the girl who lost it all [d.m]

fifty five: usus

Orion's jaw clenched and then, he ripped away from the armchair, shoving both hands through his hair.

"She's not even captured yet. Give her some credit."

"You can call off the fucking search." Orion turned again, eyes flashing. "You can fucking—tell them it's not worth it. Get them to stop looking for her. She has no way out of Paisley, Draco. Not unless she comes here—and I doubt she will, considering how many patrols they have in this area now."

"I can't just—call off the search," Draco scoffed. "You know how suspicious that would look? I already let Elara get away—"

"So that's it, right?" Orion bit out. "You get your fucking witch out—and everyone else can go to hell!"

Draco gritted his teeth. "That's not how it is and you know that."

"No, actually, I don't. I don't fucking know that because all I know is Magda is hiding somewhere in Paisley—and you're not doing anything about it."

"There's nothing I can—"

"But if Elara was with her," sneered Orion, cutting him off, "you'd be out there, razing every single fucking building down to the ground to find them."

Draco stood then, towering over him. "You're worried. I get it. But don't fucking act like I'm letting Magda die—"

"You are!" Orion half-yelled, his fingers tightening around his wand. It was a subtle movement but Draco's sharp senses caught it, his nerves going on high alert. "You're standing by and letting it happen because you don't fucking care—"

"Because I can't!" Draco hissed back, glaring right back at Orion. "Because I can't very well go and find her—only to let her go again! Do you realise how fucking suspicious that'll look?"

"But if it was Elara—"

"It's not Elara!" Draco snapped, his temper rising. "It's not her because I fucking made sure it never will be again. Maybe you should've done the same with Magda."

Orion's eyes flickered, fury twisting his features. "Unlike you, Draco, I prefer not to fucking suffocate the woman I love like an overbearing watchdog."

Draco scoffed, barely refraining from rolling his eyes. "Yeah. And look where that fucking got you." He reached forward with one hand and gave Orion's shoulder a shove. "Your fucking girlfriend's on the run somewhere in a Death Eater stronghold. So thank you ever so much for the offer but I'll continue to be the overbearing watchdog that I am, considering that my witch is safely at home, tucked into fucking bed."

He'd been expecting it—but when Orion's fist collided with his jaw, it was still a shock that jolted through his entire body. He stumbled back an inch and caught the next fist Orion threw at him, using the momentum to duck underneath his friend's arm and wrench it behind his back.

"If you wanna fucking fight this out," Draco said, low and dangerous, into Orion's ear, "then we can fight this out. But I won't fucking apologise for your shattered jaw by the end of it."

Orion made a raged sound and tore himself out of Draco's grip, spinning to face him again. "Find. Her."

"Do you not understand bloody English? I can't. Physically cannot. Not unless I want to expose us both."

"Then expose us," Orion fired back, slamming his wand down onto the table. "I don't fucking care. Find her before Dolohov does."

"You're not thinking straight." Draco shook his head. "You're not fucking—Do you realise what you're asking? You're asking me to give up this entire fucking war for her."