Just in case || Draco Malfoy

Sixty Three - Join Me

"We lived a life of 'almost'"

-d.j

...

I desperately wiped my eyes not wanting to fog them as I navigated my way across the courtyard. Flashes of green and red shot past me and in every direction around me, several yells of pain were calling out as I tried to find the source and help them. I stumbled across the cobbled floor, pieces of splintered wood, shattered glass windows and clothes that had been torn off littering the floor and tripping me as I walked. Death eaters, students, giants, trolls, dementors - a startlingly large array of creatures and humans made there murderous way across the grounds, killing anything that tried to block their path.

I made eye contact with a death eater - I had only a second to react and desperately duck out of the way of the flash of beaming light that came towards me. He shot another spell at me as I cast it away with my wand. I shot a stunning spell towards him, him too deflecting it. From behind him, a glow of light appeared, him falling to the floor unresponsive and behind him, I saw Fred with his clothes stained blood red and a gash across his forehead.

I had no time to thank him. Coming running towards me was a giant swinging a club that could easily crush me and ten others if inflicted on us. It lunged forward running toward the group that stood around me, students and teachers both in the mix.

The group of us immediately dispersed, running frantically to each side to get out of the way of the giant that came bounding towards us, club swinging wildly in its hand. Too large to stop itself, the giant continued running forward swinging his club until he crashed into the sturdy wall of the castle, stumbling backwards slightly.

"IMPERIO" I heard Professor McGonagal yell. The giant was immediately grounded steady on his feet, his hand stably clutching his club as he turned to face McGonagal. She pointed her wand towards the bridge at the front of Hogwarts where more giants and a heavy amount of death eaters stood. On her command, the giant came past us, people dodging out of the way though the giant showed no want to hurt them. He went bounding towards the bridge, the first swing of his bat sending three figures that had just been making there way towards the students flying over the edge of the bridge and plummeting downwards. The second swing hitting another giant across the head, the blow knocking him unconscious and his body laying limp across the bridge, blocking the path slightly for death eaters.

I had little time to observe what the giant was doing because an overwhelming feeling of cold overtook me, familiar from my third year. I turned around to see no doubt a dementor hovering above me, inhaling as a sort of silky force came from my face, the dementor taking it in. I felt my limbs become lifeless, the life and warmth being drained from them the more that the dementor sucked the soul out of me.

"EXPACTO PATRONUM"

The silver glow that emerged from behind me pulsed strongly, the dementor seemed to be caught in an invisible net that came with the glow dragging it away from me as I collapsed to the floor, very slowly feeing warmth spread through my fingertips and stretching to my core. The glow continued, catching a few other dementors in its path as it flew out, continuing, headed for the horizon.

I felt a two pairs of arms pick me up and as I observed their faces, I saw the woman with purple hair from the order and proffesor Lupin, Lupin with his wand outstretched and I assumed him to be the one who cast the patronus.

"Thank you" I blurted out, steadying myself on my feet.

"Get to safety" Lupin said.

"No, I want to fight!" I said.

"It's dangerous, get yourself safe" said the purple haired woman.

"I want to help" I pleaded.

"Tonks, the dementors!" Lupin exclaimed running off in the opposite direction towards the group of dementors that were attacking a group of students. Tonks looked at me distressed for where to go.

"Go help! I'll be fine!" I said turning in the direction of where I could see a death eater attacking a student. She nodded towards me before turning to run to Lupin. "EXPELLIARMUS" I yelled with my wand pointed towards the death eater. Her wand flew into my hand and I clasped it. The student that lay on the floor scrambled to grasp his wand while she was distracted with me.

I opened my mouth to send a stunning spell towards her, but the words never occurred. I was sent flying forward landing face first onto a wall, the impact grazing my left cheek and stinging. I crumpled onto the floor clutching my face in pain. I turned to see Amycus Carrow making his way toward me with his wand outstretched. The death eater I had disarmed made her way over to grab her wand off the floor that lay next to mine.

Carrow walked closer to me. My wand was out of reach and I was dazed from the impact. He stopped only a few inches away from me and jabbed his wand into the side of my neck.

"Maybe this will teach you" he said.

I closed my eyes. There was nothing I could do and no one to help. I screwed my eyes shut in hope it would somehow prolong my life a little longer, though I knew such a thing couldn't happen. I braced for the impact but I couldn't feel, hear or see the killing curse. What I did hear however, I had a hard time deciphering wether or not it was worse than avada kedavra.

The hissing voice returned uttering a new verse.

"You've fought valiantly, but in vain...

I do not wish this. Every drop of magical blood
spilled is a terrible waste.

I therefore command my forces to retreat...

In their absence, dispose of your dead with dignity,

Harry Potter, I now speak directly to you.

On this night, you have allowed your friends to die
for you, rather than face me yourself. There is no greater dishonor.

Join me in the Forbidden Forrest and confront your fate.

If you do not do this, I shall kill every last man,
woman and child who tries to conceal you from me."

...