𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬, 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 • (𝐝.𝐦.)

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲-𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭

"It's been a week since we've been back and all I've seen you eat are apples," He said knowingly. 

"I like apples," I said. 

He then scoffed, shifting slightly and reaching into the inner pockets of his robes. Pulling out a perfect green apple, my eyes widened. "No. No force-feeding, I'm not in the mood," I joked. 

"If you love apples so much, eat this one," He said with a simple shrug. 

"I just had one. Besides, I don't like green apples," I said, crossing my arms. 

"What's wrong with my green apples?" Draco asked, scoffing and faking offense. 

"Nothing, nothing at all. I've just always preferred red ones."

Draco smiled again, the corners of his mouth crinkling ever so slightly as he looked away from me and out at the Black lake. It was a sight to see. His smile was something rare, but I liked looking at it. 

His smile eventually faltered, his natural resting face rejoining him. 

"I'm sorry about what I said... at the Zabini's ball. I- I didn't mean it," He said. 

I perked up at this, not sure what he was insinuating. I wasn't going to get my hopes up, but his rather cruel outburst did seem a little bit out of nowhere. 

I wasn't ready to forgive him yet, though. What he said hurt. It hurt a lot. 

I thought we were coming to an understanding with each other after our late nights in the common room. When he kissed me, I had to admit that I liked it. 

Then at the Zabini's, he threw me for a loop so severe, I felt as if I got whiplash. 

"You don't have to say anything," He said as if perfectly understanding the reason for my silence. 

"Draco..." I started, but he shook his head. "I just wanted to say I treated you terribly. I know that much is clear, but I hate how I acted. To be completely honest, you're the only person I can act like myself around, and I ruined that," He said. 

"What do you mean?"

"I- I tend to put up a front with the other Slytherins, if you couldn't tell. I wouldn't be caught dead reading Pride and Prejudice around them, for example," He said with a light laugh. 

"Why did you start reading that?" I asked out of sheer curiosity, and he shrugged. "You recommended it," He admitted. 

My heart swelled at those words. 

"I'm glad you can act like yourself around me, Draco. That's all I would ever want," I said. 

"Going back to what I said before, though, I really didn't mean anything I said." 

"Then why did you say it?" I asked, believing I deserved to know. 

"It's not that simple," He said, looking away from me swiftly. 

"Draco, if you can rip my heart out and throw it on the ground in front of me, I think I deserve to know why," I said, growing agitated by his aloofness. 

He said nothing for a few minutes until he finally connected our eyes again. "I wanted you to hate me. I wanted you to stay far away from me, okay?" He offered, but this only confused me more. 

"Why?" 

"Because if you get close to me, my father will want to know why. He'll want to look into you- into your family life. He'll find out you're-" 

"A half-breed," I said, understanding now. 

"Right. Your father came to Blaise in confidence because he knew that you two were friends. I overheard them talking and- Well, you couldn't become a Death Eater. I wouldn't let it happen, so I-"

"You offered in my place?" I asked, the blood drained from my face as these tragic words tumbled from my mouth. 

"It's better me than you, and besides, Voldemort only wants one from our generation. If he found out what you were, he'd have killed you," He said. 

My breathing picked up slightly as his words hit me fully. 

"No, no, absolutely not. You are not doing this for me," I said. 

"It's not just for you. I mean, mostly, yes I would like to protect you. However, my father has been insisting I do this for as long as I can remember. It would save face for the Malfoy family, especially because my father never had the guts to carry out Voldemort's bidding," He said, looking down at his fingers, twiddling them back and forth. 

"And you don't want that, do you?" I asked, knowing the answer. 

"No. I don't." 

♔

no he doesn't! let me fucking cry in peace. i am so emo over this. uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. anyway, ~character development~.