Tales of Tragic Ends

Warning: MCD

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Almost There

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They were running.

Joints grinding, muscles screaming with every pounding footfall.

Grasses and branches whipped their arms and faces as they tore over the wild landscape. They kept running.

Screams from behind alerted them to the fact that they weren’t running fast enough.

He pushed harder. She tried to keep up.

Their chests heaved. Every breath strained and wheezing with their exertions.

The wind sliced at them. Their hair was flying. They kept running.

An explosion of green light burst between them with a near deafening crack.

They didn’t even scream at the impossibly close miss. They just kept running.

His legs were longer. She started to fall behind. He reached out his hand without even looking. She grabbed it as they hurtled on and she felt his magic vibrate into her fingers to give her a boost. Her feet hammered against the dirt as she used it to stay at his side.  

And they kept running.

Another blast of green. It struck so close, the concussion hit him and he stumbled to the ground.

“Draco!”

She pulled at him frantically and he scrambled to his feet. He shook away the buzzing in his ears and he grasped at her to keep himself steady. The sounds of the others were getting louder.

They both glanced back and then at each other. Terrified brown eyes met horrified grey. They were losing their lead.

“MALFOY!” a voice taunted harshly from somewhere behind. “YOU CAN RUN, BUT YOU CAN’T HIDE!”

They reclasped hands in determination at that and started off again. And they ran. Over the thick terrain that was never meant for running.

Their eyes stung and watered. Their lungs burned. Their sides protested.

“Almost….there…” he panted, raw, desperate hope coloring his hoarse voice. They could see the shimmer in the distance. The edge of the wards.

Another spell erupted at their backs. White light flared as she flew forward and crumpled.

“Hermione!” he screamed. He scooped her up in his arms with barely a stop in his step and without a look back. He ran on, his already strained breath coming out in dramatic puffs as he tried to push himself with her added weight.

“Draco,” she gurgled miserably as her limp form was jostled in his hold. She struggled for breath and when she coughed her blood spurted in his face. He kept running.

“Almost…there…Granger…”

“Dra…”

“Almost…there…”

He kept running.

A final flash of green. It hit its mark. He fell at once, his momentum tumbling them both forward past the shimmering wall of magic that had imprisoned them. They landed side by side and she used the last of her strength to pull her head up to look at him.

Dying brown eyes stared into blank, unmoving grey. She let the curse take her then.

They no longer needed to run.