Chapter Three

Rude Awakening

A bang wakes me from a deep sleep, the night eerily quiet. Draco stirs next to me, his arm and leg wrapped around me, his body flush against mine. Detangling himself from me, we both sit up, alert. There's a rustle outside, whispers alerting us of people nearby. I scramble out of bed, pulling on one of Draco's shirts and a pair of underwear. Draco follows suit, putting on some pants. A scream makes me jump, someone caught in one of the magical traps outside. How'd they breach the protective barrier? My heart's racing, and my anxiety is tenfold, as Draco comes to stand next to me. "We need to leave," Draco takes my hand, pulling me to his side. "Now," his voice is harsh, his eyes showing the panic we are both trying to suppress. I nod, not trusting myself to speak. I pull away from Draco, scurrying around the room, stuffing what little we have into a satchel. An alarm suddenly shrieks within the house, alerting us of an intruder, or intruders. "Emily," Draco implores, holding his hand out for me.

"Let's go," he grabs my hand, and together we apparate. The journey is quick, but uncomfortable, the luxury of teleporting not lost on me. If I had any choice in which Wiccan powers to possess, it wouldn't be empathy to be perfectly honest. My feet touch the ground, as I hold onto Draco to keep my balance, my eyes adjusting to the dark. I look around, the darkened room feeling familiar. Staring at my surroundings, I realise the familiarity with the room layout is because I grew up in this room. I turn to look at Draco, confused as to why he brought us here, to my family home. The look in his eyes, and the calmness that radiates from him, tells me all I need to know. The summer spent with me and my family are some of his fondest memories. Knowing this warms my heart. "It's the only place I could think of," Draco apologises, taking my hand and giving it a firm squeeze. I nod, meeting his gaze, our eyes adjusting to the dark. "Let's stock up and get a move on," I let go of Draco's hand, heading for the stairs. We can't stay here too long.

It won't take them long to figure out where we are, and I'm not risking losing Draco. Draco follows me into my room, a stream of light emanating from the tip of his wand. I grab satchel from my closet and start stuffing clean clothes into it. I leave my room, heading to the spare bedroom. The sight of it is a kick in the guts, the room still smelling of Caleb. I swallow the lump in my throat, refusing to cry. There is no time, I remind myself. I open a few drawers, pulling clothes from them. As hard as it is, Draco needs clothes and Caleb's is going unused. I quickly stuff a few pairs of underwear, pants and shirts in my satchel, along with some socks and a jacket. I rush to my parents' bedroom, supressing the ever growing need to cry. Behind a massive painting of my parents' there is a safe. A safe my mother insisted they add to the wall. My father and I both thought it was overkill, but right now I am grateful my mother insisted. I punch in the passcode, the door clicking open. In the safe are important documents and money. Again, my mother had brilliant foresight.

I grab the money, stuffing it into the satchel. Using my wand, I modify the bag to be able to hold everything I'm stuffing into it, comfortably. I also made another detour to the kitchen where I stuffed other necessities in my satchel. I meet Draco in the living room. "Let's go," I say to Draco, taking his hand. Uncertainty washes over Draco, making him hesitate. I look up at him, wondering what's going on. "I don't know where to go," he answers my unasked question. The sadness I feel from him, makes me want to wrap my arms around him and suffocate him with the love I have for him. But there is no time, my fear of losing him driving my need to protect him, to protect us. I take his hand in mine, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Moving closer to him, side by side, we apparate to the only other place I know. The only place we can hide out for a few days coming up with a new plan. We stumble to our feet, being plucked from one location and spit out in a new location, apparating making me feel sick. Draco pulls me closer to his side, steadying me.

"Where are we?" Draco wonders out loud, pulling me from my thoughts. We are standing in the kitchen of the apartment my parents bought when they first got married. The apartment's been without occupants for the last couple of years, my parents indecisive of what to do with it after their last tenants moved out. The apartment has some furnishings, but not much. It's not somewhere we can stay permanently, as the Death Eaters will eventually link this place to my family and come looking for us. But it's good enough for a couple of days. In an ideal world, I would go to my mother's family for protection, but if I show up with Draco they'd condemn him, their hatred for his kind too deeply imbedded to practice tolerance. They've only recently come to acknowledge my father, they're hands forced by my mother to teach me the Wiccan ways. "It's my parents first home," I answer Draco, looking around the darkened space. I get down on the ground, digging around my bag. Magic is great, the bottomless bag perfect for life on the run. I find a couple of candles, handing them to Draco. Draco takes them from me, place them on the counter, and with a flick of his wand, they are lit. Magic.

"Very romantic," Draco says, light-heartedly, trying to ease the tension we're both feeling. I shake my head and chuckle, unable to help myself. "You're an idiot," I smile, getting up from the floor. "I'm your idiot, remember," he jokes, taking my hand in his. I shake my head, my smile growing. "I thought you're my pain in the ass," I chuckle. Draco laughs, "now I'm your pain in the ass and your idiot. "I love you," I say, wrapping my arms around his waist. "I love you more," he breathes, kissing the top of my head. We take a moment to regain our equilibrium, and to come to terms with the fact that we're no longer in our own perfect little world. It sucks, our bliss rudely interrupted by Death Eaters. "It's going to be okay," Draco states, hugging me tighter. I'm not sure whether he's trying to convince me or himself. "I know," I say, pulling away, looking up and meeting Draco's gaze. Together we can make it through anything. I have to believe that.

"Let's get this place cleaned up a little, and then go back to bed," I say, trying to find my wand in the bottomless bag. Draco helps me clean up, both of us silent, lost in our own thoughts. This war could possibly last years. How long can we realistically stay on the run for? Eventually we'll have to make a decision. Return to Hogwarts and fight, or go to my family in the States and seek refuge. Neither option is great to be honest. "What are you thinking?" Draco asks, breaking the silence. I look him in the eye, and shrug, "contemplating our options." Draco smiles, and takes my hand in his, interlacing his fingers with mine, "come up with any good solutions?" I shake my head, "not really." It is clear that we have a long road ahead of us, and we need to pace ourselves. "Let's go to bed," Draco smiles, leading me down the hallway. "Will you hold me?" I ask, getting into bed. All I want is to have Draco's arms wrapped around me, holding me tight. "You never have to ask," Draco gets into bed next to me, placing his arm around my waist, pulling me tight against his body. "I'll always be there for you, Emily," he whispers, kissing my hair. I relax into him, holding his hand, giving it a squeeze. I know he means it, his love for me wrapped around us like a soft fluffy blanket. It's not what I pictured when we went to bed back at the farm, but we've made the best out of a scary situation. We are safe for now, and that's all that matters. I fall asleep, cocooned in Draco's arms and love, feeling content.

Immense fear is all I feel, as I run down the hallway, following Draco. We returned to the apartment after a walk, to find it turned upside down. "Death Eaters," Draco had whispered, keeping me behind him with his arm, looking around the living room. We hear voices in the bedroom, when suddenly a curse rang out barely missing us as Draco pushed me out of the way. We took off running, not bothering to stick around. They found us. It only took them five days. It is clear that they no longer believe that Draco has been taken against his will. "We need them alive," a man calls, following us. "That's Nott's father," Draco says over his shoulder, holding out his hand for me. I grab it, gripping it tightly. "We need to get out of here," Draco says as we run down the stairs towards the exit. I need a moment to think. Apparating is stressful enough without fearing for one's life. Let alone focusing when you're running away from danger. "Ready?" I call, squeezing Draco's hand. "Ready," he answers, slowing down to get as close to me as possible. I close my eyes and together we apparate.

A hand grabs my foot, pulling me back. I give it a kick, refusing to go without a fight. Draco and I are yanked from the street in front of the apartment building, and spit out on a beach. I stumble and fall, bracing my fall with my hands. On all fours, I dig my nails in the sand, allowing myself a moment to gather myself. Draco is on all fours in front of me, he too trying to catch his breath. "That was too close," I say looking up to meet his worried gaze. Draco nods, sitting back on his heels, wiping his hands on his pants. He gets up, shakes the sand from his pants and holds out his hand for me. I take it and he help me to my feet. "Where are we?" Draco looks around, taking in our surroundings. We are standing on a beach, the waves a soft lullaby, the sky cloudy. "In Oban," I answer, wiping sand from my hands and knees. I readjust the satchel, glad that in the chaos I managed to hold onto it.

"My family holidayed here a few years ago," I explain when Draco appears confused. "Okay then," he says, holding out his hand for me again. I take it without a word, walking with him. "Know where we're going to stay?" he ponders, as we walk down a quiet street. There are not a lot of people out and about, the few that were outside, not making eye contact. People appears scared, worried. "It's uncertain times," I hear a lady tell the mother standing with her, her child clinging to the hem of her dress. They spare us a glance, and then return to their conversation. "Another attack in London," the mother shakes her head, "and they still can't tell us who is responsible."

"We need to find a newspaper," I say, walking a little faster. Draco follows me, not saying a word. We walk past a Café, a newspaper discarded on a small table outside. I let go of Draco's hand, picking up the paper. Draco comes to stand beside me, our shoulders touching, both of us peering at the paper in my hands. On the front page is a photo of smoke and fire, the headline stating an attack occurred outside a muggle shopping centre, at least five people dead. I give the article a quick read. It is clear that no one knows what caused the explosion, no bomb fragments found. 'It's like magic,' the article states. Magic indeed. "The war is in full swing," I breathe, turning the pages. I flick through the newspaper, finding a couple smaller articles about unexplained muggle disappearances and deaths. I take a deep breath and place the newspaper back on the table. "We need to get off the streets," Draco grabs my elbow and leads me away from the Café. Draco is right. We cannot stay outside; someone could recognise us.

We find an abandoned home, the door unlocked. It is clear that whoever lived here left in a hurry. They took what they needed and got out. A witch lived here. I found a cauldron and some potions in the cupboard. It was a wiccan witch. I recognised the wiccan spell book and potions. She would've fled due to the risk the Dark Lord poses to Wiccans. She would've returned to her Wiccan community. Wiccans are stronger in a coven. I hope my mother is with her coven, safe. "We can't stay here long," Draco states, opening the fridge. Now that the Dark Lord and Draco's family know we're on the run, they will not stop until they've found us and drag us back to Malfoy Manor. We don't know whether they know about my Wiccan abilities, but we're not taking any chances. "I think it's time we go to your family," Draco says looking at me, uncertainty in his grey eyes. "They're just as dangerous as your family," I point out, leaning against the kitchen counter, crossing my arms over my chest. "They'll cast you out the moment we step foot on their property."

"I don't see what other choice we have, Emily," Draco presses. "I only care about you being safe." I nod. That's what it all comes down to. We want to keep each other safe. He is right. I'm running out of places to hide. That's the drawback of falling in love with a Death Eater's son. The places he grew up in, will be overrun by the Dark Lord's followers. That means that our only option is starting to look like going to my family for help. Even if they agree to provide us a safe place, they will not take kindly if they learn the truth about me and Draco. There is no guarantee that we'll be safe if they realise the power we possess. "Where you go, I go," I remind Draco. Draco nods, closing the fridge. He walks towards me, coming to a stop in front of me. "We can't be separated, even if they try," he murmurs, his lips brushing mine. I lean into Draco, kissing him. I wrap my arms around his neck, our bodies pressed together. Draco pulls away and rests his head against mine. "I won't go anywhere without you," he breathes. "You're stuck with me," he kisses my nose, pulling us out of our funk, lightening the mood. "I wouldn't have it any other way," I chuckle, rubbing my nose against his. I pull Draco's bottom lip between my teeth, craving him.

All the adrenaline of running from Death Eaters sparks strong lustful emotions between the two of us. Draco is a drug I cannot seem to get enough of, life on the run doing nothing to curb my desire for him. Draco kisses me, the lust we share, pulling us together. We make quick work of the clothing that separates us, our yearning to be naked, flesh against flesh, growing out of control. We lose ourselves in one another, giving in to the unadulterated desires we both have. Draco grimaces, our moment of passion paused. I know it's the bloody mark again. "I hate that I'm marked," Draco breathes, dismayed. I refuse to let the Dark Lord have him, instead, I embrace him with my love, my longing, kissing him forcefully. I scrape my nails down his back, drawing blood, marking him as mine. Draco grips my thighs as we chase euphoria, his nails digging into my skin. "You belong to me," I moan, pushed over the edge, the pleasure all encompassing. "Only to you," Draco murmurs, our eyes locked on one another. We take a moment to catch our breath, before we peel ourselves from each other. "Tell me again that I'm yours," Draco pleads, fear in his eyes. I grab his face with both my hands. "You belong to me, and I to you," I declare, my gaze never leaving his.