Hidden Feelings - A Draco Malfoy Love Story

Chapter Forty-Four

"And how do you all feel about this?" Lucius asks, turning to view the rest of the room. I avoid the eyes of my friends, desperate to ignore the disappointment they'll feel. The betrayal. I'm sure I would feel the same. He stops to look at Harry, and when I glance up, he's glaring at Lucius.

"Screw you, Malfoy," he spits out, lifting his arm and throwing the prophecy to the ground. A breeze fills the room, white clouds of smoke appearing as members of the Order appear. I feel Dad tense up behind me when they start attacking and releasing the students. I see Mom rushing at me, and Dad starts pulling me back.

"Mom, wait!" I scream, but she shouts a spell and Dad collapses behind me. I turn around and drop to his side, seeing a red slash across his arm. He hisses in pain, and I wave my wand to lift his mask. Dad stares up at me, his eyes wide.

"Elizabeth, what are you-" Mom gasps, seeing what she's done. "Oh. Oh, darling, I'm-"

"I'm okay," he groans. "Elizabeth, I'm so sorry we didn't tell you sooner."

My heart stops for a moment. "We?"

"We agreed it was safest to just keep these lives separate," Mom explains, crouching beside me to start healing him. He sits up as she murmurs the spell a few times. She glances over my shoulder, and I hear the fighting going on behind me, but I don't care. I need these answers.

"Me being a death eater, her being in the Order," he continues. "It was safest. For us, for you."

"Elizabeth!" Neville shouts from behind me. I shake my head at my parents and push myself to my feet, running to help my friends.

"Stupefy!" I shout, knocking back the death eater that was holding onto Neville. "Come on, we need to get out of here."

"Harry's out there," he shouts, pointing to the door. I turn and see Hermione and Ron running toward it, members of the order slowly taking down the death eaters. We run after them, opening the door. I gasp when I see Dumbledore, standing before none other than Voldemort. The sight of him, his pale, inhuman face smiling at our headmaster...it's enough to horrify anyone.

"Harry!" Hermione shouts, and I turn to look right as Harry's knees buckle.

"Elizabeth, get back here!" Dad shouts from the doorway. Dumbledore raises his wand and starts fighting Voldemort as Luna and Ginny run out, their eyes wide. I ignore my father and start running toward Harry, until Ron grabs my wrist and pulls me back.

"Go to your parents," he tells me, pushing me away. I glance back at them, then to Ron.

"Ron, I'm-"

"Go!" he snaps. I bite my lip and race back to the room, some members of the Order standing in a group talking with anxious tones. One stands in the corner giving a message to their patronus. Dad's hands are tied in front of him, Mom gripping his arm tightly.

"Elizabeth, I don't have much time, so I need you to listen," he whispers. I see the Order keeping an eye on him, but they aren't making any move to send him away like the others.

"Are they arresting you?" I ask softly.

"We have to," Mom says apologetically. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth. We never meant for it to come out like this."

"What do you mean, you were keeping your lives separate?" I question.

"If the death eaters knew your mom was in the Order, or that she knew about me, they'd kill me, or her, or you, and I couldn't risk that," he says, "nor could we let them think I was responsible for information leaking."

"Why did you go back?" I feel my throat tighten and dig my nails into my palm to stop myself from crying. "I thought you couldn't stay with them. You couldn't betray the Potters."