Shit, I'm Falling For A Weasley || George Weasley

Chapter 62 - In which I escape to the countryside

This is a foolproof three step plan. It's easy. Simple. 

Step one: pack things. Already done since I never bothered unpacking. 

Step two: leave Malfoy Manor without raising too many questions. Should be easy enough, I mean who really cares about my movements anyways? 

Step three: find Thomas Blacksmith.

The last step is perhaps the only one which may cause some problems, but for now, this has to remain a simple 3 step plan. Any more steps and worrying will cause my brain to literally explode. 

Shoving my rucksack on my back, I creep into the hallway. It's eerily quiet, something that does not make me feel any better about this situation. I have no idea where I'm going to go, I just know that I can't stay here any longer. Malfoy is just... he's not who I thought he was. I can't stay in a place that I'm constantly having to keep my eyes peeled for any violence. 

I do not fit in here.

I do not fit in with my guardian.

I do not fit in with George. Not anymore.

I don't have a home. 

No. Stop. You can't do this to yourself.

Mentally scolding myself from diverging from my foolproof 3 step plan, I take a deep breath and walk towards the door. My hand is barely on the handle when a low gasp stops me in my tracks. 

"Leaving are we?" Narcissa's voice echoes in the halls. Closing my eyes for a brief second, I plaster on my mask and turn to face her. The look in her eyes is difficult to read, almost as if she's trying to figure me out. Out of this whole twisted family, my sympathy lies with her. It's clear that she does not want anything to do with her crazy sister nor does she want her husband to suffer any more than he already has. She wants power, but she doesn't want it in this way and I understand that completely. 

"I'm just goi-" I start but then I stop. What excuse could I possibly give her? 

Her lips press together into a tight line as she regards me carefully. My hand shakes slightly as I grip the handle to cover the tremble. I can't show signs of weakness, not to her, not to anyone. To them I have to be the unstoppable Lily Fowler, the Dark Lord's most feared ally. I can't be the timid uncertain Lily who has no clue what's going to happen or if she's going to live to see another day. 

"If my sister found you here she would skin you alive," Narcissa says as she takes another step towards me. Again, I have to ensure that I keep my body doesn't give any signs of weakness away, but I can't stop the sniff that escapes me.

"Your guardian helped my boy. He saved my Draco," her voice is extremely low. This could all be a part of my imagination. As she raises her wand, my head screams at me to do something, think of something, but I just stand frozen in fear.

"I do not know why you are leaving. I do not know where you have been hiding," Narcissa's almost an arm's reach away from me. I can see every detail of her beautiful face. The war has done no favours for her, aged her far too quickly. The radiance of her beauty makes me more scared. 

"You are free to go. When you see Severus let him know that I am forever grateful for what he has done. This war is difficult, but we must," she says in a hushed whisper as she gives me a calculated look. "We must look after our children. We must protect them." 

My heart beats erratically in my throat as tears prickle in my eyes. 

"You tell Severus. Tell him the Malfoys never forget," she whispers as she places a cold hand on my arm. Goosebumps spread like fire across my body as I give her a stiff nod. For the first time I feel like I'm seeing Narcissa Malfoy for who she is. A mother. A mother with her child caught up in a war that is not his own. My own heart pangs for my father, a man who I hope would hold me in the same light this woman holds her child, regardless of their sins.