Toxic

Floodgates

"The things that they did. That they enjoyed doing. The things they made me do... And I..." he stopped speaking his eyes traveling around the room, looking anywhere but at her. He wasn't sure he could keep talking if he looked at her right now. "I was powerless to stop any of it. Couldn't even walk away. Or I suppose that I could have, but I didn't. I stayed. Because I knew if I left, they would punish my mother for it. I didn't care what they did to me or my father, but I couldn't let them hurt my mother."

He finally looked over at her, seeing her blue eyes wide and glistening with tears. Hell, that was not what he wanted. He hadn't meant to make her cry.

"Liv, you don't... I'm sorry. This isn't about you. Just... you have to understand... with Wood being who he is and me being... We're just destined to never trust each other," he said with a sigh. "Everyone... they think that I'll never change. That I'll always be a Death Eater, believing that I'm better than everyone because of the fact I was born into a pureblood family. Blood status doesn't mean shit. It doesn't give you a brilliant mind or bravery or... anything. Sometimes it gives you privileges others don't have, money, but... I've spent the last several years trying to prove to the world and I guess in a way to myself, that I'm not that person anymore. That I can make a difference. That I'm not defined by my past or my fucking pureblood name.

"And to make amends for what I did back then. But Merlin, some days I wonder why I even bother when so many refuse to believe me," he said haggardly.

"I believe you," she said, her voice soft. He looked back at her. "I do. And I trust you. I know you won't steal my work or... Sure we had a rocky start in the office, but I don't think you're some... monster. And really, I think I owe you the apology."

"You don't-"

"But I do. When Oliver was telling me about your past, I jumped to conclusions when I should have come straight to you and asked you about it. I mean, that's what we're supposed to do as scientists, yea? Get all of the facts before we come to a conclusion? And, part of me even then knew that you weren't like. Not now. You've done nothing so far to make me think that I can't trust you," she said, taking a step towards him.

Draco couldn't help but think he had, though she didn't know. Hadn't he been plotting to try and take her job not all that long ago? To ruin her career. Though he was grateful that they hadn't acted upon it and dropped the plot entirely, he still felt guilty.

But he hadn't really known Liv then. Once he started to learn more about her and who she was, there was no way he could ever intentionally hurt her, he realized.

"I've got trust issues too," she said, wrapping her arms around herself as she looked to the floor. "Nothing like that, but... Suppose I should start from the very beginning... " She took a deep breath.

"My parents met at Ilvermorny their first year. At first my father and his friends... they didn't really make life easy for my mother. Her parents were no-maj and all. And she was from a poor neighborhood. But in private, he was kind to her... started treating her nicer in public and all. And then... they fell in love."

Olivia didn't look at him as she spoke and Draco wasn't sure why she was afraid to look at him. But from the way she hesitated here and there, he surmised that this was a story she didn't often tell. He wanted to walk across the room and take her in his arms, let her know that it was okay to tell him, but he didn't.

"As you probably know, my mother was not what my father's family would consider a good match, but he didn't care... or so she told me," she said. "They were going to run away, but the night they had planned to, he didn't show up. Instead it was his mother and she told my mother a bunch of lies, or - I don't know. Mom kept trying to get in touch with him, but she couldn't. And she saw the engagement announcement and that's when my family moved to Arkansas. She found out about me afterwards... she never told him. But she named me after him. Guess since I was the last piece of him she had."