On The Run

Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling, I am not affiliated with Warner Bros or anyone/anything that has to do with the Harry Potter franchise. I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters. I just manipulate them for my own geeky pleasure and sadistically dorky will for the entertainment of myself and others.

Five Years Earlier

Astoria Malfoy bounced the new baby in her arms and soothed her with a gentle coo, lightly rocking her in her arms.

Draco smiled down at his daughter as he hovered over his wife's shoulder.

"She's so beautiful. She looks just like you." Draco complimented his family with a stiffed grin on his face.

Astoria gently stroked the side of her daughter's face in an attempt to lull her to sleep. The baby fluttered her eyes, resisting the droopiness overcoming her tired eyes. "She has her father's eyes."

Draco craned his neck and looked closer with a quizzical brow, "You think so?"

Astoria nodded and continued to gently run her finger down the side of her baby's face. "My sweet little Eloise," she cooed in a soft lullaby voice.

"I think we should have more," suggested Draco before lightly planting a kiss on his wife's cheek.

"I think we should see how we can handle this one first."

"Clearly we did a perfect job."

"Yes, so far; but raising her is the hard part."

"I'm not worried. You're a perfect mother."

Astoria glowed as she smiled.

"I think she's sleeping finally," observed Draco.

Astoria leaned down and kissed Eloise's cheek softly. She continued to sleep without a stir so Astoria placed her down into her crib.

"Say good night Daddy, then we can go put ourselves to bed," prompted Astoria as she made her way to the doorway.

Draco wasn't sure if he understood whether or not there was a double meaning in that sentence and looked at his wife with a raised eyebrow of uncertainty.

"To sleep," Astoria clarified with a laugh. "I'm sorry honey, but I'm completely exhausted."

"Of course you are love. You've been working hard lately, I understand."

Draco walked over to the crib, leaned over and kissed his daughter goodnight. He took a moment to watch her as she slept. "She looks so peaceful, my sweet little Ellie," he said to no one in particular.

Astoria impatiently gently tugged at his arm. "She does. Let's go before she decides she wants to wake up."

"That's fine. I'll hold her all night if she wants me to," he offered.

"No you won't, because then I'll have to start doing that for her every night just to get her asleep. We can't over cuddle her now. I know it's hard but we have the rest of our lives to hold our daughter. For now, let her sleep and come to bed with me."

Draco sighed and slowly walked away from the sleeping child to follow his wife to their bedroom.

Astoria wasted no time getting into the warm, welcoming bed. She pulled the covers up for her husband and he slid in cozily by her side.

"Do your parents know about her yet?"

Draco shook his head, "You know it's not safe for me to contact them."

"I know you said that, but I just thought that you may have made an exception considering it's the birth of your only child."

"It's not going to matter to them Astoria. This is war and I abandoned them."

"They'll forgive you. You're their son."

"It's not up to them!" Draco snapped. He hadn't meant to lose his temper, but he had already explained this to his wife before. Still, he took a slow breath and reset his tone to a more calming volume. "They don't have a choice. The penalty for abandonment is death. I left the death eaters in a time of war for you and Ellie, to keep you safe. I'm not going to jeopardize our safety for a birth announcement!"

"Eloise," Astoria corrected him. "If you start calling her Ellie, everyone will think it's okay to call her that."

"Who's everyone Astoria? We're in hiding." It had been difficult, but in preparation for their escape Draco had learned how to deliver a child and had been the one to help his wife bring Eloise into the world. No one knew she had been born, and no one knew where they were.

"We won't be in hiding forever Draco. This war can't last long."

For the first time in his life, Draco was rooting for Harry Potter to win. He needed Voldemort to be destroyed and the death eaters to be killed along with him. It was the only way his family could be safe.

He sighed and wished he knew how to lie to his wife. Anyone else he could lie to easily, but never her. "We have to be prepared for the worst. Harry Potter might not succeed. We may have to…" Draco's voice faltered. The idea frightened him. "Do you remember what to do if we're found?"

Astoria nodded her head. "Get the baby, and the emergency bag, and head for the safe house."

Draco nodded, "That's right. Do you remember how to get to the safe house?"

"Yes, there're a port key right next to where the emergency bag is stored. A comb."

Draco felt assured with her answer. "Right. If that happens, remember that we can't use magic. We'd have to live as muggles to remain undetected out there."

"I know, but that won't happen Draco. We're safe here and the Dark Lord will fall. I just know he will." Astoria remained optimistic. Draco loved that about her.

Their current safe house was in the middle of the city. Hiding in plain sight. There were wizarding homes all around them so their magic use blended in with everyone else's. They never cast spells that would cause them to be detected, and they only left the house for necessary supplies, protected by a simple disguise charm. They retrieved only what they needed then came straight back every time.

Draco lovingly kissed his wife's forehead then slid further under the covers. Astoria snuggled up to her husband's chest and soon fell asleep in his watchful arms.

The Malfoy family slept peacefully for the next five or so hours, feeling safe and undisturbed.

It was approaching three in the morning when Draco awoke with an uneasy feeling. He peered his eyes open slowly and gradually started to awaken. He could feel in his gut that something was wrong.

Draco leaned over and turned his bedside light on. Checking over his shoulder, he could see that his wife was still sleeping peacefully by his side. Careful not to wake her, he slid his legs to the side and slowly got out of bed. He picked up his wand and quietly walked out of the bedroom.

He cautiously careened the corner, then silently made his way down the hall towards his daughter's room and carefully opened the door.

The nightlight was glowing in the corner and the soft hum of his baby breathing was the only sound he could hear. Still, for good measure, he walked up to the crib and checked to make sure she was truly okay.

He'd done this before. At least three other times since she'd been born, he'd woken up with a sense of panic and was unable to sleep until he could see that his daughter was okay. Perhaps some kind of fatherly protection reflex was developing in him, but he had to assure himself that his family was safe before he was able to fall back to sleep.

A sense of calm began to settle over him after seeing her sleeping peacefully in her crib with his own two eyes. He was about to leave his daughter's room and return to his wife when a blood-curdling shriek shattered the silence around him.

"Astoria?!" Draco called out for his wife in a panicked voice. His adrenaline immediately shot up and raced through him so that he could feel and hear his blood pulsing in his ears.

Silence.

"Astoria!" Draco called out for his wife again.

His call was met with a bone chilling scream that resounded throughout the house and echoed down into the very core of his worst fears.

Draco quickly shut the door behind him and locked it with charm, one that would allow only him to enter the room, to keep his daughter safe until he could return. As fast as his feet would carry him, he raced back to the bedroom.

The first thing he stepped as he crossed the threshold was his wife's blood. Astoria was laid out, her mouth gaped open in the shape of her final scream, her skin pale with the hue of death as she lay slaughtered across the bed. Looming above her was a hit wizard. Hit wizards were special trained officers working under the Ministry Department of Law Enforcement. They weren't as skilled as aurors, and not as brilliant either. One thing was certain though, they were far more deadly. Lately, they would strike without asking questions first; killing anyone who smelled even remotely guilty.

Draco didn't wait for the hit wizard to react first as he cried out, "Avada Kadavra!"

The hit wizard felt into a lifeless heap on his bedroom floor.

Draco knew there had to be more than one hit wizard and wasn't about to stay in the room waiting for them to find him. With agile speed, Draco raced back to his daughter's room.

He arrived just in time. A female hit wizard was working a spell at the door in an attempt to unlock it and get inside. She looked up at Draco just as he sent a killing curse shooting down the hall in her direction. She quickly dodged it, rolling down onto the floor, as she shot a counter curse in his direction. Reflexes kicked in and Draco was able to rebound it back at her, paralyzing her in her spot.

Draco might have considered lettering her live now that she wasn't a threat, but the sight of his wife splayed open all over their martial bed, dripping in blood, brought up his rage. He struck the Ministry witch with a killing curse so forceful she was shot back against the wall, then kicked in the door to Eloise's room.

His daughter was overwrought with tears. The screaming of her mother dying had destroyed her sense of peace for Merlin would only know how long.

Draco scooped up his daughter into his arms and held her tightly, pressing her tiny body as close to his chest as was possible.

His senses seemed to amplify as he checked the hallway again before walking back out of the room. There would be more hit wizards coming, he was sure of it. Draco needed to make sure he and Eloise were gone long before they arrived.

Draco raced back to the bedroom and pulled out the emergency bag from under the bed. Lying next to the bag was the portkey.

Draco hesitated for a moment then quickly ran over to the dresser. Their family album was laying on top of it. He and Astoria had been assembling it the night before, organizing pictures of themselves for their daughter to keep one day. There were a generous amount of empty pages just waiting to be filled with happy family memories that would never come. Just below that was Ellie's baby book. Astoria had bound it herself, unable to purchase one due to their current living situation. Draco snatched the books and shoved them in the expandable emergency bag.

He could hear more hit wizards approaching as he reached under for the port key. Draco clung onto the port key, the bag, and to his daughter for dear life as they began to spin and pull; the magic transporting them away towards safety.

.

.

.

.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed the first chapter! I haven't started a new story in a while. This idea popped in my head last night and has been nagging me all day. So here I go with a new story! I'm also working on another Fic called Bridges if you're interested in checking that out as well.

Please leave a review and let me know what you think. I always appreciate feedback/comments/suggestions!

Also, in case anyone wants assurance, this is a Dramione.

See you next Chapter!

x