"Oh my god, I'm so glad you're okay," I mumbled into Hermione's hair as I held her close.

"I thought...I really thought she was going to kill me," sobbed Hermione, rubbing her eyes hard. She looked up at me. "We need to go and find your dad, and the death eaters, before --"

"I know," I agreed firmly. "Where's your wand?" Hermione muttered something under her breath and it shot into her open hand.

BANG!

The smell of burning filled the air, and we both ran for the door. Outside, two masked death eaters were standing in the corridor as students screamed and ran.

"Come on!" Shouted Hermione. She shot a stunning spell at one of the death eaters and he fell at once to the ground. The second death eater turned around.

"Don't do this, Draco," he said through his mask. He chuckled darkly. "You wouldn't hurt me. Your father's best friend. You wouldn't --"

"Crucio!" I shouted. The man writhed on the floor, screaming and crying and yelling for help, his face red and blotched.

I was reminded of something my aunt had said to me a long time ago. "She was right," I said, breathing heavily through my flaring nostrils. "You really have to mean it."

"Draco," Hermione caught my arm. "Look."

She was pointing to the end of the corridor, where a group of students stood defiantly, wands in hand. There was Ginny and Blaise at the front, grinning at me like maniacs. There was Luna Lovegood, looking dreamy as usual. There was loads of Gryffindors, most of which I recognised. I grinned.

"Don't just stand there, mate!" Shouted Blaise loudly. "There's still four of them running around the place. Come with us."

Hermione, Blaise, Ginny and I split off from the group and set off down the corridor, Ginny and Hermione with their arms around each other affectionately.

Suddenly another death eater, wide and broad-shouldered, stepped out from behind a statue and stunned me in the chest. I staggered backwards, my head swimming, but managed to shoot a stinging hex at his knees before toppling over.

The man grunted and Ginny tried to stun him herself, but he knocked her wand clean out of her hand. She gasped, but balled her hands into fists and punched him around the face, the metal of his mask clanging horribly against her skin.

"Ginny, move!" Shouted Hermione. Ginny ducked and Hermione said, "Aguamenti." A jet of water shot out of her wand and the man was blasted off his feet. Blaise ducked in when Hermione moved her wand away, pointed his wand to the man's throat, and stunned him quickly.

"Draco?" Asked Hermione timidly. I'd hardly moved. "Are you okay?" I blinked, and promptly blacked out on the floor.

||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

"Rennervate."

I opened my eyes. Crap. It was Pansy. Jesus, how long had I been out for? What had happened to Hermione, and the others? I rubbed my eyes, panic rising in my chest.

"Pansy?" I blurted out. "What - where am I?"

Pansy smirked. "The astronomy tower," she said smoothly. I looked down. It wasn't panic building in my chest - it was Pansy, running her hands smoothly over me. I pushed her away and sat up abruptly.

"Where are the death eaters? And my friends?" I demanded firmly, ignoring her as she slipped her hands through mine.

"Your friends are tired," hissed Pansy. "They forgot about you. They went on without you. I found you myself. The death eaters...don't worry about them. I'm with you, Draco."

Pansy paused. "Nobody knows where we are," she said softly. "We can run away now. Together. Nobody would know."

"You're lying!" I shouted, pushing her off me. "Where are they?" I drew my wand, trying to stand up. "This room?"

Pansy pouted. "He knows!" She called. Three death eaters stepped out of the shadows. One was holding Hermione, one was holding Ginny, and one was holding Blaise. I looked up. It was my father. Holding Hermione.

"Let them go!" I yelled.

"Draco, Draco, all in good time," said my father. "First, we need something from you. We need to know where the rest of your friends are hiding."

"I don't know," I snapped. "I don't know, they went a different way. Now let them go!"

"Liar," hissed one of the death eaters, tightening the hand around Ginny's throat. "He lies, Lucius! Torture him!"

Father shook his head. "Not him," he said quickly. "His friends." He put his wand to Hermione's throat and she winced.

"Wait!" I said, my heart beating fast. I felt sick, but I swallowed the feeling and said in a low voice, "They're in the forest. Longbottom told me. They're in the forest, trying to...find the thestrals."

My father drew away his wand, and I gave a low, shuddering sigh. He threw Hermione at me, and pointed at one of the death eaters.

"You!" He snapped. "Come with me to the forest." He turned to the remaining death eater with a smirk on his face. "Do whatever you want with these. We don't need them any longer."

Anger boiled up inside of me and I turned around just as my father was leaving, and stunned him square between the shoulders. He toppled over, I pushed up the door and locked it before the other death eater could return, and then turned back, panting, to the others.

"Who should I kill first?" The death eater pondered aloud. "You?" He spat, jabbing his wand at Blaise. "Or you?" He grinned, pulling on Hermione's hair.

He raised his wand.

"Avada --"