𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐅𝐚𝐝𝐞 || 𝐃.𝐌

Chapter 8 - Hufflepuff

*Last day before going back to Hogwarts*

Draco's POV:

The last morning in the cottage carried a strange heaviness, like the air itself knew we were leaving. I'd been bracing for this day since we arrived, yet somehow, I still wasn't ready. This place had felt like a secret world we'd stolen for ourselves. And now, it was slipping away.

After waiting for what felt like hours, Ivory finally woke up.

"Morning, sweetheart." I said, my voice softer than usual.

"Morning..." she replied, her voice still wrapped in sleep.

I brushed a strand of hair away from her face, my hand gently stroking her cheek. After a few minutes, she got out of bed to take a shower.
But I tugged her gently back down onto the bed, eyebrows raised. The silk nightgown she wore clung in a way that made it very hard to think about anything but her. My gaze drifted lower before returning to meet her eyes.

She sighed, catching my meaning instantly. "Alright, come on then."

In the bathroom, the steam began to curl around us as she turned on the shower. I caught her looking at me while I undressed.

"Enjoying the view, darling?"

"More than enough." she said innocently, looking me up and down with a slight smirk on her face.
My finger traced over the lace edge of her nightgown. Her eyes looked up at mine, begging me to take it off. However, my mind was already somewhere else, counting down the hours we had left, wishing I could freeze them.

*A few hours later*

Ivory's POV:

We were packing up our trunks and getting ready to leave. As I closed my own trunk, a wave of sadness washed over me. This place had become everything I'd ever dreamed of, a peaceful cottage surrounded by nature, the kind of place where I felt truly at home. And sharing it with Draco made it even more special. I wished I could stay here forever, hidden away from the world, with no one to tell me what to do or judge me for who I really am.

When I walked upstairs to find Draco, I saw him sitting on the edge of the bed, his gaze distant as he stared out of the window. There was something about the way he looked, so emotionally lost in thought, that made my heart ache.

I climbed onto the bed behind him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and resting my chin lightly on his head. No words. Just warmth.

"I'm not ready to go back to the real world..." he murmured, voice low and almost foreign in its vulnerability.

"Me neither," I whispered. "But I'll be with you. Always." I kissed his cheek, feeling the smallest release of tension in his body.

"It's time to go." I said gently.

"I'll come down in a minute." he muttered, twisting the ring on his finger without looking at me.

When he finally came downstairs, his steps were slow, his eyes fixed anywhere but mine. I noticed the faint redness around them.

"Are you... crying?" I asked softly.

For a moment, he froze. Then, with a shaky exhale, "I'm not crying." The denial sounded almost childish, like if he said it enough, it might be true.

For a moment, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Draco Malfoy, someone I'd always seen as tough, dominant, and unshakeable, was standing there, his eyes slightly red. I'd never imagined him in this state. His usual arrogance couldn't hide the vulnerability that slipped through.