Black Stained

Chapter 23: New Beginning

When Charlie had finally woken up and had realized Aral had left, he immediately ran outside looking for the witch. Outside, however, had changed into a scene of chaos. Charlie pushed himself through the mob of wizards and witches, whom had gathered on the fields. He came to a halt when a finger pointed at him and his name got shouted in the air by some unknown person. It turned out to be Nicki and some other friends of his. The other people were making so much noise they had to move away from the group and went to the baby centre. Finally inside they could talk. Charlie turned around and looked at each of them. The small group of people turned out to be; him, Nicki, Levi, Sam and Ben - the elderly guy, whom had been present at the transfer.

'What the hell is going on out there?' Charlie asked them. 'It wasn't like that before.'

Sam stepped out and sighed. 'No, not before she had left the bloody hospital.'

Ben, too, sighed. 'Alina had told her to stay.' He rubbed his face with the palm of his good hand, the other still stinging a little from burn marks.

'Where is she?' Charlie asked calmly, he really needed to talk to her. He looked up at them when no one answered. 'Does anyone even know where she is?' He asked.

'To be honest, lad, no.' Ben told him frankly. 'Most people were just doing their work and the sick and injured were transfered to another wing to-... stay save...' He hesistantly spoke the words, but they all knew them to be true and Charlie nodded at him to reassure him and keep talking. 'But then...' He cut off.

Nicki resumed the story. 'No one really got near the hospital, unless in great need. The boss told everyone to resume their post and keep working, that the accident which had occured was nothing more like that; an accident. And that there was no need to keep going on about it. So everyone did as he said and kept working. Untill... Aral had been seen leaving the building.' Nicki bit her lip. 'Not that many people from the reserve were present at the time she... - lets just say - 'exploded', but news travels fast around here as we all know. Especially with those gossiping sisters in the hospital.' Charlie growled softly at the thought of those women. He detested them more than ever at the moment, which wasn't his style in demeanor opposite a woman. 'Everyone who wasn't working at the moment and not drooling in their beds came to the field to check it out. After a few hours even people who should have been working came out to talk about it.' She shook her head in disbelieve and a little bit of disgust. Charlie sighed again and rubbed his hands over his face, trying to shake the fog, which still clouded his eyes, for he had just been sleeping.

'And the press? They usually come in these type of situations to get some gossip, don't they?'

'They came.' Levi spoke up, leaning against the table he usually worked at. 'But the boss, told them nothing specific and no names.' Levi glanced at Charlie's face. Charlie was staring at a wall at the moment, deep in thought with a heavy frown. Though, he did not know why, Levi knew what he was worried about. 'Don't worry. Boss also told everyone not to speak about it and not to call names, certainly not tell the press her name.'

Charlie turned and nodded in thanks. 'Okay, thanks for the information, guys. I guess we'll have to get back and try to calm the situation at hand.'

'Yes, probably a good idea. Gossip can get people mad.' Ben shook his head disapproving. Before they left the building, Ben quickly took Charlie to the side and let the other's go outside first before he started talking.

'If you don't mind me asking... What exactly has you all worked up on Aral?' Ben asked him directly, looking him straight in the eye.

Charlie taken aback slightly simply shrugged and replied a bit nervous. 'It's just that I feel responsible for her. I was the one that talked her into coming here and leaving England.'

'Responsible, huh?' Ben replied, not really believing the given answer.

Charlie just looked back at him with a not understanding mask on his face. Ben realized that the boy really didn't know, but he himself didn't know if there was something between the boy and the new one. Was it really just the feeling of responsibility?

'What about it?' Charlie asked curiously, crossing his arms over his chest.

Ben immediately scratched the idea. It must be the gossip getting to his head, letting his mind make up ridiculous ideas. Aral was after all a couple of years younger than the boy and one of his younger brother's best friend.

'Nothing. Never mind.' They left the building. Charlie curiously gazed at the back of the older man, trying to figure out what meaning there was behind the strange question. Nothing came to mind, though, and he let it go.


Aral went to take her jacket and leave with Draco, when she noticed the mob of people on the fields. She hadn't seen such a gathering for a long time and it made her a little uncomfortable, realizing it was probably because of her. Draco came to stand beside her like he had done sometimes before and gazed out of the window.

'I presume the route to the apparation is directly through that mass of people?' He sighed.

'Unfortunately for us, yes.' She muttered.

'Is their no way around?' He asked, but they both knew the answer.

She shrugged. 'If you're willing to climb the steep mountain behind us, yes. Though, I doubt that highly.' Sarcasm returned to her voice.

He chuckled, something she rarely had the privilege of to hear. Looking at the people gathered on the field Draco got an idea.

'You know what, why not give them what they want. Something to remember.' Aral looked at him questioningly, one brow raised. He looked back at her, an amused smirk playing around his lips. 'They have gathered all for you, would be a shame if they didn't get to see you.'

He turned around and collected his coat. Pulling Aral with him he made for the door. 'Oh, no. Please, Draco, no!'

He turned back. 'What? Are you just going to sit here and let gossip form stories about your life? Lies filling in the blanks you choose not to fill?' She wanted to retort, but she could find no words for a valuable remark, ending up only glaring at his cunning silver eyes. But slowly she couldn't hold in the smirk forming on her lips and Draco knew he got her. He bowed forward slightly and offered his hand, all the while locking his eyes with hers and smirking.

'Ma'am, may I have the privilege of escorting you outside?'

She rolled her eyes at his words, but excepted his offered hand. He opened the door, but before they walked out he halted and turned to look at her again, but now with a serious face. 'Don't listen to them, don't let anything or anyone get to you. You may have made yourself believe so, but you are absolutely not weak.' He pinched her hand in a reassuring way and let her outside.

The first few moments went unnoticed. Only when they came nearer to the hospital, people started to notice the two. But with every stride, with Draco at her side she felt stronger. The mob went quiet, save for some whispering. They moved straight through the crowd, which parted automatically as they neared. After a moment Draco let her go. Feeling and knowing that she had to do this on her own, to stand up to her fears and doubts, on her own. Instead of ignoring all the stares like she first had intended to do, she answered each stare with her own. She pierced every pair of eyes with her own and gazed back at them, with a strong demeanor. Her hair flowed behind her, waving in the wind. Each pair of eyes she met looked away and it made her feel strong again. Draco was right, she needed this. It wasn't like something big was happening at the moment, but in this little scene so much meaning occured as subtitles. She had proven not only to those people gossiping about her, but also to herself, that she, indeed, was strong and that she could still control - at least a part of- herself and the power within her small frame.

With Draco by her side she strided straight through the mob, nearly reaching the end. But before she made it out of the sea of watching eyes, her eyes locked with another pair she was able to recognize immediately. Charlie's dark grey eyes, reflecting the sunlight, shimmered when he looked at her and he blinked. Once. Twice. Then, she lost him in the sea with the rest of the staring eyes and her body moved forward. The gravel under her feet crunched and a second pair of boot-on-gravel sounds joined her on the path as Draco stepped in next to her. She stared straight ahead, for once truly enjoying being watched after and enjoying the playfull, soft carress of the wind, playing with her hair. She enjoyed the sun, beaming and warming her skin. For a moment she wished the walk would never end. Everything left her for a moment, as if she left the earth to watch from a whole new place. She could only feel the nice tingle of sunlight on her skin and the feeling of peace. But she got pulled back to the ground by a hand reaching out for hers and softly squeezing it. Draco's chesture was kind and unknown for most of the world. Aral felt flattered to be one of the few, maybe the only one to receive such kindness from a man deamed too harsh for such behaviour. Sofly she squeezed his hand too. From the corner of her eyes she could see a smile tugging on his lips. His features were... rested. Not anxious or the usual emotionless harshness he showed most of the world. No, his face now wore something of peace. Like he shared in her moment of joy. When they almost reached their destination she turned toward him. He looked up at her and let her hand go. They exchanged little smiles and just looked at each other, as if they needed to take in each others faces while they were in this moment. Because it felt good. She caught herself staring at his eyes, at the small crinkles of amusement in the corners; the small tug on the left side of his lips, forming a smirk, a happy one; and his hair, which had been blown out of fashion and had given one lock the oppertunity to slightly curl down on his forehead. Slowly her smile faded as she started to understand why she was so desperately taking in his features. Because she knew that this moment was rare, so rare, that her instincts drove her to remember everything and each detail. This memory had to be taken in completely. Because she needed to remember the time Draco had once been happy. His smile faded, too. He looked down at his hands, and Aral knew he was thinking the same, had done the same; taken in her features of the one happy moment.

Slowly he reached in his pocket, but not yet pulled it out. He looked up again. All traces of peace or rest gone, replaced with his usual anxious expression. He cleared his throat before saying, 'Aral. I don't want to push you into doing something you don't want to, but...' His eyes diverted from hers and stared ahead. He looked back again, with an emotion locked in his eyes. Sorrow, Aral identified in his silver eyes. She held her breath as she waited for his words.

'You must find a way. Not to just lock it away.' He said urgently. And she understood what he was saying. 'You must. Not just for your own sake, but everyone elses too.' He shook his head. 'I've done some research.' He lowered his voice. 'In the Malfoy library, as you might now, there are books which would give madam Pince a heart atack. And stories my father got nightmares from. And that's why I urge you to try, not to conceal it, but to control. Work with it.' Those last three words sounded strange, so bizarre, that she didn't even register them after a moment of contemplating silence.

'Work-' Aral cleared her throat. 'Work with it?' Her disbelieving eyes looked up at him. He took her hand and covered it with his other, placing a heavy object in it.

'Work with it.' He accentuated each word. She didn't say a word, not knowing what to answer. Instead she looked down to the object in her hand. Dread immediately filling her. She still didn't want it. Not ever wanting it near her again. Quickly she took his withdrawing hand and placed the heavy object back. When he was about to object she shushed him and closed his hand around it.

'I gave it to you for a reason. I don't want it, nor need it.' She pointedly looked him in the eye. He only nodded in response. He placed it back in his pocket and took a step back, toward the apparation spot with the port key, waiting for him. She gave him a last smile and wave as goodbye and watched as he disappeared, of to his home and the burden of Malfoy Manor waiting for him to take on again. She then thought about how both of them had their burdens to carry as left overs from the war. Shadows which would always follow them, doesn't matter how much they would walk in the sun. She turned around and walked back.