White Lies // Drarry

Chapter 22: Hope

While Harry and Draco were in the boys' loo, Remus was struck with a very wonderful idea: He would enter the Forbidden Forest and go where fluxweed grew to see if Carrow had left anything that could be considered as clues. Perhaps the Aurors have already gone through that area but it wouldn't hurt for another pair of eyes (from someone who knew what was really going on) to go through it again.

Where fluxweed grew was a bit deep into the forest though. Did he chance disappearing from the castle for a while during these troubled times? From the corner of his eyes, he looked at Severus eating beside him and thought that it didn't matter if he disappeared for a while, as long as Snape was there. McGonagall, too.

Remus was very tempted to ask Severus to accompany him though. He knew the man would not refuse a chance to snoop in a potential crime scene and he would be a very good help in traversing through the Forest...

But no, Remus thought dryly. He was just making excuses to himself. He was perfectly well-versed in the secrets of the Forbidden Forest after all, having journeyed through it as both a student and a young werewolf back in his Marauder days. In all honesty, he just wanted Severus' company.

He firmly reminded himself that it wouldn't do any good for him to pine for hopeless matters.

Thinking such heavy thoughts, he suddenly didn't feel very hungry anymore. It was just a few days after the full moon as well, so his appetite didn't feel very peachy. He might as well do something productive in the meantime.

He pushed away his plate with his half-eaten lunch, excused himself from Severus and Hagrid, and stood up to inform, in hushed tones, the Headmistress on where he was going to be.

It was halfway through the Entrance Courtyard that Snape caught up with him.

"I do hope that you're not planning on foolishly entering the Forbidden Forest alone, Remus, especially not with a madman loose inside it," he commented dryly, as he synced his footsteps with the rapidly slowing ones of Remus.

The surprise at Snape's presence allowed him to ignore the sarcastic comment.

Snape expertly shrugged his surprise off and started walking, sure that the other man would follow. "The Headmistress requested me to accompany you."

Remus was even more confused, even as he resumed walking. "She didn't say anything about it when I told her."

Snape ignored him, and merely produced a wrapped bar of chocolate from the pocket of his robes before tossing it to Remus unceremoniously.

"I will not have you fainting under my watch either from fatigue or your lack of appetite."

Remus was still confused, but the fact that Snape was going to accompany him and that he had taken it upon himself to bring Remus a chocolate bar effectively shut him up. Despite already having a bar of chocolate with him, he lovingly pocketed the one that Snape gave and mourned (but not without a bit of pleasure) at the difficulty of not pining for hopeless matters when these hopeless matters take it upon themselves to do thoughtful things.

"What took you so long?" Ron said suspiciously, narrowing his eyes as Harry and Draco sat back down across from him and Hermione at the Gryffindor's Table.

Draco smirked at him. "There's a reason as to why I didn't make any promises, Weasley."

Harry's face reddened at the implication of what these two were imagining, and Ron considered that as an implication that they did do what he was imagining.

"I'll never get used to this," he mourned pitifully, before choosing to focus on his sandwich instead. It was the safer thing to focus on. It amused Draco that the light around Ron didn't turn black. It made him look forward to traumatizing the Weasel still ten years from now. (Then, Draco caught himself and realized with a bit of an embarrassed shock that dear Merlin, it was like he was already planning for a future with Harry ten years from now.)