In The Shadows² ★ Draco Malfoy

*Shell Cottage

When the spinning finally stopped, Briar's legs immediately gave out on her and she found that the ground under her was damp sand, but she had no more energy or strength to move. From inside Dean, Luna, Bill and Fleur had watched the group arrive, and given the setting sun, they all knew they didn't have long before Briar would turn

Bill and Fleur threw open their front door and Bill hurried across the sand to scoop up the tattered werewolf. She groaned and winced as he moved her, but she was quickly placed onto his sofa

"We need the Wolfsbane!" He shouted to Fleur in the kitchen

Luckily for them, Remus had come to stay a few times, and so they had a small stock of Wolfsbane hidden in the house

Fleur, who was already busy tending to Luna and Ollivander, sprinted to the pantry and crouched down to the lowest shelf, pushing aside various tins so she could pull out a small glass jar of strong smelling liquid. She ran back to the living room and passed it to Bill, who uncorked it and opened Briar's mouth so he could pour it all down her throat

The werewolf spluttered and choked, but Bill closed her mouth and pinched her nose, forcing her to swallow the foul smelling liquid down. She knew she needed it, but that didn't make taking it any more enjoyable. 

"Thank you," she whispered in exhaustion and he nodded before running back outside to help Hermione

Briar let her eyes close and she managed to drift off for a while, knowing it would ease the pain a bit. And when she woke up, and found it had, she had one moment of pure relief, thinking that she and they were safe. But when she learned that Bellatrix's knife had got Dobby before they had left, that relief faded. Voldemort might not have caught them this time, but he had come close, and their stupidity cost them Dobby.

Dobby's funeral was a beautiful, yet simple affair. After a mandatory dinner from Fleur, they buried him in Harry's man-made grave in the sand, and as the stars began to appear, Briar was brought with a feeling of comfort. Dobby may have been gone, but she just knew he was somewhere better, looking down on them.

"Come on" Bill whispered to her when the funeral was over, and Briar reluctantly followed him into the shed a few metres off of Shell Cottage's main house. Bill had taken some chain from the house, and he helped tie it around the heavier objects of the shed, so Briar could then attach the other ends to her wrists and ankles "Will you be okay?"

"No" she sighed and Bill nodded

"I'll leave this here for you," he said and placed an old blanket down in the corner, she bid him thanks before he headed out of the shed, bolting the door shut behind him

Briar crouched on all fours on the ground, and waited for the familiar pain to creep up her spine. It could have been hours or minutes, she wasn't sure, but eventually it did, and she braced herself for what was to come

Her spine broke and twisted uncomfortably, and Briar threw her head back to let a howl tear from her throat, and more howls continued to come from the shed deep into the night

Meanwhile far across the country, a bright blonde-haired boy looked out of his window as he heard a stray wolf's howl. Seeing the full moon glinting against the pond made his heart heavy, to know Briar was suffering right now and he couldn't be there to help her

He still could not believe the situation that occurred yesterday, and as angry the Dark Lord was at them, Draco did not mind his consequences. That had been happening more and more lately. Draco seemed to stop caring what he thought of him anymore. The only reason he continued to bow down and listen was in fear that if he didn't, then his parents would suffer.

There was a soft knock at his door, and Draco did not have to look away from the window to know it was his mother. Her soft footsteps crossed his room until she was standing beside his seated form at the window