Serpent in the Lion's Den

6. Lake

"It'll get dark soon so we'll set up here, there's fish in the lake I can cook"

It was the first sound apart from the rustling of trees and the crunch of shoes on the ground since the morning of shouting and confusion. Hermione had casted a silencing charm as they had walked to allow herself to cry without judgement but no charm covered her shaking hands or shoulders, let alone the red puffy eyes that caused Draco to double take and secretly regret his behaviour earlier. He wasn't sure what to say, in the past if someone came to him crying, he would just sit silently listen to them complain before telling them to sort their self out and just get on with it, but in the past week or so things had shifted slightly and he knew he wouldn't be able to use the same tact. Instead, he went, short, simple and without sarcasm

"Okay, you do that and I'll do the tent" a small smile of gratitude spread across Hermione's face and she nodded in agreement,

"okay."

XXX

Nightfall came and both wizards sat in silence opposite one another with the campfire between them, the orange glow lighting up both wizard's faces and flickering across the dark lake, conflicting with the reflection of the stars in the night sky.

As Draco watched the gleam of the moon and stars creating a parallel universe on the water's surface, he realised that after nearly a week living in this forest he didn't actually know where he was. He waited until Hermione passed him his dinner and rather than saying thank you, he asked,

"Granger, where actually are we?"

Hermione sighed, sat back down and looked out across the lake with a faint smile at the memories she has

"I used to come here with my parents and we would camp near the lake" the witch said as she risked a look at him across the fire. She thought she saw a flash of envy in his eyes before he questioned a careless use of phrase on her part

"used to?" he quipped. She flushed and started to explain herself purely just to maintain the civil atmosphere the wizards had created,

"well, we can't really come anymore with me being a witch and them being... well not, it's not safe for me to-" the soft swoosh of owl wings distracted the pair as Hermione's owl sat in a tree just outside the wards. "Duffy!" she called and ran through the wards to take the small slip of paper hanging from the dainty owl's beak, stroking its head, whispering to it and sending her back into the nights sky with a charm that casted a soft light around the owl so she could find her way. When she turned back around, she noticed Malfoy brushing his clothes down and getting ready to go into the tent,

"I'll leave you to it Granger" and with that he was gone again, closed off.

She sat on the edge of the lake and let her legs hang into the cool water that had no gradient of descent but purely a straight drop several metres down and opened up her first letter from the boys, which was dated the day after Dumbledore's death. From the neater, less angry handwriting, the witch guessed it was Harry who had written the letter.

Mione,

I don't even know how to tell you this and I'm sorry we couldn't tell you in person but, Dumbledore has died. The night you left he was killed and fell from the Astronomy Tower; does this mean you can come home? Everything here has been manic, the locket I told you about turned out to be fake and someone with the initials RAB has it but me and Ron are going to find it. We'll keep you posted if you don't come home but we hope you do.