What Lies Within

Sophie was anxious as she packed a small bag for the burrow. Her and Draco were silent as they moved around their familiar bedroom, not sure when - or if they even would - return.

"Nervous?" Sophie looks up from where she was stuffing a pair of jeans into her bag to see Draco standing across the bed from her, his finished bag in front of him.

"A bit, yes." She zips up her now finished bag as he walks towards her. He gives her a small smile and folds her against his chest. She rests her head against the soft fabric of his shirt and closes her eyes, feeling his heartbeat under her ear. "You'll stay with me?" She mutters and feels him press a soft kiss to the top of her head.

"Remember what I said to you when your father died?" He hated to mention her father but it was necessary in that moment. She lifts her head and he sees the same scared look in her blue eyes that he saw then.

"You told me you wouldn't leave my side until I asked you to." She recited, remembering that moment well. She remembered the reassurance and comfort she found in the man who had once been her enemy but had quickly become her best friend and a year and a half later here they were standing in the bedroom of their home as husband and wife, hiding from The Dark Lord.

"I've kept my word, yes?" Sophie smiles and gives a small nod. "I don't plan on breaking it now." He gives her a reassuring smile before leaning down to kiss her lips deeply, leaving his lips on hers for a moment longer than originally intended.

"Shall we head to the Weasley's then?" Sophie questions when they pull back. He nods and releases her before grabbing her bag and then his. They make their way back to the kitchen where Hermione was finishing up her tea.

"Meet in the field beside the burrow. There are protections around it that we need to clear before we can get in." The couple nods and link hands. Draco had never been to the burrow so Sophie was going to guide him there as they disapparated.

One second they are in their familiar and warm kitchen and the next they are standing in a field of tall soft grass, the wind blowing warm against them as Hermione appears next to them. Sophie sees the burrow a couple of yards away from them. She also sees a large tent erected next to it, most likely for the wedding.

"Sophie!" Sophie turns to see Harry rushing towards her. She releases Draco's hand and rushes at her once best friend. They meet and hug each other tightly and Sophie feels tears begin to fall down her cheeks.

"I'm so sorry." She mutters, burying her face in the soft fabric of his t-shirt. He grips her tightly against him, trying to fight back the tears that wanted to fill his green eyes. He managed to keep them at bay as he glances over Sophie's shoulder at Draco standing a few feet away. Draco kept his grey eyes focused on his wife but slid them up to meet Harry's. They shared an emotionless look but it was short-lived as Sophie soon pulled back. "I thought I would never see you again." Harry gives her a small smile.

"You can't get rid of me that easily, Soph." Sophie laughed, reaching up to wipe at her damp cheeks and nods.

"Shall we get somewhere safer than this field?" Draco then steps forward to break up the moment, glancing around nervously at the open field. He felt like at any moment a death eater would appear and take his wife from him. He needed to get her somewhere safer.

"Of course. Follow me." Harry reaches down and takes Sophie's bag from beside her feet and gestures for her and Draco to follow. Draco takes his own bag and allows Sophie to wind her fingers through his as they and Hermione began to follow. Sophie gave her husband a smile, thanking him silently for allowing her to be reunited with her best friends.

"Oh, Sophie." Mrs Weasley pulled the girl into her arms the second they stepped into the burrow a few minutes later. Ron stood at his mother's side, giving his old friend his trademark goofy grin that she had missed so much. Sophie folded against the motherly chest that she once knew very well and did her best to not cry again. She finally felt safe again. She felt safe for the first time in months - years actually.

"Thank you so much for letting Draco and I come here." The two women pull back and smile at one another.

"I, especially, am grateful." Draco finally speaks, stepping forward to rest his hand on Sophie's back, smiling at the older woman before them. Molly returned it kindly, feeling no malice or coldness towards the blond. "I couldn't think of a safer place for Sophie to be right now."

"Neither could we." Mr Weasley speaks up as he comes into the room. "How lovely to see you again, Sophie." The older man pulled the young woman into his arms in a tight hug. "Has Ron shown you to your room yet?" Sophie shakes her head, giving him a small smile. "Ron and Harry are in Ron's room, Ginny and Hermione are together of course. Then Charlie and Percy together and Bill and Fleur are sharing a room as well, which leaves the twins who are staying in Diagon Alley at their own apartment so to allow you two to have the twins room. Keep the couples together, of course." He explains as the three of them head towards the stairs. The trio follow as well. Once they were in the twins room Mr Weasley left them to get settled in.

"Okay, you need to explain everything now." Harry says as he and Ron sit on the seat under the window as the couple and Hermione sit down on the bed across the room. Sophie sighs and looks over at Draco who gives her a reassuring smile. Draco had to admit that this was so awkward and strange - for him at least.

The trio, and even Sophie at one point, had been his enemy. He never imagined he would be shacking up in the Weasley's home for safety. He was grateful, though, to them all at this moment in time knowing that his wife's life depended on it. He knew he would be uncomfortable and probably a bit withdrawn the entire time here but for Sophie he would endure everything.

He knew his father would surely disown him though if he ever found out he was staying with these blood traitors. It made Draco's lip almost curl just at the thought of exactly where he was but he fought it off as his wife cleared her throat and reached out for his hand, ready to explain the last year to her best friends. Sophie wasn't sure where to start.

"Well... when I told you that it was our parents that made us get married that wasn't true... The Dark Lord wanted our family to gain some honor back after... everything and what better way than to join together? So of course we had no choice. At the same time we found out that we also were told we would become Death Eaters." Sophie sees the shock on the boys faces as they took that in.

"So are you also a..." Harry mutters, glancing first down at her arm and then at Draco but then quickly back at Sophie who gives a small smile and shakes her head. She looks over at her husband and smiles, getting a small one in return.

"Draco intervened and got it changed to I would only become one if he didn't finish his tasks this last school term." Sophie explained. "And my task was to get information from you three but I just couldn't do it." The trio nodded. Harry still felt terrible for how he had treated Sophie and the things he had thought of her this last term and especially since the day Dumbledore was killed. She risked her life for him and for that he would be forever grateful.

"So what happened with you two after Dumbledore was killed and you all left the castle?" Hermione speaks up, having wondered that the second she heard that her and Draco had left with the other Death Eaters. Truthfully she had been fearing for her best friends life every second since until Mr Weasley told them that he had heard she was safe and alive - for the time being.

"We went back to the Manor," Sophie started. "We spent the night there but the next morning... He was there." That morning flashed through both Sophie and Draco's mind. Sophie felt a shudder rush through her body as she pictured her mother pleading for her life, hearing the thump of her lifeless body slump to the ground. Draco shuddered however at the memory of Sophie being crucio'd. It was a memory he would hold onto for the rest of his life probably.

"Did he hurt you?" Ron questioned, frowning as he saw the pure dread of the memory the both of them seemed to have. Sophie felt her eyes burn with tears and could do nothing but wipe at her cheeks so Draco answered.

"Yes, Weasley, he did." He tried to keep as much malice as he could out of his voice but what was there was more so aimed at The Dark Lord's actions than Ron. "He used Crucio on her simply because he didn't want to hear her voice anymore." Sophie rubbed at her eyes but still heard the intake of breath from her friends. She wiped at another tear before lifting her head.

"He then murdered my mother after she pleaded and begged for her life." By now Hermione also had tears in her eyes and she actually slid closer to Sophie, taking the hand that wasn't gripping at Draco.

"My mother got us out shortly after that and had us go to the cabin she got us for after our wedding. We have been there since. We had no idea that The Dark Lord wanted Sophie dead." Draco continues on to explain, seeing that his wife couldn't say much more in that second. "If we had stayed there another day I fear what could have happened." Draco could barely get the words out and as soon as he did the room fell completely silent. The group could hear nothing but the chatter down stairs and outside as wedding preparation went about.

"I'm sorry about your mother, Sophie." Harry finally spoke. Sophie looked across the room at the dark-haired boy and shook her head, giving him a soft and kind smile.

"I had lost my mother the same day I lost my father." And she meant it. As hard as it was to replay her mother's death in her head it wasn't so much the loss as it was the horror of the entire situation that brought tears to her eyes or a shudder in her breath. "I'm just thankful that it wasn't Draco or his mother that was on the end of that spell."

"Or you." Draco mutters, looking down at his wife that had slowly began to lean more into him as the discussion went on. She lifted her head and looked up at the blond beside her and stared up into his eyes. "It was more likely to be you than any one else in that room after your mother. He had turned his wand on you once, he could have, and clearly now wants to, do it again."

"But he won't." Sophie assures him, gripping at his hand with just a bit more firmness and reassurance. "I have you and everyone in this house looking out for me. I'm the luckiest person in the world right now because I'm surrounded by so many people who love and care for me." She stares into her husband eyes for a second longer and then smiles at her other three friends. She leans into Hermione's side then, resting her head against her shoulder. Hermione leans into her as well, both hands gripping at Sophie's one.

"Nothing and no one will ever harm you again, Sophie." Harry vows as he and Ron stand and make their way over to the bed. Harry sits in front of Sophie and pulls her from Hermione and Draco and instead into his own arms. She can't help but slide closer and fold herself against his warm chest and hug him tightly as he hugs her back, resting his head on top of hers.

"Oh!" Sophie then gasps after a second of silence. Draco was just about to break up this hug that seemed too intimate for his liking but Sophie pulled back to grin up at Harry before he could. "Happy birthday!" Harry breaks out into a wide grin.

"Oh, well thank you." He says, the two of them grinning at each other.

"I haven't really had a chance to get you a gift. I couldn't even get Draco one for his birthday either." She explains but he shakes his head, uncaring of a gift.

"You're safety is gift enough." Harry assures her. "I'm sure that's how Malfoy felt as well." Harry glances at Draco who just gives a nod, still wishing Sophie would pull away from Harry just a bit but didn't want to be an overbearing and controlling husband so he let it go.

"Oh, you three," The bedroom door opened then and in walked Mrs. Weasley with Ginny at her side. "I need your help downstairs." She was looking at the trio as she spoke so they nodded and stood.

"We can help, as well. We need to repay you in some way for letting us come here." Sophie says as she too stands from the bed. Draco does as well, shifting awkwardly in his spot. He just felt so out-of-place here. He hoped it would wear off quickly.

"No no, dear." Mrs Weasley waves off Sophie's words, shaking her head. "The two of you get settled in and rest. Dinner will be shortly. I will send someone up to collect you when it is time." Sophie can't help but move forward and hug the woman tightly.

"Thank you, again." Mrs. Weasley pats the younger girl in her arms affectionately on the back before they both pull back.

"Get settled in now, dears." She smiles at them both and then leaves. Ginny gives Sophie a smile but does nothing more before rushing after her mother. The trio move towards the door as well.

"I'm so glad you're safe, Sophie." Hermione tells her, smiling at the couple before she follows Ginny, Ron trailing after her.

"I'm going to do everything I can to make you able to come out of hiding like this. I won't stop until everyone is safe again." Harry vows, turning towards the couple. Draco stood silently beside Sophie but still reached out to wrap his arm around her hips. Even he couldn't tell if he was doing it out of comfort towards his wife or simply to keep her from hugging Harry again.

"I know, Harry." Sophie suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion sweep over her and she wanted nothing more than to relax and lay down for a little while. She felt so drained - emotionally and physically. Harry nods at them both and then leaves as well, shutting the door after him.

"Feeling alright, love?" Draco questions as she falls back on the bed, letting out a tired sigh. She curls up against the pillows and shrugs.

"I just want to sleep and wake up and have everything be okay." She confesses, feeling that deep exhaustion again. Draco lies beside her, pulling her easily into his arms. He kisses at the top of her head as she snuggled into his body, making herself comfortable. Draco didn't answer as he felt her slip off into sleep and didn't want to disturb her and instead slipped off into sleep as well hoping to wake up in his own home as opposed to the Weasley's. The thought of his location was enough to give him nightmare's.