Just Happiness │D. Malfoy ✔

chapter twenty six

They were a few corridors from the Great Hall when a Death Eater ran into the hall they were walking through. Tara lifted her wand and pointed it at the middle aged woman at the same time the woman pointed it at her. The only reason the woman hadn't fired yet was because she was distracted by Tara and Draco's conjoined hands. Draco had a tight grip on his wand, but he had not pointed it at the woman. That was the only reason Tara didn't stun her. 

"I hope you know what you're doing, Malfoy." the woman said after an intense battle of starring at each other, before running down another corridor, away from them and out of sight. Tara looked up at him, wondering who it was. 

"She..." he hesitated, taking a quick glance in the direction the woman had run of to. "...she's nicer than the others." Was Draco's only reply. She nodded, although only understanding slightly as they continued walking to the Great Hall. At this point she had let go of Draco's hand, so that in case someone came, they would be ready to fight back.

They rounded the corner that lead into the Great Hall and there, in the middle of the Hall stood Harry Potter, very much alive mind you, and Voldemort, pointing wands at each other with the entire school watching, including her brother who she spotted next to a gang of Ravenclaws. It wasn't the sight of Voldemort which shocked her. It was the sentence that came out of Harry's mouth.

"- The true master of the Elder Wand was Draco Malfoy." Harry said, staring at Voldemort. She whipped her head up to Draco, starring at him in shock. He looked as shocked as one would be learning one was master of the greatest wand in existence.

"But what does it matter?" said Voldemort. "Even if you are right, Potter, it makes no difference to you and me. You no longer have the phoenix wand: We duel on skill alone... and after I have killed you, I can attend to Draco Malfoy..." Her eyes widened and she noticed Draco was also looking scared. The conversation continued though, between the one who could save them all, or the one who could destroy them.

"But you're too late," said Harry. "You've missed your chance. I got there first. I overpowered Draco weeks ago. I took his wand from him." She looked at the wand Harry was using and noticed that it was indeed Draco's wand. She hadn't realized Harry would be using his wand, although it would be obvious seeing as he had taken them from Draco at Malfoy Manor. Which meant Harry was now the master of the Elder Wand. 

She looked up at the loud boom and saw the two spells that had been cast meet in a collision. The wand from Voldemorts hand flying into the air with its wielder falling to the floor, dead.

Cheers erupted in the Hall, but all Draco and Tara could do was stare, dumbfounded. It was so strange, so unexpected and sudden. She was over the moon on the inside, her emotions just hadn't yet caught up with her.

"It's over. He's....dead." Draco's meek voice sounded beside her. She pulled him out of the entrance and over to a bench by the wall and sat down with Draco following suit.

"It really is over." she said. "You're safe now, Draco." she said, letting him rest his head against her shoulder. "We're all safe." It was as if Draco just registered what had actually happened as his head shot up and he looked at her with the biggest grin she had ever seen on the boy.

"It's over!" he said in such an exited voice, kissing her all over the face in excitement. "And we're alive!" he wrapped her in a hug and she had to laugh at his excitement, it was so contagious. 

"Draco." A drawling voice interrupted their hug, making them break apart to look up at who had appeared. To both their shock it was Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. Draco stood up in a flash and blocked Tara from their view looking furious.

"Get away from us." he said. "You've already done enough damage."

"That is no way to speak to your parents." Lucius snapped. "You must come with us this instant, we must leave."

"No. I'm not leaving." said Draco. It seemed Lucius was going to begin a big argument when Narcissa interrupted.

"Very well, we shall stay then. For the time being." she said. "Now, why don't you introduce us to the person you are so adamant on hiding from our view." She glanced at her husband with a perfectly eyebrow raised, daring him to object.

"I'd rather not." replied Draco. Tara was still sitting behind Draco and wasn't quite sure what do make of the situation. His parents certainly intimidated her and she was concerned they might take out their feeling of her affiliations on either her, or even worse on Draco. So, she certainly had some resignations about being introduced.

"And why is that?" his father asked. Draco sighed before looking behind his back at her, silently asking if he could introduce her. She nodded ever so slightly and Draco moved from in front of her and let her stand up beside him, his left hand coming around her back, resting around her waist.

"This is Tara Atrio, my girlfriend." Draco said, looking his parents dead in the eye. She tried to muster up the most convincing smile she could as she nodded and said hi. 

"Atrio? Finn Atrio's daughter? That mudblood Slytherin who fought on the wrong side of the war?" Lucius Malfoy exclaimed in disgust. She had to refrain from cringing at the use of the term mudblood.

"Excuse me, sir. But I would appreciate if you didn't refer to my father with such a derogatory  term." she said, bravely making eye contact with the taller man who was starring daggers at her. She cowered slightly at the dangerous man's stare and glanced at Draco, not quite sure what to do. Draco's jaw was clenched and he was about to speak up when his mother interrupted.

"Draco, you can't possibly expect us to approve of her. She is the daughter of traitor, belonging to a treacherous house" said Narcissa, gesturing to her yellow robes, "- and has filthy blood. How can you possibly stand to be around her."  She had to admit that Narcissa's words hurt slightly, she tried to push away the hurt, because she knew none of the things the Malfoy's had mentioned mattered.

"Luckily I don't need your approval and never will. Now, this is exactly why I wanted you to leave, so please do so." with that Draco walked away from his parents, arm still around her waist. They walked out of the Hall and into a side corridor, escaping the sight of Draco's parents.

"They're very posh aren't they. I see where that fancy voice of yours comes from." she said, trying to lighten the mood. Draco put his face in his hands and rubbed his eyes before removing them and looking at her.

"I'm so sorry I let them say those things to you. I shouldn't have given in, I'm sorry. I was just hoping they might keep and open mind because I love you, but it seems like they really don't care."

"It's okay, Draco. Don't worry." she smiled at him, standing up on her tippy toes, reaching up  and stroking her hand through his hair. "My mood can't be ruined, even by your posh parents, because I'm too happy. The war is over and we can finally sit back and relax. School is practically over and we can start a life."

"You're right." he said, leaning down at picking her up of the ground, spinning them around, smiles on both their faces. "You're right!" he exclaimed, laughing for the first time in a long time. " We don't have to be scared anymore!"