our little secret | d.m. ✓

17│smiles of gratitude

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Going through the Great Hall, just looking at the bodies lying there on the floor was hard for Elaine. She was so afraid of the possibility that some of her friends could be lying there on the floor, dead, without being able to say goodbye. Then she saw the minty coloured hair of her best friend. She ran over to where she saw him and let out a shaky breath.

"I thought--" he got up from the floor and embraced her right away. "I thought you were lying on the floor, dead. Don't ever scare me like that again!" she says hitting his chest.

"I'm sorry. Both me and Astoria are fine. Just a few bruises, but nothing too serious," she lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding as she heard both of her friends are safe and unharmed. Draco grabbed her hand lightly and she looked to where he was pointing. Her tears fell down her face once more as she ran towards her family. There, lying on the floor lay her brother, Percy. Fred grabbed her in an embrace. "I lost him while we were fighting. Turns out he was right beside both of us earlier and we didn't see him," his voice cracks at the end as the guilt takes over him.

"We didn't know, Freddie. There's nothing we could do," Draco had come up to her now and Fred handed his sister over to him with a sad smile. He nodded at him and Draco brought her out. They sat down on the stairs in the courtyard. He kissed her forehead and squeezed her hand, showing her that he's there.

Then her sister comes out and stands beside Neville who was standing a few meters in front of the young couple, "Who's that? ...Hagrid's carrying? Neville, who is that?" Before he can answer, others begin to spill out of the castle asking the same questions as Ginny. Neville starts to speak but falters simply because he can't bear to look at Ginny's face and the faces of the others looking to him for something, anything, he turns his gaze to the Hat dangling in his hand. Elaine gets up from the stairs looking at the people approaching.

Voldemort and the others draw nearer to the grounds. Voldemort surveys the ruins of the castle and the beaten posture of the throng assembled upon its steps. He smiles faintly, with cruel satisfaction. Everyone stands silently as his army comes to a halt before them. All eyes drift to Hagrid and what lays in his arms. Ginny's primal cry echoes over the grounds as she rushes towards Voldemort, but Arthur steps between and wraps his daughter in his arms, letting her struggle briefly before pulling her tighter, closer, safer. Elaine's tears fell silently down her face, feeling sad for her sister and the heartbreak she must be feeling.

"SILENCE! Stupid girl. You cry for that? Tell me. These last few hours-- as you collected the dead and tended your wounded-- was he by your side?

"While your hands ran dark with the blood of mothers and sons, fathers and daughters, brothers and sisters, his were clasped in prayer -- but it was a prayer for one and one only. While you battled courageously, until you could no longer will yourself to stand, he had long since fallen to his knees. While you cursed me until your voices grew ragged, he begged me for mercy in a voice as meek as a child's.

"So do not cry for that. He's not worthy of your tears. And do not despair of his betrayal. You were never in his heart. Not for one single solitary beat."

"Liar," Ron shouts. Voldemort flicks his wand and Ron drops to his knees, grimacing in pain. Elaine tries to move forward towards her family, but she's unable to get out of Draco's grip on her hand.

"Did you not hear me! Harry Potter is dead! From this day forward, you put your faith in me or suffer the consequences. HARRY POTTER IS DEAD! Now is the time to declare yourself."

"Draco..." Lucius reaches out his hand for him to come. Everyone looks at him, wondering if he'll go or not. "Don't be stupid--" He hesitates a little, but then Narcissa speaks up, "Draco, come..." he moves his head towards Elaine, looking her in the eyes. She shakes her head, pleading with her eyes.

"You can take your traitorous girlfriend with you," her head snaps towards the Dark Lord's at his words. She can feel Draco grabbing her hand harder which makes her look at him again. She smiles faintly at him before they start to walk towards his parents. They pass her family and the others who looks at the two of them. She tries to not lock eyes with them because she's afraid she'll begin crying. They stepped right towards them and Voldemort gave Draco an awkward hug. Narcissa placed a hand on Elaine's shoulder, almost as if to keep her there.

Elaine holds Draco's hand even harder, trying to not falter under the eyes of everyone. Neville steps forward and Elaine looks at him with curiosity. She doesn't understand why he would go forward. "I'd like to say something. It doesn't matter that Harry is gone."

"Stand down, Neville," Seamus shouts at him.

"People die every day. Friends. Family. Yes, we lost Harry tonight. But he's still with us, here--" he taps on his heart. "And so is Percy and Remus and Tonks and... all of them. They didn't die in vain," then he turns towards Voldermort's army, "But you will. And you and you and you will. Because you're wrong. Harry's heart did beat for us. All of us..." Neville takes a step forward and looks Voldemort in the eye, then he reaches into the Sorting Hat. Scarlet glints in Voldemort's eyes and he smiles, raising the Elder Wand when Neville-- in keen anticipation-- reaches into the Sorting Hat and pulls forth the Sword of Gryffindor. Gasps emit from the crowd, and then Harry gets out of Hagrid's hands and runs forward.

"Harry!" Elaine yells and Draco throws the wand he had in his hand. With his wand in hand, he turns and fires a spell on Voldemort. He blocks the spell, eyeing Harry with mild disbelief, then anger. Flames run the length of Nagini-- with no effect-- then climb the back of a nearby Death Eater and consume him. Enraged that Harry has attacked Nagini, Voldemort fires multiple curses at him. Harry runs towards the Great Hall.

Narcissa grabs Elaine's and Draco's hand hard and hauls them with her. They run across the bridge and stop in the middle where Lucius is waiting for them. They looked like they were making themselves ready to apparate, but Elaine couldn't leave yet. There was still so much of the battle left. She takes her hand out of her hold harshly and looks her in the eyes, "I can't leave my family."

Draco steps closer to her, looking her in the eyes, "Elli?"

(A/N) Some of the lines in this chapter are from the Harry Potter movie scripts, which mean that I don't own it. Everything else is written by me.