In The End

Chapter 39 - Reunited

It was chaos after that. Everyone scrambled to prepare for the oncoming battle. Luna looked around to find Harry. She had to tell him something. Eliza had her own mission.

"Go on, I have to tell Harry something. Go wait for Draco." Luna smiled.

"Thank you Luna. You're the best." Eliza said, pulling Luna into an embrace.

"Good luck." Luna whispered as they hugged.

"Good luck." Eliza whispered back.

They soon separated and Eliza headed for the meeting place, feeling bitter sweet. What if she never sees Luna again?

She headed down the hallway to wait for Draco in the place where it all started. The place where they first got to know each other. The place where Eliza cried in his arms for the first time. Where they first kissed.

The place where it all began, and where it would all end.

She quickened her pace. Voldemort's army would intrude any minute.

Draco stood beside his parents with the rest of the deatheaters as they waited for instruction. They were standing on the hilltops, looking down on the lit castle of Hogwarts.

"Eliza is in there." He thought to himself.

When the Dark Lord gave them the go-ahead to start chiselling away at the protection wards, Draco felt his insides writhe in anticipation. As soon as those wards were down, he would apparate inside.

The first deatheaters attempted to get through the wards, but were instantly vaporised

Draco started thinking about where he would apparate. He could apparate directly into the Room of Requirement, as it only technically existed when you found the door.

Then a thought occurred to him. What about Blaise and Goyle? Where would they be?

He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the sudden explosion of the bridge collapsing. Now was his chance...

Blaise walked alongside Goyle as they navigated through the dungeons and towards the Slytherin common room. Perhaps they would be safe there.

He didn't have time to react before he heard the familiar swishing sound of apparition and was grabbed by his collar and dragged around a corner.

Neither he nor Goyle asked any questions, but rather followed Draco as he ran down a corridor. Where was he going?

Eliza stood in front of the blank wall where the door to the Room of Requirement always appeared. Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she thought about her times with Draco.

Opening her eyes, she could see the familiar doors appearing, and quickly went inside, peering around one last time in case Draco was there, before closing the door behind her. Looking around she could now see that it was the room her and Draco always used to work on the cabinet in.

She walked up to the familiar brown table and sat on it, swinging her legs while she waited. She had been through too much to be surprised by the sounds of explosions outside.

As the time went by, Eliza began to get bored, and started looking around the room. She noticed a box of rusted gramophones on another table and began to examine them.

"Eliza?"

She jumped at the sound of Draco's voice and turned around to see him standing at the door, Blaise and Goyle standing behind him.

"Draco!" She said breathlessly, walking quickly towards him.

Draco met her pace and took her in his arms before giving her a deep kiss. When they pulled apart, Eliza looked up at him in shock.

"You have no idea how much I've missed that." Draco sighed.

Then he paused and looked at her in confusion. He brought his hand up to her face and caressed it, before dragging his thumb gently over her split bottom lip.

"What happened to your lip?" He whispered anxiously.

"The Amycus Carrow was not pleased when I used the Cruciatus curse on him instead of a first year for Dark Arts class." Eliza smirked.

Draco was still alarmed, but let out a small chuckle as he pulled Eliza in for another hug.

"That's my girl. I like your hair by the way." He said mischievously.

"Thanks." Eliza grinned, just happy to be with him again.

"Um, am I missing something?" Blaise eventually piped up, looking back and forth at Eliza and Draco in confusion.

Draco straightened up and cleared his throat.

"You chaps know Eliza Macnair. The truth is that we've been together in secret since spring break, possibly before that." Draco smirked, holding her hand lovingly.

There was complete silence for a while.

"Oh." Blaise said, apparently not overly offended that he hadn't been informed sooner.

It hadn't taken him long to figure out why nobody knew about it.

"Uh, I hate to be a buzz kill, but I think we need to get on with the plans already." Goyle said.

Draco rested his hands on Eliza's shoulders and looked at her gently.

"Angel, I need you to take this Portkey and apparate away. I'll meet you there soon. I just need to find my wand." Draco said seriously.

Eliza took Draco's hands and softly pushed them away.

"Or I could just go and find Luna and meet you there when I'm done." She said stubbornly.

Draco sighed.

"Liza, I am not going to risk losing you again. You are going to take this Portkey and apparate away right now." He said sternly, shoving a book covered in cloth to her.

Eliza looked at him in disbelief.

"My best friend is out there and you expect me to just sit back and wait for you? Do you know how much I've been through to get here? No! I'm not going to do nothing! I'm going to Luna!" She said angrily, before grabbing the Portkey and marching to the door.

Draco grabbed her arm.

"Liza, please. Don't fight me on this. I can't lose you." He said vulnerably, his eyes glistening.

Eliza looked at him sadly.

"You're not going to lose me. Just trust me. I'll be fine. I promise." She said, squeezing his hand and giving him a pleading look.

Draco sighed. He knew he wasn't going to win this.

"Alright. I trust you. Just find her quickly and get out of here." He said sternly, before turning around and marching further into the Room of Requirement, Blaise and Goyle following closely behind.

Eliza quickly got out of the door and ran down the corridor. She had to find Luna...