Athena awoke with a start.
Her head was pounding and sweat plastered the nape of her neck. She was breathless and disorientated, puzzled at first by her surroundings. Her hair was tangled, unkempt, and she was incredibly flustered.
Draco was no longer beside her. It bothered her. The room was still pitch black and she could not tell what time it was. Perhaps only a few hours after she fell asleep, or a few hours before she would've had to wake anyway.
She hung her head in her hands, misery and exhaustion filling her being, making her feel extremely drained.
She'd had another nightmare.
After last night she hadn't expected to, but that was only wishful thinking. It seemed like they would never go away.
It was a never ending cycle. One she so desperately wanted to break.
The bathroom door in Draco's dormitory swung open and she snapped her head up in shock. He stalked out, a cold, stern look masking his expression. She rapidly pulled the duvet around her half exposed body, concealing herself from him. He was already dressed for the day, his uniform neat and perfectly framing his body.
He halted in his steps when he saw that she was awake, and his expression flickered. Guilt, she thought it seemed.
He evaluated her appearance for a moment, lingering just outside of the bathroom door. She did not look at him, rubbing her hand over her forehead, feeling the hot and damp skin beneath her palm.
She wondered why he was up so early.
After a few seconds, Draco trudged over to the bed to sit on the mattress beside her. His brows were furrowed deeply into his eyes and a frown dragged down on his lips. He was concerned for her.
"What's wrong?" he uttered, looking at her intently. She would not meet his eyes.
"A nightmare," she replied, her voice quiet and timid. "They happen frequently. Nothing to worry about."
She shrugged it off, shifting uncomfortably under his stare.
"What are they about?" he asked, his voice calm.
She still avoided his eye contact. Her hands began fidgeting absentmindedly, while her jaw trembled slightly. She wanted to cry, but she didn't see why that was. No one had ever asked her about the nightmares before. Everyone saw it as impersonal. She'd never had a chance to open up, keeping them buried deep within her mind.
"At first they were repetitions of the miscarriage. The trauma of it all, I guess—replaying whenever I would fall asleep," she sighed, maintaining steady breaths.
His eyes widened slightly when she mentioned it. They had never directly spoken to each other about the miscarriage. By bringing it up, it was almost as if she were awakening something. Hitting a nerve or ripping a band aid from an old wound.
"But they're different now. More realistic and worse in some way. Frightening even," her voice was wavering slightly and her hands began to fidget even more chaotically. "The same one reoccurs. Worsens every time I have it. I read somewhere that nightmares tend to reoccur if they come from trauma. PTSD. But they aren't things I recognise. They haven't happened yet. I can't think why—why would the same nightmare be repeating itself if it hasn't happened? As mental as it sounds, sometimes I think I may be precognitive."
She let out an abrupt laugh as she said the final part. Tears threatened to escape her. Draco just stared, pain lacing his features.
She looked away from him, and down to her restless hands instead. She was trembling now, a cold chill trickling down her spine.
One of Draco's hands suddenly clasped both of hers, putting a stop to their irritable movements. His touch was gentle and soft. Comforting.
"It does not sound mental," he uttered. She glanced up at him. "I get them too. Almost every night."
She drew in a sharp breath, surprised by his openness. She listened, allowing him to continue. But he was hesitant. She looked away from his eyes, dropping the pressure.
"The night I visited you in the hospital wing—do you remember?"
She nodded.
"That was the first of the recurring nightmares. They are always slightly different but all have the same outcome."
Draco stopped talking, looking away from her and turning his head to focus on a spot in the distance.
"What is it?" she asked, her tone careful and understanding.
"Death," he said in a clipped voice.
"Of who?"
"Of you."
Athena's heart quivered in her chest. Her jaw dropped slightly, but her lips remained closed and her eyes widened. He avoided her eye contact, his brows furrowing deeply once again.
"I feel—protective of you. That night, I needed to see—to check that you were okay," he continued, sounding as if he was forcing out the words.
It tortured him.
"But it was just a fucking nightmare," he scowled to himself. "One that I can't escape."
Athena was stunned by his candour. But most of all, she was shocked by what he was revealing to her. He dreamt of her. Almost every night, she occurred in his horrors, and she would never have guessed it. He wore his facade so well, she would have never thought he could be impacted so harshly by anything concerning her.
A thought occurred to her that she couldn't resist asking.
"Is that the reason you leave?" her voice was meek. She hadn't intended for it to be.
His eyes fell on hers once again. He seemed bemused by her question. She started to elaborate.
"When you don't stay—do you sleep at all?" she asked.
"Not here," he answered.
"Why?"
He didn't reply.
"Do you not want to risk anyone seeing you have the nightmares? Are you worried what I'll think? That I'll judge you?"
His eyes flashed. The agonised expression that had been on his face changed into one of frustration and annoyance. She had pushed too far.
"What are you? A therapist?" he mocked harshly. She felt a shot to her chest.
"I didn't mean to—"
"I think it's nice you care, Greene, but it is nothing that concerns you," his tone was drenched in malicious sarcasm.
He abruptly stood from the bed, turning in his step. He headed for the door, his body stiff and reserved.
"Draco—" she called after him, standing from the bed, gripping on even tighter to the duvet that covered her.
He stopped walking and hesitated for a moment, before turning around. She could feel the lump that had already risen in her throat beginning to emerge. She didn't want to cry. She would not cry.
"And please try to leave before others awaken. It would be a shame if you were seen," he said snidely with a sneer.
With that he turned once again and fled from the room without looking back at her. The door shut behind him and she listened to his footsteps as they raced down the hallway.
Her legs folded, collapsing her onto the corner of the mattress. Her teeth punctured into her bottom lip convulsively as she tried desperately to suppress her tears.
She failed.
The minute she'd opened up about something that effected her deeply, which she had never shared with anyone before, she is punished for it. Consequences.
He was so complex, so hard for her to understand. He seemed to want her but pushed her away with any chance he's given. He undermined her purposefully. One minute concerned and comforting, the next bitter and distant.
She felt drained. She blamed herself too. If only she hadn't pushed him to open up to her, he could still be in this room. Every time she felt she was beginning to understand him, he would do something irrational, pushing her back to step one. Perhaps it was a sign. She knew she should not pursue him, but she was abandoning herself to it. Forcing against the barriers that attempted to oppress her of her desires.
She was designing her own fate. Whether that be a good or bad thing, it was hard to tell. And she preferred to be ignorant to it. Unthinking of the future.
Athena scanned the room, looking for where he had apparently moved her clothes while she had been asleep. She found them on the chair where he had folded them up last time. She pulled them on, tears falling rapidly down her cheeks. She let them escape her while she was alone.
Purging herself of the emotion.
Once her clothes were in tact on her body, she grabbed her wand, and considered making his bed. It would only take the flick of her wand. But she rebelled against it.
Standing before the door, she placed her hand over the handle, but hesitated. She took three deep breaths, managing to console herself, and wiped the tears from her face. After a few beats, she thrust the door open and left the room, numbing herself to the despair.
When she reached her own dormitory, Hermione was fast asleep and luckily she didn't wake her. All Athena wanted was for morning to arrive. Even if she tried, she would not be able to sleep now.
Hopelessly, she tore off her clothes, tossing them aside and slipped into her pyjamas instead, allowing herself to be comfortable. She got into her bed, noticing how firm the mattress was compared to Draco's.
She shook the thoughts from her head, grabbing a novel from her bedside table, cast the lighting charm with her wand and read until the sun finally arose.
Athena only snapped back to reality when Hermione awoke with a giant yawn. She glanced over at her curtly before continuing to read her book.
"Oh morning 'Thena," Hermione beamed, pleasantly surprised to see Athena, thinking she had slept in their dormitory for the first time in a few nights.
Athena slipped the bookmark between the pages, before shutting it and placing it back on her nightstand. She straightened up in her bed, showing Hermione her attention.
"Morning. Sleep well?"
"Yes actually. What time did you get back last night?" she asked.
"Oh, quite late," she replied indifferently, now stepping out of bed.
A funny expression crossed Hermione's face. She seemed uneasy for a moment, before regaining her usual light, neutral expression. Athena shrugged it off, heading into the bathroom to shower.
Before she showered, she reached into the cabinet under the bathroom sink and responsibly downed a vial of the tonic, the icy chill of it trickling down her throat.
She wasn't as upset as she had been earlier on. The emotions were no longer raw. She no longer felt much care for how he had made her feel. She wasn't even sad. If anything she was angry. Irritated with him for being so erratic, and disappointed in herself for crying afterwards. She hated to cry. She felt weak when she cried. Vulnerable.
Once she had got ready for the day, she and Hermione went down to the common room, where they met the others, and hurried down to the Great Hall for breakfast. They were all incredibly hungry.
Draco wasn't at breakfast, but it didn't surprise her. Athena was rather glad. She didn't want to see him. It would only frustrate her further.
As the day progressed, she hadn't seen much of him at all. She despised how unknowing everything with him was. She hadn't a clue when they would next speak. He wasn't exactly easy to approach, considering she had no idea where he was half the time. And of course he would never tell her. His arrogance was maddening.
After her last lesson of the day, being Herbology, Athena decided to take a stroll around the grounds, as the weather was beautiful and she felt the need to clear her mind.
Her friends did not follow, returning to Gryffindor Tower. On her walk, she trekked down to about where Hagrid's hut was, neared the Quidditch stands and roamed alongside The Black Lake.
She ceased to continue walking when she reached one of the hill banks on the edge of the lake. Taking a breath of fresh air, she subsided onto the green, her fingers flickering through each blade of grass.
She looked across the lake, watching the still water as it glimmered in the suns luminescent rays. Every now and then a flock of birds would fleet across the sky, some diving into the water and some soaring their wings through the air.
It was idyllic. Athena hadn't felt such peace as this in a long while.
What was even better was that her mind wasn't filled with the thoughts that usually managed to distress her. She felt temporarily free from the confines of her own dismay.
Each time the thoughts that troubled her tried to push through into her conscience, she would simply shun them away.
She stayed by the lake for quite a while, though she hadn't a clue what time it was. By the time she decided to leave, the sun was still lingering in the sky. Although it had dropped lower, sunset would not be for a couple of hours yet.
On her way back to the castle, she wandered along in an unhurried pace, feeling at ease with having nowhere to be.
To get back to Gryffindor Tower, she took a different route, as a kind fifth year student had informed her that Peeves the Poltergeist was terrorising one of the corridors that were on her usual route.
The other journey took her slightly longer. She had to go all the way up to the seventh floor to then be able to cut down through a passage that would take her near Gryffindor Tower. She rarely ever had to take this route as it was an inconvenience, but it would be better than having to deal with Peeves.
There was no one in the corridors that she walked down. They were isolated, assuming that was because everyone was in their common rooms or elsewhere.
As she passed where she knew the Room of Requirement to be, she could hear footsteps beginning to emerge behind her. These footsteps she recognised.
She didn't bother to look back, picking up her pace slightly. But when she did, the other footsteps sped up. Her heart was hammering now, she could feel the beat in her throat.
A cold hand clasped onto her upper arm and Athena almost gasped as he touched her.
Before she could turn, she was caught off guard by Draco, pressing her against the wall. One hand remained gripping onto her upper arm while the other palmed her jaw. His head dipped and his lips crushed hers. Although she was abundantly shocked, she reciprocated the kiss, melting internally.
His thumb caressed her cheek affectionately, when he deepened his kiss. His teeth dragged along her bottom lip, eager for her affection. Her senses were drowned by his mahogany infused cologne, her heart full but aching painfully all at once.
Athena raised her arms and thrashed her fists into his chest. He felt her resistance and pulled away immediately, releasing her from his grasp.
A blank expression masked his face.
"What—why did you do that?" she asked, embarrassingly flustered.
He just stared at her, the silver in his eyes more prominent as he loomed over her. He rested one hand on the wall next to her head, leaning into her again.
"Do you not want me to kiss you?" he teased, a ridiculous smirk prying over his face.
She stared back at him, confusion stunting her speech. Her lips were parted in awe and her jaw was practically on the floor.
"You can't do this," she sighed.
"What?" he furrowed his brows, dipping his head so his lips were in line with hers. "I won't kiss you if you don't want me too, Greene. All you need to do is tell me."
She could feel his breath drafting over her lips as he spoke.
"I'm not talking about that!" she snapped, avoiding his eyes. "I mean your bloody mood swings. You can't just come up to me and kiss me as if nothing happened."
"Are you upset with me?" he was mocking her.
"Yes I'm bloody upset with you!" she frowned, hurt evident in her tone.
Draco's expression softened, but he was still acting playfully. He raised his left hand to her jaw and stroked her skin lightly with his fingertips. Her eyes melted into his unthinkingly.
"Forgive me," he sighed. "I don't enjoy being badgered to talk about myself."
"All you had to do was say that. Not storm out on me and then avoid me all day."
"I was not avoiding you," he said in a clipped voice, pulling his hand away and looking beside him, into some far off distance down the hallway. "I had other things to do today."
She dropped her head so she was peering down at his shoes, which were just as expensive as him.
"I'm sorry if I pushed too far earlier. That wasn't my intention," she uttered. "But you can't do this."
He made no reply, still staring down the end of the corridor, unfocused from reality.
After a few seconds, he lifted his arm from the wall and backed away slightly, not meeting her gaze.
"Come with me tonight," he said, straightening up.
A small wisp of his white blonde hair had fallen out of place. It fell over his forehead, making him look slightly dishevelled. Merlin, he was beautiful.
"Where?"
"The pub," he stated. "The Three Broomsticks. The others are going. Might be a decent night."
The corners of her mouth threatened to turn upwards, but she fought it.
"Are you sure you want to be around them? After what happened," she quirked her eyebrows, remembering Draco's outburst at Theo.
"They couldn't give a shit," he established. "Are you going to come or what?"
"Fine," she sighed, lifting her back from the wall. "I'll see you then."
Without another word, and without looking at him again, she descended down the corridor, making her way back to Gryffindor Tower. She didn't hear him move until she turned the corner, out of sight.
Time passed slowly while she was sat in the common room. Everybody was studying and doing homework, meaning there was not much amusement. Athena was already up to date with her work for the next few days and couldn't be bothered to begin any big essays or activities.
Instead, she took herself up to her dormitory and read her novel for a while, surrounded by the peaceful silence that was confined within the walls. She read and read, until time for dinner approached and she went to rejoin her friends in the common room.
But they had already left.
Athena stood blankly once she had realised they weren't there anymore. Not that she minded much if they left early, but she felt it was weird that they didn't tell her. They always had before. She continued to wade through the common room, when Isaac Shire came hustling beside her.
"Alright, Greene?" he smiled, sounding quite regretful.
"Yeah I'm ok. How've you been?" she replied, making light conversation.
"Good, good—I heard about you and Ced. It's a shame you split up. I liked you two together," he sighed.
Athena's breath caught in her throat.
"Oh—he told you then."
"Nah. We figured it out ourselves. You know, it became kind of obvious after never seeing you with him anymore."
"How is he?" she asked, her voice shy.
"Well considering we had no idea for weeks, I'd say he's doing pretty well," he replied. "Unless it's all a disguise and he actually goes and cries in his room every night. I've got no bloody clue."
She was glad to hear he was doing alright. It made her feel slightly less guilty about the whole situation surrounding the end of their relationship.
Athena hadn't actually realised how much she'd missed the company of Cedric's friends. His too of course, but his friends were amazing. She resented herself for ruining that.
As they were about to enter the Great Hall, Athena's attention was swayed to the end of the corridor, where a tall, blonde figure clad in all black stood, staring intently at her. She took a double take and hesitated at the entrance to the Great Hall.
Isaac had already entered the hall when he realised Athena had halted in her steps. He turned his head back to look at her, confusion worn across his face.
"See you later," she smiled, wanting him to keep going and not take notice to why she had stopped.
He nodded a goodbye before turning his head back to continue walking. Athena let out a sigh of relief and moved away from the Hall, towards where Draco was. But as she was about to approach him, he walked ahead of her, keeping an appropriate distance.
She understood. They could not be seen together.
She followed him, trailing behind his steps, until they were outside. He stopped, allowing her to catch up with him, before strolling beside her.
"Good evening," she smirked off into the distance.
"What an earth were you doing with that Shire wanker?" he asked, a mocking tone to his voice.
"He's my friend," she defended, offended by his ridiculing.
"Then you need better friends," he smirked.
"Oh right. You beat him up one time and suddenly he's unworthy of your approval," she rolled her eyes with a giggle. "He's a rather good friend I'll have you know."
He let out a light hearted chuckle.
"Is Nott going to be there tonight?" Athena asked, dread clear in her voice.
"I believe so. Why do you ask?"
"Because I can't bloody stand him," she laughed, suddenly feeling slightly low in spirit.
She didn't want to see Theo. Not after what he did to her the night before. He forced himself on her. She was too weak to push him off. What if they hadn't been surrounded by everyone? What if Draco hadn't yanked him off of her?
Athena had guessed Theo's tendencies a while ago. She hadn't wanted to be sure of it and she certainly hadn't wanted it to be true. But after what had happened last night, it had become quite clear to her. He had something on her. Whether he only wanted to fuck her or claim her was still unclear. But there was something.
"Don't worry, Greene. He won't touch you again," Draco said in a clipped tone.
For the remainder of the path, the two of them strolled in silence. Though Draco seemed to be rather distant from her. She peered at him every now and then, noticing how his expression was unfocused. Lost in thought.
When they entered Hogsmeade, the village was rather desolate. There were not as many people around as Athena had anticipated. Though she soon found the reason for that was because the Three Broomsticks was crammed to the brim with people.
As they approached the small pub, from far down the cobbled path came two slender figures, cloaked in black robes. They were exiting Hogs Head and walked hastily.
Draco suddenly moved in closer beside Athena, wrapping his arm around her waist, pulling her securely beside him. His hand was torturously freezing on her arm, but oddly, his body was warm.
She briefly glanced at the two figures but looked away, pretending to pay them no attention as they sauntered past.
Death Eaters.
Draco did not let go of her straight away. As they walked further towards the pub, he peered behind him to find the Death Eaters had apparated. She leaned further into him, but he released her.
Before they entered The Three Broomsticks, she turned to him and whispered in a quiet voice, "What are they doing here?"
His expression hardened and he didn't reply immediately.
When they entered, they began shuffling through the pub, past the giant crowd of Wizards and Witches. The two of them walked in single file and Draco clutched onto her upper right arm as she lead the way.
"It is not strange for them to come to Hogsmeade. Hogs Head is the pub they visit when they happen to be in the area," he muttered into her ear, walking closely behind her.
They approached the bar, where Madame Rosmerta was busy brewing and serving drinks.
Draco's grip on Athena tightened, but he let go of her. She approached the counter and ordered them two firewhiskeys. Draco shadowed over her from behind. She could feel how close he was to her, though they weren't touching.
The barmaid poured two glasses of firewhiskey, then throwing Draco a wink as he took his glass.
"Evening Mr Malfoy," she smirked, flicking her wand at the dirty glasses on the counter in front of her so they became crystal clean.
"Evening," he replied sternly, taking a swig of his drink.
Athena stared at the exchange but shrugged it off, getting her purse out to pay for her drink. But before she could even dig her hand into her purse, Draco's hand shoved hers away.
"What are you doing?" she furrowed her brows at him. "I'm trying to pay for my drink."
"You may have forgotten that I have more money than you have probably ever seen, and a limited amount to spend it on," he said, pulling out the required amount of gold.
"So?" she scoffed.
"If I'm going to spend it on anything, I'd rather that it be you," his tone was sharp. He then strolled away from the counter, and Athena followed, rolling her eyes and grabbing her drink. Simultaneously, ignoring the endearing flutter in her chest.
The others had not seemed to have arrived yet. They sat at a rather small table which was inconvenient considering the size of their group. Though they were lucky to grab a table at all, considering the amount of people there.
Once they sat down, Athena was still curious about the two men that had been outside. The way that Draco had protectively guarded her only made her more concerned.
"Who were they? The two men who walked past us."
Draco eyed her sceptically for a second.
She didn't really know why she had asked the question. It's almost as if she expected him to reply.
"Dolohov and Rowle."
Athena stared at him, quite shocked with his ease of answering.
She pulled her gaze away and down to her hands, that were out in front of her on the table. Sometimes she almost forgot that he was a Death Eater. When it used to have sickened her, now it just made her feel sad.
"Are you alright?" he asked, concern evident on his face.
She nodded nonchalantly, taking a sip of the firewhiskey, feeling it ignite through her chest. Draco's eyes didn't leave her. He was unconvinced.
The first to arrive out of the group were Maeve and Blaise, both already tipsy from pre drinks back in their common room. Luna then showed up, followed by Theo.
Surprisingly, there was no tension between the two boys. It was as if nothing had ever happened. Athena assumed they had probably already made amends with each other, away from her company. Though perhaps not. It was hard to tell.
Surprisingly, Theo didn't look at her once.
Although she should have felt more at ease by his ignorance of her, it only made her sceptical. Theo always made a song and a dance over seeing her. It was odd that now he was completely disregarding her existence. Though it did make the night easier, not having to avoid him.
Draco sat beside Athena for the entire evening. Neither of them spoke to each other. Athena mostly chatted with Maeve and Luna, and between Draco's intervals of silence and brooding, he spoke with Blaise, enduring Theo's interruptions.
Maeve was trying to squeeze some of the information out of Luna about her mystery lover. But Luna wouldn't share anything with them, not even what house the girl was in, or if she was even in their year group.
After the consumption of several firewhiskeys, Draco seemed less tense than he had been before. Athena could feel his body relax next to hers, their forearms pressing together.
A few more glasses downed, his hand was now on her thigh under the table. He was cold as usual. By just a simple hold of her leg, butterflies fluttered through her stomach at his touch.
Still immersed in a conversation with the girls, she absentmindedly leaned her body further into his side. His grip on her thigh tightened for a second or two as she did so, each pad of his fingers deepening and metal rings embedding into her flesh. His hold then returned to a gentle clasp.
Athena's hand slipped under the table and she placed it over his, that was holding her thigh. She began trailing her fingers over his knuckles, tracing the indentations and lines of his skin, fiddling with his rings when she approached them. She edged her tips along the prominent bones that jutted through, behind his skin, and could feel the veins that lined him.
She noticed the rough areas where minor injuries lay. Her fingertips smoothed over the burn scar that lay on the side of his thumb and her heart clenched inside itself. She felt guilty for giving him that.
Draco's hand didn't flinch at her light caresses. Even when her fingertips would accidentally come into contact with a raw cut wound, he would just let her feel him.
No one took notice to their little intimacies. No one could see. Concealing their affection where it could not be shared. No one would ever truly know. They couldn't.
They couldn't understand what Athena saw. What she felt. She could barely understand it herself. Here he was, Draco Malfoy, the boy who suddenly seemed less and less like a boy the more she grew to know him. The person who made her heart wrench at itself until she felt it would tear.
Every thought and feeling she possessed for him were chaotically intertwined, like huge vines of ivy, all strewn and tangled together in her mind.
Here he was. Holding her thigh. Such a simple thing, managing to make her heartbeat increase, twisting inside itself until she felt every vein in her body, laced with a luminous glow. Making her feel alive.
She continued to brush her fingertips over his skin, feeling dazed at she did so. Half due to the amount of firewhiskey she had consumed and half because of how therapeutic it was. Like tracing the lines on a drawing.
Maeve and Theo left the table to order more rounds of firewhiskey for the table. Luna and Blaise were speaking of something, but Athena wasn't paying attention, only immersing herself in how content she felt.
Draco's body then stiffened against her side. He straightened in his chair, but did not remove his hand from her leg. While the others were not paying attention, he leaned down to Athena's ear.
"If you keep touching me like that, I'll have to take you into the bathroom," he slurred, the drafts of his breath brushing against her ear.
She blushed and stilled her hand from caressing him any further.
"That wasn't an invitation for you to stop," he whispered, his chest shuddering as he chuckled.
She smiled to herself and continued to stroke his hand, brushing her fingertips over his knuckles.
Maeve and Theo returned with more glasses. Athena's head was in the clouds. She had probably consumed around four or five already. She had lost count. Willingly, she took another.
Draco watched as she downed the glass, running his tongue along his bottom with a smirk.
"Are you going to make me carry you home, Greene?" he teased, speaking only to her, in a low voice. Draco was playful when he was drunk. She liked him that way. Less reserved and distant than usual.
"Hmm..." she pondered. "I'm sure you'd love that."
He laughed, wearing a grand smile and shaking his head. They both turned their attention to the conversation.
The four of them were discussing times in their lives that they had nearly died. Theo was telling some elaborate tale of how his grandfather had owned a Manticore and he had to go head to head with it. It was clear he was lying by how much he was dramatising the story.
"Oh please. If you really came into contact with a Manticore, you would be dead in less than a second," Blaise ridiculed.
"I would've cheered on the Manticore," Maeve cackled, making Blaise choke on his firewhiskey.
"I ain't lying. It fucking happened. You remember me telling you Malfoy, don't you?" he said defensively.
"Even if you did, it's clearly a load of bollocks," Draco sneered jokily at him.
"Well it ain't as bad as you in third year with that Hippogriff," Theo snorted. "What was it you said? Oh—it's killed me! It's killed me!"
He bellowed the words in a squeaky voice. The entire group was laughing except Draco who snarled, rolling his eyes and looking off into the distance. Athena could remember that day clearly. She recalled herself back then thinking he was so entirely pathetic. And he had been.
"Dramatic little bitch. What a pussy you were," he derided, humour pouring out of him. "Sorry—my bad. You still are one."
"Says the bloke who was beat to shit by him yesterday," Blaise snorted.
Draco's expression was cold, but he seemed to know it was only for humour purposes. Athena squeezed his hand tightly under the table and she leaned further into his side.
Theo continued to witter on.
"Oh alright. I guess saying that though, you've definitely grown a pair this year," he smirked. Draco seemed to be ignoring him. "You know, after what you did to those Gryffindors, Bell and Weasley."
Athena's entire body stilled.
Draco's head snapped towards Theo, his face paling to ashen.
Silence infiltrated the air surrounding the group, everyone staring at the two of them.
Athena snatched her hand off of Draco's and straightened abruptly in her seat. His hand was still on her thigh, tense and possessive. She turned to look at him, her eyes refusing to meet his directly.
He said nothing. Only staring at her, his eyes wide.
She didn't even need an explanation. She immediately knew what Theo was referring to.
She should have known. Of course it had been Draco who had planted that bottle which poisoned Ron. Of course, of course, of course.
How could she have been so clueless. Consumed by him to the point she was blinded.
Her head was spinning, the alcohol making her feel faint. She needed to get out of there. Now.
Athena stumbled out of her chair, making his hand slip from her thigh. She felt sick, so so sick. Her heart was hammering a ferocious rhythm. She was going to vomit.
She pushed past the crowd of people, her mind set on one thing. She didn't even notice Draco following closely behind her.
As soon as the night breeze hit her like a tonne of bricks, she vomited into a nearby bush. Draco shadowed behind her, pulling her hair out of her face into a delicate hold as the sick emptied out of her.
She straightened afterwards, a stabbing pain prodding her heart. She stumbled over her step and he reacted, whipping his arms out in front of him, catching her so she didn't fall.
She shook her head repeatedly, trying to tear herself away from his arms that were guarding her. He brought her away from The Three Broomsticks, down a small path that was out of earshot from any of the surroundings.
She tugged and clawed at his robes, trying to force him to let go of her.
"No, no, no, no," she repeated, her voice shattering.
"Greene," he sighed, refusing to let go of her. "Please calm down."
"How could you? How—how could you do that?" she cried, tears breaking through and streaming down her face.
He said nothing. His hold on her loosened just enough that she could wriggle free. She backed away from him so there was a far distance between them.
"I can't believe—I can't—" she was restless, hysterical. "It was you! H-He nearly died, and all this time–you never told me—I-It was you!"
She was sobbing now, her voice fractured.
He didn't even seem apologetic. His expression was closed. Stone cold. There was nothing behind his eyes. Nothing. They were blank. Lifeless.
"Say something!" she yelled, shoving her fists into his chest. He didn't even flinch.
"What would you like me to say?" he shrugged, standing expressionless. "Yes, it was me. The mead Weasley happened to drink from poisoned him. It was not intended for him."
She stared at him in disbelief.
"Oh—so that's okay then? It was not intended for Ron, so that makes it alright? Well who was it meant for? Slughorn? Were you trying to murder Slughorn?" she yelled rather loudly.
He reached forward, smothering a hand over her mouth to silence her. The back of her head was against his chest and she tried to thrash her skull into his ribs to wind him, but nothing she did made an impact.
"Please don't," he sighed, sounding impatient.
She battled under his hold, trying to break free, but he would not budge.
"Stop moving and I'll let go of you," he ordered.
She gave in, the back of her head sinking into his chest, and he released her.
She narrowed her eyes as him, everything she had felt earlier that evening, now replaced by complete repulsion. She looked him up and down, disgust masking her face before turning on her step and fleeing from him.
"Where are you going?" he asked, his tone clipped.
"Anywhere that you are not," she hissed, increasing her pace. But he caught up with her, strolling beside her. "Get away from me!"
"I am not leaving you to walk by yourself in the night. It's unsafe," he said.
She let out a hysterical laugh at the irony.
"That's rich! It seems I am more unsafe with you than being alone in the night," she taunted, venom in her voice.
"Believe what you want," he said. "I am not leaving you."
She sighed, feeling drained and stormed ahead.
He walked a few feet behind her in silence. Her head was pounding. She felt so dizzy and still so sick. But she forced herself to power through, dragging her feet along the path.
Once she approached the entrance to Hogwarts, she couldn't hear him behind her anymore. She continued forwards through the grounds, stubborn not to look back.
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forty fifth chapter complete :)
that took a turn