Challenged Love

Chapter 18

Holly's POV:
Distinct footsteps were trudging through the snow in the distance, moving at a hurried pace. My heart dropped within my chest. Each of us froze in our place, waiting and anticipating for a Death Eater to discover our presence. I put my ear up to the wall, trying to listen closely for any indication of another human life near us.

Draco stood up. "I'll go see."

"No, you won't," I protested.

"The Death Eaters know my father, meaning they can't hurt me."

"Then how come they attacked the manor?" Lara shot back, seeing the absurdity of the situation.

"That I don't know," Draco realized, sitting back down next to me.

Maybe it's just an animal," I suggested hopefully.

I still continued to apply pressure to my shoulder with my other hand, until Draco carefully lifted his suit jacket to check my arm. The bleeding had ceased a little bit, but now his jacket was soaked in my blood and probably far from repair.

The unknown footsteps suddenly drew nearer, and the shed fell silent once more.

"We can hide here," we heard a muffled voice say.

The voice which we heard did not sound like the enemy, for why would a Death Eater be seeking to hide? Someone then tried pushing open the door, but when it would not budge, a force of magic forced it wide open.

I was not expecting Pansy Parkinson to enter with Blaise Zabini at her side.

"Blaise," Kasper gasped, rising to his feet.

Blaise and Kasper embraced each other with a sense of relief. Blaise might have said some offputting things earlier at the dinner table, but I could hardly hold him accountable for it while seeing how much he and Kasper had worried for each other. After all, they were best friends. It reminded me of how me and Parkinson used to be.

"We barely escaped," Parkinson told us, shivering from the cold

However, out of all of us, she appeared to be dressed the warmest, with a long sleeve, all-black ball gown. Several layers of fabric made up the main part of the dress, and she even had thick, white gloves.

"The Death Eaters were holding people hostage when I got away," Blaise informed us. "Then I ran into her."

Parkinson ignored Blaise's comment. "Apparently they were looking for something. At least, that's what I had heard."

She then eyed my shoulder and the blood which ran down my arm.

"What happened to your shoulder?" she inquired

"Nothing," I scoffed.

"Sure looks like it," she remarked.

The Death Eaters should have taken her.

"I can mend it if you want," Parkinson offered, twirling her wand around her fingers.

I rather have an infected cut than have Parkinson try to heal it.

"If that cut gets frost bite then it won't be very pretty," she added.

"I'll live," I objected, wincing at the sharp pain as I wrapped Draco's jacket around my shoulder.

"It is very generous of you to offer your help," Lara intervened into our conversation, voice soft and gentle, "but perhaps Holly would feel... more secure having a trusted friend tend to her injury. If you don't mind, may I borrow your wand?"

Parkinson looked Lara up and down as if she were senseless, and if I did not have a severe cut in my right shoulder, I would have thrown hands.

"I think I'll keep my wand," Parkinson decided. "She clearly enjoys bleeding out."