Safe and Sound

“I put Clariee Dumont in charge of the Slytherins. They don’t defy her. She’s very smart and quick on her feet,” I said, joining Harry, Ron and Hermione. The castle was complete chaos. Student’s were running around, either finding a means of escape or staying put to fight. “What do you need me to do?”

“I’m going to find the diadem,” Harry explained. Students rushed passed us, one knocking into me. I stumbled forward, Ron catching me by the shoulders and steadying me. I looked at him in surprise. The voice inside of me hissed angrily, but I gave him a thankful smile. “Ron and Hermione have an idea as a means of destroying it. Take the DA and teach them any last minute things that you can. They’re waiting just outside the school for you.”

I nodded. All of us split ways quickly as I dashed outside. True to his word, Harry’s group that he had formed, Dumbledore’s Army, was standing just below the steps. But there was more than just them, there were students who knew nothing, who were joining and ready to fight.

All around, glowing orbs of light were going upwards. Students and teachers alike stood around the entire castle, wands pointed towards the sky, casting spells together to form a shell over the school. For a moment, I watched as the spells knit together, binding and forming an orange, clear dome over the school. It was beautiful.

Looking back down, I nodded. “Right. I’m going to teach you four spells, though you should know a few of these, alright?” I turned to a statue. Knowing it wouldn’t last anyways, I flourished my wand, yelling, “Stupify!” It blasted apart. “Is there anyone who doesn’t know that?”

No one made a sound. “We need the patronus and cruciatus curse,” Ginny said finally. She was standing in front of the group, her green eyes glowing in the fading light of the protective spells over the school. I looked at the faces around her, all of them nodding. The cruciatus curse? They aren’t mean enough for it! Ha!

“Most of you won’t be able to perform it,” I said very slowly. “I know you want it as means as incapacitating someone, but you have to truly have a dark kind of hate to use that. And it is not a fighting curse, it is only torture. No, I won’t teach you.”

“But-"

“Ginny,” I murmured. She was silent. “That spell won’t do you any good, not for what they did to you in your second year.”

Cheeks flushed red and eyes wide, she was silent.

I proceeded to teach them a patronus, taking longer than I wished. I felt like it was not of important, teaching people when my brother was trying to find a horcrux, Hermione and Ron were looking for a weapon, and the rest of the staff was trying to create a shield.

All together, we went over the stunning charm, the patronus charm, the blasting curse and a simple healing charm that they could use to heal wounds. When I was sure that they could figure the rest out on their own, I gave Ginny a look to let her know she was taking over. She nodded and I turned and left.

Entering the castle, I suddenly felt a pull. Stopping dead in my tracks, I screwed up my face, trying to figure out why it suddenly felt like their was an invisible rope tight around my chest cavity, pulling me forward.

That’s new.

I rolled my eyes. You don’t say. Should I follow it?

What else are you going to do?

Breaking out into a run, I followed the pull down the corridors. The halls that I began to turn down were empty, the fire in the torches out. A dark grey filled them, cold and dead feeling. As I rounded another corner, I came to an abrupt start, almost running smack into someone.

The urge to blackout hit me right there. Standing only an few inches in front of me was the one person in the entire world who could make me feel that way. I felt so sick with happiness that I fought tooth and nail not to burst into tears as he stood there, tall, dressed in lack and eyes gleaming blue.

Draco didn’t move. He stared at him in shock, his lips parting slightly. He took a step away from me and it felt like he stabbed me in the chest with a cold blade, twisting it. My inner voice was screaming like wild, making it very hard for me to examine him, to make sure that he skin was still flawless, hair still slicked back, eyes still glowing.

If anything, he looked a bit more gaunt than the last time I had seen him. bags were under his eyes, lack of sleep showing in many of his pictures like his blood shot eyes and the slight sweat that crept down his neck.

More than anything in the entire world, I wanted to run to him, throw my arms around him and never let him go. A million emotions were running through me, crashing into me and spinning me around, making me lightheaded and sick all at the same time.

So badly I wanted Draco. He was there, standing right in front of me. He was alive, and looking at me like he was struggling to make a decision, like he too wasn’t sure what to do. My heart was beating so hard that it physically hurt me, my hand going up to my chest and pressing in the middle, as if I could calm it.

Then he was moving. He was rushing forward, opening his arms and sweeping me into his chest, hard and swift. I lost my breath, being wrapped in him. He smelled like aftershave and mint, his body warm, despite the fact that he looked cold. I could not stop the sob that came out my throat. It echoed down the halls, filling my entire body as I heaved out choked sobs.

Draco was holding me hard, like if he let go of me I would turn and run from him. But I wouldn’t, not when I had just gotten him in front of me. Not when he was everything I ever wanted in my entire life, the only love I had ever known outside of my family.

“Draco-"

“I know,” he whispered, his voice raw with emotion. I realized he was crying too, a slight jump in his shoulders when he would try to catch his breath from it. “I don’t care, I forgive you. Bloody hell, I forgive you. How could I never forgive you?”

“I-"

“Don’t. I know.”

He loves you.. the voice inside my head was very quiet. I had forgotten that she was there. Dejection was laced in her voice. He forgave you. I thought that he would be mad, ask us to join. He didn’t. He doesn’t even know I’m here.

Draco always loved me.

“I love you,” he said quietly.”

“I love you too.”