Monsters by Nightfall

"You have to hide."
Draco repeated when Potter didn't even begin to move. Draco, however, couldn't remove his eyes from the black scull throning above them on the night sky either. He was cold and warm at the same time. Shivers running down his spine one after another. Most peculiarly, Draco felt like ge was gonna be sick.

He hadn't been sick in almost a decade.

"He can't be back..."
It was more of a whisper than anything, and Draco didn't even recognize his own voice at first.
"But they are Death Eaters. They must have rallied on their own... unless..."
No it had to be like that. The dark lord wasn't back. Draco had heard his father talking with the other Death Eaters.

They were trying to take over on their own, Draco figured. The Dark Mark however threw him off. Draco had thought they weren't using the Dark Lord as their Front anymore. Fear gripped Draco tightly. The Dark Lord loathed dark creatures, only used them to fight in his war. Treated them like instruments. In the dark lords opinion, dark creatures were just like any other muggle. If the Dark Lord was really back, then surely his father wasn't part of this. Or was he? He wouldn't betray Draco like that, would he? But were else had he gone?

"They'll be after your little muggleborn friend. And they will want to find you too. All of you have to hide. Now."
For the first time, Potter looked scared, locking eyes with Draco when he looked back at the golden boy.

"Who can't be back? What do you mean? What does the mark mean?"
Potter pointed up.

"The Dark Lord. The Dark Mark. It's a call for his men to rally. We're not safe. Let's go."

Without thinking, Draco's Hand had gripped Potters, dragging him along, back into the forest.

Something was off. He couldn't smell either The Weasel or the Muggleborn. Unperturbed however, Draco went on.
They had already traveled quite a distance, when Draco suddenly stopped, finally remembering just why he couldn't locate them and that going on would most likely make their situation even worse.

The runes were messingwith Draco's head already. Ripped into his flesh, they were so strong that Draco's sense of direction had gone haywire.

"Do you ...remember which way to go?"
Draco looked over, with a questioning glance, refusing to show embarassment. Potters eyes snapped up from their still joined hands, a blush darkening his features. Refusing to blush as well, Draco drew back his hand. He looked around, in an attempt to feign nonchalance.

"I was kind of hoping you knew that." Potter chuckled nervously.
"We're lost, aren't we?"

"Well we could backtrack."
Draco offered.
"Right. Where did we come from again?"
"Well..."

Suddenly there was a noise.
Voices shouting.

Draco didn't even have to look at Potter to know he'd heard it too and was already following Draco in the direction the sounds were coming from.

As soon as Draco saw a group of Aurors not far from them, firing spell in the other direction, he automatically drew Potter closer, hiding them both behind a big tree trunk. Feeling anothers warmth so close was an entirely new feeling for Draco, who tried not to press himself against the human heater next to him too much. But if he did, Potter didn't seem to mind.

They both slowly peered through the branches bracketing the tree trunk they stood against, trying to figure out what the Aurors were aiming at, while not being seen.

The Aurors didn't even seem to notice them, however, since they were still shouting and throwing spells at something. No someone.
There was a loud thud of body's falling and then there was quiet.

"Is that a house elf?"

Draco and Potter exchanged looks, although Potter didn't seem to be as concerned about the wand part and more about the house elf part. The Half blood probably didn't even know House elves were forbidden to carry wands. Potter surely saw them as equal to wixen. Pathetic.

The picture of Potter and his friends crowding around the house elf in the top box came to mind. Hadn’t that been the judges’ elf?

"Where did it get the Wand from?"
"Take it into custody. And give the wand here."

Potter beside him gasped, when the moonlight flickered over the wand, revealing it's shape and intricacies.
Draco had half a mind to cover Potters mouth but the sound had already carried through the trees. One of the Aurors turned towards them. Their leader Draco presumed.

"Dawlish, make sure there aren't any other creatures lurking around."
"On it sir."

Immediately Draco spun around.
"We gotta run Potter. Come on."
Draco was already dragging him along again. But Potter didn't seem to wanna move.
"They have my wand!"
"What?"
"That's my wand. Someone must have found it. It must have fallen out of my pocket when we ran earlier. Draco we have to get it back."

Draco made a disgusted gesture at the familarity with which Potter spoke his name but didn't dwell on it for longer.
Instead he nodded while still dragging Potter along.

"We'll get to that. Now let's go."

They had only just hid behind a large rock when a large blond man in a trenchcoat appeared were they had stood only a few seconds ago. Wand drawn, expression hard.

"Dawlish, did you find anything?"
"No sir, probably just an animal."
"Alright. Now let's see about that wand. Prior Incantato."
"Sir, The Dark Mark was cast with this wand!"
"Yes I see that. How peculiar."

Draco threw Potter a look, who had gone pale. Potter was probably frightened. But Draco got it. His wand had been found at a crime scene. Everyone would be scared. Well Draco would be. And then there was the lack of an alibi of course. Potter had been roaming around the woods with a bunch of children. One of them the son of a former Death Eater, who was still coated in his own blood. What a delightful sight for the press.

At least the blood had stopped flowing. Now a dark red crust had formed on Draco's arm. The runes were still red and bloody but no crimson liquid was oozing out anymore. His white shirt was ruined and his feet started hurting with all the needles and stones he had walked over. Nobody could see him like this. Well nobody other than Potter, who was staring at Draco worriedly.

"What...what happened to your arm?"

"I got lost and fell."
"Without shoes?"
"Yes. Now come. We gotta get out of here."

---

Strangely, the way back wasn't as hard to find. Turns out they weren't far from the portkey sight. The way back would've been somewhat enjoyable even, if it hadn't been for the annoying golden boy who was comstantly asking him questions and fussing over him with worry. It did however make it easier to forget the constant pain straining Draco's body.

"Why did you leave so early at the Quidditch cup? You didn't even wait for the players."
"My father can arrange a meeting with any of those players anytime. I didn't need to wait to be one in a few dozen."
Draco quite liked improvising his stories. Even better was that Potter didn't even seem to notice how much 9f a atretch they were.

"Why did you go into the woods then?"
"I got lost."
"Yeah you said that but to get lost in the woods you first have to go there, right?"
"I heard a noise. Maybe it was one of the Velas."
"Oh, right. Yeah we crossed paths with a Vela earlier."

"Nasty beasts. Probably don't even taste good."
"What?"
"Nothing. Come on, I think the Portkey sight is over there. Mother?"

There was a clearing infront of them, a figure standing inside it. Without his advanced vision Draco couldn't make out whether it really was Narcissa Black.
"Mother?"

There was a shimmer of white and black hair.
"Mother!"

The figure turned and a smile grew on Draco's face as his feet suddenly started running, throwing his body into his mothers arms not caring about his shadow, The Boy Who Lived, who observed the scene from afar.

"Oh Draco my boy. What happened to you Darling? You were gone for so long. And then there was the Mark... I thought..."
She hadn't hugged him that hard in a while, and the pure affection made Draco forget all about the blood he was smearing all over her back until there was a sound behind them, making them turn towards Potter. He was still standing at the edge of the clearing, embarassed and unsure of what to do.

"Good evening Misses Malfoy. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude."
Draco could feel his mother preparing to speak, so he spoke before she could even open her mouth.

"I got lost in the woods and fell into something."
Draco recounted his cover story.
"Potter found me and helped me get here. But he lost his wand. Some houseelf must've found it and used it to cast the mark, We...."

"A houseelf?"
"Yes, we saw a group of Aurors take it down."
"And you're sure it was Potters wand?"
Narcissa eyed the Chosen One sharply.

"Yes!"
Now Potter spoke.
"But I didn't cast it, you have to believe me. Draco was with me when it suddenly appeared. I was searching for my wand before that already. Ron and Hermione were there!"

Narcissa's glace switched from one boy to the other.

"Were are those friends of yours now?"
Potter seemed a little desperate peering into the dense forest.
"I don't..."

"He lost them in the woods following me. We can't leave Potter here mum. It will only complicate things."
Draco signed at the blood covering his body. Narcissa gasped drawing her wand and murmuring a few cleaning spells as well as drawing bandages around Draco's arm with her wandtip. The cleaning didn't quite seem to help as the blood had already soaked through the material of his shirt, but at least the crusts fell and left only light pink marks.

"Alright honey, it's gonna be okay. Better get you home. Don't forget your shoes. Here's your wand."

Narcissa was already moving him into the other direction, away from Potter, when Draco stopped. He turned towards the lost boy at the edge of the clearing.

Looking at Potter, covered in the pale moonlight Draco could see the fatigue in his face. The frightened spasm of his hand, picking at his nails. The uncertainty with which he regarded the ground. And suddenly Draco felt compassion. He felt bad for the other.
The Chosen one with noone to turn to.
Lost and alone.
Potter.
Harry Potter.

Harry.

"We can't leave him here mother. It's not right."
Draco therefore said, stopping in his tracks.
The surprise in his mother's eyes mixed with affection, when they met Draco's who looked at her pleadingly. She hesitated but sighed after another look at Draco’s expression and gave Draco a small nod, who turned towards the Chosen One.

”Come on. I'm not gonna wait on you all night Harry!"