The Runaway Groom.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter (or happy potter!)

Authors Notes.

This is the first fic I've posted, so please be kind. Honest, but kind. I know this thing is probably riddled with grammar mistakes and alike so if you find any don't be afraid to say. Review!

I decided to change this a day after posting because I didn't want Harry and Draco to be together in the beginning, and just so I could add bits in here and there. So, now I'm done. Enjoy!

ObsidianSnowEyes

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"We've been together fifteen years…and for none of them I've been happy. When I had Draco, it was wonderful, but for barely longer than a month. Lucius, I don't want a divorce…neither of us would compromise our delicate position like that, but I do want freedom for him. Keep me caged in your glasshouse forever, I won't mind, just let him go. Let him have the freedom of is youth; please…don't force him into this marriage."

"But my hands are bound, Ciss. He was promised on his first birthday to the service of the Dark Lord, and that is promise I cannot break. If it is the Dark Lord's wishes that he must consent to marriage with Severus then that is what he must do…"

"What if he were to escape us? To runaway?"

"Then he would be a fool."

Narcissa sighed and was about to leave the room, when she stopped and fingered a delicately crafted silver box containing a 12th generation Malfoy heirloom.

"Will you allow him food today?" She asked, trying to keep her tone light.

"No, Narcissa, and you will not go against my word and give him any."

"At least can I see him?" She begged desperately, her mask of composure temporality lifting, revealing the pained and distraught mother underneath.

"Yes, but only to persuade him. In the meantime, I shall go to Severus and invite him to dinner. If our son consents, he may sit to dinner and begin the formal courting process. If not…." Narcissa winced all too obviously remembering the screams that issued from Draco's room the last time he refused a dinner with Snape.

Lucius was first to break the heavy silence. "I must go, but I shall be back at around sunset. You may need to wake him, he seemed …exhausted when I left." Narcissa nodded mutely, refusing to pass comment and let her internal anger out.

In a flare of green fire, the Senior Malfoy disappeared and left Narcissa alone in room. She glanced over her shoulder before briskly walking down the hall to the very end of the corridor, to a small door with several heavy muggle bolts (enhanced to repel magic) on. She softly slid them back wincing almost guiltily at the metal scrap.

"Draco? Draco, are you awake?" she whispered softly to the sparse room.

"Yes," came the weak reply from the bed. Draco tried to smile at his mother, but found that the recently acquired bruises on his face prevented him from doing so. He bit back a wince at the stab of pain from his rib when he moved to comfort his mother.

"Draco, your Father will be back at sunset. He will need to see you for a moment at that time to know that I didn't let you go, then we will have dinner, and he will return when our guest has left. A house elf shall bring you a small amount of potion in an hour, take ¼ of it before your father sees you, and it will make you stronger, then when he has left wait 20 minutes before taking the rest. On the bottom shelf of the pantry, there is a bag prepared with a week and a half's food, to blankets and several changes of clothes. You broom has been broken, and both your fathers and mine have anti-theft on them. During the 2-hour dinner tonight, you need to get as far away as possible from the Manor. The closer you are the more danger you are in. Usually on the mantelpiece, in the Main Lounge, there is a silver box do you know it?" Draco nodded, his silvery grey eyes alert as he absorbed all the information. "It will be down in the kitchen, for cleaning. All the charms of course will have been removed. Take that box with you."

"Why would I need it? What's in there?" Draco asked, a creased marring his brow as he frowned.

"You wrote to me for the past two terms of your liking of with someone. Should you chance to meet this person of yours, or find another and fall in love, the box is a symbol of my permission, and blessing on your relationship."

Draco tried to smile again. "What if that persons not Slytherin?"

"Then be happy, free and in love. You will find no such chance in the house of Slytherin."

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Draco's heart pounded in his throat. His Father had seem him, and briefly issued a few backhanders and left. Draco had taken the potion, marvelling at the strength it gave him, and changed into some clean black muggle clothes and had used a powerful magnet to slid back the bolts (thankful to the house elf who had oiled in on his mothers request so they wouldn't scrap). He now stood into the cool kitchen, the silver box in his hand, the huge rucksack magically light. As if on cue, a house elf came through the back door and held it open bowing low, winking conspiratorially. Draco wished he had time to thank it but instead stepped out into the shadows. He crept around the edge of the courtyard, careful to stay in the shadows until he was out of sight of the windows. After that he ran, a careful eye on his watch to make sure he was moving fast enough. The potion seemed to keep fatigue at bay so he did not tire.

Eventually, he reached the end of the Malfoy land, and saw a pale blue glowing line marking the divide between Malfoy and muggle, monitoring all things that crossed it. He bent and picked up a stone and threw it across the line onto the dirt track road. As it passed the border there was a small purple flash as the line registered what crossed it. Draco sighed in defeat. As soon as he crossed that line, his father would know he'd escaped and instantly Apparate to his side and stun him. He sighed again and thought how he could make a fast escape once he reached the other side. A leaf drifted over the line from a nearby tree and again there was a flash of purple. Purple. The Knight Bus! He could go on the Knight Bus. He took the bag off and opened it trusting to find his wand. He did and put the silver box inside at the same time before remounting the bag on his back and jumping across the line, his wand arm stretched out. This time the line glowed red as he passed over it and he could have sworn he heard a faint alarm go off, before the silence off the night was ruined as a triple decked bus clattered to a halt in front of him. He stepped trying not to curl his lip at the violent shade of purple. Ernie Prang smile faltered when he saw Draco's bruised face but his smile returned as Draco dropped four galleons from his pocket on to the counter.

"Not a word to anyone that I'm here, please." He murmured quietly. Ernie nodded, knowing by instinct not to ask why.

"Where to?"

"Anywhere. I don't care. Just as long as it's far away from here." Ernie nodded and Draco took the bed behind the driver. A bell went, and the bus disappeared with a loud crack and stopped on a muggle bus stop as three witches got on. He listened to their quiet exchange and put his head back on the pillow. They swerved through a school playground and came out on a side street. Draco sat up to watch the world go by, forcing himself not to laugh as a whole house jumped over the bus to avoid a crash. The bell rung again.

"Er..Sir?" Came Ernie's voice nervously. "Sir, I'll let you out here. That was a call from your house. Would you like a refund?" Draco stood up suddenly alert and alarmed. There was a loud bang and the bus changed location again before coming to a halt in a quiet suburban street.

"Keep the money and thank you." Draco said, getting off the bus. "I'm sorry if you have to face the brunt of Father's anger."

"That's ok, lad. You just stay safe." Ernie replied as the doors slid shut. Draco looked around. He was in a tidy suburban street that was well light by street lamp, and probably hadn't even heard of witchcraft. He scowled knowing that all use of magic would be glaringly obvious to the Ministry of Magic, and therefore stupid and impossible. His heart began to sink and he began to mindlessly walk until he found a park. He sat down on a wooden bench and watched a snowy white owl hunting over the long grass behind the swings. He continued watching it for a while before he realized what he was seeing. A snowy owl, and snowy owls didn't live in Britain. Since Harry Potter got his owl, white owls had become something of a fashion around Hogwarts. He warily glanced around, then reached into his bag and pulled out some food. As he bit savagely into a ham and tomato sandwich, the owl caught a mouse and flew up into a nearby tree.

After a while it took flight. Draco stood up and ran after it. He managed to keep it insight for three streets until it flew over a house and disappeared. He followed it round the corner into a new street and sighed as it was nowhere in sight. He sat down on the curb, defeated, lost and tired when a stone whizzed past his ear. He stood up and glared almost hopefully in the direction it came from.

'Please be a wizard' he thought.

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