For The Greater Good (A Draco Malfoy Story)

Devil's On My Heels

        "What happens now?"

Draco bit his lip, drawing my attention down to it. Our first kiss came to mind though it shouldn't have, I had better things to worry about. Where did we stand on the spectrum between enemies and friends? He seemed to hesitate and I could see indecision warring within his eyes. He was stalling, he didn't know what to do.

"This is it, isn't it? They've asked you to bring me to Him," I stated, feeling strangely calm.

"Yes, Bellatrix is waiting," his voice was quiet and he hung his head, as if he physically couldn't hold my gaze. "They're going to call Him soon."

I nodded, gripping my locket in my fist as I stood up from my cot. I needed all the strength I could get. I was healing by the second but I knew expelling any large amounts of energy would wipe me out again. "How many people are upstairs waiting for me?"

His brows furrowed. "Seven, I think. Why?"

"Because you're a damn fool if you think I'm just going to roll over and let them hand me to him like a prize. Now, the question is...are you going to fight with me or will I have to count you as my eigth opponent?"

Draco.

Decision time had arrived. I knew that this one choice would set me up for all the rest that would follow soon after. This choice would define who I was and who I wanted to be. But two against seven? And not just any seven -- my aunt and my parents. My stomach twisted at the thought, I didn't think I had it in me...but then I looked at Rose and felt shame course through me at my fear. She was so strong, so ready to throw herself under the line of fire just to protect others and keep her integrity. It wasn't a difficult choice for her to make. She would rather die than join the Dark Lord and I envied her for her strength. I had been weak from the very start. Was I going to die a coward too?

"I'm with you."

She smiled at me then, one that went up to her eyes and showed off the snaggletooth she usually tried to hide and it made me feel something akin to hope. "Listen, there's a back door in the kitchen that leads outside. We have a charm around the perimeter of the house that makes apparation impossible but if we can get to the woods and run a few feet away, we'll be able to do it. You can meet up with your brother once we get there."

"Alright, I'm ready," she said with steel in her spine. She walked to the bottom of the stairs leading before suddenly stopping, turning towards me and planting a quick kiss on my cheek. "Thank you, Draco." Before I could even process it, she marched upstairs.

Snap out of it, you git!

I followed her quickly and stood in front of Bellatrix, my parents and four other Death Eaters with my hand on Rose's arm.

"Ah, well if it isn't our favorite bloodtraitor!" My aunt jeered. "You all took your time. Having a little fun, eh Draco?" My hand tensed on Rose's arm. Don't tempt her, drop it. Drop it. Drop it, the voice inside my head said to myself. "Well, playtime is over, nephew. If you please, I'd like to do the honors this time. Oh, He'll be so proud," she rolled up her sleeve while her tongue licked her yellowed teeth but before her finger could land on her Dark Mark, she struck an invisible barrier. "What?" She tried to poke her arm again but it never made contact. "What is this?"

"You forgot one thing, bitch," Rose grinned. "I don't need a wand."

Bellatrix screamed in rage, moving to pull her wand out only to realize that it was missing. "GET HER--!"

Rose sent out a stunning spell before she could even finish her sentence. Bellatrix flew backwards, landing on an expensive oak table and splitting it in half. The four other Death Eaters picked up the slack, however, and pointed their wands at her.

"Incarcerous!" one of them shouted only to be sent flying across the room like my aunt by my hand. My parents stared at me aghast as I held my wand out with a determined set to my shoulders.

"You filthy traitor!" Lucius sneered, raising his wand and igniting a duel that was long overdue. As I fought tooth and nail with my father, I became dimly aware of the other Death Eaters quickly falling to the ground with chains around them and Rose wasn't even lifting a finger.

"Draco, come on! This isn't the time!" she shouted, backing away towards the kitchen door as more and more Death Eaters started to file into the room. I gritted my teeth and with one loud roar sent a hex at my father before he could retaliate and watched as he fell to the floor, paralyzed. Rose threw a a protective barrier over us as I took her arm and ran through the kitchen to the back of the house. Bursting outside, we were met with more opponents on our tail.

"Just go! Keep running!" I yelled, pushing her in front of me and sprinting as fast as my legs could take me. I couldn't remember the last time I ran this hard. Granted, I never had to run for my life before. Rose kept the barrier up but I knew doing so for too long but end up draining her and that was power we could need in the future so I sent curses flying behind me as we ran. Branches scraped at our arms and cheeks, the tall evergreen trees providing a useful obstacle course for those behind us. I spotted the largest tree a few feet away, the one with the trunk as thick as a building and knew we were approaching the barrier line.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a Bengal tiger appeared next to me. A fucking Bengal tiger of all things! I was sure I was hallucinating until Rose shouted at it to keep going until I said we could apparate. I felt the little voice inside me snort. She bloody well talks to tigers too.

Three feet...two feet...I counted down, feeling the Death Eaters approaching so quickly that I could feel their labored breaths on my neck.

"Gabriel, come here!" Rose called to the tiger. That was Gabriel? Honestly, what is up with this family? They were a mixed bag of acquired talents and gifts. Adrenalin and hope coursed through me like a drug and some mad part of me wanted to just laugh. We were doing it, we were really doing it. As we got closer and closer to the end, I thought I'd feel pieces of me chip away and fall back to stay with my past and the person I was...but under the rushing of my blood, I knew something as simple as running away wouldn't fix what I had done to myself. I was still a Death Eater, and sooner or later, it would come back to haunt me no matter how far I ran or where I went.

"Now, now!" I took Rose's hand just as we passed the barrier line and looked to the side, only to see Gabriel the bloody tiger, pouncing on me and sinking a paw into my back. At his touch, I felt my stomach twist with the familiar sense of apparation and knew, we had did it.