Sorry, no double chapter Friday, but only because the next chapter is going to be a HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE chapter! I promise, you'll enjoy it and love me for it! Happy reading and happy Friday!
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The day before Draco was supposed to be taken away to Azkaban, he received a bit of a surprise. He received his first and only visitor. Dressed simply in a pair of worn, faded jeans and a green sweater, Audrey sat at one of the small visiting tables, her hair looking shiny and clean. She smiled at him when he walked in and slowly sat down across from her.
"I knew that they would let you go." He muttered. Audrey nodded.
"It's all thanks to you." She told him. "If you hadn't said anything, they would have locked me away forever." Draco smiled, suddenly finding his chains very restrictive. He wanted to hug her, but touching wasn't allowed and Draco was being carefully watched. Suddenly, Audrey's lower lip began to quiver. "I can't believe that you're going to be gone for four years."
"It won't be more than a year if I behave well…where are you staying?" He asked, trying to distract her from his current situation.
"With the Weasley's." She said, wiping away her tears and shrugging her shoulders. "The Ministry seized your parent's house and everything inside. They took everything…but they left the gold in the vaults."
"Did they take the house down in Lyon?" Audrey stared at him blankly.
"I'm not sure…but I can find out if you need me to." Draco shook his head.
"Don't worry about it." He told her. "Just promise me that you'll keep yourself safe and that you'll stay with the Weasley's, all right?" Audrey nodded, mindlessly picking at her sleeve.
"Yes...but I was planning on getting a job and finding an apartment and-."
"No." Draco told her sternly. "I know how you get about people doing stuff for you, but this time you need to smile and accept the help that they've offered you. Please…go back to school and accomplish something while I'm in there." Audrey stared at him, letting out a little sigh.
"Okay." She whispered. "I'll go back to school…what's left of it at least." Draco smiled at her and was happy to see her smile back.
"Promise that I won't see you in the newspaper, okay?" He asked, gently nudging her foot under the table. Audrey giggled at the brief moment of contact.
"Okay." She repeated. She smiled warmly, the tears finally gone from her eyes. "I'll be waiting for you."
"I'm gonna hold you to that." He said, tapping her foot again. Draco glanced over his shoulder to the auror that was watching them closely. "Hey, can I please hug my wife goodbye?" The auror eyed them for what seemed like forever before he stubbornly nodded. The pair was instantly up and in each other's arms, finding that they both had missed the warmth of each other. Draco buried his face into her neck, letting out a heavy sigh with a wide smile.
"I'm going to miss you so much." Audrey whispered, gripping him tightly despite the slightly foul smell that clung to Draco's skin.
"Write to me." He responded, kissing the side of her head before embracing her again.
"Of course, every day." She quietly swore. The auror suddenly pulled Draco back and Draco was ripped away from Audrey's warm grasp. She whimpered, reaching out to grab him, but he was jerked away. She innocently waved to him as he disappeared into the other room. He shut his eyes tightly as the auror walked him down a long hallway, quietly preserving his last sight of Audrey. He was hoping that her hopeful expression would keep him sane.
…
Back in the main lobby, Harry sat in a large chair, staring at the marble floor. He wasn't happy to be here and was patiently waiting to leave. Audrey had begged for somebody to bring her here as soon as she heard that Draco would be leaving soon. Harry had to admit, he was thrilled that Draco was finally going away. Personally, he felt that Draco deserved more time for playing such a large part in the Death Eaters and he couldn't believe that they hadn't even brought charges against him for marrying and having sex with a minor. But he had to keep reminding himself that he would be gone for four years. Four years of staying away from Audrey and not being able to influence her. She would be free to be herself…and maybe then she would see how silly she was by staying in this marriage.
A large door cracked open and Audrey stepped into the hall. She slowly walked towards Harry, who was standing by the time that she reached him.
"Are you okay?" He asked, noticing her red eyes. Audrey nodded, putting on her usual smile.
"Yes, I'm fine." She insisted. "It's just…it's going to be very hard, I'm going to miss him." Harry grimaced slightly as they began to head towards the row of fireplaces to travel back to the Burrow.
"I think being away from him will be good for you." He blurted out. "You can finish school and just be normal for a while."
"I can never be normal." She muttered. "We both can never be normal. People will always know us for who we were in the newspapers. I will always be Voldermort's daughter and you will always be the boy who lived…so what do we do?" Harry shook his head, letting out a heavy sigh.
"We have to try and live despite the stereotype that's been given to us. Don't worry, in twenty years we'll just be two names in the history books and kids will have no idea who we are." Audrey smirked.
"Can you wait twenty years?"
"No, I'm horrendously impatient."
Audrey laughed as they approached a large, free fireplace. She stepped in first, grabbing a large handful of floo powder. Before she could throw it down, Harry suddenly spoke up.
"Audrey…do you remember what we talked about in the woods…about you and me?" Audrey nodded, the magical fire gently licking at her knees. "What do you think? Do you want to give us a shot?" Audrey's eyes softened as she stared at Harry. She had never seen him so vulnerable before and she feared that her words might break him.
"Harry…you know that I can't."
"Can't or won't?" He asked bluntly. Harry was tired of tip toeing around the issue; he wanted answers.
"Both." She said. "I can't be with you and I won't let what I have with Draco be ruined." Harry felt his stomach clench from anger and pain.
"Everything you have with him is based on a lie." He spit out.
"My feelings for him aren't a lie." She smiled at him. "You're a very good friend Harry, but that's all that you'll be for me…I'm sorry." Harry roughly ran his hands through his hair.
"I don't want him to hurt you anymore."
"I know that he'll hurt me again." Audrey said, shrugging her shoulders. "And one day we might separate and we might end up hating each other, but we won't know unless we try. And what about Ginny? I know that you care about her, I've heard about you two sneaking kisses when Molly isn't looking." Harry had to nod. He couldn't deny that his feelings for the red headed girl had grown since he had moved into the Burrow.
"I don't want to abandon you." He admitted softly, feeling the pain in his stomach make his throat clench.
"You never will abandon me, because you're my friend." Harry finally managed to smile, despite the pain that he felt. Audrey threw down her floo powder and called out the name of the Burrow. She disappeared in a flash of green flames, leaving Harry alone in the hallway. He waited a few minutes, staring at the crackling fire with soft eyes.
Well…now that was over.
He knew that he should feel mad and upset about this, but he felt strangely optimistic. He figured if he couldn't be there for her romantically, he would just have to support her as a friend. For now, that would just have to be enough for him.
