I'm not going to lie this is probably the worst battle chapter you'll ever read I haven't read hp, hp fanfics or any fantasy since January lmao. I wasn't going to include it but I needed a Blaise chapter bc the next chapter is Theo after the battle :) Enjoy!!
Two months later.
The castle rattles. It shakes. Blaise and Theo stare at one another from opposite sides of the dorm room. Theo looks towards the ceiling as dust falls before glance over at the door as it swings open. Pansy stands there with Daphne both of them widen eyed and panicked.
"It's happening" Daphne breathes out, breaking the silence as Adrian appears behind them. The three of them stand in the doorway looking between Theo and Blaise. Blaise isn't sure what it is they want from them. They aren't the leaders, they aren't the smart ones. Blaise knows he would follow Sofia in this situation - maybe Draco, but neither of them are here to lead.
"It's going to be okay" Adrian says resting a hand on her shoulder. Blaise wants to believe him, he wants more than anything for everything to be okay but he isn't sure it will be. How could it possibly be okay? As soon as they leave the common room they will be entering a war zone. They will be faced with the reality that has been dangling in front of them for months. "We should go" He says slowly, as if no one else was going to suggest it. They could just hide in their dorms couldn't they? Yes that would be cowardly but it would be safe.
Adrian is the first to turn and walk towards the common room, the girls follow closely behind. Theo glances at Blaise and pats him gently on the shoulder.
"Don't do anything stupid" Theo says which Blaise appreciates his attempt of trying to keep things light hearted.
"You're more likely to do something stupid" Blaise replies as they begin to walk towards the door of their dorm. This could be the last time either of them walk out of this door. Blaise glances at Theo, then at the room that holds so many memories. Like the first time the four of them got drunk - it was after the Yule ball and the four of them spent the early hours of the morning drinking terrible wine that Theo had smuggled from somewhere. They sat in their evening clothes in a circle, just laughing and sharing secrets. Blaise thinks about how those secrets have nothing on their lives now. His mind takes him to different moments- flashing before his eyes like he is preparing to die before he has even stepped into the war. The tears shed in that dorm, the hungover Sunday mornings, the early mornings when the three of them had quirdtich practice or a game, Sofia's cat throwing up a fur ball on Draco during the night. These four walls hold a lot more than memories, it holds the foundations of their friendships.
"Theo" Blaise says suddenly coming back to reality and noticing they are already walking down the hall. Theo glances over his shoulder at Blaise. Blaise stops walking and glances around them, Theo frowns, turning to face him with a questioning look in his eyes. "If I die-"
"Don't" Theo cringes his face screwing up.
"I've been on a potion for years for my anxiety" Blaise blurts causing Theo to raise an eyebrow at him "I sometimes wish I could meet my dad and ask his side of the story but I think I would punch him or throw up on him before he opened his mouth, I constantly think about leaving this world and living as a muggle, I've definitely worn your underwear before, I really hated it when Draco would act better than me at quidditch" this statement causes Theo's lips to curl upwards slightly "I've always considered Sofia my best friend more than you and Draco" Blaise continues and rubs a hand over his face "I might be in love with Colette but I don't really know and it confuses me a lot-"
"Blaise" Theo interrupts "What are you doing?"
"I feel like I can't die without telling you all these things" Blaise stresses taking a deep breath and looking at Theo in the eyes. Theres a loud thump as the ceiling shakes, dust falling onto them. They both look upwards as the dust settles into their hair. "Isn't there anything you want to tell me?"
Theo looks at him hesitantly and confused.
"Once I used your toothbrush" Theo nods with a small shrug. Blaise's face screws up in disgust. "I also had sex with your cousin Libby" Theo frowns slightly before falling silent "I don't consider you a best friend I consider you a brother" He says quietly pressing his lips into a small smile, he's never been great at showing emotions. His father taught him they were weak. To Blaise that was one of the biggest compliments he has received. He always felt like Theo and Draco were the brothers and he was the extra one on the side. Not that they ever excluded him, but they've known each other a really long time. "I'm in love with Sofia" Theo adds slowly causing Blaise's eyebrows to hit his hairline. Not because he was shocked by his words, he was shocked he was confessing to that.
"That I knew" Blaise smiles slightly causing Theo to roll his eyes.
"Are we done with the confessional?" Theo asks changing the subject, which is fair enough it probably isn't the right time to be desiccating Theo's feelings for Sofia although it does intrigue Blaise. He's always wondered if Theo has known and just suppressed it or not.
Blaise wasn't entirely sure what he expected when they reached the castle grounds but this wasn't it. The chaos, the fear and the tension. All of it was too be expected but he could never imagine the vast scale of it all.
Theo and Blaise both stand their their backs against a wall and watch as people run past them, listen to the shouts of commands and screams of fear. Theo's eyes are wide and don't stop bouncing around as if he is looking for something, someone. Blaise nudges him and gestures with his head to follow. Theo nods before they walk side by side down a passage. Blaise can feel the anxiety pumping around his body but the determination to stay focused and therefore alive is too strong.
Theo's arm pushes Blaise backwards as a curse flies past them and hits a door next to them. Blaise stumbles at then impact, his heart skipping a beat. He breathes out a thanks to Theo who barely acknowledges it. Blaise doesn't even know what they are supposed to be do - just start shooting curses out? Run around until they find a death eater to kill?
Suddenly both of them are pulled back by their shoulders. The action is fast and swift with a tight grip. Just as they are pulled backwards the wall Blaise rests against the fallen rock whilst looking at who pulled them back. Draco is standing there wearing his signature black suit and his sliver hair longer than Blaise had ever seen.
"Malfoy" Blaise breathes out as Theo hurls himself at him. Blaise watches as Theo hugs Draco, tightly, and pats him on the back a few times. Draco chuckles slightly as he rubs the back of Theo's head. Blaise feels a sense of relief at the sight of them reuniting. Blaise also finds himself hugging Draco as soon as Theo pulls away from him. Blaise might be pissed at him for everything he put Sofia through but they are still a family. A messy, complicated family but nevertheless a family.
"She's not here" Draco answers Theo's unasked question as he watches him glances around them. Blaise frowns slightly at the words. She's not here. Not 'she's okay'. She's not here. SO where is she?
"You didn't bring the smartest one with you?" Theo replies tilting his head to the side but Draco doesn't smile at the joke. Blaise can sense that is bad. Blaise can feel Theo's tense beside him. He can feel the anxiety radiating off him. Theo stares at Draco with worry laced through his eyes. "Is she okay?" He asks, barely audible over the sound of the castle crumbling around them. Blaise feels like that is background noise and unimportant.
"She's alive" Draco answers slowly "She stayed behind to help the people in the manors basement" Draco seems hesitant to continue, shutting his mouth and flickering his eyes elsewhere. Blaise senses that there is way more to this story and he refuses to let his imagination run wild with it.
"But is she okay?" Theo repeats with a sense of urgency causing Blaise to rest a hand on his shoulder. Theo looks up at him gratefully before back to Draco.
"It was bad Theo" Draco replies horsely "Everyday it got worse. I don't fucking know how okay she is because she's fucking changed" Draco blurts, stressed and running a hand through his hair. "Your dad-" Draco's voice gets caught in his throat as he shakes his head. "He was relentless."Blaise glances at Theo who nods his head a few times and rubs in between his eyes. If anyone is too know how relentless his father can be it is himself.
The conversation is cut short by Collette appearing beside Blaise. Blaise glances down at her noticing her cut lip and eyebrow. He frowns at the injuries but she attempts a smile. Collette glances between Draco and Theo then searches for the fourth member of their group before looking hi at Blaise questioningly. Blaise shakes his head and silently tells her 'not right now' too which she just nods. Blaise is relieved that she can understand him without words. He isn't sure he can even form words around the subject of Sofia.
His mind was already swirling before Draco mentioned her changing. Changed how? A bad change? It has to be a bad change she was being tormented for months. It's been two months since he last saw Sofia and a huge part of him needed her to show up right now with a witty remark or sarcastic comment. But it hits him that perhaps that has been lost in the weeks she has undergone torture. Blaise's stomach churns at the thought of it. The thought of Sofia changing into someone else, in a bad way. He is all about growth but he fears that Sofia would be a stranger now. She'd look the same, maybe even laugh the same but she wouldn't be the same. That's a horrible sinking feeling. They would never be the same again.
Blaise glances in the direction of Theo. Would they figure it all out? What if Sofia can't look at Theo without seeing his father? What if it hurts her too much to be around him? What if it means she has to cut Theo off? Blaise frowns at the idea. That would've like cutting off someones life line. Someone's blood supply. Someone's oxygen. It would be a disaster.
The four are brought back to reality by stone being blown up next to them. They all jump as the dust covers them and someone yelps in pain on the other side of the wall. Blaise looks over the rubble at Theo and Draco both still standing, both looking like they've had a heart attack. Draco gives Blaise a nod saying 'go, we'll be fine'. Blaise feels Collette's hand slip into his before they run.
He is in a daze as they run through the castle, which is now a battle ground and there is nothing elegant about it anymore. It feels like they are already running through the ruins. Blaise is sure he has slipped on blood over ten times as they shoot off spells; it seems they have silently agreed on Blaise doing the protection spells whilst Colette does defensive ones.
"Theo!" Blaise yells reaching out for his stumbling friend. He catches him and steadies him swiftly, carefully. Blaise notices the blood on his white shirt, on his hands. "Theo is that your blood?" Blaise asks scanning over Theo's shirt. Theo's breathes are ragged and deep.
"I'm fine" Theo says the wind still being knocked out of him. He regains his posture as Blaise carefully pulls away from him. Theo glances over his shoulder at the ruins behind him. "My dad" Theo whispers but there's no sadness, just shock, laced in his voice. "I think h-he's dead" Theo finishes looking back at Blaise. Blaise stares at Theo with wide eyes before looking back at the ruins. The silence that falls between them is foreign. Blaise doesn't know how to comfort someone who has lost a family member they don't care for.
"C'mon" Blaise mumbles slinging Theo's arm around his shoulder and supporting him. Blaise frantically looks around him because he isn't sure when or where he lost Colette.
Blaise lowers Theo to a seat in the great hall. Theo's entire body is shaking with what Blaise assumes is shock. He watches as Theo twiddles his rings around his fingers, leaning over himself with his elbows resting on his thighs.
Blaise notices that the chaos behind him seems to have died down slightly.
"Blaise?" A voice calls causing Blaise to freeze before he spins around to be faced with his mother. She's dressed in a pant suit, because she would never be caught dead in anything undignified. Blaise stares at her, opens his mouth and closes it again. He couldn't even place the last time he saw his mother - Sofia's birthday party? So much as happened since then. "Oh you're okay" she says walking towards him and hugging him. Blaise let's her because this is what he needs. He feels her hand rub on the back of his head as his cheek pressed into her shoulder. He is so glad she's alive. He is so glad she didn't turn into a death eater. He is so glad she is here.
She pulls away and kisses his forehead before kneeling down in front of Theo. Blaise watches as she takes his hand and gently gives them a squeeze as she talks softly too him. Blaise feels his heart squeeze in sympathy for Theo because this is as close to a mother as Theo will get.
Draco walks across the hall with Oscar Young trailing behind him. They are discussing something, which looks heated but also tamed. Draco pauses when he sees Theo with his head hang and staring at the floor.
"Malfoy I'm serious" Oscar says as they get closer to Blaise "I cant promise you anything."
"I know" Draco replies "and I don't expect her to do anything-"
"You know damn well she will do anything"
"Maybe but she's" Draco stops talking and takes a deep breath looking between Blaise and Theo before back to Oscar. Oscar glances at Blaise then Theo before back to Draco where they appear to have a silent conversation.
"That won't be happening" Oscar replies "There's no way of leaving until this is over" he states sadly giving an concerned glance towards Theo. "Whose blood is he covered in?"
"His fathers" Draco replies his eyes not leaving Theo's shaking body.
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the next chapter is literally what we've all been waiting for!!!!!!!!!