Fire and Ice

Unwilling Renunions

"Draco- get by my side this instant!"

Draco's breathing hitched as his fist clenched his wand tighter. He shook his head, marginally.

"DRACO!" Lucious Malfoy bellowed, causing dust mites and ceiling peelings to fall on the wizards. Potter, sensing trouble, slowly eased off to the edge of the wall, giving himself a clearer path in which he can attack the other Death Eaters. Noticing this, Draco began babbling to his father, to stall time and make sure that Potter's plan remained unnoticed.

"Father, I can't let you do this," Draco replied coolly, when he felt anything but. A warm fire began in his chest as his heart began beating twice as fast. No one, not even the Dark Lord himself, intimidated Draco more than his father did.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Lucius screamed, flourishing his wand. Draco stood up to his full height, four inches above his father.

Within seconds, Potter had stupefied two other Death Eaters (who were immobile in crumpled heaps on the floor) and was battling with the third.

Desperately staring back and forth from Draco to Potter, Lucius let out an exasperated growl before aiding the Death Eater with his duel against Potter.

Draco was frozen for a milisecond before remembering why he was there.

Ginny.

Waving his wand towards the third and last masked Death Eater, Draco yelled, "Confringo!" The Death Eater fell.

Slowly, Lucius Malfoy turned to face the two Seekers, who had instinctively stood back-to-back.

"My, my," Lucius said softly, circling them. Draco felt Potter's back clench, as he, too, didn't attempt to attack Lucius. "What have we here?"

"Save it, Malfoy," Potter spat, and Draco closed his eyes a second before Lucius shot a spell at Potter. Draco's comrade deflected it easily.

"Well done, my boy. You would be a nice addition to the Death Eaters."

"Clearly," Potter stated, and Draco cringed at his cocky tone. "I outed three Death Eaters in seconds. Frankly, I think you need somebody who's actually worthy of a fight."

Without hearing Lucius' scathing reply, Draco started as he realised that Potter was simply stalling time, like Draco did for him. Combined with the fact that Potter wasn't even trying to curse Lucius, Draco realised with a shock that Potter wanted DRACO to curse Lucius.

"Well, why don't you ask him?" Potter suddenly replied, pulling Draco out of his thoughts.

"Draco!" His father demanded.

"Father?"

"Tell me why you are here. TELL ME WHY YOU ARE OPPOSITE ME AND NOT BESIDE ME!"

Ginny. Ginny. Ginny. But he couldn't say that.

"Because I'm not a coward." Draco hissed, as a shard of lighting escaped his wand. Lucius Malfoy body hit the ground, his shocked expression still contouring his slack face.