You'll be the Death of Me

Chapter 35

Graces was now regretting her deal with Hermione. Not that it was really a deal, but the point was that she was giving Neville his space. He didn't approach her and she didn't approach him. Days had passed like this, to the point where Graces was beyond fatigued. She had stopped having a good night's rest. Again she was plagued with night terrors, only now other horrible atrocities were in the mix: Nott cornering her alone in an abandoned room and ripping off her clothes, Draco and her mother both being tortured, her father being killed in Azkaban, the list went on and on. One dream would morph into the other and she would wake up in a pool of her own sweat and cry.

"Y-You ok-k-kay?"

Graces looked up from her book and smiled as Thomas took a seat next to her in the arm chair.

"Never better, darling, just tired."

"Y-y-you l-look m-m-more than t-t-tired," Thomas observed, leaning back against the cushion. "Y-you l-look f-f-f-fat-t-tig-gued."

"Is that your way of telling me I look like shit, Thomas?" Graces sighed, leaning against her friend's shoulder and closing her eyes.

"L-language," Thomas tittered.

"No one is around and it's late, no need to be so proper."

"Are y-you w-w-waiting f-f-for D-d-draco?"

"I don't know," Graces admitted, staring sadly out at the murky water beyond the window. "Maybe I'm just standing still," she whispered absently.

Thomas frowned at the statement, but didn't push any further. Graces looked like a wreck. There were large bags under her eyes and her cheeks held no color. It was late, he could make the excuse that she was just tired, but he had a feeling it was something more. He wondered where Draco disappeared to all the time and if he realized his sister was in such a bad way. He's in a bad way too. Thomas looked sideways at Graces leaning on his shoulder, and slowly raised his arm up to put around her. To his surprise Graces allowed the touch, and even pulled herself more on the couch so that she could rest against him.

"How are things going with Arisanti?"

"O-k-kay," Thomas shrugged.

"Slytherin lost 20 points today because you two were snogging in some abandoned hall," Graces pointed out lightly. "I would gather that that means things are going more than okay."

Thomas blushed at having his behavior pointed out, and wondered if Graces was about to say more on that subject.

"Reservation is always best, Thomas. You should know that."

"It-t's j-j-just e-easier to s-s-snogg th-than t-t-talk," Thomas blushed.

"I see," Graces hummed. "I've noticed that she is always busy when we are in the common room." Thomas narrowed his eyes at the girl leaning against him. "That makes it impossible for you two to talk, considering that you cannot speak outside of this safe haven. I suppose it's easier to snog than talk for her as well."

Thomas just sat quietly and let Graces' words hang in the air above them. He didn't really want to examine his relationship with Wendelin. She was a pretty girl who was interested in him. She would sit with him in the Great Hall, allow him to walk her to class and kiss him senseless. And for him that was enough for now. He enjoyed it. No girl had ever given him such attention before. Sure it was annoying that she was always asking him to do wandless non verbal spells. Sometimes he felt like he was watching one of his nieces or nephews and they were asking him to show them magic, but it was a fair price to pay for the company. It wasn't as though he could talk to her out in public, might as well perform a spell here and there to entertain her.