Entranced (Draco Malfoy)

•thirty-one•

A/N - sorry.

Death Eaters in the castle, Death Eaters in the castle, Death Eaters in the castle. Susan Bones repeats the mantra in her head, her grip on her wand tight as ever. Death Eaters in the castle. I have to protect Hogwarts. 

How did this happen? Why didn't Dove tell her anything? She slips on nothing, falling to the ground painfully. Her wand rolls out of her previously-tight grip, just out of arm's length. Footsteps slap the ground behind her, a growl breaking out. 

Fear pounds Susan's heart. She suddenly realizes she never should have tried to distract the Death Eaters. She did it to protect the place she loves, but at what cost? Her life? She won't let herself die!

Forcing herself to scoot up the extra inches she needs, she grabs her wand, pointing it at the figure lurking down the hall towards her. 

Feeling more brave than she ever has, she yells, "Confringo!" 

The spell hits the figure square in the chest, and he goes flying backwards, hitting the wall hard. He falls, and he doesn't make any move to get up from where he lies. Did she kill him? Susan shakes her head at herself, hurrying to stand up.

What if she killed him?

No, she can't worry about that. She has to get back to the others. There are more Death Eaters in the castle. She has to save the castle. If she killed him, it was clearly in self-defense. 

But what if she killed him?

She didn't use the Killing Curse. She didn't use anything illegal. She used a spell that she now knows works very well against enemies. And he was just that: an enemy.

But what if she killed him? 

The thought won't leave her mind. She takes one more step in the opposite direction before stopping, putting one hand over her face in both disappointment and fear. 

What if she just checks really quick?

The idea doesn't immediately get torn apart in her head, so she slowly turns around, peering at the seemingly-lifeless figure at the end of the hall. He doesn't seem to be breathing.

She killed him.

Breaking into a slight jog, Susan Bones rushes to the man's side, tears building in her eyes. She falls to the ground, ignoring the pain in her knees. Placing her hands on the man's shoulders, she shakes him gently, a sob causing pain to flutter through her throat.

He suddenly leaps up, picking her up and throwing her into the wall herself. She shrieks, her wand acting of its own accord.

"Expelliarmus!" She cries aloud as she lays in a heap.

His wand comes flying towards her, but he doesn't need a wand to hurt her. 

"Stupid girl," he snarls. "I'm a werewolf. I don't need a bloody wand."

He walks towards her menacingly, grabbing her by her throat and heaving her up into the air. She gasps loudly, a cough already building in her throat. Her face begins to turn red, her hands clawing at his to free herself. 

Her feet dangle in the air, trying to land any sort of hit on him. She doesn't want to die! He squeezes harder, her face turning an unsettling purple. She croaks a plea, but it goes ignored. Her wand clatters to the ground.

A snap echoes throughout the air, lingering in the hall. Fenrir Greyback drops Susan Bones onto the floor without a second thought. He grabs her wand, putting it into his pocket for a keepsake. 

He killed her.

-

Professor Dumbledore and Harry Potter arrive on the Astronomy Tower, the latter extremely concerned for the former. Dumbledore suddenly lashes his wand out, casting the full-body bind curse onto the Gryffindor, masking him effectively. 

With only a few seconds left to spare, he throws the extra broom behind him, waving his wand to make it disappear completely. Blaise Zabini suddenly stalks out of the shadows, wand raised, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"I don't want to do this," he warns his headmaster. "But Dove didn't fulfill her destiny."

"That is not her destiny to fulfill," Dumbledore shrugs. "But killing me isn't your destiny either."

"He only made me do it because Draco was off shacking up with Dove!" Blaise yells heatedly, waving his wand vigorously.

"None of this is your fault, Blaise," the headmaster says gently. "None of it at all."

For a moment, Blaise thinks he's hinting at something, but he's so overwhelmed that he can't think straight, "I didn't do it alone either!" 

And that's when the door opens, someone walking in with their wand raised confidently, so unlike Blaise in every way. As the person steps into the light, Dumbledore is forced to face the biggest twist he's ever seen.