We had hit rock bottom.
Months passed, and as the news about Harry became more and more scarce, the beatings became worse. I had turned into the Death Eaters' favorite punching bag, no matter how much the other professors tried to defend me. Between the interrogations and the "discipline", it was a miracle that I was still sane. No matter what they did, I refused to say anything about my brother - I didn't know a single thing about his location or his plans but the Death Eaters didn't believe me. But I figured that if they were abusing me that meant they weren't hurting some other student, so there was an upside to it after all.
By the spring, I was practically permanently bruised and scarred, and I was drastically thinner than I had been at the start of the school year. The students of Hogwarts had been forced into submission out of fear under the rule of Snape and Voldemort's spies. All during the second term, though, whispers floated through the halls of a possible rebellion against Voldemort and his army. Nobody spoke too loudly for fear of being discovered by the Death Eaters, but you could feel it in the air - the time to fight back was coming, and fast.
-------
It was late in the night on May the 1st when I got the alert from Neville that something big was happening - that this might be it. I made sure that the coast was clear before I hurried from the Common Room and into the dark halls of the castle. I snuck through the corridors swiftly, skidding to a halt in front of the Room of Requirement.
"I need an army, I need an army." I thought over and over, waiting for the large wooden door to appear. Soon enough it did, and I slipped through quickly and quietly. "Alright, I got the message, where is Nev?" I said, turning around and looking into the hideaway we had created for the army and other students. I gasped, however, when I saw my brother and Ron and Hermione standing by the large fireplace.
"Harry!" I yelled, running over and hugging him tightly, tears running down my face. "You're here, you're alive!" I cried, clinging to him. Harry held me against him, his own tears wetting my shirt. "You're alive too." He croaked, pulling back to look at me. "Merlin, Isabelle! What did they do to you?" Harry said, looking at the bruises and scars on my body, and how thin I looked.
"The DA has been taking students to this room when they don't feel safe enough to go to classes anymore, but I stayed behind in Gryffindor Tower to protect the rest of the students. I took a few beatings." I said, flinching a little at the memory of my last session in the dungeon with Amycus. "She's a champ," Neville said, rubbing my shoulder. "Isabelle didn't let anyone push the younger students around. She showed everyone this year how tough she really is." Neville finished with a hint of pride in his voice.
"So, why are you here? What's happening?" I asked, and Harry seemed to remember why they had risked their lives to come back to Hogwarts in the dead of night. "Right. There's an item that we need to find, it's somewhere inside the castle. It would have been something belonging to Ravenclaw. Can anyone think of something that's been in the Ravenclaw house for years?"
There was silence in the room for a moment, and then Luna Lovegood spoke up. "Well, there's Ravenclaw's lost diadem." She offered. We all turned to look at Luna, and Michael Corner gave her a withering look. "Yeah but the lost diadem is lost. That's kind of the point, Luna." Michael said. "Hold on, what IS a diadem?" Ron interjected, confused. Terry Boot piped up from the back to explain. "It's a kind of crown. Ravenclaw's was supposed to have magical properties, enhance the wisdom of the wearer and what not."
As people began to offer up different theories about the diadem and what Harry could possibly be looking for, Harry's eyes seemed to go out of focus and his hand drifted up to his forehead. I moved towards him, placing my hands on his shoulders to bring him back to reality. "What do you see Harry?" I said quietly, aware that Hermione and Ron were watching us now too. "He's coming. They're all coming." Harry said when he opened his eyes, a flash of fear tainting the green irises.
"What do we need to do?" I said in a surprisingly steady voice. Harry turned to the group of students who were now watching us with the same apprehensive curiosity as Ron and Hermione. "Luna, do you have any clue where the diadem could be?" I asked, and she shook her head. "No, it's been lost for centuries. But I know someone who could help us." Harry nodded, looking at the students. "Alright, Luna, you come with me. Neville, get McGonagall. Tell her that the castle is about to get some unwelcome visitors and to get the younger students out. Isabelle, alert the Order if you can. Tell them it's time." I nodded and looked at the waiting crowd of students as Harry, Ron, Hermione, Luna, and Neville left the room.
"I need everyone to head back to their respective houses and prepare the first, second and third years for evacuation. Fourth and fifth years can have the option to stay but the sixth and seventh years will be expected to stay and help. Everyone clear?" I said in the most authoritative voice I could muster, trying to The students in front of me nodded their understanding and began to file out of the Room of Requirement. I turned towards the fireplace and threw in a handful of powder, watching the emerald green flames roar to life. It was time to rally our army.
-------
The war was on. The Death Eaters had broken through the wards and infiltrated Hogwarts. I raced through the castle, dodging hexes and spells as I searched frantically for Neville and his group. All hell was breaking loose, and I didn't want to be cornered by myself when everything went to pieces.
"ISABELLE!"
I whipped my head around at the sound of my name and my eyes widened when I saw Draco running towards me. I ran to him but jumped in front of him when I saw a Death Eater point his wand towards us. "Avada-" He started but I raised my wand and cut him off. "STUPEFY!" I shouted, watching as the Death Eater fell to the ground with a thud. I turned and looked at Draco and saw the pure fear in his eyes. He was even more terrified than the rest of us because he had the most to lose - Voldemort wouldn't hesitate to murder his family if he saw Draco running alongside Dumbledore's Army.
I grabbed his shirt and kissed him hard, my eyes filling with tears at the thought that I might never see him again. "Come back to me. Bother me." He said in a broken voice when we broke apart. I nodded, my voice shaky when I spoke. "Until you send me away." I heard shouts coming from a nearby corridor and recognized them instantly. "Harry!" I said, panicked. I looked at Draco and he nodded, kissing my forehead. "Go. Help him." I smiled gratefully, dashing towards the sound of my brother's voice.
-------
The fight had ended, for now. I was in the Great Hall, sitting with the Weasleys and crying over the still body of Fred. A few feet away laid Tonks and Lupin, looking like they were sleeping peacefully instead of dead. My heart had shattered when someone told me that they had just recently had a son - little Teddy. He was going to grow up without his parents now, just like Harry and I had. Hermione was comforting Ginny, and I kneeled down on the ground, wrapping my arms around a shaking Ron.
"I'm sorry." I choked out, not sure what else to say. I was sorry - I was sorry that this war had ever happened, and that we had lost so many of our friends and family members. Ron wrapped me in a tight hug, his tears wetting my shirt. "He's gone." He kept saying, his voice shaking and broken. I rubbed his back, feeling tears spill down my cheeks again as I looked at Fred, the ghost of a laugh still etched onto his face. George was kneeling next to his brother, staring at him blankly, in shock. We all were.
"Everyone! Come outside! Hurry!" We all looked up at the sound of a student yelling from the doors, and I felt my chest clench at the look of fear on his face. Something was clearly wrong. Harry still hadn't returned from the Forest, and I refused to think about the possibility that he had succumbed to Voldemort.
Slowly, we gathered in the courtyard and watched as Voldemort crossed the bridge and came forward, his army of Death Eaters flanking him. "Hogwarts!" He rasped in a loud voice. "Look upon your hero!" Hagrid came forward from the crowd, weeping silently, a body in his arms. When he dropped it on the ground, Harry's face became visible, and a scream ripped from my chest. "NO!!!" I sobbed, and Ron grabbed me to hold me back when I tried to run to him. I fought against him, tears running down my face as Voldemort laughed. "Harry..." I cried, still struggling to get out of Ron's grip and go to my brother. Ron wrapped his arms tighter around me, and I felt his body shaking - he was crying too.
As I watched Voldemort laugh at us, the heartbreaking sadness turned into blinding rage. "Let me go! LET ME GO! LET ME KILL HIM!!" I screamed, fighting harder against Ron. Voldemort laughed coldly, staring at me. "Your brother tried the same thing, would you choose to go the same way as him? I'd very much like to see that, Isabelle. Does anyone wish to join her?" He challenged, and before I could respond, Neville stepped forward to stop me. "Don't. It's what he wants. Don't give him the satisfaction." I slowly stopped resisting Ron's iron grip on me, but my tears were unrelenting.
Voldemort pointed to the crowd and I turned with everyone to see Draco standing there, looking frightened and battle-worn. "Draco, my son, join me. Join your real family." Draco hesitated for a moment then walked slowly towards Voldemort, and I felt my heart shatter. He looked so terrified and I wanted nothing more than to run after him and save him. Draco's parents quickly pulled him over to them, and Voldemort turned his attention back to the crowd once more.
"Is there anyone else who wishes to join me? Perhaps you, Neville Longbottom? You saw what happened to your mother and father - would you choose the same fate as them?" Voldemort sneered mockingly. Neville's face became clouded with rage and he looked Voldemort dead in the eye, his voice defiant when he spoke. "I'll join you when HELL freezes over! Dumbledore's Army!" He said, and everyone cheered in support. The crowd was silenced by a wave of Voldemort's wand, a look of quiet fury on his face. "Your parents made their choice, and it seems you've made yours. We can make an example of you."
Voldemort raised his wand and pointed it straight at Neville, but suddenly Neville was pushed out of harm's way by an invisible force. Voldemort faltered for a moment, just as confused as the rest of us. There was a shimmer in the midair, and Harry appeared, pulling off his Invisibility Cloak quickly. I let out a cry of joy at the sight of my brother in front of me and alive, as did my friends. Voldemort, however, looked furious. "Let's end this now, Tom. Just you and me." Harry yelled across the courtyard. Voldemort let out a high, cruel laugh, his eyes alight with malice. They both raised their wands at the same time, Voldemort shouting "Avada Kedevra!" as Harry yelled "Expelliarmus!" The opposing spells met in the center of the courtyard, colliding in a burst of liquid golden flames. Nobody dared to intervene, not when we were so close to victory.
We stood on the sidelines in shocked and scared silence as Harry dueled with Voldemort, well aware that one wrong move could do him in for good. As they battled, we could see that Voldemort's wand seemed to be resisting him, almost like it didn't want to kill Harry. There was a split second where Voldemort seemed to realize this too, and his eyes widened in horror as the wand burst from his grip and spiraled in the air before my brother, with the skill of a Seeker, caught it in one hand. The force of the combined spells hit Voldemort square in the chest and he toppled backward, his terrifying scarlet eyes rolling back into his head as he hit the ground, the once towering man now a lifeless and shriveled white corpse. No one spoke. The air was deathly still as we tried to understand what had just happened. And then...
Absolute pandemonium.
Screams of joy broke out from the crowd as we realized that it was finally over. Harry had defeated Lord Voldemort. We had won the Second Wizarding War. We were free. I was the first one to reach my brother, hugging him as tight as I could while still sobbing with happiness. "You did it! You did it, Harry!" I cried with joy as the students and teachers surrounded us, all trying to thank Harry, the Savior, the Boy Who Lived. We had lived under Voldemort's reign of terror for nearly 20 years but now, thanks to the bravery of my brother and my friends, we were free.
-------
I searched the halls frantically for Draco, not caring anymore about keeping our relationship secret. I had to find him - I had to know that he was alive. I had lost sight of him after the final battle between Harry and Voldemort. In the stunned aftermath where everyone was crying and hugging and letting it sink it that we were free, he was the only person I could think of. I had to be with Draco. The terror in his eyes when Voldemort made him join his parents and the Death Eaters had shaken me to my very core - I had just watched Voldemort dump my brother's dead body in front of me, and I knew it would physically kill me if he killed my fiancé too.
I heard a familiar voice say my name and I saw Draco standing in the corridor, looking like he had been through hell and back. I stood there for a moment, just taking in the sight of him until it hit me that Draco was really standing there, alive and awake.
I let out a sob and ran towards him, jumping into his arms that were wide open and waiting for me. He held me tightly, kissing my shoulder and neck as I clung to him, crying uncontrollably. "You're alive. We're alive. We made it." I wept, burying my face in the crook of his neck. "It's over. We're okay. We're alive." Draco said over and over, his grip on me tightening.
My bruised bones and torn skin screamed in protest, but I didn't say a word. Draco could hold me as tightly as he wanted for the rest of time because we finally had the rest of time to be together. We had lived through the war, and found our way back to each other just as we promised. I pulled back a little to look at him, drinking in every little detail like it was the last time I'd see him, even though I knew I would see this face every day for the rest of my life.
I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his, holding tight to him as we embraced. I began to slide off of Draco, momentarily breaking the kiss, but the minute my feet touched solid ground, I was pulled right back against him, his lips meeting mine in a bruising kiss. It was feverish and heated, full of emotions we couldn't name, only describe - we were alive.
"What the bloody hell?"
Draco and I broke apart and I turned to see Harry marching towards us with his wand drawn, his face furious. "What the fuck are you doing to my sister, Malfoy?" He yelled, advancing on us. I pulled my own wand out of my pocket, standing in front of Draco and pointing it at Harry, whose eyes widened in surprise. "Don't you dare touch him," I said, my voice deadly.
"Isabelle, he is-" Harry said angrily, but I cut him off. I had reached my limit and this was the icing on the cake. "He's a Malfoy. A Death Eater. A traitor. But he's also my fiancé, and the man I love. The man I've loved since I was thirteen. And I swear to Merlin, Harry, we did not survive the Second fucking Wizarding War just to be torn apart by you. So choose your next words carefully." Harry was silent, but I could see the anger simmering beneath the surface.
One of Draco's hands curled around my hip, and it didn't go unnoticed by Harry - if anything, seeing Draco touch me made him angrier. "Thirteen? You were thirteen? So you knew everything about Draco?" Harry said, his voice shaking with fury. I nodded, keeping my wand raised just in case.
"We fell in love during our third year, and I've told Draco time and time again that love is patient and kind, and love doesn't care who you are. I love him for the man he truly is, not the man he was forced to become. Yes, I knew he was a Death Eater last year, and I'm not sorry that I didn't tell you. Draco never wanted to be a Death Eater. He has the kindest heart, Harry, and everything he's ever done has been to help me."
Harry laughed harshly and I glared at him. "How do you think our DA meetings stayed secret in our 5th year, and all of this year? Draco fed Umbridge and the idiot teachers false information so we wouldn't be caught - so I wouldn't be caught. He's protected me this entire year, and he promised to do it for the rest of his life." I said, showing Harry my left hand and his eyes widened a little when he saw the ruby ring sitting on my finger. Harry looked at the two of us, clearly fighting an internal battle. The grip he had on his wand showed how badly he wanted to hex Draco into the next millennium, but his eyes were different. They were beginning to soften when he saw how close together Draco and I were standing, and the protective stance Draco stood in over me.
"Is that why you lied to Bellatrix? When you said you didn't recognize me at the Manor?" Harry said, and I looked at Draco in confusion. Draco hesitated before nodding. "I couldn't let them kill you. Knowing that you were alive and fighting was one of the only things that kept her going this year." Draco said, his hand tightening around my hip a little.
Harry was silent for a few moments, processing all of this before speaking. "You're an absolute piece of rubbish, Malfoy. You terrorized me all throughout school, you're one of the cruelest people I've ever met, and all you care about is blood status. But..." Harry trailed off, and I became hopeful. "Isabelle knows when people are truly good, and she's more headstrong than a hippogriff. So if she wants to be with you, I know I can't stop her, and I know that she believes she's making the right choice. And I have to trust her."
I let out an audible sigh of relief, slipping my wand back into my pocket. I moved forward and embraced Harry in a hug, pressing my face into his chest. "I'm so glad you're okay." Harry murmured, and I smiled. "We made it. We lived." I said, looking up at him. Harry smiled at me, releasing me and walking up to Draco. I followed him, watching the pair carefully.
Harry extended his hand, and Draco hesitated for a moment before taking it, shaking it firmly. "If you ever hurt my sister, Malfoy, in any way at all, I will hunt you down and you'll be wishing for death by the time I'm through with you. Is that clear?" Harry said, and Draco nodded quickly. I frowned at Harry, poking him in the side hard, ignoring his yelp of pain. "Overkill, Harry. Why don't you go find Ginny? I need to talk to Draco, alone." I said pointedly, and Harry got the message, giving me one more hug and Draco one more glare before walking away.
I sighed heavily, linking my fingers with Draco's and looking up at him. "That went better than I thought it would. At least no one got cursed." I said, and Draco chuckled. The sound of laughter, no matter how soft, was so foreign that it made me smile widely. It was a sound we hadn't heard much of at Hogwarts over the last few months, and one that I hadn't made since Draco left the castle last winter.
"You've got a point there. So what did you want to talk about, love?" Draco asked, and I smirked. "Nothing, I just wanted him to leave," I whispered, standing on tip-toe to kiss him, my hands snaking into his hair. "You need a shower." I teased, my legs shaking a little when he bit my lip in mock anger. "I do too," I said, grinning when Draco's eyes got a little darker as he caught on. Some people might have thought it was inappropriate to go off and have sex right after a traumatic event full of death and destruction, but I was alive. I wanted to feel alive, and one of the best ways I knew how to do that was to be as close to Draco as physically and emotionally possible.
Draco groaned, kissing me again. "As wonderful as that sounds, there's actually some people I want you to meet," Draco said, leading me down the hall. I held on tight to his hand, maneuvering around the rubble as we navigated the now destroyed corridors. "Who?" I asked, and his answer scared me more than the battle I had just fought. "My parents."
-------
I walked up to Draco's parents, shaking slightly. Draco held my hand a little tighter and I smiled. He wouldn't let anything happen to me. The look that Mr. Malfoy gave me, though, scared me to the bone. "Mother, Father, this is Isabelle Potter," Draco said to his shell-shocked parents. I smiled and held out my hand. "It's lovely to meet you both." Neither of them moved so I pulled my hand back quickly.
"Is...is she the girl you told us about, Draco?" Mrs. Malfoy said in a quiet voice. Draco nodded, and I saw something change in Mrs. Malfoy's face. She rushed forward and enveloped me in a hug. "You saved my boy. Thank you, darling. Thank you." I patted her on the back, not quite sure what to do. "I'd do anything for Draco," I said sincerely as she released me.
"Mrs. Malfoy" I started, but she interrupted me. "Please call me Narcissa, love." I smiled. "Narcissa, what has Draco told you about me?" Narcissa smiled at me. "He told us that he found the woman who he wants to spend the rest of his life with. He said he is in love with you, and that nothing would ever change that, not even our opinions. I can see now why he mentioned that last bit." She said, looking pointedly at Draco, but her voice was full of good-natured teasing.
I looked at Draco and he nodded, smiling at me. I looked back at Narcissa, blushing a little. "Well, I already told him that I'd like nothing more than to spend my life with him," I said, holding out my hand and showing her the ruby ring Draco had proposed with. Narcissa took my hand and examined the ring, smiling. "Oh Draco, it's stunning. Oh, my boy!" She said, hugging Draco tightly.
"How long." I heard Lucius say, and we all looked at him. His face was a terrifying mixture of disgust and quiet rage.
"How long have you been seeing this...this..." He spluttered, and my anger spiked. "What? Traitor? Rebel? Mudblood lover?" Lucius sneered at me, but I didn't back down. "Those all sound about right," Lucius said, and I glared at him. "People called your son a traitor too, but that didn't stop me from loving him. How can you be angry that he loves me? If anything, you should be proud that our love was strong enough to survive this war!" I said, and Lucius laughed coldly. "Proud! How could I ever be proud that my son wants to marry some common harpy? A bloody Potter?" He said, and my temper flared out of control. "Because he's following his heart and his morals, something you know nothing about! He's more of a man than you could ever be!"
It happened in less than a second. Lucius pulled a wand from his robe and pointed it at me, his face contorted with rage. "How dare you speak to me that way, you bitch! Crucio!"
I collapsed onto the ground, screaming in agony as the all-too-familiar sensations of the torture curse coursed through me. Flesh being torn from my bones, flames engulfing my body as I writhed in unbearable pain, crying out. But as soon as it had started, it stopped. I couldn't find the strength to lift my head to look at what had happened, tears still falling down my face as memories of my torture sessions this year flooded my mind. Neville's face came into focus above me, his hands smoothing my hair away from my face. "Isabelle, can you hear me? Come back, Isa." He said, coaxing me back into reality. Slowly, I tried to sit up, and Neville helped steady me as I raised myself into a sitting position.
When I finally reoriented myself with my surroundings, I was shocked to see Draco standing over an unconscious Lucius, his foot on his chest and his wand pointed at his head. Narcissa was watching everything, terrified.
"Isabelle! Neville? What happened?" I heard voices say and I saw Harry, Hermione, and Ron rushing into the room, staring at the scene in front of them. "Get an Auror. Lucius Malfoy attacked Isabelle." Neville said, and they directed their attention to Draco. "And him?" Ron said in disgust. I shook my head, my voice trembling almost as much as I was. "N-no, Ron. D-Draco is...is good. He's mine." I said, and both Ron and Hermione's eyes widened. "She'll explain later. Get an Auror." Harry said, and Ron and Hermione glanced at me uncertainly before dashing out of the corridor, yelling for help.
Draco looked at me helplessly, and Harry saw it too. Draco wanted to come over and comfort me because he knew all the best ways to get me back to normal functionality after being tortured, but he had to stand guard over his bastard father. "It's okay. I've got her." Neville said, nodding at Draco. Harry came over, drawing his wand and pointing it at Lucius, ready to strike if he woke up. Narcissa knelt down next to me, laying her hand on my forehead and wiping away the sweat that now covered it. "It's alright, sweetheart. You're alright." She murmured, holding my hand.
Narcissa and Neville began to help me up as the Aurors swarmed in, ushering us away from the scene and restraining Lucius. Neville and Narcissa let me go as soon as they were sure that I could stand on my own, and I immediately went to Draco. "Take me away from here," I said, almost begging. Draco nodded, giving me a small smile. "Follow me."
-------
The cool water of the Black Lake washed over my feet as it lapped against the shoreline, soothing my tired limbs. Sitting on the sandy rocks, I felt the stress and fear of the past year slowly leave my body as the minutes went by. The air was still and quiet, and it felt almost unnatural after the nightmare we had just lived through. The only sounds to be heard were birds chirping softly and the soft breeze rustling through the trees. I knew that behind us lay the smoldering wreckage of the castle and dozens of injured and dead witches and wizards, but I couldn't bring myself to face it just yet. I needed a moment of calm in the sea of insanity to remind me that things were okay.
A soft pair of lips on my temple brought me back to reality and I sighed, leaning back against Draco's firm chest, reveling in the warmth of it in the early morning chill. I could feel his heartbeat through his shirt, pulsing rhythmically against my back - another wonderful reminder that we were really alive. "Will they be wondering where we are?" Draco murmured, tightening his arms around me. I nodded, my eyes still watching the gentle current of the water. "Probably. But we just won a war, I think we've earned a little break." I said and Draco chuckled quietly, kissing my head before relaxing again.
I closed my eyes as the sun peeked out from behind the clouds, the warm rays washing over my skin and making me smile. I felt Draco's hand intertwine with my left one, and a small flutter went through my chest as he lifted it to his lips, kissing every knuckle gently - lingering on the one where my engagement ring sat. "I love you, Isabelle." He murmured, and I turned my head to look up at him, a sleepy smile on my face. "Love you forever, Draco," I said, leaning up to kiss him gently. I had to remind myself to take it slow and not rush my actions, because I no longer had to rush for fear that it would be the last time I ever touched him or talked to him - we had the rest of our lives to be together now, and I couldn't wait to get started.
(A/N: That's it, folks! The end of the Deathly Hallows! Thanks for sticking around for it, and thank you so much for sticking around during that insane update delay. I appreciate the patience more than you know - I hope you liked the extra long chapter! This isn't the end, I have a two-part epilogue book coming up - "I Do" and "Parents". Thank you so much for reading, my lovelies! I hope you loved this chapter and if you did, make sure you subscribe to me/add this story to your reading list/library so you get notified every time I update! Love y'all!! - H xx)