I am a Riddle | Draco Malfoy, 18+

T h i r t y - t h r e e,

Narcissus hands wrapped around my body, dragging me even closer, '' Dear, if this means so much to you — I will tell you what caused my son to leave,'' Her honest words made my neck to arch back, staring intensely into her eyes,

She tilted her head, giving me the most humble of smiles, her thumb wiping a tear off, still staining my cheeks, just like her son always sought to do, '' You must understand, Leiah, that your father is capable of many things — many cruel things, and with that dark mind, no one is safe,''

I slightly nodded, feeling how she took my hand in hers, but I couldn't focus — all I wanted to hear was why, what he did that could've been so horrible, inhuman for him to leave, '' Your father granted Draco a task, of the most vicious kind,'' My breaths hitched in my throat, my mouth hung and dry,

Narcissa waved her head, swallowing the growing hesitation, each word leaving her red-colored lips tortured her, '' He sought to it that Draco killed Harry Potter, and if he didn't, the dark lord would have killed you,''

My insides burned, ruptured, hurt as my heart completely broke,

I grasped that I should be mad, angry, furious with the blonde boy for ceasing someone of their life, but I couldn't — my heart shattered for him, the boy I loved, because he had to go through this alone, in the beliefs that no one cared, that no one stood by his side,

And even if his acts were more than cruel, unlawful — I would have been there, for every last part of it. I would've supported him, helped him, comforted him in all the ways he deserved because he always did that for me. Only the idea of how scared he must have been, how empty and not cared for he must have felt — killed me,

I flayed my eyes open, looking at his mother, her hair fell perfectly over her shoulders, the mixture of brown and blonde locks shun gracefully, '' I—,'' I whimpered, '' Don't he trust me, is that why he left?''

'' No, dear—,'' She held, once again swallowing the lump growing in her throat, '' He left because your father wanted him and Lucius to take care of more matters, and Draco believed that this was for the better—,'' Her eyes glinted in tears, her breaths slightly ragged, '' He left to protect you, he would never leave to hurt you, and I wish that deep down, beneath all that hurt you are feeling at this time, and all your sorrows, you know that—,''

'' Leaving you was the hardest thing he ever had to do—,''

_____

Following the weeks I spent with Narcissa, sleeping in his bed, resting in his sheets, wearing his clothes, we both agreed that it would be for the better if I returned home, back to the safety within the walls of Hogwarts — my father had it out for me, the ink embedded in my arm tore in agony every time he tried to contact me, to reach out to me, to bring me to him, but Narcissa told me never to give in to his tries,

And I never did. I scratched the mark till it bled, to my skin was shredded in attempts to cave his doings,

Every night since I got back from visiting his mother, I spent crying in the astronomy tower, the place everyone sought to leave before he actually did. I spent hours up there, no matter if there was a storm hauling, a windy breeze, rain pouring — I needed to be there, even if I knew that I shouldn't, but I had to because, in some strange way, it made me feel closer to both him and Luna, nearly as if they were here, as if they never left,

I did my best to forget about him, the boy who took my breath away, but still hold on at the same time, and my mind was in a constant war with my heart, not knowing what the right thing was to do, was there even a right thing about this?