UNBREAK | D.M (UNRAVEL BOOK 5)

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The streets of Diagon Alley shortly became emptier, chattering and laughter booming from the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes were slowly being muffled by the stillness that the shadows had brought. Aine, Aion and Draco had met with Narcissa Malfoy who was waiting for the children in one of the passageways leading to Knockturn Alley. She embraces her son before reaching for the Estoileon siblings' hands to give them a comforting squeeze, her red lips flattening into a tight smile. "Come, sweetlings."

Narcissa had led the way, knowing the place well as she confidently strode through the maze-like alleys, she made a sharp turn right and walked down a short flight of stairs before squeezing through the tunnels of the stoned walls. Draco and Aine kept up behind her, their hands intertwined, trembling a little. Aion followed closely behind, making sure they weren't pursued by any unwanted beings.

There were wanted posters plastered on the walls, images of criminals flashing as the group went by. They had paid little to no attention whatsoever, half of those faces were people they had known and many of them had often resided in the Malfoy Manor where they had stayed.

"Stay close, frère," Draco whispered over his shoulders, careful not to say Aion's actual name just in case. Aine occasionally had to look behind to keep track of their paths and her brother, checking to see if her sibling was still with them and safe. 

Knockturn Alley was a shady place to be, with faint clamouring in the distance and rowdy witches and wizards stirring trouble in the district. Not to mention how little light there was illuminating the road they had embarked on that none of them could even see the path they were walking. It was easy to get lost and anyone could get trapped in this labyrinth if there weren't paying attention. 

It was also a place where many odd beings had stumbled, whether they were humans or half-breed creatures or even species Aine didn't want to know. There was always a weird ball lurking in the corners of the aisle— A couple of few that Aine and her acquaintance had met as they walked past wearing the most cynical expressions on their faces that made them appear unhinged, loony, or perhaps both.

One was facing the bricked wall under a tunnel, pressing his lips onto the rough surface and whispering secrets to it while cackling as if he had heard a joke from the building. The second huddled herself together as she sang a lullaby while giggling every once in a while. Another screams his head away, scratching his nails onto a wooden scrap of the board before wailing and then laughing. It was as if there had been a few screws loose in their minds, and only the gods know what hell they had been through to behave in such a way.

Aine didn't mean to judge but she couldn't help it. Every time she passed by one of them, it would send chills down her spine. Whenever she met their eyes, she would feel extremely uncomfortable and disturbed, causing the girl to focus her gaze on Narcissa's back. If given the choice, Aine most certainly did not want to be stuck down here alone or rather, she wouldn't even want to come to such a claustrophobic place where every intersection she turn, it always gave the same impression.

Draco had noticed this, that she was feeling anxious and had started to dig her nails into her free hand's palm to create little crescents. He pulled her closer to him, making her feel safe and that she was next to him at all times. 

They wove through the darkness, falling towards a blacker abyss. Everything around them was black and dark, the road, the walls, the shop fronts, even the stream of the lake beneath the stoned bridge was like a pool of ink. No one knows how deep it was but how dark it is. 

A series of barkings from hounds startled Draco and he hitches his breath, catching onto Aine's hands tighter as a reflex. The girl in turn rubbed her thumb on his hand, soothing him.