The world was still and quiet. A flash of green and it was all over. The Death Eaters were silent, appreciating what had just occurred.
Claire's mind followed Dumbledore as he fell over the side of the building, his eyes open and staring straight into hers. He was peaceful until the landing, which made his limbs go askew. His eyes stayed open, no longer able to see everything. A great man reduced to a pile of limbs on the ground.
Sudden cheers of exclamation filled the air, sparks flying from the ends of wands like fireworks. The celebration was short lived when they remembered where they were and what they had just done. Snape was the first one to run down to the door, dragging a fighting Draco with him. The boy's eyes were wide and tears were falling down his face and she could tell that he was arguing with the professor. His wand was laying on the ground where he had dropped it when Snape killed Dumbledore, preventing him from releasing Claire. The professor didn't care, continuing to drag him away. Claire knew that if Snape was aware of her presence that it would be different, but the man was simply unaware.
Harry, however, was free now that Dumbledore was dead. The second the last of the Death Eaters had left, Harry was throwing the cloak off of himself. Claire grunted, hoping that he would release her. But, of course, he had different plans.
"Malfoy is right. They can't find you," Harry apologized, making sure that the Invisibility Cloak was secure over her. His eyes were glossy and exhaustion and regret were evident in his face, but he was determined as well. As soon as Claire was secure, Harry went running after the Death Eaters, leaving Claire all alone.
Draco's wand was within her sight, taunting her. Her own wand was digging into her side from how she was positioned, making it uncomfortable for her to stay there.
Claire had never attempted to break a spell before. She knew the limits of her powers and what she could be risking if she took advantage of them. But her family was in danger, and she couldn't lose anyone else, especially not Draco.
With a deep breath, Claire focused on the moonlight floating over her, letting it illuminate her in an almost painful glow. The Invisibility Cloak went flying off of her body, the full light embracing her. The pain was unbearable, a scream attempting to leave her lips. But then it was all over, letting her fall to her knees. She took a second, coughing and wheezing on all fours. She was exhausted now, her body now shaking from exhaustion, worry, and fear. All she could care about was that she was free from the stunning charm and could finally help. Claire hurried to grab Draco's wand and to shove the cloak into her pocket before making it onto the stairs where she could now hear that people were still fighting.
"Not so fast."
Claire grunted in pain when someone grabbed her hair and pulled on the back of her head. The smell of rotting meat filled her nose, making her gag. She brought her hands back and scratched, but the person just threw her down, making her fall down some of steps. This new position let her see that it was Greyback who had grabbed her, and the way that he was licking his lips made her shiver.
"Leave me alone," Claire threatened, but she felt too weak to do much fighting. She had hit her head and her ribs when he pushed her, making it hard to take in deep breaths. He had a few scratches on his face that were bleeding, but he didn't seem to care.
"I don't think so," Greyback growled, crouching down in front of her and grabbing her chin in his hands, forcing her to look at him. She grimaced and spat in his face, but he simply grinned and wiped it away. "Look at your eyes. I've never seen a Moon Child with such a bright ring. How no one has snatched you up before..."
Greyback trailed off, a disgusting smirk on his face. Unlike Remus, who looked nothing like a werewolf other than his scars, Greyback was obviously no longer human. His teeth were filed to points and painted red with blood. His nails were longer and were more like claws than actual nails. He had more hair than a normal person and his eyes were practically black.
"You're going to regret this," Claire responded, issuing a forcefield just strong enough to push his hands away from her. Greyback snarled and took a step back, allowing Claire to release her protection because of how much energy it took. In a split second, Greyback had Claire pressed against the opposite wall by her throat, blocking any airflow. Her feet were no longer touching the floor, but she didn't have the strength to kick an harder than a toddler, which had no impact on the werewolf.
"No, I won't," Greyback smiled, the sight making Claire's stomach turn.
"Let her go."
Claire could have sobbed at the voice. It seemed that Greyback also had a reaction, dropping Claire to the ground. She wheezed and grabbed at her throat, scampering as far away as she could on the steps, finding a patch where there was little light.
"My son," Greyback said lowly, but there was a disgusted look on his face.
"Don't call me that," Leo spat. He stepped into a moonbeam coming in from the window, illuminating his face. His hair had barely grown in and was still uneven, but the scar on his face had healed some, only looking mildly painful. He was frail and barely looked threatening, but the many people standing behind him looked much stronger. They all had the eyes of a Moon Child, and they all looked ready to kill. The werewolf took a step back, the proud look on his face turning into one of fear.
"We could have changed the world," Greyback laughed coldly. "And instead you decided to abandon me."
"How could I abandon you?" Leo scoffed. "You were never there. We both know that my mom did everything for me."
"I was there for you for the first five years of your life, and I would have been for longer if you had let me. You loved me at one point in time. I was your favorite person in the world. And you must know that I did love your mother," Greyback noted. Leo's jaw tensed and his eyes flashed, several of the people behind him scoffing at the remark. From what she knew of the werewolf, she could guess that many of the people in that room were his children as well. Claire had always assumed that Leo and Greyback had never even met, but to know that Leo was partially raised by the creature made a chill go through her.
"Is that why you gutted her in front of me?" Leo questioned, his voice shaking. Greyback smirked for a second and used Leo's momentary lapse to run back up the steps. Leo cursed and tried to follow, but a man that Claire remembered to be Jack, stopped him. He was the only one who wasn't a Moon Child, but Claire knew that Emaline had killed his wife, who had been one. The man looked determined to kill, especially since Greyback was his wife's father.
"Help her," Jack ordered, nodding towards Claire. Leo hesitated and was about to argue but Jack spoke much firmer. "I've got this. You know that I do."
Leo barely nodded and then rushed to Claire, his hands shaking as he grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. She held onto him and sobbed, not knowing how much she had missed his embrace until then.
"I've got you," Leo soothed, running his hands over her hair. She could finally feel how thin he was, his bones poking out at her. His clothes were hanging off of him and ripped, but he still smelled like his cologne.
"What happened to you?" Claire asked, looking up at him. She tried to touch his scar but he grabbed her hand, his eyes full of tears.
"That's a story for later," Leo whispered. "Let's get you to your dads."
With one last look up the steps to the Astronomy Tower, Claire and Leo both supporting each other. The sounds of fighting had finally stopped and instead there were Ministry workers everywhere, several Death Eaters tied up. Claire couldn't see anyone that she knew other than some students who had just graduated the year before.
"Where is everyone?" Claire questioned. Leo took her down a side hallway before anyone from the Ministry saw them.
"The Hospital Wing, most likely," Leo replied. "I just barely had time to talk to Remus when we arrived."
"Did you see Draco?" Claire inquired, her eyes wide and eyebrows furrowed. "Or Harry?"
"Something was happening outside," Leo sighed. "I couldn't see what. I know that Hagrid's hut was on fire, but I was more worried about getting to you."
Claire bit her lip and nodded, wanting nothing more than to go back in time so that none of this would have ever happened.
It took them longer to get to the Hospital Wing because they had to avoid other students, who had filled the Hallways to whisper about Dumbledore. Most of the professors were nowhere to be seen, but the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff prefects were trying to keep order. Claire felt sorry for them, especially because their fear was evident.
Once they finally reached the Hospital Wing, a feeling of dread filled her body. The Weasley family was crowded around a bed, the matriarch sobbing loudly. Even Charlie had come to see the family, Tonks by his side for comfort. Hermione was next to Ron, the two of them looking somber. Neville's grandmother was there, quietly speaking to the boy who luckily didn't look too bad. Professor Flitwick was on another bed by himself, bandages on his head.
"My baby."
Claire gladly let her father wrap her in his arms, practically cradling her to his body. She could feel that he was shaking and his sweater was ripped in several places, but he didn't seem to have any major injuries.
"They said that you were safe, but I didn't know where you were," Remus sobbed. Claire just grabbed him tighter, sobs wracking her body as well.
"He killed him," Claire cried. It was hard for her to breathe, each breath coming out as a wheeze, making pain erupt in her chest. "He killed Professor Dumbledore."
"Draco?" Sirius gasped. Claire took a step away from her dad to wrap her arms around Sirius, who placed a kiss on her forehead as he held her carefully.
"Snape," Claire whispered in response. "And Snape took Draco. He took my Draco."
Sirius scooped up Claire in his arms and brought her to a bed. Madame Pomfrey was ready with some potions, her hair loose and panic clear in her eyes.
"It seems like you have a concussion and some broken ribs," Madame Pomfrey diagnosed, only needing to look at the girl to figure out what was wrong. "This will make you sleep, but it will help."
"No!" Claire refused, shaking her head. "I have to be awake. Draco and Harry aren't back yet. They have to come back."
"You need to heal," Remus said softly. "We'll stay awake to help them."
"No!" Claire argued. "I'd rather be in pain for the rest of my life then go to sleep right now. I can't, Dad. You have to understand that. The last thing...the last thing that I said to Draco was that I hated him."
It felt like her heart was ripped from her chest, pain randomly erupting throughout her body like a lightning strike. Claire wasn't sure what pain belonged to her and what pain belonged to Draco anymore. Remus looked like he did know what she meant, and he sent a helpless look to Sirius, who could only imagine what the pair felt in situations like this.
"Remus, knock her out," Leo spoke up. Claire let out a sound of protest, whipping around to glare at the boy. He looked at her with a deep sadness in his eyes, and a lot of pain because she knew that he was feeling what she was. Claire opened her mouth to protest and the men used it as leverage, Remus grabbing her arms and Sirius forcing the potion down her throat.
"I said no!" Claire cried, shoving her way out of Remus' grasp and falling onto the floor. The potion was working fast, her mind already becoming clouded. She brought her hand to her mouth, prepared to make herself throw up in an attempt to get the draught out of her body. Leo's arms went around her, grabbing her hands and holding them so she couldn't do anything. She could barely move, her sobs quickly turning into soft gasps for breath and occasional whimpers. He held her close through it all, his cologne invading her nose as she fell asleep.
------------------------------------------------
"My love."
Claire blinked and yawned, rubbing her eyes. It was silent in the Hospital Wing, the early morning light trickling in. The only sounds were light breathing and the occasional snore that Claire knew came from her dad.
"I'm here, my love."
Claire finally fully opened her eyes to see Draco sitting on the side of her bed. The girl gasped and sat on her knees to wrap her arms around him. That was all it took for the pain to go away and for her to feel whole again.
"What happened to you?" Claire whispered, seeing the many cuts and bruises all over his body, including what looked like a burn mark on his left arm.
"Can you walk?" Draco asked, his hand going to her ribs and lightly brushing over where she knew they were broken. Claire nodded and accepted Draco's help to stand up.
"Can you walk?" Claire teased when the boy tripped over his own two feet, kicking the edge of the bed hard enough that it scraped on the floor. The pair stilled for a second to make sure that no one woke up. Sirius was the only one who did, his eyes blinking open long enough to see that it was just Draco and then closing again as he waved his hand at them. He was in a bed with Remus and it was so small that he was practically completely on top of the other man, but Claire knew that they both needed that comfort after last night.
"Where's Harry?" Claire questioned, not seeing him in any of the beds. She was glad to see Blaise and Theo were there, and luckily mostly unharmed. Blaise had a bandage above his right eye and Theo's left arm was in a sling, but they looked fine other than that. Bill Weasley was the only one who actually looked injured, several long and deep slashes going across his face. Claire shuddered, knowing exactly what had caused those marks.
"They closed his curtains for privacy," Draco replied, pointing to the one bed that no one could see into. Draco knew that Claire needed to make sure that Harry was okay so he started guiding them over there without being asked.
"He looks so pale," Claire whispered when she saw the boy. He didn't look physically hurt, but his eyebrows were furrowed and he would randomly jerk in his sleep, obviously having a nightmare. Claire frowned and sat on the side of the bed, placing a hand over his scar. She thought of any positive memory that she could, and it seemed to work. The boy slowly stopped thrashing and his face relaxed.
"How did you do that?" Draco asked, looking amazed.
"I don't know," Claire shrugged, gently placing a kiss on Harry's forehead and then interlocking her fingers with Draco once more, slowly walking towards the door where they could talk without fear of waking anyone else up. It was only five in the morning, and after the night that they had, Claire wouldn't be surprised if everyone slept all morning.
"Where are you going?"
Claire and Draco both jumped in shock, Draco immediately ready to fight while Claire had recognized the voice and smiled.
"I didn't realize you were back," Draco said lowly to Leo, who was perched in a windowsill by the entrance of Hospital Wing. Leo jumped down so he could speak to them easier. The two boys both stood taller, jealousy coursing through both of them, Draco gripping Claire's hand tighter.
"We're both here for the same thing," Leo replied, his head nodding to Claire. Draco's jaw tightened but he released Claire's hand long enough to shake Leo's hand. As if something unspoken had happened, the two boys visibly relaxed.
"We're just going to talk," Claire answered Leo's previous question. "Nothing is going to happen to us. Please, go sleep."
"You have five minutes and then I'm sounding every alarm," Leo warned, not wanting to let Claire out of his sight. The girl rolled her eyes and made a shooing motion at the other teenager until he finally went into the Hospital Wing to sleep. Claire and Draco went and sat in the windowsill, looking out at the grounds. Hagrid's hut was burned to the ground and part of the grounds were black from smoke.
"Fang and Hagrid are both okay," Draco spoke up when he saw Claire's eyebrows furrow in worry. He pointed to the burn spot on his arm, which wasn't that severe but still looked like it hurt. "That's where I got this. Hagrid kept trying to run into his house to get things and I tried to stop him. A piece of wood fell and a flame landed on my shirt, but I was able to put it out really fast."
"What happened after Snape took you?" Claire questioned. Draco's jaw tightened and his fingers started tapping on his legs.
"He made me run outside. I couldn't tell him why I needed to go back because I didn't want the other Death Eaters to find you," Draco replied, his voice shaky.
"I didn't mean it," Claire interrupted. Draco looked at her, not knowing what she meant. "When I said I hated you. I didn't mean it, and I was so worried that you were going to die and that would be the last thing I ever said to you."
Draco gave her a sad smile and cupped her jaw in his hand.
"I knew that you didn't mean it," Draco assured her, connecting their lips and then resting his forehead on hers. "I knew that you were upset with me."
"What happened after that?" Claire asked, urging him to continue. Draco sighed and started tracing the scars on his arms that were left from Harry's attack.
"It's all a blur now," Draco admitted. "All I know was that Snape wanted me to leave with him but Harry caught up to us. There was a big fight, I took a torture curse. Harry and Snape fought until I teamed up with Harry and then the Death Eaters left in a rush as more Ministry workers came outside. Harry went to see Dumbledore's body, I think, and I tried to come find you at the Astronomy Tower, but you weren't there. I probably looked insane running through the hallways, but I couldn't find you anywhere until Sirius finally found me."
"Have you slept?" Claire frowned, noticing just how exhausted he looked, especially after having taken a torture curse. Draco looked bashful for a second.
"I couldn't," Draco admitted. "I just waited until everyone else was asleep and then I was going to wake you up, but you looked so peaceful so I just waited until I couldn't anymore."
"I think it's time for you to rest," Claire said softly, jumping down and wincing at the pain in her side. Draco jumped down, wincing as well. Claire wrapped her arm around his middle and guided them back into the Hospital Wing, glad to see Leo finally in a bed, his eyes shut tight. He didn't even notice the two of them return.
"I love you," Draco whispered, pulling Claire into his chest, their legs intertwined.
"I love you more, forever and always."