"But mother, why?"

Draco shrugged his mother off irritably as she tried to usher him out of the tent. It wasn't as if they were going to harm him - a Malfoy.

"Don't argue with me, Draco!" She said in her sternest voice that she saved for when she needed her stubborn son to listen to her. "Get to the woods and stay there until it's over. Now!"

Annoyed, Draco left the tent, kicking a peacock out of his path on his way out. It just wasn't fair, he fumed. His parents were always treating him like a kid yet expected him to act like an adult.

Fine, he thought bitterly, stomping his way past the oblivious Irish morons - who were still celebrating the game - none of them a clue of what was about to come. I'll go to the fucking woods, but I'll make sure I get a good view of the fun.

...

"Come on, Rory!"

I stood blinking, as Cedric tugged at my arm. People were frantically jostling past us, fighting to get away from the approaching Death Eaters.

"Where's Dad?" I asked fearfully, realising he hadn't been in the tent.

"He's gone to see if he can do anything to help, I promised him I'd get you to safety - so come on!" He urged, pulling fiercely at my arm.

We started fighting our way towards the wood, Cedric holding tightly onto my arm as we navigated around the abandoned tents and through hoards of panicked, screaming people.

The crackling of fire and blasts of wands grew louder amongst the shouts of parents desperately calling out for their children's whereabouts and the wails of kids; either lost or frightened. Or both.

My heart was hammering fearfully in my chest, refusing to let my eyes leave the back of Cedric's head as we tripped and stumbled on our way.

We finally reached the edge of the woods where people were frantically looking for, or waiting for loved ones to catch up.

"Aurora!"

Both Cedric and I looked sharply to our right where the Weasley twins were standing with the youngest, Ginny.

Cedric breathed a sigh of relief and pulled me towards them. "Fred, George," he said breathlessly, "look after Aurora for me, will you."

"Of course, mate," George answered, who was comforting a sobbing Ginny.

"Wait-" I cried, looking up at my brother, feeling panicked, "where are you going?"

"To see if I can help Dad," he answered, thrusting me towards Fred, whose hand was already outstretched towards me. "Stay close to them, Rory."

Fred grabbed my hand but I refused to let go of Cedric's.

"Don't go, please!" I implored, looking up at him desperately.

"I'll be okay, I promise, Rory," he murmured, the reflection of the distant flames dancing in his eyes.

"Come on, Aurora," Fred said, gently tugging at my hand, "let's get further in."

Cedric nodded a thanks at them before dropping my hand. "I'll be back, Rory, I promise."

I watched helplessly as he hurried off back towards the carnage.

"He'll be fine," Fred assured me, as we went deeper into the woods with George and Ginny following. "Your brother's made of tough stuff."

We had not got far in when we heard someone swearing loudly.

"That's sounds like Ron," George frowned.

Following the angry voice, we pushed our way into a clearing where, sure enough, Ron Weasley, who was stood with Harry and Hermione, was looking furiously at a white-blond haired boy who was lazily leaning up against the trunk of a tree.

I recognised him immediately as the boy whose shoes I had drenched earlier that day. Draco Malfoy.

"Language, Weasley," he drawled, his silver grey eyes glinting amusedly. "Hadn't you better be hurrying along now? You wouldn't want her spotted, would you?"

He nodded towards Hermione.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She said defiantly.

"Granger, they're after Muggles," Draco sneered. "D'you want to be showing off your knickers in mid-air? Because if you do, hang around... they're moving this way, and it would give us all a laugh."

I felt sick to my stomach that this boy, who had made butterflies take flight in my stomach from just one look, could be so cruel.

"Hermione's a witch," Harry snarled.

"Have it your own way, Potter," Draco said, grinning maliciously. "If you think they can't spot a Mudblood, stay where you are."

I felt Fred squeeze my hand in fury. "Shut your mouth, Malfoy!" he spat as he stepped forwards, pulling me with him.

Draco's eyes flicked towards us, and widened slightly as they rested upon me, before quickly glancing down at Fred's hand in mine.

A renewed kind of anger seemed to zip through him as he straightened up. "Oh, the whole Weasley clan are here, I see." He said, his voice full of disgust as he noticed George and Ginny walk up behind us. "I suppose your daddy told you all to hide? What's he up to - trying to rescue the Muggles?"

"Where're your parents?" Harry spat, his cheeks red with anger. "Out there wearing masks, are they?"

Draco took a menacing step towards Harry, leaning his sneering face right into his. "Well... if they were, I wouldn't be likely to tell you, would I, Potter?"

He gave Harry a quick, viscous shove, making him stumble back, and proceeded to storm right past where Fred and I stood, glancing down at me for a fraction of a second as he did so, before disappearing back into the trees.

I swallowed, feeling my heart hammering a million beats per second. I suddenly understood why Cedric had so much dislike for this boy.

Draco Malfoy was vile.

...

If it wasn't bad enough that she was Diggory's sister, it also turns out that she's consorting with the Weasley's, of all people, Draco thought bitterly, as he went to find another tree to lean against.

He looked back over his shoulder to where he had just come from, and felt an odd pang in his chest as he saw them all hug one another in relief.

His eyes stayed on the dark haired Diggory girl a little too long, as Potter's arm draped comfortingly around her shoulders.

Damn. Well, it wasn't like he was ever going to see her again, anyway.

Or so he thought.