Surprising turn - a turn for the better? Or into madness ... (Draco Ff)

Chapter 51 ~ There is no way around the battle anymore...

Victoria's Pov.

The sky was clear and there seemed to be no cloud on it.
The stars shone in the darkness.
The full moon dominated the night sky and banished the blackness of the night.
I waited outside Malfoy Manor and kneaded my fingers.
The gravel crunched under my feet, breaking the oppressive silence.
I waited for the dark lord.
Today his long wait came to an end.
In a few minutes he would own the most powerful wand, the Elder Wand.
Other Death Eaters who would accompany him slowly arrived and seemed relieved to realize the dark lord wasn't there yet.
Some of them were late, others too early and these had lost their patience somewhere.
Some of the Death Eaters paced the path impatiently, while others found the ground more interesting than anything else.
"Now then, my faithful Death Eaters, let's get the Elder Wand.
The wand that should have been mine for a long time!” hissed Voldemort, who had stepped out of Malfoy's mansion in his disgusting form a few seconds ago.
A nod of approval passed through the group as the dark lord eyed each of his followers intently.
With a pop, Voldemort was gone.
His people did the same and disappeared one by one.
I spun around once, imagining the place I was about to Apparate to, then disappeared with a thud, leaving the estate's gravel driveway empty.
The familiar feeling of being pushed through a hose came over me, but went away just as quickly as it came.
I landed with both feet on a small island surrounded by high mountains not far from Hogwarts.
I missed the castle.
Missed the earlier time.
The time when everything was different.
When the daily struggle for survival was not part of the daily routine.
I couldn't and didn't want to get used to the fact that every day could be my last.
However, I didn't know any different.
I was brought up with strict discipline.
My childhood was full of rules that I all had to abide by...

I followed the dark lord's form with my eyes.
With slow steps he stamped into the middle of the small island, in which there was a white marble tomb.
A large stone adorned it and made the place look even more monstrous.
I've never been here, but from the stories told I had a good idea of ​​the place where Dumbledore was buried.
But standing here now, seeing it all with my own eyes, made the stories fade.
In reality, the tomb looked very different.
She seemed intimidating to me without anything I could do about it.
When Dumbledore died back then, a proper burial had been arranged for him.
All of Hogwarts was present.
All students, faculty and ghosts showed up and mourned the loss of the former headmaster of Hogwarts, whom Snape had murdered on the Dark Lord's orders.
I was used to the fact that as a Death Eater, I saw death as a reality.
After all the deeds I had committed, I no longer feared death.
The only thing I feared was losing the people I care about.
There weren't many, but I don't think there should be more innocent blood spilled.
However, this could not be stopped.
The all-important battle would come, and many would risk their lives in the process.
Some would lose it because they fought.
It doesn't matter which side you're on in this fight.
There would be casualties on both sides.
This could not be prevented.
I shook my head, banishing my thoughts and turning my attention to the Dark Lord, who just drew his current wand, Lucius Malfoy's former wand, and aimed it at the large stone on Dumbledore's grave.
He let the huge marble rock float to the side and without a word destroyed the last stones that stood in his way and also dropped them on the ground next to the grave.
He slowly bent over Dumbledore's corpse and briefly studied his pale, dead face before withdrawing the Elder Wand from Dumbledore's clasped hands.
He held the staff up to the pale moonlight, examining every little indentation in the wood.
He stretched his arm up into the night sky and let out lightning bolts in the blackness.
Wind picked up and my Death Eater cloak wrapped around my body.
I realized the enormous power, the enormous power that the Elder Wand was giving off.
There was tension in the air, triggered by the energy of the staff in Voldemort's hand.
The lightning died and the dark lord turned to his followers.
"With this staff, nothing stands in the way of Harry Potter's assassination.
We will win and the magical world of witches and wizards will be mine...!!!”, the dark lord shouted triumphantly and Disapparated.
I stared perplexed at where Voldemort had just been standing and finally shook my head with my nerves.
My gaze swept over the island's cliff and focused on the waves breaking on the rocks.
With each passing day, the battle drew closer.
I didn't know when it would start.
Maybe I was already in the middle of it and just didn't get it until now...

I landed back on the crunching gravel with a thump and could make out the Malfoy manor in front of me.
With brisk steps, I ran towards Malfoy Manor and stepped through the large oak door which led into the reception room.
I entered the large, pompous living room and sat down next to Draco.
He put an arm around me but remained silent.
"He found it," I said absentmindedly, turning my head in his direction.
He took a deep breath and then looked into my eyes.
"You mean the Elder Wand, right?" he asked, turning his hand to mine.
I nodded curtly and let my gaze wander into the fireplace opposite.
One thing was for sure.
There is no way around the battle anymore...