It's OK To Not Be Ok...Right?

110. Just Like Fire

Sloane wasn't sure how long they were out there on that pitch. They had come down at about seven in the evening and Harry had gone back up to the castle at about midnight with Flitwick and a guard. She and Draco had wanted to continue though. They knew it wasn't going to be easy and they knew that they weren't going to get it right away but this was maybe the hardest thing either of them had tried to do.

"Again," Sloane called in bad temper as she jumped back onto her feet again.

"Baby, we can try again tomorrow," Draco said standing up himself and dusting himself down before pulling a leaf out of Sloane's hair. "We will get it. It's just going to take some practice."

She pouted at him, knowing he was right. "One more go and then bed?" She gave him her best puppy dog eyes and put her hands together to beg. "Pretty please?"

Draco gave a soft chuckle. "Fine," he rolled his eyes. "Is this how our marriage is going to be? Me saying no, you pulling that lip and me giving I ?"

Sloane shrugged. "If you're smart," she smiled and called over to her aunt and uncle and the Headmistress. "One more go and then bed." Tina gave her a thumbs up as McGonagall stifled a yawn. "OK last chance....what are we doing wrong?"

Draco frowned. "Who knows. I mean I can feel it working. I'm thinking about what that bastard could do and I -"

"Me too," Sloane interjected. "What if we have to think of an impossible scenario?"

"Huh?" Draco was confused.

"Try again and this time, try to imagine that Euan is attacking me."

"What?" Draco paled. "Why?"

"I think we need to feel more than anger for it to work. I think we need to feel fear and then feel determined to help. So you picture me in trouble and I will picture you." Sloane wasn't sure it would work but she was willing to try everything. They both positioned themselves, raising their wands again. "We need to work together," she said as Draco moved himself closer to her. She took hold of his free hand. "Ready?"

Draco nodded. "At the same time...one, two, three." They both began moving their wands in the same direction, in the same movements as sparks began to ignite the end of their wands.

Doing as she suggested, Draco pictured Euan, creeping up on Sloane. He couldn't help but think of Jack and the extent of his injuries and replacing his body with Sloane's, picturing the bastard standing over her with blood dripping from its jaw. It was gruesome and horrifying but it did something to Draco. He felt petrified but that only spurred him on as he waved his wand more vigorously.
Sloane too, pictured the gargoyle torturing Draco. She could almost hear his screams of pain as she moved her hand. Draco was the one person she cared about more than anything in this life and that gargoyle was trying to destroy that. She would not let him have Draco. Over her dead body. Or Euans.

Tina, Newt and Minerva looked on at first, expecting this time to go like the others. A few sparks from their wands and then they would both fall back in a heap. Newt was starting to fall asleep on Tina's shoulder as Pickett and Teddy were tucked up safely in her blazer. The headmistress was thinking over the paperwork she had to complete tomorrow and whether to tell the parents what was going on in the school. No one noticed at first when the couple moved in sync, their movements more choreographed and precise.

It wasn't until a huge burst of flame, erupted from their wand to create a ring of fire, a very large ring of fire around the couple. Newt jerked awake and almost fell over when he saw the flame. It was like a hose only instead of water bursting out at speed it was fire. Blessed fire.

"Fantastic!" Tina shouted. "You are doing it!"

"Well done students," Minerva called as she walked around the flames as they shot up in front of her. She could feel the intense heat coming off the flame as she walked around.