I have nothing interesting to say about this chapter just that I don't like it so I wont bore you with a lot of author notes. But I do want to thank those reviewed. Juvenile thanks for letting me know that the paragraphs were too long I seem to have a disease that won't let me write short ones! I get carried away but I will try harder next time. Hermionegranger thanks for the tip I hope its a bit clearer to read this time and also thanks to Aurora for reviewing as well. I feel encouraged to write more now *smiles*
Disclaimer: I don't own.
Chapter 4
At the last possible second Draco managed to roll himself out of the way, but the dragon was still too fast and clamped its jaws around his ankle wrenching him back towards it. Screaming from the sudden pain flaring in his leg he desperately tried to find something to grab onto or something to defend himself with. His hands finally closed around a sharp piece of a broken branch and without waiting managed to sit up enough to plunge it in, as hard as he could, into the side of its face. Yelping the dragon let go of Draco and started rubbing feverishly at its snout trying to dislodge the stick. Taking this opportunity Draco scrambled to his feet and almost fell down again. Putting weight on his leg sent sharp shooting pains up and down it. He didn't think it was broken though, but even if it was he knew he couldn't hang around any longer. Gritting his teeth he sort of half-limped half ran as quickly as he could bear it.
*Please don't let it follow, Please don't let it follow, Please don't let it follow* Draco chanted hoping against hope that it would just give up, he had no chance of outrunning it like this. And then he heard its furious roaring not very far behind him as it lumbered its way after him. The trees behind him were being ripped out and being pushed down roughly so the beast could get through. Draco threw a glace behind trying to see how far away it was. He couldn't see it. Yet. But he could definitely hear it getting closer and closer. His insides twisted, he felt like he was going to throw up, he had never been this terrified before in his life he was sure he was going to die today.
*Please let me make it out of here, please...*
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Harry sighed in frustration. He'd been calling out to Malfoy for the last ten minutes but there was no sign of him. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Something told him to not bother, to just concentrate on getting himself out of here, but he couldn't. He just couldn't, he had to find Malfoy first.
"Malfoy...Malfoy can you hear me!" Harry yelled as loud as his dry hoarse throat would allow. He was so thirsty but he had to find Malfoy first. He pushed his way through yet more bushes and trees and then stopped suddenly when he thought he heard something. A scream? Or maybe just the wind? Then he heard it again. It was definitely human and getting closer too. Malfoy? It had to be.
"Malfoy...are you there!" Harry strained his ears listening desperately for any sort of noise and then there it was. Not any more screaming but the sounds of something rushing through the bush but before he was able to find exactly what direction it was coming from, it was hard to see here fog was blocking his vision, something slammed hard into him from the right sending them both to the ground. He panicked for a moment before realising it was Malfoy on top of him. His relief was short lived however when he got a look at what state Malfoy was in. His eyes were so panicked; he had never seen Malfoy this scared before, not even in their first year in the forbidden forest.
"Are you all right?" Harry asked tentively.
"We've got to get out of here, its coming!" Malfoy all but screamed. Harry felt his stomach tighten.
"What's wrong, what's coming?"
"Get up, we've got to go, its coming!" Malfoy got back awkwardly onto his feet. Harry noticed that he seemed to be trying to avoid putting weight on his left leg and then he noticed something else. The lighting in the forest wasn't great but there was no mistaking what coated the front of Malfoy's robes hands, face and hair. Blood, it was all over him.
"Malfoy?" Harry asked incredulously "Is that your blood? Are you hur-" Harry was cut off as Malfoy abruptly grabbed his arm hauling him to his feet and yanking him through the forest muttering "Its coming" over and over, Harry also saw the he was limping. Definitely hurt.
"Malfoy what is it? What's coming?"
Before Malfoy could answer Harry saw it. The dragon had come crashing through a group of trees toppling them, as if they were nothing, in its wake. Harry's eyes widened in and Malfoy cowered in fear.
"Your right" Harry said "we do need to get out of here...run!"
Together they took off as fast as Malfoy's injury would allow them to go. Harry instantly knew there was no outrunning this dragon it was impossible so they would have to use their size advantage instead. That in mind Harry suddenly veered them off to the left into a crop of thick closely packed trees. While it wouldn't stop something that big from eventually getting through it would slow it down a bit. His plan was working after a while they started to gain ahead more; the noises were becoming fainter and fainter as they went. So intent on listening for the dragons progress that Harry didn't realise that the last set of trees he had pushed through gave way to a cliff with a sizeable drop of about forty or fifty feet into a wide, dirty looking lake below. His foot slid over the edge and he lost his balance, it was just as he thought he was going to fall that Malfoy grabbed onto his arm and pulled him back.
"Thanks." Harry said.
"Potter look." Malfoy said pointing out over the edge. Harry followed Malfoy's direction and cursed when he saw it. Hills, Valleys and rocky drops that seemed to go on endlessly stretched before them. He had no idea the forest was this big, there was no way they could get through all of this, suddenly the field started to look a lot more promising. Just then a couple of trees fell down dangerously close to them; the dragon was almost through. Malfoy whimpered and looked like he was going to faint, Harry didn't blame him, they were cornered unless... Harry took another look off of the drop. It wasn't that far down and the lake looked pretty deep...
"Hey Malfoy." Harry said.
"What?"
"Do you trust me?"
"What?"
"Do you trust me?"
"No of course I don't...why?"
"Good" Harry replied shoving Malfoy as hard as he could over the edge. He watched as Malfoy fell, screaming the whole way down, then hit the water with a splash. A moment later Malfoy resurfaced shouting up at him looking utterly pissed. Harry breathed a sigh of relief, he was ok it worked.
"Potter look out!" Malfoy suddenly screamed pointing at him or rather behind him. Before he could move he felt something connect with his head with a crushing force.
He stumbled and was vaguely aware of him falling over the edge and twisting helplessly through the air before everything went black and silent...
