Dumbledore was dead.

Everything happened so fast.

"Out of here, quickly," I heard Snape yelling and a smattering of footsteps could be heard as Draco, leading the way, came crashing down the steps where Harry still had hold of me.

He froze when he saw me. Our eyes met and I saw in them the horror as the realisation dawned on him that I had just witnessed everything.

Snape pushed him viciously, breaking our eye contact. "Draco, come on. We need to get out of here. Now!"

With one last glance at me, Draco ran on, Snape dragging him roughly.

"SNAPE! COME BACK HERE YOU COWARD!" Harry roared, finally letting go of me, and went sprinting off after them.

"Harry - no!" I cried, running after him. He had to let them go, it was the only way Draco was ever going to be safe now.

As I teared down the dimly lit corridor, I noticed half the ceiling seemed to have fallen in and a battle was raging before me. It was difficult to tell who was fighting whom.

"It's over, time to go!" I heard Snape yelling as he disappeared round the corner at the far end of the corridor; he and Draco had made it through the fight unscathed, Harry close behind them.

Taking a deep breath, and clutching my wand tight, I plunged through after them. Out of the corner of my eye I saw that horrifying man, Fenrir, coming at me. Using everything I had learnt in our DA lessons; I acted quickly.

"Petrificus Totalus!"

His body went rigid as he fell back against the wall. I carried on running, dodging jets of green and red lights. My heart was pounding in my chest, but I just had one thought: Get to Harry before he gets to Draco.

I managed to make it to the end of the corridor and sprinted round the corner, down a flight of steps and along another corridor. I could hear bangs and shouts all around me but I refused to lose Harry's ever retreating figure in front of me.

I saw Harry knocking two boys aside as he sprinted down the marble staircase ahead of me and flew towards the large oak front doors where I saw dark figures, one with white blonde hair, escaping through. I went flying after him.

"Harry!" I cried again, but he ignored me, focusing only on his mission in front of him as he pelted himself out into the dark grounds.

The cold night air ripped at my lungs as I tore after him. He was closing in on Draco and Snape who were nearing Hagrid's hut.

"Incendio!" Bellatrix, who had joined them, screeched as she pointed her wand at the hut. Hagrid's house exploded into flames. No, not Hagrid!

Snape, reaching the edge of the grounds, suddenly came to a halt and looked back at Harry sprinting towards him - me, close behind. Draco stopped in his tracks, looking edgy. He turned and his eyes met mine and I saw they were wide with fear. He stood paralysed.

"Go on!" Snape grabbed at his shoulder, urging him to move.

Draco swallowed, his eyes still looking into mine, full of sadness and regret. Then he turned on the spot and disapparated.

I sank to the ground, giving up the chase, feeling a mixture of relief and despair coursing through my body. He was gone. But he was safe. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I clawed at the ground beneath me, howling from the physical pain of losing him.

***

"I'm not coming back."

It was at Albus Dumbledore's funeral when Harry made this announcement to me, Ron and Hermione.

There was a great sadness amongst the castle. Nobody could quite believe that Snape had murdered Dumbledore. Everyone was in shock.

After the night it had happened, Harry took me aside for a talk. He had explained to me where and what he had been doing with Dumbledore and about the Horcruxes.

"It's the only way to defeat Voldemort." He had told me.

"Well then I'm in - I'll help any way I can, Harry." And I meant it. Despite my previous feelings about Harry, I was fully supportive of his mission to destroy the man that had ruined so many innocent lives, including Draco's.

Even though it hurt, I often wondered where Draco was and what he was having to endure. If I could do anything for him, it was this.

"But where will you go if you don't come back to school?" Hermione asked Harry after his announcement.

"I thought I might go back to Godric's Hollow," Harry muttered. "For me, it started there, all of it. I've just got a feeling I need to go there. And I can visit my parents graves, I'd like that."

"And then what?" Ron asked.

"Then I've got to track down the rest of the Horcruxes, haven't I?" Harry said, looking towards Dumbledore's white tomb. "That's what he wanted me to do."

I reached out and touched his hand.

"We'll be there, Harry," I whispered.

"We all will," added Hermione.

"Really?" Harry asked, looking startled.

"Of course we will." Chimed in Ron. "But, mate, you're going to have to come round my mum and dads house before we do anything else - Bill and Fleur's wedding."

We all looked thoughtfully out across the lake towards Hogwarts Castle, the place we had called our home for the past six years. My heart felt heavy at saying goodbye, but I knew our dangerous journey was necessary to saving the wizarding world.

To saving Draco.

***