Chicken

Draco Malfoy

I knew it was coming. My father owled me to tell me of the attack two days before it happened. He was under the false impression that I planned to fight with the death eaters.

I remember holding the parchment, a bit afraid of the information I had. There was no way in hell I could tell anyone about it. All the Slytherins knew, and they were fighting in it. My father didn't know about my little excursion with self-mutilation. I needed that dark mark off, and I desperately burned/cut/scratched/etc. my arm to get rid of it.

Why did I want the mark off so badly? I thought—in sixth year—that it would be fun to be a death eater. I didn't realize what it meant. But now I did. I knew that the mark meant I had given up some power. I didn't like the way that sounded; I gave up some power to someone else. I started to dislike the idea that I would no longer have control over my future or my life. It scared me to the point where I was willing to do anything to rid myself of the dark mark.

The point is that my father didn't know. He couldn't… I'd be tortured. So I would get his letters about meetings and events and make up excuses as to why I didn't go. He was angry at first… but I told him I couldn't risk losing my Head Boy position and he bought that excuse.

I held the parchment with the attack details on it and ripped it in half. I didn't want to be responsible for killing people. I felt like I knew it would happen, so I could stop it… and if I didn't, I was partly to blame. So I read it once and tore it in half. That way I wouldn't remember the details. But they stayed in my mind for two days.

I went to sleep with my wand in the sleeve of my robes. I knew I would need it the next day. I wasn't going to fight. No; I was going to be a chicken and run away. I didn't want to deal with the consequences, so I planned on escaping. I guess my father was right when he once called me a coward.

When I woke up on the day of the attack, the Slytherin common room was still standing. Other parts of the school were completely destroyed. I knew that most of the death eaters were in Slytherin, so destroying the common room would be idiotic.

"Oy, Draco!" Crabb yelled. "Did you oversleep?"

I rubbed my head. "Uh, yeah."

Goyle clicked his tongue. "Your father was looking for you."

I heard enough. I ran out the common room and passed the horrors of the attack. Dead bodies were everywhere. Artwork was destroyed.

The worst was the Gryffindor wing. Literally everything was trashed. There were more bodies there than anywhere else in the castle.

And when I was rounding the corner, I ran right into the very person I did not want to see. "Draco," my father drawled pleasantly. "Did you have a late night yesterday with a girl?"

"Yes, father," I lied. "That's why I overslept."

"Very well," he smirked. "Where are you going?" He asked with slight suspicion.

"Outside," I announced firmly. "I figure a lot of people will try to run away and I want to go stop them."

"Impressive tactic!" My father praised. "Run along, then, Draco. We can handle things here."

I gulped and ran to the front doors.

When I got outside, I noticed all the people trying to get away. They were all killed pretty much instantly. I didn't have much of a chance of getting to the forest. I stood in the garden—hiding, actually—for a while.

Then I saw my chance. Most of the death eaters moved toward the other end of the school, leaving an open path to the Forbidden Forest. I took the risk. I ran in the direction faster than I ever think I had.

But then I tripped and fell flat on my face. "Shit!" I blew it.

"Granger?" I asked, shaking the body I fell over. "Are you okay?"

I looked at the girl on the ground. I thought she was dead, but putting my head next to her chest proved that she was alive. What are you doing? I mentally scolded myself. You do not have time for this! You need to get away! Just leave her!

I almost did leave her. But I couldn't… I still can't explain why. I picked her up and ran toward the forest. Granger was surprisingly lighter than I expected. I guess she didn't deserve all the times I called her a cow.

I kept running until I thought I was a safe distance from Hogwarts. I walked for hours, carrying Granger in my arms. She didn't wake up until nightfall.

Once I found a cave I thought would be a good hideout, I put Granger inside and got to work looking for some potion ingredients. I was sure Granger would be in a lot of pain when she woke up and I wanted to try and help her.

Shocking, I know. But honestly, I needed to keep my mind off of worrying abut my father finding me. I needed to worry about Granger. For several hours, I collected various plants and brewed a simple healing potion.

And then she woke up. I was so surprised to hear movement on the other end of the cave. We exchanged some conversation—none of which was very nice—and then we sat in the darkness in silence.

"What curse did I get his with?" She said, breaking the quiet in the caves.

I took a deep breath. "Avada Kedavra."

"What?" She asked, bewildered. "But… but… I'm alive."

"I know," I began, still confused. "I thought about it for hours and it doesn't make sense."

"But," She said, still in shock, "Harry's the only one who ever survived it."

"I don't think they hit you directly." I theorized. "I think you got the reflection."

"Off of what?" She wondered out loud.

"Well," I sighed, not wanting to tell her this. "Colin Creevey was killed… and he was dead near where you were, and…"

"He had his camera." Granger finished. "That makes sense."

"Here," I held out a goblet to her. "Drink this."

"What is it?" She eyes the potion suspiciously.

"It's a simple healing potion, Granger."

"How do I know you didn't poison it?" She asked dangerously, peering into the cup and then glancing at me with suspicion.

"Look," I sighed, "just trust me, okay? I didn't poison it! I spent hours making it for you."

"Sorry." She said sheepishly and she downed the potion.

Suddenly, a loud crack filled the air.

"What the hell was that?" Granger whispered.

I thought fast; I grabbed Granger—the potion kicked in somewhat by this point—and ran towards the back of the cave.

"What are you doing?" She hissed as I pulled her toward the secret cavern I found earlier that day.

"Saving your bloody life for the second time today."

Author's Note: Hello everyone! I was really surprised to see that I got a few reviews! I'm glad people think this is different and interesting. I'm thrilled that most people think it's in-character and realistic. Those are the two things I strive for above everything else. You would know that if you read my first fic, Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace. Speaking of which, I'm really glad that some people who read that are getting into this, as well. I hope you're all enjoying the 6th book! Please review!