Even Royalty Falters || Draco Malfoy

Chapter 42 - The Locket

The leaves crunched beneath my feet as I ran through the forest, my heart pounding as I hear the footsteps get closer and closer. I found myself in a large clearing, all around me were trees stretching miles into the darkness.

"Cress! When are you going to stop running from me!" his voice called out. I whipped around, not knowing which direction it had rang from. Then, he appeared, striding towards me, wearing a mellow expression and smirking at me. "Cress, come back to me," he said again, his voice warm and sweet, sharply contrasting his stone cold face.

"No! I'm done wasting my time running back to you, only to get hurt even more," I cried, backing away even though my heart longed to close the distance between us.

"But what have you accomplished so far with Potter?" he asked, his eyes glittering. "What has the Order accomplished?" Suddenly, in five big steps he was in front of me, his arms wrapped around me. 

I tried to push him away, but his grip was too strong. Faded whispers rang throughout the clearing. "He's right, he's right," they called softly.

I dropped my arms to my side in defeat, leaning into his embrace. "Nothing, Draco, nothing. We've only found one horcrux so far."

"And what did cost? What does it cost you to be part of the Order?" 

I tilted my head up so I could meet his soft grey eyes. I hadn't seen them so close in forever. "Ron got injured really badly...my mother as well...everything as we knew it is long gone..." A fresh wave of tears escaped down my face. "It cost everything I had with you," I sobbed.

Draco ran his hand down my back. "That's right. Come back to me, Cress. I never stopped loving you. I don't like stargazing alone," he whispered, wiping the tears off my cheek.

"It's not as easy as that, you know," I said, "and what about my friends, my family?"

"They have never understood you, and they never will!" Draco raised his voice, "How long are you going to waste searching for horcruxes when you haven't even figured out how to destroy one!" he said more forcefully. 

"Cress!" My name echoed through the forest again, but it didn't come from Draco. "Cress, Cress!" Hermione's voice rang all around me now. I looked back at Draco who began to appear very ill-looking. He reached out to me and I almost grabbed his hand–

"Cress, wake up!" Hermione screamed. I shot up in bed, gasping for air. "You were having a bad nightmare," she said worriedly. "You kept saying his name."

"Draco..." I whispered. 

Hermione sighed and nodded. "Here, it's my turn," she held her hand out to me. "The locket," she specified when I stared at her.

"Oh right," I gave the locket to Hermione and as soon as it left me, I felt a lot better, my mood suddenly lifted and everything felt "lighter." My hand reached up to feel for the rose quartz necklace. It had become such a habit now. I found a weird sense of comfort running my fingers along the jagged edged of the gem, sitting outside our tent, thinking about what's next to come.

I would never leaves my friends for the dark side, even if it meant being with Draco, but the nightmares I had recently felt so real, the words exchanged were so true. If we one day did find and destroy all the horcruxes, what would it cost us all? 

We couldn't disapparate, Ron still wasn't fully recovered yet and the locket couldn't be worn for long periods of time. It dragged us into the depths of our despairs and turned us against each other. Still, even without the effects, I had gotten into a fair share of arguments with Harry whose temper got the best of him more often than not lately.