We will meet again ~ Fred Weasley

93| retaliate

"My wand, give me my wand Katherine." Draco was hissing at me, shaking me by my shoulders aggressively. I pushed him off after a second or two confused why he would question me.

I then remembered back to the hall, he used his wand to help me, I didn't have it. "Are you dense? I don't have your bloody wand." I spat seeing no reason for me to stay any longer. I just couldn't bring myself to leave. His forehead was shimmering in the subtle light, he looked terrified, more than I had ever seen him.

"Harry disarmed me with your wand, does he have it?" He was running his fingers through his hair, pacing ever so slightly in front of me. "Blaise and Goyle are waiting for me back there, if Harry has my wand I can't protect you if you defend him." He peeked around the side to see where his friends stood but with little luck turned back to face me.

I was speechless, how could someone be so confusing. He's on the opposing team and yet he does everything within his power to convince me he isn't. "What's with that?" I questing as I crossed my arms, "protecting me" I rolled my eyes at him as if he was being pathetic, he was. "We are not on the same side, I will protect myself." I jabbed my finger into his chest, I was sick of it. The mixed emotions. The mixed signals. "I will defend my brother, even if that means taking you, Zabini and Goyle down."

I brought myself to walk away. I'd set him straight, nothing would be replaying in my head now, that was the one thing distracting me from the task at hand. Now, I had no worries about anything other than protecting my friends and surviving myself until the time comes.

"You two better leave, or you're taking me on. Your choice." I spoke frantically when walking past the other two Slytherin boys. They were on their guard., they seemed jittery. Jumping at sudden movements but not using their wands that they had up in front of them.

When Malfoy rocked up beside them they stiffened up, trying to seem tougher than they felt. "Harry," I shouted knowing he could be just about anywhere within the room. Within a few seconds, he appeared from behind us, Draco's wand at his side. It was the only wand at his side.

"I want my wand, Potter."

"Just shush Malfoy." I walked closer to Harry to get a better idea of what was happening and why he was in here at all. "What's going on?" I whispered and I could see by the look that he gave me, it was of significance to us. I looked back over my shoulder, they were getting agitated at the patience Draco was having to make a move. "Find whatever it is, I'll hold them off."

"Are you crazy, three to one, I don't like those odds." Harry grabbed the hand my wand was in, provoking me if anything.

I shot him a small grin, mumbling under my breath, "lucky for you, Malfoy seems to have a soft spot for me." I winked shooing him away from where I stood. The three boys, now before me, were not happy with his sudden departure.

"Draco, get her. Don't be a prat." Zabini grunted with a determined look in his eyes.

Capturing Katherine Potter - what an achievement that would be for them, they're all in dark wizarding families. They would all be in the dark lord's good books for all their lives, that's why they wanted this. Then again, I was much more advanced in defensive spells...I hoped so, anyway.

I watched each of them, studied their body language, facial expressions, even their grip on their wands.

Zabini was shaking unnaturally, constantly having to wipe at his upper lip to remove the constant sweat forming. His back was slouched slightly whilst his grip on his wand was in a whole fist. I could tell just from being near him that even for the dark lord's approval, this isn't something he wanted to be caught up in. He definitely enjoyed the hostility that he portrayed and received when being a future death eater or a current one for all I knew. I still saw that this was not what he had in mind when thinking of joining them.

Goyle, however, was more infuriated by the wait, the time being taken before someone did something. He wanted to get it over and done with. He was stepping from his left to his right foot in his disconcerting state. He was tightening the grip on his wand over and over as if his palms were too sweaty to keep it steady. He continued to side-eye Malfoy expectantly waiting for something, anything to happen.

"I don't have your wand, Harry does. Harry is gone, so now what?" I huffed being the first to speak in a few minutes. It was awkward, not in an annoying way, more in a way of having absolutely no clue where to go from here kind of way. None of us had a clue, what were we meant to do. They wanted to please their families, I wanted to protect mine. We are kids, we have no clue how to get it all right. That's what we were expected to do and we didn't know how.

I looked at Draco, more softly than I did before. It's worked in the past, yes I may be using Malfoy slightly to get my own way, but it's nothing he doesn't deserve.

Why do I feel guilty?

It's Malfoy, who bullied both me and my friends for years.

Who joined the ranks of death eaters.

Who almost poisoned me to death.

I was over it, thank god. I have no reason to feel guilty or to waste any time worrying about Draco Malfoy. He's never been worth my time, he certainly wasn't now.

"What's it going to be? Try to take me down or leave me be and get a new wand?" I sniggered slightly which I tried to playoff. I had no idea what to do from-

"Stupefy!"

Hermione dragged me by my arm to safety as she shot the spell, I hadn't even known she was here.

Her spell missed but it distracted them enough to get me out of the way. I looked at her and we simultaneously nodded before rushing back out to stun them. "Imobulus!" I gasped sprinting to the opposite mountain of treasures. Once again, the spell didn't hit but it seemed they were only now starting to retaliate.

-

I hadn't expected it to go this far.

The heat from the flames was so close I could almost hear my skin start to burn.