For the rest of December, it was peaceful and quiet in the woods. The six of them were able to go on with their normal routine, taking turns with getting food as well as being on watch when needed. They were still anxious about being caught, which was why it was decided that they had to move and find someone from the Order before it was too late.

Then, not too long after the new year started, a new broadcast of Potterwatch delivered some shocking news: Draco Malfoy was missing.

Mary had just come back from hunting for food when Oliver told her what happened. She felt her heart sink down to her stomach, unable to eat anything she caught that afternoon. When the others finally convinced her to eat something, she obliged, but sat under a tree alone. Everyone, especially Oliver, tried to talk with her, but she wasn't in the mood for it. Nevertheless, Mary still let Oliver comfort her during the long nights, and neither of them said a word.

She wondered if Draco finally decided to leave like she did or if he was taken by the Order and they were keeping him either safe or as a hostage. Maybe wherever he was at was a lot better than Malfoy Manor.

As everyone kept an ear out for the next Potterwatch, Mary was offered to get food for the others, finding it a good way to keep her mind busy from any other terrible thoughts surrounding Draco's disappearance. But finally, after three days of no news, Mary came back from hunting for food when Oliver had an update.

"Another Potterwatch just ended," he told her. "Someone came forward with some information about Malfoy's whereabouts."

"Really?" she replied, her eyes getting wider. "Where is he?"

"He's not too far from Oxford," he answered. "I don't know why he would go there, though."

"It doesn't matter," she stated, heading for the tent in a fast manner.

"Where are you going?" he called out, rushing after her.

"To Oxford," she replied, gathering her things in her rucksack.

He let out a scoff. "So you can go after Malfoy?"

"He's my friend, so yes, that's exactly why I'm going there," she retorted.

"No, I can't let you go," he said firmly.

Mary spun around, raising her eyebrows at him. "Oh, yeah? Why is that?"

"You have no idea what you'll be walking into," Oliver said. "For all you know, it could be a trap."

"For all I know, Draco could be in trouble," she responded. "He might need help."

"He can handle himself, I'm sure," he retorted.

Mary felt her blood boil as she continued to pack. "So what, you just want me to not worry about him, then? You want me to forget that he might be in danger?"

"Listen, I know he's your friend, but--"

"No, Oliver, you don't get it," she cut him off, raising her voice. "You have no idea what kind of people we had to deal with over the last year or what they're capable of, and for Draco to handle those people by himself--"

"Both of you made a choice," he interjected. "You chose to stay and he chose to remain behind with his family. If he really wanted out, then he would've left when you did. Whatever Malfoy does now is his problem and not yours."

"It's not that simple!" she shouted. "I can't just leave him, Oliver. I just can't do that to him." While attempting to compose herself and finish packing, all she could think about was Draco, which motivated her to wrap it up faster so that she could leave and find him as soon as possible.

Still, Oliver wasn't having it. "Mary, this is a bad idea," he attempted to warn her once again. "So when you find Malfoy, what's your next plan? If you bring him back here--"

"Bring who back here?" Andrew asked as he entered the tent, followed by Jacob, then Violet and Eliza. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," the two quickly replied.

"It sure doesn't sound like nothing," Jacob said. "We were beginning to hear you two from outside." He paused, furrowing his eyebrows. "It's about Malfoy, isn't it? You want to go find him, don't you, Mary?"

She opened her mouth to respond, but all that came out was a sigh. The guilt was beginning to fill up inside her as the expression on everyone's faces was upsetting. The more she looked at them, the more heartbreaking it became for her to leave them.

"I knew it," Andrew said, shaking his head in disappointment. "Once again, you're going back to your Death Eater dear friend Malfoy..."

"Andy, don't start that." Eliza attempted to grab his arm, but he swung it away from her grasp.

"No, I'm very curious to know why, after risking your life to leave those horrible people and spending the last six months on the run, letting us trust you, along with giving you a chance to redeem yourself. Now you're just going to throw that all away?"

"Don't act like I'm the bad guy here," she retorted.

"Maybe if you would actually listen to us and use your brain, then we wouldn't have to paint you as the bad guy!" Andrew shouted. "Not only are you putting yourself at risk going after Malfoy, but you're putting us at risk, too. You're acting so selfish--"

Mary's blood was beginning to boil. "If the roles were switched, you'd do the same things for your friends and it would be considered heroic."

"The acts done by our enemies are not exactly heroic deeds," Andrew stated. "So what about when you poisoned Jacob or when your brother murdered my entire family? You really think any of those things were acts of heroism? You justifying yours and Malfoy's actions makes you as bad as the Death Eaters that have far worse than both of you combined."

With a loud exhale, Mary grabbed her rucksack and swung it over her shoulder, then stormed out of the tent past the others. She thought it was best to leave before the argument escalated any more. The last thing she needed was for any wand-fighting to happen that could result in more injuries. There didn't need to be any more regrets that Mary would have to deal with.

She heard footsteps follow her out, but kept facing straight ahead, her feet not stopping. The faster she left the campsite, the faster it would take to find Draco. After that, she had no idea of what they would do next.

"Mary!" Oliver called out. "Mary, wait!"

The girl stopped in her tracks, taking a deep breath before turning around to face him. "Oliver..."

He shot her a desperate look, to the point where it was heartbreaking. "Mary, please don't go. You'll only put yourself in more danger."

She shook her head, slowly making her way back towards him. "I'm sorry, but Draco might be in trouble, and he trusts me enough to let me help him."

Oliver swallowed hard. "I wish there was another way to convince you not to go." He paused, sighing. "Will you come back?"

"Of course." Mary placed her hands on each side of his face, giving him an assuring smile. "I'll be okay, I promise." She leaned in and pressed a kiss on his lips. "I'll see you soon."

He nodded and pulled her in for a hug before she could try to leave again. For a long moment, the two stayed in the embrace, holding each other tightly. The one to pull away was Mary, despite being reluctant to do so. She knew that with Oliver, she was safe, as he felt the same way when he was with her. That made their parting even more difficult.

They exchanged one last glance at each other before Mary finally spun around on her feet and headed away from the campsite, where she Apparated with a crack.

Oxford was busy as Mary expected it to be. As the streets flooded with people walking across from both ways, along with cars coming and going, she hurriedly got out of the abandoned alley she Apparated at and blended in with the other people on the sidewalk. She really wasn't sure where to head for now that she was actually here, which was something she should've thought about before leaving the campsite. Nevertheless, all she could do now was find out where the Wizarding part of the city was located.

Merlin, she really had no idea what she was getting into.

As she made her way down the sidewalk, she looked around for anything that would be associated with magic, any little detail that could tell her where to go. So far, there was nothing that could indicate that wizards or witches were hidden within the walls of buildings or in the pavements she set foot on. This ambitious rescue mission was starting to turn into a failure.

Still, Mary kept going. She couldn't give up on Draco yet.

She picked up her pace, weaving through the crowds of people. One thing she began to do was keep her head low, fearing that she was being watched from somewhere. It made her heart beat faster out of nervousness, clutching her rucksack even tighter. She was about to keep straight ahead when she looked across the street and spotted a familiar blond head standing by a bus stop.

Mary rushed to get to the stop, dashing with the other pedestrians to get on the other side of the street. It was when she was getting closer to him that his eyes locked with hers, a shocked and confused expression on his face.

"Mary?" he called out.

"Draco," she replied, feeling relieved that from what she could see, he was safe. She wrapped her arms around him, sighing. "You're okay."

"Yeah, of course I am," he responded, hugging her back. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard you had gone missing," she explained. "I came to look for you in case you were in trouble."

"Mary, you shouldn't have," he told her, pulling away. "I am in trouble."

"What do you mean?" she asked, puzzled.

"Not here," he stated in a hushed tone. "Come on." He took her hand and led her away from the bus stop and crowds of people, going to a nearby telephone booth that no one was using. "Things are bad at home, really bad. On top of that, they found out I was the one that helped you leave last summer. I had to get out of there, Mary, and now they're after me, too."

Mary felt her heart drop as Draco told her what was going on. "So what are you going to do next?"

"Right now, I'm going to tell you to leave," he told her. "You're in a lot of danger just by being here with me. You need to go back to wherever you've been for the last six months--"

"No, I'm not leaving you," she protested. "If you're in serious danger, then let me--"

"Help?" a new voice came up from behind the two. "I think it's a little bit too late for that."

They turned around only to have a familiar Snatcher standing there. "Scabior," Draco mumbled.

The Snatcher let a smirk come across his face as he took a step forward. "Well, well, well...I must say, I was only hunting down Malfoy here, but to have you here with him, Fowler...this is a pleasant surprise." He paused, raising his eyebrows. "I'm going to have fun with you two."

~~~~~~~

A/N: Oop, that isn't good.

We're about to really get into the action now. This is only the beginning...

Song above is Rescue by Lauren Daigle.

Comment, vote, prepare yourselves. It'll only get worse from here.

-A