The Lost Malfoy

Chapter sixteen; hogwarts:

On May 16th, it finally happened, Bill came flying outside where Asteria, Draco and Charlie were training, his face red and his breathing hard. Just by the frantic look on his face they could all tell what he was going to say.

"We need to go to Hogwarts now, it's time." His voice wavered, but they moved. Asteria quick on her feet, slammed her boots on her feet, and gathered with everyone.

"We will apperate directly into Hogs Head, there is a secret entrance to the school there" Bill supplied, and they quickly vanished, reappearing in the dusty bar, coming into contact with a white haired wizard, who just pointed at the hole in the wall, Asteria was quick to push her way in, and follow the path, before appearing in the room of requirement, surrounded by students.

"Shit Sia!!" Ginny and Luna shouted, engulfing her in quick hugs, before she was tackled by Fred and George, who apparently had arrived just before them. She was released in time to witness Draco and Harry tackle each other in a tight hug. She smiled softly, as she looked around, the room that once held the DA, was filled with beds, like a refugee camp, with food and goblets everywhere and she looked around, finding Neville.

"Longbottom, what the bloody hell has been going on?" She asked, keeping her voice low.

"Well, after Snape took over, a new regime was implemented, and two Death Eaters we're hired. The Carrows." He supplied and she winched slightly. She'd heard of the siblings, and their brutality.

"We had to start hiding to avoid their punishments, and things like that. It's been difficult, but so far we've been good." He finished and she nodded before looking at Harry, who was sheepishly facing the crowd of students and Order members.

"Well we should announce ourselves." Asteria supplied, when she heard the emergency alert. Everyone began passing out robes as they quickly disappeared from the room, using multiple doors. The trek from the 7th floor to the Great Hall was quiet as everyone combined with the other students. Asteria broke off, casting her disillusioned charm, and sneaking up to the front, where Snape stood with the Carrows. She drew her wand and waited.

"How dare you stand where he stood!" Harry's voice broke the impeccable silence, as he drew his wand on Snape, who responded in kind, but was stopped by the powerful stance McGonagall took in front of Harry, and Asteria acted.

"Stupify, incarcous" she shouted at the nearest Carrow, who dropped as ropes covered them, and the other vanished with Snape. The hall erupted in voices, as Asteria stepped out of the shadows to the front of the hall, walking back to Harry. Everyone began separating as McGonagall ushered students out of the hall and out of the school, and Asteria stood in the Hall, staring at the proceedings before following the Gryffindor Head to the front of the school. She offered no comfort just cold determination, as she began instructing everyone to put up protection charms, and Asteria followed suit, her wand raised to the sky as she watched the charms take hold. She stepped back, and watched the others do the same, she didn't listen to McGonagall as she gave orders to a handful of students, but wasn't surprised to see Seamus smile darkly as he took off, and she turned and disappeared, slipping up the stairs to find the unused girls restroom, she pointed her wand at the sink and instantly threw herself down the old hole, rolling to her feet once she hit the floor.

She didn't hesitate when she walked down the dark tunnel, not even turning on a source of light as she moved, pointing her wand again at the second door and entered the Chamber of Secrets, she dropped down and didn't pause near the snake, or the statue, going right, she went to the hidden room and entered, forsaking the final resting place.

"I'm sorry, sir." She whispered as she looked at the skeleton. She wasn't sure why she needed to come down here, she felt the school shake as it begun. "I don't know why I'm here. But something told me to return." She leaned against a shelf, and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I need help, to protect our school, our people, the children. I've forsaken my family name, I've gone against everything my family wanted, generations of Malfoy's and Black's." She sighed heavily, staring into the sockets of a skeleton. "Please, Salazar Slytherin, you must stop your Heir, before he destroys the entire world." She muttered as the castle shook again, this time she felt the distinction as the wards fell. She had to get back, she had to return to the battle.

"I had hope, that maybe the rumors were wrong about you, that you just wanted to keep wizard-kind safe, but now I'm just talking to wizard whose been dead for centuries while the people I love fight and die for wizard-kind." She grumbled, uncrossing her arms, and broke out in a run, returning back to the bathroom in record time, and running towards a window, she could make out the dark shapes leaving the forest headed to the school, they were coming.

Grabbing her wand from her pocket, she stood on the window seal, she was only on the second floor, and she quickly calculated her trajectory as the Death Eaters drew closer. And closer and closer. Once more without a moment of hesitation, Asteria launched herself out of the window, angling just right to land and roll in front of George, Percy and Remus who looked at her shocked as she raised her wand and the battle begun.