The Buddy System. *Complete*

The Battle talk

"We were at Malfoy Manor. Azaleah and I were sitting with our parents. We could tell something was going on. The Dark Lord had left to visit Gringotts as Harry was there. He was not happy.

We knew the battle was starting. Everyone knew. It was only a matter of time. Azaleah was particularly quiet. She has confided in her mother and me that she was worried for Raelyn and Teeny. They may be on different sides of the war but she refused to hurt either of you. I agreed.

Narcissa had just passed out cups of tea when Lucius came in excitedly and told us we were about to be called. Sure enough within a few seconds my arm began to burn. Right where the mark was.

We apparated and arrived on the outskirts of Hogwarts grounds on the hillside. Azaleah looked distraught at seeing the castle. Like she knew what was about to happen.

At first there was quite a bit of waiting around as the protection shields were up around the castle. I pulled Azaleah away from our parents. I asked her to run away with me. Right then and there.

I didn't care about the war. And I definitely wasn't a killer. Neither was Azaleah. I had my trust-fund so we could just leave.

But she wouldn't. She knew you and Teeny were in the castle Rae and she was determined to make sure you were safe.

So we stayed. When the barriers fell down and everyone ran into the castle, Azaleah kissed me and told me to find Pansy and Blaise and make sure they were ok.

She took off running up the stairs and away from me before I could stop her. She was headed for Ravenclaw Tower to find you."

She did? Oh Merlin Raelyn do NOT cry!

Too bloody late.

"We were in the Great Hall. I was attending to the injured. Teeny was helping barricade the windows and side entrance."

"Well I assumed she didn't find you. Because she came back to the dungeons."

"That's when I met her," Pansy sniffed. "I begged her to come with me. Through the tunnel under the Black Lake. They were taking the seriously injured to St Mungo's through that passageway."

"She wouldn't leave?" Draco guessed.

"Kept talking about her girls. I had no clue what she was on about."

"By the time Draco and I managed to escape the Room of Requirement, thanks to Harry, and made it to the Great Hall, I immediately began to help the injured and Draco went to find his parents. I saw you Raelyn." Blaise said.

"That's right you went to get supplies from the Hospital Wing." Theo added.

"Yeah. Took forever too. Only that the older Weasley and Katie Bell helped I would have been a goner."

"Well when I found Azaleah, we were in the Entrance hall. She had stunned Grant Richards who was about to kill Dean Thomas and was duelling with his wife Prue.

I shot a stunning spell at Prue and she fell unconscious. That's when we saw you and Teeny coming to help the others.

Teeny saw Dean clap Azaleah on the back in thanks and we were talking to Luna and McGonagall explaining how we had joined your side.

McGonagall and Dean ran into the hall to help and Azaleah offered to fix Luna's broken shoulder. You and Teeny were running down the steps and into the hall as Teeny saw Azaleah raise her wand to Luna.

She must have thought Azaleah was going to kill Luna and she shot a stunning spell at her but it knocked Luna off her feet.

Teeny cast another spell, this time at me. I don't know what it was but it had green light and Azaleah cast Protego. The curse bounced off our protection shield and hit Teeny as you two were running."