𝑆𝐴𝑉𝐼𝑁𝐺 𝐷𝑅𝐴𝐶𝑂 𝑀𝐴𝐿𝐹𝑂𝑌

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟓 - 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐲

╭────── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ──────╮

𝐃

After two weeks, more bribery and a hefty activation of Ministry connections, I was told we could finally leave the house, but that we would be closely followed by Aurors wherever we went.

Mother and Bellatrix gasped with excitement when they saw me getting out of my room after a month of absence but then their eyes turned dark with concern.

"What in the Dark Lord's name are you wearing?" said Bella with eyes wide open.

I looked at myself again. I guess sweatpants and hoodies were not the most usual thing for me to wear but I had hoped they wouldn't notice. They were black after all. I rolled my eyes.

"I'm just going for a walk in the forest," I explained and shrugged my shoulders. It was the first words I'd spoken in a while, and I was displeased that I had to break my strike for something like this.

"You look like a homeless goblin," said Bellatrix, and where there would be a giggle, came a crooked, disgusted face.

"Bella!" my mother exclaimed. She never liked it when Bellatrix was offensive towards me.

I walked back into my room and changed in my suit. It was less comfortable, but at least now I wouldn't have to deal with any comments.

The Aurors looked at me from head to toe when I stepped outside the Manor. I walked past them and headed down the winding path that led to the woods. The Aurors were stuck a few feet away from me.

Not as relaxing as I'd imagined.

I started taking walks around the estate on a daily basis. It was unnerving having two men acting like shadows but at least it took my mind off things a little. The pain of the mark on my forearm felt less and less the more I walked. It helped at first. The more days passed, however, the more I felt like I needed to walk farther and farther.

Then I started taking trips to Oxford and Reading and Swinton, going on walks around the towns and streets. My Aurors followed from afar. I could feel their disgusting eyes on me. I visited every magical museum I could find just to make them bored and leave. It never worked.

I always travelled first class and on purpose. I especially enjoyed it when the Aurors had to convert their Galleons into muggle money and spend a fortune on tickets in order to follow me around the country during the trips I took; their tattered clothes proved they must not be getting a good payment and I took great satisfaction knowing that they were wasting even a small part of the heavy bribes we gave them in order to let us get out of the house.

Go ahead and think I was cruel for doing that.

The more you bribed them, the more they left you alone. But money could only buy you a bit more distance.

Oh, how I longed for the 25th of August when I would be finally lifted of the Ministry's poor excuse for control.

Then I tried livelier places, like Birmingham and Bristol. I tried fooling myself that they were just two faces in the crowd.

That's when I picked up smoking.

"We hardly ever see you anymore. You have a plan to devise, you know!"

But I'd already left.

⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼

My last try – faraway London.

I got off the train at King's Cross Station, furious that my two shadows had the audacity to sit just two rows behind me.