Dark Promises (A Draco Malfoy Fanfic)

Chapter 30

Light flashes before my eyes; an enormous bubble shields over Hogwarts, professors casting Protego Horribilis to protect the school from any Dark Magic.

I see it all happen; Children running into the building, giant cement soldiers marching, dementors flying around. To my right was my father, clutching onto the elder wand; a wand so immensely effective, but dangerous in the wrong hands. Its core is the tail hair of a Thestral, a potent, yet tricky substance to master. Only a witch or wizard who is capable of accepting death can do so and it looks like he is willing to do anything for that power.

I closed my eyes, praying this was just a nightmare, but it wasn't. I was born to serve the Dark Lord, and what was my purpose if not that? In my right hand, I held onto that silver charm bracelet I once gave to Draco. I guess one could say it gave me comfort. My eyes open again as I hear his rugged voice muttering, "Well, well, well. Are you excited, my dear?"

"Y--yes, father," I lie through a sickeningly fake smile. "When shall we attack?"

"Now," he commands calmly, knowing that he has warned the people of Hogwarts that if they just gave up the 'Chosen One', no one would be harmed. And as much as I wanted to believe that, he wouldn't let them go that easily.

Death Eaters behind us raise their wands, silently shooting green rays into the sky, arching into the blue bubble. With the amount of hits, it starts cracking, holding onto its last bit of strength, about to explode. The final beam flies from the elder wand; the war begins.

People around me disappeared into a black fog, Apparating into the school, with me following behind. Their goal might be to kill anyone in their path, but mine was to find my friends, to at least say goodb--

BOOM!

Giants are smashing through the stone soldiers, Death Eaters are shooting students with unforgivable curses, the protective barrier is falling into ashes, flames engulfing innocent people who were running for their lives-- and I...watched.

Someone grabs my shoulder and pulls me out of the way as a red streak slides past me, inches away from killing me. I looked to see who it was and found long blonde hair swishing in the breeze. The ringing in my ears gets quieter and quieter until the sound of the battle around me creeps back in, listening to the screams of my professors, classmates, and friends. I couldn't bring myself to say a 'thank you' as my vocal cord had trouble finding itself. Instead we interchange nods in gratitude, appreciating her quick thinking as she points her wand over my shoulder, casting a spell to a Death Eater. She grabs my hand and drags me to a safe spot; my eyes drop down to her arm as her sleeves are ripped and smothered in blood.

"L-Luna...W--where's Harry?", I stutter, taking a few breaths between each word.

"I do not know. The last I saw him was with Ron and Hermione."

We stand there in silence, mournfully observing the scene around us. Hundreds of people are getting killed, dark red blood covers the lifeless bodies on the floor, pieces of the school crashing down on the students.

"I'm scared, Luna," I whisper, finally breaking our attention from the horrendous sight.

"There is no illusion greater than fear. Never let it decide your fate."

I take in a shaky breath and attempt to smile. 'Brave' isn't even the right word to describe her. No. She's not brave; she's fearless because the girl standing right next to me is willing to put her life on the line just to save others. And here she is saving me.

Out of the corner of my eye, a masked man appears on the other side of the wall, aiming his wand at us. "Depulso!" I shout as the hex flies from the tip of my wand towards him, faster than he could.

My hand is trembling, grasping my wand in a weak grip while I turn back to peer over the wall, realizing that Harry, Ron, and Hermione are running across the stone grounds to the bridge. I quickly gave her a hug and thanked her for being a great friend, before sprinting towards their direction.

Spells and hexes whizzed past my feet, but I kept on running. My breath is scraggly and no matter how much I wanted to quit, I can't. If I blink once, it just might be my last. My eyes are glancing in every way as I duck curses, trying to reach them in time. I race through the battlefield, running and running, through the remnants of the only home I've ever known.

"H--Harry!", I holler while gasping for air, looking at the Golden Trio turn back around in shock. "Hermione...Ron!" The minute I stepped onto that bridge, I darted as swift as possible, jumping into their arms and forcing them into a group hug. "I'm so glad that you guys are okay!" At first their arms were to the side, skeptical about my intentions, however they eventually gave in, holding me tight. Even though I wanted to stay there, we had to let go as some of the Death Eaters were attempting to kill us. We harshly cast shields and fire hexes, bitterly and terrified, with our immense knowledge of spells.

"Flipendo!"

"Stupefy!"

"Diffindo!"

"Brachiabindo!"

Stopping for a while, I ask Harry to catch me up on any new information. He tells me that they've destroyed Helga's Cup and Ravenclaw's diadem in a ceasefire in the Room of Requirements; there were two more to search for. The look in his eyes, he knew what they were, but he didn't say more. He was afraid to tell the truth.

"You guys go and do what you have to. I'll stay back and keep fighting", I say while giving them one last hug.

"Good Luck!"