Pawns | A Draco Malfoy Love Story

Identify

I tried to listen closely, but it was difficult. Draco's father had his hand on his son's shoulder and looked like he was talking quickly into his ear, urging him to do something.

The two of them slowly started to walk forward, closer to the captives and heading out of my view.

Desperate and probably reckless, I moved myself around the corner and stayed against the wall of the corridor that spills directly into the room. I was thinking that I just needed somewhat of a better view of the scene, never mind that I was in their view.

It was still hard to see the whole room, but from beyond the exit of this hallway I could see more of the people there. Draco had stopped in front of the tied group, looking down at them all.

Ron looked enraged and worried at the same time. He struggled against his binds. Hermione's expression was difficult to see with her hair in her face, but she looked like she was crying and she was visibly shaking.

No one was looking at me despite being away from the shelter of the corner. Everyone's eyes were on Draco.

"Well?" Shrieked Bellatrix. "Is it him?"

My heart stopped again. I waited for Draco's response, knowing now that he'd been asked to confirm if the disfigured boy was Harry or not.

His reply didn't come at once. I wasn't sure if he wasn't answering, or if I just couldn't hear his low voice. I started to move more forward.

"I can't be sure," I finally heard him say. I almost let out a sigh of relief but caught myself. Some Death Eaters started to look frustrated and unfroze from their attentiveness, pacing around and shaking their heads.

"Look again," I heard his dad say, enunciating the words in annoyance. I watched Draco crouch down and look into the boy's face. I could see it more clearly now. It was horribly swollen and distorted, and I could understand why no one else in the room was sure it was Harry.

But, of course, I knew it was. Despite whatever was wrong with his face at the current moment, I could recognize his ridiculously unruly hair, not to mention his best friends were sitting next to him.

Crap.

Surely they'd put that together if they hadn't already. Just because Draco couldn't, or wouldn't confirm that it was Harry, he'd know who the other people were, and the Death Eaters probably did too.

And just as I thought it, I heard them bring Draco's attention to the rest of the group. My heart was still banging on my rib cage. If he said that he didn't know who these people were, surely they'd know he was lying.

And then I heard him confirm that the girl was Hermione Granger. If it was possible, I grew more worried. As much as I hated what he just said, I knew it was the smartest thing to do. He couldn't lie again. And surely he had some plan. He'd do what he had to do for now and we'd help them later - at least I hoped. For now, we were outnumbered and outpowered.

Suddenly there was an eruption so loud it frightened me out of my thoughts. I scrambled backwards a few steps impulsively. Bellatrix was yelling and I saw both men in the room screaming and struggling against the curses she was aiming at them. Afraid of being seen by the people who were now looking away from the captives and at Bellatrix, I ducked behind the corner again.

I crouched low and peered around it, only my neck and head exposed. It looked like she was choking them and flogging them. They cried out and she screamed manically. She yelled at them to get out of the room and they obeyed. Thankfully it wasn't using the hallway I was in.

I watched as she ran forward, out of my sight. I heard a girl scream and Ron's horse voice yelling out, begging her to leave Hermione alone. My legs acted on their own accord and I ran out from behind the hall, not even sure what I'd do. Hermione's screams were so loud and Ron's cries back to her made me physically sick.

I had only entered the hall for a spilt second before Draco turned around, noticed me, and waved his wand in my direction. A massive gust of wind pushed me backwards and I almost tripped over myself. I tried to run out again, but he glared at me strongly. He waved me away with his hand, telling me to go back and hide. Another Death Eater Almost saw his motion, and for fear that I'd get Draco in trouble, I obliged.

I took a few steps back again, angry at feeling helpless and forced to watch. The boys, who were all still tied, up were being ushered down to the cellar where I'd been kept all those months ago. They'd probably fall down the stairs and break their necks, especially with Ron's focus on Hermione. It was the red head that struggled the most, and the Death Eaters were being excessively rough on him, yanking him by the hair and pushing him. His focus was solely on Hermione who was now standing alone in the middle of the room.

The boys were now out of sight and Bellatrix narrowed her gaze onto a shivering and shaking Hermione. She held her hands up in the air in a sort of surrender and opened her mouth as if to say something. But before she could, a forceful red light hit her hard in the chest and she doubled over.

I screamed out reflexively but my noise was masked by Hermione's own screams of pain.

"Crucio!" Screamed Bellatrix.

Hermione writhed on the ground, crying. I could hear Ron's voice still, calling Hermione's name from below the floor. It was only an echo from here but he was screaming for her at the top of his lungs.

I started to walk out again but Draco pushed me back with the wind once more. I pressed my hand to my face in frustration. Hermione's screams were making me dizzy and there was nothing I could do to help. I sunk against the wall and slid down, pressing my hands over my ears too.

I wasn't sure how much longer I stayed cuddled in that spot but I finally unplugged my ears when I could no longer hear any muffled cries. I lifted my head up and got to my knees, turning around to peer around the corner.

Bellatrix spoke. "You can have her, Fenrir," I heard her say, pointing to a crumpled Hermione who lay motionless in the centre of the room.

I rushed out in anger for the third time, but I wasn't the only one. Ron came bursting out from around the corner too, shouting at the top of his lungs.

Everyone was taken by surprise and jets of light started to fly everywhere. Draco saw me again and pushed me back down the hall, for thee third infuriating time. And in the moment that it took for him to do that, Harry had run up and grabbed him from behind, tackling him.

Draco struggled against Harry who was trying to yank the blond's wand from his hand. The two of them toppled to the ground, practically wresting. Harry pushed on Draco's head from behind and twisted his arm backwards. Draco grit his teeth and the wand slipped from his grasp. Harry seized it and got up, pushing Draco down again and ran back to his friends, casting spells with the stolen wand as he moved.

It was all happening so fast. The next thing I knew, Bellatrix had her knife against Hermione's throat, ordering everyone to stop fighting. The room grew silent to the point where I could hear my rapid and shallow breathing.

Then, the massive chandelier from over head dropped to the ground and Bellatrix let go of Hermione as she jumped out of the way to avoid being crushed.

She shrieked in anger as she looked at her former House Elf, Dobby. I hadn't even noticed the elf make an entrance, but he stood as tall as he could next to the others, a look of defiance in his large bleary eyes.

Ron had caught Hermione and was clutching her tightly against his chest, tears in his eyes as he stroked her hair.

Bellatrix screamed at Dobby, reprimanding him for defying his masters.

"Dobby has no master! Dobby is a free elf," he mustered proudly. "And Dobby has come to save Harry Potter and his friends!"

As he snapped his fingers and the group started to blur and swirl on the spot, Bellatrix reached back behind her head and swung her knife forward, letting it rip through the air like a bullet.

I didn't hear it clank to the ground and I knew it was taken away with the group as they'd disapparated.

I knew someone would die.