Bellatrix's pants could be heard in the dead silent room as if they were blasting through a speaker. Hermione's limp head rested on her shoulder, a knife to her delicate throat.
"Drop them!" Bellatrix yelled, watching as the two boys set their wands to the floor. "Now, Draco!"
Draco hesitantly stepped forward, gathering the wands in his hand. He reeled back, casting gazes at his love.
"Look what we have here," the mad woman laughed. "It's Harry Potter! Just in time for the Dark Lord! Call him."
She looked at Draco. "Call him!"
Draco looked down, not knowing what to do now that they wanted him. Luckily, his father stepped forward, yanking his own sleeve up to reveal a nasty black tattoo on his inner forearm.
Draco looked over at Hermione. She had woken up, and he could tell that panic attack was coming over her bruised and battered state. She was panting, shaking, and her blood dripped to the floor.
He couldn't take it. With a swish of his wand, the chandelier began to squeak overhead. They all glanced up. Taking the opportunity, Draco mumbled a spell, and it began to crash down on them.
Bellatrix screeched, throwing Hermione away from her, and coincidentally, into his arms. He caught her easily, not paying attention to anything else.
Draco saw that she wasn't conscious. "Wake up. Please wake up."
Thousands of thoughts were in Harry Potter's mind, but the main one was finding Hermione. He frantically observed the room before an interesting sight met his eyes.
Draco Malfoy, cradling his limp best friend in his arms with tears spilling down a bruised face. Harry snapped out of it, running to them and sliding on his knees to avoid the spells coming his way.
Draco looked up at him, a numb look in his eyes. Harry quickly pressed his fingers to her neck, feeling a faint pulse.
"She's alive. Come with us, and give me our wands." Harry slightly smiled in an encouraging way, though he felt like death, and helped Draco up. Draco scooped down to carry her, and he turned to run alongside Harry.
Dobby awaited them, standing with everyone holding onto him.
"What's he-" Ron angrily began, but Harry cut him off.
"Not right now! Dobby, go!"
Nobody even noticed them apparating out, except for Narcissa. Watching her son, look down upon a mudblood with such love.
They hit the beach with a bang.
"WHAT IN THE BLOODY HELL IS MALFOY DOING WITH US, AND WHY DOES HE HAVE HERMIONE?!" Ron shouted angrily, turning to look at him.
Draco had dropped to sit on one knee with the other supporting the rest of his weight. Next to her. Hermione was laying in the sand, propped on her side against him. He was now silently crying, attempting to get the rest of her in his arms.
"I'm sorry," he sobbed, rocking her slowly. "I didn't mean it. I'm sorry. Please wake up. Please don't leave me. Please. I love you. Wake up. Wake up."
All of their faces softened as he cradled the back of her neck and put her face to his neck.
"Don't leave," he whispered, sniffing, into her ear. He looked up at them. "Help me."
Ron put his arm in front of Luna, backing the two of them away as Harry approached the broken blond laying on his best friend.
"Malfoy," he mumbled, attempting to lay a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't touch me, Potter! Just help her!" Draco looked up, his bright hair sticking to his forehead. He had her blood on his cheek from resting it on her neck.
"Draco, look at me," Harry consoled, gently reaching over to remove Hermione from him. He refused to let go, swatting his hand away. Harry looked behind him, motioning to Ron to go help with Luna, who had already left. Ron rushed away, and Harry turned back around. "Draco. Look. She may not make it out alive. I need you to tell me that you will be okay and you won't give up our location."
"She's dead?" Draco choked, his breaths becoming fast and shallow.
"No," Harry half-lied, not knowing himself. "She's okay. It's going to be okay."
"How do you know that she'll live?" the other boy asked, cradling the girls small, limp frame as close as he could.
"I just know."
But Harry didn't know. And he was wrong about her.
