A/N: I know! Two chapters in one day? Unreal.This one may make you cry, but not as much as the last chapter. Enjoy! Comment, Vote, & Love! <3

When I got down the flights of stairs from the Gryffindor tower, I wasn’t expecting to see a full blown out war. There were people that I recognized and some that I could out right tell that were Deatheaters. I had stopped at the bottom of the flight of steps, which caused Kam to run into me from behind. I was a tad shocked at first, but it didn’t take long for me to recover when a spell was aimed directly at me.

“Pretego!” I yelled and shielded myself and Kam, who was still behind me.

“Shit! That was close,” Kam yelled in my ear.

“We need to split up. We can cover more ground that way,” I told her and she nodded.

She headed in the direction that was towards Dumbledore’s office, and I took a second to think. Would there be someplace else that Dumbledore would take Harry? He had said that they were leaving the school grounds, but there is no apparating within the castle grounds. The easiest place by far to release the concealment spell upon the castle would be…the Astronomy tower.

That’s where Draco was.

My heart knew it.

I broke out in a run and ducked around some approaching wizards. My heart was in overdrive, and I wasn’t thinking straight. Draco was clouding my thoughts. I was about to cry. My breath was caught in my throat. I had butterflies in my stomach. It was real, and I was caught in the middle of it. Draco was off trying to murder Dumbledore. I know in his heart he doesn’t believe that he can actually do it, just as I do, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

 I saw the entrance to the Astronomy tower and bolted for it, not paying any attention to where I was going. If I would’ve been paying attention, I wouldn’t have gotten caught by my arm and slammed up against the wall. I didn’t know who it was, but he didn’t seem like anyone that I should be around as a growl escaped from his throat.

“Pretty girl,” he snarled. “Pretty little Gryffindor girl.”

I screamed.

It was a late reaction, but I didn’t believe that the man who had grabbed me would’ve been that dangerous to me. I was wrong, dead wrong. There was something…different about that man. He drove fear into parts of my body that I didn’t know I could feel. His eyes had something in them that I couldn’t really tell what it was. Blood lust perhaps?

“What are you doing out here pretty Gryffindor? You know it isn’t safe,” he smirked as he chuckled. “It isn’t safe unless you don’t want to keep your throat…and what a delicious throat you have,” his breath was warm on my neck.

I didn’t know what to do. My wand was pinned to my side along with my hands. I could kick him, but then he seemed to have the advantage. What on Earth was I supposed to do? I was pinned, and there was nothing for me to do.

I was going to fail Draco.

His soul would be torn apart.

And it would be all my fault.

“Fenrir,” came a deep voice. “After you’re done playing with your food, you might want to come up to the Astronomy tower for the show. Draco has Dumbledore, but I don’t expect him to make it out alive. It’ll be spectacular.”

“Yeah, yeah, Amycus,” the man growled against my throat.

That’s when I realized who he was. He was Fenrir Greyback, the werewolf. Hermione told me about him from the Daily Prophet a little while after I had said my good-bye to Draco. Fenrir was a werewolf who had gotten the taste for human flesh without the full transformation. I gulped down the fear that was coming up my throat. It was about to end. I was going to be killed by a werewolf.

I love you, Draco.

So, so much.

I’m sorry that I failed to reach you in time.

“Fenrir,” came a woman’s voice. “What do you think you’re doing? I thought you were given specific instructions on not attacking without my say so. Starved that much are we?”

“Bellatrix,” he barked and flung his mouth away from my throat. “I’m sorry, but she’s only a Gryffindor.”

“She may be a Grffindor, but do you happen to know who that is?” the woman cackled as Fenrir just stared at her, not moving an inch away from me. “She’s Michael Flint’s daughter. I would back up if I were you.”

I trembled as he stepped away from me. My breathing started to get back to normal, but I had to think of the new person in the room: Bellatrix Lestrange. She was mentally insane and was quite capable of practically anything. I heard about how she tortured some poor couple into insanity. She has no bounds or limits. It was just as bad as being alone with that werewolf.

Actually, I probably would’ve preferred the werewolf.

“Now, get up there, or so help me, I will end your life right here,” she barked crazily at him before setting her eyes upon me. “Courtney Flint, my my, it has certainly been a long time, hasn’t it? I remember that you used to come over to Cissy’s house for play dates with Draco just about all the time. You and he were close…could’ve been closer if you would’ve gotten into Slytherin, which I’m sure you regret right now.”

I just stared at her. Yes, I remember her from the time that Draco and I were friends. She was his aunt, so it was no surprise there. What I didn’t get was how she didn’t know about Draco and me. Didn’t Pansy send her parents a message about that huge rumor that she circulated around the school? Apparently she didn’t go through with it, but why not?

“You see, deary, Draco is about to rid this world of the only obstacle standing in the Dark Lord’s way. He’ll have a high standing in the new world, and where will you be? At the bottom of the food chain with the rest of the blood traitors,” she cackled and approached me. “Draco is a handsome looking boy, and I know that you’ve been stealing looks at him. What girl wouldn’t?”

Her fingers touched my cheek and ran the length of it before caressing it with her whole hand. I tried to push myself into the wall more, but no matter how hard I tried, she was still right there. Her mouth was just inches from mine and her breath was entangled with mine.

“You are a pretty girl. You probably would’ve been paired with him over that daft bitch, Astoria. She has no idea how good she’s got it, and she still wants to rebel. Not you though. You’re more intelligent than that girl ever will be. You would’ve known when to quit, am I right, Court?”

What was her problem? Couldn’t she just leave me alone? I hadn’t done a single thing to her, and she just wants to pin me back up against the wall where that dog had me? I know that she was close with my father just as Lucius was, but it was pointless to do anything to me. I was nothing to them besides a blood traitor…wait…that’s what it was about.

I was a blood traitor.

Not a deatheater.

Bellatrix was trying to make an example out of me. It was all coming together in my head as she continued to laugh at my stunned silence. I wasn’t about to do anything stupid with her right up against me. I was more uncomfortable than anything.

“Say something, Court. Anything,” she breathed.

I gulped, not wanting to say anything at all, but I had to say what was on my mind. It wasn’t the smartest move that I would ever make, and I knew that it would end with my demise. I just couldn’t take it anymore after that. I had to stand up for what was right.

I had to stand up for Draco.

I had to get to him before it was too late.

“Bitch,” I said before headbutting her.

“Why you little-“

She didn’t get to finish her sentence because a spell knocked her over and away from me. I looked up in surprise to see a blonde girl smirk at me. I wasn’t expecting that at all. I smiled at her before starting up the steps, but I was caught around the ankle and pulled down hard onto my side. The steps went into my side, and I swear I felt breaking.

“You’re not going anywhere, Court,” Bellatrix said before crawling her way up me in my shock. “You are not going to ruin Draco’s work. All of his blood and sweat went into this mission, and he will have th glory that he deserves. You are not going to play the hero today, little Flint,” she laughed and looked down into my eyes. “Little blood traitor,” she said before sinking her teeth into my shoulder.

I screamed again.

“Stupify!” someone yelled and hit Bellatrix in the back with the spell.

Bellatrix winced on top of me before standing and turning to face whoever had hit her. I grabbed my shoulder, which was warm with my blood. I swear she was part vampire or something to sink that far into my shoulder. I knew that I had to get up. I had to fight with the pain.

I had to get to Draco.

“You little twat,” Bellatrix bellowed as she faced the same blonde girl that had knocked her off balance just a few short moments before. “I should’ve known that you would come hunt me down. I knew it wasn’t a good idea to bring you with, but our Lord that it would be good initiative for Draco to continue on with what he’s doing, and if you keep this up, I’ll have no trouble in killing you, deary.”

“Please,” the girl laughed. “You wouldn’t be able to off me, and you know it. You would be punished immensely. Who else is worthy enough to marry the Draco Malfoy except for moi?”

“You are committing treason, my dear, but protecting that girl,” Bellatrix looked down at me and picked me up to standing position by my hair. “This girl is not worth you to be punished, am I right?”

The girl rolled her eyes. “I heard you tell Fenrir that she was too important to kill. A daughter of a Deatheater? You wouldn’t want to harm her too badly would you?”

“Why would you be protecting Courtney anyway? She’s definitely not worth it. She’s a blood traitor, Astoria, and nothing more,” she said and pointed her wand at me throat. “You can understand that, right?”

“Look, Bellatrix, I’m not here to play games with you. I’m here because that girl is too important to a friend of mine. I’m not about to let something horrible happen to her. I’m sure you can understand that,” she smirked back.

So, that was the girl that was betrothed to Draco? I couldn’t help but smile at her. Draco was right; she was pretty awesome, especially if she was saving me to protect Draco. I then felt guilty about hating her. Even though I knew they had no choice in that matter, I still couldn’t help but hate her, but she was turning out to be a great friend to Draco. That was all that mattered.

Thinking of Draco, I still had to make it up to that Astronomy tower, where he hopefully hadn’t gone through with it. I gripped my wand tightly in my wand and thought of what spell I could use. It wasn’t working though. I couldn’t think, but I had raised my hand anyway. I had used all of my strength when I swung my hand that Bellatrix screamed when I had hit her in the eye.

I know. Physical attacks were unusual, but I wasn’t the most normal witch. Besides, I also wasn’t able to think straight. I just needed to get to Draco before he ruined his soul, and his bitch of an aunt was standing in my way. The poke to the eye was enough to get her to let go of me, and Astoria grabbed my hand and pulled me to her side.

“Run!” she said, pushing me in the opposite direction of Draco.

“No, I need to get to him,” was all I said as I tried to push past her, but it wasn’t working. She took me by the wrist and pulled me away from the tower. “You don’t understand-“

“No,” she said, throwing me to the side, and I looked at her properly. “You don’t understand. He has no choice in this. If he fails, everyone he loves dies. He dies. You don’t want that, do you? You don’t want the fact that he died because you made him fail his mission on your conscious, do you?”

I just blinked at her. I didn’t know the consequences, but I should’ve thought ahead. I know that his soul was in danger, but was it better that he died than have it torn apart? She had a point. I couldn’t let him die. I should’ve never made to save him. I would’ve saved myself the hassle. I would’ve saved Kam the hassle.

Kam.

I needed to find her. If she was hurt, it would be all my fault. I nodded in response to what Astoria was saying. She was really pushy, but really nice all at the same time. She wasn’t half bad, which made me feel even guiltier than before about hating her.

“We have to find Kam,” I told her as she blocked another spell. “My best friend. I was selfish and dragged her out here in this mess. Will you help me?”

She nodded. “Sure. I can’t go back to the Deatheaters now after what I did. Might as well stick with you.”

“Courtney!” called a familiar voice, and I turned to see that it was Kam with Blaise. “I’ve been looking all over for you.” Her eyes then widened at me. “What happened to your shoulder?”

“Not important,” I said, ignoring the pain. “You’re okay?”

She nodded. “Thanks to Blaise.”

“Anytime,” he smirked. “Now, get somewhere safe or I’ll kick both of your asses,” he then nodded towards Astoria. “What are you doing here?”

She shrugged. “Forced.”

“Branded?” he asked.

“Nope,” she replied. “Now, get out of here before you get in trouble for associating with me.”

“Bye,” he said and disappeared into the rubble.

“Why would he get in trouble for associating with you?” Kam asked her.

“I’ll fill you in on it later, right now you two need to get safe,” Astoria replied and looked around. “Where do you think is safe? It’s your school.”

“I don’t think anywhere is safe,” Kam said. “I’ve been all over the school practically, and the Deatheaters are everywhere. We’d be just as safe outside as we are in here right now.”

“Well, that’s a bust,” Astoria said, chewing her lip. “What are we supposed to do then?”

I shrugged. Nothing was going the way I had planned, not that I really had a plan to begin with. All I knew was that I had to figure something out. I mean, Kam and Astoria were in this mess, and I felt that I had to be the one to save us. Perhaps if we could-

I didn’t get to finish the thought because I was grabbed by the arm and tugged away. I didn’t know who it was, but I could hear Kam and Astoria yelling after me as I was swept away, still facing them and seeing the scared looks on their faces. I was dragged outside where I saw that Hagrid’s hut was on fire. Poor Hagrid. That’s when I was slammed against a tree and lips were on top of mine.

“Court, you dumbass.”

I smirked at Draco as he insulted me. It was the best thing that I had ever heard! He still sounded like the same Draco. Did that mean that he didn’t do it? He was smiling down at me, and I up at him. The moonlight shown down on us as the battle waged on inside the castle. With us hidden inside the trees, we were blocked from view.

“Did you go through with it?” I whispered.

He shook his head. “No, I didn’t.”

“Why not? What about your parents?”

His eyes searched mine as his smile faded just a little. “I chose you.”

I swallowed hard. “You idiot.”

“What? Did I choose wrong?” he asked as I hit him on the arm.

“Yes, Astoria told me that-“

“Wait,” Draco interrupted me. “You ran into Astoria?”

I nodded. “She saved me from Bellatrix, who seemed like she was about to kill me. Did she get even more insane?”

“I’m sure she did,” he laughed. “I have to go though.”

I reached up to his cheek. “But I don’t want you to go.”

“I don’t want to go either, but the murder has been done. We have to go back to…” he paused, “Voldemort.”

A shiver went down my spine. “You mean you have to run back with your tail between your legs like the cowards that you are?” I shakily laughed.

“Exactly,” he brushed a piece of hair out of my face. “It won’t be good-bye forever.”

I pulled his head down toward me and kissed him like I had never kissed anyone before. “I love you, Draco Malfoy.”

“And I love you, Courtney Flint.”

“Draco,” came Snape’s voice from the edge of the forest, “it is time to leave. Hurry on,” he pushed Draco towards the gate as he approached him. “Miss Flint,” he addressed me, “You need to carry on with the plan as before. Do not stay the night in that house, do you hear me?”

I nodded. “I won’t.”

“Very well then. Good luck, Miss Flint. You will need it,” he said before dashing off after the love of my life and leaving me alone.