Lumos

21| Malfoy's Manor

I choked on the thick smoke, rivulets of pain running up my body from my hard landing.

"We have to go," Malfoy said, grabbing onto my hand.

"Draco, I can't leave them here," I begged, but he would take no for an answer. As his arms wrapped around my shoulders, a ball of light slammed into Malfoy, throwing him backwards. I rolled to the side, grabbing my wand as another body-binding spell was shot at me. It exploded onto the ground.

Harry stood, breathing heavily, his eyes full of rage.

"You could've done something!" Harry bellowed, running towards us.

"Stupefy!" I shouted. Harry blocked the spell.

"Impedimenta!"

Malfoy put up a shield between us and Harry again. As soon as it went down, I stunned Harry with Petrificus Totalus. Harry Potter fell, unable to move.

"How did you know?" I asked, crouching next to him. "How would you have known . . .Oh." The Cloak of Invisibility. Harry and Dumbledore had been talking before I'd entered the room and the headmaster had told me he was alone. But Potter had been in there the whole time.

As Malfoy stood behind me, looking down at the Boy Who Lived, I whispered, pointing my wand down at him, "Finite."

And then we were gone.

* * *

"My parents," was the first thing I gasped out when we landed. "My parents are going to kill me." He walked ahead, blond hair whipping in the chilly wind. He was limping, his slender figure wincing with every step. Running after him, gravel crunching beneath my shoes. "Where are you going. Malfoy, look at me when I'm talking to you."

Malfoy turned, his grey eyes cold. We stared at each other, standing there, clothes whipping in the wind. My pants were ripped at the knees from all the falling, hands cut from the glass. Malfoy had a gash across his cheekbone, knuckles raw. He was covered in dirt, the dark smudges on his face deeply contrasting with the paleness of his skin. I looked past him.

"What is this place?" I asked in awe, the air disappearing from my lungs. I took a step back, taking in the huge manor. Hedges lined the cement pathway that leas to a fountain in front of the large doors. Lamps lit the dark corners. There were three iron gates protecting it. "Is this your-"

"Our manor. Yes."

"It's bigger than I imagined."

"I hate this place," he said, disgusted. "I hate being here."

"Then why are we here?" I asked, still in wonder at the size of the place.

"Because we have to report back to him." Above us, the dark balls of smoke flew down, whipping past us and bursting into the house. My hair whipped around my head as I ducked. And then all was silent again, except for the whooshing of the wind.

"No," I let out a horrified whisper. "I'm not going in there."

"I thought you wanted to be here," Malfoy said with a cruel smirk. The hatred in his silver eyes was intense. I just hoped it wasn't directed towards me.

"Not like this. It was a thought, Draco!"

"I don't care. You got yourself into this mess," he pointed at me, sneering, "you get yourself out!"