Call Me Psyche - Dramione

25

"Come on, Fred," Ron said. "Please..."

Percy patted his cheek. "Freddie?"

There was a raspy, throaty clatter as Fred turned to one side to cough. "Oh, there you all are. I thought for a minute I'd gone blind."

Everyone let out a massive collective sigh.

"Help me get him up," Percy said, easing Fred to sitting. "We can't stay here."

With his arm slung over Percy's shoulder, Fred hissed as they tried to rise to standing. "Bad news, Perc. It's my leg..."

Ron swore as he saw the angle of Fred's foot. "Broken. Trust me, I know. That leg's broken."

"We've got to get moving anyway," Harry said. "They breached that wall for a reason. In a minute Death Eaters will be streaming inside."

Pansy bounced into their circle. "Downstairs," she said. "Pomfrey's got a medical station set up near the kitchens."

"What're you still doing here?" Fred tried to shout at her, his voice trailing into a coughing fit.

"Redeeming myself, obviously," she shouted back at him. "And if you had any sense you'd be thanking Draco for shoving you out of the way of that blast. Look, there's nothing but rubble where you were standing taking aim at me."

Everyone turned to see the debris, and just past it, Draco was sat on the floor. Hermione was holding his face, their foreheads pressed together. She was whispering so frantically to him that he took her by the shoulders and kissed her as if to stop her ranting. Her taut posture slackened and she melted into him, both her arms wound around his neck.

Fred swore. "Now I'm hallucinating. I must have REALLY hit my head."

"Oi, stop that and tell us if you're alright, Malfoy," Ron called.

"He's fine," Hermione answered in a clipped voice, getting to her feet. "And we're going to find Tonks now. Come on, Harry. With the Triad wands we can protect you too."

Harry huffed. "You know I didn't come here to be protected. But we do need to get everyone out of this corridor."

Percy had got Fred standing on his one good foot. All jokes were temporarily suspended as Fred gasped and groaned when they tried to hobble away.

Pansy ducked under his other arm.

Fred flinched away from her.

Pansy rolled her eyes and held onto him. "Do you want to wait around here to fight them off with a broken leg, or not?" she said. "You're clearly in shock. And I don't fancy being in this sweaty armpit of yours for long so shut up and let us get you sorted."

Across Fred's heaving chest, Percy grinned at Pansy. "Right then," he said. "No worries, Freddie. You're safe in the hands of Operation Redeeming-Ourselves now."

"What're you like?" Pansy said, clucking her tongue. But the trace of her smile was unmistakable as she and Percy set off together to make something right.

Harry gave a sharp nod. "So Malfoy and Hermione will stay here. Good. I'm off. Ron, go find Ginny."

"Like hell I will," Ron bawled in return. "I sent Luna after her before the fire. And you're not running off to kill the snake at the Shrieking Shack alone, Harry."

"I told you, the snake is too well protected," Draco added. "But if you're going there to help Snape make it out alive – "

"Help Snape?" Ron was roaring again. "Don't tell me we're off to rescue Snape."

"We have to. What if he tells them he didn't disarm Dumbledore and they need to kill Draco instead?" Harry said. "He's that kind of coward, isn't he?"

Hermione took Harry by both arms. "Not when it comes to Draco. He swore an Unbreakable Vow to Madam Malfoy. If Draco dies, Snape doesn't live past the solstice. He won't give Draco up, Harry. And that means you don't have to go."