New Beginnings

Surprises

Draco shivered as he stared into the dying campfire, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. A month had passed since he joined the herd. He was slowly settling into life with them, but sleep often eluded him. A log spluttered, sending sparks into the dark night. He could hear snoring and snuffling from the sleeping figures nearby. Draco guessed it was some time past midnight.

'You talked to your girl yet?'

Draco jumped to his feet, brandishing his wand. Robyn grinned and sat down with a groan. Wisps of blonde hair escaped her long plait, the wrinkles around her eyes deepening in the dim light.

'I don't have a girl,' Draco grumbled, pulling his blanket tighter as he returned to his seat.

'Well of course you don't. You won't talk to her.'

Draco rolled his eyes at her matter-of-fact tone. Robyn pulled a bag of sweets out of her pocket and offered it to him. He took a handful and they ate in comfortable silence.

'How do you even know about that?' Draco asked at last.

'I hear things.'

'Spartacus was gossiping again, you mean.'

'Ah, don't hold it against Sparty,' Robyn said, pouring another pile of sweets into his hand. 'He's a bit of a worrier.'

'I'm fine. It's fine!'

Robyn raised an eyebrow at him. Draco felt himself blushing and was thankful for the darkness.

'Everything is fine. Really!'

'Kid, in my experience, when someone needs to say things are "fine" that many times...they're definitely not fine.'

Draco shrugged and shoved a handful of sweets into his mouth. Robyn smiled sadly. She patted his shoulder and walked back to her tent. Draco shook his head, trying to shift the memory of Hermione's hurt expression as he apparated away from her that night.

*****

The next evening, Draco strolled down to the stream near the campsite. He climbed down a worn path on the hillside. The water poured over the rock-face into a pool below. Draco flinched as the freezing spray splattered his face and arms.

Draco tossed his towel over a nearby branch and cast a warming spell over himself. Gritting his teeth, he stripped off his shoes and clothes, and waded into the pool. Even with the spell, the water was bitterly cold.

Shivering, Draco stepped under the waterfall and let it rush over him. He quickly scrubbed, trying not to focus on how much he missed warm showers. As the water burbled over his ears, he thought he heard shouting in the distance. He shrugged and finished washing.

Draco stepped out from the waterfall and grabbed his towel. He walked out onto the grass, roughly drying his hair. As he picked up his clothes from a rock, he heard a startled squeak.

Draco whirled around.

Hermione was standing at the other side of the pool. Her dark cheeks flushed as she clapped a hand over her eyes. Draco stared at her, his mouth moving as he tried to form words. He felt himself step forwards. His foot hit the cold water and brought him back to his senses. He remembered he was naked.

Draco hastily dragged on his clothes. He almost pitched headfirst into a tree as he tripped on his jeans. He spun around, not caring that his t-shirt was inside-out and backwards.

Hermione was gone.

Draco rushed towards the spot she had been, ignoring the water soaking his jeans as he splashed through the pool. He scrambled up the steep bank on the other side. Draco ran a hand through his hair, staring wildly around the forest. A few feet away he saw a mobile phone. The screen was cracked from where it hit the ground. Draco picked it up and mended the glass with his wand. The phone cover looked like shelves filled with books.