Staying Alive // D.M *On Hold*

0.2 - Things Go Down

"Ireland! Ireland! Ireland!" She chanted happily jumping up and down with Hermione and Ginny. They were all giggling.

"Stop it, will you? " Ron had a dreamy look in his eyes. "Did you see Krum? There is no one like Krum. He's like a bird the way he rides the wind." The twins were circling around him yelling 'Krum, Krum'. Mia laughed at their interpretation of birds. "He is more than an athlete, he is an artist."

"Think you're in love, Ron." Ginny patted his shoulder. Mia laughed out loud once more.

"Victor I love you, Victor I do." The twins sang together the other set, Mia and Harry, joining in soon. "When we're apart my heart beats only for you." Ron tried to hit Harry and George. Mia's smile was frozen on her face. Was it a scream coming from outside?

"Sounds like the Irish got their pride on," Fred commented on it but Mia could hear that it was much more than that. Her fear was confirmed when Arthur Weasley burst into the tent.

"Stop, stop it." He got in between George and Ron. "It's not the Irish. We gotta get out of here." He pulled Ginny to the twins. "Fred, George, Ginny is your responsibility." He led them out of the tent. Outside was a mess, people were running and screaming and there was a fire going on everywhere. "Run to the portkey and stick together everybody. Stick together." He pushed them in the direction of the portkey before turning the opposite side and running.

Mia grabbed the stunned Harry, pulling him alongside herself as she ran. She had her wand in her hand and would use it even if she knew it was forbidden for underage witches. Someplace in the crowd, a group of people appeared trying to run between the twins and causing them to be separated. Mia got carried away in the crowd as she frantically looked around. Trying to figure out where Harry went and which way led to the portkey. "Harry! Ron! Harry! George, somebody! Where are you?" She was so scared that she had tears running down her cheeks. A tent near her exploded causing her to scream at the top of her lungs. Her knuckles were white around her wand, gripping it so tight that she might actually break it.

"Harry!" She tried once more before something got a hold of her. No, someone. Someone grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the crazy crowd to someplace quieter. Her vision was blurry because of her tears so she couldn't see who it was or where she was but she got pulled into a hug by the person. They had one of their hands on her waist and the other at the back of her head.

"I've got you, Euphemia." The person said as she sobbed into his chest. She couldn't identify who it was but she needed the comfort so much that she let him hug her. Her whole body was shaking. "Shh, don't cry, I'm here. You're safe, doll. I've got you." Draco. It was Draco Malfoy who saved her from getting murdered by the running people. The realization allowed her to take a much-needed breath as another sob escaped her lips. She hugged him back for a moment. "Yeah, that's it, brave girl. It's me, you're safe." He praised her, trying to calm her down as his eyes looked into the scene. There were fewer screams now, most of the people had already run to their portkeys or apparated away. He knew his father wouldn't appreciate him running off like that but he needed to make sure Mia was safe. He was right in the end, she needed him to pull her out of that crowd.

"My brother," she whispered with pure terror dripping from her voice. "Harry is out there!" She exclaimed, turning her back to look at the campsite. She tried to get rid of his arms around her body but Draco pulled her back against his chest not letting her go. "Let me go, I need to find him! Harry!"

"Shh," he put his hand to her mouth to stop her yelling. His own heart raced in his chest. If someone found them, he knew he would be spared but he wasn't sure if she would be too. "Be quiet, Euphemia." She nodded but still wriggled in his arms. "Listen to me," he tried but stopped when he realized she wasn't listening. He turned her to face him, shaking her shoulders. "Listen to me," her teary eyes found his. "Just like that. I'm sure your brother is doing fine. Weasley is with him, and so is Granger." His eyes caught the sight of the dark mark, his breath hitching. Mia tried to look at it but he stopped her by putting his hand on her chin, forcing her to look only at him. "No, don't look, it's them. Do you remember where your portkey was?" She shook her head.

"No, I was following the twins but-but people pushed me away from them." The broken tone in her voice made something stir inside him. He wanted to murder every responsible person just for that. "I can't leave anyways."

"We need to leave," His tone was even, he tried to keep calm because he knew if he panicked so would she. He pulled her hair, which was now a tangled mess, back. He loved her hair, the best shade of ginger ever created. It saddened him to see her ever-nice-looking hair in that state. He saw her shaking her head in protest. "We have to go, Euphemia. You need to be safe."

"My brother-"

"Is not my priority!" He yelled not helping himself. His heart broke when he saw her flinch at the loud tone. So he lowered it. "You come first, not your brother. He will appreciate me keeping you safe." He tried to reason and she stopped finally. She let it go, he was willing to take care of and deep down she knew he was right. She didn't even know if her brother was safe or not. "Okay?" She nodded, and he did too. "I'll take you to my portkey."

"Yours? Draco your father..." She stopped herself. She knew his father would be mad but right now, without anyone around, in the middle of the night, and with only her wand she was actually helpless.

"Father won't be at home." He replied surely. He let go of her hair, sliding his hand down her arm to grab her own. "This way. You can floo wherever you want or-" his voice went down. "maybe you can stay the night. We cannot apparate in the grounds of the manor and floo may not be safe this night. Surely we'll send a letter to the Weasleys and learn about your brother. Don't worry." He talked through the road and looked at her to check on her every few steps. He slowed his steps down when he saw the tears flowing down her eyes. "Don't cry, Euphemia. My mom's really nice, father won't be at home for the night."

"Thank you, Draco." She let out in a small voice. Draco stopped in a small clearing, pointing to an old umbrella on the ground. "Is this the portkey?"

"Yeah, put your wand away. You wouldn't want to break it when we fall." She did as he advised, not letting his hand go. "Okay, now hold on tight and only let go when I tell you."

"Okay," she held into the portkey. They spun around, and she felt horrible again but of course, wasn't in the position to make demands or choices. She let go when he told her to do so and they fell to the ground. He helped her get up again, looking at the manor in the dark. He didn't offer his hand this time in the fear of shying her away but she still reached out grabbing it. He gave him a small smile. "I have never seen a manor before."

"Yeah, it gets lonely at times with only mum around but it's home, I guess." He shrugged when they reached the door. He knocked and the door spun around in no time. A woman with blonde hair with black strands between jumped into his arms, catching both off guard. Draco had to let her hand go to hug his mother. Mia took a step back, it was easy to be around Draco but the presence of the woman shied her away. "I'm fine, mum."

"You should've been back hours ago!" She scolded finally letting him go, checking on him to see if he was hurt. Her eyes finally find Mia, she fluttered her eyes a few times. She spent a moment looking back and forth between her son and the girl he brought home. "Hello,"

"Hi, um, Mrs. Malfoy. So sorry for coming to your house without prior notice." She said awkwardly. She side glanced at Draco to see him give her a nod. "There was... a problem at the World Cup. I got separated from my brother and your son... he saved me."

"Of course, dear." Her voice was softer than Mia ever expected as she let them in. "My name is Narcissa and you can call me by it."

"Euphemia Potter, ma'am." She said with a small smile. She was in no state to be meeting such a kind lady but she gave her the best smile she could. Narcissa's heart broke a little when she noticed her red eyes and nose. "I-I, um..." She looked back at Draco for help.

"We need to write a letter to the Weasleys, mum." He sat Mia down on the couch, sitting next to her. "She came to the cup with them."

"Is it...safe to use the floo? I can just leave. I don't want to cause you any problems. I had no place to go and Draco said you'd be okay with me being here." She said quickly. She knew how purebloods felt about half-bloods. "I don't want to offend you or anything." A single tear escaped her eye again. She was an orphan but she had never felt so alone. Look at her, she was sitting on her brother's enemy's couch with no one but him on her side. She was pathetic.

"I don't think it is, dear. Don't cry, please." Narcissa locked eyes with her son. It was surprising for her to see so much care and gentleness in there. She knew he had a thing going on for this girl but she never knew it run that deep. "I'll send the letter right away. Draco can lead you to one of the guest rooms and I'll have some clothes sent for you to change into. You can have a shower if you want."

"Thank you, I don't know how I can repay you for it but thank you so much." She told her. "Can you please ask them if my brother is safe? And maybe tell them that I'm..." She looked at Draco and then back at Narcissa. "I'm safe here?"

"Yes, of course." She pointed them to the stairs. "It's been a long day for you both."

Mia followed Draco without any other word. She didn't know what to say. No thanks or apology would be enough for what he did tonight. He opened the door to a room.

"My room is just next door, there is, um, there is a key on the back. You can lock it if you want." He followed her inside and patiently waited as Mia looked inside. There was a bed, some drawers, a small closet, and another door that probably led to a bathroom. It was more than she could ever hope for. She nodded at Draco's words. The next thing she did, however, left them both stunned. She spun around at an unimaginable pace and threw herself in his arms. These arms were the very first ones that she truly felt safe in after her brother's ones.

"I've got you, doll." He whispered into her hair. "You're safe."

"I know. Thank you, Draco. Thank you so much and I'm sorry for everything I've thought about you before. You're a wonderful person, you're so kind to me and you were the only thing that kept me sane back there." She mumbled against his chest. His arms tightened.

"Of course, I would be there. I'll always be there. Just because you don't notice it doesn't mean I'm not here." He put his head on top of hers. "You don't need to say sorry for anything. I've deserved them."

Mia let out a small chuckle at that. He really did but she wouldn't tell to him. She slowly pulled herself back to look into his eyes. His eyes were a unique shade, a perk of being a Malfoy she guessed. "You were very different from the guy in school tonight. Fiercer and braver than I ever thought you would be."

"You're right, me in school is only a small part of my personality." He pulled her hair away from her face. "You were brave too. The only thing you thought about was your brother, very selfless. But I admire it." She offered him a toothy grin, nodding. "You should take a shower, it would help you relax."

She got out of his arms to check on the bathroom. Just as she imagined the shower had a strange system she didn't know how to use. "I don't exactly know how to use that mechanism and the clothes..."

"Are there?" He pointed to the clothes that appeared on the bed. She nodded slowly. He closed the distance in a few steps and instructed her what to do. She thanked him once more, making him smile at her constant thanking. As she had said to him, he was very different tonight but so was she. Draco has never seen her let herself be dependent on someone before. "Okay. Good night, Euphemia. Sleep well and try not to worry. I'll wait till the answer arrives and I'll let you know if your brother is in trouble."