Traitor : Fred Weasley, Draco Malfoy & OC Fanfic

Chapter 49 - The Battle

All of a sudden the light returned and my eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the dark, unfamiliar room before me. I'd barely registered my surroundings before I saw his ice blonde hair out of the corner of my eye.

Draco's head hung in his palms, his face concealed by large pale hands. I peered around, finding myself propped up in a double bed that sat in the middle of a cold sad room, devoid of any windows, the walls painted a faded midnight black. As I scrambled for my wand beneath the sheets his head flicked up to look at me. I couldn't help but notice he'd become even more gaunt than I'd remembered. He looked on the brink of death, nothing like he had done the last time I saw him, though I realised that had been many months ago now.

"Looking for this?" he asked quietly, holding my wand up between two fingers. For a moment I thought he was taunting me with it, but his voice didn't have its usual pompous inflection and he quickly slipped the wand back by my side.

My brain felt fuzzy and I stared back at him blankly, waiting for the fog to clear. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, as though he didn't know how to act in front of me. He kept glancing back anxiously at Daphne and Astoria, who were asleep beside one another in a bed on the opposite side of the room.

"You've been splinched" Draco said in a calm tone, skimming his hand over a tight bandage that had been wrapped around my arm. It was then that I realised the searing pain had calmed, it hadn't gone entirely but it was far less than what it had been.

"Where am I?" I croaked out, but I feared I already knew the answer.

"The Manor" Draco replied, "Though I'm not really sure how you got here, it's meant to have all kinds of protective charms surrounding it but you managed to apparate right through them, though not unharmed I suppose"

With his words, Draco's gaze returned to my arm, his eyes looked glassy and filled with concern. It must have been far worse beneath the bandages than I imagined.

"How did you know to bring Daphne here?" Draco asked, trying to make light conversation, "Nobody is meant to know that the Greengrasses are here not even- the Dark Lord. We've been hiding them in the lower levels of the house for some time now"

"I didn't" I answered flatly, looking over at the two sisters nestled together, "I just knew I had to get her back to her family and that's all I thought about, it seemed to work"

"That's incredibly powerful" Draco mumbled, fiddling with his wand idly in his hands. It was clear he didn't enjoy admitting that I'd done something quite wonderful but I felt the warm glow of pride all the same.

"Yes I suppose" I muttered, trying to pull myself upright. Draco stumbled to his feet quickly to help me sit up but I batted him away, I didn't need anybody's help, certainly not his.

"Celeste, you're not strong enough" Draco grimaced, as I tried to swing my legs to sit at the edge of the bed.

"How long have I been out for?" I demanded, ignoring his warning. Draco looked down nervously at the watch on his wrist.

"Only three hours, but you can't go anywhere. You'll have to stay here until it's properly healed" Draco explained, nodding to the wound on my arm.

"I don't care, Draco. I'm not staying here" I snapped, lifting myself from the bed to my feet. My legs trembled immediately and I collapsed to my knees making an awful clattering sound against the wood floor. I winced, straining to listen out for any movement. But nothing came.

"The entire floor has a silencing spell cast over it" Draco explained, hoisting me up by my waist so I could stand again.

"Get off me" I shrieked, pulling his hands from my middle. He stared back dumbfounded and slightly scorned.