Limerence; Draco Malfoy

Chapter Fifty Nine: Unstable

Violet

We stayed in our embrace until I had stopped shaking slightly, until Draco's heart was no longer beating erratically against my chest, until the music leaking from the speakers eventually cut out. Only then, did I think about the three words I had just mouthed.

I exhaled a small sigh. At least I hadn't spoken them out loud, for that would've been a whole different story. . .

"Do you want your dress back?"

Draco was first to break the silence. His voice sounded tense again, no traces of softness or praise remained -- but this sort of mood swing wasn't anything out of the ordinairy for him. I'd gotten used to them.

Nodding into his shoulder, I reluctantly untangled myself from him and dressed. His eyes didn't shy from watching me do so, but for the first time I didn't try to cover myself. Didn't feel the need to anymore. Every word he'd spoken played round my head like a sweet song. One which I knew I'd think about tonight, and tommorow, and the day after that, and the day after that. . .

I found solace in the idea there would be countless days, weeks, months I could spend with him. Just the two of us. And Theo.

It was almost too good to be true.

By the time I'd dressed, Draco had risen as well. A smirk played on his lips, yet it suddenly dropped when the sound of gunshots -- oh god, they've found us -- echoed in the distance.

Our faces blanched, pale and sickened with dread. In a blur he was right infront of me: one arm pulling my waist in whilst his other gripped my shoulder. I clung onto him, tilting my head up to find his sharp eyes were already fixed on the door.

A second later his expression relaxed; an amused glint reappeared in his eye. Out dragged this unsteady sigh through his nose. He glanced back down at me.

"It's just the fireworks," He said calmly, and I tried to let my heart slow. It was concerncing how on edge we both were. Running away from Voldemort had its side effects on a persons mental state, I supposed.

Now Draco's hand was snatching my wrist, and he was pulling me back along the narrow corridoor we'd entered through and electricity was shooting up my arm from his touch.

"You want to see them, I suppose? The fireworks? I did bring you here for that reason, after all."

He arched a brow, glancing down at me over his shoulder as he pushed the door open. Cold air instantly swept in, and I nodded excitably.

As we walked away from the blue tape surrounding the funhouse, the noise of chatter got louder. There was hundreds upon hundreds of people gathered out here now -- a much bigger crowd than before. I breathed in deeply through my nose, taking in the scent of smoke and food from the stalls and cologne and -- and. . .

What the hell was that?

Over to the right, my gaze sought out a small clearing amidst the thickening crowd. It was unusually wide, and no other person stood in it aside from a woman who wore a long, plain yellow dress. She had her back turned; her straggly, grey hair reached her shoulders. And she just stood there.

Not moving.

All alone.

An odd shiver trickled down my spine.

Frowning, I turned back to tug on Draco's sleeve. I wasn't sure why -- maybe he had seen the woman too? Nobody else seemed to be looking at her standing there, so still and so eerily. . .

Draco was gone.

Don't panic, I told myself firmly, don't you dare panic, Violet. He won't have gone far. He wouldn't leave you. . . He promised.