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𝕺onagh had forgotten how huge Hogwarts truly is.
The combination of being away for a year and the mayhem all around, has her suddenly feeling like her eleven year old self again, overwhelmed and overstimulated by the World of magic.
The sounds of screams and crashes were relentless, happening in every aspect of her surroundings. Everywhere she looked, there were beams of light, emerald green and scarlet red. Everywhere she looked, there was dark robed figures duelling non-uniformed fighters. And none of them had hair the colour of the moonlight or eyes of perfect grey. None of them were Draco.
She's running, she doesn't know when she started running or what destination she has in mind, but she's running, jumping three steps at a time and flicking spells off her wand when she passes someone in need of extra help. The courtyard. She's running towards the courtyard, outside where the peacefulness of the night sky is hidden by thick blankets of smoke and dust.
For a split second, she stops and surveys around, blue eyes rounding at the recognition of someone ahead. Sandy hair streaked with silver. If he wasn't so bleedin tall, she might've missed him.
"Remus!"
She yells, rushing towards the soothing, tender and warm man for the third time that night. He's duelling somebody, somebody that now the Oonagh nears closer, she realises she recognises too. Eyes as dark as his hair, that's still true, but it's not as neatly styled as she remembered, sort of dishevelled in all sorts of directions, not slicked back off his tanned face. This was the Death Eater Theo impersonated. Dolohov.
Remus blinks, risking a glance in the direction of the younger Hufflepuff girl rushing towards him. His rapid heart rate slows, she's okay. She's more than okay, not even sparing a glance in incredibly skilful Dolohov's direction, just flourishing her wand and knocking him backwards into the collection rubble rock nearby.
Disbelief writes itself across his face, staring down at Oonagh who's barely blinking an eye at what she's just done. He's been duelling that persistent bastard and she swoops him and finishes him effortlessly.
"Have you seen him yet? I still can't find him" She pants, gaze flickering around the courtyard a little madly.
Remus shakes his head, firing a stunning spell out of his wand for the next Death Eater approaching, "No. Not yet i'm afraid"
She sighs, already sprinting back off as she calls back to him, "I'm going to keep looking! Love you!"
Remus' heart enlarges atleast three sizes, a soft smile worming its way onto his dry lips, murmuring back in awe, "Love you too"
The grounds were a horrible mess, debris and fragments of the protective statues scattered all across the cobbled floor, a number of bodies, bruised and cut and terrifyingly unmoving, slumped against them. Oonagh tries not to look or think of them for too long, that time would come later. The grieving stage, and she would do it with her pinky intertwined with the boy she's determined to find.
Suddenly, the air around her began to freeze, giving that bone-chilling sensation she was back at the Ministry Detention Centre, and circling above her head, hungry and fiendish, Dementors. Looking up, she notices them, swirling figures of concentrated blackness, moving in a great wave toward the castle, their faces hooded and their breath rattling.
Blue wisps shot out of the wands of those who had also spotted them, but it wasn't enough. Nowhere near enough. The dementors persisted through the light, kissing the faces of those on fallen on the stone walkway—
Light, an absurd shade of bright blue, burst out from somewhere behind, almost blinding the small gathered group lingering at the entrance of the castle. Whilst Hermione and Ron duck their heads to preserve their eyesight, Harry keeps watching, watching with wonderment as the rather adorable animal successfully chases away the dark creatures.
Struck with amazement, he and the others turn around, mouths slightly agape at the sight of Oonagh O'Connor, wand in hand, grinning broadly,
"Didn't think you'd particularly enjoy their kiss"
Ron splutters slightly, the only thing coherent leaving his mouth being two words that Oonagh thinks fit together rather nicely,
"Dementor Expert"
"Aren't I just?" Oonagh laughs gently, soon falling back into a more serious demeanour, asking hopefully, "Have any of you seen Draco by any chance?"
"Yes! Yes, we have! We just past him actually, should be around the second or third floor!" Harry blurts out, and Oonagh could've lunged forward and kissed him.
Not on the mouth of course, she's always liked to stay loyal to her other half and she highly doubts Harry Potter is a better kisser than Draco Malfoy anyway. She goes for something else, something that might be better in terms of their perpetually changing like/hate relationship.
A rather goofy smile breaks out across Harry's face, massively preferring the straight position of glasses over their lopsided slant. Oonagh pushes the curved rim further up his nose, murmuring,
"Nice glasses, Harry"
"Thanks! They help me to see" He murmurs back, gaze lowering down to the familiar boots snug to her feet, "Nice uggs, Oonagh"
Already beginning to retreat away, eager to reunite with her soft, grumpy boy, Oonagh cries out, flooding all of their chests with amusement despite the gut-wrenching current circumstances,
"They're bleedin filthy, i'll be sending you the fucking bill!"
Second or third floor. Oonagh could search the second and third floor. She tries not to think that the chances are he's no longer there and moved on from there, instead keeping to a positive mind. Her feet will take her to her heart, they always have done before, she has full faith they will do now.
Glass shattered at her two o'clock, a frozen body flying through, at full pelt colliding into the stone wall, head first. Another scream echoed behind her, a booming thud succeeding from another explosion, sending bits and pieces of Hogwarts school all over the floor. Ancient, oil paintings, one of a kind, were ruined, Oonagh's heart panting when she spies what looks like the background of a cemetery, the swing that the two lovers once took turns pushing each other on, sliced brutally out of it.
Oonagh's spine tingles and the baby hairs on the nape of her neck stand, compelling her to whip around. A hopeful, rather naïve piece of her heart longs to see Draco Malfoy there, standing behind her, about to command they go for a walk outside in the pelting rain. Her Uggs are already ruined beyond the point of fixing, what would be some more rain?
It isn't Draco. It's someone, much to her horror, far less pleasant. Someone, that like who Remus was duelling, takes her back to the time in her life she'd quite like to forget. His hair still has that awful brassiness, tinting the blonde yellow. And his somewhat neat ponytail is messy, strands of hair falling out and sticking to sweat slick face. He's panting too, face dark and menacing, like he's had enough, like he'd already made his mind up beforehand the next person he lays eyes on, he's going to kill.
He's going in for the kill, Oonagh processes, narrowly missing the tragic green light that's aimed directly at her heart. There's no time for friendly bouncing back, taking turns to fire a curse, he's hurling them one after the other without a break, most Oonagh hasn't even heard before. They're dark. She can tell, no funny and playful spells are plum purple and venom black. All that she can do is dance back and forth, side to side, and hope that she escapes Death's hands outreaching for her.
The rest of the world falls silent, all the screams, crashes and explosions loud enough to burst eardrums. Oonagh doesn't hear them any longer. She doesn't even hear her own cry of pain when an unfamiliar curse, spurts from the end of Corban Yaxley's wand and slashes right through her.
She staggers backwards, unimaginable pain blurring through her body like the sea coming into the shore at tide. She can't pin point exactly the root of the pain, where the hit is, Oonagh doesn't really have time to. Because Yaxley is advancing further forwards, the killing curse on the tip of his tongue, about to pass Oonagh's pain into heartbreak for others in the foreseeable future. She exhales, surprisingly soft and calm, eyes fluttering shut to lean into the arms of Death.
Arm.
It's singular. Just the one arm that she feels, banding around her middle, pressing her up against something firm. The hold isn't one of Death's quick snatch of bodies, more of a protective barrier, blocking the passage between life and whatever's next.
Oonagh's eyes snap open, her mind racing as fast as her heart at the realisation that strikes her harder than one of Corban Yaxley's curse ever could. Sort of black on top, blonde underneath.
Gorgeous.
She was right, all that time ago, Mrs Malfoy is absolutely gorgeous, she determines, when after knocking Yaxley halfway across the long hallway, out cold to the world, she turns to face Oonagh. Striking grey eyes passed onto Draco, and high cheekbones that could win her any top beauty pageant within seconds. Lithe, elegant yet oh-so intimidating, it makes Oonagh a little breathless and shy when she finally whispers,
"Oh, hi"
Narcissa softens considerably, the teeniest, tiniest of smiles blessing her thin lips, "Hello, Oonagh"
"You know who I am?" Oonagh murmurs, cheeks possibly warmer than they've ever been before, especially when Narcissa strokes her thumb against the apple as she replies gently,
"Of course. There's only one person in this world, better, brighter and warmer than the sun"
The Hufflepuff's smile fades, heart stuttering back to panic mode, incapable of ignoring the fact the person that was supposed to be here for this very first greeting, is missing. She thinks of endless possibilities, ones where Draco wasn't lucky enough to have someone swoop in and protect him. Nobody knows what side he's truly on. Nobody knows where his true loyalties lie. At this rate, he could be hurt by either side.
"Oonagh, take a deep breath. You're making it worse"
Oonagh blinks, gaze dropping to where Narcissa's pressing her palms. They're stained, covered in bright red. Oh. Oonagh had forgotten she was hurt, had forgotten that Yaxley had gashed open her right side, blood pouring out from the ribs of her lower chest, all the way down to the centre point between her bellybutton and hipbone.
"Well that's not good" She says, going easily when Narcissa carefully guides her inside the classroom closet, where she slowly sinks down to the floor, propped up against the bulging bookcase.
The older witch somewhat crouches in front of her, flourishing a wand she most likely stolen from the dead, about to heal her to the best of her ability when the unmistakable cold voice all fear, reverberates off the walls once more.
"You have fought, valiantly. Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery. Yet you have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me, you will all die, one by one. I do not wish that to happen. Every drop of magical blood is a loss and waste. Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forces to retreat immediately. You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured"
Oonagh stares at Narcissa, and Narcissa stares back, hesitant to retreat as commanded. Oonagh swallows, patting her hand around until she finds hers, unreasonably cold and soaked with blood, blood that once upon a time, she'd consider filthy and unworthy. Things have changed. Oonagh's changed things.
"Go. Look for Draco" She urges, pleads really.
Reluctantly, Narcissa agrees, standing up and vanishing into thin air, leaving Oonagh all alone in the classroom, listening as the no-noses bastard continues,
"I speak now, Harry Potter, directly to you. You have permitted your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If, at the end of that hour, you have not come to me, have not given yourself up, then the battle recommences. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every last, man, woman and child who has tried to conceal you, from me. One hour"
As his voice fades out, so does Oonagh's consciousness.
•2086 words•
I don't know why i'm giving you all these chapters so quickly, I want this story to last as long as possible!