Thestrals

Part 24) I'll let you go

Warning lovely readers, there is an attack, swearing and description of wounds, please be careful and take attention to your triggers. Enjoy, lovelies. ❤️

Draco made his way to the library. He'd need some charms books and a quiet place to work. It was a Friday night and the corridors were nearly empty. One of the exceptions being Harry. He gave Draco a confused glance but Draco just turned away and kept walking.

He sat at an empty table in the back of the library and began unpacking his bag. Thick, white parchment for folding, Narcissa for... moral support, His folded dragon (in paper form), an empty cup incase he got thirsty and two ripe, green apples.

Draco flicked his wand and a large roll of tattered paper unraveled. It had a list of books to find on the intricacies of charms. Draco set off, down the 'A section' to find 'Analysing Repetition: Excelling Charms.'

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Draco lazily moved his wand through the air, casting a weak 'lumos' to read the next page. He was getting to an important part. Reversal and commands of un-accidental magic. Simply put, how to make sure turning the page back into an origami animal wasn't permanent and even worked in the first place.

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Draco groaned as his joints crackled, his back was aching after hunching over a book for hours. It was far past curfew and he was most definitely the only student in the library. Well, he was the only person in the library. Hours ago, Madame Pince had left a seemingly empty library until the morning.

He quietly crept down the ' T section ' looking for 'transfiguration in specifics: what it means, how it works.' He had recognised the author from many of his previous book choices. He made a silent thanks to a Ms Charlotte Murre.

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As Draco's dry throat tried it's best to hum a tune, and his aching, paper-cut, hands folded the slender neck of a thestral, he found himself wondering how his life came to this. How did he end up here? In a library, in the early hours of the morning, folding a paper animal for an insane girl.

Who knows?

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Draco dropped his head into his folded arms when he heard the door creak open and muffled voices approach.

He heard books clatter and laughter. His head pounded and he knocked over his cup trying to grab is to aguamenti himself a drink.

The laughter stopped. Draco's heart began thudding louder and his exhaustion disappeared for a terrifying moment. Heavy footsteps grew louder until Draco could see three broad boys behind a gap in a bookshelf in the next isle. He guessed they were sixth or seventh year. They kind of reminded him of Greg and Vincent when they were young.

His nostalgia was cut short when one of the boy's eyes fixed on him. He nudged his accomplices and they stormed round the bookshelf to get to Draco. A sickening foreboding feeling welled up in his gut and Draco knew someone would be hurt by the time All was said and done.

The boys crashed to a stop a mere meter away at Draco's side of the table. Despite his anxiety Draco just calmly packed away Luna's unfinished project and placed his bag carefully close to him incase of an urgent getaway or something along the lines.

When he got a better look, Draco would have described the boys as huffy bulls more than wizards.

He contemplated what to say but couldn't settle on anything. He just pulled his slightly shaky hands underneath the table and looked between the three of them. The exhaustion was beginning to flood back in like a rising tide.

"What the fuck you lookin' at?" A sandy brown haired boy spat.

If the situation wasn't as dangerous, Draco would have laughed at him.

"I'm not sure.." Draco kept his voice from shaking. "Maybe a new species of flobberworm?"

The boy snarled like a feral dog.

"You shouldn't be here." Another one of them hissed. Maybe they were actually animals.

Draco pretended to check the time and guessed if they were in the library it was probably already open. "Well if you'd check the time.. You'd see the library is actually open for student acces-"

"I don't mean in the fucking library, idiot, I mean here." He gestured all around him. "Alive."

Draco gritted his teeth. Deep down he already knew.

He pulled his bag over his shoulder. "If you'll excuse me."

The closest one to him grabbed his shoulder and held onto him tight. "I'll let you go."

Something like a weak animals terror flashed in Draco's eyes.

"If you can bring back my fucking dad."

"I-" Draco gulped. "I didn't- I wasn't- I can't-"

The larger boy sneered and tugged hard on Draco, pushing his back against a bookshelf. Draco reached for his bag which had fallen just out of reach. He could see a stray ink bottle which had rolled from his bag and was dripping onto the floor. He looked back to the face of his threat.

A firm punch the the gut elicited a gag and a
choked-whimper from Draco. His back slid down the bookcase but he was dragged up again by the boy. Draco took notice to the red and golden striped tie he was wearing, Gryffindors.

This time the boy's clammy hands latched onto Draco's chin and held his face firmly. An anticipated punch was sent to Draco's face and he could feel something move and then a growing, swirling heat. He let out a shaky moan and his eyelids shuttered. He felt himself slip away. He used whatever energy he could pull together to make a floppy grab for his bag.

He latched onto the rough fabric and frantically felt for the paper before the boy could get to him. As the back of his neck was yanked on Draco pulled out his paper and his wand.

Then there was blur. He remembered scratching something out and then a bright blazing light. When his eyes were opened enough he saw a dragon gnashing it's teeth at fleeing boys and fire being flung through he air. Then there was dark warmth. He had no energy to keep his eyes open but he felt something scuttle in beside him. It was warm and he couldn't keep himself together anymore. He slipped away into the darkness.

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Here's a dreadful, short chapter. I wrote this at the end of December but I couldn't let this be the last chapter of the decade or the first chapter of the decade. But I had to update here. I'm sorry I haven't been active since Halloween (four months, wow.) and I apologise but I have been working very hard on my new drarry fic 'help' (which I would appreciate if you checked out.)

Here's a MASSIVE thank you for 1K reads which is frankly unbelievable. I appreciate every single read and I apologise for being an author who can't write.

Enjoy!