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

Chapter 53 ~ Here we go! Prepare yourself... Also for eventual death.

Victoria's Pov.

I tossed and turned in my bed.
It was the middle of the night and my body was not resting.
I felt all my muscles tense under my skin.
A light breeze blew through the open window.
A whistling noise reached my ears and made me roll onto my back.
I stared at the ceiling and kneaded my fingers.
Just as I was about to close my eyes again, a sharp pain shot through my left forearm.
I jumped and sat up in my bed with a jerk.
It burned so much that tears welled up in my eyes and I couldn't help it.
It was like the time the Dark Mark was burned into me, only it was much worse now.
I pushed up my sleeve and stared at the dark mark.
It glowed and pulsed black.
The snake lolled around the skull and then I understood...
The dark lord called us.
It started...
I jumped out of bed like a rat and threw on the Death Eater cloak.
I grabbed my wand which was lying by my bed and wrapped my fingers around the Death Eater mask.
I took a deep breath and opened the door that led out into the hallway.
As I closed the door behind me, someone suddenly ran into me.
"Sorry, just..." Draco started but was interrupted by me.
"Yes I know, it's starting."
He nodded curtly and also threw on the Death Eater cloak he had been carrying in his arms before.
He also held the mask tightly in his right hand.
I walked up to him and brushed a few strands of hair out of his face.
His skin had an even lighter tone than usual and his eyes were slightly shiny.
The burning in my forearm didn't stop, however, so I turned on my heel and walked down the white marble staircase that led to the reception room, only to find Draco's parents and my mother downstairs.
Behind me, Draco strode towards his mother and tried to manage a smile.
My mother came up to me.
"It starts!  Prepare yourself...
Also to the eventual death.”, she gasped in my left ear and provocatively licked her black teeth.
"I'm not going to die," I said firmly, putting on my mask.
She laughed madly and walked away from me.
"We can't afford to make any mistakes, right?" Draco asked quietly as he came to my side, also covering his face with the Death Eater mask.
"Not the smallest...", I answered the ice prince and looked at him.
I couldn't see any emotion through the mask covering his face.
Only his eyes and they spoke volumes.
He was scared, I could tell.
"Come on then..!" my mother grinned madly and we all Apparated.

A light breeze blew through my hair and my eyes reflected my home, Hogwarts.
I realized that the dark lord had called us to the forbidden forest.
In front of us, at a suitable distance, Voldemort waited in a hollow.
He had his back turned to us and folded his hands behind it as well.
Looking around, I caught my breath.
A sea of ​​Death Eaters and Snatchers had gathered behind the dark lord.
They all kept their heads slightly bowed and awaited their master's command.
"The war has just begun..." the dark lord called, but didn't turn away from the castle.
I let my gaze wander over Hogwarts and saw the blue dome conjured up around the castle.
Who would I lose in battle?
I could never forgive myself if anything happened to Draco...
It seemed to me that the Death Eaters would win.
With as many as we were, the Order of the Phoenix didn't stand a chance.
I turned back to the dark lord as he began to speak.
"My faithful Death Eaters, today is the day of days...
Today is the time to show how strong we are.
We're going to take over the world and everyone who doesn't stand behind us will be murdered in cold blood!” the dark lord hissed and turned to his fellow fighters.
He held the Elder Wand tightly in his right hand and stepped closer to his followers with his bare feet.
"But no one kills Harry Potter but me, understand?"
A unanimous nod went through the ranks of the Death Eaters.
"I'm sorry for those who won't survive.
But if I fall, you fall with me.
When the Aurors arrive to take you to Azkaban, you go with them.
And you all proudly announce that you have served me faithfully.", he said in a serious voice and turned back towards Hogwarts.
He followed the blue dome with his gaze, eyes narrowed to slits.
I didn't know if I wanted to go through with it, proudly being led away by the Aurors.
On the other hand, I knew that either way, if I survived this battle, I would end up in Azkaban and rot and die there.
I looked back at the dome and tightened my grip on my wand.
Voldemort gave a short laugh as he saw several members of the Order of the Phoenix trying to hold the dome steady.
"You're not learning.  It is a pity for every drop of magical blood that is spilled today."
"Begin!" Voldemort commanded.
Everyone raised their wands and rained down black magic spells and curses on Hogwarts.
I did the same and shot a beam of blue light at the large dome.
A sea of ​​spells hit the protective shield and cracks appeared in some places, but it wasn't enough to destroy the dome.
From afar I saw Death Eaters by the Quidditch Field, which was left unprotected, and watched it burn and collapse.
From another section of the forbidden forest, Death Eaters and Snatchers came running, led by Scabior.
Just as they were about to run across the wooden bridge, the first three who ran through the shield smashed.
Of course, the bridge was also protected, which is one of the reasons we destroyed the dome.
I rolled my eyes for no one to see beneath the Death Eater mask and fired another black magic curse at the blue dome that seemed to be floating over Hogwarts.
Scabior held the other Death Eaters and Snatchers back and stared at something or someone inside the bridge.
I turned away from the claws and saw the Dark Lord raise the Elder Wand and fire a massive spell at the dome.
When the spell hit the protective shield, it collapsed.
Voldemort lowered his staff and crossed his arms.
"Attacks....!"