I'll love you, until the end.

Thirteen: Until The End

I stepped off the bus and into the crisp night air, watching my breath as it swirled in tiny clouds around my face. I looked up and down the street as the bus pulled away and I walked up the sidewalk to my front porch. I noticed the front door was wide open but all the lights inside were off. I slowly entered the house, making sure to be aware of my surroundings. It was dark, but there was enough light from the street lamps shining in through the windows that I could see the place was trashed. The coffee table was turned over, there were papers fluttered everywhere and the rug in the entryway was bunched up.
"Mom?" I called out.
No answer.
"MOM!" I shouted, panic beginning to rise inside of me, tightening in my chest.
Still no answer. I began dashing from room to room, searching for any sign of her. Lamps and vases were shattered in the kitchen and the dining room chairs were all pushed around. I heard the floor creek in the front room and I quickly rushed around the corner to find Draco standing in the entryway.
"Clover?" He asked, panic painted all over his face.
"She's gone! They got her! She's dead Draco!" I panicked.
My chest began heaving and my body started to shake. Draco rushed to me and caught me just as I fell to the floor, bawling.
"Clover.." he whispered.
"She's dead! It's all my fault!"
"Clover!" He raised his voice but I couldn't hear him over the beating of my heart.
"I should have been here- I should have stopped them-"
"CLOVER!" He shouted, startling me and I blinked up at him. "There's no body."
My breath caught in my chest and suddenly it clicked.
There's no body.
Draco helped me to my feet and I began pacing and running my fingers through my hair.
"Okay- okay so they took her. But where is she?" I asked out loud.
"I may know where she is, but-"
"But WHAT, Draco? Where is she?" I shouted.
"She's at my house." He said lowly.
No. NO! I just got out of there, I just left and I already had to go back. I couldn't. I can't.
"Clover. It's okay." Draco placed his hands on my shoulders. "I will go with you. We will find her and we will fix all of this."
He's right. I can't leave her there. I have to go get her no matter what it takes. I began to cry and he pulled me into his chest.
"It's okay love. I'm right here. I'm never leaving you again. I promise."
I took a deep breath in, letting his smell fill my lungs and surround me, calming me. It was like my whole world was falling apart, only being held together by one thing. Him.
We headed outside and waited for the bus to return. We could have apparated but I think Draco knew I needed time to breath, so there we stood in the cold night air, in silence. The bus pulled up and we boarded, taking our seats, still in silence.
"Clover?" He whispered.
I peered up at him.
"Why did you leave?"
"I needed to see my mother." I said, still staring at him but he was staring straight ahead, stone faced.
"When I got home, you were gone and I thought the worst. Then my mother told me you had left to come back home and I figured you were leaving me, and I know I told you that I wanted you to leave, to get away from me and my family but when it actually happened, it was like- I felt-" his voice cracked but his face remained cold and distant. "My heart stopped beating. I couldn't, I had to come find you. It's like there's this tether, this string, tying us together, connecting us and when we're apart it pulls on me and when I think something is wrong it's like that string is wrapped around my throat, choking me, until I see you again then it's back to pulling me into you. I would burn this world down for you, watch it crumble if I knew it meant you were safe and happy. I'm going to fix all of this. I promise."
I stared at him for a moment, absorbing every word he said. My heart was full and my brain was fuzzy but I knew one thing.
"Draco.." I placed my hand on his cheek, forcing him to look at me. "I've been through a lot and still have a long path ahead and it's going to be hard, I know that, and maybe it would have been easier if I never met you.." his face dropped and his eyes fell to the floor but I tugged on his face to get his attention again. "But that's the biggest and toughest problem I would have had, not finding you. I feel that string, keeping us attached and if it ever broke, if it ever snapped, I would grab both ends, force them back together and tie them in knots until it was forced to never break again. I'm not going anywhere unless it's with you. I love you. I love you now and I'll love you, until the end."
His eyes glistened and grew large. His face grew pale and he just stared at me. I realized what I had said and my heart began beating faster. Was it too soon? Did he not feel the same? I pulled my hand away but he caught it, causing me to look at him.
"Say it again.." he whispered.
"I love you Draco Malfoy." I smiled.