For The Greater Good (A Draco Malfoy Story)

"What just happened...?"

        We landed in the forest we camped last with a loud thud! I groaned as I sat up, brushing frozen leaves off of my cheek and trying to ignore the chill that seeped through my clothes.

"Rose? Rose! Bloody hell, are you alright?" Gabriel scrambled towards me on all fours, gripping me by my shoulders with panic. He checked every visible inch of me until the panic was replaced with confusion. "I don't get it. It bit you! I saw Nagini bite you! Why isn't there a scratch on you?"

I tried to look at my shoulder and saw nothing but the torn patch of my coat. "Huh, well that's useful."

"What?"

"Dad told me this would happen. It's not a big deal." My attention was diverted to a few feet away where Harry laid on the grass, pale and groaning in pain. "Harry?"

"It bit him as well!" Hermione worried at her lip as she tried to help Harry up. Gabriel took over, putting Harry's arm over his shoulder and quickly dragging him to the tent and onto one of the bunks. I followed them quickly, shrugging off my coat and rolling up my sleeves.

"Let me see."

As I knelt down by the chosen one, he started to slip into unconsciousness. Damn, he was losing a lot of blood, not to mention the poison that was probably wreaking havoc on his system. I took his hand into mine hesitantly. Could I really do this? I didn't see Nagini bite me so it almost felt like it hadn't happened. But I had done this before. With Draco. Okay, okay. Focus.

Taking in a deep breath, I closed my eyes and covered Harry's hand with my other one. I became dimly aware that Hermione and Gabriel were watching me intently and the lights began to flicker but I quickly tuned them out. I couldn't let myself be distracted.

Gabriel.

As Rose's eyes closed, the lights went out completely in the tent. Hermione and I lit our wands gravely. There were two outcomes of this. The first, that Rose would heal Harry and recognize her full potential as a pure soul, increasing the target on their backs. The second, Rose would fail and Harry would die. I could feel the quiet anxiety coming off of Hermione in waves so I put my hand on her shoulder and waited.

Rose's hand had started to glow.

Gold light illuminated the room as she slowly lifted her hand from Harry's wound. Green and black smoke whisped out of the wound, swirling and spreading its horrid scent. She turned her hand palm up as it illuminated the room softly and the vile smoke sucked into it. Rose balled her fist and the golden light got stronger and brighter. I had to shield my eyes slightly as her fist glowed white-gold. Like legit glowing. Magic in the palm of her hand.

Then as soon as it started, it stopped. The light dimmed as Rose opened her hand to show the green mist had disappeared. I looked to Harry and saw his wound start to stitch back together and his body relax in his sleep. As the last of the light dimmed, my little sister opened her eyes to show the gold in them disappearing also...but some remained.

"Rose?" I whispered, as if I was breaking some code by speaking aloud. I must have done something to break the spell because she promptly fainted and fell backwards, making me run to catch her. The lights flickered back on.
"What just happened...?"

Draco. (Trigger Warning)

I wish the Earth was flat so I could throw Bellatrix off the edge.

Ever since the day she read my thoughts in my most vulnerable state, I couldn't shake her off my back. In passing she'd send me knowing smirks and cackle lowly, taunting me. She used whatever she saw in me that day to keep me on my toes, in case she'd tell her master and i wouldn't put it past her to. Family didn't matter.

What did she even see though? I didn't have any feelings for Alvers. We technically weren't even friends! She was just some infuriating girl who hoped too much and tried to fix everyone. People like her made me want to tear my hair out. What was even there to hold against me? It's not like I loved her.

Liar, a voice whispered. My jaw clenched. Alvers was nothing to me, the more I and everyone else knew that, the better. Now the problem was, how to convince Bellatrix of that? She used Alvers as a weapon against me in training. To strengthen my Occulemency, she'd implant thoughts of Rose getting tortured to fuel my anger. Alvers screaming for help with blood flowing out of her like a river. Alvers lying cold in the ground, her eyes unmoving. I'd go to bed each night with those images still in my head, so I couldn't sleep. I couldn't remember the last time I slept for more than an hour. Lately, I just sit by the balcony and watch the sun rise or I strengthen my body with the exercise equipment in the room adjacent to mine.

As if Bellatrix wasn't enough, my parents wouldn't leave my side -- especially mother. I love her to death but the bloody woman wouldn't let me breath for two seconds! She kept nagging me about eating, and taking a sleeping drought but I can't do it. Food seemed unnecessary these days. Sleep was a luxury. Lucius wasn't any better either. He's become the shell of the man I used to know. Bloody pathetic.

I sighed as I pushed open the balcony doors in my room. It was raining hard today and the harsh winds blew my curtains and slammed the doors slightly. I walked out in to the rain and tilted my head up, closing my eyes. I wished that all of this was over, I wished I didn't have to think of all the people I indirectly helped to murder. Shuffling closer to the railing, I looked downwards at the damp concrete beneath me. How far up was I? What would happen if I just...

Shut the fuck up, you idiot, I snapped at myself. What if you live? Then where would that leave you?

It would be so easy though, to step up onto the railing and slip, letting myself free fall until it would be all over. So easy, so quick. Who would miss me besides for my mother?

A solitary voice told me someone else would. But I wasn't sure. Looking once more at the railing, I shook my head and went back inside, chilled to the bone. Not today.