Speech Is Silver, but Silence Is Golden

A gentle breeze hit my face, the sun occasionally breaking through the clouds, illuminating the grey, dull landscape, the giant castle looming on the slight hill. The view from the towers was exceptional on days such as this one. The forbidden forest would seem like it extended forever into the distance and foreign worlds, the lake would glitter in the sun, playing with the light, throwing shapes and shadows on bare walls.

I felt a small smile tug on my lips, feeling utterly at ease and calm, more so than I had in the last few days, especially after the headline in the Daily Prophet.

Mass Breakout from Azkaban.

I shivered involuntarily and lowered my gaze to the ground, covered in grey-green muddy grass. After the snow had melted, the weather turning wetter and warmer constantly, it had left dead plants in its wake which weren’t pretty to look at. And the mud tended to splash on clothes and shoes causing Filch to go on a rampage, getting red cheeks and threatening with the shackles he would use on students had he only been allowed to, if one couldn't leave quickly enough.

“Are you cold?” The soft inquiry made me flinch. I snapped my eyes towards the blonde boy walking next to me, grey eyes staring at me, expecting an answer. For a moment I just stared at him, unsure what to say. But then I shook my head curtly, averting my gaze once again, feeling self-conscious.

After a while in which we trudged along the grounds aimlessly, completely deserted, I felt him avert his eyes as well and heard him sigh, obviously slightly irritated. As much as I began to feel even more insecure, seeing his reaction, I also began to feel utterly annoyed at myself.

Draco and I had spent time together more often those past days and I should have gotten used to his presence. After I had processed the initial shock of realizing that he had deserted his friends and was solely concentrating on me, we had spent hours talking about school and the latest events in the real world out there. Though mostly we had concentrated on the smaller events, the heavy, grim news pressing too much on the mood.

And now, while I was walking next to him, hearing the sound of his steps, the soft breaths he took, I felt as if we had never exchanged a word before, as if we were strangers. Taking a deep shaky breath I broke the silence, determined to stop acting irrationally.

“I’m not cold. I was just thinking about the Mass Outbreak.” My voice sounded hoarse and feeble, but it still had the desired effect. Draco turned his head and his grey eyes caught my brown ones, darting around, trying to read where I was headed with this statement.

“It’s just-“ I began, averting my gaze for a moment, staring at the trees of the forbidden forest, trying to put a name on what was bothering me. “I don’t think Blackhelped them escape.” His eyes grew colder but they never lost their captivation. I couldn’t look away as his pale lips opened and he spoke up.

“Why does it matter to you?”

I held his gaze, stopping right underneath an oak-tree. He came to a halt as well, his gaze turning challenging, daring me to try and avoid his question. He seemed genuinely interested in my answer though his intentions seemed to be less honourable.

“It’s frightening to think that someone else helped them escape.” We both knew whom I was talking about and the icy vibe my words carried told him to stop playing around and deliberately ignoring facts. I accepted the background of his family, accepted that they were death eaters, but I wouldn’t allow him to hide behind it.

“And what would change if we were to say it wasn’t Black? What could that possibly help?” He tried to hide the agitation as well as the resignation in his voice his words spoken harsh and cold, the glint of desperation shimmering in his eyes.

I narrowed my eyes before answering coldly. “Knowing what is going on can be useful. Even if, should you-know-who really keep the dementors under control, it would be a step towards taking action. Knowing the enemy, knowing how far he has actually progressed.”

Draco shook his head, then stepped closer, so close that I could see the pupils in his eyes adjust and feel the heat of his body. His eyes had hardened, winning a bitter look full of helplessness and suppressed anger. I had seen this look before when he had talked about his father.

His voice was rough as he spoke, the words intended to hurt. “We both know that this fight is lost. Everything is playing into his hands.”

I lowered my eyes, stared at his cloak, the emblem with the silver snake, his prefect badge above. Hollowness filled my stomach as I lifted a finger to trace the shape of the snake. Draco’s sharp intake of breath made me look up. My gaze hesitated at his lips, before they flickered to his eyes. They had lost their cold look, softened and were widened in surprise.

I felt a pull towards him, the movement happening before I could think about it enough to make a sophisticated decision. Draco only watched stunned as I rose on my tip-toes, leant forward and pressed my lips to his, eyes closing after I felt the soft touch. My finger had stopped tracing the snake. Instead I was supporting my weight, pushing against the blonde’s chest. He remained standing securely easily, but the stiffness and unresponsiveness as I moved my lips against his, didn’t change.

I felt the Bloody Baron’s words ring in my ears. “Enjoy it while it lasts.”

I felt a hand on my shoulder and a second later I was pushed back, Draco’s eyes still wide with surprise more than anger even as he spat out. “What do you think you’re doing?” The usually so smooth voice was trembling slightly with, if I hadn’t known better, judging from the look in his eyes, insecurity.

“I-I.” I stumbled over my own words, shocked by his reaction.

“You thought I wanted you to come here for that?” My only response was a heavy gulp that hurt deep down in my throat as if I had tried to swallow something without chewing first, the pain causing my eyes to water slightly.

He huffed a single laugh before continuing, eyes colder than I had ever seen them when they had been directed towards me. “You really are naïve.”

It was the last straw. Feeling utterly humiliated I spun around and left, my cloak billowing wildly behind me. The anger rose slowly, bringing forth a grim determination to use my energy for more useful causes than chasing after an arrogant, egocentric boy.