H O M E... F O R N O W
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I want to wake up, and be happy. Genuinely, profusely happy. And yet, I can't. That feeling is foreign to me now.
~~~
Mal's POV
A couple weeks had passed and my friends and I had all stayed back to help with the final organizing before finally departing back to our homes.
Our parents greeted us warmly and I kept the I'm fine smile on my face the whole time. I left my bags in my room and headed over to Mione's.
"Are we done?" I asked her, exhaustion lacing my voice.
"Done?"
"Being in mortal danger?"
"I don't think we'll ever be done. But for now, I think we have a month with our parents before we must leave."
"And make them forget about us." I whispered.
"Yes. A month." She already sounded nostalgic.
"Well. I'm taking an afternoon from that month. This afternoon. I'm going to my room, I need to lay down."
"Alright. I'll be here, unpacking." I nodded and left her room to go to mine. Wow, when I left my bags in here I didn't truly look at it. I looked around and was reminded of how my heart tore apart a couple weeks ago.
I had a couple polaroid pictures of us on the walls, a photo booth picture on the mirror, the book he gifted me on the bookshelf, the black shirt he gave me from our very first christmas together so many years ago was folded neatly on the edge of the bed. The flower he had gifted me was somehow still alive and in a vase in my room. That flower looks like it's going to last longer than my relationship did. I sighed and grabbed an empty box in my room, and shoved everything in there. All of it. The pictures, the book, the shirt, the flower. I picked up the box and started heading downstairs when Mione stopped me.
"What's that?"
"Just... things I don't need." I tried to move the box away from her.
"Ooo, let me see. You have good stuff." She tried to peek inside the box but I moved it away.
"No!"
"Why? What's really in there Mal? Let me see." She grabbed the box from my hands and ran to her room with it.
"Hermione give it back!"
"No I want to— oh." I sighed in defeat when she picked up a picture from inside the box. "Things you don't need, huh?"
"Yeah." I shrugged.
"What happened Mal?" She sat on her bed and patted next to her for me to sit down.
"We broke up." I said in as monotone a voice as possible.
"Just now?" She sounded confused.
"About a month ago. The night when..."
"And you didn't tell me?"
"A lot was going on. We were all preoccupied and you guys were blaming him and... it was all just a lot."
"I am so sorry Mal."
"Yeah, right. You've been wanting us to break up."
I rolled my eyes at her.
"That's not exactly true. I don't like him but seeing you happy was better than how you've been this past month."
"I've been fine."
"No. You haven't been. We all noticed it, we just thought it was because of—"
"Hey girls, come downstairs. Let's fetch some popcorn and watch a movie. We've missed you two." Our mom and dad suddenly came in and mom encouraged us to come down. Before Mione could reject the invitation I nodded. I need something to be normal. I just need normalcy right now. I just need to forget.
We headed down with her and popped open a bag of popcorn, and sat down to watch a movie.
"How does 'The Breakfast Club' sound?" My mom asked as she grabbed a cassette.
"Good." Mione and I said at the same time just as my dad came in from the kitchen.
"I've got—" He began before being interrupted.
"Kat!" My heart dropped at hearing a familiar voice coming from upstairs.
"You've got to be kidding me." I groaned.
"Is that...?" My mom asked.
"Malfoy." Hermione growled.
"Mal, do you want to...?" my dad asked me and I immediately shook my head.
"Get him out." I nudged Mione and she nodded, taking her wand from the coffee table and heading upstairs.
"Hermione, wait." My mom followed her.
"Do I even want to know?" my dad nudged me and I shook my head.
"Out." I heard Mione instruct from upstairs.
"I'm not here for you." Draco growled at her.
"Thank God for that! Now out!" Mione scoffed.
"Hermione what's going on?" My mom asked, still clueless about the situation.
"Nothing." Draco and my sister said at the same time.
"Hermione." My mom insisted. I heard Mione hesitate before answering.
"They broke up. He lied to her." She finally admitted.
"Big lie?" My mom asked.
"Big lie." She confirmed.
"Malfoy, I think you should leave." My mom instructed.
"Ms. Granger, I won't leave until Kat tells me to leave." I rolled my eyes and got up, walking upstairs dreadfully.
"Get out. Enough for you?" I challenged.
"Kat please..." Draco pleaded.
"OUT!"
"Maybe you should hear him out sweetie..." My dad suddenly came up behind me.
"'Hear him out?!' No. I won't."
"But—" He insisted and I cut him off.
"Don't you understand! I can't talk to him. I can't hear him out. He lied to me. He betrayed my trust. After lying to me, he told me the truth, or so I ought, turns out he was hiding something even worse. So no. I won't hear him out." I ranted and turned back to Draco. "Get out."
"Kat please..." Draco reached over to me to touch my shoulder but I pushed him away, tears already forming in my eyes at rejecting him this way.
"GET OUT! I can't see you. I can't speak to you. Can't you see?! It's killing me to see you and reject you like this."
"Then don't." He begged.
"I have to. Because if I don't, you won't be doing the damage, I'll be the one destroying myself piece by piece by staying with you." My words hurt me, but they seemed to hurt him much more. I saw his face fall and defeat in his eyes, making my heart ache and felt a tear run down my face. I quickly wiped it away.
"Get out Malfoy. Now." Hermione threatened, holding her wand at him.
"I—"
"It's time for a little chat." My dad came up to him from behind me and held his arm, pulling him towards the doorway. I didn't bother to follow. I slumped down on my bed and closed the door once everyone left, using the Silencio charm to make sure I don't hear anymore of them. I just need a minute. Just one minute.
Mione's POV
Leaving Mal in her room, I followed my parents, particularly intrigued by how my father was dragging Malfoy out of the house.
"You hurt my daughter!" He yelled at Malfoy once we were out of the house.
"I didn't mean to." Malfoy said.
I noticed his voice the most, he's never truly showed any emotion. His voice has always been cold, icy, emotionless. But now, it's pained and full of emotion.
My dad didn't seem to notice the emotion in Malfoy's voice and focused on the anger he felt at how he hurt my sister. "You didn't mean to?! You mean to tell me you broke her trust, lied to her, and yet didn't know you were lying to her?!"
"I did know. I just—" Malfoy was interrupted with my dad's fist slamming across his jaw.
Bloody hell.
My mom and I both stood back in shock.
"Don't come back here. And if you ever hurt my daughter again... I may be no wizard but I'm still a father. And a father will do anything to protect his daughter. It'll be best for you not to forget that." He warned Malfoy. Way to go dad.
"Yes sir." Malfoy nodded and apparated before our eyes without another word.
"I'm gonna go check on Mal." I walked back inside the house.
"We'll head up in a bit." My mom nodded at me and walked away with my dad.
I ran up the stairs and inside Mal's room, where I found her hanging upside down on the bed, covering her eyes with the back of her arm. I sighed and joined her in the same position, which was surprisingly comfortable. After a couple moments in silence I finally spoke.
"What are we doing?" I asked quietly.
"Not sure. This position is just relaxing." She spoke, still covering her eyes.
"It is." I nodded, immediately regretting it when my neck felt heavy. "So... how are you doing there?"
"Hanging on. We have more important things to focus on. Like spending this month with our parents."
"Yes. We need to take advantage of them while we have them."
"Then we'll have to leave... for their own safety. But still. We have to do it." She sighed.
"Together." I took her hand.
"Together." She squeezed and we closed our eyes, taking in the full effect of this one being one of our last moments together.
Please don't hate me when I tell you Mal. It's for your own good.