Until the end Draco x Hermione

Chapter 26 Resist

- That's not what Arthur and I agreed, Tonks," Snape warned through clenched teeth. Leave Draco out of this. He had nothing to do with Dumbledore's death.

- Harry warned us that he was present when he died. As a witness, he should have informed the Ministry of his knowledge of the facts. Since he didn't, he's considered an accomplice until proven otherwise. If he has nothing to reproach himself for, he shouldn't put up any resistance and just follow us. Isn't that right, Draco?" said Nymphadora, looking at him conciliatorily.

But Draco had no intention of following them anywhere. He wasn't going to prolong the minutes, hours or even days until he could finally find Hermione. He was going to go immediately, without further delay. And no Aurors were going to stop him. Casting a last, gratifying glance at his godfather, he apparated before his eyes and those of the Aurors.

- By Merlin's beard," exclaimed an outraged Dedalus Diggle, "this kid's obviously got something to be ashamed of! I knew Harry didn't talk nonsense! Now we've got another Death Eater on the loose!

- Draco Malfoy isn't a Death Eater," Snape replied calmly.

- Why would an innocent man risk running away in this case, Severus? Come on, let's not wait any longer as if he were coming back! Let's go to the Ministry!

Snape knew why Draco had left, but he deplored his impulsive and thoughtless action. His godson would have done better to be a little more patient. If he'd followed them to the Ministry, he'd have had fewer problems, and leaving like that only increased doubts about him. And even if Snape knew the truth, it wouldn't make any difference; the Aurors wouldn't believe him.

In Paris, at the foot of the famous Eiffel Tower, a wiry, lost-looking young man had just appeared in a 'pop! The surrounding streets were crowded with tourists queuing. No one had noticed that he had magically appeared out of nowhere. Draco soon felt oppressed and out of place. All these people were giving him a headache. He walked without direction to get as far away from them as possible. Yet the streets didn't seem to be emptying of passers-by as he made his way through the capital. Worst of all, he knew nothing about the city and had no idea where to start. He'd seen the name of the street, and the name of the tavern, but he didn't know exactly which way to go.

He didn't want to think about those people from the Ministry who had come looking for him. That was the least of his problems right now. And if he had to pay for this little 'escape', he would. In any case, he had to find the one he was looking for first. Only then would he be at peace. Well, at peace... It was a big word...

Dozens of minutes after walking back and forth along several of Paris's streets, Draco still hadn't found his way. He felt as if he were going in circles. His whole body was boiling with impatience and excitement. He was so close to his goal, but why shouldn't he find himself in the middle of all these people? A bead of sweat beaded at the corner of his forehead, and his breath had become shaky from running around so much. "Be smart," he muttered to himself, frustrated that he couldn't think of any other solution.

Then an idea occurred to him; questioning passers-by could be fruitful and useful. He didn't speak French, so he needed to find the right people. Unsure of himself but not discouraged, he called out as politely as he could to a man in a black suit holding a bulky, rectangular object in his right hand and a small trunk in his left. He didn't even notice the Slytherin and hurried on, holding the strange object to his ear. Draco had never seen anything so ridiculous. But he wasn't going to stop there. Randomly this time, regardless of the next passer-by's attire, he called out to her. It was a sporty-looking young woman with long braids in her hair like Angelina Johnson, wearing high-waisted pants and a denim jacket too big for her.

- "Nicolas Flamel Tavern?" she repeated with an amused smile. Nicolas Flamel's house?

- Yes, that's it!" Draco impatiently asked. Do you know where it is?