Innocent | d. malfoy

- fifty three -

"You left me."

"Aria—"

"You fucking left me... and you didn't even come back."

The tears couldn't stop themselves this time. A single one rolled down my cheek, but more followed them.

"Let us talk... please..." Evelyn seemed to be on the verge of tears too. "I'm sorry— we both are. We... we didn't know if it was safe to go back for you. The men that your father worked for— they weren't good people."

"So you just... ran away? Had another kid?"

"Aria, don't put it that way," Henry leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees and running his hands along the base of his short beard.

"How else do you want me to put it?" I looked around, taking in the back of their shop. It wasn't even a shop at all. The back was nicely furnished, a kitchen in one corner, a dining table in the other. The stairs must've led to bedrooms. "You all seem to have... established yourselves. Without me."

"We'll explain everything..."

"I— I don't think I want to hear it. I don't think I..." I took a deep breath before forcing the hurtful words from my lips. "...I don't think I want you in my life."

The painful words were true. If I stayed here and allowed them to continue talking, all I would feel was betrayal and more hurt. I'd worked so hard since the day that they 'died' to become my own person, and I was still working hard now to plan a future for myself. Letting them into the life I'd built for myself would only take me back to stage one.

Evelyn and Henry seemed hurt upon hearing my words, and I was glad. I hoped that they would feel as much pain now that I'd gone through growing up without real parents... being sent from home to home, never finding a real one other than Hogwarts.

"I want to leave..." I mumbled the words to Draco, who calmly nodded and didn't question me.

"Aria— please stay and let us ta—"

"She said that she wants to leave," Draco cut the woman off, pulling me up to stand beside him and Evelyn and Henry stood up too. "Go wait outside..." He leaned down, whispering the words to me.

I didn't have enough emotional or physical strength to argue with him, so I obeyed and walked back through the curtain, hurrying past the counter and towards the door.

It was like I couldn't breathe, even when I inhaled the cold and fresh air as soon as I was outside. My throat was closing and I was hyperventilating, unable to think clearly as I leaned against the brick wall behind me.

They didn't want me.

They left me.

They had another kid.

They started a new family, in a new city, with a new child... without me.

-

Draco Malfoy

I watched as Aria left the shop, hurrying to get out as if she couldn't stand to be with these people another minute— and I didn't blame her.

Her father ran his hand over his face as her mother sat down in her chair again. I stared at them, almost in disgust at the fact they would even think of defending their actions.

"Y—You're really the Malfoy boy?" Evelyn 'Rowen' looked up at me as if she couldn't believe that was my last name.

I gave a short nod in response to her question.

"How long have you known our daughter?" Henry looked at me, a look of confusion and disbelief on his face— and that made me even angrier with them.

"Last time I checked that was none of your concern— and don't you dare call her your daughter when you haven't been a part of her life in what? Sixteen years?" I crossed my arms as I scoffed and shook my head.

The silence that followed my statement was far too loud, neither of them wanting to comment.

"We just want the best for her—"

"No... if you wanted the best for her you would've at least tried to place yourselves in her life again. You don't deserve Aria and I hope that she never forgives you for what you've done," I shook my head, trying to refrain from getting too angry.

"Excuse me, but you have no right to say that," Evelyn stood up, her eyes filled with sorrow.

"I do, actually. I've cared about her more in the past year than you two have in your entire lives. Forgive me for saying this... but I think it's best if you don't try to re-involve yourselves in her future until she comes to you..."

They both stared at me, unable to process my audacity to speak to them in this way. It was the truth... the whole truth... and I wanted to make sure that they never forgot it.

I didn't say anything else before turning and leaving, walking in the same direction that Aria had gone. My first priority once I had left the shop was her, and only her.

"Draco..." Her weak voice caught my attention, and I turned to see her leaning against a wall as tears streamed down her face. She stepped forward and hugged me, and I didn't hesitate to wrap my arms around her in return.

She didn't deserve to go through any of this. She was too perfect for this world and I didn't want to see her in any amount of pain. I held her body close to mine, her head buried against my chest as I rested my chin on her head.

Pansy, Blaise, Theo, Luke, Cecile, and Dylan could all wait... I needed to focus on her.

She was all I cared about.

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