Chapter 49- Grief part 11

"Is he alive?" she asked

"The last time I saw him, he is. But after the- incident inside the Room of Requirements, he had separated from us, told us he'll be lookin' for you" and Blaise answered back with a sheepish, worried smile. "Oh Luna, I'm so sorry" If she was someone else, she might've asked why he let him go, would jab her finger unto the supposed to be bestfriend, but she is Luna, and she will never blame someone anything they cannot control.

"I hope he is alright"

The timing's invisible tick-tock was loud, piercing her ears as the sun floats down the cold breeze.

Upon on the time; they were given an hour just so that they could give Voldemort Harry Potter. The Death Eaters army retreated from the caste temporarily, leaving them restless and traumatized with what was left of their once so joyous castle. Upon the cold marble ground she laid, connecting constellation after constellation with her fingertips, trying to reach out to a possibly-alive Draco.

-.-.-.-

Draco rests upon the marble floor of the east wing of the castle, cowering like a shadow to his secret place- right behind an armory of the structure of a knight. He had tried to look for her upon every destruction sites and of crowded rooms, but he had made no success.

He rubbed the sleep off of his eyes, silently praying for Luna's state.

-.-.-.-.-

At around dawn, there were running footsteps to be heard from her point of view on the ground. Having been awaken from the resounding noises, she sprung from her sleeping form stiffly and alerting, casting glances to her left and right.

"What's happening?" she asked, grabbing Ginny's wrist with clawed grip as the Hall was being filled with running students.

"Voldemort"

Upon Ginny's reply, she halted to the center of the Hall, her heart pondering right inside her ribcage and exhaustion felt heavy on her shoulders. She furrowed both of her eyebrows,walking stiffly as she absentmindedly dodge person by person, eagerly searching for a man who has white blond strands upon his head.

-.-.-.-.-

He followed the moving chaos that were scattered around the Great Hall. There were hushed whisperings and dead-like eyes going on about- something that made his heart leap out from his chest and his expression go weary. He was one hundred percent positive that the dark lord may have done something that has pleased himself, and would probably have something to do with Harry Potter.

Which leaves them to a possibility of losing to the dark side.

He can easily fit in with the world the dark lord will be creating, but what of Luna? Will she be willing enough to sacrifice her beliefs, her friends.. herself, over her safety?

Sure, she is very emphatic; but she is truly saddened, and quite angry with the dark lord. And sure, she will be willing enough to sacrifice her old life that was before the war, in able for Clementine to have a mother; she is Luna, a child who experienced growing up without a mother, but will she be willing to pretend to love something that she clearly despises?. Luna was not like that; she is brave, loyal, and quite stubborn, nobody will ever convince her to play 'house' with the dark lord.

And so he internally groaned, trying to catch a petite young woman with long curly blonde hair.

-,-.-.-

Upon the top of the staircase that leads to the grounds, she was caught unalarmed, looking straight ahead to the man who's been glancing back and forth, his eyes busy with searching. Her eyes widened, prickling with tears as the relief swam itself unto her.

"Draco!"

-..-.-.-

He freezed right to his spot, her voice echoing through and fro inside his brain. Upon rearranging to set his eyes upon the blonde figure that was slightly far from him, but was currently running to him, he started his legs to move, step by step as the shock was still overwhelming him.

She reached face to face with the Slytherin, the sides of her lips were lifted into a smile. Upon seeing her tired smile and teary eyes, he lifted her up from her feet, linking her lips to his, devouring her gently and erasing every trace of exhaustion that were put upon them.

"Are you still a dream Draco? Am I actually turning bonkers?"

She went back to her height. Overjoyed but still worrying for the possibility that she might still be dreaming. Glancing at him in disbelief, she wrapped her arms around his hips, squeezing him tightly, afraid that he might disappear within her grasp.

"I'm here and I don't plan on leaving any time soon" he reassured her, returning her hug with a wrap from his long ones.

She clunged to him tightly, pouring out all of her worries that kept on bothering her spine. He whispered soothing words beneath the crown of her head, sniffling the faint jasmine, sweat and smoke from her scalp.

"Just remember that" he whispered.

-.-.-

The group Death Eaters returned quite sooner than when Draco had expected them to be. He had known about their plan of re-attacking the school, yet, they seem to arrive earlier than expected.

The students, teachers, and magical creatures that were left to fight have remotely followed the commotion from the opening. One by one they slowly appeared from their shell, peaking through their nervous nerves out of curiosity and fear.

Hagrid stood out among the dark cloaked crowd. Upon seeing the hunched look of the professor, every heads turned to take a peak of the lump inside the giant's arms. Upon being close to eyes-reach, the dark lord gave them a side grin, imitating the snake that slithers below him. Luna and Draco gave each other a nervous glance, their hearts beating rapidly with nerves.

"Harry Potter, the boy who lived, is dead" The whole east area gasped; gray jacket, red shirt, crooked glasses, the lump inside the giant's arms was the body of their hero, the so called Harry Potter.

Luna's body was frozen unto her spot. She kept on staring at the corpse that was her friend. Harry Potter, who's life has been all about preparing himself for this exact moment, never did felt free even for a single time. She fought back the urge to just let her muscles go, let her tensed state loosen up and just fall.

There was an angry cry from below, an aggressive pleading for the unmoving body of the hero was being screamed of. The Weasley's, who has felt too much grief, held their only daughter back, clutching her weakly as if all of their strength were already used. Luna turned to look away from Ginny, the agony was all too much for anybody to bare.

Beneath him she stood; unto her hand she felt Draco's fingers mildly stroking her palm. She flexed her fingers and stared longingly at the back of his head, a worry glance was all she could ever give with the presence of the dark lord infront of them.

"The boy who lived-" the darklord stretched his arms wide, his menacing eyes roaming around them, watching and testing their ground. "-is finally dead. My army has won! The darkness has already covered our world, you have lost, claim your surrender and it will not be late"

Silence wrapped around them like a safe haven. Nobody bothered to move. nobody bothered to take a next step. The dark lord waited patiently, with a knowing smirk and satisfied eyes glistering upon them. Once or twice he looked at their way, and Luna was certain that he was waiting for Draco.

She felt his hand loosen it's grip unto hers, slowly, their interlocked fingertips disconnected to each other with a quiet whisk of air. Luna swallowed the invisible bile of nervousness inside her throat, inside her thoughts she prayed, trying to make herself stop worrying for what it is to come. She knows that she will support him no matter what decision that he will make. Whether he would still join the army of the dark lord or to Harry's-his life would be endangered if he choose to sway and struggle free from the dark lord's tight grasp, she secretly hopes that he would not make himself a martyr.

-.-.-

Draco clenched his hand tight to his sides, the pleadings from Luna's eyes burning the back of his head. Aside from what Luna makes him feels, he felt undescribebly numb. One by one he step closer to the man who he had called master, and in every step, the said man's grin widens into a dark smile. He could feel the attention that has been given to him by the people behind, judging him behind their heavy eyes as if they already know what he is going to do.

He smirked with bitterness inwardly. If looks could kill, he could've died right before he could even open his eyes.

Why did Potter have to die? Can't he see that he needed him? What would ever become to his daughter? Was he really that selfish, that he let him have no choice but to appoint Draco as the antagonist forever?

A hot fury rages inside his body.

Always been tainted. Always been judged. Who cares what they think? Let them point his flaws, let them call him a coward!.

But if he would live, will his daughter ever forgive him for knowing what's right yet swaying out of it?. He already said that he will protect her from every harm, every hurt, every darkness inside their world. But why would he let himself get swallowed underneath that darkness? What would Clementine say ten years from now if all of her classmates would fear her? Set her as an outcast, blame her for the cowardness of her own father?

What would Luna say?.

Luna would forgive him, love him endlessly as how he does not deserve to be.

But he cares about her. Too much. He cares of what she thinks of him; he is certain that Luna will never judge him for who he is and what his choices are. He cares of what people might say behind her back; abuse her and call her a traitor. He cares about her future, her smiles, her plans, her future, her everything.

He loved her from the moment she offered her hand to him for friendship, even more to the moment she gave him their daughter, then to now and still to the pending future.

He loves her. And he will never forgive himself if he would ever disappoint her.

"Ah, my loyal servant. As I say, you will be rewarded young Malfoy" the grim man opened his pale arms, welcoming him to his trap.

He stood dead infront of him, stopping a few inches away from the cold, dark man.

Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy gestured him with their pleading eyes, tears forming underneath their heavy lashes.

"No, I will not, my dear lord. Not this time, no. I may die tonight, with your feet feasting upon my corpse, but atleast I would die with honor. Something my children would be proud about in the mere future" he said loudly, bravery oozing out to his voice. If Potter would be alive, he could be proud.

There were hushed whispers behind him, and some even gave him their dramatic gasps. He fought the urge to turn around and roll his eyes, realizing that he would see Luna, and he cannot fathom to see her heartbroken face.

The man looked angered unto him, glaring at him with his menacing eyes. Draco waited patiently upon where he stood, contemplating deaths upon deaths that can be assigned for his own.

The dark lord lifted his cloaked hand to be stilled unto his mid-waist. His mouth opened but his words were unclear, as if he was trading secrets along to gravity and air.

"Very well then"

As if the spell was being lifted, the whole grounds was being filled by dark fogs, too much for him to result into a coughing fit, but can still make him see rather blurry.

He spun around to look upon the face of his mother, embracing his last memory as he knew it was his end. Narcissa looked at him with tears falling freely from her pretty face, trickling down like holy water as if they were cleansing his soul and forgiving him.

Up from the skies sprung the dark cloaked figures. There were screams around him, being the result of the never ending numbers of the said being, but he no longer cared; instead, he spun counter-clockwise, gracing unto Luna's light blue orbs, she bit her lip painfully to him, gripping her wand tightly, trying to help him;but with no avail as tears were running waterfalls from her bewildered eyes.

The dementors rushed down to meet him, their hooded eyes staring darkly to him as if predator and prey. He lifted his wand up unto the air, his feet positioned tight and grasping to his ground.

The dark face met his and soon he felt himself being lifted from the ground.

His eyes and mouth were opened forcefully from the unseen source of the dementors' power. Each and single one of them attacking him with vicious invisible grip. He tried to squirm away, but the more he resisted, the more they took everything away from him.

"Expecto-" he tried forcefully, his voice breaking from within.

"Mummy, the thunder, it scared me!" Draco Malfoy stood crying infront of Narcissa, his light blonde hair plastered wet unto his forehead.

"But my dear, do not be afraid, the moon will always guide you" Narcissa whisked the offending strands away from his pretty young face, smiling down to him as his lips wobbled in fright.

"It will?"

"Yes, she will"

"Exp-" there was a heartbreaking shriek that he believed was from his mother. His beautiful, caring mother.. Oh mum, help me.

"Daddy, do you love me?"

"Silly child, of course I do!"

"Ex-" he felt himself being lifted from the ground, his frail body being picked up just like that. Underneath his physical strength, his emotional one came tumbling down, lowering itself as the agony whisks it's way in.

"He helped me Luna. He promised me that I will be safe. I almost killed him. One moment, he was alive, everything has a chance to be okay again, and then, he went falling down. Crack. Stomp. Dead. I hated that I was a part of it. And I hated how I didn't do anything Luna. He didn't deserve to die. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry-" his eyes stared distant unto the sky above, blank and filled with unspoken terror.

"No Draco, you did nothing wrong. You're scared and hopeless. He understands. He forgives you. You cannot control what would happen can you?. You cannot live your life blaming yourself for everything. Don't ever believe that everything's your fault. He didn't deserve to die but he did, and the future would morph itself for another great adventure. Please don't blame yourself. Draco? I love you, I love you, I love you"

"Exp-"

There's no use, a death eater has no heart, no soul to to save. They live in darkness, and darkness envelopes them willingly inside.

"She is such a miracle isn't she? Look at you, all lovey dovey and stuff. Gosh, that makes me sick" Blaise said with a knowing smirk unto his lips. His eyes twinkling with playfulness and surprisingly, joy.

"Oh tell that infront of the mirror Zabini"

"A shocker might I add. Zabini and Weasley? Malfoy and Lovegood? What about me? Who's my do-gooder?"

"You can have the other Weasley Pansy"

"Shut up"

"Friends don't use each other Draco. I'm here if you need me"

"You have to smile more, it fits you better"

"I like you"

"I trust you"

"I'm not mad at you"

"Expecto-" his eyes were begging to be closed, as was his system slowly giving up.

He tried to fought his way back again, the creature forcing his mouth to open more, making him want to gag, but instead he tries to close his mind.

Luna

Luna?

Her smile, her funny necklace and funny radishes, Luna.

"Draco, you're not a monster"

"Draco, you're not a murderer"

"Draco?"

"Draco, I think I'm falling for you"

"Draco.."

"Draco, I'm scared"

"Thankyou"

"Expecto Patronum" he fought forcefully, there was a big rush of glint unto the tip of his wand, but the dementors fought back.

"I love you too"

"Expecto Patronum!" it was said more forcefully. The tip of his wand sparked, leaving off of a mighty wolf from it's source. The light erupted to the surface, touching the creatures cheek by cheek, each disappearing with a burst of white firework-likes.

"They're determined to live"

"She's alive?"

"Our baby. Our offspring. Her"

"I love you"

They said that when there is an important moment in your life, everything slows down. When the creatures vanished from around him, he stopped unto the top and everything sort of freezed.

It happened when he first kissed Luna, when his father said he was proud of him, when his mother soothes him with her kind words, when Potter embarrassed him, when Slytherin won, when he had his fun times with Blaise and Pansy, when he received his dark mark, when Potter almost killed him, when he saw Dumbledore fall unto his death, when Crabbe died, when the dark lord brought people to their manor, killing and torturing each one of them, when Dobby left, when Luna fell, when Clementine first opened her eyes..

And now, when he is falling down.

The snowflakes were caught unto his skin, they were slowly falling, twirling soundlessly from the air. One moment, it was alive, then the next, everything stops.

Upon his journey to his death, he heard a hoarse voice scream.

Luna?

Will she forgive him? What will become of her after his falling?. Can he stomach the fact that she and Clementine will live their lives without him? and worse, with some other man?.

They deserve better than him.

But he loves them.

And that's what he is doing. Trying to be worth it. Worth Luna's tears and worth Clementine's hero.

Midway of his falling, his eyes drifted shut, knocked out unconscious before the fall.

There's a thud to be heard, then everything went dark.

Reviews are welcome :)

Thank you all for the support! -hugs-