The Malfoy Project

𝟔𝟏 - 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐂𝐞𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐜 (*TW)

*TW: suicide and self-harm     

༻⚜༺

     The first sound was the gentle plop-plop, plop-plopping of water.

     In the chasm it sounded loud. Terribly loud; ricocheting off the walls in my head. Plop-plop. Plop-plop.

     The second sound was my name: blunted and echoing metallically, as if called from underwater.

     Had I drowned myself?

     Slowly, sight returned. Images blurred into existence. Someone was crouching before me. Two saucer plate eyes, fawn-brown and dilated, peered closer.

     "Draco. Draco! Can you hear me?"

     I forced my voice from my throat: "Yes." The very moment the word left my lips — Thwack! —something hit me across the side of my face, so hard it turned my head and made me cry out in pain. The shock stilled the moving images in my vision, and I saw that the person calling my name was Ernie Macmillan. And he looked absolutely furious.

     He grabbed my face forcefully with one hand. "Are you stupid? Huh? Are you fucking stupid?" He was shouting; his eyes were glossy and bloodshot, his mouth twisted as if he wanted to cry.

     "Where— where am I?" I mumbled, trying to sit up.

     Myrtle popped up from behind Ernie's shoulder. "You tried to Avada Kedavra yourself," she informed me delightedly. "But you were still breathing so I waited to see if you would wake up. I waited a very long time, but that's alright. What's a few hours to me? Anyway, when you didn't come to, I went to fetch your friend."

     "What...?" was all I could manage.

     "How could you do this?" demanded Ernie, waggling my face, his fingers digging into my bruised cheeks. "Are you fucking mental? You ignorant, selfish, imbecilic fuckwad!"

     I wrenched away from his grip. "Fuck off." Finding the floor beneath my palms, I attempted to stand up but he yanked me back down. "You're not going anywhere until you tell me why in Helga's name you were in the girls' lavatory at midnight trying to kill yourself in front of Moaning fucking Myrtle!"

     At her name being said with such viciousness, Myrtle squeaked with fright. "Well, I'll leave you boys to it, then." With a grimace, she leapt into the air and nose-diving right through into the grimy stone floor.

     Ernie whipped back around to me. "Well?" 

     A circular spot throbbed hotly in the middle of my chest. "I wasn't doing anything," I said through gritted teeth.

     "Is this about Ainsley?"

     "No."

     "No? Not about what you told her about Cedric?"

     So she had told someone after all. "No."

     "What, then? Draco, what is this about? Talk to me."

     "It's nothing."

     "You'll feel better if you talk about it."

     Something aching and dull bubbled up like a tidal wave. It rushed through my veins, snaked around my neck, choked me. I was suddenly overcome with an immense exhaustion. My bones felt like they were made of stone, dragging me down, crushing me.