Chapter 4
"Fucking hell, Theo..."
Draco could hear Tori’s complains of Theo’s apparition in the back of his mind as he stumbles into a cold brick wall when their feet land on solid ground. He feels a grunt build out from his gut and up his throat as he turns to narrow his eyes at Theo… The man just shrugs nonchalantly at him, dropping his hand on Draco’s shoulder to stand him up straight. “Where are we?”
“Just outside a small populated muggle town, cloaks up.” Draco whispers, straightening his back and pulling his hood up before checking both his pockets for both his and Tori’s wand. “Follow me.”
"Like old times." Theo nods quickly and gets into position just behind him, maneuvering in the dark alleys to stay out of the common eye. Draco pulls out his wand slowly, pushing his magic through the tip to search the energy surrounding them, it moves his gaze toward an old run down warehouse. He studies it with cautious, not triggering any of its wards and only inspecting the magic’s tendencies. As Draco expected, the feel of his father’s abrasive magic lingers in the walls of the building, the dark energy burning through his wand into his palm.
Draco feels the familiarity in the dark magic, its pull strong enough to almost consume all of his attention. He allows the darkness in only momentarily, just enough to be able to finally feel for Tori’s defensive magic inside the building. Once he can locate where in the infrastructure her heart beats from, he pulls back his magic gently, so not to be noticed. When he takes a step forward he feels Theo’s hand wrap around his, and he harshly turns to him before he can pull back with his hands up defensively.
“His wards will cut through us, whether he detects us through it or not… we need a plan.” Theo’s voice is confident but quiet, his free hand gripped just as tightly around his wand as his own.
“You’ve been working with Tori for how many years now, when has a plan ever stood strong? Or even been relied on.” Draco raises an eyebrow at him, remembering her little motto about these sorts of missions.
Theo rolls his eyes and sighs. “Make the plan, execute the plan, expect the plan to go off the rails…throw away the plan.”
“Fuck the plan.” Draco finishes, and Theo begrudgingly nods to him.
The warehouse’ structure is weak, if they start blasting through the walls and doors it won’t be able to hold its shape. One plan Draco will not abandon, is getting his witch out safe.
The first slash of magic through the wards are brutal, the thickness of it making their spells struggle to penetrate through it and trying to bounce it back like an elastic. Draco pushes further, allowing his use and study of dark magic to thrash violently at the wards core. Once he starts to feel it begin to crack, he feels Theo’s magic engulf it quickly… tearing the last of it to shreds. Draco flings the doors open with a final swish of his wand, their presence is known now, no use in hiding in the shadows from his father. They walk side by side with their wands at the ready, moving with purpose into the dark building. They would allow Tori to endure this on her own no longer.
Their steps echo uncomfortably against the damp walls as they get closer to where Tori’s heart beats guide Draco, the stench of dark magic growing stronger with every step until they come upon a strange figure on the floor against a wall. A few steps closer and the figure turns into a lifeless corpse in dark robes draped in blood, a few more steps and the face of his Aunt staring blankly through her bloody hair dripping down her face. Draco turns to her carefully, inspecting the blast across the entire left of her torso. Bellatrix was left handed like he is, this was her casting side, she was hit when she was casting at something…
“Dray…” Theo’s low whisper behind him catches his attention, and he looks back to see a grim look in his friend’s eyes. Draco follows his gaze to her figure dangling by her arms in a magical twine, her body pulled tight on it as the burn was leaving behind large wounds dripping blood down her arms and back. Draco moves quickly to her side as he points his wand and casts a finite, wrapping his arm around her as her weight drops into his chest and a harsh gasp leaves her lips. Frantically, he turns her around to face him as he inspects her when he hears Theo’s footsteps steady behind him.
Her face is bruised, a bloody lip and a strange cut under her right ear dripping fresh blood down her neck. Draco gently lifts her face up, desperately running his thumb under her squeezed eyes. “I’ve got you, I’m here.”
Tori’s body reacts stiffly once his quiet whisper reaches, her eyes opening to show not the green in her eyes but instead a pure white cast across their entirety. She’d mentally guarding something, or from something. Her occlumency consuming her and using every bit of magic inside her own mind and gripping tight.
“Not… safe…” Her murmurs barely escape mouth as she tries to lift her arms limply to her face, like her actions and words are being said miles away from their destination.
Draco’s grip on his wand tightens as he looks up from her only momentarily, scanning the room. “Appare Vestigium.” A bright red string of magic trails from the floor where she sits, leading down the hall and spreading abrasively just a few feet in front of where Bellatrix’ body lay. Draco feels his frustration build when he searches for a second trail of magic, but instead he watches the spell fade slowly once it’s complete. He turns his head to Theo expecting the same frustration when he is stalled in his thought only to see his own father, eyes mad, staring down the end of Theo’s wand.
“Magnificent, isn’t she…” His voice low and mischievous, Draco can feel the familiar harsh stiffness in his back.
“Release her.” Draco doesn’t match his father’s tone, holding his voice strong and demanding before raising his wand in threat.
“I have no hold, my boy. I simply… tore back a few layers.” Lucius Malfoy taunts, vaguely opening his arms before slowly leaning into a bow. “The more layers I pulled at, the more lethal-“
“Bombarda!” Draco spits violently as his wand blasts a large red spiked coil of magic at his father, Theo follows him quickly with an ‘Incarcerous’ to bind him before his body even hit the floor. While twisting his wand to tighten the bind, Theo pulls out his old family pocket watch, tapping his thumb lightly twice before slipping it back into his pocket and stepping towards Lucius.
"Draco, dear boy, I only gave you more power-"
“Silencio.” Theo casts alongside tightening the bind enough to scrape against his robes enough to start ripping them.
Sounds of popping apparition surround the warehouse, thrashing of wands pushing the feeling of defensive magic into its walls.
Never in Draco Malfoy’s life did he think he would ever see his best friend, and former partner in the Death Eaters, Theodore Nott; summon Harry Potter and his auror team for them. His wand hand lowers once the aurors begin to surround his father, softly moving Tori’s darkened bloody hair out of her face before pulling her in close. He moves his hands under her to pull her up into his arms before slowly lifting her with him, her sunken eyes still clouded in occlumency and blood still dripping from her arms.
In that moment, Draco vowed to himself and her to never allow her to be put in this situation again, he felts his devotion deep within his chest to heal the damage of the war they fought as children, and the war she was still fighting now.
A solemn promise, as he tucks her head into his neck and walks with her past the apparition point.