Unplanned Liars • Draco Malfoy

46. A night in London

I was leaning myself against the railing, watching the river and the buildings. For a moment I forgot about everything that was going on, even about Voldemort.

I knew I had to eventually come back to Wiltshire. It wasn't like I could forget about everything for good. War was close, even Muggles could see something was wrong... The destroyed bridge, the disappearances...

"Woah, woah," I heard a male voice behind me. I didn't even turn my head - somebody was constantly shouting or whistling. I walked away from the railing, then a short distance along Thames. I had a view on a set of buildings and sat on the nearest bench to adore it.

I didn't want to cry anymore, but I couldn't. It wasn't because of that sister thing anymore, it was because of everything that was happening. It's been building up in me since some time and I guess it finally burst out. I remembered how serious the situation was. Tears were streaming down my cheeks against my will and I hid my face in my hands, so nobody would see me.

"Why are you crying, dear?" I suddenly heard a voice right next to me. I looked up to see a woman in front of me, probably in her early fifties. She was wearing sporty clothes and had fancy nails of bright orange.

I stared at her with my glossy eyes, stunned. It wasn't the first time I was this close to a Muggle - after all, I lived in Muggle London - but her question startled me.

"Are you okay? Do you need any medical help?"

"I'm alright," I replied before she'd insist on taking me to a hospital or something. I wondered what she was doing there in the middle of the night, but then I realised she was leading a small white dog behind herself. I sniffed and she looked at me with concern.

"Don't cry, life is too short to cry," she said and picked up her dog, then sat on the bench next to me, putting the pet in her lap. "How old could you be to waste your time crying?"

"Seventeen," I murmured in response. I don't even know why I replied. The presence of the woman didn't bother me much. It was actually a nice feeling, being the one in power with a wand in my pocket. Now that the Ministry belonged to Voldemort, I think there was no such thing as the rule "do not attack Muggles."

"Seventeen? Oh," she said as her dog fidgeted in her lap, "stay still, Lola," she scolded it and looked back at me. "What could a seventeen-year-old girl be possibly crying over? Let me guess... A heartbreak?"

Oh, this certainly cheered me up. I was now a typical teenage girl crying over a boy. Fantastic.

I wiped my tears away, not saying anything and then she added, "That's nothing bad. I was seveteen, too. I've been through it. He left you at the party? Or you saw him with another girl?"

"Neither," I answered quietly.

I thought that maybe talking to her wouldn't be too bad. I needed someone to talk to and I always could modify her memory. It wasn't like I was going to meet her again.

"Oh, then it's complicated, I guess... But why are you here alone at this hour? Do your parents know you're here?"

"I don't live with my parents," I said truthfully, "I live with my... Friend."

"At this age? Typical, typical... Teenagers want to feel freedom... So, why are you here? You were at a party, right?"

"No," I muttered, "I stormed out of the house and came here to calm down."

I don't even know what made me talk to her so openly. One of my hands was gripping my wand tightly in my pocket, ready to strike if necessary.

"Oh, so now I understand," the woman snapped her finger and let her dog walk on the ground again, as it had been fidgeting furiously. "This friend is the one who broke your heart?"

I didn't reply, because I wasn't sure what to say. I think she could sense that I was uncomfortable.

"He is. I see," she said, nodding understandingly. "Boys, boys... They are just the same, no matter seventeen or seventy... Does he like another girl?"

"I don't know," I replied truthfully. This was when I remembered I never got to find out who his "dream girl" was. There was a moment of silence and suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my wrist. The spell started wearing off and it was exhausted. I quietly hissed in pain, but the woman didn't notice.

"You know," she suddenly said,"but he's a prat of a friend if he didn't at least try to stop you from leaving the house at this hour."

I looked up at the woman from my wrist, surprised.

"He didn't see me leaving."

"But he must've noticed you had left, right? Where do you live, in a castle?"

She wouldn't believe if I said we lived in a manor, right?

"He should be running after you if he wants to remain your friend at least," she said, crossing her arms and turning her head away from the river. "Oh, is that him?"

My heart jumped, but it sank almost as quickly. It couldn't be him. He didn't even know I was out and that woman had no idea how he looked like. What did I wish for?

"No," I said. "I must come back to the house anyways," I added sadly, realising that when I'll wake up on the next day, I'll be in the Malfoy Manor - because where else?

"Of course you must, you can't be si... Lola, come back here this instant!" she called to the dog who walked away a long distance now. I could swear I saw some movement next to the dog, but didn't say anything, thinking it was just the tricky light.

"Lola, here!" the woman repeated and the dog started to walk to her, however a bit reluctantly. "How long have you liked him?" she turned back to me, shocking me. I didn't know if I wanted to answer, but I then hey - I had my wand, and this conversation, shockingly enough, was helping me. Somehow.

"A few years," I replied which was perfectly true. It's only that I realised it two months ago.

"Oh," she said, her eyes focused back on her dog, "Lola, come here!" she shouted again and I turned my head towards the pet who was halfway back.

My heart stopped. In the narrow gap between the buildings in front of me there was a huge black hooded figure, floating in mid-air. It was a Dementor which the dog seemed to be able to see.

"Wow, do you feel this cold breeze?" the woman asked me as I sprang to my feet. There was no time for playing with Patronuses or anything, especially because my wrist hurt again.

"You must run away from here. Run!Now!" I commanded as I myself started to run towards the first safe place to Disapparate, leaving the woman without any more words.

Seconds later, I was back in my room in the Malfoy Manor, breathing heavily. The chandelier in here was lit up and I turned my head to see Draco.

"Where have you been?!" he asked as he stared at me in surprise.

"Here and there," I grumped. Somehow I felt a bit better after the conversation with that unfamiliar woman and seeing him again wasn't this bad. Someone called him a prat, at least.

"Were you crying?" he asked, bewildered, probably noticing my red face.

"It doesn't matter. Leave," I told him, taking out my wand to snuff the candles.

Seems I was wrong that in London nobody would ask what or why, but I don't regret it.

-

The pic attached is mine again~