Draco’s POV
Blaise had seemed like he wanted to talk to me about what had happened on the mission, but I waved him off and headed to my bedroom. There was nothing that he could say that would make me believe that the situation was in fact a game as well as awkward. I never thought that I would be kissing Potter, even if it really wasn’t him. It was just weird and whoever it had been was messing with my head. There was no way…
That person knew what my weakness was and played it very well. Courtney was dead and there was no way that she was going to be coming back anytime soon. She was gone forever. I was pretty sure that my aunt Bella wouldn’t lie about that. Sure, she lied about plenty of things, but she never once lied to me. I would like to think that we had a special bond because she treated me as such, but she never once actually did anything with me. Despite all that, she had never lied to me. I don’t believe for a second that she would strew the truth when it came to my feelings. I could trust her…with my life that was, not with anyone else’s.
“Hey mate,” Micah came into my room with his brother close behind. “How did it go?”
“It couldn’t have gone well. It was a suicide mission for sure,” Mitch said as he sat in the armchair, not looking at me. He seemed to not like me very much, and the only reason that I could come up with was that I was marrying the girl that he loved. Lila was a target for all of us guys in that room, one that I didn’t even want but was forced into. Micah and Mitch, on the other hand, have been in love with her. She just considers them her very best friends though, which she should not. In my opinion, either guy is the right guy for her. She just needs to choose.
“Obviously, it wasn’t, Mitch, because he’s standing right here. My question was: Was it successful?” Micah smirked as he lay on my bed.
I just shook my head and sat in my window seat. Looking down at the ruins of the Flint Manor just made it worse. Her voice had come out of Potter’s mouth. You would’ve thought that I would’ve stopped and looked at whoever it was with a quizzical look on my face before lashing out, but the sound of her voice made me angry. I knew that it had to be a trick, either one that I was making up in my head or the person knew exactly how to play me.
But how did they learn how to mimic Courtney?
“So, it wasn’t a success?” Micah asked, sitting up on his elbows to look at me.
I turned and looked over at him. “No, it wasn’t. We found the wrong one that just played games with us.”
“What kind of games?” Mitch was the one who asked, seemingly interested.
“Well, the Order knew we were coming, so they had others drink Polyjuice potion to look exactly like Potter. It threw us off, and Blaise and I followed the wrong one. That Potter,” I paused and swallowed hard, “seemed like it was the perfect one to throw us off course. It knew exactly what would stop me in my tracks, and I got angry.”
Mitch raised an eyebrow at me. “And what is your weakness, Draco?”
“His one true love,” Micah said with a quick glance at his brother. “What did they do exactly?”
I took a deep breath. “They used her voice. Her pure, angelic voice was pouring from that filthy Potter’s mouth just to mess with me.”
“How could that be possible?” Mitch asked, sitting up properly.
I shrugged. “The only way I can figure is that it was someone who had been close with her, someone like her best mate or possibly an ex boyfriend or something.”
Mitch shook his head. “No one can mimic someone perfectly. It isn’t even possible with the magic that we have right now. There are spells that will alter your voice but none that will mimic the voice of another person.”
I sighed. “Then it must’ve been all inside my head. I just wanted to hear her voice so badly.”
“That,” Mitch just kept going, “or she’s not really dead.”
“What are you saying, Mitch?” Micah asked, sending his brother a glare. “Are you saying that his aunt lied to him?”
He nodded. “That’s exactly what I’m saying. Bellatrix Lestrange is not the most trustworthy witch.”
I shook my head. “She would never do that. Not to me. She never has before.”
“But if it helped her out greatly, then she would’ve done it,” Mitch stood up and walked over to me. “She is selfish. She would’ve put herself before you any day. Trust me; I’ve seen her in work. She’s lied to your mum quite a few times just to get what she wants. Don’t think that for a moment that she would spare you from it too.”
“How could she benefit from me despairing over the fact that my girlfriend is dead?” I just couldn’t believe that this guy was questioning my aunt, who had never faulted me ever before.
“Then you wouldn’t rebel against marrying Lila.” Surprisingly, it was Micah who had answered. “It makes sense. Doesn’t it, Draco? I mean, for once, Mitch actually said something useful.”
Mitch shook his head at his brother. “Shut it, would you?”
I couldn’t say anything to that because it did sound like something my aunt would do to someone else. I just didn’t know whether or not to believe that she would actually do something like that to me, her nephew, her flesh and bones. My fist tightened on my knee with new anger, anger that I would find out to either lash at Mitch or at Aunt Bella.
“Hey,” Lila startled us all as she walked into the room with her pink nightgown on that only made it down to her thighs. I rolled my eyes and looked away. “Could I talk to Draco alone?”
“Sure,” Micah said and stood up, grabbing Mitch by the arm and dragging him along with pleas of trying to talk to Lila, but Micah wouldn’t have any of it. He closed the door behind them with a rather loud slam.
“What is it?” I asked rudely and not looking up at her because I knew exactly what she wanted from me.
“Well,” she started as she sat down next to me on the window seat and put her hand on my knee, “we decided that the wedding was going to happen on December twenty-fifth. What do you think?”
I rolled my eyes and pushed her hand, which was traveling higher, away from my leg. “I think it’s a right good way to ruin our Christmas.”
“Draco, I thought that…” she trailed off as she watched me stand.
I knew exactly what she was talking about, the night that I got a little too tipsy and kissed her when we were talking privately. I only remember it because I regret it, but obviously, it only made her believe that the heart does grow fonder. I mean, I had been avoiding her all summer, mourning the death of the girl that I had loved, still loved. Then out of nowhere I kiss her. Mind you it reeked of firewhiskey, but I don’t think she minded in the slightest.
“Lila, we need to talk,” I said as she slowly stood and looked at me with those big, beautiful brown eyes. “I can’t do this. Whatever is going on between us isn’t there and never will be. I know I messed up, but you have to believe that I was out of sorts at the time we kissed.”
“I know. You reeked of firewhiskey, but I just thought that your real feelings were coming out for me,” she paused. “I thought you’re feelings were matching mine.”
“Are you saying that you’re falling for me?” I asked and when she nodded, I cursed. “Bull shit. I don’t believe that in the slightest. You’re just hoping that we’ll end up being each other’s true love just because we’re arranged to be just like you did when you first arrived here. Well, it’s not going to happen. I’m in love with someone else.”
“With a dead girl!” she shrieked. “Courtney is dead and she’s never going to come back. Don’t you understand that? I’m standing right in front of you, Draco, as real and alive as can be. Why can’t you just accept that I’m willing to love you?”
“Because,” I walked over to the door and opened it, “willing to love someone and wanting to love someone are two entirely different things. Also,” I knew it would hurt her, but I needed to say it anyway because it was the truth, “I will never give my heart to another. Courtney owns my heart in life and in death.”
She took in a deep breath. “Are you saying that you’re never going to get married?”
“That’s right.”
“But, Draco, I lo-“
I raised my hand and cut her off. “No, don’t even say it. You don’t love me, and I don’t expect you too. Now, if you really want to talk about who you love, who you look at with affection every day, who you laugh at every single joke, who you try to distance yourself away from then-“
“Don’t tell him!” she shrieked. “You can’t under any circumstances tell him the way I feel. My parents and his would disown us for going against the Dark Lord.”
I sighed. “You’ll have to tell him sometime, Lila. Now just might be the right time just so you can have some time with him before something awful happens. Don’t regret never telling the true way that you feel. Trust me; it never works out for the best.”
She nodded. “Do you think he feels the same way about me?”
I smiled. “I know so.”
“I dunno if I should…”
“Do it, but be sure to watch out for his brother. He’s in love with the wrong girl for sure.”
She nodded and walked towards the open door and stopped right in the middle to turn and look at me. “Are you sure that you want to live with the pain?”
I nodded. “It’s the most beautiful pain in the world.”
I watched as she walked away in the direction of Micah’s bedroom and silently knocked on the door. If I couldn’t be with Courtney at least I could make sure that another true love could be. I closed my door to hear a peaking on the window pane. I walked over to the window to see a phoenix, very similar to Dumbledore’s Fawkes. I opened the window and it dropped an envelope to the floor with a very familiar handwriting scribbling out my name on the front. I picked it up to see something was writing on the back of it.
“Run to the ends of the Earth for her. She’s not the one that’s broken your heart. It beats in time with yours if you can hear it. Don’t be caught in the past, look towards the future. There’s a beautiful and terrible truth for you inside this envelope. Read with care and be sure to follow the instructions carefully. Good luck.”
My heart skipped a beat. She was alive? Aunt Bella really did lie to me then? In that moment, I felt like I didn’t know anything. I didn’t know my heart well enough. I didn’t know my aunt as much as I thought I did. I don’t even know what exactly is in that envelope. All I know is that she’s my forever; that’s my beautiful truth.
A/N: Aww. Draco is so sweet. You notice how the last line is in present tense? It’s there for a reason! Haha. Anywho…this update is in celebration of Secret winning the watty awards for ‘On the Rise’ Fanfiction. Exciting, right? THANK YOU ALL WHO VOTED!
Shout outs to awkmatsu for the song. It’s in the winning trailer just in case you haven’t realized. It’s the perfect song for Draco in this story, don’t you think?
Shout outs to Miss Frenchie because you should read her story ‘Mother Blood’, which is the first book in the series! There’s a second one called ‘Before Mother Blood’, but I would recommend that you read the previous one first. It’s pretty good. xD
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