The Death Eater's Daughter

Moody - Part 19

That night, Eleanore, Draco and the rest of the death eaters gathered in the sitting room of Malfoy Manor. Eleanore had changed from her pencil skirt to jeans, to make her flight easier. The group wandered to the garden, their brooms in hand. Each one of them mounted one by one, and Draco gave Eleanore's hand one tight squeeze before they ascended into the night sky. It had been some time since Eleanore last flew, but she soon gained her confidence as she darted through the bleak clouds, staying close to Draco.

It was a calm few minutes, before Bellatrix roared into the air. "I found them, I found them!" Eleanore could feel her heart racing, the nerves rising slowly in her stomach. She descended quickly to level herself with the rest of the death eaters and paid close attention when they all drew their wands. At that moment, Eleanore felt a drop of rain on her nose. Quickly, she was sent into panic, as she hated flying in the rain more than anything. Her hands tightened around her broom and she glanced towards Draco worriedly, noticing how hard he was focused on the order in front of them. She drew her wand.

The storm started quickly, the rain piercing her skin like silver bullets. Her vision became quickly compromised but she was determined to stay focus as she squinted through the dark clouds in front of her. She noticed then, that the order must have used poly juice potion, as almost all of them looked exactly like the dorky Gryffindor boy. Suddenly, the familiar scarred face of Harry bloody Potter darted up, their presence had been registered. The order flew faster, forcing Eleanore to quicken her pace too. Now the rain was painful, like fire cascading over her exposed skin. Her hair was already drenched as it hung over her cold face. Bellatrix had started waving her wand chaotically to the side of her, and as she saw the sharp flashes of light departing the tip of her wand, she willed herself to do the same. Although, Eleanore did not care for aim, for she did not want to kill.

The high speed chase continued, interlaced with the painful jabs of the rain, the occasional obstruction of black clouds, contorting her vision drastically and forcing her to lace herself between them, flying sharply from left to right, up and down, all so she could see the order clearly. Her wand hurled flashes of light repeatedly, hitting nothing but the fresh air around them. Eleanore's internal monologue was constantly fighting itself, reminding her that no one had fallen yet, so her obvious avoidance of the task was not suspicious. She admired briefly, the way that Draco moved effortlessly through the darkening sky, he really was a seeker. As she felt a smile form on her face with pure admiration and love for the boy, she cast her spells in front of her.

It was then, that she hit somebody.

A large man fell limp from his broom and his body tumbled through the sky. Eleanore willed herself to glance at his face as he fell, his eyes focused on the young witch, whose face was now distorted into one of pure grief. The man looked rugged, and he only had one eye, and one leg. She had just killed Professor Moody.

The tears came immediately and she was sure she had stopped breathing, for the lump in her throat had grown too large, too quickly. Eleanore screamed into the night sky in pain, just as Bellatrix had screamed in celebration. For the rest of the flight, she cried and cried, the roaring thunder muffling the piercing sounds of her distress. She found herself constantly wiping away the wetness from her face. Draco had lost sight of the witch, but he quickly found her in the mess and felt his smile melt from his face as he recognised her agony. He reached his hand towards her, hoping to take away some of the pain, but she kept her gaze fixed on the sky as she howled into the abyss. She wanted so badly to leap from her broom, but she couldn't will herself to leave Draco behind and alone.

The death eaters finally turned back; the mission made too difficult for them with the help of the polyjuice potion. As they flew back to Malfoy Manor and dismounted, Eleanore's knees buckled immediately and Draco ducked to catch her in his arms, his Nimbus 2001 crashing to the ground. Her wet face was buried in her hands, and she found it hard to distinguish between the rain drops and the tears. Her pain was so distinct that the disguise of her burning tears frustrated her greatly.
"I - I killed someone." She cried loudly into Draco's chest. She wriggled from his arms and fell to the ground, insistent on bearing the pain she felt she deserved. The visions of Moody's downfall flashed painfully in her mind, like a devastating home movie. Eleanore's nails clawed at the ground beneath her so viciously, her fingers began to bleed. Draco was kneeling beside her, his hands grasping at her arms, trying to calm the young witch.
"Eleanore, El, it's okay, it's okay."
She let out one more guttural scream into the grass, hoping the earth could communicate her sorrow to the man she had just killed.
"I didn't mean it, I-I...I didn't mean to kill him." She spoke, her voice hoarse with anguish.
Draco lifted her into his arms, cradling her in his lap as she lay limp on the ground. He held her so tightly, so calmly, that she did start to calm. Planting a kiss on her head, he muttered to her,

"You're not a killer, El, I know you didn't mean it."

The couple lay in the grass together, alone, simply allowing the rain to descend around them. Their clothes and hair and skin were soaked, but Draco kissed her lightly on the cheek, happy she had finally been soothed.

Eventually, Draco helped her up and threw her arm around his shoulder, keeping the other arm locked around her waist. He knew he would have to do the walking for her, for Eleanore was in unbearable pain.

As the couple entered the manor, Corban was waiting patiently by the fireplace, his arms outstretched to catch Eleanore. She ignored his look of apology and grasped at the hand Draco had placed on her hips, still helping her to walk.

It took a lot of convincing from Draco for Eleanore to take a bath. She didn't feel worthy enough to scrub away the emotional torment, so when she finally did strip herself, it was with great hesitation. She placed one foot in the warm water as Draco held her carefully, making sure she wouldn't lose her balance and slip. Eleanore tucked her knees to her chin and sobbed, holding onto Draco's hand for dear life.

"I'm a monster," she moaned, her eyes tightly shut.
"No, no El, never say that about yourself. You are NOT a monster."
Her eyes snapped open, blood shot and puffy.
"Tell that to Moody." She grumbled.
"You didn't mean to kill him, El. You and I both know it was a mistake...You have to forgive yourself."
Eleanore's gaze softened as she inspected Draco's soft, grey eyes. She noticed he had also been crying.
"I was looking at you, Draco. I was looking at you and thinking about how lucky I was. To have you by my side. I wasn't looking when it-it...happened."

Draco squeezed her hand and kissed her bruised knees softly.