The silence spoke volumes. Everyone stood outside, hearts heavy as they watched Harry's limp body frozen in Hagrid's arms. The ghosts of those who left you were lingering in the castle, while the rest of you who managed to survive, tried to muster up the courage to keep going. They weren't going to die in vain.

You stared at George who looked ahead of him, eyes empty like there was no purpose anymore. And maybe to him, there wasn't. He lost his other half, after all. You could still feel Fred's presence, if you imagined it enough- his boisterous laughter and his never ending jokes. You could still hear Remus and Tonks telling you to be careful before you ventured out to the other side of the castle. You could still hear Colin Creevy's piercing cry before he perished. He was too young, he didn't deserve that. None of them did.

As you took a look around the space, you saw Draco for the first time since everything happened. You were behind him, out of his line of vision. You watched as his eyes watered, presumably shaken up from all the deaths he watched happen in front of him. You wanted nothing else but to hold his hand to remind him that he will heal. You all will. But you knew you couldn't. You couldn't expose your relationship to everyone. He always told you, you had to be safe.

"We have to hide this for the both of us," he whispered as he absentmindedly drew shapes on the skin of your exposed hipbone as you laid in the dark of his dormitory. "I need to keep you safe."

You hid behind Luna, not wanting to make your presence known. Hermione caught your eye, a frightened smile tugging on her lips. She was fighting back the tears as she wrapped an arm around Ron who fell apart under her touch. He just lost his brother and now he watched as his best friend's body sat lifeless in front of him. Then you saw Luna. It was the first time you saw sadness twinkle in her eye, almost as if she lost her optimism. You couldn't really blame her, could you? It was staring right at you, defeat.

"Draco," a voice cut the tension. Your head snapped up at the name being called. You saw Lucius motion him over, a stern look on his face. Draco stayed frozen in his spot, not wanting to walk to his father. Good, you thought, stay, Draco.

Before you could smile, another voice emerged- this time, lighter and higher. His mother. You gulped, knowing that Narcissa held a special place in Draco's heart. Don't do it, you pleaded in your head, hoping that he would somehow be able to hear you, don't join them.

"Draco," she called again, her fingers calling him over. She looked afraid- terrified, even. "Please."

Draco let out a breath, eyes darting from left to right, waiting for someone to give him a reason to stay. Nobody moved. A part of Draco knew nobody would save him. He'd been horrible to everyone at Hogwarts, he didn't deserve anyone's pity. In a way, he was to blame for everyone's deaths.

He knew he didn't have the right to let tears slip when he saw Fred Weasley's body on the concrete, unmoving. Fred Weasley, the boy whose pranks made him laugh at times, and who was too cool to give Draco the time of day because he knew he was better than Draco; not in an arrogant way but he knew he was kind, unlike Draco who relied solely on his family name. He knew he shouldn't have waited so long to start walking towards his rightful place, beside his mother and his father, and behind the Dark Lord.

But a boy could only hope. And hope he did- hoped that someone would somehow forgive him after years of brutality, hoped that someone wouldn't hate him as much as they thought they did, hoped that they'd tell him there's more to life than being bad.

You felt your stomach churn when you saw the Dark Lord's outstretched arms for Draco. Reluctantly, Draco neared his presence, not daring to return the formality. You couldn't watch any longer. Quickly, you circled around Luna and ran in the middle of the situation.

In a piercing cry you spoke, "Draco, stop."

He froze in his spot when he heard your voice. No, he thought, you're not supposed to do this. Draco closed his eyes, a tear slipping out before he could catch it himself. His mother watched him fall apart in agony, knowing that now you, the girl her son loved with his entire being, was now going to be the target of everyone's wrath.

Draco turned around, giving you the coldest look he could give. He failed, however, the minute he saw your state. Blood running down from a wound on your temple, clothes torn up, and tears streaming down your face. He cleared his throat, "Y/N, go away. I've made my decision."

"I refuse to believe that!" You yelled, trying to march closer but a hand stopped you. You turned around, annoyed at who was stopping you.

Neville looked down at you sadly, bottom lip poking out. You furrowed your eyebrows up at the boy, confused as to why he was getting in between the conversation. He whispered, voice trembling, "We've lost enough people. We're not going to lose you, too."

You gulped, placing a hand of comfort over Neville's hand on you. He let go and watched as you returned your attention back to Draco. He now stood beside his parents, looking at you like he was breaking more and more every second, and honestly, he was. You didn't dare to move closer, now vividly aware of the presence of the Dark Lord a few feet from you, and the hot breath of Bellatrix running down your spine. You asked, "Are you just gonna leave this all behind like nothing happened?"

"Y/N, please," Draco pleaded, voice breaking.

Voldemort rolled his eyes, motioning for Lucius to step up. He followed the Dark Lord's order and left his family's side. He spoke, "Lucius, I'm getting quite bored of this display. Take care of her for me, will you?"

"Father, please!" Draco begged, Narcissa having to hold him back from running up to his father.

You raised your wand a second too late and you watched as Lucius spoke, "Expelliarmus!"

Then, everything happened all at once. Harry rolled out of Hagrid's arms and you watched in shock, mirroring everyone's expressions.

"Potter!" Draco ran towards you, getting out of his mother's grasp. He threw his wand to Harry on his way over to you.

Draco laced his fingers with yours, grabbing you and running away with you by his side. He pulled you into his chest, feeling his beating heart against your cheek. He kissed the crown of your head, shaking uncontrollably as you sobbed in his chest. He murmured in your ear, "What was that? I told you not to do that."

"I couldn't let you go with them, Draco," you reasoned, pulling away from him to cradle his face in your hands. "I-I wasn't going to lose you."

"Well, I wasn't going to lose you, either." he sighed, tucking a piece of hair behind your ear. His thumb ran over the wound on your temple, muttering a sorry when you hissed in pain. He kissed the wounded area, "You're hurt."

"I am but I'm better now that you're here."

He looked into your eyes, glistening with tears, "Don't ever do that again. Don't ever risk your life for me again."

"I can't promise that," you sighed. "For you, I'd do it a million times over."

Draco kissed you, not caring about the commotion behind him. His lips moved against yours so perfectly. Your tears mixed with one another's as you were pressed up against each other's skin. His arm snaked down to your waist to pull you closer, wanting to savor the last few moments he had with you before you went back out there. When you finally pulled away, a sad smile played on his lips.

"I love you," he breathed out.

"I love you, too."

And with that, you both walked back out into battle, hand in hand. Draco looked at you, one last time, before you officially stepped out to fight for the right side, memorizing every curve, every stroke, and every line of your being, afraid that it'll be the last time he would be able to.

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