Emma Potter; Going to War

85: COWARD

I had felt as though I too was hurling through space;it had not happened. . . . It could not have happened. . . . 

"Out of here, quickly," said Snape. "Where Draco? Where is he?"

I buried my head in Harry's shoulder. Draco painfully gripped my hand. 

"Never mind him" said Snape "he'll have fled. Move."

Fucking coward

Whatwas now holding us paralyzed against the wall was not magic, buthorror and shock. Harry threw the Invisibility Cloak aside as the brutal-faced Death Eater, last to leave the tower top, was disappearingthrough the door. 

"Petrificus Totalus!"  whispered Draco

The Death Eater buckled as though hit in the back with something solid and fell to the ground, rigid as a waxwork, but he hadbarely hit the floor when Harry, Draco and I were clambering over him and running down the darkened staircase. 

Terror tore at my heart. . . . I had to get to Dumbledoreand I had to catch Snape. . . . Somehow the two things werelinked. . . . I could reverse what had happened if I had themboth together. . . . Dumbledore could not have died. . . . 

We leapt the last ten steps of the spiral staircase and stoppedwhere we landed, our wands raised.

"NICHOLAS!" yelled Draco, rushing to help his cousin. Harry stopped my from running after him.

 The dimly lit corridor was full ofdust; half the ceiling seemed to have fallen in; and a battle was raging before him, but even as he attempted to make out who wasfighting whom,I heard the hated voice shout, "It's over, time togo!"

I turned and saw Snape and the death eaters disappearing around the corner at the far end ofthe corridor; he seemed to have forced his waythrough the fight unscathed. 

As Harry and I plunged after them, one ofthe fighters detached themselves from the fray and flew at Harry: Itwas the werewolf, Fenrir. He was on top of Harry before Harrycould raise his wand: Harry fell backward, with filthy matted hairin his face, the stench of sweat and blood filling his nose andmouth, hot greedy breath at his throat — 

"Petrificus Totalus!" I yelled.

 Fenrir collapsed against Harry; with a stupendous efforthe pushed the werewolf off and onto the floor as a jet of green lightcame flying toward him; we ducked and ran, headfirst, into thefight. 

My feet met something squashy and slippery on the floor and we stumbled: There were two bodies lying there, lying facedown ina pool of blood, but there was no time to investigate. 

I nowsaw light purple hair flying like flames in front of him: Zoe was locked incombat with the lumpy Death Eater, Amycus, who was throwinghex after hex at her while she dodged them: Amycus was giggling,enjoying the sport:

  "Crucio — Crucio — you can't dance forever,pretty —" 

"Impedimenta!"I yelled. 

His jinx hit Amycus in the chest: He gave a piglike squeal ofpain, was lifted off his feet and slammed into the opposite wall, sliddown it, and fell out of sight behind Astoria, Ron, Professor McGonagall,and Lupin, each of whom was battling a separate Death Eater.

 Beyond them, I saw Tonks fighting an enormous blond wizardwho was sending curses flying in all directions, so that they ricocheted off the walls around them, cracking stone, shattering thenearest window — 

"Harry,Emma where did you come from?" Ginny cried, but there wasno time to answer her. We put our heads down and sprinted forward,narrowly avoiding a blast that erupted over our head, showering us all in bits of wall.