Author's Note: Thank you as always for the feedback on this story. It's so greatly appreciated, and I'm glad you're enjoying!
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Harry Potter franchise.
Draco's eyes fluttered open. Out of instinct, he took stock of his situation. He was in a warm bed – it wasn't the most comfortable but he rarely found a bed to sleep in. His head felt a bit heavy but it wasn't as bad as it had been the day before.
He wasn't alone. He recalled the semi-drunken debate he'd had with Hermione the night before about sharing the bed, and how she had demanded he refrain from touching her.
That had obviously been a failure, if the way she was on his side of the bed was any indication, not to mention the placement of his hands.
One of his hands rested on her hip, while the other appeared to be against the flat of her stomach, just below the underside of her breasts. His body was also hyper-aware of her, and he hesitated to move too much, lest she awaken and notice.
It would be a long day dealing with her if she woke up in such a compromised position.
But just then she stirred, and in a half-aware state, she shifted backward, closer to Draco, so that her back was nearly against his chest. He was torn between simply releasing her, and relishing in the feel of a mostly naked woman in his arms.
She tensed, her shoulders tightening as her head turned to the side. Draco could see the furrow of her brow as her gaze shot behind her.
"You're on my side," Draco quantified before she could get angry, but even so, he couldn't resist skimming his fingers across the skin of her solar plexus, his knuckles grazing beneath her breast.
To Draco's surprise, she didn't immediately move away; her eyelids fluttered and a quiet sound escaped her lips at the feel of it.
Damnit if he couldn't make up his mind about her.
He trailed the tips of his fingers across her skin again, and she arched her back against him, her hair landing in his face. With his free hand, he tucked a handful of her hair beneath her head, and his hand on her stomach drifted up to catch one of her breasts.
"I thought," she gasped, "this wasn't going to happen again."
"It was your decision," Draco murmured, pressing his lips to the exposed curve of her throat. "Because you know where I stand."
She groaned as his fingers tweaked her nipple, and ground back against him. He caught her shoulder with his teeth, tugging her closer.
"Last time," she breathed, "you tried to kill me because I left. It probably isn't a good idea."
Draco froze, his hands stilling on her flesh. "Are you planning on leaving again?" He shifted away slightly. "Because if you are, go ahead. It'll leave the treasure for me."
"I don't know where I'm going after Kingswood," she clarified. "I'm not used to having someone else around."
"You could try," Draco said, even as he rolled out of bed, slipping on his trousers and shirt. He paused, sitting on the edge of the bed, and a creeping dread seized his chest again. What was wrong with him, that he was so desperate to let her in. "I'm not used to it, either. But I was willing to see, if you wanted to come with me, after all this."
She blinked up at him, clutching the blankets to her chest. "You want someone to ride away into the sunset with you."
"And that isn't you," Draco clipped, rising again, and he finished dressing, anxious to be away from her. "Right, I've got it."
"Draco –" she tried, but he merely flickered his eyebrows and sheathed his daggers, flipping his guns in an efficient movement and slipping them into their holsters. "I don't know yet."
"Well, you've given me enough of an answer," Draco said, clenching his jaw, his gaze fixed on the floor. "If I'm not worth the effort, then don't bother yourself over it. We'll just find this treasure and go our separate ways for good."
He made for the kitchen where his boots and hat still sat. He knew things between them were complicated and that she was indecisive – he was too – but he was wary to end up hurt again. Unless she made up her mind, it was in his best interests to keep to himself.
He merely said, "We're leaving in five minutes," before going outside to prepare his horse.
The sooner this was all over with, and Draco could part ways with her, the better.
Hermione adjusted her bandana higher on her face as she paced the region near where they hoped to find the well. The sun was sweltering already, blazing down on her, and the wind had picked up to the point where she was half-blinded by the swirling clouds of dust.
She knew Double-Draw wasn't far away but she could scarcely see him as the loose top layer lifted from the hard ground. It would make finding anything today next to impossible.
And Hermione didn't know that she could handle another evening in that shack with him. Not with the way things between them currently sat.
He had grown on her, and Hermione could admit that now to herself. But she didn't know whether she could be what he was looking for. It had been so long since Hermione had been able to trust anyone – and to be fair, their pseudo-relationship had been off to a rocky start, between the rivalry and the death threats.
So now, even as she found herself growing to care about the bandit with the rugged exterior and the soft heart, she didn't know how much of herself she could give.
But yet… there was a part of her that wanted to dive head first and see where life would take her, with him at her side. To find the treasure together and ride off wherever he wanted, and to see what sort of adventures they would find.
It would be nice not to be alone – and some part deep within her soul longed for the chance to have someone with her. But she hadn't let anyone in since her parents had been killed, and the feeling now was so foreign that Hermione didn't know how to face it.
He had been straightforward with her and honest from the start. She admired him for it when she was so reticent at the thought of doing the same.
Because surely, given all he had been through – it would be just as easy for him to have grown hard and cold over the years.
Steeling herself, Hermione resolved to make more of an effort.
She caught sight of him in the distance, and a smile came to her lips beneath the bandana. A life with him was something she wanted to explore – and she had been cowardly to deny the fact. She only hoped it wasn't too late.
Draco uttered a string of curses, pulling his hat lower to minimize the amount of dust that was flying into his eyes. It was even coming through his bandana and his mouth felt dry, the earthen taste lingering on his tongue.
With the way the dust storm was accumulating, they would be lucky to make it into the afternoon before they would have to retreat and take cover. Which meant more time alone in the shack with Hermione, and Draco didn't relish the thought.
If it wasn't for the fact that Draco couldn't return to Kingswood – now that he was likely wanted for assisting in the escape of a criminal – and he needed the gold from the cache, he probably would have retrieved his horse and left.
Because based on how things had gone the night before, and that morning, there was little hope for anything with Hermione. She didn't know what she wanted, but it most likely wasn't him. Draco had to simply accept it and cut his losses. He had been fine on his own for so many years, and he would be fine after they went their separate ways.
He would find some shelter outside of the distillery shack if it meant he didn't need to deal with her or his burgeoning feelings. He had likely made a fool of himself pining after her, and it was one of the things Draco hated the most.
Frustrated, he kicked at the hard ground with a spurred boot, and a cloud of dust lifted and swept away with the raging winds.
He couldn't even see Hermione, and he didn't know if he could trust her anyway. For all he knew, she had found the treasure and left him alone here. It would serve him right, for allowing himself to care about someone who didn't see him the same way.
He would keep a careful eye on her, just to be sure she wasn't trying to pull one over on him, and that would be it.
He caught sight of her, clad all in black but for her curly brown hair, and he pressed his lips into a thin line, his eyes narrowed. Once this was over, he resolved to let go of her for good.
Draco pulled himself through the screaming winds, thick clouds of dust swirling all around him, attempting to make his way towards the general direction in which he had last seen Hermione.
The windstorm had escalated to the point where he could hardly walk, and he knew it would be in their best interests to retreat for the day.
Thankfully, they had left the horses at the shack to be able to better search on foot, and the beasts would have adequate water and shelter closer to town.
"Hermione!" he shouted, catching sight of her, even as he held his hat to his head with one hand. She turned to the sound of his voice, her eyes squinted in the onslaught of flying dust.
She made her way towards him, dragging herself with effort against the wind, and Draco picked up his pace to catch up to her.
"We ought to go back!" she exclaimed when he reached her, holding onto her own hat, her bandana high on her nose. "We'll never find anything in this storm!"
Draco nodded, gesturing with a shoulder in the direction of the shack. Her shoulders sagged with relief as she nodded. They began their slow return, and Draco tugged on her arm as she struggled with the harsh gusts.
As they walked, Draco noticed her staring at him, her brown eyes meeting his, and Draco forced himself to look away.
"Come on," he growled, tugging harder on the crook of her elbow. "I want to get out of this damn storm."
She nodded, picking up her pace again, and then stumbled to the hard ground. Draco doubled back, reaching for her but she paused, staring at whatever had caught her foot.
There was some sort of protrusion rising from the ground, just enough to have tripped her up.
Draco peered closer, dropping to his knees in the dirt, and sweeping a hand over top. Hermione was staring, too, from her position on the ground and Draco looked up, meeting her questioning gaze.
"It's stone," he muttered, drawing a dagger from its sheath and chipping away at some of the dirt packed on top of it. "The wind must have exposed it."
Her eyes widened and her hands came forward to brush away the earth until the chunk of stone led to another, and Draco shook his head, a breath caught in his throat.
"It's here," she hissed and Draco nodded, glancing her way. He stood, kicking the dirt away from the centre of what appeared to be the beginnings of a stone circle, and a sheet of wood was revealed, covering the opening of a well.
"Search for the cache!" Draco exclaimed, hoping she could hear him over the wind and through the muffled sound of his bandana. "If this dust settles back overtop we could lose it again!"
She nodded, and was immediately up again, kicking at the loose dust, digging with her tools and hands. Draco followed suit, circling out slowly from the location of the well. Oblivious now to the swirling wind and the encroaching dust storm, he prowled for what felt like hours but must not have been that long, until his toe caught on something.
"Hermione!" he exclaimed, and she glanced up. He gestured with a wave and she rushed over. "Help me with this."
Between the two of them, they managed to expose what appeared to be a trapdoor covering an innocuous stretch of earth, and Draco's heart was in his throat as they managed to lift it up, despite the howling winds.
He gestured Hermione forward, and she crept through the door as he held it up, then he followed, allowing the door to slam down with a loud clatter.
He descended a small wooden ladder, the still, black silence of the space beneath oddly insidious compared to the raging storm above.
He felt her hand reaching in the darkness and caught it with his own, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
"I've got a torch in here," he muttered, reaching through his pack for a torch and flint.
Hermione released a soft gasp as the small cavern lit up – it was tall enough for them both to stand comfortably, and the walls were reinforced with wood planks. She tore her bandana down as she gaped around at the small space and Draco did the same, taking several steps away from the ladder.
"Do you think this is the cache?" she whispered, as if afraid to disturb the sudden silence.
"It's a cache," Draco confirmed. "But whether it's the founders'?"
Hermione nodded, creeping forward with a dagger drawn as if she expected to run into trouble. Draco snickered, feeling a smirk tug at his lips even as he stayed by her side.
"Draco," she hissed, dropping to her knees on the hard ground. Draco waved the torch closer, mindful to keep it away from the wooden structure holding up the walls. He crouched alongside her, meeting her gaze as her hands fell onto a black box, toying with the lid. "It's locked."
Draco thrust the torch into her hands, drawing a narrow dagger from its sheath, and angling it into the keyhole of the ornate lock until he heard it click.
Draco huffed a breath as he opened the lid, tucking the dagger away. In the dim light of the torch, Draco could see the sparkle of more gold coins than he had ever seen in his life. Hermione let out a soft gasp and clutched his arm with her free hand, her gaze transfixed on the treasure.
Then she set the torch carefully onto the dirt floor beside her, turning to face him.
"It's here," Draco breathed, turning to stare at her, and her hand was still on his arm. "Hermione –"
She leaned forward, catching his lips with hers, her hands sinking into his hair. Her hat struck his own, and Draco tossed it from her head, pulling her closer as he kissed her, the blood in his veins singing with adrenaline and elation. He pushed her against the wall, pressing into her as his hands drifted to her sides, and when he tore away she was gazing at him, her chest heaving, her face flushed.
"Draco," she choked, grazing his face with her fingers. "The treasure."
"The treasure," he echoed, staring at her lips. Then he met her eyes again and released her, digging a hand into the heavy coins. He shook his head. "I can't believe this has actually been here for so many years."
"It's enough, Draco," she murmured. "To get away from here."
"It's more than enough," he whispered, a grin on his face. She beamed back at him, her eyes lit with excitement and maybe something else.
Draco's fingers caught on something as they grazed the coins, and he drew a small note out from inside the case, the edges tattered and ink nearly faded. He read it out loud.
They were following me, so I left the other half in Falcon's Ridge. He will know where to find it.
T
"The other half," Hermione choked, her brow furrowing above wide eyes. "This is half?"
"Falcon's Ridge," Draco murmured, raising a brow. "North-northwest of here, about a day and a half's ride."
"But where?" Hermione asked, shaking her head. "And who is he?"
"Whoever he is, he'd be long gone by now," Draco said with a shrug. He settled on the floor with his legs folded beneath him, gazing at the treasure. "Maybe we never find the other half. Maybe this is enough to last us both the rest of our lives."
"Yes," Hermione breathed, fidgeting with the corner of her bandana. She stared at him for a long moment, chewing her lip. "Draco, I want to come north. With you."
"I thought you didn't want this," Draco murmured, holding her gaze, his eyes narrowed. "I'm done with the games, Hermione."
"No games," she whispered. "I have a hard time trusting people, but the thought of you leaving…" she shook her head, her hand grazing his. Her voice was firm as she said, "I want to come with you."
"Then you're going to have to learn to trust me," Draco said, his brow furrowed, "we'll have to trust each other."
"Yes." She nodded, her grip catching his wrist and drifting to his hand. He caught her fingers within his own. Draco stared at her for a long moment, his mouth dry. Despite everything they had been through, he believed her. He wanted this.
"We'll have to wait out the storm," he said, giving the heavy case a shove with one hand, "and bring the horses."
She nodded, her lips pulling into a smile. "Do you know what this means?"
"It means a fresh start," Draco replied on a breath. "It means… getting away from this town and the violence and –" He cut himself off, shaking his head. It would mean everything. He felt years worth of tension seeping away from his spine at the mere thought.
And if she actually wanted to go with him...
Draco pulled his lip between his teeth as he stared at her, tossing his hat behind him to land with hers. He pushed her back against the wall, catching her lips with a searing kiss. He drew away, his fingers playing with a loose curl.
She stared at him, a wry grin on her lips, and in the dim, flickering light, Draco's breath caught on the sparkle in her eye.