SALEM ᵈ ᵐᵃˡᶠᵒʸ

xxi. Inferno

I ran as fast as I could. The room was practically sweltering, making it difficult for me to latch onto Draco's hand because of how sweaty we both had gotten. And it proved even more so when Crabbe and Goyle suddenly appeared out of nowhere and pulled Draco into a hidden aisle.

"LET GO—!" he growled.

"NO—!" I protested at the same time, reaching out to grab his outstretched hand but it was only our fingers that brushed against each other before he disappeared with the two morons.

"MARGO!" Ron warned upon seeing that I was about to slow down and stop.

"Shit," I hissed as I willed myself to continue running, almost tripping over my feet as I glanced back at the entrance of the aisle which was already engulfed by the inferno.

"Shit! Shit!" I growled as the trio and I turned a sharp corner and stopped dead.

We were surrounded. I was practically drenched with sweat from head to toe and it was starting to get difficult to breathe, even still, the fiery beasts were circling us like prey.

"What can we do?" Hermione screamed. "What can we do?"

"Here!" Harry seized three broomsticks from the nearest pile of junk and tossed   one to myself and Ron, who was already pulling Hermione behind him.

"Harry, I can't—" I said with wide eyes.

"Margo, you have to!" he screamed before mounting on his. "Kick off hard and just follow us!"

The air was taking away oxygen quicker now, with all the smoke and flames filling up the room. I swung a leg over the broomstick and kicked off as hard as I can with a scream, about to crash into a wall of flame but instantly swerved to the left where I almost knocked Ron and Hermione over.

"Shit—sorry!" I called to them.

It was an effort to stay upright especially when I was trembling all over and my hands kept slipping off the handle, but I gritted my teeth and flew onwards, trying my best not to swoop down into the flames; I was lucky that we were flying through a straight path.

Everything below us was burning. With a nasty jolt to my heart I remembered that Draco was still down there, if he weren't—

No, no—don't even think about it.

"Harry, let's get out, let's get out!" Ron screamed.

"No!" I bellowed harshly, loud enough for all of them to hear. "I'm not leaving this goddamn place without him!" They didn't need a name to know who I was talking about.

As if on a cue, a scream sounded from down below. Without warning, I pushed the handle down and zoomed deeper into the fire; the urgency making me forget about my uneasiness on brooms.

"It's—too—dangerous!" Ron warned.

I couldn't hear him over the sound of the roaring flames and my own heartbeat. I kept my eyes peeled wide open despite how much the smoke was making them water, and then I saw him: he was holding an unconscious Goyle, Crabbe nowhere to be found, as the two of them stood on a fragile tower of burned desks.

"IF WE DIE FOR THEM, I'LL KILL YOU, MARGO!" Ron bellowed as Harry came and swooped Goyle with Draco's help. Once the latter was free, I outstretched an arm and dangerously leaned down until we were both level enough with each other for him to clasp my hand and swing himself on the broom.

With him aboard, it was so much easier to control the broom. As we sped up and followed the trio, he buried his face into my neck and pressed a chaste kiss on it.