Chapter Four: The Intruder

Draco had spent two days at the little Piece of Heaven. He explored the area, noting down the mountain's features and where to get food, firewood, and shelter from the rain.

Draco collapsed on the grassy earth in the late afternoon of the third day. He had spent the entire day climbing up and down the pile of rocks, checking out the region around the Piece of Heaven. It was beautiful to look down upon the world from the top of the mountains up there, but the altitude and his phobia of heights made it hard for him to breathe. He had climbed so far that his hands had become rough and had scratched on his palms. He dipped them in the river so the blistering pain would soothe.

A moment later, Draco heard the flapping of wings and a familiar screech. He looked over his shoulder, and tried to get his hair out of his face so he could see. The hawk who he had met on his first night had been following and sort of looking out for him ever since Draco gave him that piece of food. Draco was irritated that the hawk was hanging around with him, he somewhat enjoyed it because it was someone to keep him company.

"Hey." Draco greeted the hawk. The bird's head bent low as it dropped something from its mouth. It was a small, red berry that Draco knew had the ability to heal small wounds. So Draco squished the berry in his hands and rubbed his hands together. He smiled at the bird and patted it once his hands were dry. The hawk seemed to acknowledge his thanks and went over to sit next to Draco by the stream. Draco had taken off his shoes and rolled up his pant legs so that he could dangle them in the cool river.

He leaned back on his hands and lifted his face towards the sky. A shaft of sunlight had managed to break its way through the trees, warming Draco in a heartbeat. Never before had he been so exposed to this much sun. his mother had always told him to stay out of it because it would cause skin damage or something like that. The only time he could go out was in the daytime, duh, his mother didn't seem to know that. He wasn't nocturnal, so he couldn't go out at night and expect to see. Whenever he went out with his parents on a sunny day, they would always stick to the shadows. That's why they were always so pale.

But this was Draco's Sanctuary, his place where he could do whatever he wanted. This place is where he was in charge, where he would tell everyone what to do. But, no one else was here.

Draco sat there for hours; soaking up the sun's rays. He went for a refreshing dip in the river every now and then to help him cool down. The water felt cool against his body that could easily melt anyone's stress away. The rounded pebbles that coated the bottom were smooth and slick as he stood on them. He flipped his hair, trying to get the water out of it. Once he brushed his long hair out of his eyes, he noticed that his hawk friend had been sitting at the edge of the river watching him. Draco's hawk friend looked like he wanted to jump in but changed its mind by tucking its head under its wing.

Shrugging, Draco took a deep breath and vanished under the water's surface. The current of cool water roared past his ears and tickled is cheeks. They had finally grown red due to the warmth and he had managed to get a slight tan, but he was still pale. He sat at the bottom of the stream for a few seconds, before breaking the surface again. He swam over to the edge and crossed his arms on the water bank. He turned to look at his hawk friend, who was asleep, and then jumped out of the water.

Grabbing his towel from a nearby tree branch, he draped it over his shoulders and trudged across the patch of grass over to his tent. Once inside, he changed into a simple outfit and emerged from the flaps. His gaze traveled around his sanctuary as the sun began to disappear behind the horizon. The last rays of the sun stretched up to the clouds, turning them different colors. They seemed to be from a painting and Draco thought that that was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen, probably in his entire life.

He decided to sit down at the mouth of his tent. He looked admiringly at the sky above. It felt as if he were part of the setting sun painting. He sighed in content as he listened to the tweeting of little birds in the pine trees and the bubbling of the river.

He never wanted to leave this place. He never wanted to return to the place where he was a disgrace to the Death Eaters. He was thinking about staying here; no longer living in fear and not a problem to the world. But the thing was that he would be lonely all day every day. He never had a friend that was true to him, who wanted to talk to him, who wanted to be proud that he was their friend. For once, Draco felt that his heart had disappeared, since he has never loved another person.

Suddenly, he heard something off in the distance. It was a crackling of a fire followed by a small voice. Draco looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. He saw nothing but a small fire burning behind a patch of trees. Draco gathered up his wand and put on his coat. Since the sun was going down, it was starting to get a bit chilly now.

He crept carefully across his sanctuary towards the group of trees. He saw a flash of a dark shape as it ran past the fire. Draco pushed some of the branches out of the way so he could see. He saw a figure running back and forth across a different patch of grass, blocking the fire every now and then. When the figure ran past the flames, Draco managed to get a glimpse of a feature.

The person had long white-blonde hair that rippled down its back. Thick curls clung to the ends. Draco managed to get a glimpse a flash of icy blue, which he guess was the person's eye color. It was wearing something around its neck that glowed a bright yellow color.

"Hey!" The person yelled, waving it arms over its head. Draco froze, he had been spotted. The person ran off in a different direction, seeming to be chasing something. "Wait! Come back, I need that!" The person cried desperately.

As Draco tried to get a closer look, he accidentally stepped on a stick, which snapped loudly. Of course, Draco muttered to himself. The person who had been running around, stopped and looked over to where Draco stood in hiding. Its icy blue eyes were fixed upon the place where his feet were rooted to the ground. Hopefully this person won't notice, Draco pleaded in his mind.

"Who's there?" The person called out. Its voice was crystal clear but had a dreamy tone twisted into it.

Draco held his breath. Should he run back to his tent or should he give away his hiding place? He couldn't decide. One part of him said that he should run, run away without looking back. The other part told him to go over and see the person. As soon as he was about to turn away, his legs started to walk trough the trees. His brain told them to run the other way, but it was like his legs had a mind of their own.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, looking over his shoulder and then at the person's face. "I was just-" Draco stopped short. The light from the person's fire lit up the person's face as he then realized who it was.