1
Pay attention to your survival instinct
The enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall was dark and speckled with stars, and below, the students were seated around the four long tables of the houses, disheveled, some in traveling cloaks, others in pajamas. Among them was Pansy Parkinson, a senior Slytherin. Here and there the ghosts of the school gleamed, pearly white. All eyes -both the living and the dead- were fixed on Professor McGonagall, who was speaking from the dais at the head of the Great Hall. Behind her were the other teachers, including Firenze, the centaur with the white mane, and the members of the Order of the Phoenix who had come to participate in the battle.
"...Mr. Filch and Madam Pomfrey will supervise the evacuation. Prefects: when I give the order, you will organize the students of your house and lead them in an orderly manner to the evacuation point."
Many students were scared to death, but Pansy was especially scared. She was so scared that she wasn't sure she could follow Professor McGonagall's directions. The insistent beating of her heart was driving her mad and her eyes darted around, paranoid, as if a Death Eater could appear from the shadows at any moment.
Hogwarts was supposed to be the safest place in the wizarding world. That's why her mother had insisted that she come back after the summer, because that way she and her family would be fine. But it turned out not to be. She had ended up in the middle of the conflict without meaning to. Because of the Order of the Phoenix and Potter with Dumbledore's Army, this academic institution that should protect its students, was starting a war against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named .
Pansy was a prefect, but she didn't want to be a role model or listen to her teacher, rather she wanted to run and leave all her classmates behind. What did she care what happened to the first years? She just wanted someone to get them out of here, right now.
Ernie Macmillan rose from the Hufflepuff table and yelled:
"What if we want to stay and fight?"
There was some applause. Pansy shrank back in her seat, a strangled whisper escaping her lips,
"Suicide..."
Daphne Greengrass, who hadn't left her side since they arrived in the Great Hall, chuckled softly.
"Those of legal age can stay," Professor McGonagall replied.
"And our stuff?" a girl from the Ravenclaw table asked. "The trunks, the owls…"
"There's no time to collect personal effects. The important thing is to get you out of here safe and sound."
"Where is Professor Snape?" Diana Carter yelled from the Slytherin table.
"Professor Snape has left," the teacher replied, and the Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw students erupted in cheers.
"Do you think they would react like that about any of us who disappeared?" Daphne asked in a somber tone.
In addition to Pansy, other Slytherins close to them heard her. One of them stifled a groan in response, but Pansy said nothing. She felt the cold run down her back, her pajamas never felt as thin as they do now, not even in the dead of winter. What if Daphne was right? What if Professor Snape hadn't escaped, but had been kidnapped or worse? He was an enemy to Dumbledore's followers, after all. As were all of them, because every Slytherin was considered an ally of Voldemort. It wasn't exactly true, but it wasn't entirely a lie either. Would the Slytherin students be okay or would they "leave" like Professor Snape? Professor McGonagall was aware of the things the Slytherin students had done over the course of the year. Might as well use them as bait or hostages. They were at war and horrible things happened inside the castle, their actions would be justified if they could defeat the greatest threat to the magical world.
"We have already erected defenses around the castle," Minerva McGonagall continued, "but even so, we won't be able to hold out long if we don't strengthen them. Therefore, I am forced to ask you to leave quickly and calmly, and to do as your prefects…"
But the end of the sentence was drowned out by another voice that echoed throughout the hall. It was a high-pitched voice, cold and clear, and it seemed to come from the very walls.
"I know you are preparing to fight." The students screamed and many grabbed each other, looking around, terrified, trying to figure out where the voice came from. "But your efforts are useless; You can't fight me. However, I don't want to kill you. I have a lot of respect for the teachers of Hogwarts and I don't mean to spill magical blood."
The Great Hall fell silent, a silence that pressed on the eardrums, a silence that seemed too vast for the walls to contain.
"Give me Harry Potter," said Voldemort's voice. "Give me Harry Potter and I will leave the school intact. Give me Harry Potter and you will be rewarded. You have until midnight."
Silence swallowed them again. All heads turned, all eyes converged on Harry Potter, and he froze, like a deer about to be attacked. "Give me Harry Potter and I will leave the school intact." Were it not for Potter's disheveled and tired appearance, Pansy would have mistaken him for the same frightened and lost boy she had seen sitting on the dais all those years ago, wearing a hat larger than his head. Everything could be normal again one day, like that first day of school. This nightmare would end and everything would be the same as it always was, all they had to do was...
"Give me Harry Potter and no one will be harmed." Pansy forced herself to swallow hard, her tongue feeling dry and thick in her mouth. She clenched her hands into fists, her fingers and palms drenched with sweat.
"Give me Harry Potter and you will be rewarded." What reward would Slytherin have for helping the Order of the Phoenix? What would she gain? What were the chances of the Order winning over Voldemort? If he started the battle, everyone in the castle would die in the crossfire. The exits of the castle were guarded by Death Eaters, they already knew the secret passageways thanks to Professor Snape. No one would save them. Voldemort would consider them enemies for not helping and the Order already considered them enemies for who they were. The families of the Slytherin students were not here to protect them. If they wanted to save themselves, the most sensible thing was to avoid the battle. Potter in exchange for hundreds.
Pansy got up from the Slytherin table, trying to control the shaking in her legs. Raising her hand felt so, so slow...
"But he's there! Potter is there! Somebody catch him!" she yelled, pointing at him.
Harry Potter was still paralyzed, so he didn't try to defend himself, but he was surrounded by a human shield that protected him: the Gryffindor students who got up all at once and faced the Slytherins without hesitation. Then the Hufflepuffs stood up, and almost simultaneously the Ravenclaws, all with their backs to Harry. Pansy, overwhelmed and frightened, saw magic wands coming out everywhere, from under the cloaks and the sleeves of her schoolmates, all pointed at her.
"Thank you, Miss Parkinson," Professor McGonagall said abruptly. "You will be the first to leave with Mr. Filch. And the rest of her house can follow her."
Pansy could barely process anything, her vision was cloudy. She, and everyone in Slytherin, knew that fighting teachers and students would backfire. She heard the shuffling of benches and then the echoing footsteps of Slytherin students pouring out from the other end of the Great Hall. Many kept their heads down. Others looked at her: some with respect, others as if she were the stupidest thing they had ever seen. She felt someone's fingers intertwine with hers. It was Daphne who encouraged her to walk, taking her hand tightly.
"And now, the Ravenclaw students!" McGonagall ordered.
The four tables emptied little by little. The room was completely empty of Slytherins, but some Ravenclaw students (the older ones) remained seated while their classmates left the room. From Hufflepuff even more students stayed, and half of the Gryffindors didn't move from their seats. Pansy heard McGonagall yell something else, but she wasn't sure what she said, because they walked through the door and her words became just noise mixed with the sound of footsteps.
"Move quickly," Filch said without looking back, leading them through the wide corridors of the castle.
The students obeyed without hesitation, but anxiety was in the air.
"Where will we evacuate?" a first-year boy asked with a trembling voice.
"Can we really get out? How is it possible?" said another.
"Using a painting," Filch silenced them all. "Thank Potter, we're going out the same way he came in to save your skins."
There were a couple of murmurs of confusion, but no one dared to question it. Pansy kept her head down, feeling small. Daphne gave her hand a gentle squeeze and then… released her. Pansy crossed her arms reflexively, glancing at Daphne. Her fingers felt cold without the warmth of her hand, she wanted her to keep holding her, keeping her safe, but she didn't try to reach for it. Daphne was still there, walking alongside. As long as she was close enough. They were together, so everything was fine. Pansy raised her head. She had to force herself to be positive and think that they would get out of here unscathed. Daphne wouldn't let something bad happen to her.
As Filch said, a painting opened a secret tunnel for them. Daphne pushed Pansy gently from behind, motioning for her to go first. She meekly obeyed. She escaped from the castle before anyone else, even before Filch, who had remained at the entrance, leading the students one by one inside. She felt claustrophobic as she walked, her mind playing tricks on her that the walls were shrinking as she went. She was following a path that gave no clues as to the end, blindly trusting. What fate awaited her in this endless darkness?
But the reality was good. At the end of the tunnel was the freedom she desperately craved. The light from the exit took her by surprise and forced her to close her eyes, but when she got used to it, hope grew in her chest. It was dawn. She took a shaky breath, composing herself. She was in that filthy tavern in Hogsmeade, The Hog's Head. The dusty air in the place felt as cool as the vast Hogwarts grounds. Looking at the window panes, blurred with grime, she found peace, not war. There were no Death Eaters, the streets were deserted. Everyone was probably at the gates of Hogwarts by now, preparing for battle.
Behind Pansy came others. She didn't turn around, she kept looking out the window, but she knew that more and more of her companions, of her friends, were entering The Hog's Head. The room took heat thanks to the mass of people. The murmurs were increasing. They would be fine. Potter could kill himself. Or well, him and all the Gryffindors. She almost laughed at them. They had magical blood that Voldemort didn't want spilled to use and they didn't take advantage of it? She should have calmed down instead of trying to hand Potter over. Getting out of the castle was so easy it was ridiculous. Maybe Snape was gone, just like Pansy was.
"Daphne," she murmured happily, "now that we're safe and there's no risk of being killed by Death Eaters or anyone... I'm going to kill you. I swear. You scared me so much with…"
But Daphne wasn't by her side. She looked carefully at the large crowd, there were so many that there was little room left to move. Her heart began to race like before. Where was Daphne? They were always together. Wasn't she walking all this time behind her? Why wasn't she by her side? Pansy walked into the crowd. Perhaps Daphne didn't find her when she entered the tavern, or she was busy talking to someone else. She began to get upset as the minutes passed and Daphne did not appear. Out of desperation, she stopped asking permission to move among the people and search. Where was Daphne?!
She had walked all over the room. The tunnel was closed. Everyone had left it, except her best friend.
"Mr. Filch," Pansy gasped when she saw him, gripping his arm tightly. "I think Daphne Greengrass was left behind."
"I was the last to enter, no one was missing," he shrugged as he shook his arm to be released.
Pansy released him, but took a step forward, invading his personal space.
"I swear to you, sir, she—"
"There are a lot of people here, of course you don't see her! I'm sure she's out here, keep looking, you'll find her eventually." He interrupted her, waving his hand dismissively. He was confident that no one was lost on his watch.
"Mr. Filch watched the front and I watched the back at all times. No one got out of line," said Madam Pomfrey, who had heard the commotion and walked over to them. "You're just nervous."
"I swear to you, Madam Pomfrey, she's not here. I was the first to go through the tunnel and she was right behind me, but not now."
"Isn't it possible that she stayed for the battle? Miss Greengrass is in her seventh year, she's of legal age."
"No. Impossible."
"Make way brats!" Filch yelled, getting fed up and leaving the two women behind without even apologizing. "I need to get to the door, move! Aberforth, help a little!"
The students pressed sideways, allowing Filch to pass. Pomfrey patted Pansy gently on the shoulder to calm her down and walked away, following Filch. Pansy leaned against a wall. She felt dizzy with anxiety. It didn't make sense that Daphne hadn't gone through the tunnel, but even Madam Pomfrey's words didn't make her feel any better. Why were they so calm? Were they not taking responsibility since Daphne was of age? She clenched her jaw, trying to stifle despair.
"Relax Pansy, Daphne must be around here," said a girl who had heard everything.
It was Anya, a yearmate of Pansy's. Anya patted her arm reassuringly and added,
"You'll find her outside. Daphne knows how to take care of herself."
But it was not like that. She checked the crowd three times and didn't find her. She tried to tell the adults in charge again that Daphne hadn't left the castle, but they didn't believe her. They didn't understand… Daphne never left her side willingly.
The evacuation party traversed the streets of Hogsmeade like it was just another quiet weekend. Voldemort didn't want to spill magical blood for no good reason, so no one was trying to stop those evacuating the area. Pansy kept walking at the back of the entire crowd, slower and slower, dragging her steps...until she stopped. She couldn't go on, not without Daphne. She took a hesitant step back, then another. She turned around and started running. She entered The Hog's Head at full speed, accidentally hitting one of the tables because she couldn't stop in time. No one but her was left in the tavern. She stopped in front of the painting and yelled at it:
"I want to go back, let me in!"
The woman in the painting made a sad face and shook her head. She kept yelling the same thing over and over again. Nothing, the woman just pointed to the door, telling her to evacuate. She hit the painting, desperate. The woman staggered, shook her head again and decided to go to another painting, leaving her alone. Pansy grunted in despair and fell to her knees on the floor, not knowing what to do.
A door slammed. Pansy tensed, bringing her hands to her mouth. A Death Eater? It would be the greatest irony to die like this.
"My sister," gasped a high-pitched voice.
Pansy turned around.
"A…Astoria…?"
Astoria Greengrass, Daphne's younger sister, was standing a few feet from her. Her hair was matted and her cheeks and nose were red. It seemed that she also left the evacuation party and had rushed here in a hurry.
"You can't find her either? The tunnel won't open?" Astoria asked.
"Do you know where she is?"
"Where else?" she said indignantly. "Saving her stupid boyfriend!"
"Her boyfriend?" She murmured, making sure.
"I'm going to the castle to look for her. Are you coming too?"
Astoria reached down and grabbed her hand, pulling her up, forcing her to her feet. Pansy nearly lost her balance, but managed to stay on her feet. Without letting go of her, Astoria ran for the exit. Pansy was dragged down the street, toward some fences which they jumped through, and from there they picked up their trot to cross a large flat piece of land that culminated in a grove of trees.
"Where are we going?!" Pansy shrieked, her voice ragged from her erratic breathing. Her legs were starting to itch.
"If the tunnel is no longer working, the only option left to us is the Forbidden Forest."
Bile rose in Pansy's throat from sheer terror. She stopped, planting her feet firmly on the ground. The brake almost made Astoria fall to the ground. Pansy let go of her hand and in a panic screamed,
"Are you crazy?! The Forbidden Forest?! We'll die!"
"If we don't try, Daphne will be the one to die! It will take a long time to go around the forest."
Pansy was near throwing up. She could see the forest ahead, imposing and huge. Astoria was looking at her fervently, begging her to come with her.
"Together we stand a better chance. But I'll do it with or without you."
Astoria didn't wait for an answer and ran back into the woods. The trees looked giant, terrifying. Pansy couldn't move her feet. Why Daphne...? One of her trembling legs managed to take a step forward. Was she really thinking of risking her life for her? She never thought that she would be able to do something so stupid.
"Ugh, damn it!" she yelled, closing her eyes as she ran after Astoria.
Tears pooled on her lashes and she clenched her jaw so hard it hurt, but she kept moving forward. Something must have happened. Daphne would not have abandoned her, ever. And Pansy wouldn't now either.
Both girls entered the forest, when they were completely surrounded by the trees they slowed down. They were breathing hard as they tried to get used to the new darkness. They moved carefully as they didn't want to get lost.
"Who is her boyfriend?" Pansy asked after a while walking.
They both kept their eyes lowered. It was too easy to trip over roots here.
"Blaise."
"What? They went out a couple of times, but…"
"They get together and break up all the time. On vacation they are always together, in Daphne's room. She had no choice but to tell me the truth when I threatened to tell our parents that I can't sleep because of her."
"They're finished. Definitely. Daphne told me."
"When?"
"Two years ago."
"It didn't sound like that last vacation, a few months ago…"
Pansy's skin prickled.
"Are you implying that she lied to me?"
"I know Daphne didn't want to hurt your feelings…"
"Is hiding things from me a way to avoid hurting me?" she scoffed.
Astoria glanced at her for a few seconds, considering, then watched her own steps again and said with conviction,
"Yes."
Pansy gave a bitter laugh.
"Of course yes," she muttered.
Astoria didn't know anything, even being her sister. Daphne and Pansy were closer than anyone, their bond surpassing any blood relationship.
"Don't tell me you're thinking of going back to the others now that you know that…"
"What?" No! Of course not. I will save Daphne and then kill her with my own hands for being a liar. And for scaring me like that. Pansy looked back." Sunlight barely penetrated the dense branches. She shuddered. They were too far into the forest. "I also don't know how to get back."
"We're walking in a straight line, you should just do the same, but in reverse. We're not that far in, you'll get out sooner or later."
"Shut up," she murmured, she didn't want to hear that.
"Are you more afraid of leaving the forest alone than entering it accompanied?"
Pansy almost tripped over a root. Daphne needs me, she reminded herself. Every hair on her body told her to turn around, but her legs kept running straight into danger.
"We'll save Daphne, right?" Astoria asked with concern.
"They're probably not in the middle of the battle, we'll find them easy and get out of there without bumping into anyone," she lied, ignoring her gloomy thoughts, "Blaise is a Death Eater, one close to Draco. That's why Blaise and Daphne had broken up in the first place. He was a dangerous boy."
"Your voice is trembling," she said.
"We're in our pajamas in the middle of the Forbidden Forest," she excused herself.
"I'm freezing too, but at least it's spring."
They walked in silence, little by little the cold of the morning seeped deeper into their bones, making it more difficult to advance. She felt ridiculous, in her sodden slippers and socks, and her pastel pink pajamas smeared with dirt, heading toward the place she wanted so badly to escape from hours ago. They were walking in a straight line, trusting to luck not to accidentally stray. She felt that she was going against all logical sense.
She wanted to be selfish, but her heart wouldn't let her go without Daphne. It was always the two of them, ever since they were little girls. She couldn't leave Daphne alone in the middle of a battle. This was her fault, for not insisting, for not holding her hand more tightly, for not taking care of her, for not looking back because she was thinking only of saving herself. Now she was paying with losing the one person she would put before herself. What had she done so wrong with Daphne that she decided to stay with Blaise instead of her? She couldn't run away without knowing it.
As the pain in the soles of her feet began to bother her, they heard voices in the distance. Pansy and Astoria froze and strained their ears, but still couldn't understand what they were talking about. Astoria moved toward the sound with graceful steps. Pansy followed close behind, a little less gracefully. Astoria stopped in her tracks and Pansy bumped her back. Luckily they didn't make any noise. They poked their heads out carefully, hiding behind the trees. There was a large group of people. They were gathered in a clearing, surrounding a campfire. And at one end, being watched by everyone present, unbelievably, was Harry Potter.
"You've got to be kidding, what the hell is Pot-?"
Astoria covered her mouth with both hands, stopping her. Pansy had spoken softly, but still Astoria gave her a threatening look and moved her lips in an exaggerated way, saying "Shut up" without making a sound. Pansy dared to look back at the clearing. Potter had gotten much closer to the people, walking straight towards a ghoulish looking man. Then she realized: they were all Death Eaters. Voldemort was there. Pansy swallowed hard. Out of sheer panic she wanted to say 'What the hell is Potter doing?!' again, but she didn't. Her throat was tight, as if she were being choked. Did the Order of the Phoenix lose, so quickly? It was not possible... Were they negotiating? Was Potter giving up...?
A green light illuminated the clearing and Harry Potter fell to the ground. Astoria gasped. Pansy didn't even have air in her lungs to do the same.
Pansy had seen Unforgivable Curses many times, but not this one. It was terrifying how Harry Potter's soul had so silently left his body. It was more morbid than anything she'd seen this past year, when in class her classmates writhed in pain from the Cruciatus the teachers handed out as punishment. There was no resistance, not a little groan. Because of the plants that muffled it, they didn't even hear Harry's body slump. It was crueler than anything. A life could not end like this, without the slightest trace, without fighting to live, without running or begging for mercy...
There was a commotion, nervous murmurs. Pansy looked away from Harry Potter and then she realized: Voldemort fell too, as ungracefully as a dead man who didn't fight for his life.
"My lord... my lord..." a woman said. "My lord—"
"That's enough."
Pansy and Astoria stepped back. His voice was more terrifying than when they heard it in the Great Hall. He was alive. Pansy wanted to cry. If he found them sniffing around...
"My lord, allow me..." the woman insisted.
"I don't need help," Voldemort snapped coldly. "The boy... is he dead?"
There was absolute silence in the clearing. No one approached the corpse, they just looked at it.
"You," Voldemort instructed, and there was a pop and a slight cry of pain, "examine him and tell me if he's dead."
"Narcissa, it's Narcissa," Astoria gasped in a small voice.
She was right, it was Mrs. Malfoy, Draco Malfoy's mother. Pansy knew that the Malfoys were close to Voldemort, but she was still surprised to see Narcissa there, like this. She looked terrible, the complete opposite of what it was in her memories. Pansy's heart clenched as she watched her check Potter's body.
"He's dead!" Narcissa Malfoy announced to the others.
They all let out whoops and exclamations of triumph and stamped their feet hard on the ground.
"You see?!" Voldemort yelled over the din. "I have killed Harry Potter and there is no longer a man alive who can threaten me! Look everyone! Crucio!"
Potter was treated like an object. He rose from the ground, was thrown three times into the air, falling ungracefully to the hard ground. His glasses fell, his magic wand too. Cheers and laughter rang out in the forest. Pansy wanted to throw up. "Hand over Potter." She wanted this fate for Harry Potter, her classmate.
"And now," Voldemort announced, "we will go to the castle and show you what has become of your hero. Who wants to drag the corpse? No! Wait!"
There was more laughter.
"You're going to carry it," Voldemort ordered. "In your arms it will look good, don't you think? Pick up your little friend, Hagrid. Oh, and the glasses! put them on; I want them to recognize him."
Pansy began to cry silently. She had wanted this. She had gone without looking back with a clear conscience. She would have sacrificed Potter like that, just so she could escape without a scratch. Before it was so easy to do that. When you turned your back without looking back it was so easy to abandon others to their fate, but seeing it was so different...
"Move!" Voldemort ordered, and Hagrid stumbled through the trees with Potter in his arms.
Pansy's legs gave out, she awkwardly leaned against a tree. She felt despondent and her stomach churned. And when she remembered Daphne, it got worse. What if everyone in the castle was already dead, just like Potter?
"Come on," Astoria whispered.
Pansy didn't move a muscle.
"Move." This time Astoria punched her shoulder.
"How?" she asked with a trembling voice.
"They're going to the castle. We are on the right track, we just have to follow them now."
"Potter was killed."
"Narcissa will find Draco."
"They killed him," she continued, without processing the events.
"Draco isn't with his family. He is also in danger.
"Draco." Draco? She hasn't heard his name in a long time. They were friends, but had grown apart. Pansy looked at her then.
"Draco? What are you talking about?"
"We have to help him too." To my sister and Draco.
"Draco?" she repeated, not understanding what he had to do with all this.
"Daphne is the priority. But they may be together. I'm sure Draco would protect my sister."
Pansy was stunned. But more than understanding Astoria, she was worried about Voldemort and his army of Death Eaters, so she focused on that:
"Do you want us to follow the ones who murdered Potter?"
"How do you think we'll save Daphne?!" she replied. "Merlin, think. We are in a war. Where did you think we were headed?"
"Let's wait a bit here, she must be hiding in…"
"No! She's fighting! Don't you understand?! She's with Blaise, they both took the mark! She is fighting! I'm not going to let my sister and Draco's life go like this, because of him! I will not allow it!"
"Daphne doesn't—"
"She's a Death Eater."
"She's not!" she yelled.
Daphne would never do something so dangerous, it was ridiculous. That was why they distanced themselves from Draco and the others two years ago. Pansy and Daphne wanted to finish Hogwarts like any normal student: take a trip around the world before starting work, live the same kind of life their mothers lived. They did not want to fight in a war. They wanted nothing to do with the Death Eaters. After Umbridge they didn't—
"Come on. We can't lose sight of them," Astoria snapped, walking the same path the Death Eaters had traversed.
Pansy didn't move, and Astoria angrily didn't look back to see if she was following her. She was willing to do anything to protect those she cared about, so Pansy didn't dare stop her. She staggered to her feet and walked over to the fire the Death Eaters had left behind. It was close to going out, almost all the wood had been consumed. Her numb, cold limbs thanked her anyway. Pansy's head, body, and heart ached. She felt so tired all of a sudden. She wanted to follow Astoria, she didn't want to be alone. But this, staying close to the comforting warmth, felt so easy…
"Harry was killed?" a thick voice asked.
"That's what Bane said," said another voice.
Pansy looked around her. She heard footsteps. Not human, they sounded like hooves.
"It's too late? I want to kill those damn wizards... They invade our territories, they kill without honor... And we just accept it? Where was our pride?"
Pansy took a few steps back. She looked around her in panic. Centaurs were dangerous, they would attack any human on their land. She swallowed hard. It was too late to chicken out. She couldn't give up halfway. Whether from the forest or from the battle, she was already in danger. It didn't matter if she was tired, scared from witnessing a murder, or if she no longer knew the Daphne she wanted to rescue, she was going to go for her. Whether or not she lied to her about some things, the truth was that Daphne was always by her side. Was she going to die like this, like Potter, just accepting defeat? She had just learned that that scared her more than death itself.
She ran to the same spot where Astoria and the Death Eaters had disappeared, but she did so in such a hurry that she slipped in the mud and fell. She groaned and looked around her. It seemed that the centaurs had not heard her. When trying to get up, some stones stuck in her hand. It hurt, but not as much as the fall. Again the sound of hooves was heard, even closer than before. Her heart beat like crazy. She grabbed as many stones as she could find around her and threw a handful of them as hard and far as she could. She was trembling, but she managed to stay alert, ready to throw what stones she had left. Luckily, it wasn't necessary:
"Another sound?"
"Over there."
The sound of hooves diminished. Pansy didn't get up, she crawled as fast as she could and hid in the bushes. She went on for a while like that and when she was sure she wouldn't hear any more centaur footsteps, she got up. Her knees ached. Her hands had some cuts and the stones pressed painfully into her palms, but she didn't want to let go of them out of fear. She dusted off her clothes and felt a stick in her pocket. The wand. Pansy wanted to bang her head against the nearest tree. All her ancestors must have been rolling in their graves: Pansy Parkinson, the last witch with her last name, being killed by magical creatures, without using her wand to defend herself.
She put the stones she was holding in her pocket, worried that she would run into centaurs again, and held her wand firmly, pointing straight ahead so she could protect herself properly. She hesitated, but took one of the stones out of her pocket. Better safe than sorry. Also, fiddling with it between her fingers helped with stress.
She moved carefully until the light began to filter through the branches and the number of trees around her began to decrease. A relieved smile escaped her and she quickened her pace until she finally got out. Finally! Now just...! Her smile fell as soon as she saw the whole picture: the castle was in ruins.
But there were survivors. Many people were outside the castle, concentrated at the entrance, standing there without a fight. Was the battle over? What happened? Pansy looked around, no one was around. Hesitantly, she advanced towards the crowd, needing to see who they were.
A tug on her clothing surprised her. Her body moved against her will and she was dragged, levitating through the Hogwarts grounds at high speed, towards the castle. But not towards the entrance, but towards one of the shattered walls. Behind one of the holes was Astoria. Pansy slammed into her body as she entered the gap. It was a miracle that a scream didn't escape her mouth.
"I'm beginning to regret asking for your help," Astoria said.
"How did you do that...?"
" Accio pajamas," she explained.
"What if they tore?"
"You would have been left naked in front of the one-who-must-not-be-named. But luckily you buy good quality pajamas."
Pansy flew into a rage, but when she processed Astoria's words she became alarmed and glanced at the crowd she almost addressed.
"Are they Death Eaters?"
"Going straight to the one place you didn't have to go. Yes, Death Eaters, and Dumbledore's Army. The battle must be about to break out again. They just announced Potter's death, but I didn't stick around to hear more."
Lots of angry shouts broke the calm. Pansy swallowed hard. The battle exploded again. If it wasn't for Astoria stopping her…
"Quickly," she ordered. "They're already fighting again, but Daphne and Draco aren't there. They must be on this side of the castle."
They dodged spells as they plunged into the battlefield. Pansy could only follow Astoria and hope for the best, trying hard to find her friends. She covered her head with her arms and tried to look at every corner of the surroundings. Daphne and Draco were blonde, they couldn't be that hard to see!
Pansy jumped in fright at the sight of the Hogwarts house-elves, who burst into the hall screaming like mad as they brandished carving knives and butcher cleavers. Luckily they weren't focused on them, probably because of their pajamas. She watched as George Weasley and Lee Jordan took down an enemy. She also saw Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy not intervening in the fight, they just ran through the crowd calling for their son at the top of their voices.
"Not my daughter, bitch!" Molly Weasley said.
Pansy was pale, watching the Weasley's mother fight with Bellatrix Lestrange herself. It was hard for her to stop paying attention to them, but she did. She had to focus on her goal and nothing else: Daphne. She kept looking around, searching. Still, she couldn't help but remember her parents from everything she saw. They should be at home, calm, without worrying about this battle. She had never wanted a hug from her mother as much as she does now.
"No!" Astoria howled, torn.
Pansy looked at her shocked face and followed the direction of her gaze. They finally found Daphne. She was half leaning against a wall, with her legs spread out on the floor. There was blood painted on the wall, a little above her head. Somehow Daphne's skull had slammed into the wall and her body had slid down it without resistance, painting the path red. She was motionless, her eyes wide open staring at nothing. Her wand was still between her limp fingers. The sleeves of her pajama top were rolled up, the Dark Mark was tattooed on her arm.
Had the battle stopped? Pansy felt that way. Some voices shouted the word 'Harry', but the sounds grew softer and softer, until she heard only a beep that drowned out all other noise. Where had the colors of the spells passing through the air gone? The explosions? The desperate screams?
"Move on! Go!"
Pansy blinked in confusion as they shook her. She was numb, looking at Draco Malfoy's face, which was suddenly there, trying to make her react.
"Draco," she gasped.
His mouth was smeared with blood, he probably had more wounds on the rest of his body. Astoria sobbed uncontrollably. Draco had one arm around her shoulder, and with his free arm he cupped Pansy's face, forcing her to look at him.
"Go!" he insisted.
"Your parents," Pansy recalled in a small voice.
Draco's face twitched in panic.
"Where?"
Pansy pointed a finger at the Great Hall. Draco looked at Astoria and then at the Great Hall.
"My mother," he stammered, looking between the two girls.
Astoria clung closer to Draco's arm.
"Go. Let's not waste a second. No one else, not one of us," she said with pain. Large tears streamed down her face, and she still dragged Draco with her to search for Narcissa Malfoy.
Pansy followed them, like a lost child. She didn't know what else to do. Little by little she heard again the spells hitting bodies and objects. The cries of despair became more and more present. She saw the Malfoys in the distance, on the opposite side, about to leave to look for their son in another room. Potter was standing, surrounded by corpses, fighting Voldemort in the middle of the Great Hall. Nothing made sense. She clenched her fist and felt the stone bruise her skin. Pansy had forgotten she had it. Draco released Astoria and ran to his parents. Astoria followed close behind, not afraid of being hit by a deflected spell. Pansy stayed behind, playing with the stone between her fingers. Nothing made sense. Where was Daphne? Why was everyone yelling? What were they yelling? Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy hugged Draco and Astoria. Where were their parents? Pansy wanted to hug her mom too.
Someone bumped into Pansy, knocking her off her feet. That person crushed her body, but immediately stood up, digging their elbow into her as they did so. Pansy winced and looked around for the culprit, who turned out to be Hermione Granger. She was surprised to see Pansy there, but someone tried to attack her with a spell, so she refocused on the fight. Pansy looked around. From the ground everything looked more chaotic. They almost stepped on her. It was Granger again, fixing her rage-filled gaze on her.
"For heaven's sake," she growled, bending down to grab one of her hands and yanking her up. "Get out of here if you're not going to fight! Save yourself!"
Pansy squeezed Granger's hand tightly. It hurt. Granger was hurt too, judging by the way she looked at their joined hands. Blood began to drip from between their palms. Granger yanked as hard as she could until she was free of his grasp. They both fell to the ground again from the struggle.
"What...?" Grange yelled.
Pansy had her face on the ground. It was cold and hard. She had no strength to get up. No. She did, but she didn't want to. Her skin burned. Was it skinned when she fell?
Once again, her body moved against her will. Granger grabbed her by the collar of her shirt, lifted her up until she was facing their faces, and said,
"What the hell did you do?"
Pansy flinched and tried to back away, intimidated by the death glare Granger was giving her. But Granger's grip tightened, tugging at his shirt collar until their noses were almost touching.
"I'm not going to repeat it again: What. Did. You. Do." she growled.
"Huh?" she managed to say.
Granger released her and when Pansy straightened up, a wand was pointed between her eyebrows.
"Where is everybody?!" Granger despaired.
Pansy didn't get it. She dared to look away from Granger and looked around her. There was no one. Was the battle over? How was that possible? Did she hit her head that hard when she hit the ground?
"What did you do?"
"Me? I just bumped into you and... fell?" Pansy hesitated.
Granger's wand stabbed into her forehead.
"Do not make fun of me. You cut my hand and suddenly everyone disappeared. So, no more."
"Did you hit your head too?"
"I swear to God." The wand pushed against Pansy's forehead, forcing her back until she hit a wall. "You're going to tell me right now what the Death Eaters made you do."
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Pansy croaked, pressing herself closer to the wall.
Granger stared into her eyes, saying nothing. Pansy swallowed hard, but didn't try to move a muscle to defend herself.
"Where's your wand?" she asked.
Pansy's ancestors will have rolled over in their graves for the second time that day. Pansy Parkinson, last witch of her family, being targeted and threatened by a Mudblood while she had nothing but a pocketful of rocks to defend herself with. Pansy looked at her clothes and then at the floor. When had he dropped his wand? How long ago had she lost it?
"Unbelievable," Granger laughed wistfully. "You don't even have one."
"I told you I didn't do anything."
Granger turned her attention away and scanned the rest of the room, trying to find any clues, then walked out the door, as if Pansy no longer existed for her. Pansy was stunned for a few seconds, just leaning against the wall. The Great Hall was destroyed and the blood on the floor betrayed the gravity of the battle. Pansy shuddered. Why was no one here? She shrugged her shoulders uncertainly and then fled from the Great Hall. She ran, looking for Granger, and found her checking the corridors, also deserted. There were traces of blood and destruction everywhere, but no traces of life. They left the castle through the main entrance to check the courtyard. They even went to Hagrid's hut.
"No one. Not even the animals are here," Granger said dejectedly.
"Did they go home and forget about us?"
Granger turned quickly on her heel to face her.
"They wouldn't forget me, don't be ridiculous!"
Granger seemed to be nowhere near hitting her.
"You did something," she accused Pansy again.
"What the hell was I going to do?"
"What are you doing here, in battle? All the Slytherins left the castle. You abandoned him first of all."
Pansy, flustered, pulled up both sleeves of her pajamas.
"I don't have the mark. You see it?" Granger seemed to believe her, her face softening. "Astoria and I came to rescue Daphne, because she was left behind without us noticing. But… " Pansy's voice trailed off. "...we were late and ended up trapped in the Great Hall."
"You cut me," she accused, holding up her hand to show the open wound.
"It's not what you think." She reached into her pocket for some stones and showed them to Granger. "I was holding one of these when you took my hand."
Granger stared at the stones in silence, until a shaky smile broke across her face. She started laughing, really hard, but it didn't sound amused, she was hysterical. When she fell silent, she stared at Pansy, thinking.
"What happened here?" Granger said wearily, this time she didn't seem to be questioning Pansy.
Pansy didn't answer, she didn't understand either. Why was there no one? Not even animals? Potter and Weasley would never have left without Granger. The three of them have been nearly joined at the hips since freshman year. Pansy looked at her hand, also injured; It looked suspicious, but she hadn't really done any magic. This made no sense. Did everyone really disappear like Granger said? Just out of the blue?
"It's..." Pansy whispered. "Did he kill them all? His dark magic got out of control? Or... Or if it's the end of the world?"
Granger looked at her curiously. Pansy continued with another new idea:
"I remember in the gossip section of the Daily Prophet there was an interview with a wizard who told how before he died Dumbledore was working on his revenge against us, a way to make all the wizards in the world disappear." .
Granger looked at her puzzled, her mouth slightly open.
"What do you think? Do you know anything about that? It was a popular theory last year," Pansy said.
The silence stretched uncomfortably. Pansy shifted her weight from side to side. Granger seemed to be processing the possibilities. She was close to Headmaster Dumbledore, maybe she had remembered something. Was it...?
"You are an idiot?" Granger finally said.
"What? Why?"
Granger put her head in her hands and began to walk back toward the castle.
"The end of the world," she muttered. "I'm at the end of the world with an idiot as my only help."
Pansy felt her cheeks redden. She crossed her arms over her chest, offended. The feeling is mutual, she thought, I'm not happy being alone at Hogwarts with petulant Hermione Granger either.
The cold wind blew, making her shiver. The Forbidden Forest was in front of her and it looked even more terrifying than before. Her chest tightened. She remembered Daphne. She had walked through that forest just for her. Her body was no longer in the halls, but her blood was. The only thing that remained were the traces of the battle, but not a fallen one to mourn. A couple of tears escaped her and her chin trembled, holding back the pain. Again she remembered her parents, she needed them so much...
Her parents! Relief exploded in Pansy's chest. She had to go look for them, there was nothing to find here. She reached into her pocket for her wand and…it was still missing. Pansy put her hands to her face. She slapped her forehead in frustration several times. She wiped her tears with her sleeve and looked around the deserted surroundings. What was I going to do now? It would take weeks to walk home.
She turned to look at Granger, who had almost reached the castle. The wind blew harder, causing her skin to prickle. It was starting to get dark and she couldn't create even a measly lumos . She hesitated, but ended up running as fast as she could to catch up with her.
"Don't leave me alone here!" Granger! Wait Granger!" she yelled in desperation.
Translated by majere616 (AO3)
I (the author) speak Spanish and my English is very basic, but I'm taking classes(? So don't worry, I can understand your comments, but my grammar is bad. Luckily Majere took the time to translate.