Wonder // Draco Malfoy

52. The Aftermath

A/N - We're back in Valentine's POV!!

Lev drops to the ground, his legs still laying over Draco's body. But I... I didn't cast the spell! I couldn't have killed him!

A thud comes from behind me, followed by a shaky breath. I turn quickly and avoid the throbbing pain spreading through my entire body. Marcus is on the ground behind me, his wide eyes staring directly into mine. "I-I had to Valentine," Marcus whispers. "He was going to kill you." 

His voice is almost silent now as we both process what just happened. "You cast the spell?" I ask. The entire maze is silent, save our quiet voices. Marcus nods his head and blinks rapidly as if it's finally sunk in.

I push myself closer to him and fall back in his arms. His arms automatically wrap around me and we lay silent for a moment, both of us shaking and staring at the two bodies in front of us.

A rush of professors turn the corner quickly; their wands raised at the ready. "Weatherby, what are you-"

Professor McGonagall turns to find both Draco and Lev crumpled on the grass not ten feet away from us. I can't help but to sob at the sight. Marcus and I are rocking together, both of us crying desperately as the Professors run past us to check on the bodies. Marcus's father stops in front of us and kneels. "What happened, son?"

Marcus shakes his head and his father wraps his arms around the both of us. "He was gonna kill her!" Marcus yells. His voice makes me jump and the professors all turn their attention to him. "He already had Malfoy! I-I c-couldn't just let him take Valentine, too!"

His nose is red and his jaw is shaking as he screams. His arms are still tight around me and we're still rocking together. My hands are tight around his arm as I force myself to watch the professors examine the boys. When one checks Lev's pulse, he looks solemnly to an old-looking witch.

Lev is pulled off of Draco and he, too, is checked. "He's petrified," the professor says. "He is alive, but he needs to be taken to the hospital wing."

I choke on my tears. "He's alive?" I ask. Draco is now being carried away, still frozen in place from the stun. I try to stand, but my legs feel too weak beneath me and they only wobble before I fall back into Marcus's grasp. His father has now stood and is trying to help us both up, but we're staring with wide eyes as many professors pass to bring us to the infirmary.

Marcus and I are still holding on to each other as we stand. Everything feels like a dream; I can't feel myself walking but I'm following the group, one arm linked with Marcus's and another linked with an older witch I've never seen before. Everything sounds so muffled now and I can barely think of anything that's happened.

The crowd is already gone by the time we're escorted out of the maze, but my father breaks his pace to run to me with open arms. That's when I begin to sob again, becoming limp in his arms as he almost crushes me in an embrace. "My Valentine, are you okay?"

I can't fully comprehend the question because I don't know what the answer would be. One of my best friends just killed someone to protect me. Marcus is already out of earshot, his and his father's blonde hair reflecting the moon as they walk with Mrs. Weatherby back to the castle.

"Marcus. He-he.... He had to do it dad, he had to," I cry. Of course my father doesn't know what's just happened, he only knows that two boys were just carried out of the maze and that Marcus and I are too shocked to fully accept what just happened.

The old witch puts her arm around me. "Come on, dear, let's get you checked out," she comforts. She has a look of pity on her face as I nod and walk in both her and my fathers arms back to the castle. The great hall is completely empty and the only sound is our footsteps hurrying along to the hospital wing.

Once we arrive, Madam Pompfrey ushers me into the bed next to Marcus's, where Rue and his parents stand over as they watch an ancient wizard question him if he's hurt and what happened. Rue is too distracted by the look on her boyfriend's face to notice that anyone else is in the room.

After Madam Pompfrey helps with my head wounds and mends some of my bigger cuts, she hands me a change of clothes and shuts the curtains so I can change. I do so reluctantly; I don't have enough energy to actually change, so I stare at the clothes for a few moments before I realize I actually have to do something.

Once I'm finished, I open the curtains once again to find Professor Dumbledore with my father in a low conversation. They both turn to me when they see my stare. "What a night you've had, Valentine," Professor Dumbledore says. I slowly sit back on my bed and look to Marcus's. The curtains are drawn and I can hear faint whispering from behind.

"You have a mighty friend," Professor Dumbledore states. He sits on the edge of my bed and my father takes the seat next to me, holding my hand in both of his in worry. "Can you tell me what happened, Valentine?"

I nod my head slowly. I don't ever want to think about tonight again. Maybe if I tell everything now, tomorrow I can forget about it and we can all pretend nothing ever happened. We can even pretend to have never heard of any such tournament.

"Harry and Cedric... When they touched the cup, they were gone. They were just... gone. I was so close," I whisper. My father squeezes my hand reassuringly. "I thought it was over. That someone would come to find me to tell me I lost and that everyone had gone home. But no one came."

I take a deep, shaky breath and squeeze my eyes shut to stop myself from crying once again. My eyes burn and my cheeks feel puffy from the sobbing I've already done, I don't want to make it any worse.

"I heard someone else. There were still creatures in the maze, so I thought it was one of them. Then I saw Draco. He came looking for me." My voice cracks and I cover my face with both of my hands. Relief fills me at the idea that Draco not only doesn't hate me, but he also would risk expulsion or death just to come looking for me. But I'm also filled with guilt. He should have never risked his life for me, and now he's stunned until someone can help him.

"I didn't see Lev at first. All I saw was this green light and Draco fell. Lev kept talking about ... About how much he hated Draco and that he was so bad for me. Then he raised his wand to ... to k-kill me. I tried to deflect him but when I saw him ..." I take a deep breath and try not to look at my father. I can hear him trying to quiet his cries and I can't stand to look at him while he's like this. "That's when I noticed Marcus behind me. He dropped to the ground behind me and we were holding each other in shock. He had to do it Professor, you have to understand!"

Professor Dumbledore nods. "Marcus is in no trouble. Neither are you, Valentine. But as your headmaster, I feel the urge to warn you. Consider whom you hold close, then consider the events of tonight. That is all."

As he leaves, he turns around to me. "Oh, and Fred Weasley has been looking for you. I'm afraid we can restrain him no longer."

Before the door closes behind him, Fred enters the hospital wing and looks around. Once he spots me sitting next to my father, he visibly sighs in relief and runs to my bed. "Valentine, are you okay? No one said anything, and then I heard Cedric died, and-"

"Cedric's dead?"

My shock silences the rambling redhead. I stare blankly at him and barely notice Marcus's curtain fly open at my outburst. "What? You weren't... you weren't with Cedric?" Fred asks. Marcus is now standing, Rue glued to his side. His parents are in the chairs behind him with grave expressions.

"How? How did he die? He was just alive a few hours ago! He couldn't of.... How?" Marcus asks. He looks on the verge of crying again. Two students have died tonight. One of them should've been me. Not Cedric.

"Harry is saying that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back," Fred explains slowly. He is still trying to piece together what happened if neither of us knew the story of our friend. "How much of tonight do you know?"

I wipe my tears as a new flood of guilt washes over me. My father wraps his arms tightly around me in an attempt to comfort me. To think that this is his first impression of Hogwarts; his true introduction into my world, the life his late wife grew up in.  "He shouldn't of died," I say. I lean against my father's chest and Fred sits on my bed and holds my hands as I sob again. When will tonight end?

"All I know is that he shouldn't of died," I repeat.