H O M E
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Mal's POV
The past couple months in Slytherin had been tough, everyone there continued bothering me about being a "mudblood," since they didn't know where I actually came from. The only ones in Hogwarts that knew are Hermione and apparently Dumbledore. I'd like to keep it that way. I had made no progress with Malfoy, he continued being a jerk to me and making fun of me for being friends with "the enemy." My little group actually accepted me, despite being a Slytherin and we had gone on countless adventures together, even getting in trouble for some of them. Whenever we were together the Slytherins glared at me, weirdly Draco didn't, not when he was alone at least. He would look at us and his face took on a look of-- longing? Sadness? I'm not sure what it is but it isn't as mean or evil as the facade he constantly puts on around everyone else.
Finally it was summer and time to go back home, since this hasn't been feeling as much of a "home" as it should, I was glad. I would finally see my parents and be able to hang out with Mione without Slytherins whispering judgemental comments behind us.
"Granger! Wait up!" I heard a voice I knew all too well and rolled my eyes as I turned around.
"What Malfoy?" I snapped at him.
"This year wasn't so fun for you, was it?" He tilted his head to the side curiously, much like a dog.
I scoffed. "Seriously Malfoy? Must you come and rub it in my face? You and your single brain celled posse made sure this year wouldn't be fun for me, you got what you wanted, so could you just let me go home in peace?" I sighed, exhausted from being the constant mockery of the Slytherin house.
"Alright. Have a good summer Granger." He said quietly and walked away. Malfoy? Walking away with no snotty comeback? I must've hit a nerve. I groaned at this tugging feeling in my heart and turned around to board the train to go back to my parents.
2 years later.
My parents, Mione, and I were eating our last dinner before going back to Hogwarts tomorrow morning for our third year and that's when I felt it. I got hit in the back with a... pole? Of some sort? But when I looked behind me there was not one there.
*Smack* a harder blow came onto my back and I stood up quickly, running to my room and closing the door.
*Smack* another blow. I exclaimed in pain and Mione burst through the door.
"Mal?! Mal?! What's wrong? Tell me." Hermione panicked.
"My back..." Was all I could say and Mione immediately lifted my shirt to check my back.
"What the--" Mione gasped and I exclaimed in pain again as I felt another blow. After a minute I waited and no more blows came, I calmed down and sat on the floor.
"What is it Mione? Is there something on my back?"
"Red marks, red pole-like marks are across it. 4 to be exact, who the hell hit you Mal? There is no one here." The realization dawned on me. No. Impossible.
"Hermione... how much do you know about unbreakable vows?"
"Mal please tell me you didn't..."
"Hermione, how much do you know?"
"It's a promise you can't break. Depending on what the promise was you have certain conditions you have to stick to. What did you do Mal?"
"Funny story..." I leapt into the story of why I got sorted into Slytherin and the talk with Dumbledore as well the vow I made.
"How stupid could you be Malorie? I mean... Malfoy? Seriously? You were Twelve years old! You should never have agreed!" Hermione yelled.
"Be quiet. It's Dumbledore... I doubt he was giving me much of a choice." I tried to explain it to her.
"Ok. Ok. But this makes no sense-- you can't have marks on your back from a vow, unless you broke it. However, he could have... no he could never... but he could have..." Hermione muttered and paced the room, just as she does when she is thinking deeply about something.
"Mione stop muttering and explain this to me please."
"He could have bonded you to him."
"Bonded me?" I raised an eyebrow at her.
"So you would feel whatever he feels."
I felt panic settle into my body. "Is that permanent? Can it be broken?"
"Yes. But only if the wizard who made it dies."
Pfft. Dumbledore's like a thousand years old, he won't die anytime soon.
"You've got to be kidding me!" I got up and slammed my fist on the wooden table, making me wince in pain. "Wait. So if I am... 'bonded' to him or whatever, that means he was getting hit. Who the hell is hitting him?"
"Probably his father, with that cane he always carries around."
"What a jerk. I--" I felt a smack on the back of my head, this time not as hard, it might've been his father's hand. "I need to go." I got up off the ground and pulled on a denim jacket.
"Malorie. You aren't stupid enough to be planning on going to Malfoy Manor, right?" Hermione walked towards the door and tried to block it.
"Right..." my voice rose in pitch due to my lie. "Totally."
"Malorie. Don't. It's none of your business. This is family business, not yours."
I looked straight into her eyes, a challenge not many would try against Hermione Granger. "It is my business. I vowed to protect him. And I will. Even if it's from his own family."
"No. I highly doubt that's what Dumbledore meant. I think family business is family business, not for you to get involved in. A lot of parents are like that, a lot of fathers hit their--" Hermione stopped herself and glanced at me warily.
"Go ahead continue. A lot of parents hit their children. It starts off with a smack, then it moves on to a full on whack with their cane, then they punch you in the face, then they are pushing you to the floor, then they kick you while you're on the ground, because they are bloody cowards!" I yelled and tried to control my breathing as I recalled the dark parts of my past, before showing up on the Grangers' doorstep with bruises on my stomach and a healing bruise on my cheek, my birth mother would never have let him hit me.
"Malorie, I know. I'm so sorry about what happened to you."
"You get it now? You get why I have to go?" I pressured her.
"Fine, but I'm going with you." Mione slipped on her grey sweatshirt.
"No. They're going to be mean to you when they know you're muggle born."
"They think you're muggle born, what's the difference? You won't tell them about your birth parents either, will you?" she took her wand and handed me my own.
"Not unless it's necessary."
"All right, let's go get in trouble." I rolled my eyes and Hermione quickly grabbed a hairbrush she had turned into a portkey over the summer. She held onto it, as did I and I quickly saw all my surroundings blur, feeling nauseous at how fast I was spinning to get to the location.
I grunted as I landed roughly on the cold wooden ground, I stood up and dusted myself off as I took in my surroundings. The walls were a light grey color, contrasted with the black painting on the molding of the doors and windows. There was a Slytherin flag on top of the bed, which again was black with light grey bedding. There were few decorations on the wall, with the exception of a small sketch of a black rose, with thorns, and a petal falling off.
"What the hell are you two mudbloods doing here?" I heard the voice I suddenly found myself having missed over these past couple months and before I could realize what I was doing, I lunged myself at him and wrapped my arms around his neck, holding him in a tight embrace. He stood stiffly for a couple seconds before turning me to have his back facing Hermione and hugged me back, placing his chin on top of my head and softly inhaling, almost as if he was enjoying the scent of my coconut scented conditioner. We stood like this for a couple more seconds before we both snapped back to reality and I realized what I was doing. He coughed awkwardly as he separated from my embrace, "so umm... why are you two here? How did you get here?"
"We came to get you away from here, c'mon." I saw a small spark of hope flash through his eyes before suspicion covered his face again.
"Why would I want to leave with you? Or want to leave at all? I'm fine." He walked over to his closet to grab a black shirt, I don't know how I missed it but he had grown over the summer. Of course, that's to be expected, he's fourteen now. I'm talking, full of six pack, muscle toned arms, a couple inches taller, and his pale blonde hair was no longer covered in hair gel. I didn't fail to notice his toned muscles as he pulled the shirt over his head, his sweatpants hugging his hips. Malorie look away. But I couldn't get myself to do so. "Like what you see, Granger?" Draco caught me staring and smiled smugly, I blushed and finally got myself to look away.
"Shut up Malfoy, as if. Grab your stuff and let's go, before your parents notice we're here." Malfoy sat on his bed and leaned back.
"Now why would I do that Granger?" He crossed his arms over behind his head.
"Because of this!" I rushed over to pull up the back of his shirt and grazed my fingers softly over the red marks that were still evident on his back, evidence of physical abuse, I knew it all too well. I felt goosebumps raise on his back and he pulled away quickly and stood up.
"How the hell did you know about that Granger?!" He towered over me, a crazed look of rage in his eyes, but I wasn't going to back down.
"I saw it when you were putting your shirt on. He can't hit you Malfoy. He just can't. I won't--" I stopped myself from continuing, I couldn't tell him about my vow, I have a feeling he wouldn't react to that in a great way.
"You won't what Granger?" He raised his eyebrows in the way only Malfoy knows to, and he surprisingly looked attractive doing so.
"Hurry up Malfoy. We have to go." I stepped away from him, suddenly uncomfortable with our close proximity.
"No. Why would I?" This has to be the most stubborn boy I have ever met.
"If you come with me I'll try to explain, please. Grab your stuff and let's go." Something about the look on his face must've convinced him, since he sighed loudly before grabbing an already packed bag. I looked at it skeptically.
"What? Tomorrow's the first day of third year, I was already packed." He shrugged.
"Alright, grab on." I smiled smugly and nudged him softly before grabbing onto the hairbrush and going through the nauseating journey again. We landed hastily on the cement in front of our house and I stood up to dust myself off again.
"This is where you two live?" Malfoy asked.
"Spare me the judgement, my sister's being nice and letting you stay a night. The least you can do is not be a jerk about it." Hermione finally spoke up.
"I wasn't! I was just going to say it looks nice, cozy." He shrugged shyly and looked at the ground.
"Oh. Thank you." Hermione said awkwardly. "Now, when we walk in you have to be nice, or at least as nice as you can be. They are not going to be used to your mean comments, so you've gotta reign it in, alright?" He nodded and tightened his grip on his suitcase. "Let's go." Mione opened the door and cringed at the look on our parents faces as we walked in with this pale stranger.
"Hermione! Malorie! Who is this? And where have you been? We went to look in your room and neither one of you were there."
"Sorry mom, we had to get our--" I struggled over what to call Malfoy, "friend over here. His parents couldn't go with him to the platform tomorrow, would it be alright if we took him?"
"Fine. But warn us next time, ok? We were worried." Our mom came and hugged both Hermione and me warmly, followed by our father doing the same.
"And who would you be?" My mom stepped in front of Malfoy.
"Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, Ms. Granger."
"Well, nice to meet you Malfoy." She stepped closer to him and hugged him awkwardly since he was stiff against her hold, nevertheless he still wrapped one arm around her and patted her back softly. I could see the surprise in his face turn into relief as she hugged him.
"Yes, nice to meet you, Malfoy." Our father said as Malfoy and our mom separated so he could shake father's hand.
"You can take the couch, and you can wash up upstairs, I'll show you where the bathroom is." I waved to him to come with me as I went up to show him. "You can leave your suitcase here or bring it downstairs if you want, since we'll be leaving tomorrow morning anyway. And here's a towel." I threw a towel at him. He stared at the towel in his hands and said nothing. "Well... I think there's a pack of new toothbrushes under the sink and if you need anything just let me know." I nodded to him and closed the bathroom door behind me. Not even a thank you? Rude. Bloody ungrateful.
"Granger! Wait!" He opened the door and bumped into me, since I was still holding the doorknob. I felt his warm breath on me and looked up to see his face inches from mine and stepped back, we were a little too close for my comfort. He looked at the floor before looking at me again, "thanks."
"No problem." I said and walked away quickly, closing my bedroom door behind me. What the hell was that? An accident I'm sure, but I'm not referring to that. I'm referring to that fluttering feeling in my stomach. It's nothing. I felt nothing. I'm such a bloody liar. I sighed and went over to my closet, picking out the simple purple shirt and shorts I had separated for my pajamas as the last day I would be at home. I put them on top of the towel on my bed and picked up my book to continue reading as I waited for Malfoy to get out of the shower.
———
I walked softly down the stairs in order to not wake Malfoy as I went to get a cup of water from the kitchen. In my attempt to be kind to my guest, I didn't turn on the lights, and that led me to bump into something -- someone -- on my way. I spilled the water I was holding on my shirt and gasped loudly as the cold water touched my skin.
"Bloody--" I heard Malfoy's voice and flipped the switch on.
"Malfoy? What are you doing awake?"
"I couldn't sleep. You?"
"Me either, I just went to get some water, and, well..." I gestured to the spilled water on my shirt and on the floor. I looked at Malfoy and saw his gaze was not longer on my face but on my chest, that's when I realized my wet shirt was clinging to my body and I didn't have a bra on. I mean, who wears a bra to sleep? I crossed my arms over my chest and blushed slightly.
"Like what you see Malfoy?" I smiled at the look of embarrassment on his face as I repeated his words back to him.
"Yeah I--" My eyes widened in surprise and my blush deepened "wait, what? I mean no. As if." He teased me by repeating my response back at me. I giggled and shook my head.
"You shouldn't be so obvious Malfoy, it makes you look desperate." I teased as I walked over to get a new glass of water.
"I am not desperate." Malfoy glared at me and I laughed even louder.
"Mhm, ok. Well thanks to you I have to digging into my suitcase for a new shirt." I rolled my eyes and took a sip out of my glass of water and placed it next to me as I leaned on the kitchen isle.
"Here" he threw his used black shirt at me, "don't say I never did anything for you." I tried to hide the surprise in my face at his gesture.
"Thanks." I walked to the bathroom to dry myself off and put his black shirt on, as I looked in the mirror I couldn't help the goofy smile that spread on my face as I inhaled his scent. He evidently wore an expensive cologne, and somehow there was a trace of a smell of apples. The perfect combination. I regained my composure as I stepped out of the bathroom and went to hang my wet shirt on a hanger in my room to air dry when I saw my bedroom door cracked open and the light turned on.
"To Kill A Mockingbird?" He asked me from his seat on my bed as he held my book in his hands.
"Yeah." I responded and raked my fingers through my hair, nervous about what he was doing in my room.
"What's it about?" I scanned his face for any trace of mockery but found none. His question is genuine.
"Well..." I took a seat next to him on the bed, "it takes place in 1930s Alabama, and this guy-- Atticus Finch -- is trying to prove that Tom Robinson is innocent, he's being accused of raping a white woman. And it highlights how predominant racism was back then, and arguably is still now, since so many people were quick to believe he was the one who raped her since he's black. Which is so frustrating because someone's skin color does not mean they are more or less likely to commit a crime, yet everyone seems to think it is and it's just so wrong." Draco looked at me intensely and I couldn't help but look back into those moon, icy grey eyes of his. "What?" I asked him.
"Did you know your eyes sparkle when you talk passionately about something? And you blush a little too, when you talk about this book it's like you're living the story, not just reading it."
"That's the point of books though, isn't it? To transport you into new places? A good book will do that."
"Read it to me." Despite his lack of a question here, it was more of an invitation than a command.
"What?"
"Read it to me. Neither one of us can sleep, and I want to see what all this excitement is about." He sat back on the bed and leaned against the headboard, moving over to give me some space to sit next to him. I felt my stomach flutter and tried to ignore my nervousness as I mimicked his position and opened the book to start reading.
Draco's POV
I couldn't help but stare at her as she read, she read so passionately, so much that if she wanted to, she could act out every chapter and it would be believable. I heard her slow down as she grew increasingly tired, and finally saw the book fall on the bed and felt her shift to lean into me. I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her closer to me, stroking her hair softly with my hand. What the hell is wrong with me? I can't feel this. Father would surely disown me if he ever found out I felt this way about a mudblood. She whimpered and hung onto the bed sheets tightly.
"Stop! Please! Dad! Stop! Please stop!" I heard her scream and had no idea what to do. Why the hell isn't her family coming? Can't they hear her screaming?! "Dad stop! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! It hurts Dad please stop!" Screw this. I shook her lightly to wake her up.
"Malorie! Malorie wake up! Please wake up!" I saw her eyes open, fear evident in them before she looked around her surroundings and then looked at me, causing her to visibly relax.
"Crap. I'm sorry." She tried to stand up but I held onto her waist and kept her next to me.
"You're sorry? For having a nightmare? I don't think you can control that. You have nothing to be sorry for." She looked away from me and I took her chin and turned her to look at me. "Now, I need you to tell me... does this muggle father of yours hit you?"
"What?! No. Of course not. He would never."
"Then why were you yelling at him to stop hurting you?" A terrified look flashed across her face before it turned stone cold and she turned away from me, removing my arm from her waist.
"Don't worry about it. I'm fine."
"No, Malorie. You don't get to do that." I took her hips and turned her to face me again. "You don't get to scare me half to death and then say it's nothing." She smiled brightly, a smile I had never seen her give to anyone, not even her small group of friends, and for some reason, I felt privileged to be the only one who has received that smile.
"You called me Malorie. Not Granger."
"Yeah, I'm sleeping at your house, I figured we could call a truce on our little rivalry and be on a first name basis."
"Alright, Draco," she smiled even bigger and I felt my stomach flutter. What the hell? My stomach is fluttering? I must be getting sick. "But don't call me Malorie. It--" her face took on a pained and fearing look again, "Just don't call me Malorie, it's too formal."
"Ok... but I don't want to call you Mal either, that's what everyone calls you, I want a name only I could call you." Tell me I did not just say that. I saw her blush at my words and didn't regret saying them anymore.
"Ok... what are you thinking?"
"You got a middle name?" I asked her, still holding her hip.
"Yeah, Katerina." She seemed to realize my hand was on her hip and she placed her hand on top of mine, I felt my heartbeat quicken and fought to keep my hand on her warm body.
"Does anyone call you that?" I raised an eyebrow at her, she smiled and shook her head. "It's settled then, I'll call you Katerina."
"What am I going to call you then? I also want a name only I can call you." her brows furrowed.
"No one calls me Draco, except for my parents." I shrugged. She stuck her lower lip out slightly and pouted. Why does every facial expression this girl makes look so adorable on her? I almost want to tug on that bottom lip she's sticking out. Wait... adorable? Malfoy get a grip.
"But I want something only I can call you."
"There aren't many nicknames to derive out of 'Draco' honestly." I thought through it in my head but found none particularly appealing.
"Dracula?" she stifled a laugh and gasped as I squeezed her hip softly.
"Haha... so witty. No. Draco is fine, my parents are never around anyway so you won't even remember that they call me Draco."
"Fine." She huffed, "Draco it is."
"Go to sleep, Katerina." I moved my hand from her hip and started lifting myself up to go sleep on the couch, but she took a hold of my hand.
"Wait, can you stay? Just in case I have another nightmare?" She looked up at me with those big, amber eyes of hers and I simply couldn't say no. I sighed and layed back down next to her, wrapping my arm around her waist again and pulling her close to me so I could fall asleep to her coconut scent mixed with mine because of my shirt she was wearing. And somehow, that felt like the perfect combination.