Living In Safety

Regulus Saves The Day

Draco

This is all very confusing. Really. It really is. 

Within two weeks, I got a letter from my parents saying they'll give me an arranged marriage, then I tried to emancipate myself, and now, here I am, reading a letter from my father- and none of it was written by Mother, I can tell- apologizing.

Apologizing for everything.

For not being there for me, for hitting me, for saying what he did, for everything. If I want to still get emancipated, he won't fight me, he won't let my mother fight me, since neither of them have been the parents I deserved- his words, not mine. 

Apparently, Regulus sent him a Howler, and it knocked some sense into him.

Voldemort's gone, they don't have to be picture perfect Pureblood racists anymore, ect. 

I don't know whether to laugh, cry, or be angry, so I do a weird mixture of all three. And of course, it wakes up Harry.

Well, he was probably awake, anyway. Christmas is tomorrow, and he loves it know because he isn't used as a slave on the holiday- or any day- anymore.

"Whazz-goin'-on..." he mumbles. Hmm. I guess he was asleep. We were up half the night doing stupid shit, and he decided to stay in my room. I guess I could've been quieter. 

"Father apologized..."

"He did?"

"Yeah... For everything. Says if I still wanna get emancipated he'll let me, and make my mother let me."

"D'you think you'll be able to forgive him?"

"I want to. I know I want to, but..."

But he's apologized before. I thought he was good before, and look at what happened. 

"I don't know if I can."

"Are you going to go through with the emancipation?"

I shrug. "I want to talk to him in person about it all before I make a decision... He could be saying the truth, maybe he really is sorry, and if he is, then no, I won't. But if this is just to stop me, to make me stay- which I doubt- then I'll go through with it and never talk to him again."

"Good for you." He yawns. "I'mma go back to sleep. Sorry. I was up at three again yesterday and went to bed past midnight."

"It's alright. I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's okay. I'm glad things might work out for you. G'night."

"Night."

I slip the letter in my nightstand drawer. I don't know how to think about this. Did Father only say that because he doesn't want to lose Regulus? I know they were close in school, and for the first time in a long time, he was happy when he found that Regulus wasn't dead. 

I don't know. This is dumb. It should have been good once Voldemort died, not months after the fact. 

I flop back against the pillows and wrap the blankets around myself. 

In Christmas Eve. I don't have the time, energy, or reason to worry about any of this shit.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Draco... Dray... Draco Malfoy... Wake up, Draco!"

"No... Sleep."

"I'm opening all your presents."

"You will not, I'll set you on fire." I open an eye to see Harry an inch away from my face. "Merlin your breath stinks."

"Hey! It does not!"