A Beautiful and Terrible Truth

Chapter 13

I sighed. “Then it must’ve been all inside my head. I just wanted to hear her voice so badly.”

“That,” Mitch just kept going, “or she’s not really dead.”

“What are you saying, Mitch?” Micah asked, sending his brother a glare. “Are you saying that his aunt lied to him?”

He nodded. “That’s exactly what I’m saying. Bellatrix Lestrange is not the most trustworthy witch.”

I shook my head. “She would never do that. Not to me. She never has before.”

“But if it helped her out greatly, then she would’ve done it,” Mitch stood up and walked over to me. “She is selfish. She would’ve put herself before you any day. Trust me; I’ve seen her in work. She’s lied to your mum quite a few times just to get what she wants. Don’t think that for a moment that she would spare you from it too.”

“How could she benefit from me despairing over the fact that my girlfriend is dead?” I just couldn’t believe that this guy was questioning my aunt, who had never faulted me ever before.

“Then you wouldn’t rebel against marrying Lila.” Surprisingly, it was Micah who had answered. “It makes sense. Doesn’t it, Draco? I mean, for once, Mitch actually said something useful.”

Mitch shook his head at his brother. “Shut it, would you?”

I couldn’t say anything to that because it did sound like something my aunt would do to someone else. I just didn’t know whether or not to believe that she would actually do something like that to me, her nephew, her flesh and bones. My fist tightened on my knee with new anger, anger that I would find out to either lash at Mitch or at Aunt Bella.

“Hey,” Lila startled us all as she walked into the room with her pink nightgown on that only made it down to her thighs. I rolled my eyes and looked away. “Could I talk to Draco alone?”

“Sure,” Micah said and stood up, grabbing Mitch by the arm and dragging him along with pleas of trying to talk to Lila, but Micah wouldn’t have any of it. He closed the door behind them with a rather loud slam.

“What is it?” I asked rudely and not looking up at her because I knew exactly what she wanted from me.

“Well,” she started as she sat down next to me on the window seat and put her hand on my knee, “we decided that the wedding was going to happen on December twenty-fifth. What do you think?”

I rolled my eyes and pushed her hand, which was traveling higher, away from my leg. “I think it’s a right good way to ruin our Christmas.”

“Draco, I thought that…” she trailed off as she watched me stand.

I knew exactly what she was talking about, the night that I got a little too tipsy and kissed her when we were talking privately. I only remember it because I regret it, but obviously, it only made her believe that the heart does grow fonder. I mean, I had been avoiding her all summer, mourning the death of the girl that I had loved, still loved. Then out of nowhere I kiss her. Mind you it reeked of firewhiskey, but I don’t think she minded in the slightest.

“Lila, we need to talk,” I said as she slowly stood and looked at me with those big, beautiful brown eyes. “I can’t do this. Whatever is going on between us isn’t there and never will be. I know I messed up, but you have to believe that I was out of sorts at the time we kissed.”

“I know. You reeked of firewhiskey, but I just thought that your real feelings were coming out for me,” she paused. “I thought you’re feelings were matching mine.”

“Are you saying that you’re falling for me?” I asked and when she nodded, I cursed. “Bull shit. I don’t believe that in the slightest. You’re just hoping that we’ll end up being each other’s true love just because we’re arranged to be just like you did when you first arrived here. Well, it’s not going to happen. I’m in love with someone else.”

“With a dead girl!” she shrieked. “Courtney is dead and she’s never going to come back. Don’t you understand that? I’m standing right in front of you, Draco, as real and alive as can be. Why can’t you just accept that I’m willing to love you?”

“Because,” I walked over to the door and opened it, “willing to love someone and wanting to love someone are two entirely different things. Also,” I knew it would hurt her, but I needed to say it anyway because it was the truth, “I will never give my heart to another. Courtney owns my heart in life and in death.”

She took in a deep breath. “Are you saying that you’re never going to get married?”

“That’s right.”

“But, Draco, I lo-“

I raised my hand and cut her off. “No, don’t even say it. You don’t love me, and I don’t expect you too. Now, if you really want to talk about who you love, who you look at with affection every day, who you laugh at every single joke, who you try to distance yourself away from then-“

“Don’t tell him!” she shrieked. “You can’t under any circumstances tell him the way I feel. My parents and his would disown us for going against the Dark Lord.”

I sighed. “You’ll have to tell him sometime, Lila. Now just might be the right time just so you can have some time with him before something awful happens. Don’t regret never telling the true way that you feel. Trust me; it never works out for the best.”

She nodded. “Do you think he feels the same way about me?”

I smiled. “I know so.”

“I dunno if I should…”

“Do it, but be sure to watch out for his brother. He’s in love with the wrong girl for sure.”

She nodded and walked towards the open door and stopped right in the middle to turn and look at me. “Are you sure that you want to live with the pain?”

I nodded. “It’s the most beautiful pain in the world.”

I watched as she walked away in the direction of Micah’s bedroom and silently knocked on the door. If I couldn’t be with Courtney at least I could make sure that another true love could be. I closed my door to hear a peaking on the window pane. I walked over to the window to see a phoenix, very similar to Dumbledore’s Fawkes. I opened the window and it dropped an envelope to the floor with a very familiar handwriting scribbling out my name on the front. I picked it up to see something was writing on the back of it.

“Run to the ends of the Earth for her. She’s not the one that’s broken your heart. It beats in time with yours if you can hear it. Don’t be caught in the past, look towards the future. There’s a beautiful and terrible truth for you inside this envelope. Read with care and be sure to follow the instructions carefully. Good luck.”

My heart skipped a beat. She was alive? Aunt Bella really did lie to me then? In that moment, I felt like I didn’t know anything. I didn’t know my heart well enough. I didn’t know my aunt as much as I thought I did. I don’t even know what exactly is in that envelope. All I know is that she’s my forever; that’s my beautiful truth.

A/N: Aww. Draco is so sweet. You notice how the last line is in present tense? It’s there for a reason! Haha. Anywho…this update is in celebration of Secret winning the watty awards for ‘On the Rise’ Fanfiction. Exciting, right? THANK YOU ALL WHO VOTED!

Shout outs to awkmatsu for the song. It’s in the winning trailer just in case you haven’t realized. It’s the perfect song for Draco in this story, don’t you think?

Shout outs to Miss Frenchie because you should read her story ‘Mother Blood’, which is the first book in the series! There’s a second one called ‘Before Mother Blood’, but I would recommend that you read the previous one first. It’s pretty good. xD

LOVE YOU ALL!

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