35: Hurt

As soon as Draco was out of their sight, he started sprinting.

Ignoring the battle going on around him, he didn't stop to help anyone unless it's a life-threatening situation.

With each fight he passed, his heart pounded more heavily. His mind raced faster than he ever did experience, he could feel his breath became more and more panicked and faster, he couldn't tell whether it was from the running or because he was afraid that one of the bodies he passed through would be you.

Every turn he took; he didn't spot you anywhere. He didn't know if he should be glad that he couldn't find you on the battlefield fighting with your life at risk or devastated that he might never see you again.

He was at his breaking point; he could feel his own heartbeat beating so forcefully like it wants to leave his chest. He can't catch up to his own breaths anymore, everything happened in a blur. He didn't even process anything that happened around him, it was like he was fast and everything else was moving slowly.

Draco didn't even notice that when he saw someone pointing their wands at another person lying on the ground, he instinctively turned around, aiming his wand at the attacker and simply stunned him.

After he was done, Draco turned around, continued running as nothing happened.

As he ran through the corridors, he could feel himself wanting to break down at any moment. He couldn't find you anywhere.

Then, everything stopped, Draco couldn't hear anything anymore. His heart that was once pounding so hard, wasn't heard anymore. His brain stopped working, Draco couldn't think anymore.

Fenrir Greyback, holding a girl wearing a Slytherin Quidditch sweatshirt by the neck, suffocating her.

"You can cast spells without your wand. I'm sure the Dark Lord would be very interested to keep a prize like you," he growled.

Draco could feel his heart burning with rage, every inch of his body filled with boiling blood. Without hesitation, he cast the cruellest curse he could think of, the cruciatus curse.

"Crucio!" He yelled, standing in place.

How dare he consider you a prize for the Dark Lord?

How dare he thought of you as an object to be gifted?

The werewolf howled in pain, suffering from the unbearable pain, he dropped you to the ground.

As soon as you hit the ground, you were on your knees, coughing your lungs out.

You look around to see Draco stood in his spot, casting the same curse over and over again.

You couldn't even begin to describe what Draco looked like then, his face had no emotion. You looked over to Fenrir Greyback, he already passed out from the immense pain but Draco was still going.

You barely got any energy to even talk, but you pushed yourself up from the ground and limp towards Draco.

Draco was casting his spell mindlessly; he wasn't even aware of what he was doing. In his mind, it was just an image of the werewolf on the ground and him repeating the same word over and over again.

It was like someone else took control of his body and he did nothing to stop it.

Fenrir Greyback deserved it, for all the crimes he committed, for all his sins that he escaped with, but most of all...

Hurting you.

Then suddenly, his view blurred, Draco didn't even have time to realise it was his head that was turned. Suddenly, a face came into view. Draco could barely make out that the person in front of him was telling him something. But he couldn't concentrate, he could barely tell who was it.

His body was itching to turn to the body lying in front of him and continue what he has done. But hold on his face was pulling him back, still having him face the person in front of him.

He could faintly hear someone's voice.

Who's the person holding him back? He wanted to make the man that hurt you pay.

"Draco..." He finally understood words. But he still didn't know who stopped him.

"Draco, you're scaring me." Draco wondered why did that voice sound so gentle and warm. It managed to slightly calm his rage.

He could feel his body relaxed immensely hearing that voice.

"Draco, please talk to me." The voice sounded to be in so much pain like it was on the brink of crying.

"Draco, it's me, please." It said again, sounding so worried.

Wait, he knew that voice.

Draco finally gain control of his eyes again, looking down to see who calmed him down.

His gaze was met with a pair of teary eyes; he could see that the tears within these set of eyes are like at the edge of the cliff, if more tears gather they would spill like the waterfalls.

Their eyes were also like crystals, shining so brightly with the help of their tears. Draco could feel himself adore this pair of eyes. At the same time, they felt so familiar.

Who was this?

The need to know who was standing in front of him took over, letting him regain his own consciousness.

"Draco, please talk to me. You're really scaring me." Draco finally recognized the voice that was holding him back.

It was you.

At this point, you couldn't keep your tears back anymore and just let them stream down.

"Lia?" Draco finally called your name.

"Yes, Draco. It's me." You said desperately, your multiple attempts at calling him finally answered.

Despite your smile, you had your eyebrows furrowed, tears still spilling from the corner of your eye.

"No, please don't cry." Draco's heart clenched, his hands moved in a flash to wipe your tears.

"Sorry, but you didn't seem to be coming back no matter how much I called just now." You told him as your own hand clung to his that was on your cheeks.

Relief hit you like you were pushed off a building.

You start to drop from having no energy left to stand anymore.

"Lia!" Draco caught before you hit the ground.

"Are you okay?" He asked to check for wounds on you.

"Yeah, just a little tired." Your head laid on Draco's shoulder.

This was the first time that Draco actually took a good look after he found you. There were wounds and bruises all over your body, the bruise on your neck was almost turning purple.

"I'm sorry..." You suddenly felt warm tears on your cheeks, but it wasn't yours.

Having no energy and with your eyes that were starting to drop, you managed to force your head up.

You see Draco's head hanging down to you, his face so close to you, his forehead leaning against the side of your head. His fingers on one side of your shoulder were tight but also gentle at the same time, so carefully that you realised that he was trying not to hurt you.

"Why are you apologizing? You did nothing wrong." Your hands pushed you off from lying down into a sitting position to face Draco properly.

"I did. I swore that I would protect you with my life. And yet..." Draco's tears start to stream down.

"I wasn't even there to do exactly that when you were in danger." His voice was held back by his sobs.

Draco pulled you closer, diving his head to your neck, holding you so tight. You could feel Draco trembling, never letting his grip on you go.

"But you did protect me, Draco. You saved me. From that werewolf." You said, your turn to hold him.

"You're still hurt..." Draco sniffed, pushing you into him more to the point your chests were sticking to each other.

"And I'm still alive because of you." You tried to convince him again.

But he didn't seem to be listening, he was sobbing his heart out.

There was nothing else you could make the situation better, so you just stayed still and held onto him, stroking his hair and rubbing his back.

"You have fought," suddenly, a voice invaded your mind, making both you and Draco jolted a bit.

"valiantly. Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery." You could tell that it was Voldemort that was talking.

"Yet you have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me, you will all die, one by one. I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilt is a loss and a waste." He says that but you doubt that he cares.

"Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forces to retreat immediately."

You glanced at Draco for a moment, noting what the mastermind behind all this war said.

Then his eyes met yours, Draco turned to you the exact same moment you glanced at him.

"You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured." You stared at Draco while he seemed to be focusing on what the Dark Lord is saying.

"I speak now, Harry Potter, directly to you. You have permitted your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If, at the end of that hour, you have not come to me, have not given yourself up, then battle recommences. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every last man, woman, and child who has tried to conceal you from me. One hour."

Voldemort's speech ended.

You were still staring at Draco, while he was avoiding your eyes.

"Draco." You called him.

"No." he just said, like he knew what you were going to say before you even said it.

"They will be suspicious, Draco. You need to-"

"NO!" He shouted, shocking you.

He finally turned to face you, his tears making an appearance again.

"I'm not leaving you here... Not when you're like this... We said that we would always stick together." Draco broke down again, diving into the crook of your neck again.

This wasn't the first time you've seen Draco cry, but this was definitely the most emotional one yet.

Draco was holding you tighter than he did before, it was like he was afraid that you'd leave him if he let go.

"I really don't want to lose you, Lia. I wasn't there with you when you were hit by that bludger! I wasn't there to protect you when the snatchers attacked you!" Draco screamed with desperation.

"And now this..." He loses his voice that was once shouting and weeping.

"You're here now with me, Draco... That's what matters." You said to him.

Both of you quietly snuggled against each other while Draco cried his eyes out.

After a while, Draco calms down and just picks you up bridal style.

"Where are we going?" You just asked.

"Getting you fixed up," Draco said it like nothing happened back there.