"There's never a reason not to chase the person who makes you feel something."
•
THREE O'CLOCK ON the following afternoon found Harry, Ron, Draco, Fred, and George standing outside the great white marquee in the orchard, awaiting the arrival of the wedding guests. Harry and Draco had taken large doses of Polyjuice Potion and were now the double of a two redheaded Muggle boy from the local village, Ottery St. Catchpole, from whom Fred had stolen hairs using a Summoning Charm. The plan was to introduce Harry as "Cousin Barny" and Draco as "Cousin Ben" and trust to the great number of Weasley relatives to camouflage him. All five of them were clutching seating plans, so that they could help show people to the right seats. A host of white-robed waiters had arrived an hour earlier, along with a golden-jacketed band, and all of these wizards were currently sitting a short distance away under a tree; I could see a blue haze of pipe smoke issuing from the spot. Behind Harry, the entrance to the marquee revealed rows and rows of fragile golden chairs set on either side of a long purple carpet.
The supporting poles were entwined with white and gold flowers. Fred and George had fastened an enormous bunch of golden balloons over the exact point where Bill and Fleur would shortly become husband and wife. Outside, butterflies and bees were hovering lazily over the grass and hedgerow. Harry looked rather uncomfortable. The Muggle boy whose appearance he was affecting was slightly fatter than him, and his dress robes felt hot and tight in the full glare of a summer's day. Draco, however, seemed very Draco Malfoy-like even in his appearance as a tall, lanky ginger. He was flashing his brilliant smile at the guests who were coming and directing them to their seats with utmost politeness.
I was getting dressed in our room, overlooking the Marquee, bothered about the dress I was expected to wear. My makeup was done-magically by Ginny who had the strangest skill at beautifying charms. I didn't quite look like myself.
"No matter what I put on your eyes, they pop out," she said, holding up a magazine with color palettes. "Your dress is silvery gold. Do you want me to put this-" she pointed at a dark greyish black, "-or this on your eyes?" She was now pointing at a soft brown.
"The darker one," I said. "It's more exotic."
As Ginny instructed Hermione to do my make-up magically, out of the corner of my eyes, I saw the chaos outside. Brightly colored figures were appearing, one by one, out of nowhere at the distant boundary of the yard. Within minutes a procession had formed, which began to snake its way up through the garden toward the marquee. Exotic flowers and bewitched birds fluttered on the witches' hats, while precious gems glittered from many of the wizards' cravats; a hum of excited chatter grew louder and louder, drowning the sound of the bees as the crowd approached the tent. I saw all the boys stop dead in their tracks staring at a gaggle of what could only be the veela cousins. As if hearing my glare, Draco turned back and met my eyes at the windows, flushed and moved towards the older wizards, directing them to their seats.
"Your eyes changed colors again, Skylar," Hermione smiled after finishing applying the shadow. "They became grey for a second."
"Really?" I asked, surprised. My eyes had never been grey before.
"Yeah, they're hazel again. Here-" Ginny handed me a bright red lipstick. After being done with the process of getting thoroughly ready for what was not even my own wedding, I stood up, my rosy-silver dress caressing my skin softly, and winced. The dress had thin straps, and revealed a lot of my shoulders and back-and my scars.
"It's okay," Hermione said, standing next to me in a shorter, flared lilac dress. Had I been shorter, I'd have word something like hers. But due to my height and stature, any dress I wore that wasn't full length, make me look lanky and out of place. Mrs Weasley had, also, chosen me this dress to match Draco's dark grey suit. "They don't look bad."
"They're hideous," I stated. "Is there a shawl?"
"No," Ginny scambbered to her feet, her long golden dress with black embroidery flowing around her ankles. "Robes."
"Oh," I said, fascinated. Life here had become so normal and ordinary, I completely forgot this was a Witch's wedding. Of course there are robes, I thought, as I slipped into the silky black robe Ginny held for me. I felt positively witchy as I twirled in front of the mirror. Hermione giggled when I put my wand in one of the inside pockets of the robe. I took one last look at myself-dark make-up, red lipstick, auburn hair left open, and no scars shown.
When we made our way down, Lupin and Tonks were already there. I bounded to them and noticed how terrible Lupin looked. "You're worried you're going to pass it on, aren't you?" I asked him quietly, as people bustled around us. Distantly I heard a woman shout about her goblin made tiara.
"Sometimes," he smiled weakly. "I hate that you know so much."
"Sometimes I hate it too," I laughed. "You look dashing. Least you can do is smile and match Tonks's radiance!"
I pointedly looked at Tonks who was showing no baby bump yet, but was glowing like she had the sun for breakfast, and laughing with Moody who seemed to be pretending he didn't know her.
"You look beautiful too," he smiled, patting my shoulder slightly. "Sirius would be arriving any minute, or, as he said, fashionably late."
He left to go to Tonks as I glanced around. I forgot what Draco looked like in this sea of gingers. They could've just left him looking like he does and showed him off as a veela cousin. No one would've questioned. I was walking daintily towards the Fred, George, Ron, Harry, Hermione party when a hand slipped into mine and started walking with me. I looked and I saw this ginger boy who I could only assume was Draco, by the walk, the smirk and the still-grey eyes.
"You look beautiful," he whispered. "I wish you could say the same to me but I'm stuck in a ginger's body."
"You're right," I laughed, joining the party. "You do look lanky."
"-hoist up his robes, and start pulling bunches of flowers out of his -"
"Yes, he sounds a real charmer," said Hermione, while Harry roared with laughter.
"Never married, for some reason," said Ron.
"You amaze me," said Hermione, and I joined her this time. Fred and George were looking too Weasley-like, a strange departure from two years of richness and dragon-skin clothes, much to Charlie's dislike.
We were all laughing so much that none of us noticed the latecomer, a dark-haired young man with a large, curved nose and thick black eyebrows, until he held out his invitation to Ron and said, with his eyes on Hermione, "You look vunderful."
"Viktor!" she shrieked, and dropped her small beaded bag, which made a loud thump quite disproportionate to its size. As she scrambled, blushing, to pick it up, she said, "I didn't know you were-goodness- it's lovely to see-how are you?"
"I am vunderful," he said. "Skyla'," he turned to me, and I beamed at him. Next to me Draco's turned as red as his hair. "Good to see you again!"
"You too," I said, as he took my hand and kissed the knuckles.
"Brings back all the memories," he said.
Ron's ears had turned bright red again. After glancing at Krum's invitation as if he did not believe a word of it, he said, much too loudly, "How come you're here?"
"Fleur invited me," said Krum, eyebrows raised. Draco's grip on my hands tightened. "Is this your boyfriend, Skyla'?" he asked with a smirk. "I thought you were dating that blond boy in Hogwarts?"
"Oh, no," I laughed. "I called it off with him. I'm dating Ben now, he's a Weasley cousin."
I saw Draco take a quick glance at me with bright red amusement on his face, as Harry-Barny-quickly shook his hands and ushered him to his seat.
"Come on," Fred said, running towards us. "Time to sit down-"
"-or we'll get run over by the bride!"
Harry, Ron, and Hermione took their seats in the second row behind Fred and George, along with me and Draco. Hermione looked rather pink and Ron's ears were still scarlet. After a few moments he muttered to Harry, "Did you see he's grown a stupid little beard?"
Harry gave a noncommittal grunt.
"You're jealous because you can't grow a stupid little beard," I laughed. Draco's face kept going red.
A sense of jittery anticipation had filled the warm tent, the general murmuring broken by occasional spurts of excited laughter. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley strolled up the aisle, smiling and waving at relatives; Mrs. Weasley was wearing a brand-new set of amethyst-colored robes with a matching hat. A moment later Bill and Charlie stood up at the front of the Marquee, both wearing dress robes, with large white roses in their buttonholes; Fred wolf-whistled and there was an outbreak of giggling from the veela cousins.
Then the crowd fell silent as music swelled from what seemed to be the golden balloons. "Ooooh!" said Hermione, swiveling around in her seat to look at the entrance.
A great collective sigh issued from the assembled witches and wizards as Monsieur Delacour and Fleur came walking up the aisle, Fleur gliding, Monsieur Delacour bouncing and beaming. Fleur was wearing a very simple white dress and seemed to be emitting a strong, silvery glow. While her radiance usually dimmed everyone else by comparison, today it beautified everybody it fell upon. Ginny and Gabrielle, both wearing golden dresses, looked even prettier than usual, and once Fleur had reached him, Bill did not look as though he had ever met Fenrir Greyback. Next to me, Draco seemed to be beaming too, a wide grin etched on his face, as his hands never left mine.
"Ladies and gentlemen," said a slightly singsong voice, and with a slight shock, I saw the same small, tufty-haired wizard who had presided at Dumbledore's funeral, now standing in front of Bill and Fleur. "We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of two faithful souls . . ."
"Yes, my tiara sets off the whole thing nicely," said Auntie Muriel in a rather carrying whisper. "But I must say, Ginevra's dress is far too low cut."
Ginny glanced around, grinning, winked at Harry, then quickly faced the front again. Harry's face flushed as he looked off. I glanced at Draco. The wedding seemed to be taking a strange effect on everyone.
"Do you, William Arthur, take Fleur Isabelle . . . ?"
In the front row, Mrs. Weasley and Madame Delacour were both sobbing quietly into scraps of lace. Trumpetlike sounds from the back of the Marquee told everyone that Hagrid had taken out one of his own tablecloth-sized handkerchiefs. Hermione turned and beamed at me; her eyes too were full of tears.
". . . then I declare you bonded for life."
The tufty-haired wizard waved his wand high over the heads of Bill and Fleur and a shower of silver stars fell upon them, spiraling around their now entwined figures. As Fred and George led a round of applause, the golden balloons overhead burst: Birds of paradise and tiny golden bells flew and floated out of them, adding their songs and chimes to the din. "Ladies and gentlemen!" called the tufty-haired wizard. "If you would please stand up!"
We all did so, Auntie Muriel grumbling audibly; he waved his wand again. The seats on which we had been sitting rose gracefully into the air as the canvas walls of the Marquee vanished, so that we stood beneath a canopy supported by golden poles, with a glorious view of the sunlit orchard and surrounding countryside. Next, a pool of molten gold spread from the center of the tent to form a gleaming dance floor; the hovering chairs grouped themselves around small, white-clothed tables, which all floated gracefully back to earth around it, and the golden-jacketed band trooped toward a podium.
"Smooth," said Ron approvingly as the waiters popped up on all sides, some bearing silver trays of pumpkin juice, butterbeer, and firewhisky, others tottering piles of tarts and sandwiches.
I noticed Draco quickly grab two goblets of firewhiskey and hand one to me. I raised an eyebrow. "Trying to get me drunk, are you?"
"You're much more fun when you're drunk," he shrugged, taking a swig from his firewhiskey. He made a face. "New."
"Pardon?" Ron asked, as we marched around looking for a table to sit on. We found Luna in a table alone and decided to join her.
"I said it's new," Draco stated, downing his glass, proceeding to take another from another passing by waiter. "It's manufactured recently. Doesn't have that old, aged, strength in it. . ."
I didn't question how he knew about firewhiskey, or how he knew if it's old or new. It was Draco Malfoy, richest of the purebloods, smartest in the school, had dance lessons from a stork. Luna looked up at us dreamily as we sat down.
"Oh, hello Draco," she said.
"How did you know?" Draco spluttered.
"How can I not know?" she said in the same whimsical voice. We didn't question her further.
The band had begun to play. Bill and Fleur took to the dance floor first, to great applause; after a while, Mr. Weasley led Madame Delacour onto the floor, followed by Mrs. Weasley and Fleur's father.
"I like this song," said Luna, swaying in time to the waltzlike tune, and a few seconds later she stood up and glided onto the dance floor, where she revolved on the spot, quite alone, eyes closed and waving her arms.
"She's great, isn't she?" said Ron admiringly.
"She mastered the art to subtly not care," Draco smiled. But the smile vanished from his face at once: Viktor Krum had dropped into Luna's vacant seat. Hermione looked pleasurably flustered, but this time Krum had not come to compliment her, or kiss my knuckles either. With a scowl on his face he said, "Who is that man in the yellow?"
"That's Xenophilius Lovegood, he's the father of a friend of ours," said Ron. His pugnacious tone indicated that they were not about to laugh at Xenophilius, despite the clear provocation. "Come and dance," he added abruptly to Hermione. She looked taken aback, but pleased too, and got up. They vanished together into the growing throng on the dance floor.
"Ah, they are together now?" asked Krum, momentarily distracted.
"Er - sort of," said Harry.
"Who are you?" Krum asked.
"Barny Weasley." They shook hands.
"And you?" He asked eying Draco who had finished his second glass and was waiting for another waited to walk by.
"Mal-Ben Weasley," he said quickly. I almost stopped breathing and sighed when Viktor seemed to not notice anything strange. He turned to Harry.
"You, Barny- you know this man Lovegood vell?"
"No, I only met him today. Why?"
Krum glowered over the top of his drink, watching Xenophilius, who was chatting to several warlocks on the other side of the dance floor. "Because," said Krum, "if he vos not a guest of Fleur's, I vould duel him, here and now, for vearing that filthy sign upon his chest."
"Sign?" said Harry, looking over at Xenophilius too. I noticed the strange triangular eye was gleaming on his chest. "Why? What's wrong with it?"
"Grindelvald. That is Grindelvald's sign."
"Grindelwald . . . the Dark Wizard Dumbledore defeated?" Draco interjected.
"Exactly." Krum's jaw muscles worked as if he were chewing, then he said, "Grindelvald killed many people, my grandfather, for instance. Of course, he vos never poverful in this country, they said he feared Dumbledore - and rightly, seeing how he vos finished. But this," - he pointed a finger at Xenophilius - "this is his symbol, I recognized it at vunce: Grindelvald carved it into a vall at Durmstrang ven he vos a pupil there. Some idiots copied it onto their books and clothes, thinking to shock, make themselves impressive - until those of us who had lost family members to Grindelvald taught them better." Krum cracked his knuckles menacingly and glowered at Xenophilius.
"Are you-er-quite sure it's Grindelwald's- ?" Draco asked.
"I am not mistaken," said Krum coldly. "I valked past that sign for several years, I know it vell."
"Well, there's a chance," said Harry, "that Xenophilius doesn't actually know what the symbol means. The Lovegoods are quite . . . unusual. He could easily have picked it up somewhere and think it's a cross section of the head of a Crumple-Horned Snorkack or something."
"The cross section of a vot?"
"Well, I don't know what they are, but apparently he and his daughter go on holiday looking for them. . . ."
"Viktor," I said, taking the second glass of firewhiskey from Draco. "I think you're mistaken, because that's not just Grindelwald's." He looked at me with a glower, presuming I was a follower too. "It's also a sign of the Deathly Hallows, you know?"
"Vot is that?" he asked, taking a sip of his own firewhiskey.
"It's a children's fable," Draco said. "The three things Death gave to three brother's as a reward for being able to cheat Death."
"And from what Dumbledore's told me, Grindelwald was obsessed with finding the three Deathly Hallows," I said. "The symbol refers to the three-the triangle is the Invisibility Cloak, the circle is the Resurrection Stone and the line is the Elder Wand," I said. "It's not exactly created by Grindelwald. He just picked it out of a children's book."
"Vot nonsense-" He drew his wand from inside his robes, suddenly alarming me and Harry, and tapped it menacingly on his thigh; sparks flew out of the end.
"Gregorovitch!" said Harry loudly, and Krum started, but Harry seemed too excited to care. The memory came back to me at the sight of Krum's wand too: Ollivander taking it and examining it carefully before the Triwizard Tournament.
"Vot about him?" asked Krum suspiciously.
"He's a wandmaker!"
"I know that," said Krum.
"He made your wand! That's why I thought - Quidditch -"
Krum was looking more and more suspicious. "How do you know Gregorovitch made my vand?"
"I . . . I read it somewhere, I think," said Harry.
"No, Barny," I laughed nervously. "I told you remember? He's a fan," I turned to Krum. "And when he met me he wanted to know all about you, fellow Champions and all."
Viktor looked like he believed this lie.
"So . . . er . . . where is Gregorovitch these days?"
Krum looked puzzled. "He retired several years ago. I vos one of the last to purchase a Gregorovitch vand. They are the best- although I know, of course, that you Britons set much store by Ollivander."
I noticed Harry zone of into his thoughts and Viktor turn his gaze towards me. "Care to join me for a dance?"
"What?" I spluttered, looking at Draco who turned alarmingly red again.
"Dance," he repeated. "Never got to dance with you at the Yool Bol," he said, standing up and giving me a hand. I look one more glance at Draco. "That is of course, if it is okay with your boyfriend?"
Draco stared at his outstretched hands for a few seconds.
"Unless he wud rather I danced with him," Viktor said charmingly, a flirtatious grin on his face, winking at Draco who immediately leaned back on his seat.
"No it's alright," Draco said. "Go on."
Viktor took my hands and as we set on the Golden dance floor, he laughed cheerily, twirling me once, before saying, "That piece of dialog, always works! I'm not into men you see."
I stared at him, bemused at his technique. "They ought to add that to Twelve Fail-Safe ways to Charm Witches," I said.
Viktor flashed a brilliant smile, moving graciously with me. Ginny had joined Luna to dance with her. A few girls in the surrounding table stared enviously.
When the song was almost towards the end, he said, "Who is that girl?"
I looked over my shoulder and saw Ginny. "That's Ron's sister. She's, er, dating my brother."
"Harry Potter?" he laughed. "Nice bloke."
"Yeah, you could say that," I said. As the song ended, he stopped abruptly, moved back and kissed my knuckles again.
"Vot," he said, straightening up with a frown, "is the point of being an international Quidditch player if all the good-looking girls are taken?"
I laughed as he walked off the Golden floor towards a table full of Fleur's veela cousins, all of them giggling. But as the next song set in, I was twirled into the arms of my charming boyfriend, who moved like he knew dancing better than anyone else, kissing me occasionally on the cheeks, picking me up and twirling me around, dancing like there was no tomorrow.
I had never been to a wedding before, so I could not judge how Wizarding celebrations differed from Muggle ones, though I was pretty sure that the latter would not involve a wedding cake topped with two model phoenixes that took flight when the cake was cut, or bottles of champagne that floated unsupported through the crowd. As evening drew in, and moths began to swoop under the canopy, now lit with floating golden lanterns, the revelry became more and more uncontained. Fred and George had long since disappeared into the darkness with a pair of Fleur's cousins; Charlie, Hagrid, Sirius-who had arrived fashionably late, missing the whole wedding, just in time for the feast, in a fantastic black English suit and a top hat-and a squat wizard in a purple porkpie hat were singing "Odo the Hero" in a corner.
I had walked off with Draco in a dark corner myself. After we were sufficiently satisfied with snogging-which was just slightly weird as he didn't look like Draco- he moved back and spoke fast.
"I filled Granger's bag with the Unicorn-Hair infused bandages, Dittany, Strengthening Potion, Fire Protection Potion, Blood Replenishing Potion, Calming Draught-Potter gets attacks very easily-Murtlap essence and also powdered silver and a bezoar," he gasped for air. "I also left a copy of Healing through the Ages, in case those daft idiots forget how to heal."
"When on Earth did you do all that?" I asked.
"Well, I finished brewing most of them this morning. I slipped them to Granger after breakfast," he said. "They're coming today, isn't it?"
I knew what he meant. No amount of firewhiskey or magic or floating champagne or flying Phoenix cakes could distract me from the fact that tonight's when we're parting-me and Harry. He will leave tonight, and if he was smart enough to listen to me, Rufus Scrimgeour is still alive, but Harry would be leaving tonight anyway.
"You'll be here, right?" He asked hopefully. "You're not going with them right?"
"No, I'm not Draco," I said. "I gave sufficient information to Hermione, and hopefully she'd not let any detail slip."
We fell quiet, a soft music playing in the background. Through the dark, I saw Fred, looking disheveled, running inside the Burrow with a blonde haired girl. I rolled my eyes at his provocative behavior. Save him. My eyes turned to the tent, where Harry had just now taken a seat with Elphias Doge. Something warm stirred in my chest. What is it all goes wrong? What is everything is changed because I'm here? What if-
"When this is all over," Draco said suddenly, looking at me, holding my hands tightly. "When everything is over, and Voldemort is finished. . ."
"What, Draco?" I asked quietly, getting concerned at his fidgety behavior. Draco Malfoy never stammered, never faltered.
"No, nothing. . ."
"Draco," I said, holding his face and making him look at me. Him fidgeting was making me more nervous than the amount of firewhiskey and champagne in my system. "Tell me."
"I want you to marry me," he blurted.
For half a minute, I stared at him, and then I blurted out laughing. The way he said was too serious, and I couldn't take him seriously when he said stuff like this. "That was funny, Draco," I slapped his shoulder. He grabbed my wrist and I stopped laughing instantly.
He wasn't joking.
Draco Malfoy was look me straight into my eyes and not joking.
"Draco I'm sixteen," I said, suddenly panic rising in me. "You're seventeen. We cannot get married-it is the alcohol talking."
"I'm not intoxicated," he stated. "Skylar, you made me feel, you know?" His voice was still the same, even if he didn't look like himself. "I didn't know love before I met you Skylar. I didn't know anything about it. And I wasn't that first sight bullshit," he said, still holding my hand, as I was on my feet staring at him wide-eyed. "You were my friend, one of my very few friends, who I trusted. Who trusted me. You stayed by me when you could've turned and walked away, but you stayed, despite every atrocious thing I did, you stayed. Despite knowing my family, you stayed. And I didn't even know when you grew on me, Skylar, but the day your name came out of that Goblet," he said, really fast, "I feared losing you to dragons and mermen and wild yew mazes, and nothing ever terrified me as much as that thought did. You changed me Skylar-"
"Draco-"
"-you made me brave, strong and courageous. You made me something I always wished to be, but couldn't. You loved me when I didn't love myself," he spoke. I was worried he wasn't breathing. "You healed me-"
"-you healed me too-"
"-when I saw you, wounded, that day, the thought of losing you to what my family preached into my ears since I was a child, terrified me so much that I went numb. I used to think," he stood up, under the canopy of enchanted butterflies, looking into my eyes. "Love was dinners and roses and dates and what not. But now that I'm with you, that I've been with you, I realize, love is just stumbling through life with your best friend."
I choked. I could think of a thousand logical things to say to him-we're too young, we're the only people we've dated, we're drunk, we're probably wistful because a wedding just happened before out eyes. But I couldn't find words. Draco Malfoy was asking me to marry him. This was my dream come true; I wished for it even before I knew Draco Malfoy was a real human being. But he was here, holding my hands, kissing me when I was sad, healing me when I was wounded, believing me when no one else would-how can I turn him down when every fiber in my body is telling me to say yes to him.
"We will have a small apartment, like the burrow- I've grown quite fond of it- in muggle London. The view would be amazing. We can live in the Manor too, if you'd want-and we can build something's together," he continued, his eyes looking off into a fearfully woven daydream. "We'll be together, and there will be no dark forces trying to separate us, or kill us, or anyone. We'll be haunted by whatever's coming, but we'll have each other to hold on to-Skylar, you're all I ever wished for."
"Why-" I choked. My mind was foggy from what just happened, and what was about to happen. Time had slowed around me, the music seemed to be coming from miles away. I felt like the moon was our own personal limelight and we were the only beings under the stars.
"You once told me," he said. "That love was like falling into an abyss, hoping someone would catch. And you said, you didn't see the crash coming. I promise you," he said, cupping my face. "You'll never have to worry about the crash. I will always be there."
I wanted to saw yes. I wanted to shout and say yes, and run back to the wedding and get married then and there. There was a minister. I was in an almost white dress. He was in a suit. The people were gathered there too. Draco had just woven for me a daydream that I'll be damned to not bring to life. A smile tugged on my face.
You're sixteen, a voice said. You've never been with anyone but him, the voice taunted. You're not ready.
"I love you," I said. "I love you so much, Draco," I said again, holding him, as his frantic eyes met mine. I kissed him. I opened my mouth to say yes, to ignore everything that the voice in the back of my head was saying. Above me, a graceful, gleaming lynx soared to the middle of the tent and I jolted to action. Draco looked at me, behind me, stepping back into life and we heard as we ran towards the house, and heard the Patronus speak in the distinct voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt-
"The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming." "The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming." "The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming."
--
"Go inside!" I shouted at Draco, as I drew out my wand. "Protego Totalis! Salvio Hexa-"
I saw Harry zooming past the crowd, that was still in a haze after the Patronus had died. "Skylar-"
"Harry," I said, gasping, suppressing the huge cannonball of emotions within me. "You have to leave now, Harry. Get Hermione and Ron-"
Panic had broken out-guests were sprinting in all directions; many were Disapparating; the protective enchantments had broken.
"Ron!" I heard Hermione. "Ron where are you!"
I saw the first of the hooded figures appearing. I didn't know if I should hide or fight. They wanted to capture me. But I couldn't abandon everyone either. Draco had whipped out his wand too and something sinisterly white came whizzing through the crown.
"Protego Maxima!" Draco shouted, and a vast white screen of shield came out of his wand, temporarily blinding the onlookers, deflecting the curse. I turned away, and to Harry.
"Harry," I gasped. "I love you. Stay safe. Do not die," I said as Hermione and Ron came towards him. "Go-"
"I cannot leave you here!"
"I will be fine Harry-Stupefy!" A Death Eater flew a few feet away. "Go!"
"Harry, we have to go!" Hermione sobbed. "Skylar-"
She grabbed hold of his arm, and the three of them turned on spot, dissolving into a whiff of black, before disappearing, Disapparating out of the State.
I turned away, my heart still staring at the spot where Harry stood, thinking how hard it was going to be to fight in a dress and heels. Many masked figures poured in as the Order of the Phoenix braced themselves for the impact. Tonks and Lupin casted stunning spells at the first flurry of Death Eaters. I saw Draco holding his huge shielding charm, as Ginny ushered the kids inside the houses where they could Floo away. I saw Fred and George. I saw Mrs Weasley. I saw Fleur in her wedding dress, looking furious, as she casted ferocious red spells at the Death Eaters. I ran to the front and held out my wand. A Golden Stream of magic fell out, bright enough like a million urns of sunlight, just like the one I had cast when I was being taken away from school at the end of last year-seven Death Eaters fell back. I straightened up but before I could turn I felt an arm wrap around my forearm, holding me wickedly tight.
I turned back instantly and saw the sneering face of Yaxley just as a bright red stunning spell hit me square in the chest. I fell backwards, into the Death Eaters, limply, as I heard him cackle before the world spun around me, taking me away from the chaos and the screaming that belonged to Draco Malfoy, Sirius Black and Fred and George Wesley, to an ever swirling darkness.