Song of the Chapter: O Children by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Alexis' POV
Eventually I manage to get Draco to come with me back to the common room. As soon as we get inside I check to make sure no one is around, then grab a few blankets from the couch and lay them out evenly on the floor in front of the fireplace.
Over my shoulder I see Draco watching my every move. When I turn towards him he hesitates but joins me on the ground.
He pulls his knees to his chest and stares at the fire.
"He never got to redeem himself." He says quietly.
I glance over and Draco who is still staring straight ahead.
"Now all I'm going to remember him as is a coward."
Draco never talked about his father much with me; or with anyone really. But when he brought him up it was always like he was keeping certain parts out in hopes of forgetting them.
All Draco ever wanted was for his dad to be a good person. I think part of the reason why is it would've given him hope that he could change as well. Now that he'll never get to see that it took away the faith he had in himself.
As we sit there by the fire I continue to piece together why Draco was so quick to get up onto that railing. In reality, it wasn't a quick decision at all; The thought that he could never change has always haunted him.
I try to think of something meaningful to say but I know that nothing will make him feel better. Even if I were to speak right now, it's clear that he's completely lost in his thoughts.
After sitting next to him silently for quite some time my eyes start to wander around the room and I notice the Wireless radio sitting in the middle of one of the tables.
Carefully, I get up from the floor and make my way to the table. Looking back I see that Draco hasn't noticed I've gotten up.
My finger presses down on the power button and when I don't hear anything at first, I turn the volume up slowly. Soft music starts to fill the walls of the room.
When I walk back towards Draco I end up standing over him for a long moment before he realizes I'm there. His big blue eyes look up at me confused, so I hold out my hand.
"What?" He mutters in a rude tone.
I roll my eyes and wait for him to take my hand. Eventually, he gives in and grabs onto me. He scoffs dramatically but I ignore it and bring him to the middle of the room.
We stop in the center and still holding his hand, I place it on my waist along with his other. He tries to act careless but I feel him tightly grab onto me.
I clasp my hands around his neck and start swaying back and forth.
"You're ridiculous." Draco sighs.
He tries to insult me but I see a small smile forming on his lips the longer we dance together. For a split second I swear I see him singing along to the music.
By the time the chorus plays he's letting out small chuckles under his breath. He uses his left hand to spin me around three times in a row, causing me to lose balance. This makes him laugh out loud.
"Careful, you're going to break an ankle."
I grip onto his shoulders and manage to save myself from a fall. When I stand up straight once again my eyes connect directly with his and I feel my heart flutter.
There's still so much pain covering his face but behind the irritation and lack of sleep I still see the boy I love.
"I'm sorry about your dad, Draco." I whisper.
He takes a deep breath in, trying to conceal his emotions, then pulls me into his chest.
With my face still hidden I let my feet tilt side to side in sync with the music. I listen to the faint sound of his heart beating and start to get lost in it, like a song of its own.
"Did you mean what you said out there?"
I keep my face in his chest in hopes of him not seeing my embarrassment. When I fail to reply he pulls me away from him.
"Hello? Are you alive?"
His hand waves in front of my face multiple times jokingly.
"Alright, Alright!" I huff while grabbing his wrist.
I can tell that he's still waiting patiently for a response but I don't quite know what to say. Of course I meant it, I've known it for months. But him and I are still separated and he's the reason why.
I guess I just can't ever imagine him saying those words back to me.
Finally, I build up the courage to ask, "Why did you end things?"
Draco's facial expressions speak for him but he still tries to explain himself.
The last thing he says is, "I didn't want him to hurt you next."
I glance at the almost healed cuts on his face and feel my throat tighten. So many things went through my mind when trying to figure out why he decided to leave. But never did I think it would be because his father didn't want us together.
"I'm sorry." Draco says softly.
"It's okay. It's not your fault-"
"No," Draco raises his voice slightly. "Not just for that. For getting you involved with The Dark Lord, for being the reason your friends no longer speak to you. For shutting you down every time you tried to help. I'm so sorry, Lex."
I put on a smile but continue to think about the past few weeks and everything that has occurred. Those thoughts lead me to questioning what is going to happen in the upcoming months.
Like Draco pointed out, it's just us now at Hogwarts. And when things go down there's not going to be a single person asking us to fight beside them.
"You've always been right."
I snap back to reality and look up at Draco, who is focusing on every detail on my face.
"What do you mean?" I ask, confused.
He sighs. "If The Dark Lord is gone everything goes away, yes?"
I nod and watch as he ponders for a moment.
"Then I want to help now."
My eyes grow big and I wait for laughter or a smile but the serious expression stays.
"You want to help?"
Draco nods, subtly.
I stay quiet while trying to process everything, then ask,
"How?"
My question gets him thinking even more, and I can tell he doesn't really have much of an answer.
"Well, I don't know yet." He mumbles.
I let out a small chuckle but only because it's the best way to hide the giddiness he makes me feel.
"Together we're unstoppable, right?" I whisper.