CURSED: FROM THE BEGINNING [D.M]

-(72) can't do this without you

DRACO has had this nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach like something's wrong for a while now. He tries his best to ignore it but that only causes it to infiltrate his chest, his throat, his mind, and every last inch of his body until he just can't keep it in him anymore.  He spins around on Theo, mid-search. "I have to go", he breathes making Theo perk up in confusion.

They've been at this abandoned forest for an hour and still, there was no trace of Potter or his friends. Yet, the fact that they hadn't even be able to access half of the whole place was the sole thing that made them keep searching. "What do you mean, mate? We still got more areas to check."

Draco shakes his head and starts to walk away, feeling a certain panic instill in him. "I have to go, Theo. We can do this later."

But Theo grabs Draco's arm and spins him around until they're meeting eye to eye. Their hot breaths pan against each other's faces, their collective anger brimming the surface."I'm not letting you slip up again. You know what he will do to you", Theo hisses out at him making Draco only grow more annoyed.

"I don't fucking care", he bites back.

"Well, You fucking should."

"No, Theo! I don't fucking care because it's Zilliah!"

"What about her?", Theo asks, releasing his grip on Draco as his anger gives way for concern.

"She's in danger", he tells him.

"How'd you know?"

If only he could answer that question.

Theo sighs, his whole body picking up a sense of alertness. "Come on then", he says, his voice firm. "Let's get going."

"You're coming?", Draco asks, almost in shock.

"It's Zilliah, Draco. Of course, I'm coming."

•

Upon arriving at the Argive's kingdom with Theo, Draco looks everywhere for Zilliah- her hut, the woods, the meeting room, the river- anywhere she could possibly be. But she isn't. Feeling the weight in his chest get heavier, his mind races through countless possibilities. But the words that come out of Layla's mouth on Zilliah's whereabouts were something he hadn't anticipated. "She took flight upon a thestral with Theseus. From the direction in which they went, I suppose they made their way to our old island- the one in the stories, you know?"

"Why would they go there?", asks Draco, feeling fear grip him tighter.

Layla shrugs, accompanying it with a scoff. "How would I know?"

"Take us there", Theo steps forward and demands, his voice superior, his eyes piercing.

Layla lifts her eyebrows and tilts her head like she is amused by him. "And who the fuck are you to tell me what to do?"

Knowing both their egos, Draco cuts in not to cause any more delay. It already feels like it's too late. He can't stretch this out any longer. "He's a friend of mine", he tells her, "and Cruz, please. Zilliah's in danger."

"Oh, so that word exists in your vocabulary. I thought you were too proud for that", she muses, the corner of her lips tugging up.

"Cruz", he calls in warn, letting her know that he's not playing around.

"She's with Theseus. Don't worry, she's safe", she chuckles, waving a hand carelessly in his face before making to turn back and walk away.

But Draco doesn't let her. He grabs hold of her wrist and makes her face him, hardening his eyes down on her to get his intentions across crisp and clear. "The last time I believed that, she ended up getting caught by Snatchers so no, I'm not going to stop worrying. And you have no choice but to take me there."