You'll be the Death of Me

Chapter 45

"No! NO-NO! L-LET ME G-G-GO! GRACES! G-GRACES!"

"She can't even hear you now!" Snape snarled, continuing to try and wrestle his student against the soil of the forbidden forest. "Thomas! Thomas, listen to me. Listen to—"

"Y-YOU L-LEFT H-HER! H-HOW C-C-COULD Y-YOU L-LEAVE HER! T-TAKE ME B-BACK!"

"Oh and what are you going to do?" Snape spat. "Help her? Did you forget your lesson so quickly, Mr. Higgs? If you go back there and try to save her you will probably get her and yourself killed!"

"S-SO Y-YOU J-JUST L-LEAVE H-HER TO G-GODS KN-KNOW WH-WHAT!"

"I had no choice. She made her decision to come. She knew what could have happened. Thomas, if you do not calm down I am going to use my wand on you!"

No sooner had the potions master made the threat did Thomas not hesitate in sending him hurtling towards a nearby tree. Snape slid against the bark and down into an overgrown brush, before bursting forward with wand in hand, casting levicorpus. Snape took a moment to compose himself as Thomas struggled with his robes as he dangled upside down.

"You are exactly what she said!" Snape growled, lifting Thomas' robes and grabbing the boy by the cheeks. "A child! A foolish, rash child! I know what I left her to! I cannot save her from such actions! You cannot save her from such actions! Graces Malfoy made her choice! The only option we have left—the only choice—is to handle the damage. He is not going to kill her. He won't. Killing Graces loses Draco, and, trust me, the Dark Lord is no fool. He does not want to lose Draco. He wants to send a message," he added quietly, flicking his wand and releasing Thomas.

"Wh-what are th-they d-doing t-to h-her?" Thomas moaned, laying his forehead in the dirt as he continued to cry.

"Whatever they are doing she will recover from."

The professor's answer did little to comfort the boy in front of him and Thomas continued to cry for a few moments before Snape grabbed him by the arm and started for the castle.

"Y-You h-have to g-go g-get her," Thomas pleaded, dragging his feet and causing the man beside him to yank harder on his arm. "P-please b-bring her b-back. P-please."

Snape ignored the rest of Thomas' pleas and Thomas, after almost fifteen minutes of pointed silence, stopped begging and just cried. As they neared the castle he saw familiar blonde hair illuminated in the moonlight. Draco calmly strutted across the finely kept Hogwarts grass to meet the two of them, obviously not having a clue that Graces had even been at the meeting.

"It's okay, Thomas," Draco sighed, tugging Thomas' arm away from Snape's rough grasp. "It's going to be okay. Snape will give you a potion and the soreness will go away. Try not to think about it."

Thomas kept opening his mouth to say something, but no words would come out. Everytime he tried to tell Draco about Graces his sobbing just ended up being harder and he couldn't breathe.

"Mr. Higgs was not harmed. No curse, regular or unforgivable, was placed on him," Snape informed quietly.

"Then why are you blubbering," Draco scowled, smacking the back of Thomas' head. "I'm going to start calling you Longbottom if you cry for no good reason." Thomas opened his mouth and tried to tell Draco but between his sobs and stuttering the blonde didn't get a single word. "These aren't the robes I got you," Draco said quietly frowning at Thomas' sleeve as the younger boy held his cloak.

"Your sister went with Mr. Higgs to meet the Dark Lord," Snape finally said.

"What?" Draco breathed, looking around for a sign of her. "Then where is she? WHERE IS SHE?!" he asked again as neither Snape or Thomas answered.