TRAINING WHEELS

THE VERDICT

The last thing Amora expected to see when she opened her eyes was Draco Malfoy hovering over her. She very nearly gave a huge sigh of relief, nearly croaked his name and asked him what had happened, and then she saw the look in his eyes and heard a sharp intake of breath from behind him.

"That's her - that's Buckley!"

Draco moved away from her hesitantly, and she realised she was on the ground in some sort of foyer. It was huge and seemed quite dark, and it definitely wasn't a room at Hogwarts. However, the startling part was who was in the room with her. Amycus had just burst through the door, red in the face, his finger pointed at her figure, and standing around her were Draco's parents, Bellatrix Lestrange, Fenrir Greyback, another Death Eater, and Lord Voldemort himself.

Amora immediately began to tremble with fear, unable to look away from the pale snake-like man. He was more intimidating than she cared to admit, and what was worse was that he had his eyes trained on her like a hawk.

"You have managed to cause quite a stir, Amora," Voldemort said, his voice causing icy fingers to tickle at her spine. "Like mother, like daughter, is it?"

Amora felt her lip curl as automatic tears filled her eyes - a combination of fury and fear. Her hands balled up into fists by her sides. She had no idea what to say. By this point, it had become a natural reaction for her to snap back in defence, but this was Lord Voldemort. Amora was smart enough to know better.

"My Lord," Amycus lifted a finger as he interrupted, looking breathlessly furious. "Please. Allow me to kill the girl - I cannot handle to watch her take another breath -"

A spike of fear coursed through Amora and she glanced to her left ever so slightly, only then realising that Leon wasn't with her. She felt her breathing pick up.

"Silence, Amycus," Voldemort spat, "You will get your revenge in good time." He looked back down at Amora. "You surprise me. You look as though you wouldn't hurt a fly and yet... you have murdered Hogwarts' very own deputy headmistress."

"Murdered?" Amora repeated breathlessly, gazing up at him in horror. She couldn't help the word escaping her lips. She couldn't comprehend the fact that she was really sitting in front of and talking to the Dark Lord.

"Crucio-ed to death," Voldemort elaborated, watching the colour drain from Amora's face. "You seem rather surprised. I assume you did not mean to kill her?"

Amora couldn't reply. She could see Draco's eyes shifting between her and Voldemort. He was doing the Occluding thing that he had been doing for most of last year -  she could tell it from a mile off, but nobody was paying any attention to him. Everybody was looking at her.

"Well?" Voldemort pressed.

"N - No," Amora muttered, "I didn't -" She swallowed harshly. "I didn't mean to kill her."

"Liar," Amycus hissed.

"Enough!" Voldemort yelled and hit Amycus with a spell that caused him to stumble over, making everybody in the room flinch. "Why did you kill Alecto Carrow, child?"

"I said I didn't mean -"

"But you did," Voldemort cut her off. "Why?"

Amora forced herself to straighten up the best she could, daring to look the monster in the eye as she said, "Because she told me that you killed my mother."

Voldemort released a small laugh. "Ah, that's right. I did kill your mother, Amora. Right here, in this very house. Right where you will die too, it seems."

Amora felt breathless again. Panic started to settle in. She couldn't believe that she was about to be killed by the same man - or thing, rather - that had killed her mother. The same thing that had ordered for her cousin to be killed. It felt maybe full circle in a way, like maybe it was in her Diggory blood for this shit to happen to her, and she hoped that whoever killed her made it quick.

Looking at the rage behind Amycus' eyes, though, she thought she might be stupid to hope for it. Most likely, she'd be tortured just as she had tortured his sister. Amora couldn't believe she had killed Alecto. She didn't think she had Crucio-ed her long enough to murder her, but maybe the Death Eater had already suffered one too many dark spells.

"We can't allow you to get away with murdering such a high ranking Death Eater," Voldemort said, "How... humiliating does that look on my behalf? Her death shall be made public - a warning to anybody who thinks of following in Miss Buckley's footsteps. Such a shame to spill such pure blood, though."

Amora very nearly scoffed at his last sentence. Her blood wasn't pure, but he didn't need to know that. None of these people did - it would probably make this situation ten times worse.

"A public death, my Lord?" Narcissa asked quietly.

"The Daily Prophet shall capture photographs. I'm sure people will be glad to see that Alecto is being avenged."

Amora shuddered at the idea.

"My Lord," Greyback lifted a finger as he imposed quietly. "Please do consider my request of accompanying Amycus in this revenge - seeing as I did find the girl."

Amora shivered in disgust, curling back a little, further away from the werewolf. He was even more repulsive now, and she was sure that it was Leon's blood coating his long nails. Her heart clenched painfully and she prayed that wherever he was, he was okay. He'd been so weak already though...

Amora tried to stop thinking about that right now.

"You think you deserve to be rewarded, do you, Greyback?" Voldemort said.

"Yes, my Lord," Greyback bowed his head slightly in respect. "I did what every other Death Eater at Hogwarts failed to do, My Lord. And I dealt with the Holloway boy."

Amora hated that she couldn't control the sob that immediately coursed through her. Short but violent, it was as if she was going to be sick, her hand finding her heart. Leon was dead. He had tried to save her yet again, and yet again he had paid the price.

Voldemort's eyes flickered to Amora in amusement and he grinned slyly. "Oh. Young love, was it?" He asked her. "How sad." He looked at Greyback. "You may have Amora Buckley's body once Amycus is finished with it."

Amora swallowed the lump in her throat - she would have gagged or wretched or even thrown up, but her body just trembled harder instead. She hoped her heart gave out before they could touch her. She wasn't sure if it was the lack of food or the exhaustion or stress or what... but it certainly felt like that was the way that things were going.

She hung her head low, unable to stomach looking at anybody. She hoped Draco was extremely good at Occluding, because he could barely handle people looking at her strangely in school. Amora was sure she had gone shades paler than before, especially when she practically heard the grin on Greyback's face. She caught him swiping his tongue over his teeth out of the corner of her eye. Her stomach twisted.

"Lucius, contact the Daily Prophet and have them come as soon as the sun rises. Bella, would you be so kind as to take the girl down to the dungeons?" Voldemort said.

"Of course, my Lord," both Death Eaters said, one a lot more enthusiastically than the other.

Amora felt a hand haul her up by the back of her shirt, her legs nearly stumbling over each other. She felt queasy, trying to regain her balance as Bellatrix dragged her away from Draco and the others. Her nails were sharp and dug into Amora's neck slightly, and she smelt... off.

"Nasty little girl, thinking you are above the Dark Lord's army," Bellatrix hissed, "Going to end up just like your mummy, aren't you? Going to end up like your little boyfriend Holloway too. Dead, dead, dead."

The doors closed behind them, cutting them off from everybody else. Amora's heart was pounding, her breaths loud and shaky now that she was out of the terrifying proximity of Voldemort. She was pretty sure her heart would come out of her ribcage in a moment.

Bellatrix led her down a small flight of stairs and demanded a small, rat-like man to unlock the gate at the very bottom. He did so, his hands trembling, and Bellatrix shoved her into the dark, damp room, cackling loudly. The gate slammed shut behind her, locking.

"I will see you at your funeral, filthy blood traitor," Bellatrix spat. "Pettigrew, don't stand so close to me. Vile thing."

Amora had planned on wallowing in her own pity on the ground, but as soon as she heard the surname come from Bellatrix's lips, she shot up from the ground. Ignoring the dizziness of her head, she grasped the bars and shot the crudest look she could muster at the man. Bellatrix was already gone.

"You!" Amora yelled at him, "You're - You're the bastard that killed my cousin. And Remus told me what you did to the Potters and Sirius Black! You'll fucking pay for what you did, you spineless rat."

Pettigrew's eyes widened and he took a step back before he seemed to realise that she was the one behind the bars and not the other way around.

"Your cousin was no challenge at all," Pettigrew told her.

Amora released an enraged scream, shaking the bars. Her tears from before finally began to pour and once they did, they didn't stop. Amora slid down onto the ground, burying her face into her hands as Pettigrew disappeared back up the small staircase.

"It gets slightly easier," a voice came, making her jump. It was oddly familiar.

Amora turned her neck over her shoulder, sniffling as a man came into view from the dark shadows of the room they were in. It was Ollivander. He looked frail and far older than Amora remembered him from her first year, but it was unmistakably him.

"Ollivander? You've been missing for over a year," Amora said, her disbelief and confusion allowing her inevitable fate to somehow escape her mind for a few moments.

"Oh, it's been that long, has it?" Ollivander mumbled, running his hand over his wrinkled face. "You can never be too sure how much time has passed. I'm mostly left down here alone. I suppose I have company now, though."

"Not for long," Amora muttered, resisting the urge to nervously reach for her hair and mat it like she always used to. "I'm going to die tonight."

Ollivander appeared visibly confused, his lips parting most likely to ask her what she meant, but then footsteps came padding down the stairs. Ollivander took a few steps backwards, away from visible sight of whoever it was, but Amora stayed put on the ground. She was happy to see it was Narcissa rather than Bellatrix.

The Malfoy woman unlocked the gate and stepped towards Amora. "I am here to check that you do not have any weapons or objects on your being," Narcissa said seriously, her eyes darting over to Ollivander for a moment. "Do not resist or try to hurt me."

Amora pushed herself back up onto her feet as Narcissa drew closer - so close that Amora could feel her warmth and smell her perfume. Narcissa began to pat Amora down ever so lightly, barely even touching her.

"I'm so sorry," Narcissa whispered frightfully. "Draco is a mess, we will -"

"It's not your fault," Amora mumbled, "Please, just... Just don't apologise."

Narcissa swallowed and finished 'patting her down.' Her eyes landed on a small bump through Amora's shirt and she carefully reached for the chain poking out just below the collar of her school shirt. The older woman looked at Amora as she pulled the necklace out, her breath hitching at the sight of the Slytherin ring on it.

"Is this... Draco's?" She whispered.

Amora gave one small nod. "It's got a protean charm on it. Don't squeeze it unless you want him to feel it."

Narcissa began to tear up a little, saying nothing as she swallowed the lump in her throat. Her hand trembled slightly as she reached around and gracefully unlocked the necklace. Amora's skin felt odd without the chain on it, and she almost wanted to grab it straight back from the Malfoy woman as Narcissa stuffed it in her own pocket instead.

"Amora, if there was anything I could do, I would do it in a heartbeat and Draco -"

"Cissy!" An awful shriek came from upstairs. "What is taking you so long? Is that wretched girl giving you problems?"

"No," Narcissa called back gently. "I'm coming right now." Narcissa pursed her lips and gave Amora one small nod. "You're a brave girl," she whispered.

Amora understood that Narcissa was trying to comfort her in her final moments, but her words brought Amora nothing but anguish. She wasn't brave. She had no choice. She was about to be murdered for accidentally killing one of the highest ranking Death Eaters of the second wizarding war. She was just a clumsy, sensitive idiot who didn't think before she did something.

Narcissa's footsteps left and Amora buried herself in the corner of the room, away from Ollivander. She wanted to spend her last few moments alone, where she could silently say goodbye to everyone. To Pansy, Blaise, Theo, Kathy, Neville, Luna, Ginny, Tonks, Remus... Draco.

She was confident that this was probably best for her anyway. She was supposed to be an optimist, and yet, with everything that had happened to her in the past few years, she almost looked forward to death. She wouldn't have to stress about having no family, about where she would end up after Hogwarts, about how she was going to deal with the weight of all of this sadness and despair.

Amora sat back and decided to welcome death. She'd see her mother again and greet her with one of the warmest hugs that she always used to take for granted, she'd tell Cedric about how Hufflepuff's quidditch team destroyed Gryffindor and Slytherin in the fifth year, and she'd give Leon a good punch for losing his life for hers. Especially now, when none of it had been worth it.

Part of her wondered if Draco would ever sneak down. Another part of her wondered what her reaction would be to it. She'd convinced herself that she hated him and that he was the worst person ever for lying and betraying her, and yet here, knowing she didn't have long left, she knew she would probably let her guard down just to kiss or hold him one last time. To have him look her in the eye and tell her how much he loved her.

Amora began to weep softly into her hands. She was about to die. She was only seventeen - the same age Cedric had been when he had been killed by Voldemort too. They were both so young, had so much life left to live...

She must have been sitting there contemplating everything for a while, because soon, there were two sets of footsteps coming down the steps. Two Death Eaters that Amora didn't recognise opened the gated door with a set of keys and grabbed one of her arms each, hauling her off the ground. She didn't bother to protest. Her eyes scanned their pockets, seeing if she could perhaps snatch one of their wands, but it was no use.

As they dragged her upstairs, they came to an empty, large room with high windows. Outside, the sky was grey, but it was undoubtedly morning. Voldemort stood at the end of the room, Amycus and Bellatrix by his side alongside a man with a camera. The room was filled with other Death Eaters, and the Malfoys stuck out like sore thumbs with their platinum hair. They were right towards the front.

Draco didn't even look at her. Amora wanted to sob and grab him and beg him to make her last moments comforting, but she refused to bring him down with her. This was it, and this was going to be more painful for him than it would be for her. Her death would come soon, but he'd have to live with witnessing it.

She had a feeling this wasn't going to a pretty death. Nothing pretty like Juliet's quick poison - something more like Mercutio's scene.

The Death Eaters shoved her onto her knees in front of Voldemort. She hated that it almost looked like she was bowing, and so she dared herself to raise her head, not missing the flashes that came from the reporter's camera. This was all sorts of sick and twisted.

"Amora Buckley," Voldemort said, his voice ringing out across the hall and bouncing painfully in her ears. "Today, you face the consequences of trying to rebel against me. You will repent for the murder of Alecto Carrow, a loyal servant, and the blood traitorous Buckley name will end here, at Malfoy manor."

Amora trembled. She could have been sick, but she was frozen.

"I will allow Amycus to have his fun with you, Amora, but before that, do you have any last words?" Voldemort smirked down at her.

Amora swallowed thickly. "I'm not scared to die," she said, and watched the slightest crease in Voldemort's forehead take place.

Voldemort released a small chuckle. "Delirious already. Let's get it over with then, Amycus, allow Alecto her peace."

Amycus wore a wicked grin as he stepped forwards, holding his wand. Amora felt her chest rise and fall faster no matter how hard she tried to stay calm, and then, Amycus opened his lips and -

"Stop!"

Everybody froze. There were several gasps. Draco's entire face was ten times paler than usual as he stepped away from his family, ignoring Lucius' hiss of his name and Narcissa's hand reaching for him. He stood about ten feet away from them and Amora sent him a warning look, one that he didn't meet. His silver eyes burned into Voldemort who took a step forward, both curious and furious.

"What is the meaning of this?" Voldemort hissed.

"My Lord -" Lucius began, his voice shaking.

"No," Draco cut him off, swallowing thickly. "My Lord, I don't think you should kill the girl."

"Oh?" Voldemort said, "And why is that, Draco?"

"He's not serious, My Lord, I sincerely apologise for my son -"

"Quiet, Lucius," Voldemort snapped, "Draco obviously has something to share. Don't be shy, Draco. Were you lying to me about your involvement with this girl?"

"No," Draco forced out, "No, My Lord, I would never lie. But I think - I think Buckley could help you find Potter. She could be useful."

Amora's heart skipped a beat. What the hell was Draco talking about? She had no idea where Harry was!

Bellatrix furrowed her brows. "How on Merlin's -"

"Silence, Bella," Voldemort growled, "If one more person speaks out of turn, they will face serious consequences." He turned back to Draco, slightly eager. "Speak, boy. What do you know?"

"Potter is in love with Buckley," Draco said, forcing himself to look over at Amora's surprised expression and then back to the Dark Lord. "He has been for years, My Lord. Rumour - Rumour had it around Hogwarts, My Lord, that they were briefly together. I was just - I was thinking that perhaps you could use Buckley to lure Potter here. He'd do anything to protect her, My Lord."

Voldemort was silent for a few moments. Amora could feel her heart pounding rapidly. Did Voldemort buy Draco's lie? Or was it really a lie? Amora was almost sure that Harry didn't 'love' her anymore, and he certainly wouldn't risk this war to save her. But she would be forever grateful for Draco's attempt at delaying her death.

"You failed to mention this to me earlier, Draco," Voldemort said, "Why is that?"

"I didn't even think about how she may be linked to Potter, My Lord. Forgive me, I should have thought harder and longer," Draco said.

Voldemort hummed for a moment and then turned back to Amora. She nearly jumped at his piercing eyes.

"Is this true, Amora?" Voldemort demanded.

Amora nodded weakly. Suddenly, she felt a piercing pain. She cried out, holding her head as she felt someone invade it - Voldemort. Amora had never practiced Occlumency, but she did her best to push all thoughts of Harry to the front of her brain and prayed that that would be enough. She prayed he would see what he needed and then not dive deep enough to see Draco or Pansy or Blaise or Theo.

Harry held his hand out, offering to open the jar that she was struggling with.

"Here, let me," he proposed.

Amora handed it. "Thanks," she scratched the back of her neck as he pulled the lid off and passed it back to her. "Thanks... again."

She began to put ingredients into a container and turned to head back to her desk when Harry gently grasped her wrist, preventing her from leaving.

"Uhm, Amora, I just wanted to apologise for whatever I did that's made you avoid me," Harry said sincerely, "I - I can assure you that whatever I did to hurt you, I didn't mean it. And I was wondering if you would like to go to the Yule Ball? With - with me?"

...

"Sorry about them," Harry muttered as he released her wrist.

"It's fine," Amora replied quietly, avoiding his gaze until he cleared his throat awkwardly.

"I'm also sorry for what I said last week," Harry admitted, "It was wrong of me to say that. I- O think you know why I did."

Amora frowned. She had missed him so much.

"Because you... like me?" Amora whispered, hesitant to say it out loud.

Harry glanced to the ground, scrunching his nose so his glasses didn't slip off. He swallowed efore he looked up at her, lips slightly pursed and a concerned look on his face.

"I - I didn't know how to tell you," Harry admitted, "I think it's just a silly crush, I - It's just, well, you've always been there for me and - I don't know why I'm saying all of this. It doesn't' excuse how I embarrassed you or made you uncomfortable -"

Amora jumped into his arms, cutting him off. He stumbled back a little but wrapped his arms around Amora tight, his brows furrowed. He used his hand to push his circular glasses back up, eyes wide.

...

The snow crunched beneath her feet and Amora kicked some up at Harry who was walking ahead of her. He turned around in a flash, furrowing his brows at her.

"Oh, you'll pay for that!" Harry laughed, rushing towards one of the benches to scoop up as much snow as he could.

Amora screeched as she ran to take cover behind Hermione and Ron at the very last second. Harry ended up throwing the snowball and them instead, resulting in cries from two of his best friends. Amora managed to throw a snowball of her own in his direction, watching it hit him in the chest. He feigned a glare as she took off.

"Come back here, Amora!" Harry laughed, chasing after her.

...

"Potter and Buckley are under the mistletoe!"

Amora's head snapped upwards and sure enough it was levitating above them. She swallowed thickly, her heart pounding in her chest. The Gryffindors around them began to chant at them to kiss whilst Harry was surprised, his cheeks bright red. He looked completely embarrassed.

"I - I -" He began to stammer.

"Come on, then!" Someone yelled.

Her heart was in her throat as she grabbed his Christmas jumper and yanked him forwards. Cheers erupted around them as Amora leaned forwards and Harry sealed the kiss. His kiss was soft and weak. It felt nothing like -

...

"We'd both be like Bambi then," Harry grinned as he watched her move cautiously along the iced over lake, his hand still connected with hers from where he stood on the snowy bank.

"Who?" Amora frowned as she glanced up from her feet, nose rosy and cheeks flushed.

"O-Oh, it's a Muggle film," he waved her off. "You would enjoy it, actually. It's quite sad at one point, but yeah."

"What's it about?"

"A deer."

"Muggle films are confusing!" Amora exclaimed as she released his hand. "I'm sure if you came over, my mother would interrogate you on your Muggle upbringing rather than the fact that you're... well, you know, the boy who lived."

Harry laughed as he folded his arms across his chest. He watched Amora move across the ice, doing a few ballet moves.

"Guess who I am," she said, and Harry began to laugh harder as she did her impressions for him.

...

"Hi, Harry," Amora's voice came out croaky from the amount that she had been crying. Ron visibly winced at the scratchiness of it.

"Amora," Harry swallowed.

Molly moved forward and grabbed her into a tight hug. She made a tutting noise as she soothed down Amora's hair before pulling away.

"You poor thing," she muttered, patting Amora's shoulder and blinking back a few sympathetic tears of her own. "We will let you speak with Harry for a bit."

Everybody left and then it was just the two of them. Harry told her what had happened that night, how Cedric had been murdered by Voldemort. She could tell Voldemort was particularly interested in the way she held his hand tight whilst he lay in his hospital bed. He quickly got bored and moved on.

...

"You have to wave your wand like this, it will be easier," Harry said, coming up behind Amora and grasping her arm so that he could twirl it in the proper direction. "See, you're a natural."

Amora bit back a small smile as she shook her head. "Oh, shush you. Thanks, Harry."

Other students were casting spells around them.

"It's what I'm here for," Harry replied, an obvious blush on his face.

...

It was just the two of them in the Room of Requirement. They stood by the mirrors having just packed away all of the cushions and books.

"I understand," Harry mumbled, "If you ever want to talk about it... Well, you know where to find me."

Amora gave him a genuine smile. "Thanks, Harry," she whispered, taking him into a hug.

Their hug lasted a few seconds, and then, as they pulled away, their eyes met and it was like you could cut the tension in the room with a knife. Harry began to lean down and Amora found herself meeting him in the middle, his large hands on her hips. She kissed back. This one was a lot deeper and less shy than the one last year in the Gryffindor common room.

...

Amora cried out in pain as Voldemort left her mind. She felt even weaker than before, her head feeling as though it weighed a tonne, but all she could hope was that Voldemort had managed to skip any part that suggested she didn't like Harry.

"I have seen enough. Draco tells the truth," Voldemort announced, "It appears that Buckley is not just some measly Hufflepuff..." He released a joyous laugh. "She is Potter's measly Hufflepuff."

There were a few howls of laughter. Most looked thrilled. Amora hung her head low. Draco could have cried in relief, not resisting his father's hand as he tugged him back into the crowd, out of the spotlight.

"What are we going to do with Potter's bitch?" Someone said with a cackle.

Voldemort raised his wand and flicked it in the Death Eater's direction, sending them to the ground with a thump.

"I warned you not to speak out of turn," he said, "Amora here shall be kept alive for now. Daily Prophet - make sure to spread this far and wide. If Potter truly cares about his girlfriend here, then he will know where to find her. Here, at Malfoy Manor."

The reporter nodded fearfully and scribbled to write some more.

"I'm afraid, Amycus and Greyback, you will not be getting your fun today," he told them both, watching the vein on Amycus' forehead grow more prominent. "Amora has become of use today, thanks to Draco. I am sure she is ever so grateful, aren't you, Amora?"

Amora didn't look up from the ground.

"Talk," he demanded forcefully.

"Yes," she muttered.

"Seeing as young Draco is not attending school and doesn't have any jobs presently, perhaps he can look after Amora here," Voldemort said, gesturing for Draco to come forward with a long finger.

Draco did as he was told, inching forwards so he was near Amora.

"Find Amora a room and ward it," Voldemort commanded.

"Shouldn't -" Bellatrix shyly added in, lifting a hesitant finger. "Shouldn't Buckley be kept down in the dungeons with Ollivander, My Lord? It seems only fitting for a blood traitor."

"And a murderer," Amycus spat, clearly upset that tonight wasn't the night he would be able to rid the world of his sister's killer.

"Perhaps," Voldermort agreed, "Only, when Potter comes looking for his little girlfriend, the dungeons is the first place he would look. Whilst Malfoy Manor is heavily guarded, Amora here is a... special prisoner of ours. She is the closest to the boy. I will be asking her questions in the evening."

Amora nearly visibly shuddered at the idea.

"My Lord, perhaps another would be more suited to look after the girl? My son is -"

"Perfectly capable, Lucius," Voldemort spat, "Draco here proved himself useful when he let all of the Death Eaters into Hogwarts, when he set Dumbledore up to be murdered. Is he not the school enemy of Potter himself?" He placed a hand on Draco's shoulder. "How fitting for him to keep Potter's girlfriend in line. Besides, perhaps Draco will not be so lonely within this large home you have, Lucius. Maybe he will make a friend."

There were loud cackles at Voldemort's joke, but both Draco and Amora just hung their heads lower. Amora stared at her thighs and knees, swallowing when she felt Voldemort yank her up. She nearly gasped in surprise as she came face to face with Draco, probably ten inches apart. He looked down at her and she didn't miss the slight tremble in his mouth - even if he concealed it very fast.

"Go," Voldemort demanded, "Don't worry, Amora. We will find your boyfriend. He won't be missing forever."

Amora said nothing but merely followed Draco out of the room. She faced the ground, her entire body shaking. She had not expected to leave the room alive. She kept close behind him, ignoring all of the stares that she got from the Death Eaters.

As soon as they were out of the doors, Draco reached and grabbed her wrist. "Come on," he urged and began to pull her up the stairs.

Amora didn't have the energy to fight him. Nor could she bring herself to look around at Draco's home, to marvel at how expensive and old everything was. She was too exhausted, and yet her body was pumping with adrenaline from everything that had just happened. She felt sick.

Once they reached an empty bedroom, which clearly belonged to nobody in particular, Draco shoved the door shut and cast a few charms. Probably some silencing stuff. Amora sniffled and glanced away from him, out of the window. There were fields everywhere, and fountains and white peacocks and rose bushes.

"Amora..." Draco said.

She turned to face him and very quickly realised that he had stopped using his Occlumency. Draco looked like he had automatically aged a few years, his eyes watering as he took one staggering step towards her. Amora was frozen in place.

They were alone.

...

hi guys! sorry it's been a little while, i use all the free time i have to write this, but it's not a lot. im really excited to start writing draco and amora scenes again - it's felt like ages since i last gave them a proper scene!!!

hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading <33

word count: 5.3k

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