Blaire Zabini || Draco Malfoy

66 - Neville

I followed Draco and Neville as, between them, they carefully carried Colin's body; the three of us keeping a respectful silence whilst we made our way down through the castle.

Voldemort had spoken and declared the battle to be on hiatus whilst he gave Harry a chance to hand himself in; so we had made the unanimous decision to leave our hideout and take Colin to the Great Hall to join the 'others'.

But the second we reached the bottom of the marble staircase into the Entrance Hall, we were approached by Harry Potter, who was looking very much the worse for wear and rivalling Draco in the pale stakes.

"Neville, a word if you please," he said brusquely, not even acknowledging the fact that we were carrying the body of a boy who had once worshipped him.

"We're sort of busy, Potter," Draco drawled with evident disdain as he beckoned down to Colin's lifeless body. "If you couldn't tell."

"As am I!" Harry snarled angrily in Draco's face. "And I'm telling you right now that if you don't want anymore deaths on your conscience, Malfoy, then you'd better allow me a moment to speak with Neville."

Draco opened his mouth as if to argue further but was quickly interrupted.

"It's fine- it's fine," Neville mumbled quickly, beckoning over for me to take Colin's legs off his hands. "Come on, Harry, I'm all yours; whatever you need."

Draco and I watched as they sauntered off, their heads bowed together as they fell into immediate discussion.

"Come on," I said quietly to a pissed off looking Draco. "Let's take him in."

Draco blinked, looking down at the lifeless body in his arms as if only just realising what we were actually doing. 

"Of course," he said with a great heaviness; a look of sudden pain flitting across his face.

It was horrible. The weight in my stomach was almost unbearable as we laid Colin down, our eyes surveying the rest of the dead lain in rows across the floor of the Great Hall.

"I can't bear this," I choked as Draco's arms went around me, pulling me close to him.

"Shhh," he soothed, stroking my hair and back; the feel of the steady beat of his heart beneath his chest giving me the comfort I so desperately needed.

We stayed with Colin, somehow finding it unbearable to leave him knowing he never wanted to be alone.

"When this is over, Blaire," Draco murmured softly in my ear, holding me a fraction tighter. "I want you to come back with me."

I looked up at him, momentarily confused. It was hard to think of anything beyond this horrific battle, to think that life could ever return back to normal after the horror and pain  of what we had witnessed.

"To the Manor, you mean?" I asked, thinking that as much as I loved Draco, I couldn't imagine ever wanting to cohabit with Lucius; not after everything he put his own son through.

"I don't care where we go," Draco shrugged, trailing a single finger over the charm bracelet that still hung on my wrist, "just say we'll do it together."

"Of course," I whispered, lifting a hand to lightly touch my fingertips against his war torn face. "Together."

A soft sigh escaped his semi parted lips as he closed his eyes. He looked utterly pained and exhausted and I just wanted to take him away from all of this and help him heal.

But instead, we stayed, huddled together by Colin's body whilst the heartbreaking sounds of the bereaved pressed against our ears and broke our souls.