CHAPTER 12

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Anyway, here's chapter 12. Enjoy!

The only thing I say
I am afraid right now
What if I can't get out?
What if I don't want to be saved?
This is me afraid

--Yellowcard

I wasn't asleep for very long when Draco started to shake me awake urgently.

"Whaa?" I mumbled groggily.

"We need to go, now!" he urged and shoved my clothes at me.

"What's going on?" I asked, alarmed.

"Death Eaters are out for a little fun," he explained quietly. "We need to act as if we're just as surprised as everyone else."

I didn't have to act. I was surprised. However, I didn't question him, but my mind was buzzing with things I wanted to ask him as I silently put my clothes on, our backs turned against each other.

"I'm decent," I said once I was finished.

He grabbed my hand and whispered for me to follow him. I didn't see his parents anywhere and I started to get scared. This was serious.

Draco pulled me through the maze of tents and into the surrounding forest. It wasn't long before the smell of smoke reached us, and screams sounded soon after.

"Don't worry about it," he said as we stopped by a gap in the trees, "No one is expected to get hurt."

Masked wizards with hooded black robes were marching through the campsite burning tents and causing panic. High above the ground, four muggles were floating, terrified, while the wizards down below controlled them like puppeteers.

"They're just reminding everyone that the Death Eaters aren't gone. We're still around," he informed me happily. I shuddered when he said "we," instead of "they."

Then, people started fleeing into the forest and screaming. Suddenly, Draco told me to hide in some bushes.

"What? Why?" I asked, alarmed.

"Just do it," he hissed and pushed me down.

I didn't have much time to adjust myself and my leg happened to be sticking out. Before I could pull it in, someone tripped over my let. It hurt, and I was sure it was going to leave a bruise. I quickly pulled my leg in, rubbing the bruised area.

The person I tripped yelled in pain when he crashed into the ground.

"What happened?" asked a female voice anxiously.

I looked up at Draco through the brambles of the bush, but he only stared at the campsite through the gap in the trees. He looked totally relaxed.

"Ron, where are you? Oh, this is stupid—Lumos!" The girl, who I now recognized as Hermione Granger, lit her wand and pointed the light at Ron Weasley, who was sprawled on the ground.

"Tripped over a tree root," he said angrily and got up. He didn't realize he had tripped over my leg.

"Well, with feet that size, hard not to," Draco drawled.

They turned sharply and I saw that Harry Potter was with them.

Weasley cursed at Draco.

"Language, Weasley," he said, his pale eyes glittering.

"Hadn't you better be hurrying along, now? You wouldn't like her spotted, would you?"

He inclined his head at Granger, and at the same moment, a loud blast sounded from the campsite and a flash of green lit up the forest around us.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked defiantly.

"Granger, they're after Muggles," he sneered. "D'you want to be showing off your knickers in midair? Because if you do, hang around… they're moving this way, and it would give us all a laugh."

"Hermione's a witch," Potter snarled.

"Have it your own way, Potter," Draco grinned maliciously. "If you think they can't spot a Mudblood, stay where you are."

"Watch your mouth," Weasley shouted.

"Nevermind, Ron," Granger said quickly and seized his arm as he took a step toward Draco. I gripped my wand tighter, ready if it came to a fight.

A loud bang came from the other side of the trees and several people nearby screamed. Draco chuckled softly.

"Scare easily, don't they?" he said lazily. "I suppose your daddy told you all to hide? What's he up to—trying to rescue the Muggles?"

Potter looked angry.

"Where're your parents? Out there wearing masks, are they?" he accused.

Draco's smile didn't fade. "Well… if they were, I wouldn't be likely to tell you, would I, Potter?"

Granger threw a disgusted look at Draco and said, "Oh, come on, let's go find the others."

"Keep that big bushy head down, Granger," Draco sneered.

"Come on," she repeated and pulled the glowering boys up the path again.

The moment they disappeared from sight, Draco pulled me up and our of the bushes.

"Lemme see your leg," he ordered.

"It's just a bruise," I protested, but rolled up my pant leg for him to take a look.

It was fairly large and nasty looking, but only a bruise. I would live.

Draco poked it.

"Ow!" I screamed in surprise and pain. "Jerk…" I muttered.

Draco's lips twitched into a small smile.

At that moment, another loud explosion sounded nearby, closer than the last one. More screams filled the air.

"Come on, we'd better go," he said casually. "We have to meet my parents somewhere." I was slightly amazed by how calm he was. But then I reminded myself that his parents probably were out there with masks, and he knew this was going to happen.

We made our way up a different path than the one that Potter and Co. took, Draco obviously wanting to avoid another confrontation.

As we walked, the screams and bangs became more muffled by the forest, but not inaudible. We saw a couple groups of people here and there, but they paid us no mind.

Suddenly, Draco came to a complete stop causing me to run into him.

"Oof!" I said as we collided. "What did you stop for?" I whined, rubbing my nose.

"Oi, what's this?" a male voice said.

I peered around Draco to see some students who went to our school. There was Fred, George, and Ginny Weasley huddled in a circle looking shaken, but otherwise unharmed, a girl with light blonde hair who I thought to be a Ravenclaw, and two other boys. One was the captain of the Griffindor Quidditch team (I couldn't remember his name), and the other was maybe a Ravenclaw, but I didn't recognize him.

"It's little Malfoy," the possible Ravenclaw drawled. Everyone glared at him evilly.

Draco snorted. "I don't have time for you." He grabbed my hand and attempted to push us past them, but the two older boys stepped in our way.

"Don't have time for us? Oh, Dracy-poo, I'm hurt," he mocked. The other guy just stood there, stone-faced.

"Where do you need to go in such a hurry?" Fred Weasley asked, glaring.

George Weasley's gaze turned to me, catching my eyes before I looked away. My stomach gave a strange lurch and my head jumped in my throat. My face flushed with heat as Draco glanced between him and me.

"It's none of your business," Draco sneered, retorting to the question/accusation. "Now move," he said dangerously.

"Why?" the Quidditch captain asked, his eyes glittering.

Wood! That was his name. Oliver Wood. He was quite good looking, but I didn't like the way he glared at Draco.

"Going to help your Death Eater parents, I suppose?" Wood added.

"Also none of your business," Draco replied curtly. "Now let us through."

"You're not going anywhere," the other boy snarled, drawing his wand.

In a flash, everyone's wands, including mine, were drawn and pointing at each other. They, including Draco, looked surprised. I was a little surprised myself, to be honest.

"We haven't done anything to you, so let us through," I said calmly.

They looked at me warily, trying to decide if I was a threat or not. Everyone always seemed to underestimate me, and sometimes it worked to my advantage.

We were saved from a fight because just then, everyone's attention was adverted to the sudden green light that lit up the forest around us. I looked up at the source like everyone else and there, up in the sky, hovered a formation of glittering stars that, combined, formed the Dark Mark. It was a huge skull with a slithering serpent that went through the mouth and out the eye socket.

Screams tore throughout the forest as people saw it and were gripped with fear. In the old days, the Dark Mark meant someone was murdered, but I hoped that wasn't the case tonight. Draco said no one was supposed to get hurt.

I tore my eyes away from it to look at Draco who resembled a gaping fish as he stared at the mark in the sky with disbelief.

"Draco?" I murmured nervously.

He snapped out of his trance and looked at me with wide, fearful eyes.

"We need to go!" he exclaimed suddenly. He grabbed my hand and pulled us up the trail. This time, no one tried to stop us.

"Draco, what's going on!?" I asked, scared.

"I don't know," he replied grimly. "Whoever did this is going to be in huge trouble. We need to go meet my parents."

I remained silent as we tromped through the woods. After a little while, we no longer saw anyone.

The trail ended into a little clearing. At the far end, there was an iron bench that was painted fire engine red and had vines growing up the sides. The grass looked like it hadn't been cut for a very long time. It was oddly peaceful, and besides the bench, looked nearly untouched.

"Well, this is where they told me to come," Draco said. "Now we just have to wait for them, although they should have been here by now." He failed to keep the irritation out of his voice.

We made our way over to the bench and sat down. I leaned my head against Draco's shoulder and I was suddenly exhausted and tired.

An hour later, they still had not come for us. I was shivering a little. It wasn't extremely cold, but cold enough that we were uncomfortable in merely hoodies and jeans.

"Come here," Draco said. I scooted closer and he pulled me against his chest and wrapped his arms around me. His hands covered mine in an attempt to keep them warm.

"What's taking them so long?" I asked. I stuck my nose against his chest to try to warm it up. We would probably get sick because of this.

"I don't know," Draco replied, "but they are so going to have to make it up. Which means we can go shopping."

I smiled slightly. I liked shopping.

Half an hour later, I was dozing on Draco when a loud crack startled me awake. Sissy and Mr. Malfoy looked tired.

"It's about bloody time!" Draco said angrily, getting up. I wish he hadn't. He was warm.

"I'm sorry Draco," Sissy doted. "We had an emergency meeting with… er, some of your father's friends. We'll make it up to you."

Draco snorted and rolled his eyes. I pried my frozen, numb butt from the cold bench and took Sissy's hand.

Then, with a loud crack, we were gone.