Ronald Weasley's Arc

Chapter 2 of 4

Ron followed Draco between the black trees, but the paths all looked the same. Every gap in the brush could be safe or could be a trap. Draco moved fast and sure, yet he never explained his choices. Ron stopped at a fork where two trails split into the dark. "Which way?" Ron asked. "They look the same to me." Draco pointed left without slowing. "That one. The patrols never walk it." "How do you know?" Ron caught his sleeve. "You keep saying trust me. But you won't tell me why you're here at all." Draco pulled his arm free. His jaw tightened. "Does it matter? I'm getting you to the castle. Take the left path." Ron didn't move. Something felt wrong. The left trail was wide and open. The right one twisted through thick ferns. He remembered his own escape, how he had hidden low in the brush while boots passed by. Open ground was where men waited to catch you. "No," Ron said. "We go right." Draco spun around. "You'll get us both killed. I know this forest." "So do they." Ron kept his voice low. "An open path is bait. My dad taught me that. If you really want me safe, prove it. Take the hard way." For a moment Draco just stared at him. Then his shoulders dropped. "Fine," he said. "Right. But stay close and stay quiet." They crept into the ferns. Pigwidgeon settled on Ron's shoulder and went still. Twigs snapped under their boots. Ron held his breath at every sound. Then Draco froze and threw out an arm. Through the leaves, Ron saw the wide left trail below. Two Death Eaters stood there, wands out, waiting in the shadows. Their masks caught the thin moonlight. If Ron had taken the open path, he would have walked straight into them. Ron's stomach turned cold. He looked at Draco. Draco was staring at the two men too, and his face had gone white. "You didn't know," Ron whispered. "You thought that path was clear." Draco swallowed. "They moved the patrol," he breathed. "They knew I'd guide you. They set it for me." The truth landed hard. Draco wasn't tricking him. Draco was risking his own life, and the Death Eaters were hunting them both now. They backed away from the ferns, slow and silent, until the two men vanished behind the trees. Only then did Draco let out a shaking breath. "Why are you doing this?" Ron asked again. This time Draco met his eyes. "Because I'd rather die out here than let them have you." Ron had no answer for that. He only knew one thing now. Draco was on his side, and the patrols had learned their game. The safe routes weren't safe anymore. If they wanted to reach the castle, they would have to make a path no one expected.