𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐲 | 𝐝.𝐦.

eight

A howl sounds beyond the woods, and Theodore freezes, holding all of them back.

"Relax, kid," Malfoy speaks in a nettled huff, "It's just a couple of werewolves."

"Werewolves?" the young child whimpers, pale lips quaking.

Malfoy gives Betty a baffled look, as if to ridicule how cowardly her brother is behaving. Betty rolls her eyes at the light-haired boy and seizes her brother forward against his will.

"Not everyone's as unfazed with werewolves as you are, Malfoy," she says, "My brother's deathly afraid of them."

He furrows his forehead at her but doesn't say anything, leaving the comfort to her as he trudges a small distance ahead himself.

"Maybe we should return to dad," Theodore suggests meekly, as though he could sense Betty's aversion to the man.

"We can't," Betty puts him down, her tone harsh and resentful, maybe too resentful. Malfoy throws a concerned look over his shoulder. "I mean, we're almost nearing the manor. No werewolves will get us here."

"Well, I feel safer with him," he continues, "He has a wand, that's bound to do it against a werewolf."

Betty purses her lips, but decides to keep her cool, decides she shouldn't spoil her brother's slanted admiration. "I have a wand," she informs.

"Well, so does that guy," Theodore points at Malfoy, who pretends he does not hear. "But, neither of you know how to wield it the way father does, you're only students."

She tries not to take offence in that, vaguely aware that he is only teasing. "And you don't even have a wand. So, shut it."

His face turns wistful. "I'm just saying. Don't have to be so harsh," he says, feigning a pout, she returns it with a malicious grin.

Then he raises his head, gazing in awe at the night's gift. The swish of the dark, and the faint outline of the stars, veiled by the fog.

"I wish we lived close by," Theodore sighs, piercing the weary quietness, "The scenery here's much nicer than where we live. And this woods. Anyone who lives here has their own personal woods."

His tone if filled with admiration and jealousy as he glares briefly at Malfoy, again, oblivious he is being talked of. Betty tousles the boy's hair playfully and he wrenches her arm away.

"Look at the sky, Betts," he continues excitedly, "Wouldn't it be amazing if you had your camera right now? You can put the photograph up on the wall when we're back home."

At this, Betty finds herself struggling for words. The young boy hasn't an idea that his adored home is lost, vanquished by the fire.

Back in August, when those death eaters barged into their family home, Josette and Theodore were rendered unconscious, struck in the head by a spell and - though unharmed - they were entirely unaware of the events that had followed.

And it seemed their mother never bothered to tell them either, so Betty decided she would have to be the one to break the bad news -

"You have a camera?"

Betty is startled when she hears Malfoy speak, since she had initially thought he was planning to stay silent the entire trip back. He sounds genuinely curious and surprised, too, as he halts to wait for them to catch up.

"Oh, yeah! My sister loves photography," Theodore answers before she can, "She's got a whole wall full that she's produced and taken on her own. It was her thing before Hogwarts started, and it still remains - "

"Okay, that's enough, Theo," Betty says briefly.

For reasons Betty is unable to fathom, she thinks Malfoy's seen enough of her family's train wreck. And she doesn't want him to learn more about her than he has to.