The Journal of Regulus Arcturus Black

Chapter 14. A Summer on the Run

Draco had been running and keeping a consistent pace with moving from safe house to safe house during the summer. There were many older Slytherin students that needed a place to stay after deflecting their parents and ex-students who had graduated and couldn't use Hogwarts as an excuse to not get the Mark. He had been doing his best to provide support for everyone that asked for it.

The trace was still left on many kids and Draco had to pump up his wards with the help of older Slytherins. They had to denounce their parents name and for insurance, they swore themselves under the Black name.

What was once a desolate name, now flourished with new and terrified magic.

Draco had many houses under his title as Lord Black. He made sure to separate the Slytherins between them. Keep the numbers small so if, for any reason, something were to go wrong only a select number of people would be banished. But Draco was one person, he couldn't make it to each safe house everyday to check up on anyone.

His summer was filled with spending days in one house and then days in another. Pansy, Vince and Greg were spread between houses, giving Draco updates whenever he visited. Blaise and Millie were Neutral players in the war and so had to stay with their respective parents. Draco tried to remain as neutral as possible, but because of his little stunt with Sirius, he now had a large target on his back.

Specifically from his Aunt, Bellatrix Lestrange.

"We're running out of toiletries," Pansy, looking down at a piece of parchment with the protean charm on it to mirror one that Draco carried around. It was the easiest way for their entire group to communicate. Mostly it was filled with supplies that Draco needed to get. "Menstrual toiletries," she muttered.

Draco exhaled softly and gave a stiff nod. He didn't care about diving into his accounts for the necessary supplies. In fact, Draco himself was fine. It was the energy in the room. Everyone currently residing in Weatherwalls Cottage were fidgety about leaving and being sorted out by Death Eaters.

The Daily Prophet continued to publish articles every day about some new kidnapping here or a shop that got looted there. They were too afraid to leave and when they did it was in small groups. Draco looked around the large living area, there were a few students going over their school work with some ex-Slytherins tutoring them.

Draco rubbed Pansy's arm, pulling her close, "I'll come back in an hour with everything."

She sighed but nodded. Pansy hadn't left the cottage at all. Even though it was surrounded by woods that went for miles, she was the most paranoid out of the lot. The Parkinson name was just as Dark as the Malfoys and her head was one of the larger targets. Draco didn't need to worry too much about Pansy though, she was a fierce fighter.

A paranoid fierce fighter.

"Alright," she whispered.

Draco and a few others all flinched when a crack rippled through the air just beside him. Pansy shouted and Draco was quick to grab his wand and point to whoever managed to get through his wards until he saw, "Kreacher?"

"Heir Nott has called for Draco's helps," Kreacher explained.

Draco didn't hesitate, he reached forward and with Pansy's shout, they both tumbled into a dark room. Hurtling to the ground and stopping by someone's feet. Draco quickly got up, pulling Pansy along with him and looking around the room. "Quick Draco, over heres—" Kreacher pointed to a corridor that Draco remembered led to the Nott Family drawing room.

He was in the Nott Manor.

It was dark and woody, with large paintings full of stormy seas and waves crashing into rocks. Draco hadn't been in the Nott Manor for years, probably when he was a child. Theo always preferred the Malfoy Manor and Draco understood why. There was a touch of Narcissa in the decoration of his family home.