Deception

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ xxxɪɪ - ᴅᴀʀᴋɴᴇꜱꜱ & ɪɴᴛʀᴜꜱɪᴏɴ

I woke up from something tapping. I opened my eyes and saw the sun rising through the window which Draco was opening. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and yawned.

"What is it?" I rasped and Draco quickly looked my way. He seemed relieved to see me. I didn't quite understand why, neither had I the time, because of a gut wrenching coughing fit. Did I say I was breathing needles last time? How about knives now?

Draco continued opening the window and a small owl was perched on the windowsill stretching his leg towards Draco. He carefully got the message off and the owl instantly flew away, not bothering to wait for a reply. He unrolled the piece of parchment and read what it said.

Mr Malfoy,

You are allowed to apparate in to Hogwarts within this hour.
Within this hour only.

Snape.

He furrowed his brow and I raised an eyebrow.
"What does it say?" I asked him as I took a deep breath.

"Snape says that we're allowed to apparate in to Hogwarts within the hour." He said as he glared at the piece of parchment.

"Snape?!" I said frightened. "Isn't he in cahoots with the Dark Lord?"

Weren't they besties?

"Yes." Said Draco darkly. "We're not safe here anymore." He flicked his wand and burnt the parchment to a crip, then he stalked over to me. He enveloped me in a hug and kissed me on the top of my head. I widened my eyes at the sudden change of his demeanour but didn't question it.

"Thank Merlin you're alright." He muttered in to my hair. "I haven't slept a wink."

I placed my hand awkwardly on his arm and rubbed it. I didn't know what he was talking about, but it seemed that I must've scared him last night.

He released me and walked over to the large wardrobe that was in the corner of the room next to the bed. He opened both of the doors, they creaked when they swung open. Inside the wardrobe were a few women's clothes and a black ceramic jar with a lid. Draco skimmed through the dresses that were hung on one side of the wardrobe and picked a knee length dark red dress. He held it up for me but I shook my head.

I couldn't take a dress from Orla, even if the black dress was torn in a few places at the hem, it wasn't right. She had showed us hospitality even if her husband desperately wanted us gone. I could repair the dress I was wearing I didn't need something new.

"I can easily repair this dress." I said. "I don't want to steal her clothes."

Draco rolled his eyes, probably condemning me as a goody-two-shoes, and opened our bag that was next to the wardrobe. He started sifting through the items inside, perhaps he thought there were clothes in there? I knew there was nothing else for me to wear, I didn't pack it. He angrily showed me the half empty bag, there was only the baby blanket, the photograph and a few of my mother's things. I raised my eyebrows.

"Stop it." I said. "This dress is fine."

"It's too impractical." He said as he placed his hands on his sides. "You kept getting stuck in the brambles because of the length. Can't you at least make it a bit shorter?"

"And freeze a little more?" I retorted. "It's fine!"

Draco wasn't satisfied with my answer and dove inside the wardrobe again. "Hold on, I think there might be something behind this jar." He said as he carefully got the black jar out of the wardrobe and promptly handed it to me. It was heavy in my hands as if it was filled up with something.

Draco was rummaging around in the wardrobe to apparently find me anything else than the dress I was wearing. If I wanted to wear something else, I would just transfigure it into something else. I get that he was trying to be helpful with the state I am in right now, but he's overdoing it now.