You're Safe With Me ( Draco Malfoy )

Chapter Forty-Nine

Draco held Alice's hand tight in his as they traversed the rubble-filled halls of Hogwarts in search of their friends. Since the Death Eaters forces had been temporarily called off, it became painfully obvious how much damage they had done with their merciless attack. With no duelling to distract from it, the bricks scattering the floor, the missing sections in the stone banisters and the smashed windows only became all the more obvious.

Soon after Remus Lupin's sacrifice, a few members of the Order had decided to travel the grounds of the castle, looking for wounded to help. Kingsley Shacklebolt came across Draco and Alice, who refusing to let go of Lupin's hand, no matter how many times Draco gently tried to coax her away. With an pained expression, Kingsley had ordered the two to move away while he took Remus' body to the great hall, along with the others who had passed during the battle.

As they searched for Harry, Ron or Hermione, Alice wiped away the occasional tear. There had been so much loss that night, far too much, and it wasn't even over. Her body and heart ached and protested harder with each step she took, and it was getting more difficult to ignore it by the second. 

Draco was trying his best to hide his emotions, not because he felt as though he needed to, but because he knew that as soon as the floodgates holding his tears in were open, there was going to be no stopping them. 

"Darling, can we talk?" Draco stopped suddenly with his abrupt question, using the hand he was holding hers with to pull Alice towards him. She looked up to his dirt covered face in confusion, raising an eyebrow at his sudden pause.

"Of course, what's up?" She asked gently, somewhat concerned. 

"I don't think I've said this enough, I love you. I'm in love with you. I love every single little thing about you." Alice smiled bashfully, which caused Draco to do the same. "I love your eyes and the way that you look at me, I love your smile and your laugh and I love that it's me who makes you do those things." The look of passion on Draco's face when he spoke about her made Alice's heart beat faster, booming in her rib cage. "I love your mind and how you always know what to say. I love your kindness, and I love that it rubs off on the people around you, especially me. You changed- no, you saved my life. I'm so in love with you, Clumsy." He held her close to him, his arms wrapped around her waist and hers around the back of his neck. Pulling him close, Alice spoke quietly, touching their noses together.

"I'm in love with you, too. Even if you are a stalker." She mumbled with a sniff, Draco's emotional outpouring having made her emotional herself. Her words drew a laugh out of Draco, who bridged the small gap between them with a kiss. They held each other close, feeling each other's heart beats and appreciating the fleeting moment of calm before returning to the chaos of the evening.

A beautifully familiar voice broke the two apart, Draco gently squeezing Alice's waist before letting go.

"Alice! Draco! I'm so glad you're both okay!" Hermione exclaimed gleefully as her and Ron bound towards them. They were each damp and were sporting a few cuts and bruises on their faces, but looked otherwise unharmed. Engulfing Alice in a hug, Hermione let out a sigh of relief, squeezing her friend incredibly hard.

To Alice's shock, Draco and Ron also shared a hug. It was brief, and both of them looked mildly weirded-out afterwards, but it happened. 

"Good to see you, Ferret." Though the words that Ron had said weren't exactly moving, they were truly heartfelt.

"It's good to see you too, Weasel." Draco replied, the same genuine tone behind his words. Noticing that Ron and Hermione were both damp, Draco scoffed in fake annoyance. "You could've warned me that you were wet before I hugged you, now I'm going to smell like wet rodent."