Chapter 5

Patronus peeked around the corner of the hallway, making sure there was nothing waiting for them. He didn't know how fast Alexander could find out about his very recent betrayal and he certainly didn't want to take any chances with Lily with him.

"Is it safe Patronus?" Lily whispered the question to him. He could feel her cold, slender hand tighten up on his, giving away her fear. He nodded to her and lead her forward into the empty hallway, both of them being as quiet as possible as they made their way towards the dimly lit stairway leading out of the dungeon area.

As Patronus led Lily, she tried not to look into any of the other cells where other prisoners were kept. There was nothing she could do for them. Patronus couldn't save all of them. She shivered as she heard their pained moans from whatever tortures they had been given earlier.

They quickly made their way up the stairs and into another dimly lit hallway. He seemed to know where he was going and Lily was thankful for that. She would have been completely and utterly lost without his help and guidance.

They walked up the stairs and neared the old, splintered, wooden door at the top of the stairs. He turned the knob and poked his head out the door, looked in every direction for any sign of another being that could possibly bring them any trouble. After deciding that it was safe, he led Lily through the door way and into a larger room.

She gulped and tightened her grip on his hand again. He turned to look at her, giving her a look of concern. She smiled at him and even though it looked completely forced but he gave a smile back anyway and continued to lead her towards the other door across the room.

"Where are you leading me to anyway?" She whispered to him. He stopped, turning to her and letting go of her hand. He stood there for a moment, in thought. Then he smiled and bent down to the ground. She watched as he moved his finger in the dirt on the floor and when he pulled his hand back she looked down and cocked her head.

Lily looked at it, scratching her head. It was hardly legible and looked like a two year old had written it after being spun around and blindfolded but she kept her mouth shut and continued to look at the 'word'. After a long pause she smiled and snapped her fingers.

"Front door! You're taking me to the front door." She said receiving a nod from Patronus. She reached down and shook her hand on the dirt, erasing the words from the ground. "Well, let's continue on before somebody else comes." She said looking back to him. He nodded in return and grabbed her hand again, leading her forward. They went through door after door, into room after room, and with each new room and hallway she grew more and more grateful for Patronus leading her around. It had been an hour since they had first begun their escape and Lily was starting to grow tired. She was surprised she had even lasted this long, with all the bruises and cuts on her body.

"Patronus…not to be a bother, but is there any place I can lay down for a while?" She asked him quietly, breathing heavily. Patronus stopped quickly in front of her, looking at her curiously. "I just really need a break from all this walking…and my legs are starting to hurt a lot more than earlier."

He looked at her for a moment then nodded slowly. She smiled tiredly.

"Where is it at?" She asked. He didn't answer; he just stepped towards her and bent down. "W-what are you do-ING?" She said startled as he picked her up bridal style and began to carry her down the hallway, being careful not to cut her with his finger knives. She looked up at him smiling. "You realize this is unnecessary right?" She asked him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He just shrugged and kept walking, holding her close to him.

Her smile widened a bit and she nuzzled his chest, pressing her face against him. She could hear his slow, methodical heart beat, echoing in his ribcage.

Bum-bum…..….Bum-bum…..….Bum-bum...

He walked up some stairs trying not to shift his weight a lot so it wouldn't be uncomfortable for Lily. Reaching the top he made his way to the end of the long hallway and opened one the door on the right.

Lily looked around at the small, nine foot by nine foot room. It was a bedroom, only containing one bed that would only hold one or two people if they huddled close together, a wooden chair, and what looked like it used to be a table, now laid on the floor in broken pieces.

He walked her over to the bed and gently laid her down on it. He then turned and picked up the chair and wedged it under the door knob, making sure no one could enter the room without waking them up first. He walked back over to the bed, Lily watching him as he pulled the thick blanket over her battered body and sat on the floor next to her, calmly stroking her hair until she closed her eyes and her breathing became more even.

He leaned back against the wall, crossed his arms and let his head fall. He had only barley begun to fall asleep when he heard her voice talking to him.

"Patronus…Patronus." She whispered to him, reaching out and nudging him gently. He looked up at her tired and scooted closer to her. "Um, I know this will be awkward, but could you maybe, um, get in bed with me? I'm afraid of the dark." She said, tears coming to her eyes. He looked around and noticed that the torch on his wall had burned out. He looked back at her and nodded. She smiled brightly at him and scooted over until her back was right up against the wall and Patronus slipped into the bed next to her, his cold skin pressed against her warm figure.

She wiped the tears from her face and gave him an embarrassed look. "You probably thing it's foolish…being afraid of the dark like I'm still a child. My parents thought I was idiotic for being afraid of something so childish, and I won't be upset if you think the same thing." She mumbled to him, looking at his face as she said it.

He smiled at her and shook his head, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her against him.

Oh Lily, I don't think you're idiotic. Lots of people are afraid of the dark and they're not idiotic. I know I was terrified of the darkness before I was turned into this. He thought as he hugged her. Smiling she wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled the side of his face.

"Yeah, I know. Silly of me to think that you would think that of me." She said smiling. He nodded again and pressed himself against her body. She sighed and closed her eyes, falling asleep as he held her.

He could feel every breath she took as her chest rose and fell against his. He let his mind wander to what it would be like, to sleep with her like this every night, holding her like this. He smiled to himself and pressed his face in her hair, sniffing in its scent.

He could have stayed like that forever with Lily, both wrapped in each other's arms.

He had fallen in love with her so fast and he could only hope that she felt the same way about him.