Hiraeth // draco malfoy

THIRTY

"You're mine." He said, suddenly. She felt her heart quicken pace as he glared down at her. "And if you've been with someone, you need to tell me."

"And what exactly would you do if I had?" She was just curious now, as she muttered that sentence with butterflies filling her stomach. He knew the answer, as he'd probably kill someone for it. But he could never say that aloud to her. And she seemed to understand that without him speaking. He felt ready to just about storm out and murder the man who had been with what's his. Draco had a habit of jumping to conclusions when he didn't know the full story. "We didn't sleep together, Draco. He lent it to me when my clothes were soaked."

"Soaked?" He wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean.

"I impulsively ran out in the rain. Didn't have any spare clothes, so he gave me one of his shirts. That's all. Nothing more to it than a simple gesture from a friend." She smirked up at him, knowingly. He was silent. Feeling ridiculous for accusing her of doing something he knew she wouldn't, but his past haunted him. Their past. And he knew good and well that the past tends to repeat itself. "So stop being so damn jealous, and take a breath." She laughed a little, pushing him playfully.

"Sorry." He muttered to her.

"You're fine." She sighed, brushing her hair quickly before climbing into bed. He followed her, laying beside her. She looked up at the window on the ceiling which revealed dozens of stars in the sky. It was astonishing how even magic didn't compare to the night sky. "I don't plan on being with anyone except you. You're all I've wanted since the day I met you, Draco. Fred's a great guy, and I do enjoy his company and how kind he's been to me. But it's nothing more. He's simply a friend. Strictly platonic." He nodded at this. God, he felt like a real prat for being so defensive. But she had a good way of assuring her his feelings were valid. And she never grew angry for his little childish outbursts. "I'm glad you're here with me, Draco Malfoy."

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else." Except maybe his flat, with only Dru by his side, and definitely not with his old classmates. But, it sounded romantic to say, anyways.

— — —

When morning came along, the two woke up wrapped within each others arms. For a brief moment, it felt like nothing else had existed in the world, and then they had remembered where they were and what was happening, and the grief settled in. Grief for what could have been, had they never been found. And grief for a relationship in which had been doomed from the start. But mostly, grief for the future and what could possibly happen. "Morning." Dru smiled with a yawn, at Draco, as he stretched his arms upward.

"I don't even recall falling asleep." He said, in that hoarse morning voice most men got, that was somehow always attractive.

"It was somewhere between me talking about college, and you sleepily agreeing to everything I had said. Even if the answer didn't need agreement." She joked, already happy for no reason at all.

"Sorry for that, love." He closed his eyes briefly, before she stood up from the bed, and began walking toward the door.

"And where do you think you're going?" He asked, sitting up on his elbows.

"Coffee sounds pretty good right about now. Care to join me?" She asked.

"Do I have to?" He asked, yawning subtly.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to." She shook her head with an eye roll.

"I'll be down in a bit. Need to wake up some more." He leaned back onto his pillow as she nodded, heading down the hall and the stairs and into the kitchen area. Coffee had already been made, magically brewing itself, and she watched as a cup was poured for her. She stared in amazement. Still shocked that magic was real, even if she knew she held such a power none of them could quite comprehend.

"Still surprised, eh?" A voice asked, and she turned to Theo, sipping his own cup.

"I don't think I ever won't be." She laughed at herself slightly.

"To be honest, I don't understand how muggles can live without magic. Seems a hell of a lot more difficult, if you ask me." He rested against the kitchen island casually.

"Believe me, it sucks." She smirked.

"How was your night, Dru?" He asked, striking up conversation.

"Fine." She felt the heat rise into her cheeks and he noticed this familiar look she got whenever her and Draco had a night together in the past.

"Oh, just fine? I'd say by the looks of it, it was much more than fine." He joked and she blushed more, covering her face in embarrassment. Before she could respond, a loud bang came from the hall, and the two looked, trying to see what it was.

"Are we getting attacked?" She whispered to Theo who shook his head.

"Trust me, you'd know if we were." He whispered back, before the shouting began.

"Fucking hell, 'mione! We need to do something!" It was Ron, and both of them tensed up, looking to each other again.

"What did you do?" Theo asked her.

"Me? What did you do?" She asked in response.

"I haven't done anything!" He scolded her.

"And you think that I have?" She asked.

"I mean, you and Draco clearly did." He shrugged.

"Christ, Theo, I doubt Ron's pissed that I slept with Draco." She rolled her eyes at him before listening in some more.

"Ronald, please, calm down. I understand, but we can't just show up unprepared! We would all be killed and that won't help with anything!" Hermione shouted back in a sort of kind tone, but clearly needing to get him to understand, as the two of them entered into the living room area. Theo and Dru snuck behind the half wall, peering into the room, curiously.

"He's my brother, Hermione! I can't just sit around and do nothing!" Ron screamed at her, throwing his wand as hard as he could, across the room against the wall.

"We will figure something out! Just please, lower your voice!" Hermione begged him. At this point, Blaise, Pansy, and Draco all had emerged into the kitchen as practically everyone in the house could hear the yelling by now, and they noticed Dru and Theo staring into the room where the drama was taking place. They were just as confused as them.

"What's going on?" Pansy whispered to Dru, who shrugged and shook her head, looking back to Ron and Hermione.

"They're going to fucking kill him! He could already be dead by now for all we know! I can't lose another one of my family." He slumped down onto the couch, and suddenly realized they were being watched. Hermione followed his gaze and noticed the five figures watching them. "Bloody perfect." Ron muttered, in disgust, dropping his head in his hands.

"Dru," Hermione approached her, tears running down her face. This wasn't good, and Dru couldn't take anymore bad news. None of them could.

"What's happened?" Dru asked, concerned even more so now, stepping closer to Hermione, and without thinking, reaching out, wiping the tears from her cheeks. Hermione reached up, grabbing Dru's hand, sadly.

"It's Fred. He's been captured." She mustered out, shaking her head.

"Captured?" Dru asked, taken back, feeling the room close in on her. Not Fred. Not the one who had helped her through so much.

"By who?" Draco spoke up, not entirely caring, but also not not caring. It was a complicated feeling for him. If he was captured, he'd be tortured. He, for the most part, knew Fred wouldn't say anything. But he knew what torture did to people. He was often on the other side of the wand, performing it. And if Fred accidentally let slip that Dru was alive and her powers were growing— he couldn't even bare the thought. Hermione looked at them all for a second. She glanced back at Ron on the couch who hadn't bothered to look up, and then back to them, worry written all over her face.

"By Rodolphus Lestrange."