Deception

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ xxx - ᴡɪᴢᴀʀᴅꜱ & ʜᴀᴢᴀʀᴅꜱ

I didn't know for how long we were walking, the forest seemed to be endless. My feet ached and my lower back started to hurt. From the few times we could see the sky through the trees I would've guessed it was around midday, perhaps early afternoon.

"I'm sorry, I can't go on we have to stop." I groaned as I found a wet log along the path we were travelling on. I sat down, not caring if I ruined the dress. The log felt wet, cold and uncomfortable but I had to take a break.

Draco put the bag down and sat down next to me. There was mud splattered up to his knees and his shirt was slightly crumpled. We had shrunk our fur coats and put them in the bag as they were too hot for a hike.

"I'll cast a patronus again." He said as he withdrew his wand. "I want to know if we're still heading in the right direction."

I nodded at him as I was massaging my feet a little.

"Expecto patronum!" said Draco, but nothing happened apart from a small silver poof. He repeated the spell, still nothing happened. "Stupid bloody spell." Grumbled Draco annoyed.

"You have to think about a happy memory or thought. It has to engulf all of your senses." I said as I fished my wand out of my cleavage. "I'll demonstrate, expecto patronum!" a silvery squirrel appeared. "Show me the direction of Hogwarts." I said to the patronus and it scurried away in the direction we were heading before disappearing.

"A happy thought?" said Draco incredulous. "In this type of situation? Are you mental?"

"It doesn't work if you don't." I said defiantly as I crossed my arms and Draco's shoulders tensed. He seemed angry that he wasn't able to successfully cast a patronus.

"So, what are you thinking about then?" he asked snippy. "I can't think of anything."

"How about the life I'm carrying inside me?" I said. "How about us?"

He looked at me, as if he didn't properly look at me for this entire time. His eyes lingered a little longer than he usually did. I saw his silvery eyes travel to my lips and I suddenly felt the urge to kiss him. It seemed the feeling was mutual as he wrapped his arms around me and did exactly that.

It had been a long time since he kissed me like this, the last time we were still in my grandmother's cottage. Blissfully unaware that we had to move places again the next day, that my father would die that evening. That my mother couldn't safely go outside, that we had to hide from everyone as if we were criminals. Constantly vigilant, afraid.

"What's wrong?" he asked suddenly as he cupped my face. I looked at him not entirely sure what he meant. He brushed a tear from my cheek with his long fingers and I suddenly noticed that I was crying.

"It's nothing." I said with a small smile as I quickly got rid of my tears. "I just thought about... everything."

Without warning Draco wrapped his arms around me again and stroked my back reassuringly with his hands. "It's going to be alright." He said. I had heard him say that at least two or three times now in the past days and it started to annoy me.

"What if it's not?" I said and he surprisingly let me go at once. "What if we'll die tomorrow?"

"Then we'll die tomorrow." He deadpanned. "At least it won't be today."

I suddenly understood what he meant when he said it would be alright. He was living by the day, perhaps even the hour because our future seemed too bleak. A Death Eater and a supposed killed witch, out here alone in the Scottish highlands with nothing more than the clothes on their back. My eyes softened a little as I looked at him and he knew I understood him.