Just Happiness │D. Malfoy ✔

chapter seven

A few weeks had gone by and Tara and I had been hanging out more often. We met every weekend and whenever Atrio walked her to class, I went along. Although I could tell Roman was unhappy with me, and I have a slight idea to what the reason could be. He wasn't happy that I was hanging around his sister.  Tara on the other hand seemed to feel the opposite.

On Saturday we met up in the Entrance Hall (I made sure I was there in good time so she wouldn't have to wait alone again) and walked down to the lake together with the late summer sun shining down on us.

"- and she got incredibly angry and stormed up from the sofa, but she accidentally tripped on the carpet when she was leaving the room and fell on top of the TV! It fell over and the screen cracked while the other girl was just starring a her and-" I lift my hand in a pause gesture to show I would like to add something. She stops talking and looks at me expectantly. "Excuse me for interrupting,  but what's a TV?" Her wild hand gestures stopped and she looked at me for a second before starting to explain hastily "Its a muggle contraption which shows moving pictures, a lot like wizard photos excluding the fact that that the people on the TV are acting and play out a whole role as another person" it was a quick and hasty explanation, but I got the gist so I nodded my head and she continued telling the story.

"And the thing is, I don't understand why she just left her. The book doesn't elaborate and I think the author should have explained it because I have tried to find some sort of metaphor or symbol behind her reasoning but-" Tara was talking and talking and I couldn't help but glance at her rapidly moving hands, it was so fascinating because she only started waving them around when she got really exited and I couldn't help but think it was adorable. The second she noticed me looking at her hands, she puled her sleeves down over her hands which had some new paint stains on them and looked up at me, an apologetic face directed at my confused one.

"I'm sorry. I don't know why I move my hands around so much when I'm talking, I know it's annoying" Her cheeks were red and the previous curiosity and excitement in her voice was gone. "Oh no, don't misunderstand, I love it when you get exited and move your hands about. I was simply looking because it's adorable" She grinned a surprised grin at me and continued on with her talking with a blush on her cheeks, but I could see she was trying to keep the hand gestures to a minimum. I though it best not to mention it again. 

What bothered me was that someone must have told her that her hand gestures were annoying and made her feel the need to apologize for being who she is. That didn't sit well with me. 

We ended up talking for ages out by the lake. It was warm and the sun was shining, and Tara had taken of her jumper. She was wearing a big light green t-shirt with paint on it. She seemed a bit hesitant to take of her orange hoodie at first, but when I didn't comment on her painted t-shirt she relaxed. I did not take of mine.

"Are you scared?" The question came out of nowhere. She sat up from her position lying on the grass looking at me worry and curiosity in her eyes.

"Of what?" I reply, hoping she's not going to ask what I think she will.

"That You-Know-Who might win?" -I try to keep my face natural, I cannot give myself away- "Death Eaters are killing people, they're killing innocent muggles who don't even know what's going on. People are being put under the Imperius curse, Harry Potter is officially the Chosen One and people from the Order Of The Phoenix are being watched and hunted," She gives me a quick concerned glance, "and my parents...they- they- I-I don't know what's going to happen to them. I'm so scared something will happen to them. What if the Death Eaters come to Hogwarts? What will we do then?" Tears were running down her usually sweet face and I didn't know what to do. I wanted to tell her that it was all going to be okay and that no one would hurt her. But I couldn't. I was a Death Eater. I was helping Him take over the world, in whatever small degree, I was helping none the less. And I couldn't help but hate myself for that.

 I lent forward and hugged her. She put her arms around my back and buried her head into my chest. Her tears were soaking my sweater, but I couldn't care less. I stroked my hand over her warm blond hair and whispered comforting words to calm her down. 

"I'm scared too." 

_______________

I hadn't been focusing on my task lately. My thoughts had been to occupied with Tara. Whenever I did find time to go to the Room of Requirement I found that I couldn't focus and didn't really want to focus. I really didn't want this to work, but for the safety of my family, it had to work. 

It was Monday and I just came out of Defense Against the Dark Arts, I was feeling inspired. Snape had though us something about Vanishing Cupboards and I wanted to try it. It might work, and then I wouldn't need to do this anymore. I would be done. So I rushed up to the seventh floor and walked to and fro in front of the wall, as soon as the door appeared I went inside.

It didn't work. I was angry and sad at the same time. I wanted it to be done - no I actually didn't want to do it at all - but that also meant I had to continue and try, and try. I was loosing hope. If I didn't finish this within a specific time I would be dead, and so would my parents. I didn't want that to happen.

After I had left The Room of Requirement I went to look for Tara. I wanted to talk to her.  About what, I wasn't sure. All I knew is that she would cheer me up. 

After a while of looking for her I gave up and just assumed she was in her common room. I was a bit disappointed that she wasn't somewhere I could talk to her.  It was around the same time I realized I forget my tie by the cupboard and decided to go fetch it. As I was pacing in front off the wall on the seventh floor, my mind must have been a bit higgledy-piggledy, because when the door appeared, I didn't find The Room of Lost Items, but instead found myself in a small cozy room with a lit fire, carpeted floor, sofas and loads of books along the walls. In the far corner there was a whole load of painting supplies and in front of me on the floor sat Tara looking worriedly where I had just appeared form.

Beside her, her friend Pierre Denauve had got up from the sofa at the sight of me and was starring at me, eyes narrowed, not looking at all too welcoming. It looked like they had each been reading a book or having a conversation.

"Draco? How on earth did you get in here?" Tara asked with a confused expression on her face. I wasn't about to tell her and her friend Pierre that I was actually going to get my tie that I forget while helping The Dark Lord.

"I was looking for you and must have walked by that wall out there, and the door appeared out of nowhere so I went to have a look, and here we are."

"Oh, well this is the Room of Requirement, it gives kind of presents you with a room that has what you desire in it... it's very useful."

Out of nowhere, as a second though Tara says. "Oh! I forgot! This is Pierre" She gestures to him standing, still looking at me intensely. I give him a nod for Tara's sake, but if it were only him and I, I'm pretty sure our greeting would be different. "And Pierre, that's Draco." He gives me a small nod, but looks very pissed of at my presence.

At this point I was unsure of what I should do. Would it be best to leave, or stay. I didn't want to stay unless I was asked. Tara seemed to have made up her mind quicker than I, because the next thing she said was asking if I wanted to stay. The moment to words came out of her mouth Pierre abruptly turned his head and glared at her. I stepped forwards because he did look quite angry, but to my surprise Tara looked him dead in the eye and said with the most serious voice I'd heard her use "Pierre, give it a god damn break, okay? We've talked about this." Pierre didn't seem to fazed with her use of language, but I couldn't help the grin that I was trying to hide. Tara could be a total bad ass if she wanted.