For The Greater Good (A Draco Malfoy Story)

Responsibilities

        "We've been tracking their progress and we've realized they've been getting bolder and more dangerous. They hit muggle cities every week and raid wizarding homes every day. They've collected muggle-borns and half-bloods as much as they could whenever they could--" a grim faced wizard named Barclay said, with wrinkles covering him from forehead to chin and a haircut that made me think someone hacked his hair off with a machete.

"--Those bloody Snatchers," another wizard spat into a corner.

"Right you are," Barclay continued. "There are only a few muggle-borns and half-bloods left and most of them are in our safe keeping. The rest, hidden somewhere. Possibly even fled the damn country. I know I would."

"So what do we do?" Gabriel asked, his arms crossed over his chest.

"We have groups formed already. Tomorrow, we'll dispatch one group to each town, muggle and wizarding, and attempt to thwart the Death Eaters. Those who go to the muggle cities like London, Manchester, Brighton, Edinburgh, Dublin, will just keep a standard watch and guard position. Blend into the crowd and keep an eye out on any suspicious activity and act accordingly. We don't need more muggle deaths and the whole bloody wizarding community being exposed on top of everything that's already happening," Barclay sighed, his frown growing fiercer. "As for those going to wizarding communities, you will be assisting with the evacuation of any wizard still occupying those areas, pure blood or otherwise. Send them all to one of the Order's safe-houses which we will give you locations of."

"And what about us?" I jumped in. "We're coming too."

Barclay exchanged glances with my mother before looking at Gabriel and I and then flickering his eyes at Draco standing a few feet behind me. "Gabriel, you can go with Langley's group to Brighton, they could use a few extra hands--"

"--And Rose?" Gabriel interrupted him.

"Well, I was going to assign Rose to the Glasgow group--"

"--I go wherever Rose goes."

"I can handle being on my own Gabriel. I'm not a child."

"It doesn't bloody well matter, Rose, and you know it," Gabriel snapped. "We're staying together and that's final."

I didn't realize how tense I was until I felt a cooling hand lay on my shoulder and rub a knot out with a firm thumb. "I'll... go with her," Draco's voice came from behind me.

Uncertainty colored Gabriel's eyes and I could see he was about to object and I guess Draco could too. "I wouldn't let anything happen to her."

"Can we believe that?" the wizard from before, Anderson, muttered under his breath but we heard him. Draco sent him a bone chilling glare.

"Well, well, I never thought that the high and mighty Order of the Phoenix would have their own prejudices to dish out," he replied in a cold voice that scarily resembled that of his father's. I felt goosebumps rising on my skin just hearing it.

Anderson's thin and ruddy face colored to a deep red before leaving the room, grumbling and coughing to himself. Draco turned back to Gabriel, his face relaxing to its normal cool expression, but with sincerity burning behind his eyes. "I'll watch over her." They stood staring at each other, both with their backs straight and their stance defiant. It almost made me forget that they were in a pissing match over who would babysit me. Almost.

"For god's sake, I'm standing right here! I don't need you two squabbling over who gets to come with me. This isn't even about me! We've got more important things to take care of," I huffed.