Amy Riddle - Volume 2: The Half Blood Prince (A Voldemort's Daughter Story)

Part 17

Chapter 17

Amy's POV

Ron, Fred, George, and I were in the kitchen. The adults were syaing their farewells in the doorway. Harry and Ginny were nowhere to be found. This is when it happened. It felt like that feeling you get when you bomb a test and you know you bombed it, and you're just waiting anxiously to get the results back and when you do it's worse than you expect.

And it was sudden, too. One minute the Weasleys and I were talking about something - nothing, really, just passing the time - the next, I hear an explosion, I see a flash of light, I feel a blast of heat. I drop my knife on the kitchen floor and it lands with a thud thankfully nowhere near my sock covered feet. Then the noise is softer, the light is more orange, the heat is nearly numbing. And I snap back to reality.

I knew what had happened, but I tried to ignore the fact that it had happened. George and Fred, besides me (and they didn't know that I knew) were the first to realize what had happened and they rushed to the window to see the scene unfolding outside. Ron and I made eye contact for a brief second before following and looking outside as well.

There was fire everywhere, and it casted an orange glow across the Burrow. Sparks flew from the wall of flame surrounding the marshy land outside and the flames licked threateningly towards the onlookers. Then, and again, I predicted this, I saw a figure outside. I fight the urge to attack her, Bellatrix Lestrange, someone who I once looked up to, someone now who had taken something so special from a person I was so close to calling my friend. And then I see that friend.

I heard his loud footsteps from the staircase and the rooms inside and seconds later I saw him sprinting from the porch. Mr. Weasley shouted his name and Lupin quickly followed Harry into the reedy marshes surrounding the house. Then Ginny. Then Mr. Weasley himself.

I couldn't contain myself much longer. I bolted away from the window and followed my friends into the rushes. I heard voices calling my name behind me. I didn't listen.

"Harry!" I screamed.

I knew I was dancing on thin ice. One wrong move and my father's cronies would rat me out to him. I had to play it safe - make it seem like I was protecting Harry as to not reveal myself, not protecting him for the sole purpose of protecting him. My father wanted me to interfere just enough to keep myself safe, but still let the Death Eaters capture Harry.

Even as I blindly stumbled through the marsh, I had no idea what the hell I was going to do.

I came to a small clearing and stopped, whirling around, getting a sense of my surroundings. The only noises is the small splash of water and the rustle of reeds in the wind. I breathe softly and get used to these noises, that way any change in the ambience would instantly alert me to a newcomer.

Just as I planned, I spun on my feet when I heard the soft crunch of dirt. I came face to face with Fenrir Greyback, a Death Eater and a Werewolf and not a guy that I liked at all. I narrowed my eyes, but he only leered at me, then Disapparated in a poof of smoke. So my father wasn't going to kill me after all. I decided to keep moving, so I turn left and run into the rushes.

As I sprinted towards noises of a battle, I get a glimpse of someone else looking into the reeds, most likely scanning the area for enemies. I crouch a little lower and creep towards whoever this was. Once I finally neared them enough I realized who it was. Harry Potter. I hesitated. The person I was last year wouldn't have hesitated to kill the boy in front of me. The Chosen One, so easily finished by my own hand. What better opportunity!?

But the person I was now had a harder time with that. The person I was now was dealing with a debilitating internal crisis on whether or not the boy in front of me was my friend.

But the heated debate going on inside of my head was cut short when I saw a looming figure in the distance. Over Harry's shoulder to which he was completely unaware I saw Greyback. He had a frightening grin on his face and I knew that his intention was to kill. If I shouted out, Harry would be warned, he would survive, but Greyback would tell my father. If I let Greyback carry on, Harry would die, my father would succeed, he would be proud of me, he would love me, I would be happy again -

Would I really be happy?

Greyback raised his wand. I closed my eyes. What do I do? What do I do? Harry whipped his head around right as Greyback brought his wand down, but with not nearly enough time to react and save himself.

Just as I thought the end was coming, a barrier appeared between Harry and Greyback's curse.

I Disapparated in a whoosh of black smoke. I guess my instincts acted for me. Contradicting just about everything I believed in and desired last year, I saved the Boy Who Lived.

**********

"You sure you're okay?"

I nodded, but kept my gaze turned towards the speeding terrain.

"Tell me again what happened?"

I looked up at Draco. "Greyback was about to kill him. Harry had no time. I didn't realize I did it, but I - I protected him. And then I got out of there as fast as I could."

Draco and I sat on the Hogwarts Express. I had experienced one hell of a Christmas break and came out of it none the better, but Draco had done nothing but gotten worse. Extremely worse. He was paler than usual and there were dark circles under his eyes, which, might I add, looked cold and dead.

I hesitated. "You seem upset."

He had looked a little ticked off, but that was Draco for you. His hatred for Harry was far greater than mine. And now I couldn't even tell if I hated him any more. Draco looked out the window. "I'm not. I'm glad you didn't get caught."

I nodded. It had been a close call, but I had Disapparated far enough away and then appeared close enough to Ron and his brothers to make it seem like I was nowhere near Harry or any Death Eaters in the first place. We regrouped and quickly returned to the house to find it, of course, burning, but for the most part we had all ended up okay. I spent the last weekend of my break back at Malfoy Manor in which I remained in my room and didn't speak to anyone, not even Draco.

"Are you okay?" I asked, realizing it made more sense that I should be concerned about Draco, given his attitude and appearance lately.

Draco flicked his eyes towards me. He said nothing, but I had known him for too long for that to make any difference. I could read him like a book. The furrow of his brows and the brief glimmer of pain in his eyes was more than enough for me to get my answer.

Draco was far from okay.