Bitten
In Which Wars are Fought and Battles are Won
Once they landed safely, Goyle scrambled away.
"That's right, you blighter, you better bloody run!" Ron yelled after him, shaking his fist. Hermoine shook her head and placed a hand on Ron's shoulder. He let out a breath and calmed down a bit.
"I still can't believe you wanted to save those no good numpeties," he said as he turned to Harry. But Harry wasn't really paying attention. His green eyes were searching for the head of golden blonde hair that was supposed to be there.
"Where's Stephanie?" He asked. Hermoine and Ron both blinked and looked up, as if just suddenly noticing her absence.
"Wasn't she right behind us? She couldn't have gotten caught in the flames could she?" Hermoine said with her voice faltering slightly. Harry felt his chest tighten uncomfortably.
"No, there's no possibility," He whispered. But as the seconds continued to tick by, there was no sign of Stephanie or Draco anywhere.
Hermoine took a small step towards Harry, "Oh my goodness, Harry, I'm so sorry," Hermoine whispered. He felt small shivers beginning to travel across his skin.
"No, Stephanie couldn't," he stammered, "She wouldn't," He felt hot tears start to sting behind his glasses. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from crying. He would not cry; he couldn't. He still had a war to win, even if Stephanie wasn't by his side.
Suddenly there was a large explosion and the door to the Room of Requirement burst open. The flames were still devouring the stacks of things. There was a form slowly emerging from the inferno. It was actually three people, but one was doing most of the walking. One of the figures started to sputter and cough to try and clear their lungs of the thick black smoke.
"Stephanie?" Harry yelled as he ran towards the figures.
"Close the door!" commanded a voice from the group. Harry didn't recognize it but complied anyway.
He lifted his wand and pointed it towards the doors, "Colloportus!" he shouted. The doors swung shut and there was a loud clicking sound as the doors locked. They melted away back in to the wall and hid the Room once again.
Harry looked back to the group, which could now be made out as three people. There was one person in the middle in a long traveling cloak. The hood was up so very little could be seen about the person. They were flanked on their left and right by two people. The person on the right was being supported by the cloaked figure in the middle as they moved forward. However, the person on the left was walking a few paces behind the duo. Harry realized absently that the person on the left was Draco. Harry had a mixture of relief and regret that the Slytherin prince had survived. But he supposed it was all for the best.
"Stephanie!" He cried, running towards them. The girl in question was in fact still alive. She had a bit of black on her skin from the soot and ash, but there didn't seem to be any visible wounds. Stephanie tilted her head up and smiled at Harry. She began to cough again and doubled over. The cloaked figure reached down to keep her from falling forward as Stephanie continued to cough and wheeze. Harry was there in a matter of moments and pulling Stephanie from the stranger's grasp. He pulled her quickly in to a tight embrace, smothering his face in to her hair. He didn't care that traces of smoke and fire still clung to the golden locks, just that it was his Stephanie there with him.
"Oh, I thought I had lost you," he whispered against her hair, "Don't you ever do that to me again."
She laughed softly, stifling a cough, "I'm sorry. I'll try not to,"
Harry let out a breath and squeezed her once more before putting a little space between them. He only held her at arm's length because he wasn't going to be letting go of her any time soon.
"What happened in there?" He asked softly. Stephanie's face turned a gentle pink as she blushed.
"Well, I guess, you could say I messed up a little?"
"Messed up?"
"Yeah, I missed Draco's hand when I tried to pull him off the burning tower," she mumbled, glancing back at the mentioned blonde, "So I tried to go back and see if he was there. Then he wasn't on the tower so I thought he'd fallen in to the flames. I just kept flying around to see if maybe he'd managed to survive and eventually I got lost and the flames just kept getting bigger. So I was sure that I was dead, but then they," she waved her hand vaguely towards the cloaked figure, "helped me find my way out."
Harry nodded and looked up at the figure, "I have to thank you. Not only saving Stephanie, but also rescuing the worthless guy there too."
Draco sneered at Harry, "Up yours, Potter." He growled.
"Really? That's what you say to me? Who just saved you and your lousy goon from your own stupid spell?" Harry hissed, moving towards Draco.
"You want to go Potter? I'd be more than happy to knock your sorry self off your high ho—" Draco began, but he was cut off. As he advanced on Harry, a hand shot out and grabbed on to Draco's wrist.
"Draco," whispered the hooded person. He turned slightly and stared at them. He let out a breath after a moment and stood still.
"Maybe some other time I'll put you in your place," he spat towards Harry, accompanied with an icy glare. Stephanie frowned.
She took a step away from Harry, "Thank you, for saving us, that is." She said to the stranger. Harry held on to Stephanie's hand as she took another step towards the stranger.
"But, who are you?" she whispered.
The moment seemed to drag on forever. However, finally, the stranger moved. They pulled their hand from Draco's wrist and grabbed the edges of the hood. They pulled the hood back slowly and revealed long silver hair. They lowered their hands and opened their eyes.
Stephanie inhaled sharply and felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes, "Riley!" she gasped.
A small smile formed on Riley's lips, "Hey Steph. Long time no see, huh?" she whispered gently. Stephanie pulled free from Harry and ran to her friend. She wrapped her arms around the now taller girl and pulled her close.
"Oh my god, I thought," she said through sobs, "I had thought you were—"
"Stephanie, it's all right. I'm really here. Please don't cry," Riley whispered against Stephanie's head. She hugged her friend back.
"It's good to see you again," the silver-eyed girl said. A small laugh escaped from Stephanie's lips and she put a small distance between them.
"Where did you go? Why didn't you write? You could have sent an owl or something. We were all so worried. I mean, Riley, do you have any idea—"
Riley smiled slightly, her aged eyes softening slightly, "Some other time, perhaps." Stephanie opened her mouth, closed it, and then looked down.
"You're right. We have more important things to do now, don't we?" She murmured. Riley's smile widened and she nodded.
"Wait just one bloody second," came Ron's voice. This made the entire group, Draco included, look up at him. The ginger was thoroughly confused, "Who exactly is this person? How do we know we can trust them? For all we know, they could be a spy placed by Voldemort to distract us from our task. There is no way I am trusting some mysterious person who just shows up out of the flames. I don't care how hot they are!"
Hermione shot an agitated glare at him and let out an angry breath, "Ronald's right. What are her credentials that you two would so quickly accept her?"
"Oh that's right, Riley was pre-DA so you wouldn't know her," Harry mumbled.
Stephanie stepped forward, holding Riley's hand gently in her own, "Ron, Hermione," she addressed them, "This is Riley Sterling, prospective sixth year Hufflepuff and my best friend."
"I am sorry if I have caused you any feelings of uncertainty," Riley said softly moving away from Stephanie, "But I can promise to you that I am a person that you can trust. I have come to help."
Ron still seemed unsure but he gave a noncommittal shrug nonetheless.
"We can't stay here much longer," Hermione reminded them, "Someone is sure to come along this way at any moment."
"You're right, we need to get out there and help fight," Harry said, his face a stern mask of bravery.
"Fight?" Came an exasperated voice, "What good do you think you can do? You're against an entire army!"
All the eyes turned on the voice and Draco glared back at them.
"Draco's right. Let's just give up now and forget about all the fighting we've done up till this point and just surrender. Give them Harry like they want and let everything get sucked in to terrible bloody chaos." Ron said sarcastically. Draco visibly winced and his lip rose in a snarl.
Before he could get his words out, Riley raised her hand to quiet him, "It won't do anyone any good if we stay here and argue amongst ourselves. Let's split in to groups of two and go from there,"
"That sounds like a good plan," Stephanie agreed, "I'll go with Riley and then—"
"No," Riley interrupted once more, "You stay with Harry. I'll go with Draco,"
Stephanie reached out and grabbed forcefully on to Riley's hand, "No! You can't leave me all alone again!"
"Stephanie," Harry said softly. He put a hand on her shoulder. She looked back at him and then to Riley.
Riley smiled at Stephanie, "You'll be safest with Harry believe it or not. Besides, I have no plans of vanishing this time."
Stephanie chewed on her bottom lip for a moment before releasing Riley's hand, "Okay fine. But we all meet up within the hour, got it?"
"Of course," Riley affirmed with a nod.
After another few minutes of discussion, the groups went their separate ways. Stephanie was with Harry, Ron with Hermione, and Riley with Draco. Draco was walking slightly ahead of Riley and she followed silently behind him. Draco felt his chest tighten ever so slightly.
He stopped abruptly, clenching his fists at his side, "Why did you come back?" He hissed between his teeth.
"I had to," Riley whispered. Draco turned and faced her.
"Why? What sense of duty do you have to this fight?" His voice was full of so many emotions that not even he could decipher where one feeling started and the next began.
She was quiet for a moment, "I don't suppose I have a duty to this fight particularly,"
"Then for what reason would you risk your life in this place?" His voice had risen to nearly a yell. It was obvious that he was frustrated and he hated showing such a weakness. He lowered his head and turned his gaze away from her. Riley took a step forward and placed her hand gently on his forearm.
"I'm not risking my life for this silly war," she murmured, "I'm here to protect those who are important to me."
Draco looked back at her and he was speechless.
"You mean people like Cradey and Potter, of course,"
A small smile stretched across her lips, "Them too," she squeezed his arm gently, "But you as well."
A shiver ran through Draco's spine. He quickly pulled his arm from her grasp and took a shaky step backwards.
"You left, all those years ago," he said, his voice barely above a trembling whisper, "You abandoned me,"
"I couldn't stay," her eyes were pleading, "You know that."
"I wanted to help you," his voice was back to a yell, "I would have thrown everything away to help you! You just ignored that, you didn't care about anyone but yourself. And now I," he paused, struggling with his words, "Now I've done horrible things that I can't take back."
"I shouldn't have left you alone," she admitted, "I know that now. But I was young and scared then. I didn't understand anything that was happening—I didn't know how to handle it. But," she stepped forward and threw her arms around the boy. Draco's body stiffened but his heartbeat rapidly increased. The scent of raspberries and vanilla filled his nostrils.
"I could never forget you," she continued with her breath against the skin of his neck, "And thank you for not forgetting me."
"I," he stammered, "How could I forget you?" His arms returned her embrace and held her tight against him. He had never thought this day would come when Riley was returned to him. Not even in his most wild of dreams had he imagined she would be in his arms like this.
He buried his face in her hair and inhaled deeply, "If you're going to fight, at least this time please let me protect you,"
Riley pulled away from him enough to look up at him and smile, "Of course,"
They separated, albeit grudgingly.
"Well," Riley said, looking expectantly at Draco, "Shall we go catch up with the others?"
Draco pulled his wand from his pocket, "Stay close."
One hour. They had been given one hour to bury and morn those who had died. The Great Hall was filled from wall to wall with bodies of those who had passed and the injured. The room was filled with voices of pain, fear, and sorrow. Riley didn't go in—it wasn't her place. The tortured wail of Stephanie came from inside and Riley couldn't help but to grimace. So many had already died, how were they ever going to win? She shook her head quickly. No, that was exactly how Voldemort wanted them to start thinking. That way they would give up Harry sooner. But by the whispers and conversations that Riley was picking up, the Dark Lord's plan was working.
Riley's attention was brought back when she saw the boy in question—Harry—quickly run from the room.
"Harry, where are you going?" She called out to him. He stopped midstep and turned to look at who had addressed him.
"Oh," he sighed, "It's you Riley,"
"I'll ask again, where are you going?" She walked towards him and stood next to him. He had grown taller over the years.
He looked her steadily in the eye before looking away, "I would lie to you, but you know I'm a terrible liar. I'm going to the forest,"
"I see," she said slowly, "You know it's a trap, right?"
He simply nodded.
Riley stared at him for another moment before turning away from him, "Be careful,"
"You're not going to try and stop me?" He asked, bewilderment obvious in his voice.
"Just as you are a terrible liar," She smiled back at him, "I am terrible at stopping those who have made up their minds on something."
Harry let out a breath and he seemed to deflate a little, "Thanks Riley. I don't think that I could take someone trying to tell me not to go. Did you see in there?" He asked, gesturing to the Great Hall, "I can't let that continue."
"I know," she said softly. She extended her hand towards him, pinky out, "But promise me that you'll come back Harry James Potter."
He chuckled slightly, wrapping his pinky around hers, "I promise," then he turned and continued down the hallway.
The forest was dark and fog covered the ground to create and eerie blanket. Harry swallowed hard. His lips brushed against the snitch in his hand. The joints in his fingers seemed stiff as they closed around a small object. He swallowed again and continued walking forward. The fog parted just the slightest bit and Harry could make out a figure in the bleakness. The person turned at the sound of Harry's approach. A wicked smile upturned their lips.
"Ah, it's The Boy Who Lived," said the sickly sweet voice of Voldemort, "Come to die."
Harry closed his eyes slowly and imagined the one thing that he had some regrets leaving—Stephanie. The fog took on a green glow as the incantation for the Killing Curse was completed.
Everyone gathered in the front courtyard. An army of students faced against an army of men and women alike. The air was tense and carried the scent of smoke from the fires that were still smoldering throughout the entire area. Voldemort emerged from between the ranks of his army. The students of Hogwarts shrank back a little. There was no way that they would be completely unaffected by the Dark Lord's presence, no matter how much time they had just spent fighting against his army.
Riley looked on, staying behind the majority of the crowd. She had put her traveling cloak back on and replaced the hood over her head. It was best she left the least memories of herself in this place. She stood near Draco. This was strange because everyone else gave him some room and didn't want to be too close to him. Stephanie stood close to Riley. By now Stephanie had realized that Harry had gone off on his own and hadn't come back. She was a mess, full of worry. But she had tried to trust her boyfriend after talking to Riley about it.
"Harry Potter is dead," he announced, his voice drifting over all who had gathered like a poison slowly spreading after a snake bite.
Stephanie's eyes widened and her heart stopped, "No! No!" she wailed. She threw herself forward but Riley grabbed after her. She restrained Stephanie and pulled her in to a tight embrace.
Narcissa looked up at the commotion from her place among Voldemort's army. Her eyes went to where the sound had come from.
"Dear," she whispered, pulling on Lucius' sleeve, "It's Draco!"
Lucius followed his wife's gaze and his eyes fell on his son's platinum blonde hair. He looked haggard, his usually slicked back hair around having falling out of place. Lucius watched as the two people who stood closest to Draco collapsed on the ground. One of them, a girl with darker blonde hair, was sobbing and wailing in anguish. The other was another girl was wearing a long cloak and seemed to be trying to comfort the other grieving girl. The hood of the second girl had fallen back and exposed her face and her medium length hair—hair that was so blonde it shined silver in the light. Lucius' eyes narrowed. Something about that girl seemed so familiar.
Suddenly fighting broke out as a fire roared to life. Lucius hadn't been paying attention to what was happening in front of him. Apparently a student had confronted Voldemort and demeaned him. Being the proud Lord that he was, Voldemort retaliated. Spells were being cast in all directions by Death Eaters and students alike. Lucius felt another tug on his sleeve.
"Dear," Narcissa said quietly in all the commotion, "We have to get Draco out of here,"
Lucius nodded, "I agree completely. Get his attention somehow,"
Narcissa turned her attention back to where her son was. He had crouched down next to the two girls. He was looking around and blocking all the spells that came towards them. Narcissa frowned. Why was Draco going so far as to protect those girls? Her frown deepened when she saw the girl with the longer hair. It was like Narcissa had seen her somewhere before—as if in a dream.
"Stand up!" Draco hissed at the two girls, "We need to get out here! Here is not the place to grieve!"
"I can't! I don't want to live anymore if Harry's gone!" Stephanie yelled back at him, her body breaking down in to gasping sobs once more, "I don't care if I'm killed right now!"
"Stephanie." Riley said sternly. The tone of her voice made Stephanie look up in to Riley's eyes. They were shining and the grey of her eyes almost seemed to be sliding. How could eyes look like that?
"We can't stay here," she whispered, her voice returning to the gentle lull that it normally was, "If we were to die here, what would Harry have to come back to?"
Stephanie sniffled slightly, regaining some control of her emotions, "Do you really think he's coming back?"
"Of course I do," Riley smiled softly and held out her pinky finger, "We made a promise."
It was another moment before Stephanie nodded, "You're right, I need to have more faith in him. Let's move,"
Riley and Stephanie stood and Draco deflected another Killing Curse that had been thrown their way. There was a roar of anger and they looked up just in time to see Neville Longbottom defending himself. Nagini, Voldemort's python, had charged him and was going in for the kill. But Neville swung a brilliant and shining sword in front of him, slicing the snake's head from her body. The snake disappeared in a puff of black fog that dissipated in to the air.
Voldemort's face contorted in to a look of terrifying anger. He raised his wand and pointed it at Neville before his lips twisted around the words that created the Killing Curse. Neville's eyes widened and he held his hands up before him, as if that could protect him.
"No!" Cried Stephanie.
"Protego!" Suddenly a red light came from the side and deflected the green that came from Voldemort. All eyes that had been watching turned to the origin on the protection charm so powerful that it could deflect even the Killing Curse.
"Harry!" Stephanie yelled, her eyes falling on the haggard and bloodied vision of her fiancé.
Voldemort's face became even more ferocious, "Harry Potter!" He screamed, his voice piercing the sounds of battle around them. A great cheer followed that as the news of The Boy Who Lived had lived once again. Stephanie pushed away from Riley and ran towards Harry.
"Stephanie! Wait!" Riley yelled after her. She reached out to stop her, but the girl was moving too quickly.
Draco cursed under his breath, "Stupid girl, doesn't she understand how dangerous the situation is right now?"
Harry's eyes darted sideways as he saw Stephanie running towards him, "No! Stephanie, stay back!" He commanded her. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"What?" Her footing faltered for a moment and she stumbled over some rubble that had gathered there. She fell and landed on her knees, scraping her palms.
"What's this?" Voldemort's voice was like ice, "Could this possibly be someone important to you, Harry Potter?"
Stephanie tried to stand back up but winced as a sharp pain flared in her ankle. She must have sprained it when she fell. Her eyes went to Harry and he could only look on in horror. No, he couldn't lose her. Not now when he had already done so much.
"Avada Kedavra!" The powerful spell shot from the tip of Voldemort's wand at an alarming speed.
"No!" Harry yelled, throwing himself in to motion to try and get to Stephanie. He raised his wand, but even his protego charm wouldn't make it in time. Stephanie was going to be killed and there was nothing he could do about it.
"Stephanie!" he screamed, his voice full of frustration and anguish. Stephanie felt tears spring at her eyes, but she didn't even have time to cry. The curse was upon her now. There was a flurry of black and silver to Stephanie's left just before the curse hit.
The impact came and a huge explosion covered the entire ground with a bright blue light. There was an initial implosion and then a secondary explosion with such magical force that some people were knocked over by it. There was a sound like fabric was being ripped apart and a whirlwind engulfed the entire area. When the light dimmed and the magic dissipated, Harry blinked his vision back. Stephanie was where she had been and was covering her eyes—not dead. Stephanie wasn't dead.
Harry looked up. Voldemort stood there dumbstruck. Even he had no idea what had just happened. Harry took this chance and cast a spell at him. Voldemort deflected it at the last minute. But it was too late; Harry already had the upper hand. The two cast their spells at each other—Voldemort using Avada Kedavra and Harry using Expelliarmus. The spells met in the middle and attempted to overpower the other. This battle of strengths waged for what seemed like millennia, but really only took less than a minute. The red of the spell from Harry's wand slowly overpowered the green from Voldemort's. This caused the Killing Curse from Voldemort to backfire and hit him.
The magic disappeared and Voldemort's eyes became cold. His body slowly began to crumble and turn to dust. His mouth opened in a silent scream and then his face too eventually disappeared in to the air.
"Dead," Harry whispered breathlessly. He fell to his knees, "Voldemort is dead."
Another great roar of cheering and triumphant voices filled the air. They had won—Voldemort was no more. Harry felt someone wrap arms around his shoulders.
"You did it," Stephanie cried, "You defeated the Dark Lord." Harry turned and returned Stephanie's embrace.
"Don't scare me like that," he whispered against her hair, "I don't ever want to lose you."
Stephanie pulled back and smiled at him, "But you'll protect me—just like you did now."
"Stephanie," Harry frowned slightly, "That wasn't me. My magic's signature isn't blue,"
"What do you mean," she asked slowly, "If it wasn't you, then who—where's Riley?"
The duo looked back and scanned the area for the girl. There weren't any signs of her silver blonde hair. But there was another head of light blonde hair. Draco was being pulled away from the scene by his father.
"No! I don't want to go!" He said stubbornly. He broke away from his father's grasp and threw himself down on the ground. He was hidden partially by part of a column that had fallen. He was crouched on his knees and holding something to his chest.
"You said you would let me protect you!" He yelled, "Why? Why would you do this again?"
"Draco!" Lucius hissed, grabbing his son's arm again and attempting to pull him to his feet. Narcissa moved to where her son was sitting. She knelt down next to him and placed a hand on each shoulder in a sort of half embrace.
"Draco, dear," she whispered, her voice soothing, "We need to leave. If we're caught now, there won't be any way you can live. What would she say if she knew that you gave up your life after her death?"
He was silent and he could feel his lip quivering, "I just," he choked on his words, "I had thought that I had finally gotten her back, mother."
"I know dear," she murmured, tightening her hold around him to more of a hug, "You've been through so much and you're still so young. But right now we need to keep moving forward."
Draco remained quiet for the longest time. After a moment, he swallowed hard. His hand shook slightly as he reached out. His fingers brushed gently against the cooling skin as he closed their eyelids. As he retracted his hand, he allowed it to run through her hair for one last time. The ring that was wrapped around his left ring finger was slowly dissolving in to silver flakes like snow. It was the only thing that had kept him going for so long. Now it was just disappearing in the wind. There was nothing left for him here in this place. Draco stood and his mother stood with him. She pushed her hand in to her son's and turned to lead him away. Lucius looked around to make sure no one had noticed them and followed after them.
The cheers continued as the students celebrated their victory. Harry and Stephanie looked at each other. Ron and Hermione had rushed to Harry and Stephanie as soon as they could. They were checking each person for injuries and congratulating Harry for the win. He was "bloody amazing" according to Ron.
Stephanie tried to move a little and winced as pain flared up her leg.
"Stephanie," Hermione questioned, "What's wrong?"
"I think I may have sprained my ankle," she admitted quietly.
"We need to get that looked at," she insisted.
"No!" Stephanie said suddenly, "I'm okay for now. We need to get the wounded inside and get them treated,"
Hermione gave her a nod after a moment and drug Ron away to start helping the injured.
Harry touched Stephanie's arm gently, "I'm glad you're okay,"
Stephanie smiled at him, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes once more, "I'm so glad that you're alive." There was a moment before Harry gathered Stephanie in to his arms and held her tightly against him. He took in her scent, the feel of her skin, the heat of her body, and the beat of her heart—the rhythm of her living heart.
Later that evening Stephanie was getting her foot looked at. It was nothing big—just a small sprain that should heal in a couple of weeks. They wrapped it and told her to take it easy before sending her away. Now the medics on scene were tending to those with minor scrapes and bruises. They had done the majority of the healing and treating a few hours ago. Stephanie walked over to where Harry was, various people surrounding him periodically to thank him for everything he had done. Stephanie sat down next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. He smiled gently and slipped his hand in to hers. His thumb slowly rubbed over the ring that rested on her finger.
"So," he murmured, "When are we setting a date?"
Stephanie blushed slightly, "You haven't even met my family yet,"
"Yeah, but," he shrugged, "I already got Riley's approval so many years ago and I feel she's practically your mom away from home. It should be fine."
"I suppose that's true," Stephanie giggled softly. She blinked a couple times as if a thought had just struck her, "Where is Riley?"
Harry frowned, "I don't know. Now that I think about it, I haven't seen her since last night before I—" he stopped his sentence.
"Yes, but when you were off being stupid and selfish Riley was with me," Stephanie chewed on her bottom lip slightly, "Then in the middle of everything when you were suddenly alive again. The last I saw of her was right before Voldemort cast the Killing Curse," her words drifted off.
Her gaze fell on the many bodies that were still on the floor for mourning, "You don't think she could have—"
"Of course not," Harry assured her, "We would have seen her body," he said slowly, "I'll go check with one of the medics," He whispered before standing up. Stephanie clasped her hands tightly in her lap, trying not to let her panic overwhelm her. Riley had just returned. Surely she wouldn't go so far as to let herself be killed like that. She had even said herself that she didn't have any plans on vanishing! Riley was sneaky, and as cunning as a Slytherin, but she would never lie to Stephanie.
Harry trotted back over to where Stephanie sat. He shook his head, "None of the fatalities fit her description. She isn't dead so don't think that way. We'll find her," he comforted her with another hand on her shoulder, "I promise."
After a moment, Stephanie nodded, "You're right. I bet she's around somewhere,"
"Probably run off somewhere with Malfoy I'd say,"
Stephanie gasped in a theatrical form of surprise, "Harry James Potter! I can't believe that you would think such things of my sweet little Riley!"
He smiled and kissed her forehead, "There's my girl," he whispered, "Riley will pop up somewhere, she always does." She nodded and he sat down next to her. He put his arm over her shoulder and they lounged together in the safety and warmth of each other's embrace. Everything was going to be okay.
Draco Malfoy stared at the ceiling of his room in Malfoy Manor. Even though the fire in his room crackled lifelessly, to him the room had never felt so cold. His entire body felt numb and his stomach flipped with nausea. He hadn't eaten, no matter how hard his mother pressed him to. She said he needed to regain his strength. But how could he eat at that table where all those terrible people had once gathered? Food would only taste like ash on his tongue if he were to eat at that table.
Draco had done many things during his time as a Death Eater that he wished he could take back. There were so many things that he couldn't even begin to think of atoning for them. Surely there was no way to cleanse one's self of such sins. However, for a few brief hours, he had thought that God had smiled on him. He had returned Riley to him. Draco swallowed hard and tried to ignore the heat that was building in his eyes. He would not cry—he had no right. He had promised her he would protect her and yet he could only remember her stiffening body under his touch.
That image flickered behind his eyelids every time he closed them—causing him to fear even blinking. How was he to sleep when he was plagued with such visions of terror? He raised his left hand above him in the air of the darkened room. For once in so many years, his hand was bare—there was no swooping starling looking down at him from a sapphire eye. Riley was no longer in this world.
Draco had never felt so alone.
He put his hand over his eyes and willed the images of that person to disappear from his mind. If only he could forget her. He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. He swallowed hard. He could do that—forget her. With just one word, he could forget everything he had ever known and felt about Riley Sterling. He reached under his pillow and pulled out his mother's wand. It wouldn't be too hard difficult. Then he would be able to go on with his life—no more feeling like this. He would never again feel his heart tighten at the sight of blonde hair in a crowd. He would never again think he heard laughter on the wind. Never again would he smell raspberries and vanilla in the air.
He stood from his bed and walked over to the full body mirror in his room. The fire cast eerie shadows across his face. He stared at himself in the mirror for the longest time. His eyes rest on the wand clenched tightly between his fingers. He raised his hand slowly and pointed the end of the wand at his temple. His hand was shaking. He opened his mouth to utter the charm, but as he did, his face twisted in to a look of anguish. He threw the wand from himself and fell to his knees. He clutched at his head with both his hands. His body trembled and shook with his sobs. He couldn't do it. He couldn't forget her when she left so many years ago and he couldn't do it now. He didn't want to forget her.
19 years later...
"Scorpius! Don't wander off too far!" Astoria Malfoy yelled after her son. She sighed exasperatedly. She turned to her husband who seemed all too uninterested in what was happening. He was working on something big at the Ministry and it was taking up much of his time nowadays.
"Draco, would you mind going and fetching our son?" Astoria said as she walked past him when she spotted some friends of hers. Draco kept himself from sneering at his so-called wife. He and Astoria were a marriage of consequence, not love.
Draco made his way through the crowd, following after his son. Just what was the boy doing anyway? He hardly knew anyone there—minus the Potter boy, Albus. Somehow the two had become friends and there was just no stopping them. But Draco didn't see the Potters anywhere. Perhaps Scorpius had seen something shiny and decided to chase after it. Draco let out a sigh—he really hoped going to Hogwart's would turn Scorpius in to a man more deserving of the name of Malfoy.
Draco watched as his spastic son ran in to someone. The boy fell over on to his rear and Draco hurried to him.
"Scorpius!" Draco hissed at the boy, "I'm very sorry ma'am. This insolent boy of mine didn't hurt you I hope?"
The person chuckled, a sound like bells, "No harm has been done,"
Draco stood Scorpius up and was dusting him off as the woman knelt down in front of the boy. The elder Malfoy's eyebrows knitted. His mind absently thought that the voice somehow sounded familiar.
"Take better care of who you run in to, young one," she whispered, "Not everyone is as nice as I am."
Scorpius nodded, "Yes ma'am. I am very sorry for running in to you, ma'am."
She patted the child's head before standing back up, "Behave for your father, Scorpius, he's a very good man,"
Draco's head snapped up at his child's name. But the person was already making their way through the crowded King's Cross Station.
"Father," Scorpius said, tugging on his dad's jacket, "Why are you crying?"
Draco blinked and looked down at his son. He raised his hand to his face and felt moisture there.
"I'm not sure," he said slowly, "But it feels like I've just woken from a dream," he whispered.