𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 '𝟗𝟔 ; 𝐝. 𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐨𝐲 ✓

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲-𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭

7:24 am
May 2, 1998

And so I dashed. I dashed through the murderous flames, raging on either side of me, biting at me with every thud my foot took. Flames rose and bit my face, leaving me yelping in pain. I had ginormous blistering burns all along my forearms and shins. The crumbling walls were somewhat like a metaphor for my lives present circumstance. My only companions were in a magnificent room, ablaze, but I trusted that they were clever enough to escape, as Draco had an advantage to save them. Earlier, I had spotted my parents in a mob with others, aware that now they had probably ended up disintegrating in the ashes of the thriving fire. I had my dwelling that was in London next to Malfoy Manor still, however, that home wouldn't be home if I had to travel there without my folks. Just like the walls, my world was collapsing before my eyes.

And there was absolutely nothing I could do about it.

I ran boundlessly, not knowing where I was, nor what wing of the castle that it used to be, my only intent was to escape the scorching flames and this brutal war.

Sprinting like this made me remember that summer almost 2 years ago, and time seemed to stop as I recalled it. I envisioned that Draco was in front of me. No flames. No ashes. No crumbling castle. Just him and I. Our hands were united, and we were dashing through the woods. The golden sunshine was leaking through the narrow crevices that the foliage made above. Pine trees towering over us, drifting past in haste, while we ran, we ran, we ran. He would frequently gaze behind him at me, while a precious grin spread across his handsome face. The only sound were our feet loudly thumping against the leaves, not crackling flames and crumbling stones. My life was at ease. I had him. I had my family. I had myself. And life was perfect.

My heavenly vision soon dissipated, and I was right back to reality. I shrieked as a large ligneous pillar crumbled behind me, shooting a sizzling whiff of black smoke towards my back. Fiery ashes clung onto my skin, causing me to wince at the pain that escalated throughout my body as they stung me. God, I just wanted to be home, resting. In my snug bed, Draco directly behind me with his arms clothed softly around my bare torso. I was exhausted. The back of my throat burned and ached, my eyes blurred and burned due to the thick smoke. The tears that rolled down my face felt comforting as they caressed my burnt cheeks.

Soon enough, I descended down yet another staircase, reaching a somewhat familiar spot. The Great Hall! I saw the luminous entrance to the castle, leading out to the frontal courtyard, where I assumed everyone had been. I was going to make it! There was hope! I was about to run straight out of the crumbling castle, homeward bound. Draco and my friends would apparate behind me and we would run home, and live happily ever after.

Or so I wished.

••••••••••
7:24 am
May 2, 1998
Draco's POV

I heard my beautiful Estelle begin to run over the rising flames. God, I hoped she would make it out. This fire was ferocious. My head throbbed excruciatingly as my vision fell into a rough haze. Our coughs erupted the room as more and more artifacts and furniture flared up into a ball of fire. The morning light radiated through the windows that surrounded the top perimeter of the colossal room, beckoning us to it.

I tugged everyone into a ring and clutched onto their coarse and blistered hands. Within seconds, I had morphed into the dark ball of smoke, but in somewhat wish that this wasn't a power of mine. 

For a moment, everything had been calm. We all gripped onto each other for dear life, our eyes sealed shut. The curdling sound of eerie flames cancelled out for a moment, as all we had heard was swirling wind. Our breaths were heavy and the tears dripped down each other's cheeks, covered in thick ash.

"So that's where you went? You're a Death Eater?" Goyle shouted hoarsely over the violent wind.

"Yeah," I responded, bashing through the window, shattering the class into the interior of the burning room. "It wasn't my choice, I was recruited."

Everyone solemnly nodded, as we soared through the grey skies, once blue with warm light. Just like Estelle's eyes.

Pansy spotted a reserve courtyard, one of the only places throughout the castle that hadn't deteriorated in the vile flames. I descended downwards, bound to the green grass that blanketed over it. Just about 7 feet above the ground, the unthinkable happened.

My cloud of darkness erupted behind us into a cloud of smoke that dissipated into the sky. With a shriek from each of us, we crumpled to the ground with a boisterous thump.

"The Dark Lord has died." I announced, pulling myself to my feet. "Come on, we have to find Estelle so we can run away!"

Pansy, Blaise, Goyle and I plummeted through the burning castle, soon reaching the Great Hall, which was engulfed in violent flames. There wasn't a sufficient amount of time. The walls were caving in.

"RUN! GOD GUYS RUN!" I screeched roughly as the spine-chilling noise of the walls crumbling behind me sounded.

The light of day was ahead of me. No smoke. No fire.

"Come on guys! We're gonna make it!!"

Soon we reached the north wall of the Great Hall with the grand entrance. We were gonna make it! We would sprint after Estelle, homeward bound, to a place where we could live peacefully away from all the chaos. I had found my love again. It was just me and her, against the world. Like we always wanted it to be.

Or so I wished.