𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙧

chapter 11

draco stayed kneeling on the ground. he couldn't believe how he had just stood there and watched his life die before him in a matter of moments.

he kept hoping that talia would open her eyes. that she would wake up again and they would get through this. and, most of all, he kept thinking about how beautiful their life could've been. how it would've been.

how it should've been.

"harry potter and talia riddle...are dead!" voldemort turned around to his followers, as the deatheaters behind him laughed and cackled. he faced the hogwarts students and staff afterwards with his hands out and an accomplished smile.

"and now is the time to declare yourself. come forward and join us as my daughter should have...or die." he went on.

no one dared to move. it was silent as people waited and watched those around them.

lucius malfoy put his hand out at his son, who was still with talia.

"draco.." he called. draco swallowed hard, looking back down at talia in despair.

"leave the girl." lucius tried. draco shook his head. he couldn't leave her.

"draco..." narcissa said. she put out her hand as well, and he could see the begging look on his face.

he had to go over there for his parents sake. but the one thing he wasn't going to do was leave talia.

the malfoy boy rose to his feet first. then, he cleared his throat and picked talia's body up in his arms, carrying her bridal style so he could stand next to his parents. voldemort smiled when he saw him stand, but it faltered when he held tal.

he met draco in the middle, which made the poor boy feel sick.

"well done, draco. well done." voldemort caressed the boys hair. he went to touch talia's, when draco continued walking. he wouldn't let that happen.

draco's parents were relieved he walked to their side. lucius wanted to pat his shoulder, but narcissa was quick to hug the boy. she helped him get talia's hair out of her face, then put his wand, harry's wand, in his pocket. he glanced down at it bleakly, looking back at tal.

her beautiful, sweet face that he loved so much.

unexpectedly, neville longbottom took limping steps forward. voldemort chuckled.

"well, i must say i hoped for better." he joked like it was a sick game, making the deatheaters laugh and making neville feel stupid and small.

"and who might you be, young man?"

"neville longbottom." neville answered. again, the deatheaters laughed. and again, neville felt small.

"well, neville. i'm sure we can find a place for you in our ranks." voldemort smiled.

"i'd like to say something!" neville explained his actions. voldemort tried to hold himself together to keep from getting frustrated.

talia began to gain consciousness, but she didn't dare move. instead, she sat and waited for the right time and enjoyed laying in draco's arms after going through something so painful.

"well, neville. i'm sure we'd all be fascinated to hear what you had to say."

neville took a breath before talking. he knew he could die at any moment.

"it doesn't matter that talia and harry's gone."

"stand down, neville!" seamus said from the crowd.

"people die everyday! friends, family, yeah. we  lost harry and tal tonight. but they're still with us. in here!"

he pointed to his heart.

"and so is fred. and reamus. and tonks. all of 'em. they didn't die in vain!"

neville turned to look at voldemort in the eyes.

"but you will. because you're wrong! harry and tal had dignity for us. for all of us! this isn't over!"

neville pulled out the sword of gryffindor, and everything started happening at once. talia could hear the sword and harry stand from hagrid's arms. she took this as her chance.

the girl turned to snake and threw herself up in the air. draco gasped as the deatheaters around him stood back. immediately, tal went for nagini and bit her neck like she had done her. she knew it wouldn't kill her. but she wanted that small taste of revenge.

then, she turned back to her human form in front of her father and looked at his confusion through his eyes.

draco ran between them. he put his hand on talia's back, throwing his wand in between him and harry.

"potter!" he called.

the wand rolled to harry's feet, allowing him to strike a now weak nagini. a part of draco wondered if he had just run across to touch talia to make sure her being alive was real.

and, once he saw that she was, he knew he would no longer make any of the wrong choices.

"confringo!" harry pointed his wand to the snake on the ground, who was struggling to slither. voldemort goes to strike between him and talia, but talia blocks it with her wand.

together, tal and harry ran along an outside open corridor. voldemort shot fire at them as they did, talia glancing behind her every now and then and shooting from her wand to defend them. deatheaters shot themselves up in the air. voldemort looked around at the scene unraveling before him. first, he was in disbelief. then anger.

talia followed harry up to where students were being ushered to the great hall. ron and hermione were waiting for them. but, in the distance, talia could see draco looking for her in the chaos. narcissa and lucius were calling for him.

she looked at ron, harry and hermione. then, she looked back at draco and made a choice.

he could see her running up to him, and they practically tackled each other in a hug. she wrapped her arms around his neck and closed her eyes tight. for a moment, everyone around them wasn't fighting and running for their lives. it was just them.

"oh, for merlin's sake, talia. i thought you were dead." draco said. tal smirked.

"i told you i wasn't going anywhere."

"don't ever do that again."

lucius struck a spell at the two to get their attention. he didn't hit them, but next to them, causing them to look over.

"draco!" he called. draco and talia looked at him, then back at each other.

"if you want to-"

"no. no, i'm choosing you." he cut her off.

his words made the girl's heart melt before she noticed his eyes drifting behind her. she turned and saw voldemort apparating with nagini, chasing after harry inside of the castle.

"i have to go." tal shook her head. draco did the same.

"no! this is our chance. we can get away from this. we'll run." he said. deep down, he knew talia would never go for it. it was too selfish of them.

"draco, you know i have to make this right."

still, draco shook his head.

tal swallowed hard.

"im the only one that can kill him. dumbledore said so himself." she explained.

draco looked up into her eyes. he realized then that no matter what, she would risk dying if it meant he and everyone else would get to live a life without the dark lord in it. and, because of how stubborn as the girl was, talia wasn't backing down.

so, instead of protesting, he was forced to oblige.

"go." he said.

she was about to turn before he grabbed her face and kissed her. as he did, he thanked god that he was able to do that one last time.

and she took a step back and apparated away.