The Deeper you Dig, The Darker it Gets

90.

            "Harry Potter," My father sighs. "The boy who lived."

      Harry's eyes travel away from me and to the palm of his hand. He fiddles with the object in his hand for a moment longer, then re-clasps his fingers around it.

       So Death picked up a stone from the riverbank and gave it to the second brother, and told him that the stone would have the power to bring back the dead.

      Harry has the Resurrection Stone.

        It's here, only feet away from me.

                  "Are you ready to die?"

      My eyes grow big and I feel my body break into sweat as I see Harry's eyes gently close, like he's accepting his fate. But he knows he's not going to die, so why is he acting otherwise?

       My father's wand raises and in slow motion he shoots the killing curse towards Harry. The flash of green forces me and everyone else's eyes shut. And as soon as I open my eyes to see if he's really dead an excruciating pain overtakes me.

      The sound my father shouting echoes through the forest. My arms wrap around my stomach to try and conceal the burning sensation filling me but it only grows stronger. Just like when Draco killed Nagini, I feel like a part of me is dying.

      Only this time it doesn't just happen once. Right when I think the pain is fading I feel another blast shoot through my veins.

     An image of a girl passes through my head and I watch as she stabs the Hufflepuff Cup; Hermione.

     Again, but this time I see two people and they're staring down at a tiara; Aary and Blaise.

     My knees hit the forest ground so hard that I swear the floor shakes. My hands move away from my stomach and press into my temples, trying to force the visions out.

            They're doing it, they're destroying the horcruxes.

      The last shock that goes through my body leaves me laying face down in the dirt. Draco alone in a dark room with the Slytherin Locket and a basilisk fang inches away from piercing it. The second he destroys the necklace, everything goes black.

       ~                         ~                       ~

December 25th, 1995

          "Haven't you read it enough?"

      I look up and see Draco hovering over me, now dressed in trousers and a jumper.

           "I don't know what it is about this book," I giggle. "I just can't get enough."

        He narrows his eyes at me and a small smile forms.

                     "Try to tell me." He replies.

        I tilt my head at first but then realize what he's asking and scratch my head. There's a lot of things in the book that I enjoy; the parties, the drama, the thrill. But I think the one thing I love the most is-

               "The romance, I guess." I tell him.

       He lets out a small chuckle. "The romance? Is it like Romeo and Juliet shit or-"

                  "Not really, I don't know..." I mutter.

       He lets out a heavy sigh while taking a seat in the chair across from me. I flip through the pages of the book, getting small whiffs of the new smell.

           "Jay and Daisy weren't a perfect couple," I explain. "I think that most novels try to make it seem like love is perfect when in reality it's not. And to me, books with romance like that are boring. But Fitzgerald did a good job showing that even if things aren't perfect, they can still be beautiful."

       Draco rests his head on the back of his chair while listening to me speak. I know he doesn't fully understand what I'm saying, simply because he's never read the book.

              "He shows that they just needed each other." I finish.

       When the room gets quiet, I slowly shut the book awkwardly. Draco studies my movement closer which makes me ten times more anxious.

               "So," He sighs. "They end up together then I assume?"

        My smile fades. The question he asks makes me feel uneasy, it lingers in my head for longer than it should.

         I get up from my chair and place the book on my nightstand. "Read it and find out."

~                    ~                         ~

       My eyes open abruptly and the first thing I notice is the ringing in my ears. I want to go unconscious again and I try to, but a sharp ray of sunlight in my face stops me. And when I realize where it's coming from, a spark of hope grows in me.

           "My Lord!" A Death Eater shouts. "My Lord, are you alright?!"

       I ignore the conversations going on around me and start crawling towards the small stone beaming light into my eyes. My legs are numb but my arms manage to pull me closer to it.

         "Get off of me!" My father shouts at his followers. "Is the boy dead?!"

                Keep moving, Malory. You're so close.

            "I'll go see." Narcissa says.

        I want to look over at Harry to see if the stone worked but I know I don't have enough time. I just need to get to it.

        Once the stone is in my reach, I reach my left arm out to grab it. It takes everything in me and I feel a muscle in my shoulder rip in the process but I don't give up. Finally, I feel it touch my fingertips.

             "What's she doing?" A Death Eater asks.

         They're looking at me now. I pull the stone to my chest quickly in hopes of them not seeing, but it doesn't matter. The second it touches my skin, it begins to crumble.

            It's broken.

          "Bring her back over here." My father demands.

       All of the hope that has built up in my chest falls in an instant and I feel a weight drop into my gut. My last chance at surviving this is gone. I'm going to die.

        A man's hand wraps around my ankle and begins pulling me backwards towards my father. At first, I dig my nails into the dirt but then I remember that there's no point. Tears fill my eyes and no matter what I do, I can't seem to get them to go back in.

           This is it.