Don't Ever Forget

XLV.

Consciousness came back in waves. After an immeasurable amount of time which felt like it could have been either one second or one year, I registered faint popping sounds. The sound of apparation. After the first few sounded, the room burst into chaos. I tried to force myself to open my eyes, to move, to do something so I could protect myself, but I was stuck. 

"Draco, stop!" I heard someone yell. It sounded like Harry. 

Streams of spells followed. Expelliarmus, Impedimenta, Stupefy. I even heard the killing curse shouted by an unfamiliar voice and I silently hoped it didn't hit anyone I loved. I heard the voice of Hermione and Ron among the crowd and later heard Matthews and Collins. 

I was finally able to slowly open my eyes and I squinted against the bursts of light. I saw a figure run towards me and I braced myself but as they bent in front of me I recognized them. Hermione.

"Y/N, are you okay?" she asked frantically, noticing the state I was in, "Relashio." After she spoke that word, I suddenly felt a release. I remembered I had been bound to a chair and I let myself fall forward into Hermione's arms. She comforted me, holding me close to her.

"Everything is okay. We found you. Everything is okay," she whispered as the battle continued around us. She uttered a few defensive spells every so often but I tried to focus on recollecting myself. It felt like there was a huge empty space in my brain and I had a terrible headache. I tried to list out what I remembered last. I had been at Hermione and Ron's house until I got a letter from Billingsgate. What did it say? I couldn't remember, but it made me come here. I remember most of what he said, why he had done what he did but parts were missing. I was brought out of my focus when the room became completely silent. 

"How did this happen right under my nose?" I heard an exasperated voice. I forced my eyes to open a bit and recognized Shacklebolt standing in the middle of the room, next to Harry and Ron. They were surrounded by many unconscious bodies. I smiled weakly when I recognized Billingsgate sprawled across the floor. I closed my eyes again, trying to regain strength. 

"You couldn't have known. He was very secretive with what he did, and he covered his tracks well," Harry explained. I tried to sit up, groaning with the effort. I heard footsteps quickly approach us and heard someone crouch beside me and Hermione.

"Is she okay?" I heard a scared voice ask.

"I think she will be, she's just very disoriented from the spell," Hermione replied quietly. I suddenly felt myself shifting, Hermione leaned me over to lay in this new person's arms. 

"Y/N? Y/N, love, can you hear me?" I heard the boy whisper. 

"Y-yes," I tried my hardest to reply. When I opened my eyes, a boy was leaning over me, his eyes full of concern. I realized that I recognized this boy, except he looks so much different from the last time I saw him. Of course, he was much taller but he also looked a bit skinnier.  His eyes were darker with either lack of sleep or stress, and they were glistening with tears. The pale blue eyes and the light blonde hair were the same from when he introduced himself to me all those years ago, on platform 9 3/4. 

"Draco?" I ask, confused, and his lips turn up in a smile. 

"Yes! I'm here, I'm so sorry," he says, pulling me into his chest. I keep still in his arms. Why was he hugging me? I glanced at Hermione, hoping she would take me from him but she doesn't seem confused at his behavior towards me. 

"Hermione, can you help me up?" I ask, turning away from Draco and leaning towards her. Being in his arms felt weird and unfamiliar. He was basically a stranger. She threw Draco a concerned glance but she immediately holds onto me and helps me get to my feet. I stumble a bit but find the strength to keep myself upright. The fog that clouded my mind before was starting to recede and I felt more in control, my thoughts were becoming clearer. I glanced back at where Draco stood and the smile he had before had completely disappeared. He was staring at me, his eyebrows pulled together in pain. He looked broken but I couldn't understand why. I decided not to worry about it, I needed to see how my friends were. I walked with Hermione to Harry, Ron, Matthews, and Collins. They were all okay, standing together as a group of Aurors rounded up all the subdued wizards. Some began to wake up and fight against their restraints but it was no use. I went up to Harry and threw my arms around him.