She didn't want him to pull away from her, even though she knew what was now surrounding them in the shadows and felt too disappointed for her own liking when the touch of his lips left hers. He was now holding her head protectively against his chest with one hand while his other held the wand raised at the yet to be seen threat, stroking her hair with his thumb in what was probably supposed to be a soothing manner.
Rose held one arm tightly around his waist while her free hand carefully searched his pockets for her own wand.
"Left." The low mumble was hard to catch, especially with the sound of his breathing rumbling against her ear, but she quickly pulled out the wanted item from his left pantpocket and then held it out along side of his.
"Quite a surprise you gave us back there, Malfoy." She recognised the deep voice as the leader of the group which had cornered her before, the man Malfoy had called Gaspard. "Such a pity it would be to kill you." Possessively she held onto Malfoy even tighter and steadied the hand which held the wand, varily directing it to where the voice was coming from.
"Perhaps the little tease of a blood traitor put a spell on you, or maybe you'd want her all to yourself... without sharing." Gaspard had now moved into their view, and was leering at Rose as he spoke.
"Keep away, Gaspard." Surprisingly, Malfoy seemed perfectly relaxed with the situation. The only thing in his behavior saying otherwise was the, to any observer, unnoticable, yet bone-crushing grip he had around her smaller frame.
"I don't think so." He chuckled and came to a halt infront of the pair. "You are outnumbered, and I can't say that I'm pleased with your recent behavior." The smile Gaspard directed at Malfoy made Rose's insides freeze, and she knew what was about to happen before the word floated as if in slow-motion over Gaspard's smooth lips. "Crucio."
There was no scream from Malfoy as his body began to spasm and he fell to the ground, with Rose trying her best to break the fall for him. He rolled over on his back, writhing in pain caused by the smirking man remaining in the same place as before while the rest of them was still hidden in the dark, only the occasional laughter betraying them.
She stared transfixed down at him before tearing her gaze away to realise that the group was enjoying the show which held there fleeting attention for the moment. This was possibly the only chance she might get.
"Expelliarmus!" Rose shouted and for a split second it seemed like they all suddenly realised that she was there too, their focus slipping from the man on the ground being consumed by pain to the woman who would have looked murderous if it wasn't for the worried and protective way she was holding herself.
She quickly caught Gaspard's wand in the air, before throwing herself over Malfoy and swiftly apparated away once more, hoping that they wouldn't be hit by any well aimed curse while her ears filled with the outraged screams.
"Get her, or I swear you will all be more than sorry!" The last she saw before she disapparated was Gaspard's face pulled into a grimace of rage and burning hate, a face which would come to haunt her for as long as she'd live.
The sun was about to rise over the horizon, lighting up the small meadow where they had ended up in the chaos. Rose, who had as soon as she felt them make contact with the ground rolled off of him, was now laying flat on her back and staring up into the half hidden sky where a few stars still could be seen, trying hard to get the control of her breathing back.
She inhaled deeply and finally daring to turned her head slowly towards the man lying beside her, afraid as to what she would be seeing.
He was staring quietly up into the sky as well, but she recognised the look on his face. It was the look where he was to faraway in thought that he might as well be in another country. Like the other time she had seen it, she was at a lost as to what she was supposed to do. Silently, she turned back her head and put one of her hands under it.
"Are you alright?" It felt really stupid to ask him that, after she had witnessed him being tortured but she needed the confirmation that he was something as the feeling of not knowing what was going on inside his head was bothering her to a point where she felt ill.
He opened his mouth, not looking at her. "I'm fine." Curtly would be the best way to describe his answer.
Tilting her head towards him this time she looked at him doubtfully. Now in more light, she was able to get a better view of him and what she saw made her inside twist. He was pale, much paler than he had ever been in school, and his lean body was thinner. Beads of sweat was visible on his forehead, and she refused the urge to wipe them away. He looked like a used, washed-up... She wasn't sure what she thought about it.
Even though she had wanted him to tell her how he was doing, it didn't make her feel better, it was more like an inwardly hit in the gut.
"You don't look so good." A faint smirk played on his thin lips and his eyes found hers, a small comfort being that the spark in them was still there after all the other changes to his appearance.
"No one can look as good as they did in their late teens, not even me." He pulled himself up so that he was resting against his elbows. "We should keep moving."
"Are you kidding me?" Her brown eyes were wide in utter disbelief. "He used crucio on you, you just can't walk that off." He was already standing and was beginning to walk away, but she easily caught up after stumbling to her feet. "Malfoy."
"Yes, he cursed me, and I don't want that to happen to either of us any time soon, that's why we need to keep moving." It was clear that he had to focus much more energy than he had on just walking staright, she noticed as she walked beside him. He was too stubborn, or at least that is what she thought as they made their way through the forrest as the day came closer.
"So... guess you're not dating that quidditch player?" Malfoy was breathing heavily but kept fighting to continue, and Rose felt that perhaps for once they could just be civilised, not going at each other in any way.
"No, I'm not... and I wouldn't say that I ever dated him." She pulled out a twig from her hair and threw it over her shoulder as she noticed Malfoy's sideway glance at her. "It was my aunt Ginny, she wanted me to... meet someone to settle down with, I think."
"And he was a safe bet, she thought?"
"Apparently." She smiled and Malfoy turned to her, wondering what she was grinning about. "Aunt Ginny nearly threw a fit when I refused to go on a second date, cause apparently, she had been telling all her friends that I was with this famous quidditch player."
Malfoy chuckled, and in an innocent gesture put his arm around her shoulders. "Gossip travels fast around the Diagon Alley." However light heartedly he tried to play it all off, she knew that this would only be an excuse to hide his real reason for doing so especially when she now was supporting more of him than would be expected.
"Malfoy, you need to rest." The shake of his head came as no surprise and she sighed. "You know that you wouldn't come far if I refuse to continue until we rest."
"Stop being so damn stubborn, Weasley."
"Me stubborn?" She tightened her grip around him, digging her fingers into his side. "It is you who are the stubborn one, now sit down." He remained standing, glaring at her as she calmly answered with a challenging stare.
"We can't stay."
"Yes, we can and will, now sit down." Rose demanded and pointed at a rock behind him while keeping her tone of voice away from screaming at him in frustration.
Disgruntily he obeyed, still frowning at her as she stood a few meters away from him with her arms crossed over her chest.
When he was seated she came over and without a word leant her head against his shoulder, sensing him tense at the unexpected closeness.
"Are they really Death Eaters?" If he had been uneasy before, her question seemed to make it even worse, and she wondered if she should have kept her mouth shut as he moved to put more space between them.
However she didn't have time to take it back before he began to reply. "It's a lot more complicated than that, even if it is old Death Eaters among them... us..." He sighed heavily and pulled at his hair slowly. "There's a difference in attitude, not to look up to one individual, but work as a group..."
"And you are one of them." Rose mumbled it softly, not sure if she wanted him to actually hear it but he was once again lost in himself.
They just stayed like that for a while, silent and preoccupied with what was on their own mind. Rose noticed as the time went by how he fought harder to stay awake, trying to discreetly rubb his eyes and strangle his yawns.
She almost made him jump out of his skin when she abruptly stood up and looked around.
"What?" Turning his head in every direction attempting to be alert. "Did you hear something? See something?"
Sighing she stepped closer to him, holding her hand out for him to take. "No, but as you said, we should keep moving." Pulling him to his feet and then letting go as soon as he was standing, but he looked at her with some hidden emotion, making her feel a need to elaborate. "I think I know a place where we can hide out."
"We can't go to any family of yours." He inhaled deeply and stretched his arms over his head, momentarly distracting her.
"No, I know that." She let a small smile form. "We could perhaps go to the Shrieking Shack." He pondered her proposal before the infamous smirk came on.
"You are much smarter than you look, you know."
"Some of us just are that lucky, but don't feel bad about yourself, Malfoy." He laughed and held out his arm, wordlessly inviting her to come to him.
"Side along apparation?" She rolled her eyes but didn't refuse his offer. "Wouldn't want to lose you now."