Thank you all for your patience with this fic! I'm finally settled and back in the country, so I was able to sit and write! As always, thanks to my beta xonceuponatimex.wp! Hope y'all enjoy ;)
-a
Draco wished he could lock Hermione in his room until the night is over. At least then he would know she'd be safe and away from the violence he was sure would ensue.
It was decided when Kelly didn't return that he must've been kidnapped as well. Draco couldn't decide how that made him feel. Upset? No, he hardly knew him, but worried? Yes.
"I cannot stress this enough," Narcissa said, looking over the group of teenagers. "They will hurt you if they can. Do not give them the opportunity to do so."
Hermione was fidgeting next to Pansy, her curls bushy in comparison to Pansy's sleek bob. They looked like the most unlikely of friends, and Draco couldn't help but snicker at the unusual sight in front of him.
Slytherins and Gryffindors working together. The audacity.
"Is everyone ready?"
He didn't know who said it, but the atmosphere in the room shifted and suddenly, the tension of nerves was thick, fear painted on everyone's face. Ron and Neville silently moved beside Narcissa, placing their hands on her shoulders lightly. Theo leaned next to Pansy, pressing his forehead to hers for a brief moment before he pulled away, his expression cheery as he gave her a smile, but Draco knew it was a facade.
Sauntering beside him, Theo grabbed his arm, nodding once, and Ginny reluctantly did the same.
"This doesn't change anything, Malfoy," she grumbled, and Draco rolled his eyes.
Shifting, Draco turned his head and watched as his mother Disapparated from the empty space in their living room, making his pulse quicken.
"Draco!" Hermione called as she ran in his arms, those bush curls crowding his eyes. "Come back. Please. Please come back."
"I'll bring him back, don't you worry," Theo chuckled, and Draco tightened his free arm around her.
"You've become quite important to me, Granger," he whispered into her hair. "More than I could have predicted."
She let him go, a sobbing noise escaped from her throat, and he looked away so he didn't have to see her tears. "Ready?"
Holding his breath, Draco Dispparated.
-
Ginny practically landed atop him, quickly shoveling off of him as soon as she regained her balance. The sky was an inky black, and Draco stood slowly, his wand at the ready as he glanced around.
"Boys, here," his mother whispered in the dark from his left, and quietly the three of them moved toward the sound. A dim glow sat right above the ground, which came from Neville's wand, illuminating all of their faces. "We're just waiting on Luna and Hannah."
"We're here."
Draco nearly jumped as Luna's wispy voice spoke from behind his left side, and he shot her a glare.
Hannah leaned forward, her hair tied so tightly to her scalp he wondered if it ached from the tension.
"Let's go. What are we waiting for?" she barked.
Narcissa held up a finger. "We need to wait for Blaise's signal," she whispered back. "Then Draco and Theo will show us the dungeons."
A spark shot in the air, but no sound emitted, and Draco took that as the signal. Silently, they all followed Narcissa, wands held out at the ready. A side door of the manor made of dark mahogany wood slowly appeared, and Draco made out Blaise with his own wand high. His face was stiff, and he was dressed as if he was preparing for some formal event. With no time for formalites, Blaise swung open the door, holding it open as they all filled in. Draco didn't miss the quick hand squeeze Luna gave his friend, a faint smile on her face that caused one to appear on Blaise's.
The manor was dark, few candles lighting the area, and the sound of muffled voices could be heard. Draco felt his heart pounding, his nerves on high.
Blaise rubbed his hands together.
"Lucius, Andriginous, and the Parkinson's are all in the main hall," he stated. "Greyback is with the prisoners."
Of course he is, Draco inwardly groaned.
"I'll take care of your father," Narcissa instructed, her eyes darting around the teens around her, and she gestured for Blaise and Luna to follow her. "You two are with me. The rest of you follow Draco and Theo. Get those prisoners out. We'll focus on the Spawning."
Reaching forward, Narcissa squeezed Draco's hand hard, before pulling away, walking towards the main hall. With a nod from Theo, the two boys led the small group down the dark walls of the manor, careful to keep their breathing as low as possible. Reaching the basement, Theo silently opened the door, revealing the dark stairwell. The sounds of snoring could be heard as they bounced off the stone walls. Pointing his wand at their collective feet, Draco muttered the Muffliato Charm, before walking down the steps.
At the bottom of the stairs, the room and cells were dark aside from a small oil lamp placed in the middle of the room. Greyback leaned against the far wall, another figure on their side lying next to him, and his eyes were shut, his chest heaving up and down steadily.
Movement happened in a matter of seconds.
Ron and Ginny silently ran to a cage, having spotted their mother, and Hannah bolted to the far cage, her hands pressed against the bars. Both Draco and Theo stood in front of Greyback, their wands preset into his skin as his eyes fluttered open, confusion in his face before a hard look of hate passed over his features.
"Looks like the traitors finally managed to show up," Greyback snarled, sitting up slowly as he glanced around.
"Don't fucking move," Draco warned, pressing his wand harder, and he kicked the sleeping figure beside Greyback. With a start, the man whirled around, eyes wide and Draco swore again when he recognized the face that stared back at him.
Kelly.
"I guess you didn't get kidnapped, then," Theo snapped, turning his wand to the other boy.
Kelly held his hands up in a mocking gesture of surrender. Draco could hear Ginny and Mrs. Weasley sobbing behind him, most likely pressed together in familial embrace, and Ron ran up beside him, wand raised.
"You were the mole?" he seethed, eyes trained on Kelly. "How fucking could you?"
Kelly blinked, then a bark of laughter escaped his throat. "How could I?" he retorted. "How could you? You all stood there, you all saw Potter die and did nothing. Lavender died for nothing."
"The bastard that killed Lavender is sitting next to you!" Ron shot back, his wand inches from Kelly's face. "There's nothing we could have done."
Kelly smirked, to which Draco focused on keeping his wand aimed at Greyback. The wolf's eyes narrowed, training, as if certain.
Before anyone could react, Kelly grabbed Ron's wand, ripping it from his grasp as Theo shot a spell forward, missing Kelly by inches. Launching his fist, it collided with Theo's face just as Greyback lunged at Draco. With a step back, Draco shot a spell, Greyback deflecting it, and Draco could see Hannah and Ginny helping the prisoners from their cells.
"You can't Apparate in here!" Draco yelled, throwing another spell, and Kelly ran past, bolting up the stairs. "Get them out of here!"
Ron stumbled, spinning around as Kelly disappeared from view and Greyback sent a charm right into Hannah's chest. She went flying, Penelope screaming as she ran to her girlfriend's crumbled body. Draco threw another spell and it connected with Greyback's shoulder. Penelope helped Hannah up, the girls clinging to each other as they raced out of the basement. Dark liquid spiraled from the wound on Greyback's shoulder, and he howled in agony as Theo, Ron and Draco launched to the stairs. They dashed up the stairs, Ron and Draco bumping shoulders as they took the steps together, and burst through the door, with Theo a few steps ahead of them and Draco could almost feel Greyback's seething anger, the voracity of the wolf emerging.
"We can't Apparate in the manor! We have to get outside!" Draco shouted once again with Ron right beside him as they dodged a spell.
They quickly made a run for it, where Draco noticed that Ron began to fall behind and shot a spell behind them. Going by the fact that Greyback is still on their tail, he believed he missed his target.
"Where is everyone?" Theo yelled to them as they marked a sharp turn.
Draco glanced back behind him and saw Greyback was nearly on them; they needed something to slow him down. Ron nearly tripped, but continued their charge, Draco fearing they might not make it out. Sweat dripped down his brow as he glanced at Ron, just for a moment, and he made a decision.
"Diffindo," Draco murmured, aiming his wand at Ron's leg.
The charm cut just above Ron's ankle, and he cried in pain as he collapsed to the floor. Greyback pounced on him immediately, his teeth sinking into the back of Ron's neck, and Theo paused at the guttural screams. Draco yanked on his collar, pulling him forward, avoiding looking at the massacre he caused.
"What did you do?" Theo questioned, almost in disbelief, starring as Ron screamed for help.
Draco pulled at his collar once more, ignoring Rons cries as Greyback sliced into his back, blood oozing instantly, and Theo looked between his childhood friend and childhood enemy. "What did you do?!"