Desired | Draco Malfoy & Theodore Nott, 18+

02

Isla's eyes flickered all over their room, and she didn't quite know what to make of it.

It surely looked the same. Her dresser stood where she left it, so did Ava's. The beds were the same, so were the tables next to them. Still, something was unusual.

Perhaps it was the change that they all had lived through. The loss of close and dear ones haunted the otherwise spectacular, happy castle. It felt strange to the both of them, being here in a time like this one.

''So...'' Ava caught her attention, ''How are you doing?'' She asked her friend, and Isla froze in her doings.

''What do you—''

''Don't play dumb with me.'' Ava hewed her off, ''How are you feeling? It's been over a year since Fred... left us.''

''It's fine.'' Isla's jaws clenched and then unclenched at the spoken name. She tried so hard not to seem bothered with it, even if all she wanted was to fade inside. She forced a tense smile, ''Nothing to worry about.''

''Don't do that.'' Ava's stare held seriously. Her voice was stern, ''Don't shut me out like that. I know you were close, and he was someone special to you, and to lose that—''

''A lot of people lost their loved ones to the war, Ava. It's not just me, and it's not sad for me. It's sad for George and Ron—'' Isla shook her head, and her fingers curled into fists, ''It's sad for Ginny, and this isn't about me.''

''You lost your cousin, someone that you have grown up with, Isla.'' Ava pushed herself off her bed, and she tried to show her comfort, ''It's not a completion, and you can't feel bad for grieving. You're just as important as his siblings.''

"I know." She muttered, placing her clothes in her closet, "I just don't want to talk about it."

"Fine," Ava rolled her eyes away from Isla, and her sight immediately landed on the envelope resting on her bed, "So when are you going to open it—"

"Not now." Isla shot back, shoving her clothes in on the shelf. The constant mentioning of the letter had her held on such an edge that she almost felt sick. "Can we just have one normal day back before we get to all of these arranged marriages things? It's stressful as it is, isn't it?''

''Not for me.'' Ava smirked, ''Can I at least guess who I think you'll get?''

Isla sighed heavily and has dropped to her bed as Ava flopped down next to her, ''Mhm... let's see. You're in Slytherin, but with a muggle-born mother, so my guess is that you'll have to choose between two Gryffindor's, maybe a Ravenclaw?''

Isla pinched her eyes shut, and all her thoughts about falling in love came rushing back over her. She didn't want to think about it. She didn't want to care.

It was going to be arranged. She doesn't have to fall in love if she doesn't want to.

Ava fiddled with the Slytherin ring on her finger, ''I just don't get it, we get a whole year on us to choose, right?''

''We do,'' Isla sighed, ''Imagine having to choose the person you're spending the rest of your life with within a year. It's impossible. How are we supposed to fall in love with someone so fast?''

''Fast?'' Ava shouted. Her spine flew off the mattress, ''It's a whole year, Isla! We have until graduation on us, and that's plenty of time.''

Isla stayed quiet.

Her mind got the better of her again. She didn't like this. She didn't like this at all.

''I think the hard part is choosing. What if you fall in love with them both? I mean — you have to get to know both of them, right? So you have to spend time with them and build a relationship, but what if we fall for them both?''