Meliorism

04 | muggle aurors

Chapter Four

When I was ten, I ran away from home.

With my grandmother's portrait being Kreacher's number one priority, no one realized that I was missing until a day or so later. It was Remus who found me, sitting on a dock by the ocean with my head in my hands. My stomach grumbled for food but I was too stubborn to head back home.

The smell of saltwater always calmed me down in the worst of times. Although I couldn't swim and had a slight fear of the ocean, the dock was the only place I enjoyed. It connected me to my parents, who were both gone one way or another. Without stable guardians to raise me, I needed somewhere to escape when things became too much to handle.

I missed that dock.

Especially in this terrifying moment, with Draco's guttural screams inching to the depths of my heart. The ear-splitting sound shook the car like an earthquake. Multiple curse words tumbled out of his mouth, combined with his cries of pain.

It started out of nowhere at the gas station. The pain from the stitches must've triggered something within him.

"Malfoy." My grip on the steering wheel tightened. "I'm driving you to the hospital if there's no other option!"

I caught a glimpse of his hand gripping onto his left forearm. Struggling, he pulled up his sleeve and my blood turned cold. His Dark Mark looked sharp and surprisingly clear under the shadows of the night. Unlike a normal muggle tattoo, the colour beneath his skin emitted an aura that made my skin crawl.

Blistering red surrounded the edge of his mark, blossoming beside the vivid ink.

His screams seemed to get louder with each passing minute. The intensity of his pain seemed to grow relentlessly.

I wanted to be surprised or disappointed, knowing that he never strayed far from his father's demands. Deep down, though, I knew this should have been expected. There was no way that Draco could have been able to escape the fate his father wanted for him.

At least he finally made his father proud.

All at once, the car filled with silence. My initial thought was that he passed out from the pain, with the sudden change in pace. But I could hear his heavy breathing and see his head banging on the window in frustration at the edge of my eye.

I looked his way, keeping my steering wheel straight with two hands. Draco's teeth were clenched in a grimace, as if the pain hadn't fully resolved. Sweat clung to his forehead, forcing his pale hair to stick damply against his skin.

"What can I do?" I asked after a pause of silence.

"Zabini," he mustered out eventually, his face contorted in agony. "He owes me."

Blaise. I haven't seen him in years. It was nice to know that they still kept in touch after all this craziness.

"Are you sure that he won't rat you out?" I questioned.

I met Blaise through Draco, who introduced us at one of his mother's parties. After that, he hung out with Draco every day at Hogwarts, alongside Nott. I thought he was a charismatic guy, but I was aware that people change over time. We couldn't risk him ratting us out and getting us killed or captured.

Dumbledore would be disappointed in me if he found out about this little trip. I promised to stay safe with the muggles he placed me with.

Draco sighed in annoyance, opening his mouth to speak when the sudden sound of sirens erupted behind us.

With a horrible feeling in my gut, I swore and turned right at the next intersection.

Those cops were definitely after us. I didn't know why or how, but we were the only other car in the lane. I accelerated, allowing the speed to jump from fifty to seventy kilometres per hour. The blue and red lights flashed way too close for my comfort. I didn't want to imagine what would happen if they caught up to us.

"Why are the police after us?" I demanded, glancing at Draco's still form.

He stared out the window in silence, one hand gripping his left forearm.

I whacked him in the shoulder. Stress was burning me from the inside out. "Answer me, you git."

"You think it's wise to hit someone in severe pain?" he asked through gritted teeth. His scowl spoke volumes.

"Just answer the question!" I demanded anxiously, checking my side mirrors. Red and blue lights were beginning to appear at the intersection behind us.

Carefully, I placed some distance between us by turning randomly at each intersection.

"Merlin-" he groaned, banging his head on the window beside him. "I don't know what a police is, Black."

"Muggle Aurors."

"Well, did you commit a crime?" he asked pointedly. The matter-of-fact tone of his voice sparked the growing irritation inside me.

If he wasn't already in pain...

"No, I only saved this dumbass lying unconscious on the road. Did you?"

I could've stayed in my warm bed, catching up on sleep as I planned. Instead, I got myself in a dangerous predicament that included the police, death eaters, and war I knew nothing about. I've never acted so much like a Gryffindor before.

It pained me to even think about myself being similar to a Gryffindor.

"I didn't need your help."

I rolled my eyes at his reply. "Sure. Tell that to the blood soaking your robes."

"I didn't need her help," he said sarcastically to his robes.

I didn't know whether to laugh or punch him. I decided to ignore him instead.

There was a pause. The only sounds that could be heard were the rumbling of the engine and our weighted breaths. I tried my best to ignore the irritation itching beneath my skin, knowing it wasn't the right moment to start a fight.

Instead, I tried to distract myself with the thoughts of Hogwarts. I hoped the people I knew were still alive and safe, but I knew it wasn't likely unless they joined the Dark Lord's forces.

I missed having magic in the air. Most of all, I missed the buzz of excitement in Hogwarts during the holiday seasons. My heart ached at the memories of my friends and classmates... With a blink of an eye, the years whizzed by and everything I once knew was gone. Now, the world was a shell of what it used to be and I did nothing to prevent it.

"Imperius."

"What?"

Draco sighed tiredly. The bags under his eyes were prominent beneath the moonlight. "They might be imperiused. I heard Yaxley the other day, talking about using Imperius on muggles to catch unsuspecting mudbloods."

"We can't fight them off," I stated. The police cars were nearing, but we were somehow still quite a bit ahead. I guess being under Imperius affects their ability to conduct effective car chases. We weren't safe, though. "Lead me to Blaise's house."

I floored the acceleration with gritted teeth. There was no way that I'd make it home by morning. It was too late to turn back now.

"Turn left here," Draco instructed. "Then keep going straight until we reach the bridge." He took out his wand while he talked, pointing it behind us.

"What are you doing?"

"Making sure they can't follow us."

"What do you-"

"Reducto."

My heart dropped to my stomach. Hesitantly, I bit my bottom lip and stepped harder on the acceleration.

I tried my best to shake off the uneasiness burning through my veins.

If you're still waiting for updates on my other stories, know that I'm planning to finish this one first before continuing them. Lost will most likely come next.
Thanks for reading!

edited: 11/03/2017
edited: 06/06/2018
edited: 09/02/2020