Draco Malfoy gave a long, low sigh. It wasn't going to work, he thought, standing up and walking to the window. Looking down on all the people, cheerfully oblivious to his world falling apart around his ears. Hopefully they'd never know. Maybe they'd catch sight of some stupid cloaked man around Halloween, dead or dying. Draco hoped not - someone deserved to smile, to watch the sunset over the Atlantic. He thought of his yearmates, out there reading and training.
There was a way, but it was incredibly dangerous. Well, two ways were completely impossible, so there was that. No, the dangerous part was that someone had to stay behind.
And, Draco Malfoy knew it couldn't be him. No, not for this to work, to any degree.
Draco didn't know anyone he'd trust with the spell. Well, no one except maybe Severus Snape, or his Father or Mother. They were all accomplished wizards - but asking them to do it would be worse than a death sentence. The Dark Lord did so love his torture, after all.
An anchor was needed, someone to both cast the spell and stay behind.
But... Draco had to go. It wasn't for his yearmates, it was for the rest of them. He couldn't just... let them go like babes into a wilderness. Besides, they'd know something was up if Draco wasn't going - he was their best chance to sway them.
Draco needed someone. Someone he'd trust.
Like that was happening anytime soon, he thought with a sigh, standing up and closing the window, before striding out. Back to training, as it was increasingly looking like that was the only way they had a prayer of surviving. Deep within him, in a place where he didn't listen to often, a part of him wondered if survival was even something to be grasped for. He clung, for a moment, to that day - no, that night - when he had been out the window, and in a place where he might could find peace. He would go on. He had to.
[a/n: somber mood.
So, lovelies, next week will see the Express chuffing towards Hogwarts.
Leave a review, and I am sorry if taking so long with all the summer was boring.]