Astoria → Draco Malfoy

CHAPTER FORTY ONE

"What about Theos' father?"

Lucius spoke next, "I haven't seen him, but I did see both of your professors with the Aurors, they were arranging some searches of Hogsmeade."

"How about everyone else?"

"That's all we saw..." frowned Draco, wishing he had more information.

"Pansy went off to get help for Theo," began Astoria, "so she'll be okay. She will be with the Ministry. I mean, likely threatening to stun them if she isn't allowed to come back and find us, especially Theo, but okay."

Daphne interrupted her, "what about Blaise?"

"He ran down the tracks," Astoria looked down the train tracks that ran back to Hogsmeade Station, "he was chasing his mother..."

"We are on the side that leads back to London," Draco said, "so he would have been running back to the castle."

"What about his mother? We need to find him..."

"Would she hurt him?" Daphne questioned, causing Lucius to nod.

"Emelda is vicious, but I believe Mr Zabini would be safe, I could-"

Draco nodded at his father before he had even finished, "take the cloak." He pointed down the discarded cloak on the floor.

"Should I come?" Astoria questioned, unsure as to what to do.

"No, no Astoria." Lucius shook his head at her, sliding the cloak onto his shoulders and disappearing into thin air. "Do be safe you three," he said to them, his voice the only way that they still knew where he was.

"Now what?" Daphne asked the pair, "should we wait here with our father?"

Astoria pointed her wand at the sky, "Periculum!" At once, red sparks shot form the end of her wand into the night sky. "That should help them find us, I suppose we let the Ministry do the rest."

"Will Blaise be, okay?"

Draco glanced over in the direction that his father had gone. "Blaise will be fine, the Aurors and the Ministry should be here soon...."

"What will happen next?" Astoria was confused, what happened to them? To Hogwarts? To their parents.

"Our parents will go back to Azkaban, I suppose..."

Draco gulped, "I should hope my father is given a lighter sentence."

"I'll vouch for him, if they let me." Astoria walked over to him, taking his hand in hers.

Daphne nodded, "me too. He saved Astoria, and he saved me."

"I hope the Wizengamot take it into consideration." Draco just wanted his family together again, even if it was in a few years' time. He might not have forgiven his father, but he had suffered enough. He had made awful decisions, but so had so many others who received far lesser punishments. All Draco wanted was some fairness.

A few moments later, the quiet that had settled between them was removed by the sound of marching.

"Wands on the ground!" Called a loud voice, booming through the air.

Astoria obliged, nodding at Draco and Daphne who dropped their wands in an instant.

"Please-" she looked over at her father, "that is Adrian Gr-"

"Quiet! Hands in front of you!"

Again, they obliged, knowing it best not to question the Auror. In an instant, three Aurors approached them, wrapping their hands together with the flick of their wands.