52: Never Again

The next morning, Draco woke up to someone calling him.

"Draco." A voice called again.

He opened his eyes to you still within his arms, you hadn't moved at all the whole night.

He turned his head to look over his shoulder, Aria was looking down at both of you.

"What is it?" Draco whispered as he carefully tried to not wake you up.

"Can we talk somewhere else? My brother and I have something to say." Aria told him.

Draco carefully pulls himself away from you and covered you with your blanket.

After he made sure that you were comfortable, he retreated with Aria.

As he stepped out the door, he noticed that Aria was lingering by it, her gaze never leaving your slumbering body.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked, pulling Aria from her mind.

"It's nothing. It's just..." Aria hesitated.

"I haven't seen her slept that peacefully ever since she came back from Hogwarts..." Aria was sad for you.

She quickly shakes the sad thoughts off herself and led Draco to a room with her brother Galvin inside.

"Did you get to talk to her?" Galvin asked as soon as they sat down.

Draco could only sigh helplessly at the question.

"No, she wasn't exactly in her right mind. She thought that I was just a hallucination her mind made up." Draco could see them visibly paled and stiffen when he said you hallucinated.

"You don't know?" Draco's voice raised slightly, surprised that your siblings didn't seem to know about it.

"N-no." Aria stumbled against her words, not seeming to be to believe his words.

Galvin quickly pulled her to him as if to steady her before she falls.

"We knew about the hallucinations, but she told us she didn't have them anymore since last year." Galvin explained why they were so terribly shocked to hear the news.

After that, long story short, they told Draco how your three years was without him.

When you came home after the battle, you would have gone anywhere else if you could, but you knew you couldn't just abandon your siblings to your grandmother's wrath. You found Aria with a harp as soon as you came home.

Between the three siblings, Ariana was the one who would rather do anything else than music. Your brother was already a grown-up so she picked Ariana because she still had time. You didn't even need to ask why your grandmother forced her to learn the harp, you already knew why. Basically what happened after that was that you shouted at your grandmother and made a deal with her.

The deal was that you would continue the family legacy for your sibling's freedom to do whatever they want. Your sister and brother obviously didn't approve of it but you insisted. Then, your suffering started after that.

As Draco walked back to your room, he couldn't help but blame himself for not coming sooner. Granted, he and his family were under house arrest. But he was under lighter surveillance compared to his father, he could've sneak off to you and help you out from your suffering earlier.

He carefully opened your door, afraid that he would wake you up if you were still asleep.

He steps into your bedroom, you were still lying in bed and your backside facing him.

Seems like you were still facing the balcony.

Sniff.

What?

He quickly rushed to his side of the bed from last night.

You were hugging your knees to your chest and silently sobbing with tears rolling down your face.

Draco's could hear his heart shatter at the sight of you.

"Lia, sweetheart. What's wrong?" he panicked, bending down to take a closer at your look while his hands came to your cheeks, wiping your tears away.

Your tears stopped for a moment, your eyes diverted to his in a flash after hearing his voice and feeling his hands by your cheeks.

Your arms wrapped around his neck as fast as you looked at him, pulling Draco down further with him on top of you. Draco could feel your arms around his neck so tightly that he almost choked.

He proceeded to push himself up, taking your form that was lying on the bed up with him into a sitting position.

After Draco made sure you were sitting steadily with him, he buried his head to your hair while yours remain at the crook of his neck. You could feel his hand slid through your back and gripped your shoulder as the other went into your hair, pushing your body against him.

"Lia, please tell me what's wrong. I hate seeing you like this." Draco begged you, his heart broke from pieces to pieces with each sob that came out from you.

"Please..." You finally made out with your weak voice.

"Please tell me you're real..." You continued.

Draco finally noticed your whole body was shaking with fear. You were afraid. You were scared that he would disappear as soon as you let go.

"I'm here, Lia." Draco kissed your head.

"I'm here." This only made you hug him tighter than you already have.

You stayed that way for a long time, sobbing uncontrollably as Draco's hand comfortingly stroking your hair and him having to keep telling you that he was actually there to get you to calm down.

It took a while for you to calm down, once you did Draco tried to pull back to look at you. But you kept your grip tight around him, not willing to let go at all.

"Lia, I assure you that I'm real and here right by your side. I won't be going anywhere." He said fondly, hands still stroking your hair.

Even though you had finally stopped crying, you still weren't letting him go.

"You're here..." Your voice is still weak from crying.

"You're really here..." Still couldn't believe your eyes, or rather the feeling of him holding you right now.

"I will tell you no matter how many times I have to. I'm really here, Lia. I came back to you." He said fondly.

He tried pulling away again, but still earning the same reaction that he received or the past hour.

Draco surprised himself that he has not become irritated by his failed attempts to pull away.

"Lia, love." He chuckled at your clinginess, not that he hates it. He loves it in fact. 

"As much as I enjoy you in my arms, but it's been three long years and I want to see your face." He fondly said.

Hearing him, you finally found the courage to nod against his chest, hesitatingly letting him go.

Draco finally came face to face with you, your hands rested on his shoulders.

A smile remains on his face.

He wiped your tears away like it was his second nature, not letting the tears escape from the corners of your eyes.

You leaned into his touch, your own hand gripping his, taking it all in without missing anything. You missed a lot of him for three years, you were not going to let any of this moment escape.

"I'm not dreaming..." You mumbled out, finally decided to accept reality.

Draco just grinned and leaned in to press his lips to your cheek, making you gaze at him.

"You're really not dreaming, love. I'm right here." He lightly chuckled.

His response to you only made you tighten your grasp on his hand, still shivering in disbelief.

"I'm so sorry for making you wait, Lia. I should've come sooner and all this suffering would have ended for you..." He gave you a guilty smile.

A smile finally coming to your face.

But your head fell low with your gaze avoiding his.

"No... it's not your fault. I never should've let you go that day, I'm sorry..." You kept your eyes on the to your thighs, guilt filling your heart, dropping your hand that was holding his.

"No." The hand on your cheek turned your head to face him again, catching your sight back to him.

"You've already apologized to me that day. It's me who hasn't apologized to you for doubting you and for not finding the courage to come and find you sooner." Tears began to blur your sight again; you were so hard trying to fight back the need to sob again.

Your vision was blurred but you kept your gaze on him as he did with you.

All these years, you felt nothing but guilt for what you did and longing for him. As much as you tried to not focus on those feelings, you can't help but. As much as you tried to put it off your brain, it still plagued your mind every moment it could.

Yet again, you didn't wish for it to end.

Because you knew it was well deserved.

You hated what you did to him, but you find yourself not regretting it at all. Nothing happened to his parents and that was exactly what you were aiming for.

"Don't cry, love." He leaned his forehead against yours.

"I promised you that I would find you again. And this time. I'm never letting you go again." He said.