"Robards is dead."
"What - what happened?" Draco asked, although he was sure he already knew the answer.
"They found him in his office this morning... Riddle's brand was painted on the floor in - in his blood."
The same brand that was tattooed on Draco's arm.
He shot to his feet and tore through the halls until he reached the bathroom, and proceeded to get violently sick. When he got to the point of dry heaving, he sat against the wall and sobbed until his throat was so raw he was sure it was bleeding.
Was Robards dead because of him? Was Riddle really going to these extremes to send him a message?
Harry entered the bathroom and sat beside Draco, bringing his knees to his chest. His entire body was shaking.
"I'm so sorry, Harry." Draco whispered. He couldn't bring himself to look at the broken man beside him.
"He was like a father to me." Harry croaked. "He was all I had left, really. My parents are gone, my godfather and his fucking husband..." He took a deep, shuddering breath before continuing. "I'm going to kill him. Riddle. I'm not going to let him take anyone else from me." He grabbed Draco's hand and squeezed it so tightly Draco worried his bones might turn to dust. "I'm not going to let him take you from me."
Draco started to cry even harder, something he didn't think was possible, and rested his head on Harry's shoulder.
The phone rang again.
"Ron, hey. - Okay, I'll be right there." Harry shakily stood up and pulled Draco to his feet. "Ron is here, with his fiancé."
They left the Manor and made their way down the long driveway to the front gates, where a black SUV identical to Harry's was parked. Draco punched in the security code and the gates swung open, allowing Ron to enter the property. The ginger rolled down the window, and Draco saw a young woman with a stunning chocolate complexion and wild, glossy dark curls sitting in the passenger seat.
"Malfoy, hi." Ron gave Draco a tight smile. "I'm sorry we're seeing each other again under these circumstances. This is my fiancé, Hermione."
Hermione leaned forward and weakly waved at Draco. "Hi, Draco."
He lifted his hand in an awkward wave.
"We'll meet you guys at the house." Harry said, nodding in the direction of the Manor.
"I'll walk with you!" Hermione said as she unbuckled her seatbelt and hopped out of the vehicle. She hugged Harry tightly with tears in her eyes. "I'm so happy you're okay." She whispered into his shoulder. "And Draco, God, I can't imagine what you're going through." She turned to Draco and pulled him into a fierce hug as well. "You're so brave."
Draco really didn't see what was brave about laying on the floor and crying for hours, but who was he to deny a compliment?
Ron drove off down the driveway, and Hermione looped her arms through Harry and Draco's.
"I'm sorry to have you dragged into this, 'Mione." Harry mumbled. "Just don't want anything to happen to you."
"Don't be sorry, Harry, I understand. Anyways, I want to help." Hermione replied in a strong and steady voice. "You and Ron need a logical person with you." She chuckled. "No offence, Draco." She added.
"None taken." Draco decided he quite liked her.
Ron was waiting for them at the front door, staring out at the expansive grounds.
"I'll never get over how huge this place is." He said in awe. "I can't imagine being here by myself all the time."
Draco raised a brow at him. "It's certainly not a walk in the park."
Ron shuffled his feet awkwardly and stepped aside so that Draco could open the door. "Ladies first." He motioned for Hermione to enter. She stopped in the middle of the entrance hall to take in their surroundings.
"It's beautiful." She said softly. They continued into the living room, where Draco curled up on a plush armchair while the others sat on the sofa.
"Now what?" He asked.
"We need to get out of here, tonight." Harry said firmly, his voice still raw with emotion. A fire blazed in his emerald eyes and Draco had never been so captivated by Harry as he was in that moment.
There was just one minor setback.
"Wonderful idea, but I'm sort of - well, stuck here." Draco lifted the hem of his trousers to reveal the monitor around his ankle. "I don't suppose you have the key with you?"
"Shit." Harry said with a frown, running his hands over his face and looking ready to accept defeat. "I don't think I can go back to -"
"You're in luck!" Ron said, grinning. "I just so happened to snag this on my way over." He held up a tiny silver key.
"Brilliant, Ron!" Hermione exclaimed and kissed him on the cheek, causing Ron to flush a brilliant shade of red. Harry took the key, crouched in front of Draco, and removed the monitor.
"I normally bring it, you know, for when we go to the store." Harry said, splotches of pink creeping up his neck. "I forgot it, with the chaos of everything."
"Good thing Ron was thinking ahead." Draco teased. He felt slightly overwhelmed - on top of the fucking devastation that was overtaking their lives, he wasn't used to being surrounded by so many people who seemed to genuinely care for him. Harry playfully ruffled his hair and sat on the floor in front of him. Draco ran his fingers through Harry's dark curls and turned his attention to the couple across from him. "So, any ideas?..."
"Actually, yes." Ron placed his elbows on his knees and leaned forward. His expression was that of a football coach laying out the game plan to the players. "My brother has this cottage in Nova Scotia. We should be able to stay there for a while until we figure out how to take down Riddle."
"That's a great idea, Ron, really... but how are we supposed to get there? Draco can't exactly just hop on a flight to Canada." Harry explained. Understanding dawned on Ron's face and he sunk back into the cushions.
However, Draco knew a thing or two about crossing borders unnoticed.
"I know a guy." He said quickly. "We could get passports."
"That seems pretty, um, illegal." Harry said tentatively.
Fucking Harry, always such a saint.
Well, there goes Draco's bright idea.
"Harry, that is literally the least of our concerns right now." Hermione said sternly. "How do we get them?" She turned to Draco, encouraging him to elaborate. Hermione was officially Draco's new favourite person.
"I'll need a phone." He told her. She wordlessly handed hers to him. He checked to make sure the caller I.D was off, and dialled a number he knew by heart. After three rings, his call was answered.
"Hello?" A smooth, aristocratic voice said curiously.
"Blaise. It's Draco."
"Draco! What the fuck! Aren't you in fucking prison?" Blaise exclaimed. "What's going on?" He asked suspiciously. Draco sighed heavily. He did not have time for this conversation.
"I can't really explain much, but I need a favour." Draco's heart was pounding - this was potentially their only option.
"Of course, anything." Blaise said earnestly. Bless him.
"I need four passports. Tonight." Draco started to feel sick again. What if this didn't work?
"Seriously? Alright, fuck it, sure." Blaise said with a sigh. "I'll need photos. Do they have their licenses on them?"
"Um, I think so, one second." Draco tilted the phone away from him. "Do you guys have photo I.D with you?" They all nodded. "Okay, yes, they do."
"Perfect. Send me photos of them, as clear as you can. Come pick them up in an hour. I'll text you the address."
"Thank you, Blaise." Draco was so relieved he could cry. Again. "I'll see you soon." He hung up the phone and burst out hysterically laughing. Harry swivelled his head to look at Draco with great concern, likely doubting his sanity. This whole situation was truly unbelievable. "They'll be ready in an hour." Draco informed them once he had regained his composure.
"Are you sure we can trust this Blaise guy?" Harry asked warily.
"Yes. I would trust him with my life." Draco said steadily.
"Well, we sort of are, aren't we?" Ron pointed out.
Indeed they were.
Once the photos had been sent, Blaise texted the address. Draco ran up to his room and hurriedly packed a bag, throwing clothing in at random. Harry picked through his wardrobe in an attempt to find things that would fit his stockier build, and packed them into a borrowed overnight bag.
Draco attempted to slow his racing pulse by pretending they were packing for a lover's getaway, not fleeing the country.
It didn't really work.
After an hour, they loaded their bags into Ron's vehicle and drove away from the Manor. As they passed through the gates, Draco watched his home fade smaller into the distance, his throat tight with emotion. He didn't know when, or if, he would ever return.
They pulled up to a high end apartment complex. Draco quickly exited the car and reassured everyone that he would be fine going in alone. He pulled up the hood of his sweater (which was actually one of Harry's uni sweaters) and slipped into the lobby, doing his best to remain inconspicuous. The elevator took him up to the 24th floor, where he immediately found Blaise's penthouse suite. He knocked twice and anxiously bounced on the balls of his feet - for a moment, he worried that perhaps he couldn't trust Blaise, and he was walking straight into a trap. His anxieties vanished when Blaise opened the door, looking as handsome as ever, and allowed Draco inside.
"Draco, you crazy son of a bitch. I'm going to need an explanation." Blaise crossed his arms and raised an elegant brow.
"It's a long story, Blaise. A really long fucking story." Draco groaned. "It's Riddle. He's going to fucking kill me, and I just need to get away, as soon as possible."
Blaise nodded, as though this were a normal thing for Draco to say. "And who, may I ask, are you going on the run with?"
"Um, it's funny, really... my probation officer. And his best friend, who is also a cop, and his best friend's fiancé." Draco said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Your probation officer." Blaise deadpanned. "What the fuck?"
"I know, trust me, I know. It's so fucked up." Draco leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling. "We need to leave tonight, Blaise. Are the passports ready?"
Blaise retrieved a stack of passports from a side table and handed them over. Draco tucked them into the pocket of his sweater and reached for the door handle.
"You're sure these will work?" He asked, feeling a flicker of doubt.
"Are you doubting my abilities, Draco?" Blaise asked with a sly smirk. Draco couldn't help but laugh. Something about Blaise's cool demeanour calmed him, always had.
"Not at all." He replied. He opened the door and was just about to slip into the hallway before he remembered something Harry had said earlier. He pulled Blaise into a sudden hug and squeezed him tightly. "Thank you, Blaise. I love you, you know that, right?"
"Um, yes, I suppose I do." Blaise said awkwardly as he pulled away. "I love you too?"
Draco flashed him a grin and took off down the hall. When he got back to the vehicle, Harry was standing on the sidewalk with his arms crossed, looking ready to storm the building.
"What took so long?" He snapped, opening the door for Draco.
"Just caught up with an old friend, that's all." Draco replied as he slid into his seat. Harry huffed out a breath and settled beside him.
"To the airport?" Ron asked from the driver's seat.
"To the airport." Draco confirmed. He still couldn't believe they were actually doing this. Couldn't believe that complete strangers turned their lives upside down - for him. As if she could sense his disbelief, Hermione turned in her seat and reached for Draco's hand.
"We'll be with you every step of the way, Draco. You're not alone." She said gently. Draco nodded. He knew that if he tried to reply he would likely start to cry again, and to be honest, he had done enough crying today. Even if they would be happy tears.