Hold On
It was the next afternoon when Amira finally emerged from her mind.
"It's time," she said, "I have a few hours left in me."
They'd been packing all morning. Hermione had given them each their own packs with emergency potions and wound care items, as well as anything else she could think of that would be important. They hadn't been speaking all that much, just waiting for Amira's signal that it was time.
"They'll have warded Hogsmeade, so let's land outside," Draco said. Amira had gone back into her mind. Draco almost wanted to tie her to him so that he could keep her close and protected. She was beyond vulnerable like this.
"Got it," Harry nodded. The two of them had assumed the role of natural leaders over the past few weeks as Amira had struggled, and there was an immense respect between them. Draco couldn't believe it. The whole group took a big breath, and then cracked away.
When they landed, alarms immediately started going off, and Draco cursed.
He used his new skills to sense a group of Death Eaters standing guard at the shack.
"We have to go into town," he said quickly, "They're behind us."
He took Amira's hand and ran, "Come on love."
She ran with him oblivious to the danger they were in. The trio followed behind them. Draco had his wand out. There was a stranger at the edge of town. Draco's steps slowed when he realized it was Aberforth Dumbledore next to his bar, The Hog's Head.
"You are idiots," the man yelled at them, "Come inside."
"That's the first place they'll look," Draco argued with him, "And I'm sure it's warded."
"It is, and I disabled them," Aberforth said, eyes as powerful as his brother and daughter's. "If you want to die, keep arguing." He turned and went inside.
Harry ran inside the bar after him, so Draco had no choice but to pull Amira along.
Aberforth ushered them downstairs immediately. He stayed upstairs, and Draco was ready to start cursing Harry out for luring them into a trap when they heard voices upstairs.
"Where are they?" he heard.
Aberforth's voice was next, "Hell if I know."
"They're here," one voice demanded, "You're her-"
"I've never met the bloody girl, why would I want that spawn of the devil here?" Aberforth spat, "Get out of my shop, we had a deal."
"We have to search," they said uncertainly.
"Then by all means search, but don't touch anything!" he snapped, "And let them get all of the way to Hogwarts while you waste your time."
"He's right, they wouldn't have come here, there's been no correspondence," one voice said. Draco felt like he recognized it. "We should go."
There was grumbling and footsteps, and then a door swung closed. The group downstairs held their breath while they awaited their fate. Amira wandered over to a portrait of a girl who looked surprisingly similar to her. Her features were lighter, and her hair was light, but the eyes and the build were the same. The girl in the painting was much younger.
"What were you thinking, coming here?" Aberforth demanded as he descended the stairs.
"We needed to get into Hogwarts," Harry defended.
"To die then?" Aberforth snapped. He had more fire than his brother had, Draco noted.
"To fight," Harry matched his fire. Aberforth gave him a respectful glance.
"Well then," he said. Then his gaze traveled to where Amira was standing.
"We'll give you a moment," Hermione said softly. She and the other two boys went into the back room. Draco stayed put. This man may have been her father, but he was never going to voluntarily leave Amira alone with a man she'd never met.
"She's mad," Aberforth said quietly, "Just like my sister."
Draco looked at the portrait, "Is that her?"
He nodded. "She died when she was fourteen."
He then turned to Draco. "Tell me, how has she survived this long?"
"Why do you think she wouldn't?" he asked.
"I saw her when she was born. I was there in the room, hidden under a cloak I borrowed from my brother," he said, "I sensed it then. The same darkness that was in my sister. And incredible magic."
"Her magic was locked away most of her life," Draco explained, "When her uncle brought her to live with us, the Dark Lord sensed it, and forced it open. That was almost two years ago."
"She's quite powerful, more than anyone I've ever met," Aberforth said, walking closer to her. "How long did she retain her mind?"
"Until this week," Draco said.
"Really?" Aberforth said, shocked.
"She's been struggling for months now, and she always had her battles," he said, "But it's only been this week that she's had to go into her mind to fight the darkness."
"It was a choice?" he asked in surprise.
"She knew that she wouldn't be able to contain it much longer, so she decided to fight it to buy us more time, but she can't be with us at the same time," he said, watching her.
"I'm impressed it hasn't overtaken her yet," Aberforth said.
"It does sometimes, especially recently," Draco said, "It started when she was learning magic. The Dark Lord would push and push and she'd get high from it, and she didn't want to stop. Eventually she'd pass out. Then he used it against her on raids to keep her going. Now, any magic at all is a risk for her to fall down the slope and let it take her. Her body can't handle the strength. She gets nosebleeds, she has seizures, her heart and lungs have almost failed. It takes her days to recover, and it's painful."
Aberforth nodded.
"That's consistent with the research I did when Ariana started to struggle," he said, "Can she make it to midnight? It will get easier then."
Draco looked at him.
"For her seventeenth birthday?" Aberforth reminded, "It won't completely go away, but it won't be anything like this. And I have tips that could help."
"She said she only had a few hours left," Draco said. He didn't know why he was surprised that her father would be so aware of when her birthday was. "She plans to use the magic when it takes over to fight the Dark Lord."
"Even if she dies?" Aberforth checked. Draco nodded. He felt his heart breaking again.
"I tried to convince her not to, but she's strong, and she's smart. If this is what she wants-" his voice broke and he cleared his throat, "Then I'll support her. But I intend to try my best to buy her time, and get her to midnight."
"Ten hours," Aberforth said, "It'll be a hell of a fight."
"I know," Draco said.
"I'll do my best to gather resources to help you all," Aberforth said. Ariana started walking away from the portrait, "And when I get into Hogwarts, I'll try to come find you. I have some experience with these matters."
Draco nodded in the silence. "Do you want to talk to her?"
Aberforth looked at her longingly, "I never thought I would meet her. I never knew what happened to her. And then... when I saw the paper, I thought she was lost to some dark magic that was keeping her alive."
"She's not lost," Draco said, "She's right there, and I can bring her out for a couple minutes."
"You love her," Aberforth stated. He nodded. He considered that he was meeting his girlfriend's father in an odd way. "I'd like to talk to her, if she can."
"Amira," Draco called softly. Her head turned at his voice, but she didn't look all of the way. "Come here love."
She walked to him, still in a daze. He cupped her jaw.
"Come out for a bit," he said, "Your father wants to speak to you."
Awareness flickered in her eyes before she blinked and looked around.
She locked eyes with her father.
"Hello," he said roughly.
"Hello," Amira said after clearing her throat, "I didn't expect to meet you today."
"No, neither did I," he agreed. He looked at Draco, a cue for him to leave.
"Are you going to be alright if I step out?" he asked Amira quietly. She looked at him for a moment and then nodded. Draco went to the backroom with the others.
Amira stared at the man who was her father. She could feel that his magic was similar to hers, familiar, but more steady and not as overpowering.
"An apology is owed," Aberforth started, "I didn't know you were still alive, this whole time. Had I, I would have come to raise you."
"You thought I was dead?" she asked. She'd always wondered if her father simply didn't care about her existence.
"I was there, at the birth, hidden," he explained, "And... When she passed, it got chaotic, and I had to go. It wasn't safe there, and I'd sworn to her that I wouldn't die if I came to watch the birth. I had no choice."
"When I heard nothing about you all of these years, I thought... I thought you hadn't made it," he admitted.
"Well I did," she said.
"Where were you? You didn't go to Hogwarts?" he asked.
"No," she said, "I lived with Yaxley. I... I was a squib for a long time."
He sensed darkness in her tone apparently, "He mistreated you."
She tilted her head, "You could say that. He kept me alive as his oath required."
"I know what they do to those who they consider less," Aberforth growled, "I will kill him."
"Not if I get to him first," she said with a smirk. Aberforth grinned with her.
"You've got that fire too," he murmured, "We all do."
"I thought your brother was a peaceful, wise old man," she pointed out. Aberforth's expression darkened.
"He wasn't always that way," he said, "And he was good at acting."
"I figured," she said, "I could feel it in him when we met."
"You met him?" Aberforth asked.
"Minutes before he died," she nodded, "It was short."
"Were you truly with them ever?" he asked after a long pause. Amira knew he was referencing her loyalty to Death Eaters.
"No, I was forced, and then I escaped," she said, "And now they will pay."
"What will you do after?" he asked. She raised her eyebrow.
"There is no after," she said, "I can't make it until midnight."
It was true. Her skin was screaming to let out the magic. Her head was pounding, her muscles were protesting. She was dizzy. But she was so used to it all that she supposed she was hiding it well.
"You might be stronger than you think," Aberforth argued.
"I am strong," she said, "But my magic is stronger. It's my biggest gift and my biggest curse. And I'm tired."
"I can imagine," he nodded, "My sister was always tired. Always in pain."
Amira nodded.
"I did research, I found others like you who had made it to adulthood. It gets much easier," he said, "But our bloodline has too much magic, it's destined itself to die out by killing the women."
"A star that burns too bright burns out," she murmured.
"It does," he agreed, "However, I do intend to do everything in my power to get you to midnight."
She laughed humorously, "You and Draco then."
"Yes, and I think we have a chance," he said. Amira felt guilt then. She had never had people to care about her like this. And she was going to be going against them. She was taking the horcrux out of Harry, and no one was going to stop her. And it would surely kill her. Without that, maybe she would have a chance. But it didn't matter. This was her purpose.
Just then, she felt a part of the wall in her mind give out, and she put a hand to her head and placed the other hand on the wall to steady herself. She needed to go back into her mind and fight this for as long as she could.
"I'm glad I got to speak to you," she said with a tense jaw, "But if you want any chance of speaking again, I'm going to have to deal with this." She tapped her head.
He nodded, "We will speak again. I have a lot to make up for."
She couldn't respond, as she had already gone back into her mind to continue fighting.
"You kids can come out now," Aberforth's low rumble came from the other room. Draco stood and hurried there, hoping things had gone alright. Immediately, he realized that Amira was back in her mind, fighting the battle that no one else could help her with.
"You need to get into Hogwarts?" he asked. They nodded. Draco noticed Ariana was walking back into frame with some other figure, too far in the distance for him to see. "Well, lucky you."
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked. Then she gasped. "Neville?"
The portrait swung open.
"Hello," Neville Longbottom greeted them. Draco fought not to gape. Longbottom looked rough. He was covered in dirt and there was blood and bruises on his face. He had a limp and his clothes were ratty.
"Neville?" Harry asked.
"Harry! It's so good to see you," the boy exclaimed. "Everyone will be so excited!"
"Everyone?" Harry asked, "Neville, what's going on?"
"Go, explain to them on the way," Aberforth commanded, "I'll alert the Order."
"We're going to fight?" Longbottom asked the old man, "Finally!"
"Go, stop wasting time," Aberforth commanded, but his eyes were on Amira.
Longbottom's eyes widened even more when he saw her, and then when he saw Draco.
"We'll explain," Harry said. His natural leadership was already coming out here, and that was fine by Draco. It didn't annoy him, Harry was the one who was meant to lead this fight. Out in the world, Draco had more knowledge, but here, with these people, Harry was in his element. And, Draco didn't care about any of them. He only cared about protecting and taking care of Amira.
Longbottom nodded and turned to let them in the tunnel. Harry went straight away, followed by Ron and Hermione.
"Take care of her," Aberforth said quietly as Draco took Amira's hand and helped her up into the tunnel.
"With my life," he promised. Aberforth gave a grunt and then shut the portrait behind them. Draco pulled Amira along gently but quickly. It always amazed him how aware she was of her physical surroundings while not being present at all in the mind. He never really had to worry about her tripping or slowing them down, only directing her where to go.
Longbottom was telling Harry a tale of how the school had turned into basically a military school where they tortured students. Harry's old group had gone and hid in the room of requirement and continued to fight in the shadows. It was impressive, sure, but Draco still wasn't certain if school children who'd been abused all year would be much help to them.
"We've been listening to PotterWatch, but they haven't known much," Longbottom said, "Just that apparently Malfoy and... well her, they said that they'd turned, but no one much believed it."
"They have," Harry said, "I'd trust them with my life. They've saved us many times. Without them, we'd have already lost the war."
"Well, your word is good enough for me," Longbottom said, "Welcome to the light, Draco! And um, Amira."
Draco really hoped he wouldn't have to be friends with all of the Gryffindors. Harry and his crew were bad enough.
"Er, thanks," he said lamely.
"Alright, erm, maybe let me explain first?" Longbottom suggested when they came to an end of the tunnel. "And then, do you two want to introduce yourselves?"
Harry turned to Draco.
"She's not going to be able to talk," Draco said.
"Should we explain it to them?" Harry asked, "So they don't think she's like..."
"Nuts?" Ron finished helpfully.
"I'll come up with something," Draco said, "We're not telling everyone the truth, in case she does survive this. That's private."
"Of course," Harry agreed, "Whatever you think is best, I'll support it."
"No one will question you," Longbottom nodded, "Just checking though, she doesn't talk?"
"She does, just not right now," Draco said. He was impressed by how non-judgmental the boy seemed, and how maturely he was handling all of this.
"Alright, let's do this," Harry said. Longbottom nodded, and swung the door open.
Draco couldn't see past the four others, which was good, because it meant the room couldn't see him. He could hear a lot of people chattering and then suddenly hush when they were noticed.
"We have guests," Longbottom announced to the room. A large cheer went up when Harry stepped forward, followed by a chant of his name.
Harry quieted them.
"Thank you," he said. They all cheered again.
"I'm so glad to be back at Hogwarts," Harry said, "Unfortunately, I have a lot to ask of you."
The room hushed.
"Are you here to fight?" someone yelled out.
"Yes." Harry said. The room lit up again in applause, yelling, and cheers.
"We're taking back Hogwarts!" Longbottom yelled. Harry shushed the crowd again.
"Not only that, but we're going to try to end this war tonight," he revealed. There was a pause, a gasp, and then more wild cheers than Draco had ever heard. Harry let it go on for a few long minutes.
"Alright," he said, "I have a few things to tell you, so please listen closely."
The room fell into a dead silence.
"First, the Order, and more fighting adults are on their way," he said, "We will try to rally the professors as well. I will go out soon and alert them, and we will take care of the Carrows and Snape."
Hermione stepped forward, "First, we need to evacuate all of the students. We have a few different exits to do so, and we will have portkeys to take them somewhere safe. We will have to split into groups to do this."
The safe place was apparently Bill Weasley's house. In earlier months, he'd been warned and agreed to have the entire Hogwarts population camp out at his house for a few hours.
"Hermione will be in charge of this, I need four people from each house to go speak with her when we're done here," Harry announced.
"What about Slytherin?" someone yelled. Draco felt his heart turn to ice. Surely, they didn't plan to leave his house here to fend for themselves.
"They will not be excluded," Harry said.
"But we don't have anyone from their house," another voice yelled.
"Then four of you will step up and volunteer," Harry said firmly, "They are Hogwarts students as well."
"All sixth and seventh years will be given the option to stay," Hermione said, "You do not have to. Fourth and fifth years will be in charge of organizing those at the sanctuary and will begin the process of trying to contact parents. There will be a few adults there to safeguard your safety, but you will all need to be on alert."
"The Dark Lord and all of his forces will be coming here, so if you do not feel prepared or if you simply do not want to, please go home, be safe, and spread the word." Ron encouraged.
"Now," Harry said, "One last thing."
The room hushed again.
"We have two special people joining us, and they are who will tip this battle in our favor," he said, "They have saved my life on multiple occasions, and will be fighting closely alongside me tonight. I will tolerate zero disrespect towards them, as they are two of the bravest and most honorable people I have ever met. I have had the great pleasure of getting to know them over the past few months, so I'd like to introduce you to Draco Malfoy, and Amira Dumbledore."
He stepped aside, and the room went silent. Draco stepped forward with Amira. He hoped she didn't look too dazed, so he risked a glance and saw her staring out over the crowd. Her expression didn't look completely absent, and he was thankful.
"Hello," he said. No one spoke.
"I know many of you do not like me, and do not have high opinions of me," he started, "And I know many you have seen or heard things about her that may scare you."
He took a breath.
"We are here to help. We escaped the Dark side months ago and have been helping to take down the Dark Lord ever since," he said, "Amira is the best asset you all have in actually bringing down the Dark Lord's forces, as she's powerful, and knows them inside and out. And she's a Dumbledore."
Murmuring broke out.
"Currently, you may notice she isn't speaking," he said, "This is because she's preparing for the upcoming battle. She has learned old and abstract magic, and has a routine of gathering her magic hours before fighting, which takes all of her concentration. If you must speak with her, you can talk to me, or talk to Harry, Hermione or Ron. Now, I understand that this is all a lot to process, right now we all need to be on the same page as we'll be fighting together soon. Do you have any questions about us?"
It was silent at first.
"How do we know you're not going to turn on us?" someone asked. "You're a known Death Eater."
Draco rolled up his left sleeve to show a blank arm. He did the same for Amira.
"We've seen what she has done," someone else yelled.
"The situation is more complex that I can explain right now," Draco said, "But she was being forced. And she couldn't leave right away because she was gathering the information she needed to help take him down. Without that, we wouldn't even be having this conversation right now."
"It's true," Harry said, "She's accomplished so much behind the scenes to weaken the Dark Lord enough to take him down today hopefully. If she hadn't... we would never have a chance to win the war. I'm eternally grateful to her."
There were no more questions after that. The students still didn't seem happy, but they seemed to be willing to give them a chance with the endorsement of the Chosen One. Hermione hopped down from the ledge to gather her group. Draco was happy to see sixteen students, meaning that four had volunteered for Slytherin.
Longbottom turned to Harry and Ron, "How do you want to deal with the Carrows?"
Harry pulled out the map, "I'm going to go alert McGonagall first, Draco's going to deal with Snape. If either of us run into them, they'll alert the Dark Lord and flee."
"Alright," Longbottom said.
"Ron's going to stay here with Amira, and help show you the exits that we'll need to clear for the students," Harry continued to explain. Draco didn't love this part of the plan, but his conversation with Severus was going to be short and then he was going to be right back. They couldn't risk her walking through the halls.
"We'll need somewhere secluded for her to sit," Ron said looking around, "Students are going to be coming through here, in fact, we're going to need a command table, or room, to organize ourselves when the order gets here."
"I can ask the room," Longbottom agreed.
Harry turned to Draco, "There's no time to waste, are you ready?"
Draco nodded, "One second."
He looked at Ron, "It's your head if anything happens to her."
"I know," Ron said, "She won't leave my side."
"Good," Draco said. He turned to Amira. "I'll be right back."
He kissed her forehead, not caring who watched, and then followed Harry off the ledge to the entrance of the room.
"The Carrows are patrolling by the towers, you should be good to get to Snape," Harry said, looking at the map.
"Alright, good luck," Draco said, "I'll see you soon."
"Right back at you," Harry said. The two of them left the big room and entered the hallway before going their separate ways. Draco moved quickly and silently down the steps and through the halls. He was using techniques Amira had taught him and Harry. He was sensing for magic, quieting his movements, and was ready for anything. It was a Sunday, and it was just past five now. According to Longbottom, the school was on curfew by now, so the halls would be completely empty. It was eerie.
He was surprised that he actually felt fairly confident if there was going to be a battle against normal Death Eaters. He had magic they wouldn't be able to predict. He wasn't nearly as good as Amira, but he was far above the level of a normal wizard. So was Harry. They were probably the level of an average auror. With any luck, they'd be alright.
He got to the headmaster's tower in record time. There was no password, and Draco ascended the steps two at a time. He knew he could trust Severus, he just had to discuss what his plan was and where they could expect him.
"Hello Draco," Severus said. He was waiting for him.
"You knew we were here," Draco pointed out.
"The headmaster can feel whenever someone enters Hogwarts," Severus said. "What are you two doing here? With Potter?"
"We're here to fight," Draco said, "We have a plan, it ends tonight."
"You're calling him here?" Severus asked, "The students-"
"We are actively taking steps to evacuate them right now," Draco interrupted.
"Why do you think you're ready?" Severus asked.
"We don't have much choice, Amira's losing her fight to her magic, she thinks she won't survive the night. She's ready for this fight. This is her plan," Draco explained.
Severus eyed him.
"Has she spoken to Potter?" he asked.
"About him needing to die?" Draco checked, "Yes, he knows."
Severus sighed, "I will go to the Dark Lord, I will do what I can to slow him down."
"Kill the snake? If you can," Draco said.
"Alright," Severus said, "Be safe Draco. I'm proud of you."
Draco felt tears come to his eyes, but he blinked them away. He nodded. Then he turned, and left.
He was more cautious on the way back. He heard a lot more movement. A group of four Hufflepuffs ran past him down to where their dorms were. One stopped.
"You know where you're taking them?" Draco checked.
"Yes, the Whomping Willow, we'll have to go fast," she said, "I always knew you were good."
Then she ran off. Draco gawked. He didn't even know her name.
Then he continued. Another group of four students came down the stairs.
"Oh good, Malfoy- ah, Draco?" one of them said. Draco recognized him as Terry Boot.
"Yes?"
"We need you to let us into the Slytherin dorms?" they said. Draco nodded and turned to lead the way. This one side quest should be short.
"Which exit is yours?" he asked.
"Um, Ravenclaws are going behind some portrait, the Gryffindors and us are going through the room," they explained. He nodded. He got to the Slytherin portrait.
He turned to them, "I'm going to have to play the middle in there, just play along with me." They nodded.
He whispered the password that never changed.
The door swung open. There were students lounging about, and they gasped when they saw him.
"Draco!" They said excitedly, "What are you doing here?"
"Get everyone down here right away. Everyone," he demanded. They would respect a colder tone that left no room for arguments. It didn't take long for them all to be there. Some of them looked excited, nervous, or clueless. Theo and Blaise weren't there, and surprisingly, neither were Daphne or Astoria. Pansy and Millie were there and he motioned them up.
"Hello," he said.
"Draco, it's so good to see you," Millie said. Pansy sniffed. He didn't care about her feelings. They felt so long ago.
"I'm going to need you to help me," he said, "Because I can't stay long and I don't trust them to listen to these people."
He motioned to the group behind him.
"What's going on?" Pansy asked. He turned towards the room.
"Hello everyone," he said, "Now, I know the loyalties in this room might be mixed, and different from the rest of the school. However, it doesn't matter, at all. There is going to be a battle here in just a few hours."
There were gasps.
"Neither the Light, nor the Dark Lord, wants to waste innocent lives. However this will be the battle ground," He decided to lie a bit, "The Dark Lord wishes for you all to be evacuated, as does the light. So it doesn't matter who you support. The winning side, or your parents, will come to collect you when it's all over."
There were intense murmurs.
"Fifth years and under must go," he said, "If you are a sixth or seventh year, and you want to fight for the light, when we go upstairs you can express your wishes to the people there. If you wish to fight for the dark, you may go, be evacuated, and from there, contact your parents, friends, or whoever can get you in contact with the Dark Lord. You will need his permission, and he does not like people who assume their worth."
"Why can't we just stay here?" one boy yelled.
"You are in Light territory, Snape and the Carrow's have left the school at the Dark Lord's command," he said, "Anyone inside when the Dark Lord's forces get here will be considered light, and you will not be spared. This is what the Dark Lord has instructed."
These were all lies, but he hoped they'd be believable.
"Now, I have been set other tasks, but these four have been assigned to get you out of here," he said, "Listen to them, and listen to Pansy and Millie, they will make sure you all get out of here in an organized, Slytherin fashion. The faster you get out of here, the faster you can contact your parents and go home."
With that, he turned to Millie and Pansy again. He could tell they were shocked, but pleased with their newly given authority.
"I don't care what you wish to do, but can you promise me to get everyone to safety who wishes it?" he asked.
They nodded.
"Draco, who's side are you on?" Pansy asked.
He looked around, "I honestly can't tell you here. But you'll find out soon."
"I need to know," she insisted, "Because wherever you are, she is. And who's ever side she's on is the one winning."
Draco blinked.
"I'm going to be on the winning side," Pansy insisted. "Who's side are you two on?"
Draco lowered his voice. "She's in the castle, if that helps."
"I knew it," she whispered. "Well, I guess we're light now Mils."
"Guess so," Millie said with a small smile. Draco had to fight his reaction from showing on his face.
"I have to go," he said. He was spending way too much time down here, he needed to get back to Amira.
"See you soon," Pansy said, "Good luck."
He nodded, and left. He ran up the stairs. He passed the Ravenclaws who were just beginning to file through the portrait, starting with the first years. The line was long, and he prayed they'd have enough time to all make it out.
Up on the seventh floor, he could see the Gryffindors already entering the room in hoards. Luckily, they looked to be about through the third years already. It helped that most of them had already been living in the room to start with.
He squeezed his way in between two people to enter.
The room had really emptied out, save for an extremely busy corner where he noticed many adults. He saw Alastor Moody, all of the Weasley's, Lupin, and more. He scanned for Amira and didn't see her immediately. He saw Hermione, but not Harry. She was directing the stream of students up onto the ledge.
"Mum, I'm staying!" Ginny Weasely was demanding.
"No you're not!" The Weasley matriarch said fiercely. Draco ignored them as he walked closer. He saw Ron, and sure enough, right next to him, sitting on a chair in the corner was Amira. He went to her right away.
"Everything alright?" he asked him. Ron nodded.
"She's been fine," he said, "She seemed to be swaying a little bit so I got her a chair."
"Thank you, I've got her from here," Draco said. He knelt in front of her. "Hello love."
Her eyes looked at him, unfocused. He blocked out the rest of the world as she became the center of his universe again.
"Feeling okay?" he asked gently. She nodded slowly. "You want to try to eat or drink something?"
"Here," A voice said, handing him water and a piece of bread. The hands were familiar. He whipped his head around.
"Mum?? What are you doing here?" he asked. He stood and hugged her quickly without thinking about it. Then he pulled back in wonder.
"I just walked in," she said. "I've been staying with Lupin for months now."
"What?" he asked.
"Father's abroad, trying to get resources while staying far enough away," she said. "You didn't think we'd just leave you here did you?"
Draco was speechless. She smiled at him. "You've grown. You're a man now."
"Narcissa, are you still up for setting up the healing division?" Lupin called from the table where he was speaking with Moody.
"Yes, yes of course," she said. "I'll be right there."
She turned back to him.
"This is insane," Draco told her. She nodded.
"What is your job?" she asked.
Draco pointed at Amira, "I'm taking care of her. Whatever she needs. I'm going to try to keep her alive tonight even though she thinks it's not possible."
"Well then you'll have my help," she said, "Once she begins to fight, I'll come find you. You'll need all the help you can get to keep her heart beating, by the looks of things."
"Thank you," he breathed.
"You've done so well son," she said, "Just a little more. I love you."
She gave him another hug and then turned and went to speak with the other leaders.
Draco shook his head and then knelt next to Amira again. He coaxed her into drinking water and nibbling on the bread. She seemed even more out of it than before. Her heart rate was a bit quick for his liking, and her face was a little bit pale. He wondered if he should try to get her to lay down somewhere.
"Malfoy!" a deep voice barked. He looked up. Moody and the rest of the group were looking at him. He stood but stayed next to Amira.
"Yes?" he asked. His mother was now on the other side of the room speaking with Professor Sprout and Madame Pomfrey.
"We need to discuss her plans," he said, "I've been made aware that she's not speaking at the moment?"
"She is not," he said.
"She does not look well," he pointed out, "Is she going to be ready?"
"She is," Draco said, "Don't worry about that. What do you need to know?"
"What is she planning to do?" Moody asked.
"She's going to get through the Death Eaters," he said, "Hopefully kill the snake if it isn't already dead. That's something that anyone could help with."
"Yes, Ron told us that," Lupin said, "We're all going to be on the lookout."
"Alright, then the hope is that she can deal with the Dark Lord, with Harry." Draco said, "I know there's a prophecy, and maybe it'll play out, maybe it won't. My guess is that it will, but Harry won't be able to do it alone. Amira will be able to take him down."
"You're certain?" Moody said.
"Well, if she can't do it then no one can," Draco snapped.
"What about Lestrange, can she take care of her?" Shacklebolt asked.
"She absolutely could," Draco nodded, "But they'll know that, Bellatrix will hide from her."
"Alright," Moody nodded, "Anything we need to watch out for? Fires? Earthquakes? She has a reputation."
"I'm not sure what she'll do," he said, then he had a thought, "If for whatever reason the Death Eater's are torturing someone or using Dark Magic, try to keep it away from her or shield her from it. Her magic is sensitive to it, and it hurts her to be near. She doesn't need any distractions."
"Good to know," Moody said, "When will she... come out of this?"
Draco sighed, "Whenever the battle starts, she'll let go of what she's fighting now. Then, I'm just going to do my best to keep up with her. She'll have a mind of her own at that point."
"I'll be with her too," Harry said. He'd just entered. "We've trained together, she's taught me a lot."
"Good," Moody said. The Gryffindors were all out and the first of the Slytherins were starting to trickle in.
"Oh um," Draco said, "One more thing, I may have made it seem like it was also the Dark Lord's idea to evacuate the children, and they might think I'm still working for him, so I'm going to go hide somewhere until they're all out. I told them that those who wanted to fight for the light could come talk to you all."
"Alright," Moody nodded. "We don't need anything else from you. Stay vigilant."
"I'll go with him, we need to plan," Harry said, "Ron, Hermione, are you staying here?"
"No, we'll come with you," Ron said.
"When the Dark Lord comes, we'll all be stationed around the castle, and mostly down at the front gates," Moody explained, "If you need anything just ask. Do this as fast as you can, for everyone's sake."
"Understood," Draco and Harry said at the same time. Then, Draco turned back to Amira. He whispered in her ear.
"Come on love, let's go find somewhere for you to rest," he said.
He took her hand and she stood unsteadily.
"I have a place," Harry said, "We'll be able to relax and watch for the battle to start."
"Alright," Draco said.
Harry led the way to the Gryffindor tower. Draco helped Amira climb through the portrait hole and he gawked.
"This is so.." he said. "Cozy."
There was way too much red and gold, but there were cushy chairs everywhere and it was warm with the fireplace. It was the opposite of the Slytherin minimalist cold dungeon dorms.
Harry led the way to a small side staircase. After Amira stumbled, Draco simply picked her up and carried her the rest of the way.
"This was our room," Harry introduced. Draco looked around at the circular room. The window there was perfect to see the front and side of the castle and all that was occurring.
"So weird to be back here," Ron said, wandering over to sit on what must have been his bed. Draco laid Amira down on one. He tucked her in.
"Sleep if you can," he encouraged, not sure if she would be listening to him or not. He put up a muffling charm around her head. That way, they could speak, and she could sleep. He sat on the end of the bed with his back resting against the pole, so that he could look out the window. Ron lounged against the headboard and Hermione laid with her head in his lap. That was a new development, but not at all an unexpected one.
Harry sat on the window ledge.
"This is it," Ron said after about thirty minutes of silence. The sky was beginning to darken.
Harry nodded. They could see the professors strengthening the shields and wards around Hogwarts. Harry and Draco were sensing it, using what Amira had taught.
"It feels weird, to just be sitting up here," Hermione said, "It feels like we should be helping."
"The best thing for them is for Harry and Amira to be strong," Draco pointed out, "And the three of us need to be able to support them in whatever they need."
Amira was in a fitful sleep.
"Do you think she's really going to lose it?" Hermione asked.
"She stays super focused on her enemy," Draco said, "In that way, she'll be fine."
"But..."
"But, if she's alive when it's over, if she can last that long, I don't know how we'll stop her," Draco admitted, "But... she'll have to last that long. Her body is weak. You saw her after we almost got caught. If that's the case... she'll be dead before the battle is over."
Saying those words hurt him.
"You're going to help her," Harry said.
"I am," he said, "I'll stop her when she needs healing and then let her go again. That's the best bet."
After that, they sat in silence. The sky went completely dark. In the distance, they could see approaching masses.
"We should wait until they breach," Ron said, "They're prepared to take out the first wave. We needn't waste her on that."
Draco nodded and then jumped to his feet when Amira whimpered.
He checked the time. It was eight. Four more hours.
He took down the charm.
"Hey love," he said, "What's wrong?"
Her face was pale, sweaty, and her eyes were rimmed with red.
"Draco-," she forced out, "I can't-"
"Yes you can love, just a little longer," he urged. He swept her up in his arms and settled on the bed, holding her close. "Feel my magic, you are strong."
He smoothed her hair. Tears ran down her face.
Suddenly, Harry hissed and touched his scar. Draco looked over.
"He's here."
"Do we go now?" Hermione asked.
"No," Ron said, "We wait."
Amira squeezed Draco's arm and buried her face in his chest.
"You've got it love, just a little longer," Draco encouraged. He kept petting her hair.
The sky began to light up as the Death Eaters started to fire curses.