BREATHE -draco malfoy

thirty five.

"Ana," Hermione started, talking in a low voice so as not to disturb the quiet reverence in the air. Ana was sitting on the couch in Bill and Fleur's cottage, her socked feet tucked underneath her. She had been staring out of the window, watching as birds flew past, their black bodies just barely visible in the night's shadows. It was the very same night that Harry, Ron, and Hermione had returned, and the four of them were sitting together, barely talking. They hadn't told Ana yet, what had happened, as everyone was sort of stuck in a silent trance after burying Dobby, unspoken mourning thick in the house. Luna had gone upstairs to bed, along with Griphook and Ollivander, and Bill and Fleur were sitting at their dining table, chatting with each other, out of ear shot. Ana sat next to Harry on the couch, across from Ron and Hermione. The fireplace was lit, the flames in full bloom, casting an orange glow upon their faces. Ana looked up at Hermione as she spoke, looking at her with curiosity. 

"Hm?" Ana murmured, keeping her voice low. 

"We um..." Hermione said, looking over to Ron and Harry who wore dark expressions, ones that mirrored her own. "We saw Draco." 

These words immediately had an effect on Ana. She sat up straighter, her eyes widening and a flurry of butterflies exploding in her stomach. She had been afraid to ask her friends about Draco. When Luna had explained where they had been, she was worried that Draco was helping his Death Eater father in the capture of Harry, a fact that would break Ana's heart. "You did?" Ana asked hopefully and Hermione nodded. Ana turned to Harry beside her and he gave her a knowing look. Ana exhaled hard, a little light smile creeping across her face at the thought of Draco, alive and in her friend's presence. Even though she was worried about what Draco may have done, she couldn't help but smile at the thought of him. She felt odd, smiling after the long, horrific day that they had had. Her breathing picked up as she thought of the boy she loved, realizing how Hermione's words made her spirits lift. But Ana's thoughts turned sour as her eyes widened even further. "You didn't...tell him...did you? About me?" Ana asked Hermione, hoping that they hadn't mentioned that she was alive. As much as she wanted Draco to know, to discover the truth about what had happened that night at his manor when he thought she had died, Ana knew that the time for Draco to find out she was alive had not come yet. And she also did not want him to hear it from Hermione, as she wanted to tell him herself, whenever she would be able to do so. 

"No," Hermione whispered, tucking her tangled copper hair behind her ear. Hermione looked beaten, her face covered in little cuts and a bruise forming on her chin. Ana wanted to ask Hermione to explain exactly why she looked so wounded, but Hermione kept speaking before Ana could ask her. "It's still supposed to be a secret, isn't it?" 

Ana nodded, looking down at her hands, fidgeting nervously with her ring. "And um...how was he?" Ana asked, her voice controlled. It was such a stupid question and it made Ana feel like a silly schoolgirl, but she wanted desperately to know if he was alright, as she had no idea what had been happening to him for the past several months. 

"Well, he looked-" Hermione started, her voice solemn and her eyes sad, but she was soon interrupted by Ron. 

"Brilliant. He's perfectly healthy, looks completely normal," Ron lied quickly, giving Hermione a warning look. Ana tilted her head at Ron in confusion at his stuttered tone and his cheeks turning abnormally scarlet. Ron didn't want Ana to know how Draco truly was, as it would surely upset her. When Draco had entered the room at Malfoy Manor, dragged in to identify Harry for Bellatrix, he had looked awful. Ron knew that Draco was always a skinny little bloke, but he had shrunk down even further, looking positively ghastly and deathly skinny, as if he hadn't eaten in weeks. His eyes were tired, his white hair practically matching his skin tone. Draco had looked at all of them with this terrible, broken hearted expression, his face showing how truly destroyed he was. Ron knew that this was because of Ana, because Harry, Ron and Hermione were Ana's best friends and seeing them obviously reminded Draco of his "dead" girlfriend. Ron refused to tell Ana any of this, as he knew that it would tear her up inside.