Curse Of Pain

Chapter 42

Draco's POV

The rest of Teddy's birthday went smoothly. We practically spent the entire day with Blaise and the kids had so much fun. It was exactly what they needed to get everything that's been happening off of their minds. Blaise did a fantastic job deciding which creatures to show the kids and make sure they were safe and doing what they were supposed to be doing the whole time.

When the sun began to set Harry, Scorpius, Teddy, Blaise, and I apparated back to the Burrow. There, the entire family had made dinner and cake to end off the special day.

Teddy and Scorpius ran to the table piled with food and began layering on a mountain on their plates, while discussing with Ron and George what they had seen.

Harry and I were about to join them when I tugged his sleeve slightly so he would stop and look at me. "Is something wrong, Harry? You seem to be on edge. I noticed it the whole time we were at Blaise's."

Harry gave me a weak, troubling smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. I've just had this weird feeling all day." He uttered.

"What do you mean weird? Do you feel okay? Maybe you need to lie down?" I inquired.

"No, No, it's not that. I just have this bad feeling, like something awful is about to happen."

I paused at his words. I have been feeling on edge, but I didn't put much thought to it. Maybe he's right. We probably should stay on guard.

"Dad!" Scorpius and Teddy ran up to us. "Ron said that in school you got beat up by a Hippogriff, is that true?"

I gaped. "I did not get beat up!" I defended myself.

"Are you sure about that? Weren't your exact words were 'Its killed me!'" Ron stated laughing.

The others joined in, including the kids. "That is not what I said."

"Oh yes it was. We all remember that day very clearly." Hermione giggled.

"Ok fine, but I was not that dramatic. That thing terrified me." I remarked.

"I can't believe that actually happened! The Hippogriff we met today was amazing, dad you're just a scaredy cat." Scorpius commented

"I am not! That was one time and it was a long time ago!"

"Sure. That's your excuse." Teddy voiced.

"Why am I getting picked on again?" I questioned.

"Because it's funny." Scorpius stated.

"Wow, my own son. I have no words."

Scorpius rolled his eyes at me. "You're so dramatic." He said, before going back to eat his food with Teddy.

"I blame the rest of you for this." I jestered.

"I think he learned that attitude from you." George piped in.

"Hey-ok, you're not wrong." I admitted.

The rest of the evening flew by, but I did stay on a higher alert than I had before, specifically because Harry seemed very on edge the entire time. He was quiet all through dinner and didn't talk much to the others, but he did keep pretenses up in the face of Teddy, not wanting to ruin the day for him.

Hermione and Ron both pulled me to the side eventually and asked me if he was okay. I told them that I was not very sure, but that we should keep our guards up for anything suspicious. Eventually, word had gotten around to all of the adults and though everyone kept their acts up, you could easily tell they were all unnerved.

George would occasionally flinch if someone approached him without his notice, Ron kept his hand lingering towards his wand in his pocket. Hermione and Ginny stayed as close to the kids as possible, never letting them get far. Even Blaise kept looking around as if something was lurking in the shadows of night that were far off from all of the lights hung around the Burrow for the outdoor celebration.

Everyone looked tense and I bet it's because of the lingering damage the war left on all of us. We all know too much what it's like to have to be on guard every waking second, even learning to become a light sleeper, listening for creeks and cracks in the middle of the night.

Eventually we had called it a day and Teddy and Scorpius left to our room to play with Teddy's gifts. Probably getting into George's practical jokes kit filled with items used to prank others.

The other kids either went to their rooms as well or were already put to sleep for the night. The adults lingered in the living room, keeping our wands close and the stairs leading to the kids guarded.

"I know we're supposed to be protected with all of the charms and protection spells casted on this place, but I'm worried that something is about to happen." Ginny broke the eerie silence in the room.

"What exactly did you sense at Blaise's Harry?" Ron asked.

"Like we were being watched. I don't know, I just had a bad feeling the whole time." Harry started explaining.

"So why are we worried now? This happened when they were gone, not here." Dean questioned.

"Because, if they were being watched, then someone could've followed them here. Not to mention, Crabbe knows how to get through the barriers easily, it's possible that he is about to strike, we just don't know." Hermione explained.

"That reminds me, did you ever find out what that other ring that Crabbe has is all about?" Luna asked Hermione.

"Maybe. I'm not too sure to be honest, which is why I haven't said anything, but there is a story I came across that said that the blood of a centaur can help someone predict the future." She says. Everyone in the room looked confused, not knowing what that means or even if it's possible.

"That makes sense." I chimed in. "Centaurs have incredible divination skills, it basically runs in their blood. If someone has found a way to use Centaur blood, fuse it with powerful magic, then they can use it to at least get small glimpses into the future of whatever they desire."

"And that's how Crabbe knew when to attack you guys. The ring must have Centaur's blood in it and Crabbe has been using it to his advantage." Neville finished.

"Where would he get something like that though?" Seamus asked.

"Room of Requirement, most likely. Just like the Carmine ring." Ginny answered.

"Ok, but if it's possible to use Centaur's blood to glance into the future, why haven't we heard more about it? Why isn't there more of them?" Harry asked. His question stunted the group for a second. 

It's true, if something like this exists, then why isn't it more heard of. I have never heard of it in my life, nor have I ever come across anything similar to it either.

"Maybe there's a curse that follows it, kinda like the Deathly Hallows." Ron brought up.

"That could be it. Maybe whoever created it experienced something so excruciating that no one else wanted to create another." George said.

"And Crabbe's never been the brightest, I doubt he knows the price of using such an object, let alone if he takes it seriously." Blaise said.

The room grew silent once more as everyone agreed with Blaise and the potential idea that the ring could hold a curse.

Abruptly, a loud blast resonated around the room. It seemed that our worst fear wasn't for no reason.

We all stood to our feet instantly. Hermione, Luna, Seamus, and Molly bolted up the stairs to retrieve the kids just like we had agreed upon earlier that night.

George looked out the window briefly, only for a long stream of light to jet just past him, missing him by a few centimeters. "It's Crabbe. He's got at least a dozen Death Eaters with him, possibly more." He filled us in as he backed far away from the window.

"Harry! Draco!" Hermione came running down the stair, Rose held safely in her arms. Trevor was hiding behind Seamus who came down after Hermione, clutching his father's hand tightly.

"What? What's happened?" Harry asked. Luna and Molly came down the stairs next, a look of terror on both of their faces.

I knew instantly what happened. The looks on their faces said it all. "Our kids are gone."