The Slytherin Princess | Draco Malfoy x Reader

Chapter 54: Prove Yourself

The longer you and Juniper kept on walking, the more similarities you were able to find between this trek and the one you'd made with Draco months beforehand, to find and retrieve the Elder Wand from Albus Dumbledore's tomb. You had walked through thick forests with Draco, you were walking through thick forests with Juniper. You had had to set up a tent and sleep on cots for multiple nights on the trek with Draco, you were doing the same with Juniper. You had gone four days into the woods with Draco, you were on day four with Juniper.

You didn't know if this would be the last day of your trek with Juniper, though. What you did know was that the blue light you could see in your head as a result of the clairvoyance potion was almost brighter than the image of Harry and Hermione that you could see in your mind's eye, but that didn't guarantee when you'd find them. That only told you that you were getting closer to their location. And if they were hiding themselves with magic, you weren't sure how you'd actually find them and get them to talk to you.

The sun was high in the sky, and it was uncharacteristically warm for a November day. It wasn't hot, by any means, but it wasn't as cold as it had been when you'd fled Hogwarts a couple of weeks before. You had put your coat in your backpack, and were perfectly comfortable in your sweater and leggings as you continued making your way across the small mountain you'd come across.

Juniper had used the Aguamenti spell the night before to get the both of you cleaned up a bit, because unlike your journey with Draco, you hadn't found a spring that could provide running water without you holding your wand over your head for ten minutes. You had held out for as long as possible, but your hair had practically been dripping oil, what with how greasy it was.

You shook yourself out of your reverie, continuing to follow Juniper over the rocky paths you were on. But before you could even take another dozen steps, she stopped suddenly, causing you to almost run into her.

"What is it?" you asked eagerly, hoping she'd spotted them.

"I think they're down there," she said then, pointing down the mountain towards a thick patch of trees. "Every time I look down there the light grows brighter and blinks a couple of times."

You inwardly groaned; you'd hoped you were finished traipsing through the woods. The amount of exposed roots you'd almost tripped over and the bruises from the roots you had tripped over was not something you missed.

But yes, the flashing blue light did mean you were almost to the people or things you were trying to locate. You'd done your studying in the book before brewing the potion; you'd memorized everything. From the possible bad side effects to what would happen to your cauldron if you fucked up, if it had to do with the clairvoyance potion, you knew about it. (At least, if it was in the book, you knew about it.)

So with a deep breath and a double-check to make sure your backpack was still on tight, you drew your wand and began to climb down the side of the mountain. It wasn't completely vertical, but you weren't exactly a fan of the slope it was at, either.

Luckily, though, you and Juniper made it to the bottom unscathed. Juniper pointed wordlessly into the woods, and you followed her. You could still see them in your own mind's eye, and the blue light was flickering for you too, but you still lingered behind Juniper for just a bit, just to give yourself an excuse to go a little slower.

After almost an hour of running quickly and dodging around trees and other forest objects, you and Juniper burst into an empty clearing—and the images in your mind went dark. No blue light, no blinking. Your mind was as blank as it had been before you took the potion.

"What does that mean??" Juniper asked worriedly, her head snapping back to meet your eyes.

"It means we've found them," you said, though you were confused. You couldn't see any sign of Harry, Ron, or Hermione. The clearing was completely empty, save for a pond off to one side where you could see what appeared to be a coyote drinking from the water source.