Run || Harry Potter FF

ii || abandoned house

"Prove it."

"I already did! How do you think we got here? I apparated us. We're at least a dozen villages away from yours. Besides, the Ministry is tracking all magic use now. If I prove it to you, they'll find us and we'll be killed." He put his wand in his lap, keeping a firm grip.

My head was spinning. Nothing he was saying made sense to me. Magic didn't exist... Right? "Why are they trying to kill you?" I asked when nothing else came to mind. 

"My family and I betrayed...He Who Must Not Be Named during the Battle of Hogwarts... Ugh," he groaned, "I guess I should explain what happened before... 

"There is a dark wizard whose name we don't speak. He can't be killed... Well, there was only one person who had the ability to get rid of him and...he died during the battle. Hogwarts is the school I went to... It was my home. And he destroyed it. Now he's taken over the entire wizarding population and is in the process of enslaving the muggles too. And they're after me because my family betrayed him. My mother and father have already been killed... But I got away. They want to make an example of me, so I've been on the run since."

I couldn't comprehend a word. I got from my seat and walked towards him and without even thinking twice, I pinched his arm. Yep, he was solid. And annoyed, judging by the sound that came out of his mouth. "What was that for?"

"I was just making sure that you weren't a figment of my imagination. This sounds absolutely insane. Am I insane? Have I suffered a psychotic break?"

"Probably," he mumbled, rubbing his tender arm.

I ignored him and returned back to my spot. My head was telling me to run for the hills but the rest of me...the rest of me still wasn't sure what to think. But where would I go anyway? My intuition was the mouthiest of all, as usual, screaming, he's telling the truth. He's telling the truth. "Sorry about your parents."

"Yeah...thanks."

It was quiet for a few minutes. The sky had started to darken outside, the air became chilly, and the crickets began to sing. "So, why is it that only one person could stop him? What's so great about him?"

Draco seemed to zone out at that moment. He spoke but he was somewhere else entirely. "It was Harry Potter. The boy who lived. You-Know-Who tried to kill him when he was a baby but he couldn't. Ever since then, it's been a race to see who can kill who first...until recently, anyway. He went to my school... I've known him since we were eleven." He grew even quieter. "He saved my life the day that he died."

I didn't know what to say. It seemed that he and this Harry Potter he spoke of both lived a pretty eventful and tragic existence. Nothing I've been through could ever compare.

"So," he began again after a moment. "What about you? Now you have what you need to know, I think it's my turn to decide whether or not you're going to murder me."

"Well, I don't have as much...history. I work, or worked, at that antique shop and have since I was sixteen. I got into Oxford but some stuff happened and I didn't get to go. I'm pretty good at shooting guns, in case you didn't notice. And my parents are probably having an aneurysm right now. And that's about everything. I lead a dull life."

"Until Death Eaters destroyed your work place and you got pulled into a wizarding war?"

"Pretty much."

He gave a light, breathy laugh, but nothing more. Even then it sounded foreign. Even though I had just met him, I could tell that he hadn't done that in awhile. "Look, I know you want to go home, but it's probably going to be a few days before we can circle back to your village. I hope that's fine."

"Sure," I said, despite the fact that I would probably be reported as kidnapped by that time. 

I felt a drop of liquid come down on my head. And another. And another. Then soon, the rain was coming down full force. The sound was almost deafening in the house, where there was no where to hide from it. "Oh great!" I said exasperatedly, throwing my hands up.

I looked around for shelter just as Draco jumped up. We were both practically soaked by the time that we noticed one single part of the house that seemed to be shielded from the rain. A measley corner that would only fit one of us comfortably and two of us if we huddled together. 

I looked at Draco with a sheepish smile. "Looks like we have to share."

He looked from me to the corner interchangeably a few times before saying, "It's okay. I can just sleep in the rain."

I sighed loudly. "Don't be ridiculous. I don't have cooties. It'll be fine. Just don't think about it."

I walked over to the corner and laid down on the damp floor boards, facing the wall. My arm was being used as a pillow and pieces of my hair stuck to my face. The cool air made the untreated wound on my leg throb, but other than that, I wasn't too miserable. 

I felt Draco move the boards underneath us as he walked towards me. Each one creaked with his movements and that's how I knew he was laying down. His back and shoulders met mine, though I wouldn't be surprised if he was halfway in the rain. His body heat warmed me instantly and lulled me into a stupor. All the events of the day had drained me and I hadn't even fully registered them. I could only imagine what these next few days were going to be like.

"Goodnight," I said, just loud enough for him to hear.

"Goodnight," he replied after a brief hesitation.

Some part of me, buried deep down, knew that his body heat wasn't the only thing making my face burn, despite the cold rain. But that wasn't something either of us was ready to admit.