Help! I need somebody

Help! Not just anybody

Help! You know I need someone

Help!

"What happened to the wand you had?" Draco asked, looking around for it.

"Someone disarmed me" She complained, smoothing her shirt and shaking off the dust "I didn't see who it was but I was able to run away and loose him… but then I ran into Alastair. Perfecting timing Draco, thank you. Again"

"We were lucky" He said, and the hint of anger in his voice caused her to look his way with an arched eyebrow.

"What is it?"

"You are bloody crazy, that's what. They could have killed you!"

"I'm no good to them dead just yet, and you know it. Of the three of us, I was the only one who could have done that and gotten away with it"

"You still shouldn't have done it"

"I did what I had to; you shouldn't have stayed. Where is your mother?"

"She got out" He said, grabbing hold of her elbow and walking her around until we found an empty room we could hide in "She must have alerted Potter and the Ministry by now"

"What if everyone leaves? We cannot let them escape!" She said, sounding agitated.

"That's not my concern right now; I'm only interested in getting us both out of here. Preferably in one piece. Check your sickle"

"What? Why?" She asked, but reached into her pocket all the same.

"Mother has mine; maybe she sent you a message…. What is it Chloe?"

She was currently holding her sickle as if ready to cry, her entire body slightly shaking. A knot formed in my stomach.

"It's Harry…. He's coming for us" She said, looking up at him with a bright smile "C'mon, we got to find our way back to Alastair office. Our wands are in there"

"How do you…?"

"I overheard him yelling orders to keep his office protected, right before he spotted me, and he mentioned something about making sure we didn't get to our wands"

"Which means his office will be guarded. And why should we even bother to go back for those? We need to leave this place Chloe, or hide until help arrives"

"And in the mean time we can help by capturing some of the wizards and witches that kept us here and murdered my best friend"

"Chloe, you cannot go after Jasper and Alastair right now" He cautioned.

"I'm not letting Alastair, Isla, or Jasper slip away" She replied, heatedly.

"I'm not asking you to, but you are not going to risk your life for them. We know who they are and what they have done, the Ministry will see to them"

He could tell she wasn't convinced, but to his relief she shook her head and didn't argue back.

"I'm still going for my wand" She said stubbornly "With or without you"

"Bloody hell Chloe, is this really necessary?"

She nodded, and he could see the resolve in her expression. She really would go, with or without him. Draco contemplated, for only a second, to let her go without him but he knew he now cared too much about her to just let her walk away like this. And, after all, he had just come back for her.

"How exactly do you suggest we make it all the way there unseen and manage to get our wands back?" He said, sighing.

"Disillusionment charm" She replied, in a matter of fact way.

"I guess it's worth a try" He granted, still not sure about it "We will have to be extremely careful still, and we will have to hold hands so we don't lose each other"

"Brilliant, let's get going then"

"You are far too enthusiastic about this…"

"Why wouldn't I be? They are coming for us Draco; we will be free shortly"

"Right. Now listen, if I'm going to join in this little crazy mission of yours you need to agree on something. We are going for our wands, and if we run into anyone we can stupefy, we will do so. But then we are leaving or finding a spot to hide, okay?"

"Fine"

"Give me your hand"

He casted the spell on her and then she took a turn on him. When they were both satisfied at the strength of the charms, they left the room. Draco went first, holding the wand in one hand and Chloe's hand on the other, and they quickly left the dungeons.

It had been a while since Harry had seen anything get agreed upon by several different Ministry officials and different departments so quickly, but less than fifteen minutes had passed since Narcissa's appearance and they were ready to put a plan into action. A large force comprised of wizards and witches from the Departments of Magical Law Enforcement and Security, and the Auror's office was assembled and organized for an attack at the Malfoy's Winter State. All fireplaces were sealed, ensuring no one would be leaving by means of the floor network and thanks to Narcissa's knowledge of the location, they had sent out a few aurors to patrol the perimeter for anyone who tried to leave by foot or broom. The only tricky area was the back of the State, which sat on a mountain top overlooking the valley below and could only be accessed by flying, but they had the most experienced fliers already in position.

Hermione, Ron, and Harry were part of the very first group going in by floo network, which would be opened soon and only for traveling from the Ministry to the State. Liam, Willa, and Landon were also with them, for a total of fifteen in their group. All off duty workers had been called in, and overall, they had almost fifty wizards and witches ready to go. Elliot had arrived just a few minutes earlier, after Harry had asked Kreacher to go tell him of the recent developments. He was staying behind with Narcissa, although he had argued with Harry about coming. A handful of aurors and two of Kingsley's senior officials were staying behind with them and Mr. Ollivanders, to ensure their safety. When the last group had been given their orders and was ready to depart, Kingsley gave Harry's group his signal and Harry stepped into the fireplace. In a matter of seconds, he went for staring at the apprehensive faces of his two best friends to ducking out of the fireplace as a curse missed him by inches.

"HARRY POTTER IS HERE" Someone yelled.

Harry stood up and aimed at the man closets to him, just as Ron made his way out of the fireplace. Together, they placed a protego spell around them to allow the others to safely floo in. In the meantime, another team was doing the same, two floors above. The masked wizards finally gave up trying to hit them, turning on their heels and leaving the main area, all the while sounding the alarm.

They were just a few steps away from Alastair's office when hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway. Draco and Chloe flattened against the wall and watched as two masked people ran by them and busted through the office's door and Chloe was momentarily hit with a weird sense of déjà vu. They were close enough to hear the argument that ensued as the newcomers told those already in the office that Harry and other ministry wizards had arrived. Pulling on Draco, Chloe walked them closer to the door so they could hear what was being said.

"No, that will not work" Henry said, and Chloe wondered when he and Edward had finally been found.

"He is right" Jasper replied "They will have the floo network sealed and probably people on the outside"

"There has got to be a way out of here" Edward said, almost pleading and Chloe was content to hear the panic in his voice.

"We will leave through the balcony" Isla said in a calm tone.

"Mother, are you bonkers? We cannot fly out of here and the only thing on the other side of that balcony is a very steep fall ending in a river"

"Have you forgotten we have magic?" She replied, coldly "We can go down the mountain side with the help of magic, no one will ever suspect such a course of action and we will be safely concealed in the darkness. There is not time for idle talk, we must go now"

"There is one more thing to be done" Alastair said "we need to ensure our safety, completely"

An eerie silence fell in the room, followed by three bright flashes of green.

"Now, no one will know how we left" Alastair said "Let's go"

Draco and Chloe watched as the five of them made their way out of the office and down the hallway, Draco tightening his grip on her. As soon as they were out of side, Chloe dragged him to the office.

"I wasn't going after them if that is what you were thinking" Chloe said, as soon as they undid the spells and began to look around for their wands "There isn't much I can do against four people when I don't have a wand"

"Is that your way of telling me you are mad because I didn't do something about it?" He asked, sounding annoyed.

"No, there were four of them against only one of us with a wand. I'm not stupid Draco"

"Here" He said from behind Alastair's desk "Catch"

"That wasn't hard" Chloe said, catching her wand "Can I see that?" She added, asking for Edwards's wand.

As soon as Draco handed her the wand, she snapped it in two and threw it in the fireplace.

"Was that really necessary?"

"Yes, it was. So, now what? Should we go find Harry and the others?"

"I say we let them find us" Draco suggested, walking towards a desk by the wall which held a bottle of Firewhisky and several glasses "Let us celebrate our rescue and freedom"

He poured two glasses, extending his arm backwards to hand Chloe one as he grabbed hold of his.

"C'mon Chloe, I know it is a little too early for a drink but all things considered I would say we deserved it anyways…. Chloe?"

She heard the sound of glass breaking as one of the glasses Draco was holding came crashing down, followed by a curse. He realized she was gone just as she turned the corner; Chloe quickened her pace before he could try and stop her.

Draco threw the other glass down on the tray, grabbed his wand and raced of out the office. He had to get to Chloe before somebody else on the other side did and, most importantly, before she got to the Cromwells and Jasper. She had been nurturing her hatred and desire to hurt them all for a long time now and he had to keep her from doing something she would surely regret later.

Draco was fairly confident he could beat her to the back balcony as he knew the place better than she did, but that quickly change once he reached the top of the stairs and was met by a pandemonium. There were so many people and so many spells casted in all directions there was no way the people he was after could have come down this way. Think Draco! And then he saw her, her unmistakable blond hair a crazy blur as she shoved, jinxed, ducked, and otherwise forced her way through the crowd, headed for the main doors to the outside.

He turned around and went back the way he had just come, taking a left at the end of the hallway instead of a right and heading for one of the rooms he knew would have a view of the valley, and therefore the balcony below. If Isla and her group could go down a mountain side with the help of magic, he could go down a short level as well. As soon as he reached the window, he saw them, five dark figures running towards the edge of the balcony. Seconds later a flash of light, followed by the collapse of one of the figures and Chloe's appearance. Four figures turned towards her; wands raised high.

Bloody hell Chloe

It was as if time had slowed to a crawl as his eyes fell on her. After all this time, he could barely believe it was actually her and yet there was no mistaking it. he tried calling for her, almost being hit by a curse in his distraction, but she didn't hear him. Harry followed her with his eyes as she made her way out of the room, trying to see where she was going. Some of those around him seemed to have seen her as well and he was eternally grateful to whoever had stupefied a wizard who had tried to jinx Chloe as she ran past him.

"Go on Harry" Liam shouted "We got this"

"Lead the way mate" Ron said, still by his side "We are coming with you"

Harry gave him a brief nod, just as he reached for Hermione who was a few steps ahead of them. Together, they fought their way towards the direction Chloe had disappeared.

"Expelliarmus" Isla said.

Edward stepped in front of his mother and intercepted Chloe's wand, pocketing it with a wild look in his eyes. Then he turned and used the wand he had been carrying to Alastair and reversed her spell. Alastair stood up with all the dignity he could muster, as he smoothed his robes.

"You silly girl" Isla said in an icy tone "Thought that you could take us down, did you? Well, I have news for you, dear, we are leaving this place"

"Do you really thing I made my way here unnoticed?" Chloe said, trying to sound braver than she truly felt "any moment now someone will be here to detain you. Its over"

"It is over indeed" Isla agreed, smiling a smile that made Chloe sick "Edward dear, do take care of her. The rest of you, let's get going"

"Wait" Alastair commanded and everyone stopped. We are leaving, but not before we do something about you, Chloe. Let us see just how strong willed you truly are. Imperio"

Chloe lost all sense of place, time, and space. Her vision was slightly blurry for a moment, quickly refocusing on Alastair. She felt calm, happier than she had been in months. It was a strange, yet comforting feeling.

"Walk with me" He directed, and she followed.

A few feet away, Draco watched them as best as he could, while he descended from a window. Everyone except for Chloe was facing the other way, which worked out perfectly for him. As he got closer to the ground, a spell hit Chloe and he felt his stomach sink. But she didn't fall or seem otherwise hurt and the light from the wand wasn't the green color of the killing curse. Draco breathed a sigh of relive as his feet touched the ground, but his relief didn't last much longer. Chloe was walking alongside Alastair as they made their way towards the edge of the balcony.

In an instant, he understood what was happening.

It seemed that the harder they tried to get out of the foyer, the busier it got and the longer it took. Although those on their side were doing their best to clear a path for the three of them, the crowd of Dark wizards seemed to swell in size. Harry could feel his frustration rising higher and higher as they fought their way to where Chloe had disappeared into, and he let out a scream when they finally reached the hallway, only to find it led three different ways.

"Now what do we do?" Roan groaned next to him "Should we split?"

"Yes" Harry replied quickly "I'll go straight. If you find her, message me and I'll do the same"

They nodded in agreement and each went their way. He was grateful for Narcissa showing him the sickle, and Hermione had quickly enchanted more for the three of them to use tonight. Chloe had not replied to his message, which had truly concerned him, but he knew now she was safe (at least for the time being). Dreading the thought of what could still happen, he quickened his pace.

Draco could hear sneers as Chloe and Alastair continued to walk, and Henry even hooted. He walked faster, almost running, and raised his wand, ready to attack Alastair but in his hurry he tripped over something and fell hard on his face. By the time he looked up, Henry, Isla, Edward, and Jasper were staring down at him; all with wands pointed his way. His own wand laid a few steps away, out of reach.

"Well, well, well" Henry said, with glee "What have we here?! Trying to rescue you little friend Draco? Well, you are not doing a very good job are you?!" He laughed.

"Let me finish him" Edward said hungrily, taking a step forward "I want to be the one to do it"

"Not yet" Isla intervened "Perhaps we should let him watch the show first" She said, nodding towards Alastair and Chloe, who were still walking.

"Nice mom" Henry said "Get up Malfoy"

Draco did as he was told, and they forced him to the front of their group, where he had a clear view of what was happening. Dread filled him as he watched them, close to the balustrade by now.

"Chloe" He yelled in desperation "Chloe stop. Listen to me you have to stop"

Alastair had told Chloe to walk to the balustrade, and so she did. Nothing else was as important, nothing else made her feel more relaxed. But then something else caught her attention; Draco was calling for her and he was telling her to stop.

But why would he do that? She thought, puzzled we are just walking.

Isla told Draco to shut it, but Edward went a step further. With true joy in his face, he punched Draco in the stomach. He fell down, caught his breath and yelled for Chloe again and Edward's fist found its way to Draco's face. Draco was momentarily disoriented.

Chloe heard his voice again, just as Alastair told her to keep walking. She hesitated for a moment, shrugged, and kept going.

"Climb" Alastair said, so she did.

There wasn't much room to stand on, and the wind was blowing very hard, making it almost impossible for Chloe to keep her balance. But she did, she kept her balance as she waited for his orders.

Harry saw them not long after, stopping dead in his tracks as he watched Draco fall and everything that followed. He tried to open the doors to the balcony but they didn't budge, not even when he yelled Alohomora. He quickly sent his best friends a message and resumed trying to open the doors. They found him frozen in place by panic, just as Chloe climbed on the balustrade. Despise the situation, she looked breathtaking as she stood on the balcony, her beautiful blond hair flying in the wind and her cloak trashing madly behind her. She looked innocent and peaceful as she watched Alastair, and the wind continued to whip around her.

"Hermione, do something" He pleaded, his voice cracking.

"Protego" She said, shielding the three of them.

When she raised her wand again, the doors exploded with a loud boom, sending shards of glass everywhere. Everyone, including Alastair and Chloe, turned towards the noise but Harry, Ron and Hermione didn't wait for a response. Raising their wands, they managed to stupefy two people, while the other two fired spells back at them. From the corner of his eye, Harry saw Draco get up, blood on his face, and head towards Chloe. Harry started to follow him.

"Stop" Alastair said calmly, and everyone did.

Chloe was still on the balustrade, almost losing her balance a couple of times, watching him intently.

"Drop your wands or I tell her to jump" Alastair threatened.

He didn't have to say it twice, Harry dropped his wand immediately. Next to him, Hermione and Ron hesitated, while Isla saw to her sons.

"What are you thinking?" Draco demanded, looking incredulously at them "He's going to kill her either way. DO SOMETHING"

Several things happened at once. Hermione pointed her wand at Alastair, who ducked out of the way just in time while Draco launched himself towards someone Harry now realized was Jasper. Ron resumed his fight with Isla, and Hermione turned to face the Cromwell brothers as Harry ducked for his wand.

"Chloe" Alastair's voice sounded above all the noise "Jump"

"NOOOOOO" Harry yelled.

Chloe took one foot from the balustrade at Alastair's command, then stopped. Foot still in midair, struggling even worse against the wind, she turned and her eyes found Harry. Alastair's insistent voice kept sounding in her head, telling her to jump, but something had stopped her. A voice that sounded an awful lot like Harry's had broken through her thoughts, and she hesitated.

"Harry?" She said.

A smile broke on his face as he heard her say his name. She could resist Alastair; he knew she could.

"Talk to her, Potter" Draco pleaded, getting up from where he and Jasper had been fighting each other. Jasper wasn't moving. "She will break the spell if you help her, I know she will"

Draco, who was closer, began walking towards her and Harry tried to follow, but just then two spells connected midair, exploding. The noise sounded a thousand times louder than the one Hermione had casted a few minutes ago and almost everyone lost their balance as the floor trembled. Looking up, Harry felt a scream escape his lips. There was a large fissure on the balcony's floor, almost parallel to the crescent balustrade. The other end of the balcony was hanging lower than their side, no doubt about to break off. He searched for Chloe and found her a few feet from Alastair. He had his back pressed against the balustrade, while Chloe was hanging over the abyss, holding on to the balustrade. Something must have ended the spell between them, because Chloe was desperately crying for help now. Once again, Harry tried to make his way to her, but found his way blocked by Henry. He could see Ron and Hermione still fighting, and from behind Henry he could see Malfoy, slowly and carefully making his way towards the fissured area. He raised his wand just as Henry attacked.

Ignoring everything going on behind him, Draco slowly inched closer and closer to the middle of the balcony, keeping his eyes on Chloe. She had seen him now, and je could tell she was shaking.

"Help me" she pleaded.

Draco wanted to, desperately so, but a loud crack dipped their side even further and he knew he wouldn't be able to reach her.

"Chloe, listen to me. You have to hoist yourself over and you have to climb towards me. Do you understand?"

"I can't, Draco I can't"

"You have to Chloe, now"

He continued to inch closer, as close as he dared, and watched as she struggled, his hearting beating out of control. From behind him, he could hear Harry calling to her, and that seemed to give her the strength she needed. Slowly, she finally climbed over, resting with her back on the balustrade like Alastair. She was breathing hard and looking very scared.

"Great Chloe, you are doing great" Draco said, looking over his shoulder.

Harry was still trying to get past someone, all the while keeping an eye on Chloe.

"You have to come towards me, Chloe, now" He asked, as another loud crack rang out.

She nodded, stealing herself, and began to crawl towards him but Alastair wasn't done; with a yell he jumped towards her, grabbing her by the ankle. His sudden movement caused the balcony to dip even lower, and Chloe let out a strangled cry. From behind Draco, so did Harry. Kicking madly at Alastair, Chloe continued to try and make her way towards Draco. Another loud crack caused her to stop, which was a mistake.

"Chloe" He said, no longer able to keep the panic from his voice "You have to come to me now, right now" He begged, extending his hand.

She looked down at Alastair and kicked him hard in the face, and he finally let go of her. His body rolled down and came to a stop, all crumpled, on the balustrade. Chloe looked back at Draco and with great effort inched closer and closer. Their hands were mere inches apart now, and just as Chloe made to reach for him, a deafening sound broke thought the night and the balcony split in two, Chloe's half disappearing from view. Draco leaned forward and reached for her hand, nearly missing it. Chloe continued to yell, holding Draco's hand so tightly her fingernails were cutting through his skin. Behind him, Draco heard gasps and just as the other half of the balcony disappeared, Isla's scream of pain could be heard above all else.

"It's okay Chloe, I got you" Draco said, trying to pull her over.

But it wasn't okay, her weight and his precarious position were a bad combination and he could feel himself falling forward.

"Potter" He pleaded.