Chapter 11
We never mention that night afterword. An unspoken agreement seems to have passed between us, and the matter was all but forgotten. We had more important things to worry about.
Hogwarts was becoming even more difficult to sneak into and out of. More than once Draco was gone for several days, having been trapped somewhere hiding from Death Eaters. Frequently he came back covered in scratches and bruises, but he would just shrug and say he still had it better than the students.
A new suspense has filled the air. We both know that soon we will leave our relative safety and go in search for the last Horcrux. Neither of us says anything, but the knowledge of it is in our eyes and voices and nightmares. We just wait for some sign, some last straw, some… something… that will start the reaction and throw us into the whirlwind of fight-or-flight. It feels as if the very earth is holding her breath, not daring to breathe lest she shatter the quiet.
I do what I can to prepare. It feels even more somber than the last time, when I was preparing for an expedition with Ron and Harry. This time they are not with me. This time I do not need my books to tell me what and where and how. This time I do not plan on being gone for long. One way or another, this last battle will end soon, and with it the war.
My beaded handbag is long gone, but I replicate it using a spare rucksack. Draco doesn't comment when he notices I've started storing all the potions in it, or when some of our clothes and supplies join the potions. I sort through the bag again and again, making sure we have everything. The only thing we're missing is a tool to destroy the diadem.