the only exception | ron weasley

xvi. imposter

"Come on, Miss Winters," McGonagall said hurriedly. "I'm taking you to the hospital wing to get checked for secondary drowning and any other injuries."

Lorraine nodded hurriedly, standing with the help of the woman before she grabbed Draco's hand gently, intertwining her fingers with his own. He stared at her, mouth ever so slightly agape and eyes twinkling.

"Come on, my knight in shining armour," she said softly with a hint of a smile on her face, and he let her lead him away.

He'd let her lead him anywhere without question, as long as it was with her. He'd only be happy if it was with her. With her and no one else.

***

"Thank Merlin that you aren't sitting with Pansy Parkinson," Lorraine said with a big exhale, taking a bite of her toast as she sat across from Draco at the Slytherin table. He chuckled and nodded.

"You and me both," he replied.

"Although, I can feel her eyes burning into the side of my head."

"And I can feel Weasley's burning into mine."

At the mention of Ron, Lorraine looked at the Gryffindor table and waved happily at Ron, who only scoffed and turned back to his food. Her hand dropped slowly and the smile that was on her face was quick to fall at such a reaction.

"Arse," Draco muttered as he glared at the back of Ron's head, taking a sip of his black coffee. Lorraine hadn't actually seen him without coffee at breakfast--it was the one thing that stayed consistent in his life, she imagined. Her family owl came swooping in, dropping a delicately made letter that could only be from her mother, considering that the wax seal was of Medusa. With her mind distracted from Ron, she tore open the letter and frowned as she read the words delicately scrawled upon the paper.

Dear Lorraine,

No longer shall I sit and wait at home for some sort of response from you. It has been countless weeks since your last letter and I am baffled to know that you have forgotten to do one of the most important things in your mission--update your own mother. I best receive a letter this very day or I will see to it that I head over there myself and figure out what has you so careless. We are planning something and we cannot have your childishness come in the way of that.

Yeona

Lorraine didn't realise that she was biting her lip hard enough that she was drawing blood until Draco placed a hand over her own.

"You're bleeding, Lorraine," he said softly, grabbing a napkin and gently dabbing it across her lip, cleaning it of any blood. She was far too stressed to even process the action and only stood.

"My mother," she said stiffly. "I-I need...I need to write to her. I'll see you later." She hurried off and into her room, where she searched through her drawers to find the exact parchment she needed to write. When she had collected the necessary materials, she hurriedly scrawled down her reply.

Dear Mother,

My apologies for failing to keep you updated. Plenty has occurred and I have a great feeling that everything that I need to know about Harry will be successfully learnt from Ron. You should expect a letter next week.

Lorraine

Her family's owl sat at her window, watching her with an unyielding gaze as she sealed her letter shut with wax. Desperate to get rid of the letter, she practically thrust it into the bird's beak and watched it fly away with short but fast breaths.

And then, as if she had just signed her life away, a feeling of unimaginable dread overwhelmed her.

She had called Ronald, Ron.