What a Terrible Mess

Chapter 25

Everyone sat together on the same car, wands out and ready. A few Auror's patrolled the train's hallway. Remus sat across the car from Harry, wrapped up in his cloak like he had the first time they met. Ron and Hermione sat, holding hands, next to him. Neville and Harry sat together with Blaise and Draco in the corner, arguing quietly over something.

Suddenly, the whole train seemed to rock, a few cars down there was an explosion. Everyone jumped to their feet. Opening the window, Remus stuck his head out to look.

"Looks like Lucius, Bellatrix, and a few younger ones I don't recognize. They've found us."

"No, they've found me, time to try this stuff out Harry," Draco said, grabbing Harry's hand, then he pulled the brunette to him and kissed him passionately, his eyes were wide and he was oviously frightened. Turning to glance around at everyone, Draco began a short speech,

"Granger, thank you. Really, for everything. I'm sorry for calling you names. Weasley- protect him, with everything," then to Harry, "I'm sorry, Harry, I love you. *Petrificus Totallus*." Draco swung his wand around, hitting them all. Remus managed to get an 'Expelliarmus' out before hitting the ground.

Blaise snarled and lunged at Draco, having not been hit by the curse. Draco easily avoided him, being smaller and faster. Rolling to the ground and coming up with his wand-

"SOMMNABULI!" Draco yelled, hitting Blaise square in the chest with a bright blue streak from his wand. Blaise stood still a blank look on his face. They all watched, the loud explosions getting closer, as Draco grabbed Harry's trunk and the invisibility cloak. He quickly used his wand to move them all into the corner of the car, nearest the door, then began stacking their trunks around them at their feet. Hermione twitched slightly, trying to lift her wand,

"Ah ah, Granger, not today. Petrificus Totallus!" and Hermione was frozen. Holding the cloak in his hands, Draco seemed thoughtful for a moment and turned to Neville, "make sure you unfreeze her. The spell won't last long on you all, it was too scattered to be very strong... Know that, why I think you're a babbling idiot, I'm glad that Blaise found you. Now, Blaise! Get over here, with them!"

Harry watched as Blaise obeyed blindly, standing in front of Neville, all of them bunched together as tightly as possible. He realized then that the spell Draco had cast earlier was to control Blaise, like the Imperious. Then, handing Blaise his wand, Draco spoke again,

"You protect them. If they find you, you kill them all. Do you understand? You do what it takes, transform and shred them to pieces, if that's what it takes." Another explosion rocked the train car, they were close now, if not only feet. An Auror somewhere was screaming. Draco looked toward the door, then took the cloak and flung it over all of them- making them appear to be nothing but a few trunks.

Draco stood in the middle of the car and transformed into his Veelan side. His clothes hung from his body, shredded. The door swung open with a blast, and there were Bellatrix and Lucius, Pansy and a few others behind them, wands pointed. Harry did his best to come out of his frozen state but could not.

"Draco!" Lucius said, entering and looking carefully around, "are you ready to join us?"

"Go to hell! Stupefy!" Draco yelled, a Death Eater falling to the ground.

"Expelliarmus!" Lucius said smoothly, Draco's wand flying across the room and landing under a bench.

"Where's your little lover Draco?" Bellatrix laughed, clapping her hands, "we want to play with him!"

"You're an idiot Bellatrix, as are you *Lucius*, did you really think I'd let him ride on a rolling death trap? No, you didn't think of that did you? You've never been much of one for using your brain!"

A blast of light shot from Lucius' wand, knocking Draco into the wall behind him and shattering the window. Broken glass showered down on him. Bellatrix laughed and squealed with pleasure as a blast exited her wand, slicing him and causing red welts to pop up all over his body. Snarling, Draco stood anyway- a bone sticking out of his wand arm.

"He's gone Bellatrix, Lucius- you fell into the trap, and I've defeated you by using a simple decoy. He's going to bring down your halfblood Dark Lord, and you."

"I'm going to kill you boy!" Lucius roared, approaching Draco quickly.

"Not if you can't catch me!" Draco laughed, matching Lucius' same ferocity. Then Draco turned and dove out the window.

"After him!" Bellatrix screamed.

"No! Take him down! Even a Veela could not survive a fall like that!" Lucius roared.

Pansy rushed forward, much to Harry's horror, wand in hand,

"ACIDUS CAEDERE!" she screamed, a jet of bright red light bursting from her wand and contacting with Draco's form in the distance. Even Harry could see Draco arch in pain midair, one wing nearly obliterated. He struggled to stay aloft and then, dropped.

Lucius and Bellatrix put their arms around Pansy, smiling down at her.

"Our Lord will be very proud, young one," Bellatrix said, "He shall forgive you for failing him in Hogsmeade." Pansy beamed up at them.

"Mors ultima linea rerum est." Lucius said, gazing out at the spot where'd Draco had fallen, Pansy looked up at him.

"What?"

"Death is everything's final limit," Bellatrix laughed, as though it were a joke. With that, they were gone, having apparated away.

Harry stared at the broken window, waiting, Draco would be back. He'd climb in and smile and apologize. He'd take Harry in his arms and kiss him. He would be back, he would. He would get to see the Veela again, he wouldn't just abandon Harry like that. He wouldn't dare. So, Harry waited. Draco did not come.