CHAPTER FORTY NINE- Away We Go
Nothing happened when they stepped out of the protection of the villa. With wands still drawn Hermione and Malfoy looked intensely around the village. "They haven't checked here yet," Malfoy said with relief.
"Stop crying," Malfoy instructed when he glanced at his wife. Hermione was trying her hardest not to but the tears still fell. "Aren't you afraid?" Hermione questioned. How could he be so emotionless while she was facing a mother's worst nightmare?
"Together we created the most precious child in the world. Surely we are not meant to die in this war," he said simply as he grasped Hermione's hand and felt the unpleasant sensation of Apparition.
Malfoy broke off into a sprint while holding onto Hermione's hand the moment their feet crunched onto the snow in Dartmoor. The sun was nearly up and the snow was beginning to soften on the grass.
"Damn! I tried to be closer to the trees. I haven't been here in years, I should have tried harder," Malfoy huffed as his legs began to run faster. An awful hurting was causing Hermione to slow down.
Though she hadn't said a word, she was still in great pain from the early delivery of her daughter. Any sign of weakness and Malfoy would have tied her to a post before allowing her to come. "Keep up, Granger!" Malfoy urged as he dragged her along.
Hermione was about to fall from exhaustion when he corrected her. "I cannot move as quickly as you," she panted but continued to run.
"You can! You will! Or you will suffer greatly. Do you believe I can make you suffer?" He snarled at her with the trees becoming closer. "Yes, I know you can," she replied bitterly.
"Then run faster!" Malfoy commanded. Once they finally made it into the trees they set into action. Back to back they cast protective spells around the area and did not stop until they were fully shielded.
The bag on Malfoy's back contained all their supplies and he began unloading while Hermione rested on the cold ground. "Do you need something? For the pain?" He asked.
"No, not yet. We don't have enough potion for a little stitch in my side," she lied despite the growing ache. "No one scooped us up, that is a good sign so far," Hermione said still catching her breath.
"The sooner we find the nomads the better. I don't like the vulnerability of a forest and we are too close to Black Landing for my liking," he said pitching their tent.
Once the tent was set up and a contained fire was going they sat down in their modest magical tent and Malfoy brought out a map. "Here is where the Quidditch World Cup was," he said pointing to an area about twenty miles away from them.
"My father said cleaning out the forest and moors was painstaking. The covens in particular were a problem. The lone nomads and rogues however wanted less to do with us than we wanted with them," Malfoy said.
He explained again to Hermione about the witches and wizards who chose to live in the forest away from Muggles and the Ministry of Magic alike. "They are content with their old ways but are mainly peaceful and if we seek their help they may join us," he said.
"Do you think many of them returned after the stadium was demolished?" Hermione asked. "The moor and the forests have been their home for centuries. They hide from the Muggles easily enough and always find a way back here. We will find someone. We have to," Malfoy said with desperation.
Night crept in on them with no signs of disturbance from anything, not even the animals who's home they had invaded. Whilst their tent was magically larger than any tent Hermione had ever been in, it was still cramped and small. Malfoy had to duck his head while standing up and the only bed inside was too short causing his feet to hang off.
When they agreed to try and get some sleep, Malfoy changed out of his robes and into pajamas. Hermione's eyes turned away despite having seen his flesh many times before. Once his shirt was off she couldn't help but notice something was very wrong.
"Your arm!" Hermione gawked. His forearm was more black and blue than she had ever seen it before with tiny vessel like patterns creeping up to his shoulder. Immediately Malfoy pulled his shirt down and dismissed her worry.
"It's nothing. Don't concern yourself with it," he said. "Draco, you need a potion! Or a spell? I don't know I've never seen something like this before," she said ignoring his dismissal.
"It's been growing since Isola's birth. He is calling me, punishing me, looking for me… With this," he said disgusted and indicated his Dark Mark. "There is no cure for it and I refuse to hear another word on the matter. Understood?" Malfoy said.
Malfoy pointed his wand at the fire to make it grow a little larger before coming to bed. "Nox," he murmured as the candles extinguished themselves. Lying down as far away from his wife as the bed would allow he asked, "Where do you think they are?"
"I don't know, someplace safe and warm? That is all I want," she said sadly. The first night away from their daughter was more agonizing than either of them expected. "They are, I know it. Mother would never let harm come to her," he replied.
"You must sleep. I am confident our spells will hold. We will search for the nomads at first light," he said shutting his own eyes. Hermione attempted to do the same hoping that their hunt would be successful.