They wove behind the buildings of Hogs meade. Through the alleys and cobblestone side streets, Alex could see the crowd gathered on the town square.
Grandma, Grandpa? Was that Uncle Bill next to her? Uncles Fred and George ? All seemed to be kneeling and praying to
that hideous altar he had seen from the Gryffindor window.
"Let us reunite with your father."
Alex's hands stilled, frozen in his mother's grasp. There was a chill in the air. A feeling of evil that permeated the air.
"No…." Alex whispered. The voice coming from his mother was familar, but not her own.
Terror, fear, dread filled him as Lawrence stood in his mother's place. "Time to pay your debts ,Malfoy." Out of the shadows crept Duncan and Samuel.
Alex wouldn't let them take him like this. He delivered a swift kick to Lawrence before being chased down by the two other boys .
He wanted to cry out for his mum and dad. Wanted to yell for help ,but he was breathless. His smaller legs managed to outrun the two older boys. He went from building to building, alley to alley trying to avoid his captors and the crowd. As Alex reached the end of another alley behind Gladrags and Scrivenshaft's he saw his grandparents. He looked behind, Duncan and Samuel nowhere to be found.
Something told him not to shout. Not to run into his grandparent's arms. He stood there crouched in the dark alley. His family was not praying. They were all bound, their hands behind them in unseen restraints.
"Grandpa." He whispered
Nothing.
"Grandpa."
Arthur Weasley's look was that of terror. "You must go back to Hogwarts."
"I can't. I can't leave you like this Grandpa."
His family looked to be in physical pain. His grandfather' s hands slightly blue from the tightness of the magical binds.
"Alex. You must go! We came to Hogsmeade as soon as we could, to stop this. I am sorry. I am so sorry that we failed. You must go back . You must not be caught. We will be fine. It's you who must leave this instant!"
They had come for him. All of his Weasley family had come to ensure he was safe. They loved him. No matter that he was part Malfoy, he was loved by his red haired clan.
The Weasley's were his family. He would not leave them like this.
Alex raised his wand to loosen their binds but immediately dropped his wand, tackled to the ground by Duncan.
"We have the Malfoy!" Duncan shouted leading Alex out of the alley to deliver him to the cheering crowd. The Weasley's struggled with their binds to no avail. Shouts of "LET HIM GO! " by his Uncle Bill and "He did nothing wrong!" by his Uncles Fred and George went unheard and ignored.
A chant went up in the crowd, nine red-cloaked wizards taking their places to surround Alex. His captors now looking from the outside in. The humming was becoming more intense, Alex placed his hands against his ears in order for it to stop. It was becoming louder and more furious with each passing second.
The many voices became whispers before melding to become one. "We sacrifice this being to honor our ancestors, to honor our loved ones who call from the grave so that they may find peace in the land beyond. To the gods and goddesses of time immemorial, we offer this blood debt to you."
"Grandma!" Alex tried to break free of the circle, his hands shooting out to touch his grandmother who could only whisper that she loved him as tears filled her eyes. His Grandfather, his eyes closed rocking back and forth. His uncles struggling to free themselves to no avail. There was no one who was coming. His family was bound. His mother and father , nowhere in the crowd. He was alone.
Completely.
"Wingardium leviosa!" shouted one of the red figured wizards. Alex found himself floating to the stage towards the wooden stake, rope twirling its way like snakes around his body and legs. His arms the only parts of his body to be free, still unable to undo the knotting, increasing his frustration and tears.
"They used to burn witches and it was just ticklish, right?" He asked Casey whose favorite subject was the History of Magic.
"They wouldn't tell first years the truth. Think we can't handle it. Besides. It's a lie. My sister told me you can't believe everything in history books. Witches and wizards do burn." Casey had told him.
I'm only 12, he said silently to the crowd. No one cared. He saw his grandparents neighbors- the Boyle's, friends of the family who had let him fish in their pond. The Boyle's had invited him and his grandparents over for picnics when he had just been a Weasley. Now they were part of the frenzied crowd dancing in madness. They were going to celebrate his death.
Flames shot out through thousands of wands. "KILL THE MALFOY!"
***
Ginny ran upstairs with Draco, "Exploding Dungbombs" Ginny shook her head with a laugh as she stepped through the portrait hole into the Gryffindor common room.
"Alex!" Ginny called out, her hand entwined with Draco's, "your father is here!"
His friend Casey Wood looked up from her book Blood Brothers: My life Amongst the Vampires. She looked confused as she put the book down and slowly rose from the oversized chair. "He-he left with you to go to Hogsmeade."
"No!" Ginny and Draco rushed to the window facing Hogsmeade, Casey at her feet. The crowds at Azkaban and the Ministry had been nothing to the crowd gathered in the town below.
Draco pushed open the window, flinging himself out, "ACCIO BROOM!" A broom sped out, catching him just before he hit the ground, with Ginny close behind.
"LET MY SON GO!"
Alex's eyes flew open at the sound of his father's voice. His father struck one wizard down with his wand, then another shouting out stupefy as he made his way to the stage.
"Father." Alex whispered, he had been dreaming of his parents far away from this place. Far away from people that hated them. He could still smell the salt in the air. The sand beneath his feet. He could see the ocean that reached out far beyond what he could see.
"We are leaving." Draco tried to undo Alex's binds which seemed to only get tighter the more he attempted to magic them away.
Just then, ropes from the other stake twirled around Draco, grasping the man and pulling him onto the empty stake next to Alex.
Alex watched horrified as the rope twisted around his father's body. His father also struggling against the ropes to no avail.
The crowd let forth a cheer. Their sacrifice was almost complete. Almost. The six redcloaked wizards only stood in silence, apart from the wizard mob. Waiting.
Alex knew who they were waiting for.
***
"Mum!" Alex screamed as Ginny followed the same path as Draco had moments before. "You can't help us. Please mum, just go."
She wasn't going to leave. Not without her son. Not without Draco. Not with Harry and Ron right behind her. If anything. Harry would stop the crowd. They would listen to Harry.
The crowd was eerily silent as yet another Weasley was added to the bound family and Harry Potter stood in the middle of the crowd, now without his redhaired companion.
"Even the great Harry Potter must obey the blood debt and not interfere." One of the red cloaked wizards shouted to the crowd as unseen magic forced a shouting Harry to the ground, his hands twisted behind his back like the others.
Ginny took this time that all attention was on Harry to try and free her son. Magic did not work, so she tried the muggle way. Nothing. "Dammit!" she cried out in frustration.
"Please mum. You're in danger too." Alex said with the sad hint of acceptance in his voice.
"I won't leave you Alex. "
"Miss Weasley, you offer us the ultimate sacrifice." One of the red robed wizards said. His wand was pointed to the side of the stage next to Alex that was empty. Another stake appeared. Ginny felt herself losing Alex's grasp as she was pulled away from him and tied like her son and lover.
"She's not a MALFOY!" Draco screamed, his nostrils flared with fury. "She's a WEASLEY
DAMMIT!
his breath became ragged as he repeated, "She's a Weasley! She's a Weasley!"
"The Malfoy line must become undone. Even the smallest seed must not be sown." The red cloaked wizards chanted.
Ginny brought up her eyes to meet Dracos , a hand going across her still small waist, and she could see that he understood.
I love you. She mouthed. Her other hand reaching for Alex.
I love you too. He whispered taking Alex's outstretched hand.
"INFLAMMARE!"
***
Ok, I know I said one more chapter. Got it back from my Beta and she thinks I should post it in two parts
So yes , one more very long chapter after this one. Already done Just wanted this chapter to end on a cliffhanger.
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