The Slytherin Princess | Draco Malfoy x Reader

Chapter 27: "I don't know"

"So what does this mean for you and me?" he asked, his voice low.

"Why does it have to mean anything?" you asked, standing up off of your bed and walking over to him.

"You can't be serious," Draco said, turning back to face you. "If you join Dumbledore's Army I can't be with you. Even if it isn't my choice, I'm still a Death Eater and I can't be with someone who has chosen to fight for the other side."

"I haven't even made a decision, Draco, why are you all up in arms about our relationship?"

"Y/N, you either have to remain neutral or we have to end this," he said firmly. "I know it's not what either of us want, but even privately, I can't risk being with someone fighting on Dumbledore's side."

"You realize you're siding with someone who wants to murder an eighteen-year-old," you said, more harshly than you intended. "You're siding with a grown wizard trying to kill a fucking fourth-year."

"Do not speak to me like I'm a child," Draco seethed. "I'd like to remind you once again that I am fully aware of what I am doing. And I would also like to remind you that I'm not doing this of my own free will. My father has been thrown in Azkaban and I have been more or less forced to take over what he had already set in motion. He lives in my fucking house, y/n, there's absolutely fucking nothing I can do to stop or change anything happening at this point."

You sighed, rubbing your arms as you hugged yourself tightly.

"Tell me, y/n, what are you going to do?"

"I don't know," you said honestly, the same answer you'd given Dumbledore just a few days prior.

"What?"

"I don't know," you repeated.

"Do you want to join Dumbledore?"

"I don't want to fight against you," you responded.

"What are you saying, then?" Draco pressed, his eyes never leaving your own.

"I don't know."

~~~

The two of you laid in silence for a while after that. You were pretty sure Draco had fallen asleep in your bed, his arms wrapped tightly around you as his chest rose and fell in peaceful rhythm.

You, on the other hand, couldn't bring yourself to close your eyes.

You had no idea how your parents would react to either of these things. You hadn't even written home to tell them about producing a Patronus. Then again, you weren't sure, maybe Dumbledore or Lupin had written them for you.

You didn't want to join Voldemort's army. That much you knew. You refused to take part in anything that you knew would only bring pain and suffering to those you cared most about.

But you didn't want to risk losing Draco by joining Dumbledore's side. To choose to be pitted against the boy you claimed to love—that was as good as spitting in his face.

You sighed as you sat up, careful not to wake the sleeping Slytherin prince at your side. He stirred slightly, but made no further movements as you lowered yourself onto the ground.

You decided to take yourself to Hogsmeade. You honestly deserved a Butterbeer.

~~~

You hadn't been sitting in the Three Broomsticks very long when Marin came strolling through the door. She lit up when she spotted you, coming and sitting at your table after placing her own order.

"Hello, Miss Patronus," she said with a bright smile as she slid into a seat across from you. "Heard you earned fifty House Points for your achievement last week."

"Yeah, I did," you said with a chuckle. "And an office visit with the headmaster himself."

Marin's eyes shot wide open, and she leaned forward so she could speak more quietly. "What did he want?" she asked eagerly.

"He wants me to join his army with Harry Potter to help bring down You-Know-Who," you said simply. You would've just called him Voldemort, but Marin treated his name like an Unforgivable Curse.

You didn't think Marin's eyes could get any wider, but lo and behold, they seemed to. "You have to, y/n, this has got to be the greatest opportunity of your life!" she exclaimed. "Tell me you said yes!"

"I would if I had," you said, watching Marin's expression deflate. "Marin, I'm the only magical child my parents have. If something happens to me during the time I'm fighting Voldemort, the magic in my bloodline will be gone."

She looked back at you still, her eyes showing surprise and disappointment, somehow simultaneously. "So because you want your descendants to be able to use wands and make potions that aren't water and grass, you're not even going to consider helping the cause?" she asked, her voice low. "That's kind of shitty, y/n, even for you."

You were shocked. You'd never heard Marin swear before.

"Marin, I'm also eighteen," you argued. "I'm a fourth-year Hogwarts student."

"So is Harry Potter, and he's fighting!" Marin cried, causing a few other patrons to glance your way.

"I'm not Harry Potter," you hissed, shoving back from the table. "I'm not siding with Voldemort, stop acting like I am."

Marin's eyes shot wide once again at the mention of Voldemort's name, but you opened your mouth again before she could respond.

"I will do all I can to aid Harry Potter himself, but I cannot in good conscience leave behind a family that may need me just because I can produce a Patronus," you snapped as you downed the rest of your Butterbeer, leaving the empty mug on the table.

You stormed out of the Three Broomsticks, your anger surprising even you.

You ducked under the branch covering your shortcut, wanting to get back to your room as quickly as possible.

You found yourself hoping Draco was still asleep in your bedroom, but once you arrived in your dorm you found there was no such luck.

Draco had disappeared the same way you had just an hour before.