Falling for the Enemy||Draco Malfoy Love Story Fanfiction

Chapter 47

Chapter 47: A new era

Harry instinctively raised his own wand, countering. The Elder Wand sailed from Voldemort's grasp, turning end-over-end. The whole thing played in slow motion before Merielle's eyes, the fate of the world in three seconds that dragged out like three years.

The Elder Wand sailed into Harry's hand, who caught it neatly. The curse rebounded, ricocheting back into Voldemort. Harry, Merielle, Ron, Hermione and Neville froze, hardly daring to breathe. Everything seemed to stop, held in place by one thin strand. His mouth opened in a silent scream. Then Voldemort dissolved into shreds of black fabric that floated into the air, then settled on the ground in a heap of black. And that was the end of the notorious Lord Voldemort, Horcruxes and all.

It took them a few seconds to process this fact before they burst into delighted, ecstatic cheers and screams of delight, hugging each other tightly in pure glee. Merielle felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from her heart. She was as light as a feather. For the first time in ages, she felt free. The dark clouds parted into nothing, revealing a clear, blue summer sky. Then the darkness and gloom itself seemed to disappear as the sun shone down in all its golden glory, lighting up the world once again. They basked in its warm glow as they cried with tears of happiness and relief. At last. 

Draco staggered to a stop at the top of a hill as the sun burst through. His parents' faces mirrored his bewildered and shocked look as they stared up at the peaceful summer sky, the sunshine warming their pale faces. That could only mean one thing. Slowly, Draco turned around. Hogwarts rose up before him, several metres away. The castle seemed alive again, towering against the blueness in full glory. He spotted students, Hogwarts staff and Order members hugging one another and cheering. Their faces were split into huge grins, perhaps the first in a long time. A stab of sadness shot its way through his heart. He wished he could be one of them. A hand dropped lightly onto his shoulder as his father stood beside him. Then he felt his mother move to stand on the other side of her son, staring wistfully.

"It'd be good if we were part of it, wouldn't it?" Her voice was soft, but Draco detected a hint of yearning in it.

"But we made all the wrong choices," Draco whispered sadly. His eyes roamed over the castle to the courtyard, which was only just visible. His throat clammed up with emotion as he spotted a flash of dark ringlets. A tiny figure was busy hugging a raven-haired one, the sunlight glinting off his glasses. Draco felt no jealousy. Just a hollow emptiness inside him. A broken sadness. 

"Come," said his father, "We have to keep going. Now that the Dark Lord is gone forever, the Order will stop at nothing to hunt us down. We're not safe."

"Are you saying we should go on the run?" His mother asked. Her eyes were tired.

"It's the only choice we've got, unless you want to end up in Azkaban or worse. That Stargline girl seemed quite determined." Lucius shuddered. "What's her problem?"

Draco tore his eyes away from the happy scene he was not part of and turned back to his parents.

"The Manor won't be safe either," Narcissa continued, "It's the first place they'll lock down." She bit her lip. "I'm sorry this has happened to us."

"Don't blame yourself," Lucius said sharply, "If it's anyone's fault, it's mine. I was the one who led us into this mess in the first place."

"No, you don't understand. When I was asked to check on Potter, it was quite clear that he...that he was alive. But I asked him if you were alive, Draco. And he gave a slight nod of his head. He could've acted dead, or lied, but he took the risk. He trusted me. And I had to get to you, Draco. So I lied. I lied for all of us. I'd do it again if I had to. That's why I said Potter was dead when he was alive." There was a fierce glint in her pale blue eyes. Lucius and Draco both stared at her.

"But it's only led us into more mess. I know that, in the end, none of us wanted the Dark Lord to win. Maybe you refused to admit it, but you wanted Potter to win if it was the only choice left. But now, they're just going to hunt us down anyway." She sighed. Lucius averted his eyes, ashamed.

"Let's go," Draco said suddenly, his voice cracking slightly but otherwise steady. Narcissa gave her son a small smile. The three Malfoys headed off into the trees. Then there was a familiar crack and they were gone.

Merielle breathed in the sweet, pure air, her face lit up. She let out a laugh, her voice strong and clear as she watched the light return to the world. 

"We did it, we did it!" shrieked Hermione.

"That's the end of Voldemort forever," grinned Ron, kissing her on the cheek. Hermione blushed the shade of his hair. 

"Oh, it feels so good!" Neville laughed, twirling the Sword of Gryffindor and watching the light catch the rubies.

"I'm just glad we won in the end," Harry smiled happily. The sparkle had returned to his green eyes.

But their victory was short-lived. There was the sound of haste footsteps against stone and then Ginny burst into view. Harry grinned at her, making his way over. But the look on her face stopped him. Four pairs of eyes glanced anxiously at her. Her skin was streaked with dirt and blood, with a cut on her face. Ginny's face was pale and drawn, a terrified and anxious look in her eyes. 

"Merielle," gasped Ginny, "You have to come quickly. Something terrible's happened. It might...it might be too late. It's your -your..." And then she choked out a single word.

Merielle was already running.