The Dragon Variation

Chapter Forty Seven

June 30th

All the colour drains from Eden's face, to a ghostly white. Eden doesn't scare easily. She can be upset—but she doesn't scare.

However—in this moment: Eden is petrified.

There's a stampede of noise and frantic footsteps coming from the common room and the echo of terrified students. The clouds close and the glow of the water fades into a rippling darkness and shadows on our faces.

I jump to my feet—my initial reaction is to get into my uniform, so I accio it from Draco's wardrobe and start assembling myself. The adrenaline is pumping furiously and suddenly in my blood stream like heroine as the clock strikes midnight.

"Eden, Blaise do not let anyone leave their dorms, especially younger years. The school has security measure already in place but—Draco never finished the cabinet, so the death eaters have gotten in a different way."

"Olli—there are death eaters everywhere—it's carnage and... he did it." Pansy adds, out of breath from running, "He's done it—he's..."

"Dead. Dumbledore is dead, isn't he?"

Then there was another loud clap of what echoes like thunder and feels like a volcano erupting.

"Yes...Dumbledore is dead—we need to go!" She skitters her words in a flustered panic.

"No! Pans. You stay here! I'm going to find Draco—he is my responsibility—do. not. leave."

She bites her lip and nods. I go to tie my hair up—no ribbon.

"Fuck—," I mutter under my breathe, "No one leaves unless you have a good enough excuse like someone is dead or dying down here, okay?"

They all nod nervously.
Pansy gasps and throws her hands over her mouth, "Oh my god—Theo's out there—he's a death eater—he's got to be out there!"

"Pansy —it's okay—I'll find him for you okay, calm down it'll be alright," I put a reassuring hand on her arm. "Get Daphne and anyone else into their dorms and then go to your dorm—Eden and Blaise won't be long behind you and don't come out until I return with Draco,"

She gives a small whimper and turns to leave. Blaise's silence hurts to hear, same with Eden. I've never seen Blaise so on edge—it's making me nervous.

"I can't say —I just don't know ...what is going to happen after tonight—just know I love you two so much it hurts—literally the best friends I could have ever wished for—," Blaise and Eden move at the same time and pull me into a hug sandwiched between them. "I can never fully express how much I love you both," I mumble over Eden's shoulder.

"We love you too Olli," Blaise says.

"Come back in one piece okay—and stay away from any greeny looking lights that tend to come from the tip of a wand," She smiles sarcastically.

"Noted," I smile back.

They let go and step away from me, Blaise wraps his arms around Eden's shoulders, like two proud parents.

"I'll be back," I pull up my fabric mouth guard and swipe on my skull mask.

And then I apparate.

***

I land squarely on my feet in the in the paved courtyard next to the Gryffindor tower. The noise is gut wrenching—screaming and yelling from all directions of the school.

"Wrong fucking courtyard, you dumb bitch," I whisper to myself before running for the suspension bridge to the Astronomy tower.

Where else would he be—this is where he said he'd be once he's done it—'meet me at the Astronomy Tower as soon as you can' is the last thing we said on the matter—I agreed not to get in his way—but if he failed, I'd have had to do it.