Living Death

- chapter thirty five

A loud crack echoed across the grounds of the Manor and Draco's breath caught in his throat suddenly, standing up from the bench he had resided on in the centre of the Manor's maze. He was defenceless without his wand, in Harry's eagerness to secure their wands back, Draco had accidentally given up his, but he hoped it would benefit you considering you were without yours.

His heart was beginning to race and his vision impaired by the heavy fog that settled across the grounds, only allowing him to see what was immediately in front of him. He balled his fist at his side, eyes darting around erratically to try and find the source of the unmistakable noise of apparition, wishing he'd grabbed your wand from his room for protection.

You could barely see in front of you and wondered at first if you'd apparated into the right place, cursing under your breath when you remembered you'd visualised the maze first. This was why you hated apparition, you'd end up in the most awkward of locations if you weren't careful. You could usually navigate the maze with ease but you weren't quite sure of whereabouts within the maze you were, the layer of thick fog disguising any distinguishable features.

A soft thud sounded and you looked at your feet, realising you'd dropped the wands you'd been clutching onto, Draco's and his mother's. Kneeling down, you desperately clutched at them again before standing up and attempting to get your bearings as you could sense someone was nearby.

"Reveal yourself!" You heard that unmistakable voice and smiled in an instant, eagerly heading in his general direction as you followed the sound. It sounded as though you were close to him now and soon you were met with the back of his torso. You shook your head with a slight smile on your lips, watching him raising his fists up to the air before him, a pathetic attempt at self-defence despite the fact he'd never won a physical fight in his life.

You clutched the wands tighter in your hand and moved closer, wrapping your arms around his waist and peering over his shoulder from behind, whispering a small "Boo." He almost leapt out of his skin and a look of initial panic crossed his features before they instantly relaxed upon realising it was you.

"You gave me a bloody heart attack" He instinctively turned in your hold and wrapped his arms around you, holding you tight and murmuring in your hair lowly, "Thank god you're back"

"Why the hell are you out here in the cold?" You basked in his hug, your eyes closed and savouring this moment of peace, glad to be back in his familiar arms, clinging to the back of his blazer slightly.

"It's better than being in there" He motioned towards the Manor with a shake of his head, his fingers still stroking the back of your head gently, "There's only so many times I can say you're recovering from the mark, he was beginning to get suspicious"

You nodded and slowly pulled from the hug, his arm remaining secure around your waist as you presented him with his wand along with Narcissa's, he smiled a little more and slipped them both into the inner pocket of his blazer before you noticed his eyes darken, both of his hands moving to grip your wrist suddenly, causing you to wince in pain.

"No.. I hoped it wasn't true" He stared at the mark buried deep in your forearm and then back up to you. Lucius had informed The Dark Lord that you had been given the mark much to Draco dismay, he was almost certain you got out in time, but it was clear Lucius had hurriedly cast the spell before you could have even processed the situation.

"It's better this way" You retracted your arm from his hold and clutched it to your chest, looking away from his sad eyes, "I don't have to live in fear of my life anymore"

Draco bit his lip and the darkness in his eyes showed no signs of fading despite your words. He had never wanted you to fall victim to the same fate as him but it was inevitable at this rate, the mark on your arm was further proof nothing but bad things would happen to you if you stayed by his side.

You sensed his unrest and slowly rested your hand on his cheek for a moment as he met your eyes, leaning in for a soft kiss, one he eagerly reciprocated. You visibly felt him relax into the kiss, holding him closer, your fist clutching the back of his jacket. He pulled back after a few moments and rested his forehead on yours, stroking the back of your head gently.

"Let's get inside before questions are asked.." He whispered softly, stealing another soft kiss from your lips and running the back of his finger down your cheek gently.