Five

Hericane –Lany

[Cause our home's a wreck, look at this mess]

Elizabeth

Next morning, I expected to wake up being hugged by Draco.

But I woke up alone.

I thought my morning dizziness was tricking me. I moved the sheets, thinking foolishly he might be hidden under them, but Draco was not there. Maybe he had fallen from the bed. I looked down, and Draco was not there.

"Mel," I whispered to the bed in front of mine. "Mel."

"Mhm," Amelia mumbled.

"Mel, have you seen Draco?"

"Yeah, he came in past midnight," she muttered with her eyes still shut.

"Did you hear him leave?"

"He left?" she opened her eyes.

"Yeah," I said tired.

Amelia got out of bed and came to sit next to me. "Are you okay?"

I unglued my eyes from the blank space I was staring at and held my best friend's gaze.

"No," I confessed. "I'm scared."

She stood silent for a few seconds. I felt kind of bad, Amelia was not a morning person.

"Hey," she smiled. "Maybe he is catching up with all the subjects in the library. You know, he's been skipping lots of classes lately so he might be doing the missing work."

I smiled back at her weakly. "Yes, probably."

If only she knew.

"Come on, get changed and let's have some breakfast," Amelia stood up and stretched herself lifting her arms and letting a loud groan. "I'm starving!"

Even though Amelia had no idea what was going on, I tried to stick to her hypothesis. Maybe she was right, maybe Draco was doing his missing homework. I wanted to believe he was not sitting somewhere, staring at nothing and completely numb. Not again, please.

Not again.

We went downstairs to the common room, and as soon as I stepped there, the entrance door opened.

"Draco," I gasped.

"Hey, lovely," he came towards me smiling.

Why did my boyfriend look high?

"Look, today they've got croissants!" he said biting the piece of pastry he held.

I raised an eyebrow. "Draco, are you high?"

"What? No. What?" he furrowed his brows. "You know I'm against drugs!" he replied offended and stared at me for a few seconds. "You good?"

"Ye-. Yeah. I ju-. I just woke up and you were not here and I-." I stuttered.

"Liz!" he laughed. "Oh, I should have left you a note. Sorry, I was just having breakfast, I need a lot of energy today."

"Oh-. Okay?" I smiled.

"Promise I'll make it for dinner," he said starting to make his way back again to the door. "I have to go," he rushed. "Love you!"

"Why is he in a rush?" Amelia pointed.

"Uhm," I turned to her. "Missing homework."

"See?" she said proudly.

"Betty is your man on drugs?" Blaise mocked.

"Probably," I chuckled.

Blaise walked next to me to the Great Hall. He was always so charming and making me laugh. He was those types of friends every teen girl wants to have, and I felt very lucky.

"So, tell me. How's the Ron thing going?" I asked him.

"We talk," he blushed.

"I see," I grinned. "About..." I wanted to know more. Even though Blaise was extremely open with everybody, when it came to Ron, he looked like a thirteen-year-old good girl who was falling for the bad guy.

"Well, he greats me every time we come across," he smiled. "And he smiles a lot, like, foolishly."

"Like you're doing now?" I teased.

"Betty!" he blushed again. "But yes. And, well. They're not deep conversations but, I'm happy."

I scoffed at him.

"What's so funny, Betty!" he said dramatically.

"I just find it funny how you literally fucked, and it took you both two years to even say hi again."

"Hey, Slytherin princess," he stopped his tracks and faced me. "People's lives AND relationships" he emphasized, "are not as easy as your man and yours!" he laughed.

Well, definitely it was not easy at the moment. I smiled weakly, kind of sad at his assumption.

"Yeah, sorry," I whispered, but Blaise had just started walking again.

"Bets, hurry! I'm hungry!" he came back and taking me by the wrist dragged me to the Hall.

"Hey," I waved off my intruding depressive thoughts about Draco. "Aren't you excited?" I turned to Blaise.

"About what?" he said examining the table. "Wow look at all these croissants!" he pointed smiling. "Bets, about what?" he repeated.

"In two weeks, you'll be spending a lot of time with Ron. You know, for that project."

He looked at me. I could see excitement in his face.

"I know!"

"You'll need to buy valerian pills."

"So will you! Oof, I can't imagine having to work with Potter," he huffed.

"Don't remind me, can you?" I rolled my eyes.

"That boy," he looked for him in the Gryffindor table. "It's like-." We both stared at him for a while, tilting our heads at his strange movements.

"Look I can't even compare him with something," he shook his hands in desperation and took a deep breath. "I pity you."

"Thank you," I pouted.

We devoured all the pastries on our side of the table as if we had been starving for days. Croissants, muffins, sweet buns, apple pie pieces... Everything.

At a sudden, the morning owls entered the windows of the Great Hall and started dropping all the mail. Blaise and I never cared because we never received anything, so we continued devouring the pastries.

I noticed he stopped chewing and lifted his head from his plate.

"Betty, isn't that the Malfoy's owl?" he pointed.

I looked up and saw a black owl overflying the Slytherin table. Without landing, he dropped a black envelope and left.

"Is it?" Blaise pointed again at the owl, which was now flying back to the enormous windows.

"Yeah, it's Archimedes. Narcissa's owl." I clarified taking the envelope in my hands.

Blaise looked at me furrowing his brows. "Archimedes?"

"Yeah," I waved of. "Draco named it. He was obsessed with The Sword in the Stone when he was little."

Blaise stared at me, chewing in slow motion, analysing every inch of my face. "Betty, I swear to Merlin your man sniffs crack. I'm hundred percent sure."

I burst into laughter, holding my tummy. Merlin, I loved my friend.

Wiping the tears of my eyes I breathed and looked at Blaise, who was still staring at me with a poker face.

"What?"

"Open it?" he suggested the obvious.

"Oh, no. No." I laughed.

"Why not?" he said confused.

"I'm not in the mood for a morning dose of my mother-in-law Narcissa Malfoy." I took a sip of my tea.

"Mhm," Blaise thought for a moment. "Understandable."

When we finished breakfast, I went to my dorm to leave Narcissa's letter and take my books. Today was what Amelia and Blaise had named in third year "Studying Saturday", in which we spent the whole day as book rats in the library, so we didn't have to take our homework home for the Christmas break.

After almost five hours of studying and finishing homework, I stood up and went to have a little break. I checked the time: we had missed lunch. Anyways, none of us were hungry after the amazing breakfast we'd had.

I was standing in the middle of the hallway, taking deep breaths and stretching myself when I heard steps.

"Good morning, Professor Snape," I greeted.

"Be ready," he hissed.

"Hm?" I inquired.

"Be ready," he repeated.

I looked at him in confusion. Not because of his sharpness, we were all used to that. What was I supposed to be ready for?

"Lighten up, Astaroth," he spat walking past me.

I followed his pace, not being sure of his words. "Snape?"

He turned to face me across the hallway. "Yes, Astaroth?

"What am I supposed to be ready for?" but then I remembered. The task.

I looked at my Professor, who just witnessed how I realised everything was about to change. "Already?" I whispered.

"Yes. I talked to Malfoy-."

"Wait." I cut him. "Draco knows?" I approached him.

"Yes. I told him last night. He was supposed to tell you." Snape paused and saw how I run out of air. "I dare to say he didn't."

"No," I replied with my gaze lost. "He clearly did not."

I started to walk away, ignoring Snape's calls for my name.

My brain started to get foggy as I tried to process Draco lied to me. The person I cared the most for, loved the most, felt the most, lied to me. My person lied to me. I wouldn't care if it was a white lie, or something with little importance. But this was not. The Dark Lord, serving the Dark Lord, was not a joke.

When he came in last night, I knew he was lying. I felt it. And I was right. I am always right. His heart shot up the moment my fingers brushed against his Death mark.

He had been anxious the whole day. I knew it. I felt it even when we were alone in the gardens. And he did not tell me. He did not trust me enough to tell me. Maybe he thought I was too weak to take it, and I don't know which of those things hurt me the most.

My feet took me to where he repaired the Cabinet. I was mad. I was furious. How dared he?

"Malfoy!" I barked.

Just like yesterday, no answer.

"Malfoy, I'm not playing games today. Stop hidding!"

I moved chairs, tarpaulins, furniture. But still nothing.

Draco was not there.

I stopped my tracks breathing heavily. I needed to think straight. Where was he? Where could he be? Where the f-.

"The letter," I whispered. "The letter."

I run back to the dungeons. Narcissa's letter. I should have read it when I got it.

I sprinted to the stairs as fast as I could. The black envelope was there, laying on my bed so innocently. Out of breath and with shaking hands, I ripped it up to find Narcissa's perfect handwriting.

Dear Beth,

Draco is here.

I assume you already know why.

I beg you to come as soon as you read this letter.

Best,

Narcissa Malfoy

"Well, bold of this woman to assume her son has fucking told me anything," I whispered to myself, still catching my breath.

If Draco knew, and was at the Manor, he was only there for one thing: to talk to his father.

Talk, in the best scenarios.

I threw the letter back to my bed and immediately took my wand.

In just one second, everything around me went black, and I felt my eyes being forced back deeper into my skull. My ears whistled piercing my brain, and my guts twisted making me sick.

I hated apparating.

I fell on my knees in front of the Malfoy Manor, witnessing how it stood up magnificently in front of me, surrounded by a deep sea of black and grey clouds.

I stood up staggering, my knees bled, and I felt I would throw up at any moment.

But I didn't care.

I walked with decisiveness to the entrance door. I did not knock. I pushed the heavy doors with all the strength I got left, bursting in the place I sometimes had considered my home, just because Draco was there.

"Draco Malfoy!" I screamed.

Narcissa came out from the living room at a speed, with arms opened.

"Honey, calm down," she pleaded.

"Where the hell is he!" I walked pass Narcissa, ignoring her, and entered the room she had previously left.

There he was walking from one side to another of the room. He did that when he was anxious.

"Lov-."

"Don't," I raised my voice even more. "Don't you dare coming at me with that lovely tale!"

"Elizabeth, calm down please," Narcissa talked from behind me.

"I am not!" I barked. "I am not calming down!" I said not taking my eyes of Draco.

"Listen-." He started.

"I'm NOT listening!" I pushed him. "You lied to me!"

He tried to approach to me, but I pushed him back even harder, making him trip. "Liz-."

"You laid with me. In my bed. Looked me in the eyes and had the nerve to lie to me!" I felt my eyes starting to pool. "Hours after you had told me you wanted to spend the rest of your life with-." I broke. "With me!"

"And I do," he said. "I'm sorry, Liz."

"No!" I shouted back. "You are a fucking liar, that's what you are!" I stepped away and started to walk from one side of the room to another, imitating what he was doing before.

"Why did you do it? You think I am weak? Do I look like a weak person to you?" I asked, still raising my voice. "Answer me!"

"No."

"Then what? You thought I could not handle it?"

"Well-." He pointed at me with his arms open. "Look at you now, Liz."

I stared laughing. I was so mad that I started laughing.

"How dare you? This," I pointed at our behaviour. "Is your fault! You lied to me!"

"I was trying to protect you!" he threw his arm in the air, exasperated.

"Then don't! You are not my father! I can do it myself."

He stood silent, and so did I. Our breathings were heavy. I saw his chest going up and down, and he swallowed, still panting. I had my fists clenched; I felt my nails pounding on my palms.

Draco watched me. He followed the stains of dried mud I had on my clothes, until his eyes landed on my knees.

"You're bleeding," he pointed softly, still in his spot.

"I fell," I muttered back.

He lowered his gaze to the ground and let himself fall to the couch.

"I would have told you," he started again, but now calmly. "I wanted to talk to my father first. Maybe he could do something to keep you out of this."

"Have you?" I asked.

"Hm?"

I took a sit on the other side of the couch. "Talked to him. Have you?"

"He's not here yet. I'm waiting."

"Okay."

"From 1000 to 0 in two seconds," Narcissa spoke from the door. "You are both definitely Astaroth and Malfoy," she laughed.

Damn I had totally forgot about her.

"I apologise," I said. "For the screaming and-."

"It's okay, honey," she smiled. "Your parents are coming to dinner."

I huffed. "Okay. Family nigh, I see."

She smiled guiltily.

"Mother," Draco started. "Could you?" he pointed at my knees.

"Of course."

Two minutes later, she came in with a little wet tea towel and a tiny bottle of pure alcohol.

"Thanks, Narcissa," I thanked.

She put the utensils on the coffee table and left the room.

Draco took the tea towel and soaked it with alcohol.

"It'll itch a little," he warned.

He cleaned my wounds and the dried blood that had run down my legs. As soon as he finished, he spoke again. "I'm sorry."

"I know."

"I love you," he said.

I sighed. "I know."

I stared at him for a while before sitting on his lap, my legs spread along the couch. My fingers started to play with his hair, tickling the back of his neck.

I looked at him up close for the first time in weeks. His skin was soft and very pale. I caressed his cheek as I felt his grey eyes on me.

"You're making me nervous," I mumbled.

"Wow," he giggled. "That's new."

His hand rested between my thigh and my waist. His touch was cold, as always.

He caressed the bare skin under my skirt without making eye contact. The same time, my fingertips started tracing carefully his soft features, my eyes admiring every single one of them.

"Draco," I mumbled.

"Mhm?" he smirked.

"I love you."

He giggled. "I know."

I stared at his lips for a while. They were rosy, just like his cheeks now. I kissed him softly, and in the middle of the kiss I felt him smiling.

He said nothing, he just followed my movements. Without breaking the kiss, he helped me sit astride his lap.

My fingers pulled gently his hair, making him moan in my lips.

I loved that.

As he intensified the kiss, his big hands snicked under my skirt one more time, gripping the back of them aggressively making me moan. At my response, his left hand traveled to my shirt and started unbuttoning it.

"Draco," I whispered pulling away.

But he didn't listen. His lips found mine in less than a second, giving me no chance to complain.

"Please," he breathed on my neck.

I finished unbuttoning my shirt, ready to take it off, when two fingers knocked on the door.

"Draco," Narcissa talked from the other side of the door. "Your father is here."

All the heat that had risen in counted minutes, froze at her words. Draco's glance went cold as he stared at the door. He pushed me aside and stood up rapidly, walking to the door without hesitation.

"Draco," he turned at my words. "Don't lose it, please," I begged.

He looked at me but said nothing. Next thing I saw was him walking pass the door and closing it behind him.

I let out a breath I didn't realise I had been holding.

I heard the lock making strange noises and I stood up to hear from up close. At the other side of the door, I heard Draco's voice.

"Colloportus!" whispered Draco and the door sealed itself with an odd squelching noise.

I pulled the door handle, but it didn't give in. I pulled and pulled and pulled, but nothing. I banged the door as hard as I could, calling out his name and begging him to open the door.

I reached for my wand, ready to call an Alohomora, but I didn't find it. I stood in the middle of the room thinking where it could be, and then I realised.

I had dropped my wand accidentally at the entrance when I had apparated.

I was shut in.

Draco had locked me in.