Never • The Lost Daughter | A Draco Malfoy Love Story

Chapter 58 - A Great Fight Coming

I still had the bandages covering half of my forehead. Of course, the pain hadn't left yet. The scar on my head was hurting in every move and I somehow knew that there still was some sort of crack on my scalp. I was lucky to be alive. For the first few days, I couldn't leave the bed and when I tried to walk I would fall down because my head felt so heavy and my brain practically couldn't handle a single move. At least the dizziness had left now and the bruisers had faded a bit.

Ten days had passed since the night at the Ministry. Hogwarts had returned to its previous glory after Umbridge finally blew herself out of the school. Everything had turned back to normal.

What had happened in the Ministry of Magic was common knowledge by now. The picture of Harry Potter and the Lost Daughter almost dead but still fighting together in the middle of a wrecked Ministry had made the front pages of the wizarding world. My reputation was recovered. I was now the natural descendant of Sophialine McGregory, not just the daughter of Voldemort. I didn't know if I had to like or hate the way the others considered me as a hero. And as the whole school came closer to both me and Harry, the Slytherins that some months ago admitted themselves loyal to me were pulling themselves away.

People had told me that I was more like my mother than my father and I hadn't believed them. I had seen myself trembling in the thought of my father's rage when I eventually refused to become a Death Eater and considered myself a coward when I thought about my mindset over the past year. That was closer to my father than my mother, the way I saw it.

The feeling of following what I believed in was bitter and sweet. The danger was never greater than now and there was no telling how quickly my father would turn against me. I was as much as an enemy to him as Harry. Yet, the weight of pretending had been lifted off my chest.

Draco was staying every night right by me when I was in the hospital but by the time I went out, he distanced himself as well.  That made me thinking what my decision of refusing to be a Death Eater really meant. I expected that Lucius would forbid Draco to be with me anymore, that was not a surprise at all. The practicalities of our relationship were yet to be discovered.

I felt like I could understand. The Malfoy family was being watched and I knew that feeling. As soon as Draco would step at King's Cross Station he would be followed by Aurors all the time. Since his father is suspected to be a Death Eater he could be treated as guilty until proven innocent.

I spared a moment to visit the Astronomy Tower again. It had felt like ages since I'd been here; I'd say I had almost forgotten how peaceful this place was but then again this kind of places are not easily forgotten. Draco was not there. It was expected. There was nothing arranged.

I stood silently and admired the view below.

"I can feel you, you know..." I had felt that Harry was hiding behind a large star counter. He was standing there for more than 10 minutes but he wouldn't speak. I could feel his presence. His aura was vibrating in my ears.

"How?" he revealed himself and came closer.

"I don't know... It happens when you're close."

"It happens to me, even if you're far away," he said and leaned over the railing next to me, our shoulders touching.

"We should have told this to each other long ago. I thought I was the one being creepy," I laughed. 

Harry didn't laugh much, something was holding him back. He just smiled. As we were leaning against the railing, the backs of our hands met. Another jitter, another jolt. The flashing image of Sirius passed in front of my eyes momentarily. It was him he was thinking of. Harry had no one to go back to after the Dursleys now, no one to send a letter during a difficult time.