Flower Petals

-17-

Draco.

The astronomy tower was cold, his breathe made clouds in the air as his breathing grew further, and further jagged. His arm shook violently and his body swayed, unsure, like a leafless tree in the wind. His sleeve was pulled up to his elbow and on his left arm, the dark mark, surrounded by a rash so severe and inflamed that the skin around it seemed butchered, like his body was rejecting it.

'I have to do it! I have to kill you, or he's gonna kill me.' Draco's eyes were foggy, like the night sky.

Draco, Draco, Draco, she thought.

Draco's wand was raised, and then in an instant, they were not in the astronomy tower. Alli had never seen this place before, it was a ballroom in a beautiful, dark room, ivy grew on the walls and people were packed in beautiful gowns, wall to wall, but their faces were covered, and dark marks on display.

'Draco!' She screamed, looking for him in the masses. 'Draco!'

A dull piano tune played, and Draco hummed along.

'Draco?' The people apparated suddenly, all at once so that on the dance floor all that was left was Alstroemeria, and the echo of far off foot steps behind her ear, she turned to see who was behind her, but they weren't far off, they were right behind her, breathing in her face,

The Dark Lord was confused, his face scrunched. His eyes for just a moment full of fear, before they became corrupted by something far more sinister, and he said ever so quietly

'darling,' he hissed , smiling 'i'll see you soon'

She was shook awake, still in bed at sunrise. Ron stared, holding her shoulders so harshly that his fingers dug in to her bare skin.His hair was messy, clinging to the sides of his face before he brushed it back when he turned away from her. His arms were peaking through his shirt, toned and shaking.

Alstroemeria's dreams had become more vivid, far more realistic and terrifying, and while most of the time she did not have nightmares when she was with Ron, something about this one felt like a warning. Draco was in danger, and he was close. She knew it, she had to find Harry, he always knew what to do.

"I didn't want to know, guess i still don't." Ron started, but it came out choked. She hadn't noticed in her unconscious panic attack that Ron wouldn't look at her. His body was absent from the bed they shared. His eyes were empty, devoid of the beauty like sapphires under the moon that they held. He stood out of bed far too quickly, throwing on his robes, and his slippers.

"Ron what's wrong?" Alli said scrambling to the side of the bed to grasp at him, though still breathing hard and half asleep.

"You said his name, Malfoy you said his name. Only you didn't say Malfoy, you said Draco." It didn't come out like acid, it wasn't harsh, or cruel, his words came out like tears rolled down a cheek, or rain on a window.

Her heart dropped, this was not a conversation she had prepared for, it felt like the sinking of a ship, her heart slowly filling with water, falling lower and lower til it landed in the bottomless pit of her stomach.

"Ron, it was an awful dream, a truly awful frightening dream" Flashes of green curses, broken promises, and masks covering evil faces in a room full at hate slid across her vision once again.

"Is that who you were with all this time? You were avoiding me for him?" He wasn't jealous. He was heartbroken. Not because Draco had taken something that was his, not at all, but because Alli had given him ground to stand on, security, and for once, just like Alstroemeria, Ron did not feel as though he was the second choice.