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XXI

Your feet slammed against the cobble stone pathway, Draco still looked pale as he walked beside you. The rain fell down heavily inside the small muggle town, the lawns became marshes and the curbs were now darkened by the heavy down pour. You and Draco walked without any covering from the rain, if someone didn't know any better they would think it was sunny out by the way you walked so slowly and calm. In your minds this was much better than sitting at the table with the others, there was no hesitation when you agreed to leave the Manor to go find Dawlish, anything to get away from his piercing stare. You didn't know whether it was a good or bad that the Dark Lord looked to you and Draco with such fondness, maybe if you to can fulfill his wishes you could be set free. However, the way Narcissa spoke to you made it seem as if your lives would never be anything other than fear, murder, and deceit.
"Any idea where he'd be?" Draco said quietly as you two walked down a muggle town, he seemed throughly disgusted at the sights of the corner stores.
"Not entirely sure, he used to live by Bertha Jonkins. I know this is the closest muggle town to Godric's Hollow, it would be a good place for him to go in to hiding." You answered making sure to keep your wand hidden underneath your shall.

"Filthy muggles," Draco whispered as he passed a house with their rubbish cans spilt across the driveway.
"Keep saying things like that and I won't know how to tell the difference between you and your father." You said sarcastically. At your remark Draco fell silent, and his hands found their way deep in to his pockets as an act of remorse or shame. Draco accidentally slipped off the side of the pathway, landing with a thud on the lawn of a quaint house that was separated from any others in the neighborhood. On the front door stood a large sign that read  PRIVATE PROPERTY and very sneakily underneath was D/A, which to a muggle would maybe appear as initials, but you knew that it had to stand for Dumbledore's Army.
"What are you two doing?" Called out an older man, opening up the door and peering out in the fog.
"Nothing sir! We seem to be lost, might you help us?" You responded before Draco could let a word out. The man had light brown hair that matched the shade of stubble that grew upon his jaw, and his piercing blue eyes were juxtaposed by the dark circles underneath them. His brows furrowed a bit as he mulled over your request, he seemed timid and kept looking back and forth between you and the curtains of other houses which he had hope were all shut tightly.
"Er...I supposed that's fine, only for a minute though! I am a very busy man!" The man said opening his door wider for you and Draco to step inside, however, the inside of his house proved that he was indeed not a busy man, judging by the multitudes of muggle magazines, old food boxes and blankets thrown over stained couches.
"I can see." Draco muttered stepping over an old tuperware contained filled with old rice.

"Newly weds?" The man said plainly as he pulled out an old crumpled map from his drawer.
"Pardon?" You and Draco gasped at the same time. The old man let out a laugh and tried to flatten out the map. "Sorry—I just supposed you two were here to go looking for a house. I see a lot of young couples come out here looking for homes." The man took a glance up at you and Draco, his crooked teeth peaked out through his smile, "Although you two look like your going to a funeral."
Neither you nor Draco laughed, and the man quickly stopped smiling and placed his gaze back upon the map. The way this was going you knew there would be little progress made, and although your suspicions were probably true, you needed to malte sure of it.
"We would go find a nice house, but it's hard nowadays," You started to say, "Especially with Dumbledore's death—" "I know! Indeed these are trying times!  The mans face suddenly went white, and before he got the chance to take back his response Draco ran over to pin the man back in his seat, the dark mark on Draco's forearm contorted as his muscles flexed.  "Let go of me!" He cried out trying to whither from Draco's strong grasp. As Draco finally got him in back in the chair he called out "Imbolusus" and made the man freeze.
You pointed your wand closer to under his chin, until it lightly poked at the soft part of his neck, and smiled.
"Mr.Dawlish, it's nice to meet you."
"You two are disgusting prats! I see the Mark on your arms now! Do you know how disgusting you are?" Dawlish seethed. "I know." You said innocently, making sure to press the tip of your wand deeper in to his skin.

"Where is Potter hiding?" Draco yelled, the blue vein popping out from his pale arm as he balled up his fists in anger. You snapped your head toward Draco, your orders weren't to interrogate Dawlish, they were simply to bring him to Olivanders.
"Draco, stop." You muttered, keeping the tip of your wand on Dawlish's throat.
"Ah the little girl is giving the orders around here? Oh come on, you can't let a bitch like her tell you—"
Before Dawlish could continue his tangent Draco had grabbed him by the jaw and with all his might pushed the chair backwards, making a loud cracking noise as he hit the ground. Dawlish let you a groan, and Draco stood over him absolutely seething, with his fists balled and teeth gritted. However, Dawlish wasn't through, he and the other members of Dumbledore's army would never let a Death Eater off the hook, even if it meant their demise.
"White hair, and anger issues? I suppose it was daft of me not to realize your a Malfoy," Dawlish hesitated for a moment, "How's the abusive father? I guess your following in his footsteps...a no good...deadbeat...cowardly son of a bitch."
Draco's anger disappeared, and suddenly he looked as if he shrunk two feet and become a small child, with wide scared eyes. Unluckily for Dawlish whatever anger left Draco latched on to you.
"Crucio!" You cried out, rage filled your stomach and chest as he insulted Draco. Dawlish let out a series of deafening cries, and his body tried so hard to move even though it was stuck still as a statue. After a moment of watching him struggle you stopped the curse, and stood above him, his eyes opening and closing as he faded in and out of consciousness.
"Goodnight Mr.Dawlish." You said plainly as the man finally closed his eyes. Draco stood next you, he seemed unphased about your outburst, but in shambles over Dawlish comment to him.

"I'm nothing like my father! I didn't throw him across the room 'cause I'm like my father! I did it because he called you a bitch!" Draco muttered lifting his expensive loafer above Dawlish' face, and then slowly tapping him with the bottom of his shoe as if he was an insect.
"I know I shouldn't of used the cruciatus curse, I just hated how he talked about you." You said, trying to relate to him somehow.
"What now?"
You slowly lifted Dawlish' limp body from the chair and threw him over your shoulder, he smelled of leftovers and air freshener.
"Now we take him to Olivanders."
Draco seemed displeased with your answer, maybe he was hoping to get some time to rest before going back to face the Death Eaters. Time was precious however, and showing up early would prove to those who speculated the two of you that you were more than capable to finish these tasks.
Grabbing Draco's hand the two of you apparated in the crossroad between Knockturn Alley and Diagon Alley. Diagon Alley was a desolate waste land now, it had reminiscences of happy times and crowded shops, with liter and old sale flyers sprawled across the cobblestone. You two tried to stay hidden just incase any loon was wondering about, but like you said these are trying times, and very few people have been leaving their homes.
"It's a bloody mess here." Draco whispered as the two of you made your way to Olivanders.
"Of course it is, you-know-who has made multiple appearances here. If I was a Mudblood or a Potter sympathizer I wouldn't be coming round here." You responded, still cringing every time you had to say mudblood.

Finally you reached the blown out store front that was once the famous Olivanders, the glass broken in to a million tiny shards, and all the wands inside were stolen. It broke your hear a bit to see a place once filled with such good, and happy magic, completely destroyed. Inside stood Snape, and Yaxley, both surprised to see you and Draco. You threw down Dawlish, his limp body landed with a loud thud that made the dust on the floor unsettle.
"Here he is." You muttered.
"Very nice...is he dead?"
Draco took the liberty of kicking Dawlish in the stomach, causing the Auror to let out an involuntary groan and a bit of a shutter.
"Very nice Malfoy, that was certainly necessary." Snape spoke low and nasally with a strong hint of sarcasm, which Draco chose to ignore. Yaxley eyed you down, it wasn't in a disgusting way, more like a "I-wish-you-were-dead-this-should-be-my-glory" sort of way.
"If that's it I suppose we can go?" You muttered whipping your head around to stare back at Yaxley, he immediately looked away.
"That is all."