(1) 𝐍𝐄𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐇𝐄 | d. m

Chapter twenty-three

I don't know how, or why it all happened. It seemed like a fever dream, and I wasn't sure when I'd wake up, or even if I wanted to. His warm skin against mine made me feel safe yet conflicted and treacherous, because I had no idea what was going to happen next, or even if my friends would be set free. A part of me felt like I was betraying them, just like Draco had betrayed us, and I hated myself for giving in to the temptation.

"Well, that just happened", I said, when I first woke up the next morning. His bedroom was dark and aesthetically pleasing to the eye, and matched his personality perfectly. The walls were painted dark green and the king sized bed was framed by a strong canopy. The room was quiet, yet it seemed to whisper the tale of the person lying next to me. I rolled over onto the side, facing him. I realised then and there why he wasn't replying. He was, in fact, still sleeping. His chest was rising and falling as he breathed heavily, and I just looked at him. I watched him sleeping for a good few minutes before getting out of bed to explore the room further.

On one side of the room, stood a hickory coloured dresser, with three drawers and a framed photograph on top. I immediately recognised Draco as the boy with the telltale frown and icy stare. It seemed to be a family photograph, because on both ends stood someone with the same color hair as him. I recognised the long-haired man to the left of him as Lucius Malfoy, his father, someone I had grown to despise immensely. He was standing next to his son, holding what looked like a walking stick, with a snake's head on top. On the other side of Draco, stood a stunningly beautiful woman who I knew to be his mother, Narcissa. She seemed proud of her son, one of her hands placed firmly on his shoulder. Her hair was a mix of black and white and much like her husband and son, she was dressed in all black. Bellatrix Lestrange, the person who had tortured me only hours ago, was also in the photo. She looked sinister and had a disdainful attitude, as if she would pop out of the frame any minute and attack you.

It was what I saw next that really made me question my own sanity. There was another photograph on the dresser. It seemed to be a class photo of some sort, only, there was not really enough people to assume as much. I skimmed through the people in the photo, recognising both young Lucius and Narcissa at the very front. As I looked through the photograph, I noticed something chilling. In the very back, stood a man and a woman. Unlike the Malfoy's, the hair of the two people, was red instead of pale white. The were both smiling, and they seemed madly in love with one another. If I didn't know any better, I would have said that they were a couple, perhaps even high school sweethearts.

I didn't recognise them right away. I thought they were distant relatives of the Malfoy's, or perhaps friends of the family. Little did I know, that what I saw next, would send shivers down my spine and make my stomach turn in a knot.
The man was wearing a necklace. An emerald necklace with a golden chain. JUST like the one I had gotten from my dad all those years ago. It was hard to miss its gloriousness, and in that very moment, I realised that the man couldn't possibly be anyone else than my father. And I immediately recognised the woman next to him, as my mother. The picture must have been taken before I was even born, and when they were still loyal Death Eaters, because they fit right into the frame, and if it hadn't been for the necklace or their red color hair, I might now have realised who they were.

The shock of it all, caused me to stumble aback a little, and I was scared I'd wake Draco up from his deep slumber. So, as quietly as possible, I put back the picture on the dresser, exactly where it had stood minutes ago, and walked back to the side of the bed which I had fallen asleep the night before. I lay down again, so close to him that I could feel his breath against my skin, and pretended to be asleep. In case he'd wake up, I didn't want him to realise that I had been ransacking his bedroom. He would be safer not knowing of my parents and his parents relationship, anyway.

Draco

I woke up late in the morning, next to the girl I had tried to stay away from. I cursed my name under my breath, hoping I could, somehow, still keep her safe. She seemed to be asleep still, barely making any noise or movement. She looked beautiful, even more so than ever. Her red hair shining in the sunlight peaking in through the window in my bedroom, and her pale white skin seemed without imperfections. She was breathing quietly, sound asleep. She seemed to be the opposite of me, carefree and without a worry, whereas I had to remind myself to do something as easy as to breathe.

I sat upright, stretching out my arms, fingers and toes, trying to wake myself up completely. The sudden movement made her open her eyes, greeting the morning. She almost startled me, I was used to being alone all the time, never mind having someone next to me in bed.

"Good morning", I said, trying to keep from yawning.

"Morning yourself". She let a smile slip from her cheeks and pecked me carefully on the lips, reminding me even more of the night before. She was smiling, but I knew she was struggling to keep a brave face. I think we both knew that last nights turn of events might as well have been some sort of tactic to keep the other on their toes. I didn't know if any of this was real, still I clung to the hope that it was. I had never felt this way about anyone and the notion of our complicated past, only made me want this more.

At one moment, I noticed her trying to nestle her way into convincing me to let her friends go. To let her go with them. I knew that was probably the right thing to do, but I had my family's and my safety to think about, and letting them go, would mean the absolute worst for me. "Stay", I found myself blurting out, not knowing if it was convincing enough. It was what I wanted, but I wasn't sure she trusted me or my judgement. She was now sitting upright in bed, her feet on the ground and her back to me. I noticed how she was struggling to speak as I waited for a reply. Any sort of reply. "Stay, and I might consider letting your friends go".

I don't know why I said it. Perhaps, to tell myself I was in possession of a kind heart after all, or maybe because I didn't know how else to make her stay.  The words that slipped from my mouth, seemed to catch her attention even more so than anything I had ever told her. I'm not sure if she even believed me, but in that moment, she choose to stay. She lay down, threw the cover over her body, and stayed. We spent the rest of the day in bed, talking about life, places we wanted to go, things we wanted but couldn't have, things we wished we had done differently.

Not once, did she mention kissing me.