alluringly entwined | f.w, d.m

69

Draco tried not to grit his jaw.

"He was angry when I visited him a few weeks after the holiday," Theodore went on, still anxiously pacing back and forth. "He told me I need to get my shit together. He told me I needed to stop being a wuss and man up."

Explained why Theodore was suddenly so put-together after his weeks of falling apart.

He sniffed and rubbed his free hand down his features. "He was telling me to be more like him, you know? Take matters into my own hands. I want to make him proud and I want to help him, Malfoy," he said firmly, nodding to himself. "So I helped him by taking out some of the Mudbloods in this school. I gotta start somewhere, right?"

Draco numbly nodded, unsure of what to do.

One wrong move and his friend could do something. Draco's wand was on the opposite side of the room on his desk.

Draco had spent all day trying to talk Theodore down because he noticed he was more charged up than usual. But Theodore had already killed someone before Draco even got the chance to take him to his dorm to talk.

When they'd gotten to his dorm, Draco didn't think about being in this situation and he didn't think to arm himself. Theodore was his best friend, so of course being armed seemed silly to him.

He didn't think he would be in any sort of danger with Theodore. But then things had escalated.

"My father was looking for something while he was on his business trip at the end of the holiday," Theodore explained, and twirled the knife between his fingers. "He said it was a serum or something." He shook his head, puzzled.

Draco listened to every word. As he did so, he noticed on his friend's finger that one of the green gems missing from the silver band.

Oh, shit.

"It was made with something called the silver lilac and apparently it could wipe out all the people in the Wizarding World that aren't pure," Theodore said, and swiped his tongue across his lips.

"He said there was only one and he had kept it safe with an acquaintance for years, Malfoy. Years!" he explained in exasperation, planting his hands behind his head. "But then he found out that the silver lilac had been used and his acquaintance had passed away long ago."

"Now here is the tricky part." He turned to his friend and wagged a finger. "There was only one silver lilac to exist for centuries."

"It's why your father wanted it kept safe," Draco said slowly as he sought to process the heavy information.

"Exactly." Theodore nodded and his breathing was becoming erratic. He was getting more anxious and unhinged. "So my father was pissed and he took his anger out on me and hit me and yelled at me and scolded me, blah blah blah—the usual." His hand waved distractedly.

Draco knew that Theodore lived a similar homelife as himself.

"I needed to make him proud, Draco." Theodore's gaze rested upon his blond friend, his eyes glazed over. "I needed to." He emphasized the word. "My father is a great man and he knows what's best."

Draco swallowed thickly.

"I need to live by him and be someone he can rely on, you know?" Theodore said in an unsteady voice. "I need him to be proud of me."

Draco's heart was heavy. It physically hurt for his best friend.

"So I decided to get rid of the ones who aren't pure here. I started with some of the Mudbloods because"—Theodore scoffed and thumped his head in a gesture of duh—"They're all fucking filthy."