Astra's POV
I stumbled down the dark narrow alleyway, the only light being the soft glow of a flame flickering from a lit torch hitched on the wall. My hand tightened on my skirt, nails digging deeper into my palm. I took a deep shuddering breath as I see Draco, sitting against the wall, his head buried in his hands.
Draco's hands were trembling, quiet sobs wracked his body as I approached him. Kneeling down I drifted my hand up to cup his cheek, stroking my thumb against his skin. And when Draco raised his head, my heart broke at the silent and awfully painful tears streaming down his face.
"Draco?" I whispered. "I... I'm so sorry." I whispered, breaking down. "I thought you left me. I thought you weren't coming back." Draco whispered looking to me. My body went slack and I sat down on the dark and dirty ground. "I'm so sorry." My voice cracked. Draco sat there watching me, tears streaming down his cheeks. I had never seen him this sad, this hurt, not in the storage tower, not at Malfoy Manor. And it was all my fault.
I looked up at Draco from my sitting position looking for any kind of emotion in his eyes, on his face, he just looked numb. "I'm so sorry." I cried. "This is all my fault." Draco shifted and I slowly looked up at him again. His arms were open and he had a sad smile on his face that didn't reach his eyes.
I flung myself into his arms and we cried together. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." I whispered over and over again. "It's ok." I heard Draco whisper. "No, no, it's not. I left you, alone, I messed up that dumb spell and I tried, I thought I could make everything better. But I can't, I can't. And your proof of that and I'm so sorry." I cried.
Draco's arms tightened around me and I copied the action.
After a while, I lifted my head and shifted my position on the ground in Draco's arms to look at him. "I love you so much, and I'm so sorry. We have to get out of here, circle back, find the others. Ok?" I whispered.
"Ok. I love you too."
I hitched Draco's arm over my shoulders and used the wall to try and stand. My legs trembled and my hold on him faulted. I carefully regained full balance, or as close as I could get to it, leaning against the wall and lifting Draco as much as I could to balance him on the wall. I took a deep breath as I steadied him by using my feet to keep his legs in place, and my hands firm against his upper arms.
"Love, please, I'm not strong enough, I can't carry you, I'm sorry." I pleaded. Draco's head falls to my shoulder, "stop apologising." Draco mumbled into my shoulder slowly shifting his head into my neck. His lips grazed my pulse, pressing down, before his head met to be an inch from mine, his eyes washed over my features as I watched him.
Draco's forehead dropped to meet mine, "my love please." I pleaded again, closing my eyes as they filled with salted water. My hold loosened on his arms as he gripped my shoulders, I watched as his head lifted from mine and he stood fully. Draco once again hitched his arm over my shoulders and let me guide him through the alleyway.
Once Draco and I were out he stopped and I looked up at him in concern but his expression was trusting so I let him guide me. We stumbled into the main street of Diagon Alley weaving through few clusters of late night wonderers, most of them were intoxicated. As quick as we were walking through the main street, we were off it, weaving through the back alley's instead of drunks.
Draco came to a halt in the lights of Borges and Burges I read. Draco sighed before quickly shuffling along down the side of the, surprisingly small shop for the amount of objects piled in it. "Draco, where are we-" Draco's free hand covered my mouth as few voices started speaking.
We continued to walk as Draco dropped his arm to swing beside him, we ventured through the shadows to what seemed like a back door into the item-crowded shop. It creaked open and Draco slowed the door to minimise the noises. Draco and I slipped into the shop and we walked around the back of the shop as Draco walked backwards facing the voices, I followed and observed him. It was like he knew this shop inside out and apparently backwards too.
He slipped out of my already loose hold to grab something behind him. I walked slower as I watched Draco but he held out his hand and I took it as a habit and he pulled me along to the back corner of the shop to a fire place. "Why are we-" Draco gave me a pointed look and I closed my mouth reluctantly, I pursed my lips and stared at him. He dug his hand into the small bag he had picked up.
His hand rose out with a silver powder falling through his fingers, "what's that?" I asked whispering. "Floo powder." Was his response, like I knew what that was. He put the back down on a near by vanity, and with his, now free, hand he picked up one of mine, and put it out in front of myself before doing the same to the other. He slowly poured the grey powder into my cupped hands.
"Ok, so you hold it in one hand, once you get into this fireplace, and then throw it at the ground and say very clearly where you want to go and then you'll get there ok, and I'll be in straight after I promise." Draco instructed hushed. I take great attention and nod in understanding. I glance down at the powder covering my palm, as Draco guided me to the fireplace. I looked down and step into the quite large fireplace.
Draco smiled encouragingly but I didn't return it at there was doubt in his eyes. "What's wrong?" I questioned quietly. "Nothing, we just don't know what's on the other side." Draco answers, matching my voice's volume. "Right." I whispered back.
I filter the powder into my right, dominate, hand and I look up at Draco for confirmation. "Don't whisper, say it with your level voice." Draco whispered to me. "But what if the people hear me and you don't make it?" I asked concerned. "It'll be fine, trust me." Draco reassured. I did trust him, but doubt clouded my mind. "Just say Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and then you'll be there and I'll be there seconds later." Draco once again reassured as his hand cupped my cheek.
I nodded at him and he took a step back. I planted my feet in the charcoal beneath by shoes, I readied my stance and filled my mind with the few words and images of where I want to go. "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." I spoke looking at Draco. The talking quieted down and Draco grabbed a handful of the silver dust.
I watched in horror as the burnt out coal I stood on burst into a temperature-less green flame that swallowed my legs and crept up my torso I squeezed my eyes shut as the tingling sensation met my neck and travelled higher. After it reached the top of my head is started rapidly declining from my head down to my toes.
I opened my eyes to the Gryffindor common's fire place and it was dark and empty. I stepped forward and almost tripped off the raised fireplace, but caught myself but taking a rather hard seat. I shifted in the seat and intently stared at the dark fireplace, no visual result from my fiery appearance at all.
Nothing showed, no one came. The minutes tick by as my mind ran, trying to find an answer other than the doubt of if he made it.
If I was in Gryffindor than he may be in Slytherin.
Just as I was about to leave, I remembered about Zest. I hadn't checked on her since I first went to class this morning. I quickly ran up the stairs and through the door of my room, to find some clothes sprawled over Stella's bed and a sleeping Zest on mine. I sighed in relief before collecting the black cat in my arms rubbing it's head against my cheek.
"I don't know what's going to happen." I whispered into the cat's fur. "I'll come back for you I promise." I whisper to her as I set her down onto my bed letting her fall back to sleep, unaware of the tragedy that has occurred.
I ran out of the door before realising that the school might be taken over, I guessed, by Draco's father's friends. I decided to be a lot more careful and use my weird go-through-walls power to my advantage. I pulled out the blueprint map I always conveniently have, even though I've been here for more than half the year.
I follow my finger along the lines of routes to get to the Slytherin common, after searching the map I finally found a quick way to get to the Slytherin common. I first ran as quietly as I could down stairs to get to the floor of the Slytherin common room. Which I was surprised to find out was near the dungeons.
I noticed the paintings, that scared me on my first day because they moved. The occupants of these paintings were sad. My run faltered. They knew. Some were hunched into themselves, others were missing from their paintings, some were watching me as I watched them back. I slowed my run into a jog as I stared at the possibly hundreds of paintings lining the walls of the school. I approached the wall I was supposed to morph through and slowed to a stop in front of it.
I took a quick look at my helpful blueprint again and folded it back into it's self and I held it firm in my hand as I rested my back on the wall. I squeezed my eyes shut and felt myself sink through the wall before I stumbled to the ground and opened my eyes.
The hallway was seemingly empty and silent, except for distant footsteps. I dipped my head and walked quickly down the corridor towards the end of it. I checked the map again and came across another wall I had to fall through. I didn't hesitate that much this time and squeezed my eyes shut and ran through it.
I had never fully run through a wall and it peaked my adrenaline as I continued to run avoiding known noise and continued to travel my way to the Slytherin common. I stood in front of the Slytherin door staring at it's painting.
The frame of the animated painting was painted gold but it had been decaying over time and was also a wood brown beneath. The actual painting was full of dark colours and presented a snake as it's main subject. No surprise. It seemed to slither around it's self within it's limited painted space. I was about to start the venture inside but the painting, and with it it's door, suddenly swung open, revealing the one person I've been trying to find for the past twenty minutes.
"Draco." I smiled as my doubts crept back into the far depths of my consciousness. Draco smiled at me as we embraced for a few moments before deciding to head off again, up the endless moving stairs, and the saddened moving paintings.
Draco and I, after about half a hour, made it to the final wall between us and The Great Hall. I held Draco's hand as I leaned my ear against the wall, I heard voices but I couldn't determine how many. "Astra-" Draco started but was cut off when my free hand cupped his mouth into silence.
It sounded like things were getting moved around, things getting cleaned up, I could hear glass. Draco grabbed my wrist softly, yet I still flinched and quickly looked back at him, he gave me a concerned look and dropped my hand from his mouth but continued to hold onto it. "Astra." He whispered but I ignored him and walked to the far corner of The Great Hall.
I decided against going through the wall and to go through the door. I took a deep breath and hovered my hand over the intricate designed, wooden door, that I had pushed my first day to this school. I think about how I've come from that first day to now.
Someone grabbed my wrist, wracking me from my thoughts, I instantly wrenched my hand from the persons and got into a fighting stance. I looked up and registered Ron standing in front of Hermione, I slowly stood up straight and looked around at the people surrounding me. "Astra." A familiar voice said from beside me.
I looked over at him, at Draco, his face in concern and shock. "Hey, hey, hey, it's ok, it's ok." He reassure. He slowly opened his arms and pulled me into them. "Come on." He whispered. Draco slowly pulled me along, he followed Ron and Hermione. "Are we sure we can trust him?" I heard Ron ask, supposedly Hermione, quietly.
Draco's hold on me tightened and his step hesitated for a second. "If Astra trusts him, than so can we. I trust her." Hermione stated, whispering. I wrapped my arms tighter around Draco's waist.
The others slow to a stop and I quickly let go of Draco and wipe my eyes and my nose, with the back of my hand. I look down at my dirt streaked palms and the dried mud beneath my nails. Draco refused to let go of me even though I had of him, he hugged me from behind and pulled me into him, kissing the top of my head.
I watched as Hermione pulled out her wand and held it out in front of her at the patterned stone wall in front of us. "Revelio." She said hushed. The wall started to change as if water dribbling from the ceiling did it. I watched the wall change into a door in amazement.
It was like the stories I heard about the first time the pink lady came, Mrs Umbridge. The students would go into this hidden room and train, for the dark lord to come, as she only let them do theory work.
We moved in unison into the room and was met with staring faces of students, at least 30, probably more. Draco slowly let go of me and walked beside me and held my hand. All the student's eyes were on us, mostly Draco, including Harry Potter in the crowd. I instinctively stepped in front of Draco, shielding him from view.
"We're hiding out here, finding as many people as we can and grouping them here." Ginny announced, stepping out of the front of the crowd. "That's Draco Malfoy." A person from the sea of students shouted out. "No shit sherlock." I said loudly back. I heard Draco's muffled chuckle from behind me and I tried not to smile, I saw Harry roll his eyes at me. "Who's Sherlock?" I heard someone from the crowd ask.
I ignored them and continued to look around, I noticed the stacked bunkbeds and bagging thrown onto them. I scan the crowd for Luna but I don't see her. "Why is he here?" I heard a girl from the crowd, a Ravenclaw. "Well, isn't this for students hiding from whoever took over the school. And what happened." I questioned. "Well yes, but he works with, you know who." She responded, stepping to the front of the crowd.
Can't even say his name. Pussy.
"You can just say his name, if he holds that mush fear in you, that much power over you." I said trailing off. "Anyway, Draco's as much a person, a student, as the rest of us, he shouldn't be treated differently just because of his parent's associations." I continued.
The girl shrunk back into the students and Draco stepped up beside me. The crowd dispersed and went back to what they were doing as Draco, the others and I all circled.
"So, who actually has taken over the school?" I asked quietly. "Well Mrs McGonagall obviously, but there is word that Snape might take over, at the order of the Ministry of Magic." Hermione explained.
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Word Count: 2796
I don't really know what this is, thanks for reading.
Edited