Your Grief is My Grief [DM] sequel to Beauty and the Beast

Chapter Thirty-One

Draco's POV:

One of the most terrifying aspects of a person's life is the inevitable, unstoppable marching of time. Time moves on no matter what. Death is progressing closer and closer every second and there is nothing anyone can do to stop this inevitability.

But when will death finally come? Will it be in 86 years? 2 years? 3 days? 15 minutes?

Time marched on as Liz and I dreaded the approaching death. Would it be us or Dumbledore? We both spent time sitting around and staring at something - anything - begging time to stop, if not for a little while.

The week stomped by. Day by day, minute by minute, second by second until the day was upon us like a tidal wave. Suddenly we were drowning in horror and anticipation. Our lungs were being filled with the suffocating suddenness of the event and before we knew it, we were walking down the seventh floor corridor, our hands clasped tightly together.

My eyes were fixed on the span of wall that would open to the Room of Requirement as the portraits passed in a slow blur. Beside me, Lizzie was chewing on her lip, which had become bloodier and bloodier over the last week.

When we entered the room, we both inhaled sharply. The air inside was significantly colder than normal despite the warm weather outside the castle. I guess worldly factors don't affect magical rooms like this.

"'S cold," Liz mumbled. I nodded in agreement and dragged my feet towards the Vanishing Cabinet, where the cold temperature felt to be radiating from. It seemed to be looming over us more than ever. We both took a seat on the sofa to wait.

I had owled Borgin about a week ago to let him know of our plan before owling my mother and father as well. Borgin had owled back almost immediately and told me that he would be ready, giving me his best wishes. Father had taken longer to respond, almost four days to be exact. He told me that the Dark Lord was pleased with our work and would be sending his best into the castle to lead the battle. Bellatrix Lestrange, Fenrir Greyback, Alecto and Amycus Carrow, Thorfinn Rowle, and Corbin Yaxley.

Lizzie knew that her father would be there, but she was still nervous as hell. She despised her father for all that she was being forced to do. She was also so nervous because the fate of her mother was resting upon what would happen tonight. If Liz and I succeeded, she would be set free. If we failed, we would all be killed.

She hardly ever spoke of her mother, and if anyone mentioned anything about mothers, she would start to chew on her lip and look down. It broke my heart to see her so fragile and yet so strong at the same time.

I tried to slow time by studying the items that surrounded us, but we had spent so much time in here that I knew it by heart. Directly to the right of the Vanishing Cabinet, the makeshift path that had been made over the years continued on, and to the left was a very large, and very tall pile of books. Liz had attempted to dig through it a few times, looking for something that might help us, but stopped due to the teetering. If one book fell they all would and they would, unfortunately, probably fall on us.

To my left, beside the sofa that Liz and I were sitting on, was a small, circular table that wobbled precariously when touched. A long and jagged crack ran down one of the legs, splinters sticking out at odd angles and threatening to impale anything that came in contact. On top of the table was the marble ashtray that we had used to test the cabinet the week before.

Click

Lizzie and I both leapt to our feet, our wands in hand, when the cabinet gave its telltale key-noise. Silence followed the click, making me wonder if we had done something wrong, but before I voiced my worries, the door creaked open. A pale set of knobbly fingers appeared around the edge of the door, gently pushing it open.

"Oh, how great it is to finally be back," a voice cackled as a figure stepped out of the cabinet. It was my dear Aunt Bellatrix, dressed in her usual black garb, her long, black hair resting wherever it wanted to.

Lizzie took a step closer to me so our arms touched. "Dear me," she smirked. "Where are my manners? Bellatrix Lestrange." She held one of her hands out to Lizzie, expecting her to shake it, but Liz only flinced. The woman cackled again at Liz's reaction.

"Where are the others?" I asked quickly before Bellatrix could scare Liz anymore.

With a pout, Bellatrix replied, "There was only room for one at a time. The Dark Lord saw it fit to send me first." She drew her wand and looked around at our surroundings. "I think I'll just get started." She gave a wicked smile and cast a directional spell to lead her out of the room.

"No killing!" I called after her, desperate that no one get hurt. She replied with a tut-tut of her tongue.

Liz turned to me and gave a terrified look, her eyebrows knit together and her jaw clenched tightly. "I know," I sighed, wrapping my arms around her, but pulling away quickly when the cabinet gave another click. Fenrir Greyback hopped out of the cabinet and gave us a wickedly toothy smile.

"So here we are," he growled, studying me and Liz, his eyes lingering on Liz hungrily.

"Here we are," I repeated with a stony expression. "Run along now."

"And miss all of the fun?" he replied evilly as he took a few steps towards us. Lizzie flinched and stepped closer to me.

"You have a job to do, Greyback. Go do it," I sneered.

"But look at this beauty," Greyback snarled, stepping uncomfortably close to Lizzie.

"Leave," I snapped, putting my arm around Lizzie's shoulder. "Before I curse you into next year." Instead of replying, Greyback gave a simple growl and took off in a jog in the same direction that Bellatrix had.

Lizzie was trembling beside me, so I tightened my grip around her shoulders as we waited in silence for the next arrival.

Following Fenrir Greyback came Alecto and Amycus Carrow. They took off without a word. Rowle came next, giving Liz and I a curt nod and asking for directions to the door.

After Rowle left us in the clearing, Liz and I both knew who was to be crawling out of the cabinet next: Corbin Yaxley, Lizzie's scumbag father.

"Liz," I began, turning to her, "If you want to go around the corner or something, I can handle Yaxley on my own, so you don't have to."

She began to shake her head. "No," she murmured. "No, we're in this together."

I placed my hand on her cheek and she leaned into it, placing her hand on top of mine. "Are you sure?" I asked.

"Positive," she whispered as the cabinet clicked once more.

"Votre chagrin est mon chagrin," I said into her ear.

Cobin Yaxley stepped out of the cabinet and looked to the ceiling, breathing in deeply. "Oh, how wonderful it is to be back in this prison." He dropped his head and stared at Lizzie, who was staring back, steely. "Of course, it won't be a prison for much longer, my dear."

"I am not your dear," Lizzie said slowly in return. Her voice was full of venom. So much so that I almost expected Yaxley to drop dead in front of us.

The man cackled and left towards the door, leaving us standing alone in the clearing of rubbish in the Room Where Everything is Hidden.

"What now?" Lizzie mumbled, looking at her shoes with a pathetic expression.

"I'm sorry," I whispered with a shake of my head.

She lifted her eyes and cocked her head slightly. "Sorry for what?"

"For this." I pulled my wand from my pocket and pointed it at her, faster than light. "Petrificus Totalus." Her body straightened and began to fall backwards. Had I not caught her, she would have struck her head on the floor. I lifted her up and set her down on the sofa, tucking her hair behind her ears. Her eyes stared at me. "I'm sorry. I can't let you taint your soul because of something I dragged you into." I kissed her forehead and walked out of the room with a tear rolling down my cheek.