Chapter Two- Leaving
I look up from the bag I'm packing when he walks in. "Andromeda say we're leaving tomorrow for the wedding." Jayden says. "Yeah." I say, stuffing a copy of the Daily Prophet into the bag. "Any word on Draco?" He asks. I shake my head. "Nothing. They've all disappeared." I sigh. "You know, I've been wondering. What if this is all useless. What if we just let him win? Maybe the world would be better." "Maybe I could go home." I think, knowing it's not true.
"Of course it wouldn't." Jayden says. "Why not?" I say discouraged. "Because this couldn't ever happen." He says. "Of course it could." I say. I know it's not true, and by then end of this, it never will happen. I'll be dead, or worse. "I'm Muggleborn. You-Know-Who would kill me as soon as look at me." Jayden points out. It might be harsh, but it's the truth. Neither of us hide from the truth.
There's a moment of silence. The war changed everything about us. Everything I thought I knew, everything I thought was right, gone. Dust. "So, what happens after the wedding?" Jayden asks. We both decided to not go back to Hogwarts, and I've broken contact with the Order. They entrusted me with one final secret, then I broke contact for their safety. Not mine. I don't care about mine anymore. "I don't know." I sigh. "We run off, I guess. Wait until this is over."
"Where do we run?" That's the question. "Well, anywhere I guess. You're seventeen, there's no Trace on you, and Dumbledore removed mine years ago." I reply. "Depends on where we want to go. For now, let's just wait until the wedding's over to figure that out."
Andromeda comes in. "Are you coming back here after the wedding?" She asks. "Maybe." I shrug. "Who knows?" Andromeda looks at me firmly. "You're coming back here unless an emergency occurs. I made promises to your mother, and I intend to keep them." She says. "Mum can't protect me anymore than Dumbledore." I mutter. Just a child fighting a war. Nothing wrong with that, right? Of course not. The way the world works is strange.
Andromeda sighs. "No one can." She murmurs. I barely catch it. Another reason not to go back to Hogwarts. Another reason to give up. "What's in the bag?" She suddenly asks. "Stuff." I say. Andromeda gives me a pointed look. "Fine, just a tent, books, food, and water." I say. Andromeda points at the bag. "It all fit in there?" She asks suspiciously. "Yeah." I say. "How?" She asks. "Undetectable Extension Charm." Jayden says. "Took a while to get."
Andromeda turns to leave. "By the way, you left your wand on the table downstairs, Carina." She says. I dash downstairs, only to find a man I barely recognise sitting there. "What are you doing here?" I snap.