Screams ripped through the night air.

I could barely breathe as the dust billowed around me. I looked up, trying to work out what on earth had just happened.

"Aurora?!"

I pulled myself up out of the rubble that had landed upon my back, trying to ignore the pain that was screaming from every pore of my body. Draco was calling out from somewhere behind me, but I couldn't see where he was; the air was too thick with dust and smoke.

Cold air hit me, telling me that the side of the castle had been blown away. I stood up, swaying, more frightened than I'd ever been in my life.

"No - no - no!" Someone was shouting. "No! Fred! No!"

My blood turned to ice as I looked at the scene in front of me. Fred was lying slumped on the ground as Percy and Ron crouched over him.

Not hearing or seeing anything else, I stumbled over scattered stone and wood to get to him; to get to the boy who had done so much for me and shown me such unconditional love.

"Fred!" I cried, throwing myself down at his side; my heart in my mouth.

He slowly turned his head to look at me, blood pouring copiously from a gash in his forehead.

"Aurora," he croaked, a small smile tugging at his lips, causing his eyes to crinkle as they twinkled up at me.

I leant over him, grabbing his hand, relief flooding me that he wasn't dead.

"Fred," I breathed, entwining my fingers tightly in his. "You scared me."

"I've always loved you, Aurora," he rasped, his breathing sounding more strangled by the second. "You'll tell Nova about me, won't you? Tell her how much I loved you both."

"You can tell her yourself," I urged, trying to ignore the panic that had started to rebuild in my chest.

"I'll tell him you said hi," Fred breathed, his eyes never leaving mine, but he wasn't really looking at me anymore; it was as though he was staring up and seeing something that wasn't there. "At least he won't be alone anymore."

"Don't say that, Fred," I said, my voice breaking despite my efforts. "We're going to get you help. We'll get you out of here, and you will go home and sleep in your bed tonight. Do you hear me?"

I squeezed his hand tightly in mine as the sobs started escaping me beyond my control.

"I love you, Rory," he rasped, his breaths getting shallower and shallower. His eyes started flickering strangely and I stared into them, begging him to stay with me.

"Fred," I wept as his hand went limp in mine.

And there went my heart, shattering into a billion pieces as Fred's eyes glassed over.

I tried to ignore the sounds of Ron and Percy howling next to me. I didn't want to understand what it meant.

I didn't want to except the truth of the horror that lay before me.

Hands grabbed at my shoulders, trying to prise me away. But I didn't want to move. I didn't want to leave him.

"Aurora," Draco murmured in my ear, "there's nothing we can do. I'm so sorry."

I was faintly aware of bangs and shouts around us. But I refused to let go of him; to let go of Fred.

Because as soon as I did, it would mean accepting that he had died.

"Aurora!" Draco's voice was growing more frantic as his hands clawed at me, pulling up to my feet. "We need to get out of here - now!"

Fred's hand slumped limp to the debris on the ground as my own hand slipped away. A howl caught in my throat at the sight of it; panic and terror tearing at my insides.

Draco pulled me to his chest as the howling escaped my lips, echoing around us all.

"Baby, I'm so sorry," he murmured into my hair as he held me tightly to him. I clung onto him, suddenly terrified of letting him go; terrified that life as I knew it was lost beyond my control.

I was losing Cedric all over again.

"I can't do this anymore," I sobbed into Draco's chest, "I just can't."

"Think of our daughter," Draco urged, cupping my face furiously in his hands and forcing me to look up at him as tears cascaded down my face, "think of how she needs us to come home; of how she needs her mummy and daddy."

I blinked up at him, listening to the sounds of Ron and Percy heaving Fred's body out of the way. Draco's silver grey eyes stared down at me imploringly and I knew he was right.

Relief flooded his face, and he let his arms drop as he grabbed my hand, dragging me away from the threat of wand fire and giant spiders that had started attacking all around us.

We stopped to catch our breath next to a tapestry as Harry, Ron and Hermione joined us.

Hermione tried to calm a raging Ron who was quite rightly furious about Fred's untimely death.

And Harry looked at me.

"Aurora, we need to find the snake." He said, yanking me out of Draco's arms. "I have an idea-"

"FUCK OFF!" Draco suddenly roared, pinning him violently up against the wall. "YOU LEAVE MY WIFE OUT OF IT!"

"Draco!" I cried, trying to feebly pull him off Harry.

"No!" Draco bellowed, his eyes piercing fiercely into Harry's, "I'm not having it anymore! You do whatever fucking hero thing you need to do Potter, but I've had enough of you dragging Aurora into it! She's the mother of my child - the woman I love! And I will do anything to protect her. Call me a coward if you will but I've no interest in being a hero if it means keeping the ones I love safe!"

Breathing heavily, Draco glared up at him; a muscle was pulsing along his jawline, and his pale cheeks were tinged pink with anger. I'd never seen him look so furious before.

"Draco," I murmured, trying to grab his elbow, "please."

Draco blinked down at me and slowly let go of Harry.

"Very well," Harry said, readjusting his glasses. "Do what you have to do. And I'll do what I have to do."

And with that, he sauntered off, Ron and Hermione in his wake.

"I'm sorry," Draco growled, "but I will not have him guilt trip you into endangering your life again."

"It's okay," I assured him. I was exhausted; both emotionally and physically. All I wanted to do was just lie down somewhere and close my eyes.

"We need to find somewhere safe to go," Draco said, grasping my hand and looking up and down the corridor.

But at both ends were Death Eaters duelling.

"Shit!" He muttered. I could feel the panic emanating off of him in waves.

"I have my wand, Draco, we can fight our way through this." I murmured, letting go of his hand to reach for my wand. But as I did so, I felt the whole world tip violently.

And darkness again.

*****

Draco grabbed her just as she started to crumple.

He looked down at her, her eyes opening and closing blearily as she murmured incomprehensibly.

"Shit, Aurora, you're in no fit state," he cried in a strangled voice, as he tried to help her get back steady on her feet.

But he also realised they couldn't stay where they were as a great big hairy leg suddenly appeared through the hole in the side of the castle, bringing up with it seven more legs and a vulgar bulbous body.

He quickly aimed his wand at it, trying to stun it, but the spider was too big for his spell and carried on scuttling towards them.

"Don't let go of my hand!" He yelled to Aurora, as he immediately broke into a run, pulling her along with him, the spider hot on their heels as Draco aimed jinx after jinx at it over his shoulder.

The spider fortunately chased off the duelling Death Eaters, so at least the hallway was clear now. Draco's heart was in his mouth as they started skidding down the stairs, his hand slick with sweat as he held furiously onto Aurora's.

The spider seemed determined to chase them, ignoring all others as they scuttled past. Aurora started stumbled all over the place as she struggled to keep up.

"Draco," she sobbed, "I can't-"

A door suddenly opened to their right and a house elf poked his head out, pulling them immediately inside. As soon as the door slammed shut behind them, cutting off the spider, Aurora collapsed against his chest.

It took a moment for Draco to realise that they were in the kitchens.

The house elf that rescued them mutely beckoned for them to follow him. Draco lifted a barely conscious Aurora in his arms as he followed the house elf through the kitchen, through another door and down a stairway.

They appeared to be under the castle, the sounds of the battle dimming in the little cellar room.

A little unmade bed was propped against the wall which the house elf gestured for Draco to lay Aurora on.

"Let her rest in my bed," squeaked the little elf. "She will be safe down here."

"Th-thank you," Draco stuttered, shocked at the kindness this creature was showing.

He lay Aurora down, curled up on the little bed, propping himself on the floor beside her. He was going nowhere without her.

"We used to give her apples," the house elf squeaked, looking adoringly on at her. "She was always so kind to us. Always treated us like equals."

"That's Aurora," Draco choked. And he found himself inexplicably sobbing; the emotions of the past twenty four hours getting to him. No - the past god knows how many years.

They were just kids, thrown into an adult world too soon.

And his dear sweet Aurora, through all of it, had shown nothing but sweetness and kindness.

And he vowed that when they get through this - because they would - he would spend the rest of his life treating Aurora like a queen. He would be the best husband and the best father.

He would be everything his own father hadn't been.