47: Illusions

You walked out of the limo with your brother and grandmother. You just got back from your childhood friend's masquerade ball.

For some reason, the whole night, you felt someone's stare stinging at the back of your neck.

Yet again, you were someone well-known, there would always be someone watching without you knowing.

But this time, for some reason...

It felt familiar.

"Where's Aria? She said she'll be right behind." You asked, your head turning around to spot your sister's car.

"She said she'll be a little late." Your brother answered you.

"Why?" You questioned your brother.

"Don't worry, Amory. She's 18 already, she can take care of herself." Your brother pushed you through the doors of your home.

"But-"

"Alright, good night!" Your brother cuts you off and ran to the comforts of his room to sleep.

You could only sigh at your carefree brother.

You continue to walk back to your own room, not bothering to say good night to your grandmother.

After what's she has done, there was no need to.

You took a quick bath before you have to go to bed.

As you step out of your bathroom, you thought about how ironic it was to have yourself smell like him. You look down further to your outfit for the night, you were wearing his quidditch sweater.

You mentally laughed at yourself.

Pathetic isn't it? Making yourself smell like him and even dressing like him. You miss him every day and yet, you know that he probably hates you now.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Amory, it's me." You raised an eyebrow.

Why is your sister here in the middle of the night?

"Come in." You said.

Your sister, Ariana pokes her head from the door.

"What's wrong?" you asked as you walked to your bed.

But, Aria was quiet. She was staring at you.

"Aria?" You called for her, taking her back from her stare.

"You're wearing his sweater... again..." She said in a whisper, saddened for you.

"It's the only other piece I have of him. Other than this." Your hands reached up to your collarbones taking out a necklace with Draco's ring dangling and hanging around it.

You untangle the ring from the necklace, taking it to finally slip it on your finger again.

"Why don't you just leave and go to him?" Your sister asked.

You've already had this conversation before. And your answer remains the same.

"Because I can't leave." From your bed, you stared out to your balcony.

"You can, but you won't." Your sister walked over to you and sat beside you.

You gave out a heavy breath.

"If I know him, my guess would be that he still hates me for letting him go that day." You subconsciously rubbed against the ring on your finger.

"No, he doesn't." She said almost immediately.

"Even if he doesn't, it's been three years, Aria. He would've moved on by now." You said, no doubt within your voice at all.

"What if you're wrong?" Aria questioned.

"If I'm right, his father probably has already engaged him to another girl by now." A hint of sadness finally made itself known.

"No, he wouldn't."

"Oh, trust me he would." You said without even hesitating.

Ariana fell silent after that, not knowing what to say to make you better anymore.

"You need sleep, Amory. Your black circles look darker today." Ariana pointed out.

Of course, they are. You just came back from another party; it was already good enough that you came back before midnight.

"Good night, Aria." You simply said, not even looking to your sister.

Your sister took reluctant steps towards your door, gave you a wary look before exiting your bedroom.

You didn't actually sleep until late at night when you dozed off, still sitting against the headboard of your bed.

You didn't know how long you slept, but when you opened your eyes, you saw him...

"You came again..." You blurted out, staring off into his eyes that were peering down to yours.

"You look real this time..." Your hands reached his cheeks.

"You feel real too..." You started stroking his cheeks with your thumb.

It was weird, you could always tell what was real ever since you started seeing hallucinations.

But this time, you couldn't tell if this was another one of your hallucinations or he was really there.

"Have my hallucinations gotten worse? I can't tell if this is fake anymore..." You said out loud, not saying it to anyone in particular, more or so to yourself.

Your mind quickly took over and assumed that the later idea was almost impossible to happen.

So you quickly tell yourself this was a hallucination.

But those thoughts shattered when you felt a touch on your hand that was on his cheek. You look back to him to see his hand on yours.

This was just another hallucination...

Right?

It felt so real that you could somehow convince yourself that Draco Malfoy himself was actually here.

Your illusions were always the same version of him from the last time you saw him. Specifically, the 18-year-old Draco you saw at the battle of Hogwarts.

You could tell from his frame that was sitting by your bed, he was taller than the Draco you remember. He now looks more mature and more grown-up. And would you dare say, more handsome?

Have your hallucinating abilities grown more advanced to the point that you could see the older version of him?

"I'm here, Lia..." Oh no, even his voice this time sounds like he's really here.

"No, you're not. You're just an illusion I made up." You denied, but your voice betrayed you when it shook.

As much as you denied it, you couldn't deny that you had desperately yearned to be together with him again.

How you wished that he was really here.

How you longed for him to be here by your side.

How you hoped that you never had to let him go that day...

You huffed out a long sigh before retracting your hand from Draco's cheeks and pushed yourself forward from leaning on the headboard that you've been sleeping on.

You moved to lie down on your bed, but you also left a space for him beside you.

You look back up to him to see Draco had an expression you wished you would never see again.

He had the same expression from when he found out that you were splinched, heartbroken and guilty.

Your hand pats the empty space beside you.

"Lie down with me." You just said, a pleading look on your face.

"Lia... I need to" You interrupted him before he could say anything.

"Please..." Your voice cracked as you pleaded.

"Just for tonight. I don't care if you're just an illusion or real anymore. Just for one night, I'll pretend that you're real and that I don't have to push you away just because I know that you're not real." A tear made its way down your face.

Your sight was blurry from tears; you can't see what his reaction was to your plead.

But you could still make out his nod.

His figure slowly lies down beside you.

As soon as he did, you push yourself into his chest. Snuggling as close as you can to him.

You breathed in his familiar scent, he smelled exactly just like how you remembered. His scent quickly relaxed your tense body, making you feel like you're home.

Home was something you haven't felt for a long time. Ever since you left him to his family, you never felt home anywhere else, not even when you were with your brother and sister. You slowly realized after that, that it's only home when he was with you.

Funny how you already smell like him but only him can make you feel like this.

His scent quickly lulled you into sleep, not giving you any more time to feel more of him.

The last thought you had before you completely fell into the darkness was...

This must be another dream if not a hallucination.

-

You opened your eyes after a night's rest.

Before you even sat up, everything that happened last night came back to you.

You look to your side, where you thought he slept last night.

Nothing......

Of course...

You were right...

It was just another dream...