We meet in words | Draco Malfoy (rewriting)

14.

Draco

Draco flinched as the silence shattered.

"Hello, darling." His mother's voice was warm, but it carried the weight of exhaustion.

He turned his head, and as soon as he saw her—pale, delicate, yet still regal in the dim light—he softened.

He moved to her without hesitation, embracing her gently, pressing a kiss to her cool cheek.

"How are you doing? How did you spend your day?" she asked, her voice laced with fatigue.

"Meh. As dull as usual." It wasn't a lie.

The days bled into each other, meaningless except for the few moments where he could carve out a sliver of control. A fight. A punch. Anything to remind himself he was still breathing.

Narcissa tried to keep up with him as he moved toward the kitchen, but her body—frail and unwilling—refused to cooperate.

"Why don't you take a nap, Mom?"

"What a wonderful idea! Why hadn't I thought of that." she remarked dryly, rolling her eyes.

Draco scoffed but was already reaching for the wheelchair beside them. He hated this thing. Hated the way she sank into it, her once-unshakable poise caged by failing limbs.

"Then why didn't you?"

"Because before I go to bed, I wanted to see my son. Is that so wrong?" There it was.

That quiet plea, wrapped in sarcasm. He swallowed hard, forcing a small smirk as he wheeled her toward the sitting room.

"So." she began, a knowing lilt to her voice.

"why were you late? It's 1:00 a.m."

"Diner." he muttered.

His mother arched a sharp brow.

"Draco, that can't be all. I can smell perfume on your clothes." He tensed.

"I won't pry, but if you're planning to provide me with a grandchild at this age, I'd appreciate a warning."

"Mom." he groaned.

She threw her head back and laughed, the sound so light it felt like a betrayal to her own body.

"What? I never got to have the 'keyhole and doorknob' talk with you. Perhaps I should before you go too far." His stomach twisted at the joke, but his voice came out cold.

"Don't worry." he murmured, bitterness seeping through.

"After what he did to you, I learned everything I needed to know." Silence.

Narcissa stilled, her fingers tightening against the blanket draped over her legs.

"We don't talk about that." she said sharply.

Draco clenched his jaw.

"How could I forget?" he bit out, running a hand through his hair.

His mother sighed, rubbing her temples as if trying to massage away the past.

"So." she changed the subject.

"who was the lady?"

"There was no sex." he clarified immediately.

Her lips curled into a smirk.

"Draco, darling, you say that as if I accused you of murder." He exhaled, looking away.

"After my fight, I went to the diner and talked to someone. She fell asleep." A pause.

"Ooooh." his mother said, wiggling her brows.