||Now It's Just Us||

Chapter 42

Draco pulled Hermione down with him when the first spell broke through the glass. Someone screamed, he didn't know who. Shards of glass embedded themselves into his back, and with the way Hermione winced, she had experienced the same thing.

The wall exploded next, rubble flew everywhere.

"What a sweet family reunion!" the voice was sickly sweet, dangerous, "I can kill all of you at the same time now, what an advantage."

"Bombarda!" Hermione had gotten to her feet, and stood duelling with Rena Podmore. Draco looked around frantically, narrowly dodging a beam of crackling white light. His parents were gone, as was Ginny. Perhaps they had gotten away. 

"Draco!"

Hermione's shrill cry brought him back to reality. 

The bolt of light hit his head, and he fell backwards, hitting his head on the corner of the fireplace mantel. 

He could see colorful, swirling patterns that he would have enjoyed if not for the current situation. Something warm was oozing down his neck, and he shivered when it reached his shoulder blades. 

Something heavy landed with a thud next to him. 

Tibby lay, her eyes wide and glassy, lifeless. They had killed her. 

Hermione.

Draco pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the pain that exploded in his chest. He fired spells at the purple cloaked figures, in a speed he would have thought impossible. Harry ended up next to him, and they warded off four people at the same time. They were standing back to back, shooting spells and erecting shields rapidly. Draco pushed Harry out of the way when one of the people threw a crucio at him, and managed to cast a shield just in time. 

Draco heard a faint "Petrificus totalus!" being cried out. 

"Everyone drop your wands!" 

Draco turned to face the direction of the voice. Podmore, with her hood down, was standing over Weasley, pointing her wand right at his hard. 

"Drop it, now," Harry said,  but Draco wouldn't listen. 

"Crucio!" the spell caught Podmore. She cried out, her spell over Ron dropped. Ron scrambled to his feet and rushed to stand beside Harry and Hermione. Draco saw spells come his way, but they deflected. Hermione had cast a shield charm on him. 

"You filthy revengeful scum," Draco growled at Podmore, who was on the ground, whimpering. 

"I'll get all of you," she mangled out, "I'll get you for my father!"

Rena reached up in a sudden movement and grabbed hold of his arm. Then he was gone. 

The last thing he saw was Hermione running towards him in an attempt to stop him, before everything dissolved into nothingness.

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Hermione screamed, her magic exploded out of her. The walls shook and the chandelier lights went out. One by one, the purple cloaked disapparated. 

"Hermione!" Harry had to restrain her with both his arms, "Hermione you don't even know where they went!"

"Let me go, Harry, they took him, didn't you see?" she said, struggling violently against his hold. 

"I saw, I did," he said, speaking earnestly, "but we have to know where they are."

"How?" Hermione threw her hands into the air. She looked around herself, and realised that Ginny, Narcissa and Lucius weren't there.