A Dance of Lies

"Sectumsempra!"

Theo dodged, the curse slicing through the air inches from his shoulder, and then they were dueling in earnest—spells flying back and forth in a deadly dance of light and shadow. Hermione watched, frozen, her heart pounding as she tried to process what was happening.

"Stop!" she screamed, but neither of them paid her any attention. Theo's face was twisted in anguish, his wand moving with a desperate fury, while Blaise's expression remained eerily calm, his movements precise and controlled.

"Stupefy!" Theo roared, but Blaise deflected it effortlessly, his eyes never leaving Theo's face.

"You're better than this, Theo," he murmured, almost gently. "You don't want to hurt me."

"Shut up!" Theo's voice cracked, raw and broken. "You—you betrayed us. You—"

"I saved myself," Blaise interrupted, his tone icy. "And I'd do it again."

Theo's hand trembled, his wand wavering. For a heartbeat, he seemed to falter, his gaze locked on Blaise's.

"Why?" he whispered hoarsely. "Why would you do this? After everything…"

Blaise sighed softly, his expression almost pitying. "Because I was never going to die for a lost cause, Theo. I told you that."

Theo's face crumpled, a strangled sound escaping his throat. "I loved you," he choked out, his voice breaking on the words. "I—Iloveyou, and you—"

"Love?" Blaise laughed, a cold, bitter sound that sent a chill down Hermione's spine. "Oh, Theo. You poor, stupid boy. You thinklovemeans anything in a war like this?"

Theo staggered back as if struck, his face ashen. Hermione's heart twisted painfully as she watched, tears burning in her eyes. She had never seen him like this—so vulnerable, so shattered.

"Love doesn't save people, Theo," Blaise murmured softly. "It doesn't change the world. It just makes you weak."

Theo's face twisted in anguish, his wand falling to his side. "Then I'm weak," he whispered, his voice breaking. "Because I—I can't—"

"Expulso!" Blaise snarled, the spell blasting Theo off his feet.

"No!" Hermione screamed, lunging forward.

Blaise turned on her, his wand raised, his face contorted with fury. "Stay out of this, Granger," he snapped. "This is between me and—"

"Avada Kedavra!"

The words tore from her lips before she even realized what she was doing, her wand slashing through the air. The green light burst from the tip, streaking toward Blaise in a blinding flash.

And then he was gone.

He crumpled to the ground, his expression frozen in shock, his eyes wide and unseeing.

Dead.

For a heartbeat, everything went silent.

Hermione stared down at Blaise's lifeless body, her chest heaving, her hands trembling violently. She had—she had—

"Oh my god," she whispered, the wand slipping from her fingers.

"Hermione…" Theo's voice was weak, broken. She turned, and her heart lurched painfully.

Theo was crumpled on the ground, blood pouring from a deep gash across his chest. His face was pale, his eyes unfocused.

"Theo!" She scrambled to his side, her hands shaking as she tried to assess the damage. "Oh god, oh god, I—I—"

"You—killed him," Theo whispered, his voice barely more than a breath. "You—"

"I had to," she choked out, tears streaming down her face. "He was—he would have—"

Theo's hand reached up, trembling, and cupped her cheek. And then his hand fell, his body going limp in her arms.

"No, no, no—don't do this," she sobbed, shaking him frantically. "Theo, please,please—"

But he didn't move.

With a strangled cry, she yanked out her wand, casting a series of frantic Healing Charms over him. The bleeding slowed, but he was still unconscious, his breathing shallow and ragged.

He needed help. Now.

But where—?.

a thought flashed through her mind, sharp and clear. It was insane, dangerous, but—

But they had no other choice.

With a shaking hand, she wrapped her arms around Theo's limp form, gripping him tightly as she focused on the one place she knew could save him.

"Apparate," she whispered, and the world spun around them in a blur of darkness and light.

They landed hard on the marble floor of the entrance hall, and Hermione staggered, nearly collapsing under Theo's weight. Pain lanced through her, but she didn't care. All that mattered was getting Theo help.

"Help!" she screamed, her voice echoing through the empty halls. "Malfoy—help us!"

There was a rush of footsteps, and then a blur of blond hair appeared in front of her, eyes wide with shock.

"Granger—what—?" Draco Malfoy's voice was sharp, panicked.

"Help him," she sobbed, clutching Theo's limp form. "Please—he's—he's dying—"