Muddy Green Waters || Draco Malfoy

41 - The Inn

"Wake up, Ron. I think it's Christmas Day."

Ron and I had found a little inn to reside in. We managed to fool the landlord into thinking we were a newlywed couple on our honeymoon.

"Wha-?" Ron lifted his head, groaned, before turning over in his sleeping bag and started to snore.

Ron had graciously slept on the floor, letting me take the bed.

We had barely left the room in the weeks that we had been here.

"What must the landlord think we are doing in here all day?" I wondered aloud one evening.

Ron raised his eyebrows with a smirk. "Well what do you think? We told them we were on our honeymoon after all."

"Ew!" I cried, throwing a pillow at his head, laughing.

"Bloody charming, that is." Scoffed Ron, using the pillow to prop himself up against the wall.

He then went quiet, with a solemn look upon his face. "I wonder if she even cares where I am."

I knew at once he was talking about Hermione. It was obvious to everyone but them how they felt about one another.

"Of course she does." I sighed. "Ron, you must know that she loves you."

Ron just shrugged his shoulders, looking forlorn.

"I do know how you feel you know," I said quietly. "Wondering if they're thinking about you at all."

Ron looked up at me with a surprised expression on his face. "You do? Not Harry, surely?"

I gave a small dry laugh. "No, not Harry. Don't worry, he is very much Ginny's."

"Then who- wait... it's not Malfoy is it?" Ron's eyes widened in realisation.

I didn't say anything.

"Harry was right, wasn't he?" Ron continued, dumbfounded. "All along he said there was something going on. We didn't believe him. Just thought it was part of his obsession with Malfoy."

Slowly, I nodded.

"Blimey, Rosie. He's a Death Eater!"

"I know, Ron. He didn't have a choice though. He is not the monster Harry is always making him out to be."

"Are you sure about that?" Ron scoffed, shaking his head. "Because I can guarantee, Rosie, that whatever Malfoy is doing right now, it will involve torturing or killing some poor innocent."

"Don't." I winced.

"Come on, Rosie - don't be so naive. He's a Death Eater! What do you think You-Know-Who recruited them for? He's hardly assembling a team for the next Scrabble Championship!"

I just glared at him.

"Seriously, Rosie," he continued. "- of all the people. I just don't get it. He was horrid to you. You hated him!"

"I did once. But not anymore."

"Well that explains why you went psycho at Harry after he cut him up a bit."

"He nearly killed him!" I said, looking at Ron incredulously.

"Oh, I just assumed you were on your period or something."

Another pillow hit Ron hard in the face. That was a mistake because now I didn't have any left.

"Ow!" Ron cried, rubbing his nose. "I'm starting to see why they put you in Slytherin now; cruel, violent and got a penchant for Death Eaters."

***

"I said wake up -I think it's Christmas Day." I yelled again at the snoring lump on the floor.

The snoring stopped as Ron stirred, groaning.

"So?" He blinked, slowing moving into a sitting position.

"The church bells are ringing. It must be Christmas morning." I said, looking out towards the window from my bed.

Ron sighed. "Again, Rosie - so?"

"We've been sitting around doing nothing for weeks, Ron. It's just made me think that we've got to do something. We need to somehow find our way back to Harry and Hermione."

"And how exactly are we meant to do that? They've gone - they could be anywhere."

I sighed, throwing myself back against my pillows. "I don't know, Ron, but I hate feeling so useless."

"Well, put the radio on then- see if there's any news."

It's all we had to do in here. Waiting to hear anything that could help us plan our next move.

I leant over, fiddling with the knobs, trying to pick something up amongst the white noise.

"...Ron..."

Confused, I looked around. The voice hadn't appeared to have come from the device before me, and it sounded too feminine to have been Ron.

"Did you hear that?" I asked, frowning.

"Hear what?" Ron mumbled, I noticed he had snuggled back down in his sleeping bag, attempting to go back to sleep.

"...broke his wand..."

"There it is again! Ron! That sounded like Hermione!" I said excitedly. But I couldn't work out where it was coming from.

Ron sat up immediately and, fumbling in his pocket, pulled out his Deluminator that Dumbledore had left him in his will.

"It came from this!" He cried, looking in shock from it to me.

He clicked it and the light went out in the room, plunging us in the early morning darkness.

"Look," I whispered pointing to the window.

A ball of light had appeared right outside it. It was kind of pulsing, and bluish, like the light from a Portkey.

"This is it!" Ron said excitedly. "This is our way back to them, I just know it!"

He jumped up and hurriedly started to pack his stuff into his rucksack. He looked up at me where I was just sitting in the bed feeling utterly bewildered.

"Come on, Rosie. We've got to go. Pack up, quick!"

He seemed so sure of himself that I silently complied and, grabbing my things, followed him out the room and into the garden where the light was.

As it bobbed towards us, Ron grabbed my hand, and open mouthed, I watched as it flew inside of him.

He turned to me, grinning. And then we Disapparated.

***