Our disillusionment charm wears away soon after we top the cloud cover. As much as I crave a moment of celebration, the elation at our plan coming to fruition is somewhat tempered by the uncertainty of being wandless and assumed dead, as well as flying atop a highly-illegal, instantly-recognizable dark artefact. If the speed hadn't been so advantageous in our circumstances, I would have certainly preferred a broom.
As of now, we will need to locate a town, descend, hide, and use what remains of our polyjuice to procure wands in a place neither of us has been to, all while naively hoping no one recognizes us, or robs us of the mode of transportation which happens to cost a small fortune. I dare not hope her Ravenclaw magic will outlast the impossibilities.
Thus, I mentally prepare myself for a tremendous amount of walking.
"Look, Draco," Luna implores, shaking my arm "Isn't it beautiful?"
xoXOXox
I inhale deeply as the first breath of air I've had in months fills me. It takes hold not only in my chest, but head to feet. It emanates from Draco. It surrounds us in the sky above and clouds below.
We're finally free.
The late afternoon sun rays pour out underneath us, painting the silver clouds a tinge of gold along the edges.
"Look, Draco. Isn't it beautiful?"
He quirks his lips a bit, trying unsuccessfully to wipe my hair out of my eyes. I should have thought to bring one of Narcissa's silks to stay back the wind. Not to worry; we'll get one when we land.
We search for a place where the clouds have parted to have a look around. We must be leagues away from the Manor judging by the sheer speed of the carpet, but it's difficult to tell exactly where we are without a wand. Being a bit lost with Draco doesn't feel like being lost at all. We are simply taking the scenic route to wherever it is we end up.
Finally, a gap in the clouds gives way to show us a small town.
Time to get our wands.
xoXOXox
The landing is much rougher than the ascension, plummeting us to the ground as I fight to control our speed. Luna laughs wildly, her untamed hair whipping about our faces as she does absolutely nothing to assist me in controlling the descent.
As we rapidly approach a grove of trees - since I don't wish to die so soon after escaping - I throw all of my weight back to halt our flight. This immediately proves to be a poor decision on my part as we are thrown upside down for a full loop before the wretched thing stalls to float above the trees.
Luna is still laughing.
I am grievously reminded this girl has spent a not-insignificant amount of time in the company of Gryffindors. I must endeavour to break her of such perilous forms of recreation, but not today.
Today I relish in her joy, feeling it as fervently as she does. In this moment, my only wholehearted desire is to keep the wild light in her eyes lit for eternity. I silently wonder if this is how Armand felt for Cassandra.
I must be in love.
xoXOXox
We land the carpet beneath a canopy of rowans; wiggentrees if I'm not mistaken. Rolling it up the muggle way proves challenging, as neither of us has a full stomach and Draco is still shaking from the flight. Somehow we manage, propping it against a fallen log as we set off for the village. It's almost early spring and the snow is melting wherever we are. We'll have to trust it's camouflaged well enough on the forest floor.
Never having been wealthy, and not one to pursue riches, I must admit I'm a bit interested in how much the bag of galleons Draco has in his boot is going to help ease this journey for us. We stuff the coins in my bra and our socks, pressing them against our skin so they don't make a sound. Draco ensures me it won't bode well for us to waltz into a new place with them jingling about.
"We have no idea what we're walking into," he tells me, reminding me several times of his anxiety of being robbed before we get to buy our wands
It's a fair point, I suppose.
We swallow our last two vials of polyjuice, turning into two large, bulky men with gorilla-like shoulders. I now believe Draco's worries are misplaced. He gives me a quick tutorial on how to walk like a man.
"Look natural. Don't sway so much," he says, placing his hand on my hip to steady me. "Shoulder's back and chin up… There you go. Now, whatever you do, don't speak loud enough for anyone to hear."
This unasked-for etiquette lesson brings about another question entirely…
xoXOXox
As expected, Luna and I partake in a treacherous amount of walking on our way to the town. I ought to be thankful the ground here is flat, but as my feet burn atop the galleons I find my gratitude leaves something to be desired.
We arrive on the Muggle side of town, desperately seeking a magical entrance. We have ingested our last vials of polyjuice, giving us until the shops close today to procure our supplies. After what seems like hours spent traipsing wastefully about town, we come across a person in pink and green.
I've never been happier to meet a mudblood.
"Down at the end there, through the canteen on the right." he instructs "It's hard to miss, but if you're blind as a mole, remember if you hit the lavatory you've gone too far."
I thank him and set off for our rewards.
It swiftly appears the two of us are indeed blind as moles, because we arrive at the canteen without a clue of where the entrance is. We waste time tapping all along the heathenishly decorated right side of the wall, attempting futilely not to garner the attention of the muggle patrons. The sun is dipping low now, and if we don't find it soon we will have to chance waiting to arrive at our destination before procuring new wands. That's if we're able to get to our destination at all, seeing as we left our mode of transport woefully unguarded in the forest. Just as I begin to contemplate living out my years as a muggle, the barkeep speaks up.
"Oi, mate. Somethin' I can help ye blokes find?" Brilliant.
"Ah, yes. We're just searching for the loo." Not my best performance to be sure.
The barkeep gestures to a garishly glowing sign above us alongside a thin arrow pointing down a narrow corridor.
My idiocy amazes me.
The sign reads: "On the right"
xoXOXox
We walk straight through the wall at the end of the hallway to arrive in the wizarding township.
I laugh until my ribs ache in this borrowed body. The sheer foolishness of the situation is enough to keep me in stitches, but the tickling of the man's beard sends me giggling all over again.
Draco is not so amused.
"I'm glad you find such entertainment in our misery." he scoffs "Now, would you please assist me in finding the wand shop?"
"Sure thing, kitten." I respond
He stops walking to turn and face me.
"No talking, remember? Especially no lovelies, and no kittens. Not here. We don't need to call unwanted attention to ourselves." he says
I'm not entirely sure why it would attract unwanted attention, aside from my voice is a bit high for a man of this stature, but I trust Draco is better at putting on a show than me.
It's so strange, pretending to be someone I'm not. I have to remind myself not to grab his hand or kiss him. It all seems a bit pointless to me.
We press on, arriving at the wand shop just as the shopkeeper is locking the door.
"Sorry, gentleman. The missus has a roast ready and she'll hex me if I dally. Come back in the morning and I'll be happy to help you find what you're looking for." he tells us through an obviously false smile
Draco barely disguises his voice as he lets his pureblood etiquette spill over.
"Sir, I truly hate to inconvenience you, but we are travelling and need to get on our way tonight. We both know what we need and I'll make it worth your effort if you help us."
I nod because it's a habit at this point.
The shopkeeper eyes Draco like a plate of mutton. I don't care much for this person already. He's a dirty-aura type, and I have the feeling he's going to try to exploit our desperation for a profit.
As he unlocks the door and reopens the shop, I hold Draco fast for a moment.
"I have a game for you, kitten".
xoXOXox
This shop isn't nearly as well-stocked as Ollivander's. Or as well as Ollivander's was, at any rate. It's cramped to claustrophobia. Nearly vacant, dusty shelves enclose us on three sides. The bulk of the wizard I'm portraying doesn't assist my cause in the slightest.
Luna's warned me about the shopkeep, confirming what I already established. I've seen enough filth in my life to recognize his type by now.
I go straight to the heart of the matter. I'd rather not be forced to participate in small talk while the polyjuice runs its course.
"Unicorn and hawthorn."
"And your mate?" he asks as Luna pretends to be enthralled by a painting on the far wall.
Salazar. I don't know what Luna's wand was and can't very well ask her. Excellent preparation, Malfoy.
"Two if you have them." I add
"Same wand, eh? You two must be close."
Oh, he has no idea.
"Brothers." I reply flippantly
Luna makes a terrible show of pretending to cough as she laughs into her robes. It's readily apparent why she wasn't sorted into Slytherin.
The shopkeep shoots her a curious glance as he begins digging through the few boxes available.
"Sorry, mate. I've only one unicorn and hawthorn." he says, handing over the wand. First mistake.
He continues. "I've got a dragon and hawthorn or a unicorn and vine if you think either of you can cast with one of them."
I try the unicorn and vine. It's not ideal. If I had to guess, I would say it isn't unicorn at all, but a hybrid with some lesser material.
"Listen," I tell him with a hint of exasperation "I know you need to be getting home soon, and I hate to waste another person's time. If this is the best you have, I'll pick up a wand at my next stop." I stand and make a show of turning to leave.
"Oh no, Mr… I'm sorry, what did you say your name was? Forgive me, mind's going as age gets the best of me."
Luna's bad habits ensnare me once more as I let the first name that comes to mind fall from my lips.
"Granger"
Fuck. Why, Malfoy? Out of every bleeding name…
"Granger, eh?" The shopkeep questions "Well Mr Granger, had I known you were a man of means, I would have displayed my premium collection."
He unlocks a cabinet behind his counter, pulling out a velvet-lined assortment of wands.
Much better.
Luna stands beside me now, plucking a blonde coloured instrument from the tray.
"Beech and dragon" the shopkeep intones "The only one ever made it's been said. It's a rare wizard indeed who could use it."
Luna flawlessly casts a shrinking charm on the man, returning him to full size a moment later.
"Seems to work." I say flatly
"So I gathered." the shopkeep all but growls, dusting off his cloak. "Well, if you and your brother use the same materials, perhaps you'd like to give one of these rare finds a go for yourself, Mr Granger?"
"I think these will do." I tell him, not wanting to linger here a moment longer.
"Very well then, Mr Granger. The hawthorn is a reasonable twenty galleons."
Luna chokes. That's easily double what it's worth.
"But the beech - being a one of a kind original - is going to cost a bit more, but I'm sure it will be of no consequence to a selective man such as yourself."
"How much?"
"Two thousand."
The game begins.
xoXOXox
We don't even have two thousand galleons on us right now. Without a shrinking charm, it's quite a challenge to carry around vaults full of gold on foot.
"Ah, quite generous of you." Draco intones
"Yes, I believe it'." says the shopkeep with an evil grin
"I knew better than to believe what the townsfolk said about you." Draco replies calmly
"Oh? And what do they say, Mr Granger?"
"They said you were a swindler, and wands aren't even your speciality."
He says it so cooly, in the tone I've learned is a Slytherin threat. I do so enjoy learning new languages.
The shopkeep looks nervous now. I'm proud of Draco. He made the man tremble even without the use of his usual eyes. He's quite adaptive.
Draco continues -
"After seeing your prestigious collection, sir, I must admit my interest is piqued at the more… exclusive options you're said to carry."
The shopkeeper arches his eyebrow at Draco.
"Would you be interested in purchasing one of my more exclusive options, Mr Granger?"
"Not personally, no. But I do have a friend who might be interested in them." Draco stares down at the shopkeeper. "A friend who makes a habit of wearing silver masks and feeding chaff like you to dementors."
Just as the shopkeeper raises his wand, I cast a petrificus totalus his direction. He looks to be a bit stunned.
Draco speaks again -
"Now, I could be persuaded not to call my friend right now, for a price, of course." Draco tells the man in his vanilla and honey voice "Since this beech wand has already been stolen once, I'm sure it wouldn't be too much to ask of a prudent businessman such as yourself to lend it to a forlorn traveller?"
Draco looks at the man as if he's awaiting a response.
"Very well then. It's been a pleasure doing business with you." he says with finality.
The man stares vacantly into the distance as we make off with our wands.
xoXOXox
Lowlife, vile, assumptive swine. The audacity the idiot displayed, fortunately, didn't match his duelling prowess in the slightest.
The time spent toying with the degenerate cost us a leisurely stroll back to our carpet. Now we're forced to take off at a trot as we reach the tree line. It wouldn't do to be caught in an unknown land in our true forms.
As it stands, my shoulders are growing narrower as the jaw of my companion becomes softer. I'd say we have an hour of polyjuice left, at most. We're nearly to the carpet when Luna grabs my arm, halting me in my tracks.
She puts her finger to her borrowed lips. I hear it: slush moving underfoot. We're being followed.
We take off at a run, but we're not fast enough.
I throw up a protection charm as Luna moves to unfurl the carpet. Spells fly at us from between the tree trunks as we make haste to depart.
I've had enough with people assuming they can take what is mine.
I fire an Avada into the dark, hoping it will scare our assailants into retreat. It doesn't, and now we are dodging green lights as they close in on us. I can see the two wizards clearly now as my rueful Fates cackle in the distance.
The thought crosses my mind that at least I will die a free man.
Luna's voice pierces the darkness -
"Touch the trees, kitten!"
xoXOXox
Both of us dive for the wiggenweld trees, knocking our attackers back several metres. This gives me just enough time to grab Draco's arm and drag him on top of the carpet. We rush to take flight, pulling a bit too rough on the tassels as we shoot straight into the sky.
Higher and higher we climb, surpassing the clouds to shoot for the moon as the wind burns my eyes shut. We're gripping the hem of the rug like our lives depend on it, because they do. I force all of my will into a wandless sticking charm for both of us before the darkness takes me.
xoXOXox
I feel suctioned to the rough fabric of the carpet as I fight to control our acceleration. With my body rapidly transforming, it's difficult to manage my equilibrium enough to slow our ascent. I persist nonetheless, steadfastly leaning my changing weight into the front of the carpet. We are tossed about roughly as my mouth is dried and eyes are frozen shut from the pressure of the relentless wind. After my entire worthless life has flashed before my eyes, we finally slow enough for me to attempt to coast on a current.
Every particle of my airways has been ravaged by the cruel wind. After seconds or lifetimes, I can't be certain, I open my eyes.
"Luna," I cough through the dry burn in my throat. "We lived."
She doesn't respond.
"Luna!" My shout comes out a bloody facsimile of my voice.
Still, she lays silent. I can't even move to face her as the carpet holds me to it. My fingers are frozen to the hem, unable to as much as twitch around my wand from the pressure of holding too tightly.
No. No! This can't end now. She can't end like this! Not like Pansy.
"No! You can't die without me!" I force through my abused passages.
Still no response.
'Stop panicking and think, Malfoy!'
In a final moment of desperation, an idea comes to me.
With every minuscule fibre of my being, I focus on casting a wandless rennervate. It barely sparks. I can hardly feel my magic leaving me as I incant. I keep casting and casting, over and over again until there is a steady stream of light flowing into her.
I hear her gasp in the silent night.
We lived.
xoXOXox
I awaken with my stiff muscles glued to our carpet. My eyes peek over the edge, looking down at kilometres of open sky below us. I try to scoot back a bit to see Draco, but my body won't budge. Must be the sticking charm. I don't have the energy to cancel it right now, so we'll have to wait until it wears off.
"Dray," cough "Draco?" My voice sounds, and feels, like I've been gargling hot desert sand.
"Yes, lovely?"
He doesn't sound much better.
"We… need…" gasp "...a broom."
xoXOXox
We float in silence forever, stuck in the same position we took flight in. For all I know, we could be sailing past borders or over continents. I can't see anything past purple swirling knots.
It would be an excellent time to hold a conversation if I had one drop of saliva to coat my tongue. It's probably best I don't because my temper would cause said conversation to begin with "What the fuck happened back there?" which would be what Luna refers to as "unproductive".
I've inferred she must have cast some sort of charm to keep us held to the carpet at such a high speed. After not using her magic for months, it's plausible the exertion would have caused her to faint. She did it for us. She did it for me.
As my parched voice rests, I crave to tell her how sorry I am for dragging myself along for this endeavour. If I wouldn't have been here, she never would have gotten hurt.
What would she say?
'That's an unhelpful thought, Draco.'
She would be correct, as usual.
The silence is telling, however, as our muscles begin to loosen and we slowly start to reach for each other. Before the night is over, I have her in my arms again.
Feeling I've been smothered in silence long enough, I take advantage of the proximity to whisper to her
"Where are we going, lovely?"
A/N: I made a few edits to this chapter for clarity. Also, I've noticed there are lots of you reading this story, and I'm so glad you're sticking to it! I would be happy to hear from you in the reviews. If you will, please let me know what things worked for you and didn't.
Onwards to the adventure!
Vine