Riptides (Fred Weasley Fan Fiction)

Chapter 20

Days seven, eight and nine were very silent, again. Pansy kept checking up on Lyssie but gave up trying to have a conversation. She wouldn't speak, no matter what she did. All she could do, was to keep bringing her food and water and hoping that she wouldn't find in untouched in a couple of hours.

On day ten, Lyssie ate her first full mean. It was dinner time, so Pansy brought her some tomato soup and a plateful of pasta with some mysterious sauce. Lyssie sat down, looked at the food and realized how hungry she actually was. Throughout the last ten days, she has eaten just a couple of bites of toast and drunk barely any water. Her mouth felt extremely dry all of the sudden. She grabbed the glass of water Pansy placed on her bedside table and chugged it. As she was finishing the last sips of water, her roommate walked into the dormitory.

"Lyssie," she said. "You're eating."

Indeed, Lyssie was now finishing the soup. It disappeared in the matter of seconds and she got to the pasta. About halfway through the plate, she felt full but made herself swallow a couple more bites. She put the plate back on the bedside table.

"Do you want something else?" Pansy asked panicked. "I can bring you something. That's not a problem. Just tell me what you want, and I'll go get it. A sandwich, maybe? Or a cup of tea? Dessert? There is apple pie. I'm sure there's some left in the kitchen." She couldn't stop talking.

"I'd love a tea," Lyssie said but she didn't sound like herself. She rasped through her dehydrated throat. It was the result of not drinking water and speaking for ten days.

Pansy smiled excited and run through the door, probably to get Lyssie a cup of tea from the kitchen. Normally, students weren't allowed to take anything from there, but it seemed that everybody was making an exception for Lyssie.

"She's up!" she heard from the common room. Then, there were a lot of various voices speaking over each other. Was it possible that so many people cared for her? No, probably they just thought she died there, in her room, alone, and now, they were disappointed that she didn't. Or maybe worried that her body was about to start smelling bad, which would be an inconvenience for all of them.

Lyssie sat on her bed and stretched. She's been in the same couple of positions for days, so she was stiff, to say the least. It felt good to sit down. She wanted to get up but wasn't sure if she had enough strength to do so.

"Lyssie," someone said. She looked up and saw Draco Malfoy standing in the door. Why would be come here again? Boys weren't allowed to the girls' dormitories. Draco Malfoy especially. What did he want?

Malfoy came closer, very slowly, almost as if he was afraid, she would attack him. Lyssie didn't want him to be in her room. She wanted him to leave and never see him again. She wanted to scream when he was getting closer to her bed, but she wasn't able to say a word. There was no air in her lungs and her mouth was so dry, she couldn't open it. Or at least she felt like that.

"Can we talk?" he asked. Draco looked vulnerable. There was none of his typical arrogance and prepotency in his behavior. He was moving extremely slowly, considering every move and every word he says. Lyssie didn't answer. She wasn't able to do so. He took it as a yes.

Malfoy crouched next to her bed so that now their faces were on the same height. It took him a minute to think of what he wanted to say and when he finally did, Lyssie was sure it wasn't easy for him.

"I was mistaken," he confessed. She looked at him, but her face showed no emotions. "I made a mistake. I kept talking about the right and wrong sides and how everyone around me were stupid for sticking with Dumbledore, while it was me who picked the wrong side. I dearly regret everything I told you. I'm so sorry, Lyssie. I don't expect you do forgive me now, but I hope you will be able to see me as your friend someday again."