"Sunlight"
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He played with the rings on his fingers as I watched his expression change,
"I have never told you, but the past few months weren't easy for me. You helped me through it.", he said calmly as he lifted his chin to look at the bright sky, squinting his eyes from the sunlight.
"I did?", the corners of my mouth started twitching, making a grin appear on my lips.
He had just admitted how much he actually cared, something that didn't come easy for him. It was like the storm within me finally came to rest, as if the clouds slowly moved aside for the sun to shed some light on my tired bones,
they ached for him, and I could feel it.
I hugged my knees again and my heart dropped as he moved next to me, it was hard to believe how much a person can long for another, even when they are right there.
I always missed him the most when he was right next to me, everytime I had him almost, but never entirely.
"Yeah... It was easier when you were around. You were the closest for me to knowing what it means to belong somewhere.", he breathed out, with pure poetry slipping from his tongue,
"Were?", I whispered as I shifted closer, "You still are." he said as we locked eyes again, I had never really looked at them in daylight.
It was always just darkness with him.
"I'm sorry for all the things you've been through because of me.", the back of his hand met the skin on his forehead, wiping away a thin layer of sweat,
"It's okay Draco. You saved me more than once-", he started smiling as a warm summer breeze blew some hair into my face, "but I wish I could've done the same for you."
"You did.", he said in a low voice, and my eyes snapped to the tiny scars on the side of his neck, "I haven't told you yet, and you probably didn't notice, but you - you did safe me many times-",
"I saved you? From what?", I questioned bluntly, raising my brow in confusion,
"Do you remember the night Sam's spell hit you? You woke up in my room the next morning-"
"Yeah, I remember.", I hushed him quickly, scared that he would bring up more memories from the night I so desperately wished to forget,
"Well, that spell was aimed at me.", he turned his head to face me fully, "You saved me from him that night."
My sight lowered onto the worn staircase our feet were resting on as I slowly started remembering. I smiled to myself as I was thankful to myself for being able to save him at least once.
But still, it was nothing compared to his way of keeping me safe the whole time.
"I remember. But what about the other times? Who did I save you from?",
"Myself.", he spit out harshly. The way he held his breath made me think that it took every bit of courage in him to say it.
To admit that he, after all, was his biggest enemy.
I didn't dare to ask any questions, I didn't need him to explain any further. I knew what he meant by that.
All the times he had let his guard down and allowed me to see the most vulnerable parts of him, I had saved him. The night he knocked at my door with an empty bottle of whiskey in his hand, that one time he woke up from a nightmare next to me,
he found shelter in me.
And I realised that he was keeping me safe from cruel souls that brought violence upon my skin, while I saved him from his own demons.
"Thank you.", he mumbled with a smirk, and I merely smiled back,
we grew together and broke apart many times, but we saved each other,
we always did.
"What are you two lovebirds doing out here this early?", a soft voice ringed in my ears, and we both turned around to take a look at the blonde haired girl behind us,
"I planned on waking up extra early to bake something for breakfast.", she breathed out as the white nightdress she wore moved from the wind, "It's a lovely day, we were just enjoying the sunrise.", I chuckled out,
Luna opened the door further, stepping into the sunlight, "Let's eat outside then, shall we?"
Draco and I nodded before he let his hands brush over the fabric of his pants, wiping away some cherry blossoms that had fallen into his lap,
"You can join me whenever you're ready.", Luna hummed as she walked back to the door, giving me trustful smile before disappearing into the kitchen.
Draco was already on his feet, straightening his back as he watched me get up. I propped myself up on my hands as I almost fell over in attempt to stand up from the worn floor. A warm hand grabbed my arm, gently pulling me up as I chuckled in embarrassment,
"Be careful.", he muttered behind my back as I climbed the last step. Even though my body was still aching from the bruises Sam had left on me, his hand on my skin didn't hurt.
I wasn't scared anymore- not of him, not here.
I held the door open for him to walk through, and he nodded politely as he entered the kitchen after me. A delicious smell filled the room, and I closed my eyes from the familiar sound of Luna's soft humming.
We took our time with it, spending almost two hours on those tiny moss-covered chairs in her garden, drinking orange juice and eating freshly baked bread as we enjoyed the sun.
I found myself breaking my own heart in the thought of all the lives I wasn't living, and this was one of them.
The three of us living in this empty house that was so full of beautiful memories, healing each other more and more with each day that passes,
sharing everything with each other,
I could've spent a lifetime there.
But sadly, in this only life we had, it wasn't possible to stay there forever. We wouldn't be safe forever, because sooner or later, he would find us.
And I missed my friends, George above them all. He probably had no idea where I was, and what had happened to me. I didn't want George to know- the thought of me being at risk of death would kill him.
But he needed to know that I was fine. That was the least I could do for him after all this time.
I planned on writing him letters, to explain everything, but I knew it wasn't possible for me to tell the truth. I couldn't take the risk of getting caught, so I ripped the letters apart after writing them,
nearly every day. Even after over a week, I didn't dare to ask Draco or Luna about George in fear of destroying the peace out there. Mentioning our life at Hogwarts would've made it all real,
and I wanted us to live this dream just a little longer.
We learned about some healing from Luna, while Draco teached us to use spells more efficiently- he even showed us how to kill people.
He claimed that he had never used those harmful spells he teached us, and I believed him. The fear in his eyes as he told me about his father using them was too real for him to be lying to us.
Draco could be rude and reckless, but the fear he held for his father and the dark lord was something he failed to hide sometimes.
And even though I had no idea what they looked like, I convinced myself that there couldn't be something more evil,
something more cruel than those rotten souls that robbed this haunted boy of his only childhood.
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Hi my loves! We reached 150k on this story, I am more than thankful for every one of you!
If you're still sticking around, thank you so much <3 What are your thoughts on this chapter?
I planned on rewriting the first 10-15 chapters when I finished this story, the beginning is so poorly written, because I had no idea where this story was going.
But I am more than proud of how it turned out. I hope you all ate today, I love you all and I'm proud of you <3