Little Bird

Chapter Fifty

Draco

            The days slipped away from us faster than I could have imagined.

            Mornings melted into nights, and the days melted into weeks; the first of September lurked closer, and Lucius still refused to allow Eve to stay at the Manor instead of going back to Hogwarts. I practically begged him to at least let me go in her place, but he wouldn't even consider asking the Dark Lord about it. To put it lightly, I was now constantly on edge and unnecessarily angry most of the time—though I couldn't imagine how Eve was feeling.

            We spent the days mostly just trying to get out of the house, taking the train down to Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley in order to waste the day away alone together. We'd been lucky enough not to have run into anyone from school while we were out, although just a few days ago we'd had to duck into the nearest alleyway just to avoid being seen by Seamus Finnigan.

            Just a week and a half before September 1st, Eve and I took the train to Diagon Alley in the morning. The weather was warm, but there was still a morning mist settling close to the ground when we got off at the station. We kept our heads down as we made our way to the shops, hoping no one would spot either of us among the thin crowds at the train station, but we were less worried once we got to the busier parts of town. I took Eve's hand in my own as we entered Diagon Alley, much more at ease as we blended in among the crowds of people.

            Eve had put me in a good mood this morning, so I was feeling less upset and angry than I usually did. We were talking easily with each other, sometimes teasing and joking around—something that didn't happen too often anymore. I'd been laughing at the snide remark she'd made about an older wizard dozing just outside the cauldron shop when Tomes and Scrolls came into view on the left.

            "Oh, look, it's where you and I first met," Eve said, pointing to the window of the bookshop with a grin playing at her lips. Teasingly, she looked up at me and continued, "How romantic, right?"

            I couldn't bite back the grin as I remembered what had happened that day nearly two years ago now, especially how cruel I had acted towards her after I'd bumped into her from behind. Guiltily, I bit my lip and told her, "Yeah, sorry about that...if only I knew what I was missing out on."

            She must have known exactly what I was thinking by my cheeky expression, and she shoved my shoulder with her mouth parted slightly in shock. But she couldn't hide the fact that she was still smiling, so I didn't regret it. "You're disgusting," she snapped playfully, trying to pretend she was annoyed as we passed by the shop. "I hate you."

            "Nah, you love me," I grinned smoothly, my left arm looping around her shoulders and pulling her closer to me as crowds of people bumped past us on all sides. Eve scrunched her nose up at me and stuck out her tongue, but the laughter still escaped from her lips despite her attempt to smother it. "Anyway. Let's get something to eat, yeah? I might keel over if I don't eat soon."

            I pretended to look faint just to make her smile again, and she teased, "You're full of it. There's a pub over there, think you can make it?"

            "Maybe," I smirked, making Eve roll her eyes with a grin. We made our way through the bustling people to the other side of the crowded street, finally making it to the pub in one piece. I recognized it vaguely as I opened the door to let Eve go inside first, remembering that we'd been here a couple months ago—it must have been the time we'd left the Manor just to get away from Lucius. Eve told me she would find a table if I got the food, so we separated at the doorway while I went to the counter.