Sirius Black was gone.

I sat in a state of numb breathlessness as I watched Harry go crazy, yelling at the archway for Sirius to get his arse back through.

Lupin tried to coax him away, but it was only when Bellatrix started to scarper at the appearance of Dumbledore, did Harry seem motivated to move.

"SHE KILLED SIRIUS!" he bellowed furiously. "SHE KILLED HIM - I'LL KILL HER!"

And off he went, scrambling up the benches like a crazed lunatic.

Letting Dumbledore go and deal with Harry, Lupin came and sat beside me.

"Are you okay, Neve?" he asked, narrowing his eyes as he inspected my injured face.

I nodded, not being able to dare myself to speak. A huge lump had formed in my throat, and I just wanted to curl up in a tight ball and cry.

"You've been very brave tonight, Neve," he spoke gently, "you know that, don't you?"

I wanted to tell him that I hadn't, that only stupid was the word I'd use to describe myself. I should have listened to Draco when he said that Harry would only ever lead me to danger.

And it was at the thought of the white-blond haired Slytherin which finally allowed my tears to spill over.

"D-Draco," I gasped through my sobs, "we l-left him in Umbridge's o-office."

"He's fine," Lupin said assuring me at once. "Professor Snape has seen to them."

"Snape?" I asked confused, wiping my eyes.

"It was Professor Snape who warned us of your plight, Neve." Lupin said, his eyes glancing upwards at the sound of blasts coming from somewhere overhead.

I was too overwhelmed and exhausted to explain that Harry thought they were all fools for trusting Snape.

"Let's get you back to the safety of the castle, Neve," Lupin said, glancing sadly back at the archway. "You and your friends are going to need some patching up."

I didn't argue as he helped me to my feet, allowing me to show him the way to where I had left Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Luna.

In no time at all we were all back in Hogwarts, being fixed up by Madam Pomfrey.

Professor McGonagall came in to inform us that Harry had arrived back safely and was currently having a chat with Dumbledore in his office. She also shared the news that the Ministry had finally accepted that Voldemort was back, and Lucius Malfoy had been caught and immediately thrown into Azkaban.

I swallowed, feeling a heavy weight in the pit of my stomach at this latter news.

Our excursion had caused Draco's father to get locked up.

He was going to be pretty pissed off.

"Does- does Draco know?" I asked quietly, not quite meeting McGonagall's eyes.

She gave a heavy sigh as she slowly nodded. "Professor Snape is speaking with him now."

After a while, Ginny, Luna and I were told we were all deemed fit enough to be discharged and go back to our dorms, whilst Ron and Hermione were to stay on for bed rest due to their more serious injuries.

"I hope Harry's all right," Ginny said uneasily as we walked quietly along the corridors, careful not to be too noisy due to the lateness of the night.

"Look, you go on," I said quietly to Ginny, not being able to face going back to the Gryffindor Tower yet. "I just want to be on my own for a bit."

The truth was, I was too ashamed to face Trevor. I had endangered my life for nothing and nearly left him to a life of loneliness.

Ginny walked off, leaving me sighing heavily as I unpinned my new badge from the front of my robes.

I looked down at the words written on it, feeling sick.

Our so called 'rescue mission' had resulted in an innocent man's death and the capture of my boyfriend's dad.

I mean, obviously it was the best place for him, but I doubt Draco would see it that way.

I tossed the badge into the nearest bin, not wanting to look at it anymore.

Wandering slowly through the castle, I found myself - quite unsurprisingly - walking the steps down to the dungeons.

I wasn't sure what I was expecting; I was pretty sure I'd be one of the last people Draco would want to see, after all. But I just felt desperate to feel close to him.

I hovered outside the classroom that we used for our 'study' sessions, touching my fingertips sadly to the door.

The lamps flickered ominously around me, and I suddenly remembered how much I feared the dungeons, especially at night.

So, giving myself a small hug, I turned around and started to walk back towards the stairs.

The sound of a door slamming shut at the far end of the corridor, followed by hasty footsteps, made me freeze in my tracks.

My heart racing, I slowly turned around just as the footsteps came to a sudden halt. Somehow I knew who it was before I saw him.

Grey eyes piercing coldly, face pinched in fury, was my white-blond haired Slytherin Prince.

And he didn't look at all happy to see me.

*****