Malfoy Amongst The Chaos

1st October 1996

My hands have closed around it again and I'm overcome with longing. If I'd've known, that after all this time, there was something left of them... It has torn me apart to believe that every shred of them was erased in that apartment six and a half years ago, that not a single scrap of who they were remained in this world.

But it wasn't true. My mother's amulet remained. Why would Dumbledore keep it from me for all this time?

"Dumbledore does everything for a reason." Harry answered softly.

I struggled to keep my head from shaking as anger – and magic – roiled in my stomach. "Does it not piss you off that your entire destiny has already been decided- has been decided for years... and you only found out 2 months ago?" I hurled at him, "That Dumbledore knew everything and yet said nothing until it was too late? That it took being lured by Voldemort and finding out yourself before he even said anything?"

Our pace has slowed and the steps feel further and further apart as I stomp down them, my head pounding.

Harry looks at me, his green eyes glimmering – yes, there is anger there, and he is trying his best not to show it. "It's not Dumbledore's fault-" he tries quietly, but there is no real conviction and I cut him off easily.

"It took someone else dying for you to be told!" I cried. We had both now stopped walking and my right hand gripped the banister tightly, my rings trembling against it. "You can't tell me that you're okay with that! Like you're not angry!" I shouted.

Harry flinched and his jaw twitched.

"I'm sorry." I countered immediately, catching my breath. Something about saying it all out loud made it 100 times worse. "I'm just-"

A rough barge to my shoulder cut me off and I stumbled on the stairs, catching myself on the banister and fighting a gasp. Someone laughed and heat boiled deep inside of me, I knew the laugh, knew who would be waiting for me when I looked up, and yet... I lifted my chin to meet the glare of Draco Malfoy anyway.

"What up, Maximoff?" He sneered, pale eyes glinting.

Harry climbed the stairs between us and put two hands on my arm as I snarled in response. Blood thumped against my eardrums and heat pooled in my hands, it took every ounce of strength in me to keep the red from my eyes.

Tame the beast.

Tame the fricking beast.

"Get lost, Malfoy," Harry hissed, his hand reaching into his pocket.

Draco cocked his head to the side, ignoring Harry, his smirk widening as his eyes flicked to the Holyhead Harpies badge on my new shirt, he sniggered. "Nice shirt – how'd you get your hands on that? Nick it?"

I made a furious move forwards but was stopped by Harry's weight. "She sold a few posters of your loser father in Azkaban." He snarled and Malfoy's face went white with rage.

"How dare you..." Malfoy hissed, his voice tremoring dangerously. They'd both drawn their wands before a second had passed and spells shot out from either wand tip, hissing through the air like a couple of vicious snakes. "Incarcerous!"

"Stupefy!"

The spells collided and went haywire, flashing spectacularly as they exploded back outwards. Harry shoved me downwards, out of the way of Malfoy's hex, his wand still aloft.

"You'll be saying a lot more than that when I catch you," Harry says quietly, straightening up. Malfoy's face blanches further and I glance at Harry, the rage vanishing.

"Harry-"

"You and your little secret..." he murmurs in an undertone.

Draco leaps forward but I drag myself to my feet and press a hand to Harry's chest, shoving him backwards. My hand raises at Malfoy, just an empty hand ... my body has gone unexplainably cold. "Alright, alright – stop-"