Consumed by Fire {On Hold}

Chapter Five: Basta

"Cathy!" Draco yelped. 

As Draco was reading, he had glanced up to see Cathy disappear before his eyes. "Cat!" 

He frantically searched the room with his eyes, before tossing the book aside and getting up to look around. 

"Bloody hell, Cat!" Draco cried, searching under the bed on his hands and knees. He stood up and sat on the edge of the bed. Draco ran his fingers through his sleek blonde hair, messing it up a bit, but he couldn't care less. He leapt to his feet and began pacing the room, his mind avoiding the one thing he knew for certain had happened. Draco stopped by the bed and picked up the book, staring at it blankly before hurling it at the wall. It dropped to the ground, pages open, looking bent and broken. 

The butterfly from before flew past Draco's face and he struck out at it, his hand sending it fluttering to the floor. 

It happened, Draco thought as he continued pacing. She's gone into the book! 

He reached the wall where the book had landed and had another thought: if she went in, who came out? Automatically, Draco whipped out his wand and crouched slightly, waiting for an attack.But he had already combed the room and no one was there. As Draco let out a huge breath, he heard a sudden noise that made him draw it right back in. 

Crap, Mother and Father are back! 

Draco raced to the door and flung it open, listening out for voices. Sure enough, he heard Professor Snape's cool voice float up the steps. 

"Where is your son, Lucius? I would like to speak to him." 

Draco cursed under his breath and quietly closed the door. Before he could turn around, however, a knife flew past his head and nestled itself in the wood. 

Draco spun and drew his wand as fast as he could. A man was standing beside the bed, looking as confused as Draco felt. 

"I don't have to miss," he rasped, reaching for his pocket. 

Draco sent a spell at the man before he reached his other knife, and he ducked behind the bed. 

"Hey!" 

Draco ignored him and slowly advanced toward the bed. He knew exactly who had flung his knife and was now hiding behind Cathy's bed, and was glad that he had read Inkheart. 

Basta slowly raised his head, saw Draco's wand aimed for his face and ducked again. 

"Don't kill me, please!" he called as Draco got closer and closer. 

"Why shouldn't I?" Draco barked. 

Apparently Basta didn't have an answer for that. He started crawling away from Draco, who had just come round the bed, but soon found himself up against the wall. 

Draco aimed his wand between Basta's eyes, but before he could say anything the door opened and Snape strolled in. 

"Draco, I need to-" Snape cut himself off as he realised what Draco was doing. 

Draco whipped his head round to see Snape briskly walking towards him, and he cursed under his breath. 

That was all the distraction Basta needed. He pulled out his knife and flung it at Draco again, hoping to injure him this time. 

Snape saw the knife and with a flick of his wrist, it shattered to pieces. Draco turned back to Basta and sent a Stunner at him before he could move again. 

"Draco, what is going on?" Snape asked as he studied the man that had fallen to the ground unconscious. "And where is Miss Hart?" 

Draco opened his mouth to reply, but closed it again deciding against the truth. "She had to leave." 

"And who is this?" 

Draco cast his mind around, looking for an excuse. "I don't know. He broke in." 

Snape eyed him up, but apparently decided he must've been telling the truth. "Once your done here, I would like a word. Meet me in the drawing room," he told Draco before walking back out the door. 

As soon as the door closed, Draco sighed and collapsed onto the bed. His mind swam with questions. Now what? If he killed Basta, would that somehow effect Cat in the other world? If he tried to read Basta back into the book, would Cat come back out? Was it possible to read her out, like Capricorn had done with Resa? 

He conjured up some rope and used it to tie up Basta, no doubt he would try to run when he awoke. After a quick glance around the room, Draco went to join Snape in the drawing room.

A/N Hello again, I just wanted to say that from here on in it's going to swap between Cathy and Draco. Also, I'm going to start using Bluebell instead of Cathy so you guys don't get confused when Dustfinger and others call her Belle. Ciao, darlings x