"Emelia, not like that!" Draco groaned as my wand lit a bush on fire in the backyard... again.
"This is hilarious." Blaise chuckled as he kicked his feet up on the metal table on the back porch.
"Do that again! I missed that one!" Goyle shouted out to me, followed by a loud chuckle.
"Just like old times, huh?" Draco asked, giving me a soft smile to try and calm down my anger. If there was one thing we had figured out in the last few hours, it was that being angry only made my magic worse.
"Emmy, if you keep this up I'm gonna have to start calling you Finnigan." Goyle laughed, drinking from his glass and mocking me that I was blowing things up like Seamus always tends to do.
Without even thinking I pointed my wand at him and shot a spell in his direction, knocking his chair over and making him spill his drink all over his face as he landed on his back. I didn't realize what a deep scowl I held on my face until Draco and Blaise burst into laugher and Draco wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling my hips back into his.
"We'll," he paused to laugh a little harder. My face softened as I heard the sound. A real laugh. It's like music to my ears. "We'll take a break for some lunch, love. Don't worry about it. Honestly, that's the best work you've done yet." He chuckled. I looked at him over my shoulder and his lips pressed to my forehead without even thinking, making my body relax completely under his touch.
"I love when you do that." I sighed silently and laid my head back against his shoulder with my eyes shut.
"Do what?" He whispered with his lips next to my forehead. "This?" He asked and he carefully pressed them against my skin again. I hummed and nodded, getting more and more comfortable as the seconds passed.
"Now isn't really the time for a shag!" Gregory shouted across the yard, using his wand to dry his clothes and hair. I scoffed loudly and shoved away from Draco before I marched towards the porch.
"You are so annoying!" I screeched, shoving him with my small hands and watching as he barely moved. He grabbed a hold of my arms quickly and threw me over his shoulder, resulting in a loud scream to leave my lips. "Gregory! Put me down!" I shouted, pounding my fists against his back and kicking my legs.
"Not until you apologize to me." He teased, making me let out another loud groan.
"She's already hexed you once, y'know." Blaise chuckled as he pulled me from Gregory's arms. "Let's not make it a second time." He tipped his head to the side and gave Gregory a pleading look. Gregory's amusement didn't even budge as he stared at me. He attempted to grab me so he could toss me around again, but Draco took a step between us and was the one who threw me over his shoulder when I pounced out of Blaise's arms to attack him.
"Easy there, hot shot." Draco mocked me as his shoulder pressed into my lower stomach. "Let's go inside for a break." He reminded me again and walked towards the back door. I finally convinced him to place me back down on the floor, and I attempted to stomp away, but he pulled me back by my wrist and kissed my nose carefully.
"You really do need to relax for any of this to work, baby." Draco whispered softly and his hand managed to tangle itself in the hair on the back of my head. I let out a small breath before I snaked my hands around his waist and laid my forehead against his chest.
"What if it doesn't work?" I questioned him, feeling like a lump was stuck in my throat and I'd choke on my own tears at any second. Draco's arms wrapped around my neck and held me steady while my thoughts continued to run at a million miles per hour.
"Let's go upstairs to talk." He whispered back softly. My eyes glanced up at him and noticed his gaze out the window. I looked over and saw the two boys outside staring at us before they tried to look away and pretend they were minding their business. "They're nosey." Draco huffed before his hand found mine and he lead me around the manor.
Eventually we came to a stop in his bedroom. I jumped up on top of the bed and laid down as he changed out of his dress shirt and put on something more comfortable.
"We uh," Draco cleared his throat and sat down on the bottom of the bed. I looked at him with a confused face as he avoided my eye contact. "We need to come up with a plan. On what we're going to do." He fiddled with his fingers in his lap and his bottom lip was being chewed between his teeth. Things he manages to do when he's nervous.
"What do you want to do, Draco?" I asked him slowly. His nerves made me feel more nervous.
"Honestly," he tried to meet my eyes, but he couldn't. "I think I have to go on the other side." He barely muttered. I felt my stomach tighten and drop like it was full of concrete. "I think that our best option is for us to sit here and wait for him to come to us. I'll please him and stand at his side to soften the blow, and you do your best." He mumbled, while his continued to pick at the skin around his nails.
I felt my jaw drop slightly and my throat completely closed off. He finally got the courage to look at me before his entire face dropped its nervous look when he realized how badly his words had hurt me.
"No. Emelia, it's not like that. Please don't cry." He begged, trying to move closer to me, but I moved away from him.
"You want... you want me to face him alone?" I whispered. This seriously cannot be happening to me right now.
"I don't want you to, no... It's just that-"
"You have never had a fucking set of balls in your life?" I asked him harshly. I am willing myself not to cry again. I always cry over Draco and his stupid games. He was right when he got his tattoos done yesterday. Life is one big game. I'm tired of playing.
"Now, you know that's not true." He laughed lightly, trying to keep himself from encouraging his humor in my words. "If I stand with you, it's going to just piss him off even more. Trust me for once."
"I always trust you. After everything we have been through together, don't try and deny that I do." I cut him off.
"Exactly, and I need to have your trust on this. Can you tell me right now that you trust me enough to listen to my request?" He asked me as he continued to move closer. "Promise me, Emmy. Give me your word that you trust in what I have planned."
"You can't leave me like this. You can't leave me to die." I sobbed, making his face scrunch up.
"I will not let you die. I am going to do everything I can do to ensure that doesn't happen." He said confidently. I couldn't escape his hands quick enough as they placed themselves on my cheeks and forced me to look at him. "I love you. I have a plan. Just throw as many spells as you can at him, and I will do my job."
"Which job? The one that protects me or the one that pleases the Dark Lord?" I barked at him. I wish I didn't feel so angry, but I can't contain it. He gave me a guilty frown before he laid us down gently and moved closer to me. His thumb started to circle around my cheekbone, making the skin burn like it was on fire. Every time he touched me it felt this way.
"Both." He told me honestly as he leaned our foreheads together and let out a breath that I knew he had been holding for a few seconds.
"You are a bloody coward, Draco. You always have been. I have-" I cut my words off as I leaned away from him. "My life has been nothing but hell since I turned 14. You lead me on, I watched a boy die, I ruined so many friendships, I didn't give myself any chances because I was worried about what you would say or do. My life has always fucking revolved around you." I finally stood up for myself. "But so has your own. Your life only revolves around you, and you have always taken me for granted. You left me. You watched as my parents were taken from me. You watched as Harry Potter saved me in the black lake. You watched as I ruined myself because of what you did to me. Every time, you have sat back and watched." I cried. "Now you want to sit back and watch me get killed." I shouted at him. He let out a long groan before he pushed me back against the mattress and hovered over me.
"You are one of the most difficult people I know. My life revolves around you, too, Emelia. I always come back for you. I always find a way to come back because I love you. Not to use you. I have been doing this type of work for over a year now. I know what I'm doing. Just follow my lead." He told me in the calmest way he could manage. "Please." he whispered, pressing his lips against mine softly. I don't have time for petty fights.
My lips locked around his gently for a moment, letting myself calm down and ease my emotions. Soon my tongue was playing against his. My bottom lip was between his teeth. My mouth molded to his perfectly. I always give in.
•
I sat at the dinner table and pushed my food around. It was hard to keep anything down withy the ten million horrible thoughts that had been stirring around in my brain for the last two days.
As much as I really didn't want it, I had grown used to the company oft he boys being here to take my mind off of everything. Unfortunately, their poor attempts at distracting me only made me think of all of the horrible possibilities even more.
Vincent and Gregory spent majority of their time here raiding the pantry. Even now at the dinner table, they continued to stack their plates full of food and shoveled spoonfuls in at a time. Must be nice to be able to stomach anything. I couldn't even get my meals to travel farther than the back of my tongue.
Blaise spent his time with Narcissa. constantly checking in with here and telling her about how his days are going. What he is up to. Where he has been. I think her attention has been making up for his mother's lack of and the abandonment he feels from his father. You don't have to tell me twice about using Cissy to fill an inescapable void in the center of your chest.
Then there's Draco. Who, any other time I would be more than fond of his affection and attention, but now after he told me what he is planning it just feels like it is to make things up to me. He hardly ate his meal as his fingers would graze my thigh every once in a while. His hands would stroke my hair back off of my forehead. His lips would whisper sweet messages into my hair and his lips would press soft kisses against my ear. I couldn't be mad. I refused to go to the grave mad at the one person who has truly ever loved me.
Because that's where I am heading. I don't care what anyone else says, I'm going to the grave.
I was never the hero. I was the little girl who was scared of her best friend jumping out from behind her. I was the girl who let the Dark Lord do whatever he pleased and didn't fight back even when she wanted to. I was always the one being protected. Now I had one day left until I would become the protector. 1 sleep left in the arms of my Draco.
Harry Potter was supposed to be the chosen one. He was brave enough for this. I feel like a fraud.
I was never supposed to be the fucking hero.