Saving Each Other - Dramione

Escape

In the morning I get up before Draco as usual, though unusually I find that he is lying next to me in my bed. I smile to myself when I see my boyfriend's face buried in the pillow. I slide out from under his arm and kiss his forehead quickly before heading to the bathroom.

When I walk back into the bedroom, dressed and ready to go to class, Draco is still lying fast asleep.

'Draco,' I call from my desk where I am gathering my books. 'Draco you have to get up we have classes in a couple of hours.'

A low groan is the only reply I get.

'Draco seriously you have to get up.'

There is a loud thump and I turn around to see Draco lying on the floor. 'Fine, fine I'm up.'

'Alright I'll go and wait downstairs but you better not fall back asleep.'

Draco untangles himself from the sheets and manages to stand up. I pull out my wand and the sheets pick themselves up and settle neatly on the bed.

'Sure you don't want to join me in the shower Granger?' Draco smirks from the door to the bathroom.

'Oh shut up,' I turn away feeling the heat rushing to my cheeks. 'Just get dressed.'

'As you wish Granger.'

***

Draco and I sit down at the Gryffindor table opposite Ginny and Harry. By now most of the others are used to his presence and they seem to have accepted that he's not going to curse any of them.

I look up as a soft rustling sound signals the first of the mail arriving. Soon hundreds of owls are searching the room for the intended recipient of their letter.

A copy of the days Daily Prophet drops onto the middle of the table. I reach out and start to unfold it while Draco pulls out some coins from his pocket to pay the owl.

A large image of Rodolphus Lestrange covers the top half of the paper but a gasp escapes my lips when I read the headline underneath.

'What is it 'Mione?' Draco leans over my shoulder and Harry and Ginny look up from their breakfast.

'I knew something like this was going to happen. It was all too easy.' I fold the paper over and begin to read the article.

'"Ministry imposter aids death eater escape. Yesterday afternoon ex-death eater Rodolphus Lestrange..." then it goes on to describe the attack.' I skim down the article trying to find what happened after. 'You and I are mentioned Harry. They'll do anything to fit in "the Golden Trio" as I believe they're now calling us.

'Oh, here it is "Ministry officials arrived shortly at Hogwarts and Lestrange was placed under the guard of two aurors as they were required to wait outside the school grounds.  When the headmistress and others returned to the scene they found the auror Gylfie Burton unconscious and suffering burns to her face. Both Lestrange and the other Auror had disappeared.

'"The daily prophet has discovered that this other auror was in fact an imposter working with Lestrange.  Experts say that it is likely that a potion that was often used in the days of You-Know-Who, the polyjuice potion, was employed to assume the form another.  Ms Burton has been taken to St Mungo's but healers suspect that she may have lost all memory of the incident suggesting that she was obliviated"'

I look up from the paper to see the others' shocked faces. 

'So he escaped then,' Ginny says simply.

'He planned this.'  I look down at my abandoned breakfast.  'He knew he would get caught, he planned to get caught.'

'He tried to make us think we'd won but then it turned out that he'd orchestrated every last detail.'  We all turn to look at Draco as he says this, each wanting to ask the same question but not really knowing how.

I take his hand under the table. 'Draco?  It's just... well would you have any idea what he might do next.'

'I'm not sure but Lestrange is mad and definitely smart which is a dangerous combination.  He learned how to strategize from the Dark Lord himself but that means that his next move is completely unpredictable.  All I know is that this wasn't his final plan, really more of a scouting mission.  He'll come back for something, whatever it is he wants.'

***

By the time we are walking out of the great hall news has spread around the rest of the school and everywhere people are moving in tight groups and conversing in whispers.   When Draco and I walk into arithmancy a whole group of students is crowded around a desk where one of them is reading out the article. 

During transfiguration, someone picks up the courage and asks McGonagall what's going to happen.  She starts by trying to dispel our fears by saying that as far as we know Rodolphus is working alone and that he will likely be caught again soon it is obvious she is not convinced by her own words. The class sits in silence as McGonagall considers what she will say next.

'Most of you fought in the battle of Hogwarts last year so I won't insult you by lying.  I don't know what is going to happen next but I do know that we will be able to fight it,' She assures us.

***

At dinner, McGonagall announces to the whole school that all future Hogsmeade trips have been suspended indefinitely. 

Everything is so much like it was before.  No one knows what is going on and the mood in the great hall borders on a state of complete panic. 

I try to hold my head up high and not show how much I'm being affected by the situation.  I comfort some of the younger students, tell them that it will be okay and that Hogwarts is the safest place they could be, but even as I say it I realise that I'm trying to convince myself more than anything. 

***

Draco and I walk into the safety of our common room after doing our homework together in the library and doing our rounds, but even then I don't break down straight away.  I wait as I walk up the stairs, with Draco just behind me, I turn around sharply when I get to the doorway to my room, making Draco stop suddenly. 

'Will you stay with me again tonight?' I ask him.

He brings his hand to my face and smiles softly. 'Of course.'

I turn away from him again and grab my pyjamas off my bed. 'I'll just go and get changed alright?'

I take my time getting ready for bed but still I pretend I'm alright.  After a whole day smiling through the building anxiety and fear it is difficult to then drop the facade. 

When I come out of the bathroom Draco is already lying on my bed so I climb in beside him.  He slides over to put his arm around my shoulders and I bury my head in his chest.  Under the protection of his arms and the warm covers, I finally lose it. 

I cry and mumble about how I thought it was going to be okay but of course it never is.  Draco comforts me but mostly he just plays with my hair and lets me explain everything, and he listens no matter how stupid my fears sound out loud. 

Eventually, I sit back up and he leans in to leave a kiss on my forehead.  He then reaches over to the bedside table to grab something but at first, I can't see what until he holds up a vial of the dreamless sleep potion in front of my eyes.  He would have had to run down to the hospital wing to get it from Madam Pomfrey and I feel a rush of gratitude for my boyfriend.

'I know you'd usually take this on Wednesday in the middle of the week but I thought that you might need it tonight.'

'Thank you.' I return with a kiss on his cheek.

Sometimes you just need to pretend that everything is fine.