The Siren's Call (A Draco Malfoy Fanfiction)

114. Run the Race

"Potter, your race is run," Lucius said. "Now, hand over the prophecy like a good boy." Dioleh was breathing heavily. It felt to her like there was no air in her lungs.

"Let the others go and I'll give it to you!" Harry cried desperately.

"You are not in a place to bargain, Potter," Lucius retorted, his hate-filled eyes flickering to Dioleh. "You see, there are ten of us and two of you, or hasn't Dumbledore ever taught you how to count?"

"They're dot alone!" Neville called, rushing down the stairs to join the two of them. His lip was seriously busted, distorting his speech.

"Neville, no, go back to Ron," Harry began. Neville tried in vain to use Hermione's wand to take some of them out but none of the spells seemed to be working for him. A large Death Eater caught him by the waist and held him in place.

Smirking, Lucius said, "It's Longbottom isn't it? Well, your grandmother is used to losing family members to our cause. Your death will not come as a great shock."

"Longbottom?" Bellatrix sneered, her interest peaked. "Why, I have had the pleasure of meeting your parents, boy."

"I DOE YOU HAB!" Neville shouted, fighting so furiously against his Death Eater that the man called out in a panic, "Somebody stun him!"

"No, no, no," Bellatrix replied, her expression filled with such savage glee that Dioleh shuttered to think about the pain Neville was about to go through. Dioleh, however, was growing weak. Harry quickly wrapped an arm around her waist as her legs gave out.

⥖✦✧⦽✧✦⥗

Draco was sitting in a dry corner of the hideout, his arms circled around his knees when the hatch opened and the last person he expected dropped down. Snape looked rather like an oversized bat as he awkwardly jumped down into the hole. He instantly spotted Draco and rushed over. "Where are they?" he demanded in a cold voice.

"They went to the Department of Mysteries," Draco explained. "Potter said someone was there that he needed to save."

"And why are you still here?" Snape asked.

"Dioleh made me stay," he admitted. "She said it was too high of a risk that my father would be there or at the very least, that I would end up killed if the Dark Lord found out I was."

"You," Snape spat, "have allowed your friends to walk into a trap." Draco instantly tensed.

Sitting up, he demanded, "What do you mean?"

"I mean that an entire party of Death Eaters is now facing them," Snape snarled. Draco jumped to his feet, rushing for the opening. "And just where do you think you're going?"

"To help my friends," Draco snapped back.

"Granger's statement still holds true!" Snape called back, rushing after him as he jumped out of the hideout and rushed into the forest toward where he knew Blaise kept the bikes. Snape got out next and ran after him. "You will only get yourself killed!"

"And if they die?" Draco snapped back, pulling the tarp off one of the bikes. "Am I supposed to just live with that? What if it was one of your friends, uh? What then? Oh, wait, you don't have any of those, do you." Snape's expression flushed briefly with anger before he quickly calmed himself.

"Draco, nothing good will come of your going," Snape said in a voice of forced calm.

"Then I guess I just won't do a lot of good then," Draco replied. "I'm sorry, Professor, but I can't just sit here and do nothing." Rearing up the bike, he took off into the air towards London.

⥖✦✧⦽✧✦⥗

"No, let's see how long Longbottom lasts before he cracks like his parents," Bellatrix cackled. "Unless...Potter wants to give us the prophecy."

"DON'D GIB IT TO DEM!" Neville shouted, struggling against his captor.

With a vicious look on her face, Bellatrix cried, "Crucio!" Neville's scream penetrated Dioleh's skull as he curled into himself, momentarily in the air before his captor dropped him to writhe on the floor. As the effects lessened, Bellatrix taunted, "That was just a taster."

As she raised her wand again, Dioleh cried, "NO! PLEASE STOP!" Her eyes were wet from tears.

Giving Dioleh a malicious look, Bellatrix said, "Now, Potter, give us the prophecy or you can watch both your friends die the hard way." Harry started to hold it out but before Lucius could grab it, Dioleh snatched it from him. Lucius gave an angry snarl as he lunged towards her. Dioleh didn't take a moment to think, she turned and ran. She had only made it a few steps before she collapsed, a cry of pain leaving her lips. Lucius was on her at once.

Dioleh screamed, clutching the small orb to her with all her might as he attempted to wrestle it from her. Scrambling to his feet, he shot the torturing curse at her again. Dioleh let out a blood-curdling scream as she rolled away from him, attempting to push through the pain to get away. Before he had the chance to come at her again, Dioleh saw Remus Lupin jump forward, getting between her and Malfoy. Dioleh rolled onto her stomach, tears and blood still pouring down her face as she slowly pulled herself along the floor, the rough stone cutting up her hands, arms, elbows, and her exposed stomach, left unprotected as her shirt tore against the stone.

She sobbed bitterly as she scrambled along at a slow pace until out of nowhere, a spell launched in her direction. The orb, still clutched in hand, shattered, causing a ghostly form to appear but in the noise and confusion, nothing could be heard. The edges of her vision began to blacken until the pull into nothingness was too much and Dioleh lay with her head against the stone floor, unconscious.