»»———— FOR HER OWN GOOD ————««
Val sat in the Great Hall between Draco and Lolita with all the other students and faculty currently inhabiting Hogwarts. There was a deep silence set over them. Things felt weird without him around, without his smiling face. There was a chill that rattled their ribs and spine. An emptiness was left amongst them without his presence. Draco held Val's hand tightly in his own, knowing how this affected her. She was just starting to get over her fear of abandonment, and now she'd lost Cedric. Despite her feelings for Draco, she was always going to care about the boy deeply. She loved him, she'd come to love all her friends. And as she always said, Cedric was the most kind person she'd ever met. He'd deserved the world, and the world deserved many more people like him. If there were more people like him, maybe they'd be okay. But, instead, the world was ridded of him. And that didn't feel right at all. Everyone was devastated over his death.
"Today, we acknowledge... a really terrible loss." Dumbledore stood from his chair. Even he, the wisest wizard of all time, was having a hard time finding the right words to say that would correctly honor Cedric's memory. At the same time, he had to do something that was forbade of him by the Ministry but he felt he owed everyone the truth— especially Cedric's memory. "Cedric Diggory was, as you all know, exceptionally hard-working, infinitely fair-minded, and most importantly— a fierce, fierce friend. Now, I think, therefore, you have the right to know exactly how he died." He stepped up to his podium, then. "You see, Cedric Diggory was murdered." That sent a pang through everyone's hearts, because of course they didn't want to think of it that way. They didn't want to think about the pain he felt before he died. They just didn't want to think about it at all. Val swallowed hard, trying to remain her composure in front of everyone. She'd cried a million times in Draco's arms. He felt so bad for her, for everyone. They'd sustained an insufferable loss. Nothing would ever be the same after this. "He was murdered by Lord Voldemort himself. The Ministry of Magic does not wish me to tell you this. But not to do so, I think, would be an insult to his memory. Now, the pain we all feel at this dreadful loss reminds me, and reminds us, that while we may come from different places and speak in different tongues, our hearts beat as one. In light of recent events, the bonds of friendship we've made this year will be more important than ever. Remember that, and Cedric Diggory will not have died in vain. You remember that, and we'll celebrate a boy who was kind and honest and brave and true, right to the very end."
"It was beautiful, what he said." Lolita commented quietly as they all walked mostly in silence back to their Common Room. No one really wanted to say anything. They were all affected by this. And, if Dumbledore claims he was killed by Lord Voldemort and he's truly returned, that was even scarier. Some people were choosing not to believe it, but Val knew it was true. People would start to believe when the signs became even more clear. Things were literally never going to be the same. The comfortable life Val was so used to living, even if it became a little different this year due to the addition of her new friends... It was never going to be comfortable again. Because she knew she had a bigger role in all of this. Nothing was ever going to be easy. They were going to struggle with choosing the right path and the easy one. Val wasn't sure if she was strong enough to withstand what lies ahead.
"Dumbledore always knows what to say." Theodore nodded in agreement, holding her hand tightly in his as they swung their arms back and forth. Everyone was holding onto each other a little more tightly after what happened. They didn't want to lose anyone else.
"Do you really believe You-Know-Who's back?" Lolita asked, glancing at them all. Most of their eyes were staring at the stone floor below them, not even finding the motivation to look up. Everything was so sad and dreary.
"Yes." Blaise nodded confidently, and they all looked over at him. It wasn't a secret that most of their parents were Death Eaters. Like Crabbe and Goyle, and him. They were raised to be this way, but that didn't make it any better. Blaise had practically just declared his allegiance to the Dark Lord.
Lolita scoffed as she looked at him, disgust filling her eyes. "I may be a Slytherin, but I will never understand it. I hope we never experience anything like that ever again, losing someone we care about. He deserved better. He didn't deserve to die the way he did."
She walked off quickly, and Theodore followed after her. Things would never be the same. Before they could enter their Common Room, Severus approached them. "Mr. Malfoy, I'd like to speak with you in my office." Val began to walk with him, but Severus shook his head at her. "Just Draco, Val."
"I'll see you later." Draco reassured her, walking after the professor. He knew this wasn't going to be good at all. The words he'd said to him before had haunted his brain. Severus was a Death Eater, just like his father, but he had changed his allegiance. The man was never actually evil. Draco knew that, with the circumstances they were currently faced with, Severus was going to have a say about his and Val's relationship. The result of that was still unknown, but he was sure he was about to find out.
"Val!" Harry called after her once Draco and Snape had entered his classroom. She turned back and looked at him. His face still wore bruises and healing cuts from the battle before. They would be heading home for the summer tomorrow. She was going to miss them all, but right now, she didn't want to talk to Harry.
"I'm sorry, Harry, I can't." She shook her head, waving her hand to dismiss him. He'd been looking all over for her since it happened, but she'd been avoiding mostly everyone she could help avoid, aside from Draco. She couldn't avoid Lolita, of course.
"Please, Val. It's important. I have to tell you something." He pleaded, rushing to catch up with her. She just shook her head once more. She didn't want a consolation about Cedric's death. She didn't want to hear about some last words he'd said. She didn't want to hear any of it, because she couldn't bare it. Not right now. He grabbed her arm to stop her, and she gave him a look. "It's about Draco— it's about Lucius Malfoy."
She turned to face him, then, hesitantly giving him her full attention. He let out a sigh as he caught his breath from chasing after her. "What is it?"
"Come on," He grabbed her arm, pulling her into a private broom closet. She figured it must be a big deal if he was taking all this precaution so no one else would hear them. "When I was there, with Voldemort... He called upon some of his Death Eaters. I feel that you should know... One of them was Lucius Malfoy. I'd had my suspicions of him being a follower before, but now I know he truly is. I wanted you to know, because that means you should be careful. That means Draco isn't safe. I don't want the same thing happening to you, okay? So, whatever you do with the information, just please be careful."
"I will." She nodded, thanking him for telling her. That was good to know, but she wasn't sure what to do with that. Her father was a Death Eater, too, and Harry knew that. Even if he'd changed his allegiance, she still felt weird about it. They walked out of the broom closet and he said goodbye to her as he headed back up the stairs to find Ron and Hermione. Durmstrang and Beauxbatons were departing today, so everyone was seeing them off. Val was going to miss it. She was going to miss it bad, because she knew attending Hogwarts would never be the same as it was her first year. She didn't want to let go of that, but it had already slipped through her fingers without her control. Now, she had to focus on much more serious things. She had to find out what her purpose in all this was as soon as possible, and she needed to figure out what the Death Eater fiasco meant for her and Draco. She needed to know what it meant for her whole life, considering it affected her father, too.
"Can I ask why you've called me in here, Professor?" Draco asked him as he sat at a desk. Severus stood at the front of the classroom, just pacing around. He'd been thinking this over, and while he knew this may be a tough decision, he found it to be the best option. He'd do anything to protect his daughter, despite how much it may hurt in the beginning. In the long run, this was going to be what was best for her. He had to think of the future. He couldn't lose her like he did Lily. He would never go through that, not again.
All at once, he turned towards Draco. He didn't like the look on the professor's face. "I need you to end things with Val."
"What?"
"Your father is a Death Eater, and while I may also be branded with the Dark Mark, I am not. Voldemort took everything from me, and I will not have that happen again. My daughter is my life, and as long as she's associated with you and your family, the cycle will repeat. I do not want her involved with the Dark Lord at any capacity so long as I can help it, so I will do anything and everything in my power to protect her from him. Do you understand?" He explained, speaking the words as if he'd rehearsed them over and over. He had, and he truly felt this way. Draco knew he cared deeply for his daughter and he knew that he'd lost a lot during the First Wizarding War. But, still. He didn't think this was the way to go about things.
"I understand, sir, but I just... I don't understand." He shook his head.
"I forbid you to be involved with my daughter in any way, shape, form, or fashion, Mr. Malfoy. You will obey my conditions or I will see to it you suffer greatly." He threatened. The blonde-haired boy shook his head at him.
"If you really cared about her, you wouldn't ask this."
"You are in no position to tell me what I can or can't do when it comes to my daughter." He narrowed his eyes at him. Draco scoffed.
"Do you realize how much this will hurt her? She's afraid I'm going to leave her, because of issues bestowed upon her because of your failure to keep your family in one piece. I promised her I would never leave her, and I intend to keep that promise. I'm not doing that to her. That will ruin her for good, and she's finally getting over those feelings." He refused, and Severus leaned over his desk to get in his face.
"I don't care if it hurts her now. I and her other friends will help her through that. What matters is how she feels in the long run. I will not lose her at the hands of Voldemort. It's simply not an option. So, you will obey my wishes or I will tell her awful lies myself to ensure she wants nothing to do with you." He decided. Draco wore a straight face, because he wasn't scared of him.
"So, what? You expect me to tell her I all the sudden don't have feelings for her, break her heart, destroy her trust all over again just because you're scared of something that happened in the past?" He shook his head in disbelief at him. "I can't do that. How can you expect me to do that? How can you ask that of me?"
"The past is real! Look around you. We're living in it. The Dark Lord is back and among us once again. He will come after me for switching my allegiance. He will do whatever he can to punish me for that, and the only means he will find plausible of doing that is by her. If you cared about her like you said, you would do this. You would want to protect her as much as I do. So, tell me, do you truly care about my daughter? Do you want the best for her?" He asked him. Draco swallowed hard at that. That's where he got him. He didn't want to bring Val into that life, growing up in it was terrible. And Severus was right, he would come after her because of what he did. If she was close with Draco and the Dark Lord found her, he could kill her. If she wasn't as close with Draco, she would be protected. He would be doing his part in protecting her. It was about the future, and if Draco had any hope of being with her in the future, he had to keep her from Voldemort. He had to do his part, and that meant breaking her heart.
"What do you want me to do?" He asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Severus stepped back, pacing around the room slightly.
"Tell her you don't want to be with her any longer. That you've realized you don't have feelings for her and you don't want to see her anymore." He decided, and Draco sighed out as he ran his hand through his hair.
"Why can't you just tell her she's not allowed to be with me?!" He exclaimed.
"Because she won't listen to that! Don't think I don't know what you kids get away with in this school. It's awful, really. She will see you if she wants to. But, if she thinks you want nothing to do with her and no longer have feelings for her... if you hurt her and break her heart, she'll be sure to stay away from you. Far, far away." He explained, and Draco knew he was right.
"She's going to go back to the way she was." He looked up at him, and Severus just shook his head.
"I won't let that happen."
"But you know it will." He repeated. "She's going to be broken."
"Do you have a better idea?"
"...No."
"That's what I thought." He muttered. "Don't think I don't feel awful doing this. I wanted you two to be together, to be happy. You reminded me of myself and my little dove."
"Little dove?" Draco questioned.
"That's what I called her." He said, purposely being vague.
"That's why you gave her the name Holubice..." He muttered. "That's what I call her, too. Val."
Severus glanced over at him, and it hurt him to think about what was going to happen. None of them could be happy for a second. Voldemort takes and he takes and he takes, and it seems he never stops no matter the efforts taken. "This hurts me as much as it does you, I promise you. Do you think I want to see her face everyday after it's done? To see the heartbreak and pain and brokenness? Do you think I want to see her go through everything I went through? No. I don't one bit. But, she's my daughter. She's the only person in this world I truly care about with every ounce of my being, and I won't let anything take her away from me. I know you care about her deeply, Draco. I can see it. And I am so sorry that things have to be this way, but they do. Please promise me you'll do this."
Draco was silent for a moment, but he knew it had to be done. This was the right decision, not the easy one. This was how things were going to be for now one. They were never going to be the same. Even if there was hope for the future, even if Harry does defeat him in the end like he's prophesied to, there's no telling whether or not Val will ever forgive him for this. But, he couldn't stand being without her. He couldn't stand the thought of this world being without her, as it is without Cedric. "I promise."
"You must say what I told you to. You must crush every hope of a relationship she has with you. You have to destroy the trust she has for you. I know I'm asking for a lot, but I see this as our only viable option." The professor examined him. Draco's face was pale, as if he'd be sick. His eyes were glossy, and he was biting down on his lips hard. This was going to hurt Severus as much as it was Draco and Val. He had no doubt that Draco cared about her, which was why he was confident he would perform his task well. He hated more than anything that it had to be this way. It reminded him all too much of him and Lily now, more than before. Because it never worked out for them, and it wasn't seeming to work out for Draco and Val, either.
"I will. I'll do it." Draco rubbed his forehead, the words coming from his mouth breaking the lump in his throat. He didn't want to cry in front of Professor Snape. Draco didn't cry in front of anyone. He never let anyone see him in a state of weakness. He hardly ever cried as it is. But, he would come to find it'd be an often occurrence following this. Severus knew Draco's love for his daughter was real. It all only made him feel worse, but he wouldn't do it. He wouldn't lose her.
Val was packing her things in her dormitory along with Lolita in silence. This was how she was before, but not now. Lolita found it odd how silent the girl was being. She assumed it was because she was still devastated over Cedric's death. She wanted to make her feel better, she hated seeing her like this. "Durmstrang and Beauxbatons are about to depart. Shall we go say goodbye to our new friends?"
"You can." Val shrugged, continuing to properly fold her clothes as she placed them neatly in her trunk. Somehow, the thing was magical enough to fit all her outfits. Lolita stopped what she was doing to give her a look, but her back was turned to her. It had been this whole time. She couldn't read the look on her face that way.
"Val, Cedric wouldn't want—"
"It's not just about Cedric." She shook her head, speaking in an ominous tone of voice.
"You can tell me..." She whispered, wanting to be there for her but a little frightened by the way she was acting. Everyone was on edge after Dumbledore's speech about Voldemort. Lolita didn't want to believe it, but even she knew he was truly back. You could see it all over her friends' expressions. They knew firsthand of the world of the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters, because of their parents. Lolita's parents were never involved in any of that. They were good people. She was even the first person in her family to be sorted into Slytherin.
Val desperately needed someone to confide in about this situation, and she knew Lolita was the only option she had. She wasn't on either side, neither good nor bad. "Draco's father is a Death Eater. And I don't really know what to do with that."
Lolita nodded, swallowing as she suddenly became serious. Val had never seen the girl look so serious in her life. She walked over and sat down on her bed before Val. She did the same. "You need to be careful."
"I know."
"You don't want to be involved in any of that. You're a good person, whether you're a Slytherin or not. I know you don't stand with him, so don't. Don't let anyone influence you. This is your life. But I know you want no part in that. So you need to be careful." She told her, and Val nodded.
"What do you think it means for Draco and I's relationship?" She asked, and Lolita shrugged. She was normally so good at reading situations, always being right about the outcome. This time, she wasn't so sure. Everything was just so unpredictable and that scared her. That scared everyone.
"Draco is a sweet boy. He may put on that façade he does, but that's not really him. He's kind and caring and sensitive. He's good. He's still just a boy. We're all still kids. That doesn't mean that Voldemort and Draco won't be closely associated. This was set out before him and it's out of his control. We can't blame him for anything that happens in the future, because he didn't ask for this. But you have control right now. You can choose whether or not you're closely associated with Voldemort because of your relationship with Draco or not. I'm not saying you should end things with him, I'm just saying... to be careful." She thought aloud, and Val sighed out. She didn't want any part of this, and neither did Draco. It wasn't fair, any of it. She hated Voldemort with every ounce of her being. "Come on, let's go."
Val followed her out of their dormitory. She didn't see Draco anywhere, and she wondered what her father had said to him. Maybe it was about his grades... No, that couldn't be it. Draco excelled at his schoolwork. She just pushed the thoughts into the back of her mind as they ventured out to the entrance courtyard where everyone was gathered. They were all laughing and smiling, having a good time. They reminisced over the fun times they had this year. They were happy to have made new friends from each school. Val had made tons of friends, and she loved them all. But nothing was ever going to be the same. She just wanted to enjoy the feeling of a Voldemort-free world just for a second longer, but his presence was looming over her like a weight on her shoulders. Like everything could come crumbling down and go terribly wrong at any second. That was the way everyone felt, and that's why it was so scary. He was unpredectiable and mad and powerful, and there was close to nothing they could do to stop him right now. Val didn't want to live like this. She hadn't even got eased into this like the others, as he's been trying to make his comeback for several years already. She got thrown into everything all at once, this life of loss, love, and trials. And it just wasn't fair that things have to be this way. She may be eighteen, and very mature for her age, but she just wanted to be a kid. They all did.
"Val!" She heard Hermione called for her. She looked over at the girl and forced a small smile. Harry and Ron were standing next to her. Hermione embraced her in a tight hug, and Val instantly melted into it. She hadn't known she needed it until then. It felt good. It lifted some of the weight of the world off her shoulders. She just decided to let herself enjoy this moment of solace until things got hard. She pulled away and looked at her seriously. "Promise you'll write this summer. Ron and Harry never write, but promise you will."
"I promise." Val nodded.
"Good." She sighed out with relief.
"Hey, look..." Ron stepped over to her, grabbing her shoulder. "I'm really glad we became close friends this year. You're great to be around and really hilarious. I was just wondering, when we get together during the summer at my house, if you'd like to come?"
"I would love that." Val nodded with a genuine smile. He smiled back, too, and nodded excitedly.
"Hey, guys." Seamus, Dean, Neville, Luna, Ginny, Fred and George approached them. Val just took a moment to look around at all her new and wonderful friends. She thought back to what Dumbledore had said. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad or hard with them around. If she just worked on making sure their relationships were strong, nothing could get in the way of that. Nothing could bring them down.
"So, Val, how was your first year at Hogwarts? Did you enjoy it?" Neville asked her, and she nodded quickly.
"You all know I don't say much, but... I want to say this. Thank you all for caring about me when you weren't obligated to. If it weren't for you guys, I don't know where I'd be right now. I wouldn't be as happy. You guys worked and worked to become my friend and get closer to me, and because of that, I couldn't be more thankful. I'm really glad you all did that, and we became friends. And I hope you know whatever happens, I care for you all deeply and I will always be a close friend of yours that you can trust and come to about anything." She told them, and they all grinned. Tears came to Hermione's eyes, remembering the way she used to be when she first got there.
"We love you, Val!" Luna exclaimed.
"Group hug!" Seamus proposed, and they all ran over and grabbed her, surrounding her in a tight hug. She'd never felt so good before, never felt so loved. She smiled, the happiest smile her lips had ever mustered. It didn't matter that Voldemort was coming back, because they had each other. No matter what happened, they would be fighting the good fight and they would be together. Because they had love on their side.
They all cheered and clapped as Durmstrang and Beauxbatons walked out of Hogwarts. Harry earned another kiss from Fleur and Gabrielle as they said farewell. They watched from the covered walkway in the courtyard as the Durmstrang boat shot off a canon and then sunk beneath the water, hidden as they made their journey home. They wowed at the Pegasuses carrying the Beauxbatons carriages back to their land. Hogwarts was amazing and magical, and she was more than thankful that she got to attend.
"Val!" Draco finally found her when she returned to their Common Room, along with the others. His hands shook with nervousness and somewhat anger at what he knew he had to do. There was no other way. Even if he didn't do this himself, Severus was going to make sure she never saw him again. He would rather it come from him in a civil way instead of Severus telling her lies about him. It had to be this way. It only made him hate Voldemort more and somewhat hate his father for getting his family into this mess to start with.
"Hey," She smiled softly at him as she made her way over to him.
"Can we go to your dorm? I have something private to talk to you about." He asked, and she gave him an odd look. He was being weird. Really weird. She just nodded and led the way. When they got inside, he shut the door after him. She just stood there, eyeing him as she tried to read him. Right now, she had no idea what to expect to come out of his mouth. He swallowed hard as he forced himself to put on an intimidating face. He had to crush everything they had. For her own good... for her own good. "I'm sorry, but I just don't think I have feelings for you anymore."
"What?" She whispered out, wondering if she'd heard him correctly.
"I don't have feelings for you." He said more firmly, and the look on her face broke his heart. He forced himself to put on his façade and act hard. This was for the best, he kept reminding himself, I'm doing this because I care about her.
"Does this have something to do with what you and my father just spoke about earlier?" She asked, finding this to be completely out of character for him. On Veritaserum, what he'd said... All the things he'd said to her, not just that night. The way he fought for her all school year. Nothing else makes sense.
"No." He shook his head quickly. "Your father and I were talking about a summer Potions assignment."
"So, you're telling me..." She mumbled, then raised her voice as she looked at him with slit eyes. "That after everything I said, after everything I told you... You don't actually care about me?"
"Yes." He nodded. She shook her head in disbelief at him. How was he acting like this? This didn't seem like him at all.
"You don't seem like yourself. What's going on?"
"Just accept the fact that I don't care about you like you care about me, Val!" He exclaimed, and she jumped back slightly at that. He watched as her eyes began to get glossy. She shook her head, wiping at her eyes quickly. She wouldn't let him see her cry.
"I guess I never really knew you like I thought I did." She mumbled, and he shook his head.
"No, probably not."
"Harry was right. They all were." She said, and he furrowed his eyebrows together at her. "You are pathetic."
"Pathetic..."
"Yes, pathetic." She spat. "I can't believe I ever let you in. I hope you know you're a vile creature. You knew how I felt and you played me! You're no better than my mother."
He squeezed his eyes shut at that one. That one hurt. He knew her words were true, but he tried to reassure himself that she wouldn't be saying all this if she knew the whole situation.
"But that's alright. Because I have good friends here, people who care about me. And I won't let some despicable little gargoyle like you affect that. I will no longer let my life be dictated by anyone else. Not everyone is like you or my mother. And, as someone very wise said, pain is never permanent." She walked up to him and got in his face, jabbing her finger into his chest. For a moment, she thought he looked as if he might cry. Good, she thought, that's how he deserves to feel. "I will get over you. But you will never get over me, because I'm not like the others. Your weak ego feels intimidated by that, doesn't it? No matter. It seems I'll be better off without you."
"Val," He couldn't help himself as he choked her name out. He wanted to take back everything he said, to tell her that this was what her father asked of him. But he couldn't. He knew he couldn't.
"Don't ever even look my way again. We may have the same friends, but it will be easy for me to pretend you're not even there. We both know that." She bit. He chewed his lips to the point of drawing blood, just trying to keep his mouth shut and hold his composure just long enough until he could get out of this room. "I never want to see you again. Please, get out."
He nodded, going to the door and placing his hand on the knob. There was a sudden magnetic force making him not want to walk out that door. He felt as if he should stay, say something more. But there was nothing to say. He'd successfully crushed everything, even if it hurt him more than words to do so. No matter what he said now, it would only make things worse. He knew he should stop while he's ahead. In the long run, she would be safe. That's what truly mattered. He knew he'd never forgive himself if he didn't do this and something happened to her. He couldn't do that, and neither could Severus.