Risk ✓ || D.M

•XXIV - What's With The Avoiding?•

THE GREAT hall was filled with students. Every individual minded their own business. Besides Hermione Granger and Y/N Black, that is.

Hermione looked at Ron in disgust, as he just ate with no interest with anything else than his food, "Will you stop eating?!" the bushy haired girl exclaimed, whacking Ron with a book, "Your bestfriend is missing!"

Ron gave her an annoyed look, "Oi, turn around you lunatic!" he exclaimed.

Y/N, Hermione, and Ginny turned their heads and saw Harry Potter himself, covered in blood.

"He's covered in blood again. Why is it he's always covered in blood?" asked Ginny.

Ron shrugged, "Looks like his own this time," he said.

Harry sat down, and right when he did, Hermione immediately asked, "Where've you been, Harry?! And what happened to your face?"

The green eyed boy shook his head, but dabbed the cloth he's holding on his nose, "Later. What've I missed?"

Y/N's mind wandered off. She stared at her best friend, wanting to know what happened. But when she looked around the great hall, it seemed like she already knew what was up.

Draco Malfoy sat on the Slytherin table, his head down. It was no coincidence. Harry talking about Draco being a death eater, and a moment later, he had a bloody nose? Did Harry really confront him?

Harry could be really dumb sometimes.

"Really, Harry, what did you do?" Y/N couldn't help but ask, then averted her gaze at the green eyed boy.

He furrowed his eyebrows, "I didn't do anything," was all he said. Ginny then, with a damp cloth, started wiping Harry's bloody nose. But stopped midway, as if she felt a bit awkward- well, it looked awkward aswell. Harry took the cloth from the redhead's hand, and did it on his own, "Thanks," he said.

Y/N shook them off, and just looked across the great hall, at a certain blonde Slytherin. Feeling her eyes on him, Draco looked up. They met eyes, and even from afar, the girl could tell something was wrong.

She secretly pointed up, as if to tell Draco to meet her up at the Astronomy tower. Draco only looked back down at his untouched plate.

A sigh made its way out of Y/N's lips. She has no idea if Draco would meet her, but she has to know what's going on.

Hopefully, she gets the answers she's looking for.

But what kind of answers is she even looking for? She had no idea.

• • •

The air up in the Astronomy tower was cold when Y/N reached the very top. She missed this, the way the wind lightly hit her face, and how her robes danced with the wind. 

Memories of last year flooded in her mind. The times she and Draco spent up there, just looking at the stars, and talking about.. stuff. Anything. They never really ran out of topics.

Suddenly, she felt another's presence. Y/N turned around, and without even realizing, her lips curled up in a smile, "Good to see you again," she said.

But Draco didn't hold the same excitement. He was frowning. He looked gloomy, and bothered, and.. broken.

"What do you need?" was all he asked. His tone said almost everything. The tone he used seemed like the one you would use when you don't exactly want to talk, or as if you're annoyed of the person talking to you.

Y/N didn't like it.

"Okay, why is your tone like that? And what's with the avoiding?" she asked, crossing her arms on her chest.

Draco furrowed his eyebrows, "My tone is none of your business. And I'm not avoiding you. I'm.." he trailed off, making Y/N raise an eyebrow, "I'm simply treating you like how I used to treat you. Aren't we supposed to be enemies?"

"In others' eyes, sure. But why didn't you reply to any of my letters?" the girl asked.

The blonde let out a sigh, tucking his hands in his robes' pockets, "I didn't know I was obligated to write to you," he said.

Y/N was fuming. She had no idea what his problem is, but she has to try and ask, "What happened?" she finally asked, and as much as she hated it, she asked it in a soft tone.

Draco hated it, too. He missed her voice, even though they're basically fighting right now. Funny, because they aren't even.. anything. Were they acquaintances? No. Friends? That's what Y/N said, but were they really? Draco's too much of an arsehole to be anyone's friend. A couple?

Absolutely not. But they sure are acting like a bickering one, now.

"Nothing happened," Draco managed to say.

With a raised eyebrow, Y/N said, "Something happened, and I know it. Harry came to us with a bloody nose- did you happen to be involved with that?"

At that, Draco frowned, "Why? Because I'm Potter's enemy? Because I bully him a lot? Because I'm the only one to actually hurt him here?" he asked, and as much as he hated it, he felt a lump grow in his throat. He swallowed it. This was no time to be a coward, because this is his only chance to save Y/N from him. From everything.

"I didn't say that," Y/N sighed.

"But you meant it," Draco told her, and with that, the girl didn't say anything. He was right, and even though he expected it, it sort of stung. Draco knew he did what he did, and that Y/N was right, but it was hard to hear that even if they were.. friends, Y/N thinks that Draco is that kind of person.

He's not. This is a task, and he must accomplish it.

Were those weeks not enough? Not enough for her to know who he truly is?

But then again, did Draco really want her to know? Did he want her to know that he's a death eater? No. As much as possible, he wanted Y/N away from harm.

Y/N walked forward, holding her hand out as if to touch him, but Draco was fast to take a step back. 

"I'm sorry," Y/N said. Then a few seconds of silence passed by, and when Y/N noticed that Draco was not gonna speak, she just sighed out, "I don't know what's wrong, but I hope you know that I want to help you with it. You can speak to me when you're ready. For the meanwhile, I'll leave you be if that's what you wish."

The girl looked into the blonde's eyes for the last time, and for a second, she saw the pain in his eyes but decided not to say anything. 

She walked down the stairs with a heavy heart, leaving Draco Malfoy to think to himself.

"You can't help me," the blonde mumbled to himself, raising his left arm, and rolling his sleeve up, "Nobody can."

Draco look at his dark mark. The mark that brought nightmares to him.

Only if he could turn back time, and go back to last Summer. The times when he and Y/N snuck out, and wrote letters to each other.

But he doesn't have a time turner to do that. 

Besides, even if he did go back in time, he'll have to do this eventually. The best thing to do right now is follow his task, and succeed.

That way, he'll keep Y/N away from harm.

~~~

It won't be long until.. ;)