Monsters

thirty four

"Harry must've told them all about the- the mark." I say and motion to all the eyes. Blaise turns around and looks at them all.

"Shove off." He shouts at them and they all stop looking.

"Thanks."

"Don't worry about them, okay? If they can't believe that you didn't get that stupid fucking mark by choice, then they aren't your real friends." Blaise says before pulling me into a hug.

"Thanks Blaise." I say and smile weakly.

I sit down beside Theo and start putting food on my plate but i'm not very hungry. It's weird... I always eat breakfast. I'm always hungry but today I just feel tired and stressed. Malfoy getting kicked out of his house, losing his inheritance because of me? Word spreading about how I have the mark.. it's too much and even thinking about eating right now makes me feel sick.

"You going to eat?" Theo asks quietly.

"Not hungry right now." I say. Normally i'm engaged in the conversation but my mind is else where and I can't focus.

I was so out of it that when I finally turn around to see if it's time to leave yet, Draco was sitting beside me. I didn't even realize he was here.

"Good morning." he says to me as he pulls me into his chest. "Have you eaten yet?"

"No. Not hungry."

"Maya, you have to eat something. If you don't, you'll be hungry in class." He says but I shrug my shoulders.

"How about we eat some strawberries? I know you love strawberries." he says and picks one up. I open my mouth and take a bite and he smiles.

I know he's just trying to help but i'm not in the mood for this, for any of this really.

"Are you okay?" He asks me and I shrug my shoulders again but this time he puts his hands gently on my face and forces me to look at him. My eyes start filling with tears and he wipes them away.

"Let's go for a walk." he says as he helps me up and guides me towards the door. Of course, before we actually made it out, we were stopped.

"Maya...?" A famillar voice calls out and I stop.

"yeah?" I say quietly and without looking them in the eyes. It was Fred and George.

"Harry um- he told us what happened." George says.

"Okay." I say.

"It's not- it's not true is it...?" George asks.

I shrug my shoulders.

"Maya... why?" Fred asks.

"I- I didn't want it." I say but my eyes filled with tears again.

"But it's true...?" George asks.

I nod.

He stares down at me with dissapointed eyes before turning on his heel and walking away.

"George-" I cry out but it was too late. He was gone and now Fred was staring at me.

"Fred... please just let me explain.. I swear to you I was forced... please." I cry out but he just stared at me in disbelief.

"You picked their side.... Over your brother...?" Fred asks. He's always been one to prioritize family so I understand how this might look to him but I just need to explain.

"No- Fred I didn't pick this.." I say but he shakes his head.

"I thought you were better than that Maya..." He says before walking away.

"Fred-"

"let's get you out of here." Draco says as he helps me out the door and takes me to the room of requirements.

I collapse the second we enter the room but he catches me and pulls me into his chest.

"It's okay, I'm here Maya." He says as he rubs my back and lets me cry into his chest for as long as I need to, not once letting me go.

-

About 45 minutes later I stopped shaking and I could finally talk.

"What happened this morning? Before the twins?" He asks me, sitting me down on the couch and then sitting beside me.

"I was just thinking about everything that happened I guess and feeling very.. um guilty." I admit.

"Guilty?"

"Yes."

"Why? What do you have to feel guilty over?"

"They're your family... and you walked away because of me."

He paused for a second.

"First of all, you lost your brother because you chose me, so why is that any different?"

"Because my brother and I haven't really been family for years..."

"I see no difference from you and Harry and me and my father." Draco says. "He's the reason I have this fucking mark and he's the reason you do too."

"I'm sorry..."

"No. You have no reason to be sorry. I don't regret walking away from all of that.. I chose you and I'll always chose you."

"Draco.."

"I'm not good with talking about my feelings Maya... i'm distant and cold because that's how my father is but i'm trying to be better."

"You're not like your father.."

"The only reason that I might turn out to be not like him is because of you." He whispers.

I smile.

For a moment, that's all we needed.

"I've been meaning to ask... what did you and my mother talk about?"

"You." I say. "She told me that you're stubborn but you obviously care about me plenty if you're willing to leave everything for me.."

"I've never seen her be so kind and welcoming to any of my other girlfriends... I mean not that I brought that many home but Pansy... my mother was so cold towards her."

"She told me she can see how much I care about you."

We talked about his mother a little more before we eventually made our way to class. Better late than never. Harry and Ron gave me a weird look when I walked in but Hermione didn't. She smiled at me. Like actually smiled at me...? What the- I smile back but honestly... what the fuck?