─────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───────

─────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───────

CELESTE

and Leo had their hands tightly clasped to one another. Hogwarts looked like hell. It was not the same place Celeste had arrived with her two best friends some time ago. The mysterious corridors had turned into dark and sad ones, there was no candles lit in every corner. Students looked scared, they hang their heads low and talked in whispers. 

Celeste took a deep breath in, she knew things were bad but this, she had no idea. She tightened her grip on Leo's hand and the boy turned to look at his girlfriend. He leaned to kiss her cheek as to give her more courage. She smiled softly at him before deciding to walk the corridors, trying to navigate their ways to the Room of Requirements. She had received another letter from Ginny, asking for them to meet her and everyone else in the room. 

While walking, Celeste tried to block the pain surrounding her. She stopped on her tracks and placed her hands on her ears. Leo turned to look at Celeste, worrying when he noticed that scared look on Celeste's face. He got even more frightened when Celeste stumbled on the floor, pressing her palms harder on her ears. 

"Cele," Leo said and kneeled down. He gently removed Celeste's hands from her ears and made her look at him. "What's happening?"

Celeste shook her head, fighting against her tears. "So much pain, there's so much pain. Everyone's so afraid," she managed to whisper. 

Leo helped Celeste up and pulled her into a hug. He stroked her hair and let her bury her face to the crock of his neck. He placed a gentle kiss on Celeste's temple "We don't have to be here. You can go back to Andy's," he said and felt his Celeste shook her head.

"No, they asked us here," Celeste sighed and pulled away from Leo. "We have to stay."

Leo nodded and leaned to kiss Celeste but the moment he did, he felt someone yanking him away from Celeste from the back. He stumbled back a few steps and noticed that Draco Malfoy was standing right next to him. Leo's eyes widened with horror and he stayed quiet. 

"Draco," Celeste exhaled and jumped into her brother's arms. "Are you all right?" She asked worrying, he has never seen her brother so down and beaten. 

The older brother sighed and let go of his sister. "You shouldn't be here. Things are going to get really messy."

"I didn't ask that," Celeste frowned and crossed her arms. "I asked are you all right. You don't need to worry about me all the time."

"You're marked as a blood-traitor, of course I need to worry about you. Besides I'm your older brother," Draco said matter of factly, all though he was smiling for the first time in a long time.

He even chuckled, Celeste certainly had this energy around her. Making everyone feel good even when things were bad.

Celeste rolled her eyes. "By ten minutes," she snorted and felt Leo's arm around her waist. She noticed the utter disgust her brother's face turned into when Leo approached her and touched her. 

She just smirked. "So you two won't be best friends, huh?"

"No we won't," Draco said immediately. 

Leo merely scoffed at Draco's words and pulled Celeste closer to her. "We should get going," he whispered to Celeste, reminding her of what they had come to do. 

The blonde girl nodded and flashed her smile at Draco. "I-I need to go."

"You're leaving?" He asked, hope shining in his eyes.

"No, I'm not leaving. Whatever is about to happen, I'll be here. I'll  fight if I have to," she stated clearly and saw how that hope in Draco's eyes disappeared. "If you're about to lecture me on safety and such, Andy did already."

Draco frowned, he hasn't heard too much about this Andy. He only knew that she was his mother's other older sister who has been looking out for Celeste since she left. "Just, be careful. I haven't had the chance to be the annoying older brother yet so I need you to stick around, sis."

Celeste grinned and hugged her brother again. "I'm a hard one to get rid off. I came back after twelve years, didn't I?"

"Yeah you did," Draco said. He shot one threatening look at Leo who was now standing behind Celeste. Then he let go of his sister and turned to Leo. "Think about it this way. She gets hurt, you get hurt," he said.

"Got it," Leo nodded. "Trust me, I won't let anything happen to her."

"Good but that doesn't mean that I'll approve you," Draco reminded the French boy.

Leo smirked. "I wasn't asking you to."

Celeste shook her head and placed her hands on her hips. "Oh will you two just stop this macho man thing you have going on now? It's absolument ridicule," she said. 

"In case you haven't notice there's a war, right? I don't need another war to fight in. The war of my brother and boyfriend."

Leo and Draco stared at Celeste for a moment before mumbling. "Fine."

"Thank you," Celeste smirked.

Suddenly they heard a loud noise coming from somewhere. It sounded like a warning for them. Celeste quickly glanced at her brother whose face had paled, it was happening.

"We have to go," Celeste whispered, referring on the fact that she was suppose to find Ginny. "Be safe," she said to her brother.

"I will," Draco said. "You be safe too. I would hate to explain mother and father that something had happened to you."

"Like wise brother," Celeste grinned slightly. "Or maybe you'll just make Leo do it. Dad would probably..."

"Murder him," Draco said.

"Murder me," Leo said.

Celeste placed her hand on Leo's cheek. "And I don't want a dead boyfriend," she sighed. "Or a dead brother," she arched her perfectly shaped brow at Draco. 

─────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───────

─────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───────

THE COUPLE 

ran to the Great Hall while Draco stayed behind. It wasn't safe for either one of them to be seen together. When they reached the Great Hall, Celeste almost pumped into Professor McGonagall who was shouting instructions to students. She was waving her hands around, trying to get everyone cleared away. Celeste noticed all the other remaining professors just behind McGonagall who was standing on a platform.

Professor McGonagall turned around and was stunned to see the very blonde girl. She hasn't seen Celeste since she took off that evening when Dumbledore was killed but she had received a letter from William who had explained the situation to her. She knew Celeste was a Malfoy.

"Miss Starl--I mean Malfoy, I suppose? Mr. Marchal," she said with a small hint of a smile on her lips. She has always liked Celeste, she was such a nice and charming girl and her roots wouldn't be able to change that. "I thought you were suppose to be---"

"---anywhere else but here?" Celeste said glancing around to see more students hovering and running around. "I had a change of plans. I think you're going to need all the help you can get. That's why we're here."  

"Well then I am glad," Professor McGonagall said before turning to a young Ravenclaw girl who had just asked her what to do with their personal belongings. "We have no time to collect our possessions. The important thing is to get you out of here safely," she said and the girl nodded. 

"Is there anything we can help you with professor?" Leo asked, making Professor McGonagall turn back to him and Celeste. 

"Yes yes, you could help them to Madam Pomfrey and Mr Flich, they are in charge of evacuation," she said.

The couple nodded but before they had a chance to do so, McGonagall's voice disappeared and a high pitched and cold one took over. Some students screamed, some started whispering. Celeste knew immediately who it was. She has heard before, just before she was tortured by the same person whom this voice belonged to. 

"I know you're preparing for a fight. Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect to the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood."

There was complete silence now in the Great Hall. Celeste swallowed and felt Leo grabbing her hand. She turned to him and gave him a very concerned look.

"Give me Harry Potter," said the voice, Voldemort's voice. "and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter and you will be rewarded. You have until midnight."

Celeste started to glance around with such worry. She heard students thinking about this offer. The actually thought about it but no-one was as serious about it as a certain Slytherin girl. Pansy Parkinson. Celeste tried to find the girl among the rest of the Slytherins. She has never like the Parkinson girl.

For a good minute Celeste stood still, she thought. This was the battle, right? She thought about the people around her, students around her and how they all were in great danger. She heard some mumbling from Pansy and then Professor McGonagall. Once she had stopped thinking, she shook her head to get rid of her and everyone else's thoughts and finally, she spotted an ocean of redheads. She took a run, Leo right behind her.

"Mr Weasley," Celeste said once she had approached the Gryffindor table where everyone else but Ron sat. 

The whole table turned to look at Celeste, some with a certain surprise on seeing the Malfoy girl there and then some with genuine smiles. Remus immediately turned to the girl whom he thought as an niece of some sort. 

"Andy let you go?" He asked as he pulled Celeste into a hug.

"More or less," Celeste smirked before she felt Mrs Weasley's warm arms around her the second Remus had let go of her. "Hello Mrs Weasley," Celeste sighed happily.

"Molly," Mrs Weasley said. "It's Molly to you dear," she said and as she pulled away from Celeste, she cupped her cheeks into her palms. "Now, you stay safe. We don't need to give your uncle and aunts a heart attack."

Celeste grinned and nodded. "That would be quite bad."

"Or your parents," Molly said with a hint of a smile. "They don't need to loose you yet again."

Biting her lip, Celeste nodded again. She had been so occupied thinking about everyone around her; her aunt Olivia and Andromeda, Uncle Will, Teddy, Tonks, everyone that she has completely forgotten that her parents might be here if the battle will start. How she and her parents are on the opposite sides, her twin wasn't on her side either. 

At least not physically. It didn't hit her until now that tonight might change everything.

"Hey kiddo," said William, returning Celeste back to reality.

"No! What are you doing here?" Cried Celeste.

William slightly rolled his eyes. "Good to see you too."

"No but you are suppose to be safe. Not...not here. Something bad can happen to you and I couldn't...." started Celeste but didn't finish, the thought of the unthinkable happening to her  uncle pained her too much. 

"I will be fine," William assured his distraught niece. "We couldn't let you come and run around here by yourself."

Celeste sighed. "Leo's here."

"Yes well that it not good enough."

"Promise me you will be safe," said Celeste. "And promise that aunt Liv stayed behind."

William kissed the top of her head. "I promise kiddo."