𝐸𝑉𝐸𝑅𝐺𝑅𝐸𝐸𝑁 𝑀𝐼𝑆𝑇 || 𝐷.𝑀.

twenty six

The corridors were filled with students rushing to the courtyard of the school as the news that Dumbledore was murdered spread like wild fire. People ran by Juniper and Draco as they ran in the opposite direction, going to the Slytherin common room. The common room was extremely quiet, not a soul was in there tonight and the silence was deafening. Juniper and Draco parted, going to their dormitories to pack their trunks as quickly as possible.
Draco felt incredibly frantic as he tossed all his clothes and belongings into the trunk. The packing was messy, nothing was folded and books were tossed on top of the clothes. Draco's desk was empty now except for the picture frame that sat on it with him and Juniper inside. The moving photo was of them the night of the ball, the two of them dancing and unknowingly having their picture taken. Professor McGonagall, while not their Head of House, had received the photo when reviewing the student photographers work. When she saw it, she was quite pleased to see a Malfoy finally doing good, dancing with a girl to which she guessed was more than a girl friend, something she hadn't seen from Lucius or any Malfoy for that matter. Draco received the photograph from her after a potions class when term had began, she barely said anything, but gave a smile as she handed it to him and then proceeded to give other sixth and seventh year students their photographs.
Draco grabbed the moving photograph and sat on his bed. As he watched the two people in the photograph dance together, the girl in the picture twirled under the boy's arm and smiled at him, the boy pulled her back into him, putting their foreheads together as they swayed to the music. The picture repeated that over and over again and he sat there watching the couple dance over and over again. He studied every millimeter of that photograph and realized how different he felt now than on that night, seeing how much things had changed in the short time since that night. Draco sat there on his bed watching the photograph in the now empty room with his packed trunk open next to him. Juniper came into his room with her trunk packed and saw him sitting there, watching the photograph intensely.
"I wish we could relive this night." Draco said as he continued to watch them dance in the photograph. Juniper walked over to him and slowly took the photograph from his hands, placing it in his trunk on top of his unfolded clothes.
"Come here." She said quietly as she grabbed his hands, pulling him up off the bed. She placed her hand around his neck as he placed his on her waist, their other hands locking together and they began swaying to the nonexistent music. "One last dance." Juniper whispered as Draco twirled her under his arm and then pulled her back in, then rested his forehead against hers just like the photograph. He gave her a small smile as he closed his eyes, taking in the moment of peace with her.
"When we find our little white Tudor cottage, this should be the first thing we do." Draco said quietly. "The first thing we do should be dance to our nonexistent music." He suggested. Juniper nodded her head and looked up at him.
"We may be running, but I'm actually a bit happy about this adventure." Juniper said.
"I never thought I'd be the guy who runs." Draco sighed.
"I know, I never thought I would ever run either. We have to go though, they'll come back to look for you soon." Juniper said as she broke their sways of the dance. Draco nodded and closed his trunk carefully, making sure the dancing photograph was tucked safely under unfolded clothes and then they began to leave the Slytherin common room for the last time. The corridors were empty now and the halls were quiet except for their footsteps as they walked the corridors as students for the last time.
    "We'll come back right?" Juniper asked.
    "I think so." Draco nodded, trying to imagine what it would be like when they did return, if they returned. They both examined the portraits on the walls and watched them talk wildly about Dumbledore's death. As they passed the windows to the courtyard they saw the students gathered out there, watching and crying as the Dark Mark loomed over them.
    "I need to tell Hermione." Juniper said quietly. "This war is going to put them in so much danger, they should have a place to go if they need safety in emergencies." She said as she walked into the courtyard looking for Hermione. Draco only nodded and followed her toward Hermione. He watched the hundreds of students crying and looked over, seeing the headmaster's body lying in the lawn from where he fell at the astronomy tower. Sadness filled Draco as he looked up to the astronomy tower knowing that he would never feel the same happiness he used to feel when he was up there with Juniper. They found Hermione in the crowd of students, tears on her cheeks and Draco couldn't help but feel so incredibly sorry.
    "There you are, I was going to go looking for you!" Hermione said with relief in her voice as she hugged Juniper tightly. "Why do you have your trunks?" She asked as she saw the two trunks sitting in the grass.
    "Hermione..." Juniper started as she tilted her head, trying not to cry. "W-we have to go, it isn't safe here anymore and Draco, he's...he's in so much danger now. The muggle world isn't safe and neither is our world." Juniper told her quickly.
    "Where are you going?" Hermione asked as her eyes darted from Juniper to Draco.
    "We don't know yet, but when we get there I will write to you. Tell no one, not a soul and come to us when you're in danger. You'll be safe with us in the mountains. You'll hear from me soon, I couldn't leave without telling you because you're all in danger now too." Juniper said as her sad eyes looked over to Dumbledore's body. Hermione hugged her tightly again, both of them crying from the darkness that burned into the world around them.
    "I'll see you in time." Hermione nodded.
    "When the battles begin, we'll come to help. I'll write to you soon, I promise. Tell no one please." Juniper instructed again before she and Draco left the courtyard for the last time.
    They walked toward the front doors of the castle for the last time and exited, both of them turning to look at their school as students for the last time. The Dark Mark had now started to disappear as light from the wands being raised broke the mark in the sky. Juniper and Draco intertwined their fingers and gazed upon the grand, colossal castle that stood before them for the last time until the final battle would bring them back, and then they apparated out of the school to begin searching for their white Tudor cottage, hoping that wherever they ended up, they would be safe and far from You-Know-Who.