CURSED [D.M]

-(82) hers to dissect and anatomize

DRACO has never felt a headache of such intensity before. As if three apparitions to Cheshire and three back to London weren't enough causes to the weight in his head, as they approached the barrier within the woods, they were met by Theo.. and Pansy. He was utterly confused when he saw her there. But so was she as her eyes landed upon those brown hair and brown eyes.

No, not Zilliah. Elara.

Zilliah had offered to Elara to accommodate her group among the Supernovian people. Elara had accepted only on the grounds that she saw everything there first-hand and deemed it safe enough for them. So she had joined Draco, Zilliah, and Layla on the way back.

But before Pansy could even make a move towards her, Draco was breathing right down her neck, demanding to know why she was there. And even though she told him to fuck off at first, she eventually gave in and answered saying that she knew of the curse and their plan to find the cure on some island, which honestly baffled Draco. But then he remembered Theo who stood to the side, his eyes cast down.

In one quick motion, Theo's shirt collar was in Draco's raging grip. He raised his other hand to deliver a blow right to his face. Theo saw it coming from a mile away and gasped out saying that he didn't give up that information willingly but that Pansy had invaded his mind and found out the truth. She was suspicious they were hiding something from her so she caught Theo off guard and used Legilimens on him. She was only in there for five seconds, he said, but she had caught enough of his memories to stick to his side like fucking bubblegum stuck on shoe soles, biting his ear off with questions, until and unless he was forced to explain it all to her and take her to the woods.

Draco asked why he didn't think to invade her mind back and erase those five seconds. He knew Pansy wasn't that good with her Occlumency skills. But Theo said he couldn't, no matter how hard he had tried.

And it only made Draco angrier and he turned on her to do it himself because there was no way he was going to endanger Pansy by letting her come with them on their mission. He took out his wand and pointed it at her only to find that she already had hers pointed at him.

He definitely would've sent out curses flying at her the next second if it weren't for Zilliah's voice that rang out to him. "Let her have her choice, Draco."

And because he listened to her words, Pansy is now stuffing food and water bottles into her backpack to take to the island. And he is not pleased about it. Moreover, to add to the scorching heat in his head, Elara is right beside her, silent and focused as she packs her own backpack as if they are a damn buy one get one free offer.

And the cherry on the cake? Blaise stands right there, watching them, his backpack already on his shoulders.

Asshole.

Getting Aneesia to make him stay didn't work out after all, mainly because it was she herself who told him to go in the first place.

"I can't watch him live his life out in regret if anything happens to any of you out there", were her words and her belief that she clung onto. And no amount of reasoning from Draco, Zilliah, or even Layla, who saw the dangers of it, had swayed her mind.

It was just great for Draco. Three more lives added to the list of the ones he has to guard with his own, no matter what. Perfectly splendid, indeed!

As he stands there, battling the feel of his mind being shredded into pieces, Theseus walks up to the group, his hands empty, no bag on his shoulders.

"I am not coming", he says out loud, halting five feet away from them all.

"Why?", Layla is the quickest to ask the question that is on everyone's mind.