Warnings: hauntings, spectres, ghosts, mentions of death and executions. Honestly this is a load of fluff about how Draco wanted to stay home even though the warnings don't sound like that.
Word count: 2.8k
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"Remind me, love," Draco starts, closing the driver's side door to his car, "Why did I agree to this again?"
You smile lovingly, "Because you love me, and you wanted to do something for Halloween."
"Why did I want to do something for Halloween?"
You roll your eyes, "If I recall, it was you who mentioned that you hadn't celebrated it since your Fifth Year at Hogwarts. It was you who brought up the idea of celebrating our first Halloween together."
Draco glances between you and the dark forest that would be the setting for tonight's entertainment. He gulps imperceptibly; his nerves beginning to get the better of him. His eyes refocus on you, "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Do I want to spend the evening in a supposedly haunted forest getting a history lesson?" You ask rhetorically; rubbing your arms to fight off the invading chill, "It isn't how I planned my Halloween, but I don't think this is something we can pass up, Draco."
His eyes dance back to the imposing forest; the trees looking taller in the dark. His eyebrows furrow as he watches the last of the sun disappearing. "I don't know," He starts warily, "I would have preferred the movie marathon we had planned."
You laugh lightly, "You just want to watch Hocus Pocus again, don't you?"
He rolls his eyes, "It's hilarious! Can you blame me?"
You rise on your tiptoes, pressing a kiss to his lips, "I don't suppose I can blame you at all. How about a deal?"
"A deal? Now I'm intrigued."
You point towards the forest entrance; starting to feel uneasy with the idea yourself but wanting to put on a front, "We get through this, then tomorrow, we spend the entire day in bed watching spooky films."
His arms circle your waist, "What spooky films?"
You smile up at him, "I'll let you decide. How does that sound?"
Draco clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth, "Spend a night in a creepy forest then spend the day after watching whatever films I want?"
You nod; watching him deliberate. Eventually, he smiles, "You have yourself a deal."
Together, you both join the group gathering just to the side of the entrance to the forest. Draco's hand does not leave yours as the guid introduces themselves; preparing you for what you could be in for, "Welcome to the Pendle Witch Walk," The guide announces, "Tonight we will be following the trail of those executed in those fateful trials."
Your hand squeezes Draco's as nerves settle in your stomach. Your eyes flicker between the guide; looking as confident as ever as they explain the route for tonight and the entrance to the forest. You couldn't quite tell what, but there was something out there, waiting. You could feel it deep within your bones.
A quick glance at Draco and a fond smile from him has the nerves dissipating, leaving behind a sense of calm that only Draco could ever elicit from you.
With an overdramatic swish of their arm, the guide begins to lead your group through the forest, stating, "The accused were marched on this very trail to their deaths. Convicted of the crime of witchcraft."
Draco tenses beside you. His education at Hogwarts having provided the history of the magical community; he knew full well what happened in these woods over four hundred years ago. He knew what the men and women had been accused of, and he knew the penalty. It was less than seventy years later when the wizarding community was forced to go into hiding; needing to protect their numbers more than anything.
Twigs snap under feet as the group make their way further into the forest. The cold begins to seep through your jacket; raising goosebumps along your flesh. Instinctively, you lean into Draco, desperate to feel his warmth and steady presence against you. Draco smiles down at you as he feels you press yourself against him. He keeps his eyes on the guide as he leans down to you, "Regretting your decision?"
You huff; your breath puffing out in a white fog, "Not just yet, but I'll admit I should have brought a warmer jacket."
Draco laughs; his hand leaving yours to wrap around your shoulder. You hum happily as he tugs you closer to him; stealing a glance up at him to find him already watching you with a fond look on his face.
"What?" You mouth; not wanting to disturb the guide as they explain the warring families that met their demise on these very hills.
He shakes his head, "I'm just thinking of all we could be doing if we weren't here right now."
You roll your eyes and nudge him in the side, "Let me remind you Draco, it was you who wanted to doing something spontaneous for Halloween. Here we are, doing something spontaneous."
Draco goes to reply, but he doesn't get chance. You trip over a tree root, landing unceremoniously on the ground. Draco clamps his lips shut; repressing all manner of laughter as you stand back up and brush yourself down. Your black jeans now soaked through with mud and your palms scraped up after landing on a rock.
The air stings your scraped palms, but you don't say a thing as Draco joins you by your side. The group is only a few feet from you; unable to lose true sight of them with the guide's torch being as bright as it is. You frown as you stare down at your hands; wishing for a bottle of water to clean them.
Carefully, Draco takes hold of both your hands, looking over them with a keen eye. He brings them both up to his lips; placing delicate kisses to each palm before folding them into fists. "Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere else?" He asks; voice full of concern and worry.
You tuck your hands into your jacket pockets; blinking away the sudden tears that have sprung from the sting of your injuries, "I think I've hurt my knee too, but there's no way to check until we get home."
Draco sighs; eyes wandering towards the group who are waiting patiently for you both, "Are you okay to walk?"
You nod your head, "It's probably just a bruise. Come on, the rest of the group are waiting."
Draco rolls his eyes as you wander away, a few steps ahead of him. He watches you from behind; worry and concern still flooding his veins. Initially, he was all for the idea of a witch walk in October in Lancashire. He had complained to you a few weeks prior that he so rarely did anything spontaneously, and you had gone out of your way to surprise him with tickets to a witch walk – following the path of those executed in Britain's most famous witch trials.
He supposes he should be more grateful because he is. He is grateful, but as he watches you rejoin the group, not missing the way you shiver against the chill of the forest, all he wants to be is tucked up in bed with you and some hot water bottles.
If anyone asked Draco for what his ideal day would look like, it would be exactly that. You, him, films, and bed. He doesn't want much more; he doesn't need much more. All he needs really, is you.
Draco hurries to join the rest of the group; the guide picking up where they had left off on their account of the assizes that found the ten – eight women and two men - guilty of witchcraft. Draco makes his way to your side; not missing the way you've tensed up with the discomfort of your palms and your knee. Gently, Draco pulls one of your hands from your pocket. He drops a kiss to the top of your hand before holding it gently in his. If he had to walk through a haunted forest on a dark and damp night in October, he would hold your hand all the way through it.
