Dead Girl Walking (Draco x Astoria)

Chapter 29 - Rescue

A black owl immediately flew into Ella's room as she slept at night beside Theo. The owl put the letter down by her head, then made noises by her ear. She grimaced and he flew away quickly.

"What?" She mumbled, feeling her hand around where she heard the noise, but she felt the letter.

"Paper." She mumbled, closing her eyes, but then, she opened them, confused on why there was paper beside her. Sitting up, she put it in her lap and saw it was an envelope, and immediately she was right awake.

"Oh my days, it's her!" She gasped loudly. Throwing the covers away from her, she got up and ran out the room, down the hall to Blaise's room who she knocked on, then down a few rooms to Draco's where she knocked again loudly.

"Everybody up, please!" She yelled.

A few minutes later in the dining hall, all participants looked at her tiredly.

"From Astoria!" She slammed the letter down on the table. Draco quickly snatched it from the table before Theo or Blaise could, and quickly read it.

"What's it say?" Blaise was eager to know.

"The side of her house, by the garden, we'll be able to see her from the small window. She's there," he quickly said, putting the letter down. Blaise quickly went for it.

His lips slowly turned to a hopeful smile, and then Theo had taken the letter from him.

"We should get dressed immediately!" Ella ordered hopefully, gesturing for the door. Draco nodded, following Ella out the room, up the stairs to the hallway. He hurried after her while looking at her blue robe sashaying behind her. He hadn't noticed Ella had turned to stop in front of him but he stopped just in time.

"You haven't talked at all."

Draco only looked at her, his hands already in his pockets. He was still, and had nothing to say. He looked away, trying to walk around her but she blocked him, her fingers lightly pressing on his shoulders. They both stepped back a little.

"What are you thinking?"

He nodded, digging his hands a bit more inside his pockets. "How all this could have been avoided."

Ella shook her head, softly crossing her arms. "The gardens aren't protected by any shield or trap. We can walk through there with no problem at all. When we get her back, she'll be back forever."

He grimaced. "You know, what if they do that again? Knock us out, pay off police to not do anything about it? Everybody is against us. Rather, against me."

"They won't. You were in public last time,"

He looked at the floor. "And she's supposed to just not go out in the public anymore?" Draco sighed quietly. "I can do that, but I won't let her do that. She doesn't deserve it."

Ella didn't reply, putting her hands in her robe pocket.

"She deserves to be seen, you know?"

"Oh, I know." Ella chuckled.

"She shouldn't hide," Draco went on, looking to the side.

Ella hummed. "We shouldn't keep her waiting any longer, then." And at that, they immediately went to their rooms to change.

The sun would rise in three hours, and Draco thought it to be plenty of time. Apparate there, break her window, rescue her, apparate back- and don't take her out of his sight.

They apparated just behind their home on the gravel, and Draco flinched at the sound, scared of capture. Ella knew her friend's garden well, and lead the way to the left side of it. Her eyes scanned the bricks of the Greengrass manor, until she finally found an opening, a window with bars. She slowly crouched down and looked inside, and there, Astoria lay asleep on her bed.

Ella took a deep breath, looking back to her friends and nodding. Blaise nodded, and took out his wand. Slowly, the spell undid those dreadful black bars, and they melted into nothingness.

Draco couldn't see a thing, even though he desperately wanted to, but knew he had to get out the way for now. He heard Ella call out for Astoria and a reply, but couldn't catch what the reply was.

They all stood back finally, and Theo blew the side up, knowing Astoria could not fit through the small window without hurting her any more.

Theo and Blaise immediately bent down and grabbed an arm each of hers, lifting her up, while Draco drew his wand out beside Ella- no sign of any strangers.

But Draco was startled when he felt someone crash into him- he hugged her back, not daring to close his eyes, still, keeping a look-out. Theo immediately held onto them, and they apparated away, finding themselves in the familiar foyer.

"We need the protect the house from intruders." Blaise said, grabbing Ella and Theo immediately to cast spells on the perimeter of the property.

Draco and Astoria didn't let go.

"I feel like it was too easy." She whispered. He didn't have anything to say, only wanting to be in this moment forever. Then, he heard her cry softly.

"It's okay."

"No, it's not." She let go from him just enough to see him. "Just before I left, my little brother gave me his muffin." Her face scrunched and more tears fell.

Draco analysed as she wiped her tears away, trying to recollect herself- but she couldn't do it. He couldn't say it would be fine, he couldn't say that everything would be okay, and it frustrated him that there was nothing else good to say to her.

"And I ate it," Astoria frowned, "and it was poisoned!" She exclaimed quietly, her head digging into his chest. "They're poisoning him now. Because of me."

"No, not because of you. It's not your fault." He shook his head, bringing her away from him so he could see her. "No," he said again. "Not your fault."

She looked away to the floor.

"You must be exhausted and hungry. Did you eat anything else besides that?" He asked as he took her hand, leading her to the kitchen.

She shook her head no.

In the kitchen as she ate a few minutes later, he watched her with his head on his hand- every now and again taking a small piece from the plate to reassure her.

"I've decided I have to go to the press, or police, or anything, anywhere. I want them to pay for what they've done- and what they're now doing to Cyrus," she said the last bit with guilt.

"Tomorrow." He nodded, putting his hand on top of hers. She took his hand and held it under the table.

"I need to go shower too," she mumbled. She saw her tablet off to the side where Draco had left it for her.

At the thought of him, she looked up, and he was focused on their hands under the table. He had barely said anything to her. I mean, what was there to say? What was there to be happy about? Furthermore, their first kiss was shared in a cell, Draco thought it to be unromantic and depressing, and only the heat of a small moment.

Astoria didn't like it, how everything seemed to be changing. She liked it before, where they were best friends- and now, it seemed like they had nothing else good to say to each other.