The Death Eater's Daughter

Fall - Part 15

Eleanore barely slept last night. Every time she closed her eyes, she would envision the mighty Dumbledore falling to his death, the life slowly leaking from his eyes. The next morning, Eleanore couldn't bring herself to eat much. Draco had sat opposite her at the table, and he helped her to pile the plate with her favourite breakfast foods. She had stomached a single rasher of bacon, and half a fried egg, but that was all. Draco looked at her with a supportive gaze the whole meal time. He just wanted to pull her into his lap and hold her close to him, never letting go. Missy and Florence had probed her slightly, throughout breakfast, but they had soon given up when they realised the pain in her blue eyes, which were now washed over in a distracted gaze.
"Okay, El...you know you can always talk to us though." Eleanore returned the gesture with a smile, feeling appreciative of their support.

The day couldn't have lasted any longer. Each painful second on the clock seemed to pull the knot in her stomach tighter. Draco had tried to reason with her, to take the task off her shoulders, but Eleanore was too terrified at what could happen to her parents. She was even more terrified at what could happen to Draco.
That night, Eleanore and Draco met in the room of requirement. The vanishing cabinet was a tall, black, ominous thing which seemed to loom over them like the darkest of stormy clouds in the 1 am sky. The type of clouds which were blacker than the night; blacker than death itself. Draco gave Eleanore's hand a tight squeeze and kissed her forehead.
"You make your way to the astronomy tower. Wait for Dumbledore there. I'll lead the death eaters through here, and I promise you...I promise you, that I will be there as soon as possible."
Eleanore nodded, determined not to throw up on the spot. She kissed Draco quickly on his cold lips before she turned away and headed to the astronomy tower.

Eleanore paced nervously for what felt like hours, she was pretty sure her wand had scarred her palm with how tight of a grip she had on it. Her vision was compromised with all the tears she had shed in the past couple of days. Eleanore sucked in her bottom lip in a desperate attempt to mask the pain and stop even more tears from falling, but her measly attempt had failed.

She was jolted into action when a weakened Dumbledore finally came to be face to face with the young witch.

Eleanore straightened her arm and pointed the 12 1/2 inch walnut wood wand at the frail, old wizard, wiping the tears away with her spare hand. She couldn't help but feel sympathetic towards him as he stood, partially slumped over. She wanted to know what had happened, but she feared the answer would only make her want to support him...not kill him.

"Eleanore." He looked, almost surprised. She figured he was expecting Draco.

"I must say it is quite the surprise to see you here this fine night."
Eleanore suddenly felt the anger rise, she didn't want to make small talk with the old wizard, she just needed to focus.

"Shut up!" She snapped, her voice croaking as floods of tears streamed down her searing hot cheeks.
"Expelliarmus!" She yelled, quickly disarming the poor old man.

Dumbledore retreated from her slightly, widening the space between them.
"You know...I knew your father back in my school days. I was quite a few years older than him, of course. But he was such a high-spirited young man. A proud Slytherin, just like you."
Eleanore could feel her limbs weaken at the sharp stab of his words. How could he bring her father into this? She was only killing Dumbledore in order to save her loved ones, after all.

From the corner of her eye, she could see the familiar figure of a woman in rugged black clothing. Bellatrix Lestrange had joined in on the party. Upon closer inspection, she then noticed that her father, Corban Yaxley, had also followed Bellatrix. Eleanore thought to herself that Draco must have been around her, somewhere. Greyback and Dolohov were also there.

Bellatrix snaked behind the young witch, placing a delicate, bony finger on her shoulder as she passed. It certainly wasn't comforting. Her father stood proudly to one side of her, his chest puffed and his arms folded behind his back. He looked at the young witch with immense pride, and Eleanore glared back at him through tear-stained, blood-shot, tired eyes. She forced a smile towards her father, reminding herself, over and over, that she had to save him.

If only Draco was there to hold her hand.

Draco, meanwhile, was hidden away on the staircase beneath them. Bellatrix had urged him to stay out of it, worrying his presence may have distracted the young witch. Harry Potter, was also with Draco, watching him intently as he first saw some real, raw emotion exhibited by the blonde haired boy.
"What are you looking at, Potter?"
Spat Draco, in a tone which was much quieter than a whisper, but still intimidating enough to force away his stare. Harry snapped his gaze back towards the scene above them.

Draco had only hoped that Eleanore could feel his presence, and that she knew he hadn't abandoned her. Suddenly, the two students were startled from their positions by Snape. The man stood proudly, silently, as he lifted a finger to his lips, urging them to stay quiet. The two boys nodded in agreement.

As Snape glided majestically past the students, Draco could hear a loud thud coming from above. For a split second he had hoped it was Dumbledore, falling to his death. He had to stifle a loud cry when he realised Eleanore had collapsed, and he could see her eyes welded shut from the gaps in the floor boards. He could see some of her delicate fingertips poking through, and he had almost reached them with his own when Corban Yaxley spun her around and scooped Eleanore into his arms.

"AVADA KEDAVRA"

Snape had cast the killing curse towards Dumbledore, and Harry and Draco watched with broken hearts as he fell to his certain death. Draco sprinted up the stairs to be reunited with Eleanore, who was still unconscious in her father's arms.

"Oh god," cried Draco as he rested a hand gently on her peaceful face.

"Oh, god, is she okay? Please tell me she's okay."

Corban looked stern towards the boy, but soon softened when he registered the emotion exuding from his voice. Corban could see just how much his daughter meant to Draco. As he smiled at her resting expression, he finally spoke.

"Yes, she's okay. I think it was just stress."

"Oh, god, thank you. Thank you." Draco sobbed, gripping her limp, cold hand tightly in his own.

Bellatrix was having her own private party by the window, squealing with pure joy into thin air and casting the morsmordre into the dark skies above. Not even the stars could shine through a mark that evil. Corban, Bellatrix, Draco, and the unconscious Eleanore soon huddled, ready to be apparated back to Malfoy Manor.

Draco never let go of her hand.