Turn Back the Clock

3: Captured

Paige stared up at the star dotted sky of the Great Hall. She wiped her tear stained face and held onto Harry, not daring to look at him. Voldemort had just... Spoke to them. Every person in the hall. He was warning them and told what he wanted. He wanted Harry before midnight. Pug face Parkison had tried to get him, but the rest of the school encircled Harry. That's where Paige was found now. Clinging to Harry as the rest of the People assembled themselves.
At last Professor McGonagall addressed them,"Potter, Cadwell. Shouldn't you be looking for something?" Her face was stern, her mouth a thin line. Paige wiped her eyes and nodded her head and McGonagall's expression softened a bit. Harry gripped her hand and pulled Paige out of the Great Hall.
They both ran and ran. Paige could see the gears working in Harry's mind. "Do you have any Idea?" She asked him.
Harry shook his head,"It's got to be the Diadem, but how could Voldemort find it? It's been gone so long-" his head snapped up and he looked at Paige intensely before breaking out into a smile. He grabbed her and gave a kiss. He came up grinning and looked around wildly trying to collect his thoughts.
"I've got an idea, but... I can't have your there. I've heard the Gray Lady is kind of shy."
"But where do I go Harry?" Paige asked not really minding she couldn't come. The kiss still left her dazed.
"Um... Can you help evacuate the underage students," He stopped racing and turned to her,"I promise I won't forget to come and get you. But... Stay safe. I couldn't bear it if I lost the best girlfriend ever" He leaned in and gave her a longer, gentler kiss before walking away, quickening his pace until he was gone.
Paige stood watching the spot where he was as if she could feel it was the last time things would be that way or at least for a long time. Them, fighting the dark forces together.
She stood and then, turned around to try and lead the students to the exit at the Room of Requirement. Many of the older students were trying to escape the group so they could fight. The first and last kid that Paige tried to get back was Colin Creevy, Harry's biggest fan. He sprinted past her in a panic though no one was on his trail. Paige recognized the telltale camera immediately. And tried to chase after him.
"What are you doing Colin?!" She shouted. He looked over his shoulder and tried to go faster.
"I've got to fight Paige!"
"No, you're a 6th year! You have to leave! It's going to get too dangerous." Colin kept running but Paige wasn't tiring fast. She had spent the whole year running. What could Paige say to make him stop? He couldn't fight. Colin was so inexperienced in Dumbledore's Army and he couldn't have improved enough. He would certainly die if he-
"I can't have you die!" Paige stumbled on her feet and tripped. She propped herself up body wracked with silent sobs. No tears could come after all the crying she had gone through. Why was she so weak?
Colin's footsteps came to a stop. A few seconds later a hand was on Paige's shoulder.
"Hey sit up. It'd look terrible for a picture if all I got was a crying Paige." He coaxed getting her up to a sitting position,"Now what do you mean die?"
"Colin, you're like an obnoxious little brother I never had, all of Gryffindor feels like family. I couldn't live with myself if someone else died and I was responsible for it." She sputtered and looked to the little blond boy she had come to tolerate and like as a sibling. Colin sat with his legs crossed and held his ankles.
"Paige, I'm not the same little kid you knew. I can fight and I've grown so much more since you last saw me, defying Snape and the Carrows. I've got to do this. Abandoning my home and all my mates is unthinkable. It doesn't matter what you say, I'm going to fight."
Paige stared into his eyes debating what she should do,"bu-" A large thunder sounded And the two looked up. The protective shields were coming down and Colin hopped up.
"I'm sorry Paige, but it's time to protect our school. I won't hold you accountable for whatever might happen to me." He ran down the hall with a fellow Gryffindor leaving Paige. She stood just in time as a mass of students and adults came marching through the halls.
A voice shouted from the back of the group,"Man your stations, Prepare yourself, and try not to Die!" Paige was swept with the group and screamed as she realized they were approaching the front of the school. An adult placed her in the front of the lines. Paige watched in horror as the wall came down and the death eaters charged to Hogwarts with Voldemort calmly watching. They were about to cross over before the Dark Lord stopped them all.
"Wait!" Paige heard the slithering voice in her mind. The death Eaters immediately stopped and looked back to their master watching them,"Take the girl before you ascend on the victims. My closest circle of followers will understand and take her back to me. Go now." The dark wizards charged towards Paige and grabbed her before she could even cast a spell. They handed her to Malfoy's parents and the Lestranges as well as a couple masked wizards and began to carry her off to Voldemort.
"I speak only to you now and I must thank the great Harry Potter's girlfriend for standing in such an easy spot for capture,"He said Harry's name with utter contempt.
"What are you doing?!" She screamed in her mind.
"All will be known in good time dear Paige." He whispered. Paige shivered in fright not knowing what lay before except that it would have to be a terrible fate.