel him struggle. Slowly, but with agonizing seconds, he opened his eyes. He turned his head to look at the fallen man with hurt written all over his eyes.

"Bellatrix, lead me to my chamber. Nagini must be really tired"

"Yes my lord"

As soon as Bellatrix, Voldemort and the snake were gone, Draco sighed hoarsely, letting himself collapse next to Rabastan's body. On the other side stood Rodolphus with his head bowed and hand clenched to where his heart was, Draco doesn't know if he was crying, but he wishes that he was. Rabastan deserves so much love and honor.

"-Di-Did not-regret" the fallen man whispered with his eyes staring flat to the ceilings. Draco grabbed his cold hand to his, too pained and too furious to even utter a word. "Fight for what is right" through his whispers he fought back the urge to close his eyes, but Draco knows. Any seconds now, it would be his end.

"It was never too late"

Draco hissed and closed his eyes, nodding his head as the man lifted the sides of his lips to a weak smile. Slowly, the grip had lost it's weight to Draco's hand and Draco couldn't do anything but to close the man's eyes in everlasting peace.

"Luna, for Merlin's sake, when's the due?" Hermione stared shocked to her tummy while cupping her hands to Luna's sides. "Later? Tomorrow? Who knows?"

"Wait-"

"Luna! Oh my poor darling!" Just before Hermione could finish her sentence, Luna was attacked inside the bear hug from a very familiar scent. "Daddy!" She gasped in surprise, hugging back to her father like she was afraid thag he would be gone forever.

"This cottage wouldn't track you down Luna, and so are you Mr. Lovegood, the aurors have assured that" Hermione said weakly, turning her head to nod at Fleur and Billy Weasley. Suddenly, Xenophilius released his daughter and a frown was written in his face "I'm sorry Ms. Granger, I was worried about my Luna and my grandchild-"

"You've known?" Luna asks, blushing as she cupped her belly as if she was shielding away from her father.

"-that I have betrayed her friends for her safety." Xenophilius continued, horrified as he turned his gaze to the scar on Hermione's arm. The girl smiled, touching Xeno's arm, she nodded in agreement "It was alright, we have made it back safely Mr. Lovegood. I might've done the same thing for my own child" Xenophilius smiled and uttered thankyou to Hermione, which she glady nodded in welcome. She can understand the logic of Luna's father in this. Infact, as difficult as she tries not to admit, she was sure that she would do the same thing; for her child and for the safety of her friends.

"I already know my child"

"Aren't you going to call me a disgrace?" Suddenly, Luna feels embarassed to even look at her own father. The thought of being eighteen and pregnant crossed her mind like she was having a test and she didn't studied. She wraps herself with her arms, feeling humiliated because she feels that she had disappointed her father. It was as if she doesn't have the rights to look at him at all.

"This child in you, you created them with love and passion. Who am I to hate such beautiful creation?" Xenophilius's voice was betraying the hurt that he felt with his daughter's words. When he had seen the symptoms, he felt angry, not just because of her getting pregnant because of a very young age, but the look of sadness inside his daughter's eyes. A look that made him feel as if some bloke just decided to play with his daughter's heart. But then, he realized that the baby was there for a reason, they would survive for a reason, and the thought of his child experiencing the beauty of having a child warmed his heart. And in that moment, he had loved the child right away.

"Does he know?" He asked, using this thumb to wipe away the tears that were forming to the sides of Luna's eyes.

"Draco does" he made a mental back flip when he heard the Malfoy heir's name, but seeing as Luna's eyes lighten just by the sound of his name, Xenophilius smiled at Luns in return, giving out a sign that he approves.

"I hope he would be alright. I need him"

"He would darling, he better would"

This is oh so short. I know. I'm sorry. With all this busy things for the upcoming prom, I'm having a writer's block :( I'm sorry for all of these short chapters, just got so lost, and uninspired :( I'm sorry for being such a failure -.-.

I hope you guys don't hate me for being such a disappointment :( I'm so sorry. It wasn't my intention to update such short chapters and I'm sorry cause I probably don't make some sense all the time. I'm sorry guys, I didn't mean it. All single one of you, you were so important to me :(.