Miss O'Riley

THE ATTIC

"Hey"

I made my way over to Draco who was sitting by the fire in the living room, Juliet and Jack were playing Exploding Snaps with the boys, Alice and her friends were in the girl's room doing god know what, and Draco was just sitting by the warm fire all alone.

"Hey", he said as I sat down next to him. I looked down at his clenched hands, a folded piece of parchment sat held in his knuckles, tightly crammed, as if he was trying to suffocate it.

"Draco, what's that?", I asked while moving my eyes back and forth between the parchment and his cold grey eyes.

"A letter from my father", he responded, while leaning back into the sofa, his eyes glistening with the sparking embers from the fire.

"Is everything ok?", I asked while leaning my arm into the cushion and resting my head on it, keeping my gaze directly on Draco.

"I've been disowned", he said blankly.

"What!", I yelled, standing up and knocking over a few cushions onto the ground. "Come with me", I yanked a confused Draco up from the sofa and pulled his arm over to the staircase.

"Michelle, what are you doing?"

"Will you just trust me"

"Fine", he said, and reluctantly followed me up the stairs, I still hadn't let go of his arm, I guess part of it was just the enjoyment of pretending to drag him up the three flights of stairs.

"Ok, watch your head", I said as I poked my head through the attic door, I was welcomed with the familiar scent of dust and old leather. My eyes scanned the forgotten room, all its walls were covered in vines and old bookshelves, a giant old chandelier hung from the ceiling, covered in dust and forgotten memories.

"What is this?", Draco asked, while observing the room in awe.

"My favourite place in the house", I pulled his arm over to the squishy couch and sat us both down. "Draco, you need to explain what's going on, I took you up here in case anyone was listening, but please tell me"

He studied me for a second, his eyes meeting mine before he got up and began to pace the hardwood floor. I brought my feet up onto the couch and tucked them under my arms, watching Draco very closely, waiting for him to speak.

"This letter", he said holding up the piece of parchment, and turning his wandering eyes back to mine, "it says that I am to grab my things and leave, cause I'm no longer welcome under my prejudiced father's roof"

"But that doesn't make sense, you haven't done anything"

Draco gave a forced laugh, and continued pacing, "That's exactly why, I've done nothing", he came and sat back down, staring right forward, "I refused to do what he said and now I'm kicked out"

"What did he want you to do?", I asked softly.

"Do you want the list?", he asked while turning his head to look at me, I nodded, and instead of looking away from me again, he kept his sparkling grey eyes looking right at me.

"Well for starters, I refused to go along with his arranged marriage"

"WHAT!", I said, my voice rising significantly, and now I was the one on my feet.

"Ok sit down please", he asked kindly, when I didn't budge, he continued, "I was planned to marry Pansy once we graduated. Obviously, I fought that, and when I refused to keep seeing her, that then drove tension in the Malfoy house. But I also refused to follow his life script for me, for example, he wants me to believe in his blood status hierarchy, then he wants me to follow in his footsteps, but really why would I ever want to be like that vulture"