Summer Again
Chapter 10
He tried to blink it away. He was sure it was an illusion. But it wasn't leaving…why wasn't it leaving? No matter how many times he blinked the person standing in front of him remained.
"No." He said as he shook his head, "No. You can't be here." He uttered quietly to himself. He snapped his eyes shut. Leave. You can't be here!
"Draco…" Odan whispered somewhere to his left. His voice was calm. How could he be calm? He opened an eye to look at him. He was standing beside him with a concerned expression on his face. "Are you alright?"
What are you talking about? He thought as he shook his head in disbelief. How could I be okay? Don't you see… He stopped thinking as he looked around. Where was he? He was just here!
"D-didn't you see him?" Draco asked, taking a step forward. He looked above and searched the skies. He knew he was here. He could feel it. There was no mistaking that pale face.
"No one is there Draco." Odan said softly, almost as if he were trying to keep from scaring Draco, who scoffed at the gesture. He wasn't crazy. He was just afraid of what Voldemort was capable of.
"I saw him." Was all he said before sulking off toward the direction of their hotel. He heard Odan's footsteps behind him. Sure Odan was a fine traveling partner, but he was really annoyed with the blonde haired brown eyed teen. He climbed in bed as soon as he got in, and pretended to fall asleep. He heard Odan talking to himself, but remained in his pretend sleep. When Odan had finally fallen asleep Draco snuck into the bathroom where he took a look at himself.
He was even paler than the last time he looked in the mirror. His eyes were sunken in and he his hair was longer than he liked. He also noticed he was still extremely thin. He rolled his eyes, he almost looked like a skeleton.
"Draco," He spun as the whisper reached his ears. "Draco,"
"Who's there?" He asked the empty bathroom.
"Draco," He quickly left the bathroom and climbed back in bed.
He felt a strange breeze flow through the covers. He shivered and pulled the blankets closer. He's near.
He had experienced these sensations before, so he knew how to ignore them. The problem was getting Odan to understand why he stressed over it so much.
"I don't understand why we have to go. We've only stayed here one night." He complained as they walked the streets.
"Obviously you don't understand the severity of this situation." Draco said dryly as he tried to locate the nearest train station. "When Voldemort starts looking for someone with the Dark Trace this is what happens." He showed Odan the rash-looking thing that was forming on his arm. It was red and blotchy and it ached like Hell.
"Does it hurt?" Odan asked, taking Dracos arm and probing it gently.
Draco sighed and reclaimed his arm, hiding it back under his shirt. "It doesn't matter. We need to go."
They picked up their pace and made it to the station. It wasn't unlike the other stations they had been to, so forging a ticket was no puzzle. Odan often complained about having to steal their way into the train, but since they had no money there was nothing they could do.
"Do you think…Gale is with Voldemort?" Odan asked suddenly. Draco eyed him for a moment. There was fear in his eyes and his slouched posture suggested he was depressed. He shook his head.
"No, I think Gale is at my house, actually."
"You're house?" Odan repeated, sitting up a little straighter. "Why would he be there?"
"My father usually harbors the ones Voldemort brings in. He was even residing at my house for a while, but since I could feel him in the last town, I think he's moved on."
"Is your father a torturous bastard?"
He couldn't really answer that question. He remembered his younger days before Hogwarts when he could hear the screams that rose from the dungeons. They were filled with pain and it chilled Draco to the bone. He knew those people were being tortured, but he never actually knew who did it. "If he's not torturing Gale," He began. He knew if he finished Odan would probably go on a rampage, terrorizing all the village folk. But he didn't have to finish.
"Someone else is."
He looked up at Odan, who was too busy getting lost in his thoughts to notice.
Ron had been gone for five days now. Harry didn't know where he was. He knew he had been too hard on him, but what else could he do? Ron was being tormented by the Horcrux and…he wanted to leave. He looked over at Hermione who held onto Ron's scarf. Her fingers were tracing little patterns on it. He wished he could comfort her, but again, there was nothing he could do.
He knew exactly how she felt. She was between a rock and a hard place. She couldn't tell Ron she loves him, for fear of ruining their friendship. It reminded him of himself and Draco. He smiled, but shook his head immediately. Whenever he thought of Draco he became distant. Now was not the time to be distant.
"You get some sleep," He told Hermione who looked up at him with moist eyes. "I'll take the first watch." She nodded and climbed into bed, still holding onto the scarf.
"Are you sure we can sleep here?" Odan asked, jumping on the forest floor to test its softness. That was one thing about Odan Draco never understood. That boy really liked his sleep. He nodded his head and set up another fire. This routine was getting old.
He reached into his tote and pulled out a map. He had been studying it ever since Odan suggested they do something to help and he was determined to figure out what. He thought the map would help him think of something, but it didn't. What good is a map when you don't know where you want to go?
He sighed and pulled out the Quibbler instead. The front page was still concerning Luna. She was missing and her father was starting to set rewards out for whoever can find her.
Then he remembered something he noticed when he flipped through the Daily Prophet. A wand maker was missing, also. And so was a Goblin. He smiled to himself and walked over to Odan who was mixing, what appeared to be grass, into a large pot.
"I think I know where to go." He said, barely able to contain the grin on his face. It was a respectable idea. Voldemort was obviously nowhere near his house, and where else would all these people be? As soon as the words, 'my house' left Dracos lips, Odan was on board. He was practically beaming with excitement. He was going to save Gale.
They immediately stated marking their course. It was going to be a much faster journey to get back, because now they had a destination. Draco couldn't help but hide his nerves, however. This plan may have been brilliant, but it was rather risky, as well. He was putting a lot at stake here, and whether or not it's worth it is still unknown.
"Oi, you two again?" The innkeeper grunted when he saw Draco and Odan standing there with smiles on their faces. It was early evening and they very easily could have kept riding the train to the next town, but they decided it would be more fun to pay their old friend a visit first.
They received the same warning as before, but this time it was more of a harsh whisper, like someone important was staying here. Draco simply rolled his eyes and walked to his room. Odan decided he wanted some more snacks for the road, so he went to the market that also happened to be the lobby. Draco hopped the old muggle innkeeper didn't give him any grief.
He took out Harrys picture and set it on the nightstand while he undressed. He hopped between the warm, but slightly scratchy, sheets.
"What's this?" Odan asked as he picked up Harrys picture from the night stand. Draco had forgotten to re-conceal it before he fell asleep last night. He cursed himself as he snatched it out of Odan's hand and put it back in his pocket.
"What's what?" Draco asked, leaving behind the obvious message that if Odan knew what was good for him, he'd drop it.
He didn't. "That picture of Harry. What is that?"
"You just answered your own question, idiot."
"No. You know what I mean. Why do you have it?" Draco shot him a dirty look and Odan finally got the hint.
They traveled on a cobble stone path for about two hours before they were greeted by civilization. Draco immediately recognized it as the path they had walked on too get to Odan's house for the first time. It, apparently, brought back many memories of Gale, seeing as Odan talked about Gale the entire way. Draco only smiled; it was cute to see Odan so excited about his lover. Could they be called lovers? Draco shrugged. He was going to refer them as lovers from now on, whether or not it was the proper term.
They arrived at the town of Elgin. This was the first town Draco spent the night at when he ran away. He noticed more and more Hogwarts kids around. They were staying in hotel rooms, and wandering around in the shops. That meant summer was over, and school was starting again. Had he really been gone that long? He knew he wasn't going back to school this year. Harry said he wasn't either, so what was the point of going when there was so much work to be done?
"We're booked," This innkeeper said. Draco had remembered the wizarding hotel, but apparently they'd need to find somewhere else.
They decided to camp out tonight. They learned from a Ravenclaw boy…named Bryan…that there was a campsite not too far off. That's where a good proportion of students hung out before it was actually time for school, which started tomorrow.
Odan met up with a lot of his friends, so he was basically gone for the whole night, leaving Draco alone in the tent. He didn't mind, in fact he was happy to finally have some time to think…mainly about one person in particular.
"Any other news?" Harry asked Ron, who was filling him in on all things going on in the outside world. Harry had jumped into a freezing lake to get the sword of Gryffindor, when Ron appeared out of nowhere and plucked him out. He also destroyed the Horcrux, and despite all that, Hermione still kicked his ass when he returned. "Concerning…Draco?"
"Not exactly." Ron said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Apparently Gale, a guy he befriended, was captured for harboring him."
"Wait, what? A guy? Did Draco get captured too?" Harry asked excitedly, subconsciously sitting closer to Ron.
"Malfoy met up with a Gryffindor and two muggles the day after Hogwarts let out. Somehow, You-Know-Who figured out where he was staying and went over there."
"So…he did get captured?" Harry asked, his heart steadily sinking deep into his stomach.
"No, the Death Eaters could only find the Gryffindor. Lestrange took him to Malfoy manner."
"What about the two muggles?" Harry asked reluctantly.
Ron shook his head. "They burned the house with them inside."
Harrys blood boiled. How could they be so barbaric? He was going to avenge them, he promised himself. They would pay. "And you're sure Draco's safe?" He asked after a moment of silence.
"Malfoy? Yeah he's fine. Long gone, probably."
Harry shook his head. "No, Malfoy wouldn't just leave." Then it hit him.
Malfoy was going home.
"This is your house?" Odan asked, staring dumbly at Malfoy manner. It was dark, of course, and off-putting. But it was grand and expensively decorated. Draco nodded.
"Yeah this is it. There's a back door that leads into the kitchen, we could sneak in there at night, when it's empty and make our way to the dungeon. From there…we'll rely on luck." He said honestly. "Right now, we camp out and pray my father hasn't upped his security."
Odan could only nod at Draco's plan. It was sound enough for him. He kept his eyes locked on the front door. "I'm coming, Gale." He whispered to himself.
He looked back at Draco who had started putting up the tent and wondered how he ended up the way he had. He was nothing like his reputation was supposed to be. He was…almost like a Gryffindor. He smiled faintly to himself and shook his head. Harry was one lucky guy.
He looked back at the Malfoy door. He was a lucky guy, too.
Now we've peeked into two other peoples POV's. :)
Thanks for the idea, Lemo Smith. I know you said I should do a whole chaper, but.. I just got your review, so I just threw in those little pieces.
Devil Subaru Chan, what kind of story would it be if the main character didn't do something reckless and get captured? :)
Bubbie, Night elf = awesome. Great Halloween idea.
Lidsworth, Thanks for the review! I hope you liked this chapter.
T-TrainOrTurkeyT, He will, don't worry.
Sorry for the short replys, but I wanted to upload this before I go...and I'm super late!
Thanks for reading!