𝐚 𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐚𝐧 {a Draco Malfoy story}

chapter forty-eight

Draco

     The gardens were white and any hint of flowers were gone. Only the evergreen trees had remained, yet those were, too, beginning to slowly die. 

     Still, that one lone rose, still alive even through the soil should've killed it out a long time ago, was standing tall. It's white petals were still intact with the stem, and despite the wind, it didn't break and fall to the ground.

     Christmas Break didn't really seem like Christmas Break. The only thing that reminded me of it was Blaise's arrival. He opened the doors wide and sat in a chair, leaning back and resting his feet on the table. 

     "Hello to you, too," I sarcastically said. I took a Daily Prophet article and rolled it up, then hit Blaise's head. He rubbed the top of his scalp and winced.

     "I just got here and I'm already being abused. Is that any way to treat ur best mate?"

     "Yes, in fact, it is."

     Neither of us dared to speak about our current situation. "How are you holding up, Malfoy?"

     I shook my head patted my leg. "I'm fine." He stared at me unbelievingly. "What? I'm okay!"

     "You miss her."

     "Obviously, Zabini."

     "Something happened, didn't it?"

     "Blaise, I don't know what you're talking about."

     He snapped his fingers. "You saw her, didn't you."

     I grabbed my wand and tucked it into my pocket. "Maybe I did. Maybe I didn't." I didn't get a response from him for a couple more moments, until he finally spoke up. 

     "Then what's that box on your desk?"

     "Thats -" The box. I wasn't planning on proposing anytime soon. I mean, it was going to happen one day - hopefully. "That's for later. Once the war is over."

     "What if Potter doesn't come to the rescue? What if it's the Dark Lord who wins this?"

     "Harry Potter will win, I know it."

     "You seem so sure about that."

     "I need to have some sort of hope, Zabini!" I snapped. I placed both my hands on the window, sighing deeply. "Let's go downstairs, we should probably do something other than sulk in my room."

+++

Rose

     "Where is this?"

     I  put my head between my legs and panted. "You've outdone yourself this time, Hermione. It's beautiful here."

     "The Forest of Dean," she replied. Clara planted herself onto the snow. "I came here once with mum and dad, years ago. It's just how I remember it. The trees, the river - everything. Like nothing's changed. Not true, of course, everything's changed. If I brought my parents back here now, they probably wouldn't recognize any of it." She looked sorrowfully towards the landscape. "Not the trees, not the river... not even me."

     Clara got up and looked at Hermione. "What do you mean?"

     "I..." she paused. "I took their memories of me away. I was worried the Death Eaters would go after them. Sent them to Australia."

     "I'm so sorry, Hermione," I said. 

     "Maybe we should just stay here. Grow old," she chuckled softly. Harry sat with his back pressed up against the trunk of a tree, his arms crossed in front of him. "I found out some more about Grindelwald."