F O U R T E E N

Eclaire hadn't meant to get stuck in a tree, really, she hadn't. She glanced at the ground which hadn't seemed that much of a distance when she'd been climbing the tree but now seemed to be over a ten foot fall.

How did she get in this predicament you ask? She'd been blissfully asleep in the arms of a certain silver haired wizard that she'd grown to love— yes, love.

Eclaire knew for certain that she couldn't have loved a man more than she did Draco. There was something endearing in the way his hands tended to her injuries as his mouth spewed profanities, brows set in anger yet worry coating his eyes. In the way he'd regard everything with disdain until his eyes befell on her. How he claimed to hate physical touch yet would say nothing when she laced her fingers through his, only responding by tightening his hold. How he claimed to be heartless and evil yet when he held her, she swore she found his touch nothing short of an angel.

And the past two weeks had been nothing short of heaven for Eclaire. Falling asleep in his arms and waking up to see his brilliantly blue eyes gazing upon her with adoration was something Eclaire didn't think she'd ever grow tired of.

So why was she hanging off the branch of a tree instead of being in bed with her lover you ask? Well I wouldn't call us lovers exactly. She thought to herself.

But we've been doing everything lovers do. Her conscience argued.

Yet, there has been no declaration of love! Eclaire argued back.

Sometimes it really isn't necessary. Actions speak louder than words.

But it would be awfully rude to just presume—

"Eclaire?" She heard Draco's voice call out to her as he arose from bed, confused to not find her in it.

"Here!" He heard her exclaim as he followed her voice over to the window.

"What the devil are you doing on a tree?!" Eclaire blushed on seeing he hadn't bothered to dress up.

"Well you see I heard a bird crying out..."

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Draco stood grumpily at platform 9¾ as he glared at the damned red train blowing off steam incessantly signifying that it would leave in mere moments. He turned to glare at the woman who occupied more than half the thoughts that passed through his mind.

"Do I really have to get on the bloody train?" He grumbled out.

"We went over this already, Draco." Eclaire said as she smiled at him. "You're a—"

"A professor, yes, I do know. I've been reminded of it a dozen times already." He huffed out.

"Which is why you must take the train with the students." Eclaire voiced out as she reasoned with him. If anything, she found his annoyance quite amusing.

"I don't see why I can't just apparate there after I've spent a few hours with you." He grumbled out.

"Because it wouldn't be—"

"Right. Yes, I've heard that about a dozen times too." Draco rolled his eyes as Eclaire playfully slapped his shoulder.

"You're a teacher and the rules specifically mention that you must take the train to reach Hogwarts barring special circumstances." Eclaire said.

"I'm sure you would suffice as a special circumstance." Draco grinned as he leaned forward.

"You're insufferable." Eclaire whispered, her face painted with a blush but did nothing to stop the silver haired wizard as his lips claimed hers in a slow, tantalising manner. Eclaire's hand rested on the black material of his blazer that covered his chest as his came to rest atop hers, engulfing it.

Draco was most certain that she could feel the increased rate of his heart through her fingers that rested right above where his heart lay. He could feel her lips parting for his, could taste the everpleasant vanilla that surrounded her when the blasted whistle rang again making Eclaire break their kiss as she nudged him towards the blasted train.

He reluctantly broke apart and looked sceptically at the train. Do I even need the job? He thought to himself but when met with the narrowed gaze of the short haired witch, he finally sighed. Truth was, he'd do anything the brown eyed witch asked of him. Anything that would make her happy. He pecked her lips a final time as he slowly retreated and made his move to board the train.

He only managed a short distance when he felt a tug on his arm. He turned around only to be engulfed in a hug as he felt Eclaire's short arms wrapping around his neck, her scent surrounding him. He felt her lips land on his cheek as she worded out—

"Be good, okay?" She said patting his head.

"What do you think I am? A bloody dog?" He snapped but Eclaire just grinned at how his ears turned pink.

"Yes, an adorable one." Eclaire smiled. "Now go." She detached herself from him as she pushed him into the nearest compartment just as the train started moving.

She moved back from the train, waving at a sneering silver haired wizard.

"I'll come meet you soon!" Eclaire shouted waving at him as she swore she saw his eyes light up by a fraction before he was a speck in the distance.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

"Soon." Draco huffed out loud as he walked the path filled with muggles, all staring and whispering, stealing glances at him. Draco was confused, he waa quite certain than nobody in the muggle world recognised him for his crimes in the wizarding community but why were they staring at him?

Alas, the silver haired wizard had been so engrossed in self-hatred in the past decade that he failed to notice the fact that he'd grown into a fine specimen of the male species and quite a few looks that he received in the wizarding world were not that of contempt but rather of desire.

But to the unaware wizard, it did nothing but fuel his already simmering annoyance. Eclaire had said that she would come see him soon. I didn't know see you soon meant disappearing for three days without a word. He thought rather bitterly.

"Excuse me?" He heard someone call him. He swiftly turned to find a red haired woman staring expectantly at him. He quirked his eyebrow as if to ask 'what?'.

She smiled and Draco couldn't help noticing that it didn't quite feel right. The woman was pleasant to look at but he couldn't help but compare her features to Eclaire. The woman had striking green eyes to match her auburn hair, a sharp nose and full lips, yet he found her eyes rather dull in comparison to Eclaire's brown eyes that seemed to have a certain sparkle in them. Her cheeks lacked the light dusting of freckles Eclaire's had, her nose too strong as opposed to Eclaire's button nose that she scrunched each time that she laughed.

"Can I get your number?" She asked from under her lashes offering him a rectangular object.

Draco looked down at the object and back at her face. "My what?" He grumbled out.

The woman's confident facade fell for a split second before it was back up again.

"Don't be so rude, I'm sure you know what I want." She said gesturing towards the device in her extended hands.

Draco's nerve ticked as he gave a final glare to the woman and walked off.

"Hey! Are you—"

"Fuck off." He snapped as he put his hands in his pocket, making his way to Eclaire's house. He didn't want to talk to anyone besides the short haired witch. How troublesome. He thought as he kicked a pebble on the street.

He finally stopped outside Eclaire's door ready to knock when he noticed it. The door was unlocked. The hair on the back of his neck stood up as an unsettling feeling emerged.

"Eclaire?" He called out as he slowly pushed the door open. Nobody answered back. She probably just forgot to unlock it on her way out. He tried to reassure himself as he stepped in but when he took in the sight of the room, his blood turned cold.

Her entire house had been trashed. Pieces of broken glass and cutlery lay scattered on the floor, the furniture in tatters, paintings slashed and tables turned over. Draco swiftly grabbed his wand as he called out again, his voice more frantic than earlier.

"Eclaire?!" He shouted as he ran up the stairs to her room. He slammed the door open to find that her once tidy room had also been subjected to the same assault. Her pillows were slashed out, bedding all torn, cupboards and desks all turned over. It looked as if the place had been ransacked.

"Eclaire?! God fucking damn it where are you?!" He screamed again trying to find any traces of her but there were none.

Draco swore under his breath as he made his way downstairs. He tried to calm his breathing as he willed himself to think.

The last he had seen of her had been three days ago at the station. She had been fine then and she didn't have any enemies, not any that he knew of. Who could've done this? He thought but the only answer that his mind screamed back was you. You got her into this mess.

"Draco?" The silver haired wizard whipped his neck so quick that it was a miracle he didn't break it. Eclaire stood at the door to her house clutching her satchel as she looked at the silver haired wizard's fear stricken face before she saw relief flood in his eyes as he quickly covered the distance between them.

"Are you hurt?" He asked cupping her face and checking for nonexistent injuries.

"What happened?" She asked slowly placing her hand over his noticing his frantic behaviour and her trashed place.

"We have to get out of here." He said taking her hand in his.

"Draco, what happened?" Eclaire asked.

"Someone was here." Draco's face hardened as he looked around. "And they were here for a reason." The silver haired wizard said as he clenched his fist.

"It wasn't your fault." He heard her say as he felt her small palms wrapping around his clenched fist. How did she know I was thinking about—

"I know you enough to know that it was your first train of thought." She said looking at him with steeled eyes. "I'm an auror, Draco. Well, auror in training technically, but I've been on enough missions and I butt heads with a lot of people." She explained.

"And I think I know who did this." Eclaire said her gaze turning calculating. The silver haired wizard's face filled with shock.

"You do?" He asked.

"The same person who stole the death-eater's files." Eclaire said. "It all makes sense now! I was right afterall!" She exclaimed.

"What makes sense? Darling, I don't understand a thing you're saying." Draco murmured confused, his brows furrowing.

"I thought about the possible list of suspects while I was preparing to fight your innocence in presence of the wizengamot but it didn't make sense! All the possible suspects that the Ministry had under watch were—"

"Death-eaters." Draco completed for her. "But why does it not make sense?" He asked confused.

"Think about it! If you were the one planning yet another world domination, would you steal death-eater's files when you already know all about them?" She asked as a puzzle fit inside Draco's head.

"And let's assume that the person wasn't a death eater but needed the assistance of the death-eaters, why steal the files from the Ministry? The death-eaters all know each other, all it would take is persuading a few to join the cause and the rest would follow! It was as if they wanted us to believe that the death-eaters were behind it!" Eclaire explained.

"So..."

"So it means that someone was trying to frame the death-eaters or at the very least, diverge our attention from the actual culprit."

"But there hasn't been a crime yet." Draco said.

Eclaire looked at the debris of her broken furniture as she whispered.

"Not yet."