𝐀 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 [Draco×OC]

49: ''HARRY POTTER IS DEAD!'' ⏃

Ángeles' POV

I knew we had little time. Voldemort was tired of this meaningless war, or so he claimed now, though I vividly remembered everything he'd once said about it. But in one thing he was right: too much innocent blood was being shed, according to him, because of Harry's refusal to surrender. Instead of admitting the truth—that none of this made any sense—he blamed Harry. I'd thought of accompanying Harry to the forest, but knowing him, he'd probably want to go alone. Maybe I could stay hidden somewhere? Maybe go discreetly, staying among the Death Eaters who'd be there?

"You're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you, Rasmüssen?" Draco said, eyeing me with suspicion. "Because if you are, it's a terrible idea."

"And what makes you think you know what I'm thinking, Malfoy?" I smiled, amused. "Oh, damn... Is it that obvious?" I asked, sighing.

"You know, Ángeles," he said, moving closer to me, "the first thing I noticed is that you always do what you believe is right. But now, I have to ask you something... Please don't go to the forest. Many Death Eaters have seen you attacking them; you'd be taking an unnecessary risk by going there. Please..." he said, holding my hands tightly.

The desperation in his gaze made it impossible to ignore him. He was right; if I went there, it was a death sentence for me. But I couldn't just stand by, doing nothing. For the Death Eaters, I would officially be a traitor, though they knew as well as I did that I wasn't there by choice. Voldemort knew it too, and he took advantage of that constantly. So, if there was anything I could do to finally end him, I would.

"Fine, I won't go... But let's help these kids and anyone else we can. You saw Fred Weasley, right? I'm sure the families of the fallen will need help."

Draco nodded, and we began helping first-year students find shelter. "Thank you, miss!" one of them said, hugging me tightly, fighting back tears of terror. Who knew what horrors these poor kids had witnessed here? They didn't deserve to experience their first year like this.

After we hid as many children as we could, promising them they'd be safe, we headed toward the Hogwarts entrance. It was strange; there were no Death Eaters around, but I figured they were with Voldemort in the forest, or at least nearby. When we reached the entrance, some were tending to the wounded, while others mourned their fallen, like that Lupin and the colorful-haired woman who had been with him at the Weasley house. I asked Draco to wait, hidden, just in case, and I approached their bodies, meeting the gaze of some of the Weasley family members... I couldn't bring myself to tell them what I'd seen, though I noticed they were searching the arriving crowd.

"You..." said Mrs. Weasley, in a tone I couldn't quite decipher. It wasn't accusatory, nor joyful; it was more like... surprise?

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Weasley," I replied, hugging her without a second thought. To my surprise, she returned the embrace.

I still couldn't tell her what I'd seen. I understood that it wasn't my place, though it hurt deeply to know they were waiting for a son who would never return.

"I never thanked you for fixing my house," she said, breaking the hug, holding my cheeks with a tearful smile that I felt I didn't deserve.

"It was the least I could do, ma'am," I said, trying not to cry. "I'm truly sorry... Please, take care of each other; these people are dangerous," I said, taking her hands still on my cheeks.

She said nothing, only nodded with a gentle smile, as the rest of her family did the same. I understood that they had accepted my apology, forgiven me, understood that none of this was truly my will, and that I'd always, whenever I could, tried to do the right thing. I smiled at them and returned to where Draco was hiding behind a column. Seizing the moment when no one was looking, I began to cry in silence, overwhelmed by everything that had happened. Draco held me without a word. Neither of us needed to speak; it didn't matter. I looked around, seeing how Hogwarts had become a fortress of war, with a few stone knights still standing. The remaining students wore exhausted expressions, some frozen in horror.