The Minster's Daughter- Draco Malfoy

a corpse's hand.

"It took her out of it, Granger said. Something to do with the rejection. I didn't mean to, Theo. I didn't. It just wasn't her. Then, Granger just had to tell me that if I had gone with her and... you know, it would've took her out of it anyways. The catch is that she doesn't remember a thing! Not a thing! Other than me running away from her. If I stayed, she would be fine!"

Theodore Nott had opened a can of worms when he'd asked his friend about his recent tryst with his aquamarine angel. They'd gone on a rather long walk around the grounds the day before the final task, for a much-needed catch up. Theo had told him about Rose, and their recent little coupling. Theo had found out that his Father had been wanting him to marry one of the Greengrass sisters anyways, which had motivated Theo to treat her as more than a standard shag on the weekend. From what Draco understands, Theo had taken Rose on three successful dates, and they'd had sex a total of twenty seven times in the passed three weeks. He was always very calculated like that, but was disheartened to know that Draco and Audrey had sex twenty nine times within their first three weeks of regular intercourse. Not like it was important to either lad anyways.

"Now, I think she hates me because she thinks I don't want to pursue her anymore!"

"I would too, if you openly use words like 'pursue' when talking about being a girl's chap. She just needs a bit of space-"

"Theo, the third task is tomorrow. She's alone. I can feel it. Her loneliness, right here," he pointed to a place on his chest, "I know how she feels. Lonely and resentful." he huffed.

"You know how she feels?"

"I think it was a Veela thing that hasn't reformed itself. I don't fucking know, but I feel her. All of it, and then when she cries. My eyes go dry. It's like she's taking my tears away."

"Talk to her. What harm could it do?"

"Well, knowing me, I'd say something utterly stupid, and she'd think I'm trying to get into her good books so I can get back into her knickers, then she'd hate me even more. Either that, or I'd chicken out anyway. She's terrifying when she's angry. Sexy as fuck, but terrifying."

"Sexy as fuck?" Theo questioned with a smirk.

"Hot, bothered, rosy cheeks. Makes me think about rough sex. I have no idea why. Not in terrible situations, though. Most of the time, if she's angry, I am too. Either both of us at one person, or at each other. Riveting as always," he shrugged and Theo laughed at him.

"You're quite the pair, Malfoy."

"I just hope she wants to stay a pair."

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"He never loved me, Rose. He couldn't have. If he did, he wouldn't have left me. Not like that. When I needed him most," she sniffled into her covers. Her room hadn't been blessed with natural light since the night in the library, and Rose had expressed her concern for a potential sunlight deficiency when she'd entered the room a half hour prior.

"I wouldn't say that, Audrey. You weren't yourself, and he could see-"

"I couldn't care less. It's not like he was chivalrous enough to tell me what happened. I don't remember a thing from the Ministry ball up until the night in the library. It was a literal fever dream!"

"Just... don't hold it against him."

"Rose Greengrass, you cannot tell me what and what not to resent. I am holding it against him, and call me petty, but it was in no way my fault. He didn't even ask about the trial, not like I could remember without the aid of Louis' very pleasant letters."

"You found out?" she quipped, straight away.

"My grandmother. She's my next of kin, or whatever, I think. I'm her only hope at carrying on any of her family, so she might give me the benefit of the doubt when I arrive in the Easter break. Oh, and didn't I tell you? He tried to tell me I was booked up for the Easter and Summer holidays, to go to his to get away from those two, for my benefit allegedly. Who does he think he is? Forcing me to his house, he isn't any better!"

"He must not have realised. He only wanted you to be away from them, Audrey. You can't blame him for trying," she spoke, but Audrey's roll of her eye quickly annoyed her.

"I couldn't care less anymore. He left me."

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Watching her walk into that maze was seizure-inducing. She looked so suddenly vulnerable compared to the others. Even though he had zero questions or doubts about her being a powerful witch, she was so small. So not equipped for something so daunting. He wanted her back already; in his arms, as he had done for a while. 

As if she were a drug, he'd had the worst withdrawals. Not just for sex. She was much more than that. Mind, body and soul, she deserved worshipped and he wanted to do it. She'd matured him, and he knew she was good for him. He wanted to be good for her. Give her what she'd given him. Theo was correct. He was trying to fix her, and her problems, getting frustrated when he couldn't.

But could she be helped? Rose told him that she was legally her Grandmother's, but she won't live forever. What will happen to her? Selfishly, he thought about what would happen to him. He didn't want to turn into a miserable old oaf who carried around his pure-blooded wife with him all day, then beat her legs open at night. He wasn't quite sure what he wanted though. Well, he was sure that he wanted Audrey out of that maze.

It looked deadly from the outside. Cold, damp, dark. She was scared, he knew. 

Draco waited in the stands. His leg bounced next to Rose's, both of them looking for any sign or indication that someone was coming back out of the maze. It had been an hour, and the girl next to him was beginning to get restless, as was his mind. He thought back to when she told him that people die in this maze, and thought that he'd buy her anything she wanted if she wasn't one of those cases, trophy or not.

His eyes came quickly to an appearing figure, clutching the glowing cup. For a second, Draco felt as relieved a guy could. Someone had come out alive. It was all over. Everything was over.

But the hand clutching the cup was far from human. And the wand the holder carried in the other certainly didn't belong to them. Because the hand holding the cup wasn't Audrey Crouch's. But the wand possessed a dainty sapphire on the end, and beautiful cherry-tree twists in the body. In a corpse's hand. In Tom Marvolo Riddle's hand, pointed to a levitating corpse. The levitating corpse of Harry James Potter. Audrey - not in sight.