Chapter 74 - Battle of Hogwarts Pt 1

                                    

                                          
"Draco, stop it!" I yelled as Draco pulled me towards the Great Lake.

                          
"What did you call me again?" he teased, not letting go of me.
                          
"Princess", I grinned, laughing as he started tickling me again. "Stop it!" I yelled out.
                          
"Take it back", he laughed as he pulled me into the grass. Summer had properly set in at the beginning of May, making it very pleasant outside.
                          
"Then stop stealing my nicknames", I complained, trying to grab his hands so he'd stop tickling me."
                          
"Doesn't mean you can't use them anymore, love", he said, finally quitting so I could breathe properly again.
                          
"It does, because I want my own little nickname, originality and all that."
                          
"Well, princess just doesn't do it for me", he sighed, laying down in the grass. I rolled on my side, pushing some hair out of his face. He stared at me with his beautiful silvery eyes, a relaxed look on his face. 
                          
Suddenly, he shot up, a grimace replacing the relaxed look.
                          
"What's wrong?" I asked as he pulled up his sleeve. The Dark Mark looked more prominent than it had before and it seemed to move on his skin.
                          
"What's happening?" I asked, not enjoying seeing him in pain.
                          
"He's calling for us. He's calling all Death Eaters, something is happening", Draco said, panic in his eyes. Just then I noticed how clouds had blocked the sun. I looked up to be met by the shocking sight of the Dark Mark above Hogwarts, drifting in the sky.
                          
"Draco", I whispered, my voice barely audible as I stood up. Draco stood up too and we stood there for a while, staring at the mark in the sky.
                          
"This is trouble, we have to go, Ellie, this is bad", Draco said, grabbing my hand.
                          
"We have to go help", I stated.
                          
"Ellie, Death Eaters are coming here. That means this is the last place you want to be right now", he said. This scared me. I just needed to go see my friends. Daphne, Tracey, Blaise, Nott, Benji. I needed to see Kreacher, too. I needed to warn them, to see them.
                          
We were almost back at the castle when we were met with a most peculiar spell. A Patronus tabby cat danced through the sky around us, but the caster wasn't in sight. It then opened its mouth and the voice of McGonagall startled me.
                          
"Head Boy and Head Girl, please report to the Great Hall right away, it's an emergency", the cat said before disintegrating. I grabbed Draco's hand and pulled him with me.
                          
We found McGonagall and all other teachers in the Great Hall. Some of the other prefects had already arrived too. 
                          
"Professor, what's going on?" I asked as my eyes scanned the room panicky.
                          
"The castle is under attack", McGonagall said. "Death Eaters will arrive shortly because Harry Potter is within the school. You don't know anything about that by coincidence?" she asked, raising her eyebrows, causing me to frown. 
                          
"No, I don't", I said, slightly offended. Did she believe I was still on the Death Eater's side? She had seen my bruises and cuts this year as a result of Amycus and Alecto's punishments.
                          
"What do we need to do?" I asked, deciding to ignore the comment. McGonagall looked at me for a short while before speaking again.
                          
"We must make sure that the students are safe. Speak to the prefects and tell them to bring all students to the Great Hall as fast as possible", she said. "Then come back here, I'd like to keep an eye on the two of you." I blinked a few times. Was this woman serious?