Beneath Her Skin

Chapter Nineteen

Draco nodded, grabbing her hands in his. "Thanks for coming."

Alastriona gave him a watery smile. 

Ron stepped forward, "What the bloody hell is going on?" He strained, glancing between the two. 

Draco shrugged, "I thought you guys could use the help." He focused only on Alastriona, ignoring the others standing behind her. 

Ron needed a few minutes to catch up, clearly. "Wait... But you're with," he waved a hand at the Inquisitorial Squad on the ground, "them!"

Draco rolled his eyes at the Weasley. "I had to protect her somehow." He focused on Alastriona again. "I'm sorry, love, for everything."

Alastriona shook her head and sniffed. "It's me who's sorry, Draco, I should've been honest with you and the others, from the very beginning but I... I was selfish."

Draco ran his hand gently over her cheek, she leaned into his touch, a lone tear dripped into his palm. "I love you, Red."

"I love you." She breathed out, his words playing over and over in her ears, words she'd been craving to hear. Eyes squeezed shut she leaned into his chest, her pounding heart steadied at hearing his own.

Draco kissed the top of her head and ran a hand over her dry, matted curls.
She pulled away from him and glanced back at the others who were kind enough to avert their gazes, she stared back into Draco's stormy eyes and smiled. "I have to help them." She said quietly. "And then I'll be back, I'll come back and I'll apologise to the others every single day until they forgive me, I'll give them flowers every day and crochet an entire zoo for them." She smiled up at him. "We'll all be together again."
She backed away from him and wiped her cheeks dry.

Draco breathed in deeply and nodded, his eyes went past her to glare at Ron. "Make sure she's safe, Weasley. Tell Potter to keep her safe." He said lowly.

Alastriona chuckled lightly and turned around to glance back at him over her shoulder, "I'll see you for dinner, Draco!"

She followed behind the others, running along and stopped just after they did, she peered around Ron's shoulder to smile shyly at Harry and Hermione. 

"How did you get away?" Harry asked, taking his wand off Ron. 

The group turned back to Alastriona, she waved awkwardly at Harry and Hermione.

"Alastriona?" Hermione questioned. "What in the world..."

She held her hands up in surrender. "I know you don't trust me, but I promise I'm on your side—"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Obviously you're on our side, but how did you get to the others?"

"Draco." She said easily. 

"Wait," Ron stopped the two, "what've you done with Umbridge?"

Harry couldn't seem to help the tiny smile, "She got carried away, by a herd of centaurs."

Alastriona dropped back and let them talk, Hermione followed her over.

"It was you, wasn't it?" The Gryffindor girl questioned, "The graffiti on the walls, you've been fighting her this entire time."

"I had to— I had to do something." She responded quietly, not willing to meet her eyes. 

"Well, we'll have to fly, won't we?" Luna's voice captured their attention.

Harry huffed. "Okay, first of all, 'we' aren't doing anything if you're unloading yourself in that, and second of all, Ron's the only one with a broomstick that isn't being guarded by a security troll, so—"