Unplanned Liars • Draco Malfoy

51. Hidden in the woods

Draco didn't break his word. He woke me up early, and even though I didn't want to leave the bed since I had been sleeping very well thanks to his massage, I got up quickly. His argument (Let's go before Bellatrix comes here) was strong. I got ready with light's speed and soon we were standing on the balcony.

"Well, now you can tell me where we're going."

"No way," he protested. "Come on," he added, reaching out his hand to me.

Shaking my head, I intertwined my fingers with his. Seconds later, we Disapparated and Apparated in a... Forest?

"Where are we?" I asked, raising an eyebrow and looking around. It was just a forest.

"It's a Muggle forest," Draco explained.

I looked around again and walked towards the nearest tree. Everything about that forest looked as though it was at least a hundred years old. Even though it was a very sunny day, very little sunlight managed to get through the dense branches. The trees were dark and covered with moss. Thick roots were everywhere and you had to make careful steps in order not to trip over them.

"So... Why did you take me here?" I asked finally.

Why did I take her here? She doesn't even realise how important she is to me. She has no freaking clue.

"You have a lot in common with this place," he replied, walking up to me.

"I'm old, Muggle and unkempt?" I laughed.

"No," he said, not sharing my amusement, "you and this forest are the only two things that keep me calm."

My heart started beating faster as he began to walk around.

"Every time I argued with my father," he continued, "and you know it was countless times - when he told me how much I disappointed him, how could some Potter guy beat me in things - I looked for a place where I could just... Let out my anger, calm myself down."

He was saying all that while walking up to random trees and examining them, and I didn't dare interrupt. Even though I partly knew about that, his words were heartbreaking.

"And this is how I've found that place," he continued. "During the summer before our second year, I argued with him so badly I- I thought he-" he stopped for a moment and I thought he'd break down, but he eventually finished, "I thought he might kick me out from the house - or even - do something worse to me."

His voice was shaking and so was I. I thought I had a harsh childhood because my parents were constantly at work and I was alone most of the time, but it was nothing compared to what Draco had been going through.

"So I ordered Dobby to take me to a place when I could calm down and I Disapparated with him. He brought me here. I stayed here for hours - until I saw some Muggles. I had to hide, so Dobby Apparated with me back to the house. Mind you, my father wasn't happy..." he stopped there, sounding close to tears, but he didn't break down.

"Some days after that - do you remember when you met me in Diagon Alley?" he said after a moment. He wasn't looking at me, but into the forest.

"Yes," I replied truthfully, remembering that situation very clearly.

"And you... You remember the scars I had on my hand?"

"No, Draco, don't tell me that..." I didn't finish, because we both knew the ending. I felt so bad for him, I didn't know what to say... I believed him when he said he got those scars playing with Crabbe and Goyle, I was too young to understand that... And now, after all those years...

I walked up to him and faced him, then placed my hands on his shoulders.

"Listen," I began, "after we finish Hogwarts, we can get away, go anywhere - maybe even leave the country. Everything will finally be alright."

"Aurora, it isn't that simple," he said, stepping back and causing me to drop my arms. "And it's all because of this," he showed me his left arm, on which the Dark Mark was very clear. Seeing it made me shiver, especially when I remembered I almost got one myself - and who knew if I wasn't going to eventually recieve it.

"I know about it, but... It might sound a bit crazy to you, but I believe Potter will win this war."

Draco snorted - I half expected that.

"Do you realise that..."

"No, listen to me," I interrupted him, not feeling discouraged. "I saw it with my own eyes. I saw how they tried to capture Potter - it was hopeless. I sincerely believe he can beat him, Draco. He's done that a few times already and you know as well as me that he can beat him for good. And even if you don't believe in this, can't you just hope?"

He was listening to all that and looking at me with huge eyes. When I finished, he approached me.

"You see? You see now why you and this place are just the same?" he asked quietly.

He looked at my lips, then took my face in his hands and started to lean in very slowly, then, for the first time without teasing, he kissed me.

It surprised me. Not the fact that he kissed me, but the fact that it was so gentle and innocent I would never say it was him if I didn't know.

Everything he usually did was unplanned, rapid and - let's be honest - simply bad. And yet he was standing there, kissing me as though scared to hurt me.

When we let go, we started walking through the forest, both speechless. Suddenly, I felt some weird pressure coming from a huge opening between the trees. I stopped abruptly.

"Draco... You said it was a Muggle forest, right?" I asked, looking around carefully and frowning.

"Yes, what's wrong?"

"Why am I sensing magic? Strong magic?" I said, walking towards the opening. "Right here... Can't you feel it?"

He followed me and examined the opening.

"I feel it," he said. "But I don't understand..."

"Do you reckon they did it? And it's a trap for Muggles? They wouldn't sense it..."

He said nothing and we stood there in silence, looking towards where the pressure was coming from. The reality of Voldemort's cruelty was shocking me more and more every day.

"Let's go," Draco spoke suddenly, grabbing my hand and we took off towards the other side.

"Well," said Hermione, looking at Malfoy and Mullen walking away from their protective barrier, "you can't deny it changes a lot, can you?"

Harry said nothing, staring after them in total shock.

-
By the way, the forest that inspired me to write this is real and called Puzzlewood. Check it out, it's awesome. I've just read somewhere that even J.K. Rowling thought about it when describing the Forbidden Forest (I didn't know about it when I chose it for this story, though! Telepathy?)