Tam Riddle: Sometimes the Hero Doesn't Win (HP Fanfic)

They Know I Know We All Know

I watched him go. I sighed and sat back down on my bed. I reached over to my pillow and grabbed my hoodie. I pulled it over my head and sat there a few moments.

When I walked out my door, I could feel pressure on my chest. As I got closer to the door, the pressure got heavier. When I exited the door it eased up slightly but it was still pretty heavy. When I got out of the dungeons and headed toward the Great Hall, it started to lighten up making it easier to breathe.

Why that happened? I don't know. But when I walked through the doors, I saw Alex talking to Harry.

Harry saw me and waved me over. Alex turned to look at me and smiled. I kind of hesitated before walking over to their table and taking a seat next to Alex.

"We need to talk to you," Alex said as he put his arm around me.

"What about?" I asked, not really interested.

"Now don't get mad but-" Harry started to say.

"-But we think Malfoy is a Death Eater," Alex finished, a look of mixed anger and concern covered his face.

I could feel my eyes grow wide, they knew? But how? I became very concerned for the well-being of Draco. Apparently they took it the wrong way.

"Don't worry, Tammy," Harry said. "We'll straighten him out and protect you."

"Yea," Alex said. "I won't let him hurt you."

"What?!" I said, a bit louder than intended. "No, are you guys crazy?"

They thought I was protecting them.

"Don't worry we'll be fine," Harry said.

"Yea, but Malfoy won't be," Alex said. "I am sick of the way he treats you," he said glaring across the hall at Draco, earning him an icy glare himself.

"What?" I said. "No, I'm not concerned about you guys," I said and that took them aback a bit. "He's my friend. You hurt him and I swear I will never talk to either one of you again," I said, my voice dropping into a deadly snarl as I glared at them. I could feel my neck get warm with anger, and if I wasn't careful, my hair would turn into flames.

I tried calming down as best as I could.

"Look, guys," I said through gritted teeth. "You don't get it. He would never hurt me."

"That's what you think," Alex said.

"He's nothing but scum," Harry said.

That stung, that really hurt. How ironic, they were worried about him hurting me, when they were sitting right here and tearing my heart out of my chest.

I tried to swallow back the tears. I didn't say anything as I stood up and walked out. Ignoring their calls to come back and to wait up. I was halfway out of the hall when I heard them running to try and catch up to me. I sprinted out the door and out onto the grounds. I ran and ran until I found myself standing in front of a very creepy tree. I heard footsteps come up from behind as they slowed and turned into panting.

"Tammy," Harry shouted between gasps for air. "Get away from there. That's the Whomping Willow!"

I couldn't hear him, my heart was pounding in my ears. I walked toward it. The tree twitched and some snow started to shake off from its branches.

I touched the bark, and it shuddered under my touch. I saw the opening at the base of the tree and I slid inside.

"TAMMY!" I could hear Harry yell. Then I heard thuds and thumps and I knew the tree was keeping them back. I didn't look back as I walked down the tunnel.

There were cobwebs all over it. It was almost completely dark. I came up to a door and I opened it. I was inside a house. There were scratch marks all over the walls and the curtains were torn to shreds.

I saw a trail of dried blood leading up the stairs. I followed it.

It led me to a really tattered room, the bed was broken and the piano was covered in dust and webs. I looked around and walked over to the window. I pulled the curtains away and I could see Hogsmeade in the distance.

The Shrieking Shack.

I took a few steps back. I heard the stairs creak. I spun around and saw Draco come slowly up the stairs.

I looked at him and he looked back. I couldn't take it anymore and tears started to run from my eyes. He ran over to me and held me in his arms.

"Shhh," he said. "Everything is going to be alright."

"No its not, Draco," I said in between sobs.

"Yes, yes it will," he said running his hand through my hair.

"Draco, they know," I said as I looked up at him, tears still falling from my eyes.

"What, what do they know," he said softly, as he brushed the hair from my eyes.

"That you're a Death Eater," I said as I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand.

Judging by the look on his face, he had no idea that I knew. He stiffened in my arms and pulled back enough to really look at my face.

"Ho-how do you know?" he stammered as his eyes got bigger.

"When you slept in my room last night, I was curious and I had heard a lot of talk about it while we were at the Burrow over Christmas break. I saw it last night," I said as I sniffed.

He hugged me to him and proceeded to tighten his grip on me.

"I'm sorry, I wanted to tell you, but I didn't know how to tell you," he said and I could feel something wet hit my head. He was crying too.

"I wanted you to tell me yourself," I said, "but I wanted so desperately to protect you."

"You don't understand," he said.

"Then help me to understand, Draco," I said.

"I'm trying to protect you," he said. "The Dark Lord wants you on his side and he'll stop at nothing to have you."

My insides went cold. So he'll be coming for me soon?

I buried my face into his chest.

"I love you," I said.

"I know," he said. "I love you, too."