They walked back through deserted hallways, the distant echoes of battle bouncing off the stone walls. Parts of the castle, their school and home, were almost unrecognisable; torn portraits void of their occupants (presumably fled); scattered silver armour of knights strewn across the stone floors; crumbled debris from where stone had taken a misguided curse. Both their wands were drawn, but Draco dared not to let go of Amelia's hand. Every corner they approached he felt his heart thump wildly, but every corridor was as empty as the last. Just as they approached a corridor leading to the marble staircase, there was a crunching footstep behind them.
"Was wondering when I'd come across you, Malfoy," a voice came from behind them. Both Draco and Amelia whipped around, their wands braced.
It was Carrow and another Death Eater called Yaxley who Draco recognised from the Malfoy Manor.
"Couldn't help but notice something earlier, Malfoy… helping the Order, shielding and protecting blood traitors." His eyes flicked to Amelia and Draco tensed his wand arm, pointing it straight at Carrow as he slowly advanced.
"I'm flattered you've taken such an interest in me," Draco replied, the ghost of a smirk appearing on his lips. He tried to angle himself as a barrier between Carrow and Amelia.
"And I suppose this is your way in to the Order, is it?" Carrow said with false amusement, nodding towards Draco and Amelia's entwined hands.
"Always knew you'd do this, Malfoy," Yaxley piped up in his gravelly voice. Draco switched to train his wand on him as he too advanced, and began to feel panicked by the odds they were faced with. "You're a filthy blood traitor," he added with a growl.
Draco acted clumsily, slashing the air with his wand, but the curse was easily deflected by Yaxley. Draco didn't let up, instantly prepared with another curse which bounced off the walls as he dodged one from Carrow. He was pleased to see that Amelia had taken no hesitation and saw from his periphery that she too was firing curses and dodging any returned ones.
Confidence grew in Draco as he and Amelia managed to keep the two Death Eaters at bay. Amelia had managed to wound Yaxley in the leg and no curses had touched them yet. He was in awe of her fighting so valiantly and as they stood side by side, a rush of emotion overwhelmed him. He hoped they came out of tonight.
A loud bang. The entire castle shook. Draco lost his footing as a cloud of dusty smoke engulfed the corridor. Spluttering on the floor, he desperately padded the stone around him to regain his wand. He heard a nearby scream – Amelia's voice – and panicked as he finally wrapped his fist back around his wand with fumbling fingers.
"A good effort, Malfoy," Carrow said as the cloud of debris started to dissipate, leaving a grey haze in the air. Draco backed himself up against the wall, his wand trained on Yaxley who was now holding onto Amelia, his long arm around her neck as she struggled against him.
"Let her go," Draco said, careful to steady his voice.
Both Death Eaters laughed.
"All you had to do was keep your opinions to yourself, Draco. To keep out of the way and do what's been asked of you," Carrow said, his disdain for the boy evident in each syllable. "But you couldn't bear to take orders, could you? Had to be different, had to be difficult. The spoilt little Malfoy heir, hedging his bets and trying to weasel himself out of a deserved fate. You're a coward, and after I kill you, everyone – from both sides – will know about it."
Draco tried not to flinch, but he was almost certain that Carrow would be able to hear his heart thumping in his chest. He prayed for someone from the Order to come around the corner at that point, but there was no sound save for Amelia's unsuccessful struggles against Yaxley's grip.
Carrow flicked his wand and Draco was forced to his knees.
"But first, a bit of fun," Carrow added in a menacingly airy voice. Draco made to get up, but the magical binds kept him invisibly chained to the floor. He watched on, mildly aware of his own screams, as Carrow swiftly swiped his wand through the air, sending a dark beam of light to hit Amelia in the stomach. With a small yelp, she crumbled from Yaxley's grip and onto the floor, unmoving. Draco could feel hot tears spilling down his face as his voice went hoarse, his arms and legs in agony from fighting against the dark magic keeping him steady.
"Please," Draco pleaded, his voice now cracked and hollow. "Just leave her be. She hasn't done anything."
"She's a blood traitor – just as you are, Malfoy."
He watched on as Carrow flipped over Amelia's body with his foot and gently removed the hair from her face, examining her appearance. Draco's blood boiled as he watched Carrow touch her.
"A pity really, that she shall succumb the same fate as her idiot father tonight."
Draco's head snapped up. He examined the horrible smile upon Carrow's face, the look in his eye, and understood what he was saying: He'd killed Amelia's father.
Carrow released Draco from the forces keeping him pinned down. Draco immediately dove for his wand and, from the floor, trained it on Carrow.
"Get up."
Draco obeyed, keeping his wand arm steady, his eyes flicking from Carrow, to Yaxley, to Amelia on the floor.
"You will fight me," Carrow continued.
"With pleasure," Draco snarled back, poising himself ready to duel.
It began instantly. One curse hit Draco in the shoulder and he supressed an agonised scream, determined to keep himself on his feet. He managed to knock Carrow back against a wall when Yaxley sent a curse flying his way. Unsure of how he had managed it, Draco sent Yaxley flying across the room, where he crashed into a suit of armour and lay still on the floor, apparently unconscious.
Draco repositioned himself in front of Amelia, who still showed little signs of life, but he pushed the worry out of his mind for the moment, intent on getting them out of this corridor. In his slight faltering though, Carrow hit him in the stomach with a curse, causing him to stumble and hit the wall behind him, the back of his head absorbing the impact with a dull thud. With blurred vision, he watched a figure loom over him and lift him by his collar. The blow to his head now made him feel as if he were underwater and he felt as if his arms were failing to work as he limply tried to push the older Death Eater off him.
"I had hoped it would be me who would have the honour of doing this," Carrow growled as Draco tried hopelessly to push him away.
"Ava-
Draco screwed his eyes closed in anticipation.
"Avada Kedavra!"
But this didn't feel like death. He opened his eyes as he felt Carrow's body go limp against him and quickly stepped aside to watch as he slid lifelessly to the ground, the expression wiped from his face, his eyes hollow and staring. He looked up and saw a terrified Amelia holding her wand steady and still pointing at Carrow's body.
He darted over to her, wrapping his arms tightly around her. He felt her body soften as her arms slid around him. He heard her heaving sobs into his chest as he clutched the back of her head to him.
"It's okay. We're okay," he finally said, taking her face in his hands and thumbing away her tears.
She looked ghostly white and Draco registered how much she was shaking. "I- I had to. He was going to kill you."
"Amelia, that man deserves death and worse. This is a war, you did what you needed to," Draco said, though it didn't seem to register in her as her gaze turned towards the man lying dead on the floor. "You saved my life."
"It's Malfoy!"
Draco looked up to see three hooded figures coming towards them.
"We need to go," he mumbled, taking Amelia's hand once more and setting out in a sprint down the corridor.
They raced through the corridor and turned towards the staircase, intent on losing the Death Eaters on their trail, until they got to the entrance hall. There were bodies everywhere, and still a small number of people were in the throes of battle. In the second they had taken to look around, the Death Eaters had caught up to them.
"We need to run," Draco said to Amelia as the Death Eaters fought through the crowd towards them. He hoped she understood what he meant as she nodded. He was scared of how empty her eyes looked. His own head pounded painfully from where he'd hit it, and he was vaguely aware of a warm trickle of blood dripping towards his neck.
Again, they ran. Draco felt as if his chest might rip open as he willed his legs to go faster and faster, and he was aware of almost dragging Amelia, who seemed to have even less energy than he did.
Fire and smoke filled the grounds outside the entrance hall, with bodies scattered across the grass and small battles dotted around like ants. But they were a blur as they ran. He heard a voice shouting to retreat, carried by the wind, and wondered which side it was – though with a heavy heart, he felt he knew the answer.
Through the forest, branches whipping Draco's face as he blindly navigated through the thicket of trees, ignoring all of the mysterious nearby sounds.
Finally, they reached the front gates of Hogwarts.
"We'll have to climb," Draco panted. Amelia barely registered his words, but allowed him to boost her over the gates.
He could hear the thundering of footsteps nearby and wondered for a moment if it were the Death Eaters chasing them, or others fleeing – he'd clocked more than a few others bolting from the horrific scenes at Hogwarts.
A million places flashed through his mind – he needed to fixate on one. One that his father didn't know about. Where they'd be safe.
An image of a small beach nestled into jagged cliffs came to the front of his mind.
"You ready?"
Within moments the distinct smell of salt water and wind filled his nostrils and the sounds of battle was replaced by a hollow howling.
That night, Amelia hardly spoke a word. Once in the small cave, Draco got to work immediately, casting every protective spell he'd memorised those last few weeks as he had secretly prepared for his potential escape. As he waved his wand at the front of the cave, his eyes kept darting to Amelia, sitting at the entrance hugging her knees to her chest, silent tears falling down her face, her unblinking eyes glazed over as she looked out to the sea, unfazed by the hair whipping her face.
"Come in, it's freezing out here," Draco mumbled, offering his hand to her. He was relieved when she looked up at him and allowed him to pull her to her feet.
He made a small fire in the far corner of the cave and they sat, in silence, watching the flames dance. They reminded him of the battle and he knew that Amelia would be thinking the same things. He put his arm around her and felt her relax slightly into his embrace.
"It's okay – I have a plan," he said – though this wasn't strictly true. His plan was to just keep moving; anything beyond this overwhelmed him.
"I trust you," Amelia said for the second time that night. Draco was unnerved by her voice; hoarse and cracked, hollow and desperately sad.
A swell of anger rose in him as she spoke these words. He hated them, every last one of them – his father included. They'd taken everything from both of them, and now here they were, forced into hiding for who knew how long.
They didn't speak for the rest of the night, but Draco felt his sweater gradually dampen with a small pool of Amelia's tears. He didn't dare move his arm from around her, but couldn't find any words of reassurance or comfort either. What was there that he could say?
