Aftershock

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Greyback stumbled a bit, looking at Draco before he fell to the ground, hands still clenched around the knife buried in his chest. Breathless, Draco looked around at the still frozen crowd of death eaters, then to his father, whose eyes were like flames. Before anyone could do anything, Bellatrix lunged at him with her wand. "Traitor!" Draco didn't have time to think as he lunged out of the way just in time before his aunt yelled, "Avada Kedavra!" The piercing green flash shot by, missing him and hitting Rodolphus square in the chest. Bellatrix screamed in anger as her husband fell to the ground. Draco turned towards his aunt. Raising his wand he yelled, "Flipendo!" She flew back, landing in the crowd. Draco turned towards Hermione when she shouted, "Malfoy, watch out!"

 He turned to see the Carrow twins running towards him, wands drawn. He pointed at Amycus shouting an unknown curse at him. He stopped in his tracks and began screaming as his skin melted from his bones. Before he could utter another word, Alecto was stunned, launching in the air and landing a few feet back. Hermione and Draco looked to see where the rogue spell had come from. 

Coming down the hill from the Manor were Harry and Ron, leading Dumbledore's Army. The group broke off as they reached the garden, each going off to battle their own death eater. Draco ran up to Harry. "About bloody time Potter." Harry shook his head as he smirked. "You can chastise me later. Worry about Hermione, we will take care of the rest." Draco nodded as he turned back up to the altar to untie Hermione, only to find the statue empty, the bindings cut. Panic started to settle in as he frantically looked around at the mass of witches and wizards before him. All around he saw flashes of spells, blood splattering the lawn, the screams of death, causing casualties on both sides. He could smell the sweat and the metallic taste of blood that stung his mouth. 

As he took in the gruesome scene trying to find her, he noticed the cauldron had vanished, and so had his father. He saw his aunt by the altar, grabbing the scroll and running towards the stables. He wasted no time in breaking into a sprint to catch up to her. As soon as he was within range, Draco raised his wand and shouted, "Imobilus!" Bellatrix froze where she stood as she fell to the ground. In an instant he was on top of her, his wand trained at her throat. "Where did he take her?" She only smiled.

 "I knew you had a soft spot for that dirty-blooded bitch" He pushed the wand in further before asking again, this time more anxious. "I won't ask again. Where did he take her? Answer me, or the next words to come out of your mouth will be your last." She laughed as she looked him in the eye. "Little Draco wants to play hmm? Well, you're all grown up now aren't you?" Her wild gaze told him she wasn't going to comply and he was running out of time. He moved to stand, raising his wand. Bellatrix grew nervous. "Wait!" she pleaded. "I can tell you where he took the mudblood." Draco dropped to his knee so he was closer to her. "Well, go on." She laughed again. "Where is the one place that you never could go? That had little Draco running for his life no matter how hard he tried?" Fucking hell. 

He stood and began to walk away, but not before she shouted, "I should have killed her when I had the chance!" Draco stopped in his tracks. He slowly turned back to where she lied. He looked down at her grotesque smile. "Did you see the new artwork I left? I figured the masterpiece wasn't quite right. Missing something wasn't it?" He lowered himself so he was right beside her ears as he spoke, "I could just finish you off here, but I have something better in mind. I know a certain someone who would enjoy watching you scream. I am going to stand back and watch as this time, you are the one writhing on the ground as she twists the knife. And we are both going to enjoy it."

 Draco was brought out of his murderous haze as a distant scream broke through sounds of death coming from the gardens. Hermione. He backed away from his aunt, muttering a petrificus spell before running towards the forest that lay at the edge of the Manor grounds. As he got farther from the blood and sweat of the garden, he was met with a new smell. Burning. He was close. He rushed into the clearing that he knew all too well and was met with an unsettling sight. All around him were thestrals milling about. They migrated here during the warm seasons and always landed in this clearing. As a boy, he would always try to see how close he could get to them before he could touch one. Once he could actually see them, he stopped trying. Seeing a thestral to him meant that he was no longer that innocent boy who liked to hear his mother talk about flowers. He was a murderer. He was evil.