Marauder's Daughter (Eventual Tom Riddle X OC)

Chapter 57: What is Love?

"Draco, there you are." I say when I finally can catch my cousin alone. I haven't seen him once this whole first week so far, and I wanted to see how he was after what happened with his dad. "How are you doing?" I ask softly once he turns to face me, a stoic look on his face.

"Fine." Draco clips out shortly, and I just stare sternly into his eyes then grab him and haul him into an unused classroom. It's Saturday morning just after breakfast, so there won't be anyone to barge in.

"Try again, how are you really?" I ask more sternly this time, and he sighs in defeat.

"My father's in prison, and my mother is scared. She almost didn't let me come back here, but she wanted me away from home." He admits quietly, and I pull the sad boy into a hug.

"I am sorry about your situation, but you're at least safe here. You don't want to be getting mixed up in all this nasty business." I say to him as I pull away from the hug. "How are your friends?" I ask. I didn't know it the night of the graveyard when I was killing at random, but I had killed Crabbe and Goyle's fathers amongst my victims.

"Crabbe and Goyle?" He asks for clarification and I nod. "I don't really know. Mother advised me to distance myself from them, and I haven't been as close to them since two years ago. I'd imagine they're angry at Potter though."

"But it wasn't Harry who... killed their dads." I say with a half-truth. The public story is that it was Voldemort who redirected spells that killed his own followers.

"My father said it was, before he... went away." He says bitterly. "He said Potter killed all the Death Eaters there that night. But..." 

"But you don't believe him, do you?" I prompt him, seeing the doubt in his eyes as he trailed off.

"He described Potter as some amazingly powerful wizard, Apparating and using knives and powerful spells. That doesn't sound like the idiot I've been in classes with for years. I've seen his skills, he's too stupid to do half of what my father described." He ranted angrily with a scoff. I couldn't suppress the giggle that formed during his ranting.

"Sorry I don't mean to laugh!" I breathe out through my giggles as he looks at me in exasperation. "But seriously, you would actually know him best. You've been obsessed with him since day one." I tease him.

"I have not!" He counters with a yell, looking flustered. "Stop saying that!"

"In all seriousness, I get what you're saying. I've seen him practice too. He certainly can't Apparate, that's for sure. And who uses knives? I mean that sounds cool and all, but Harry using them? Nah." I shrug dismissively, not really knowing why I'm feeding into this. I should probably be defending Harry more or something, or backing up the story, but I can't see the point. "Well, I'm glad you did come back, your mum's right, it's better to be here at Hogwarts. Besides, it's your OWL year, you have to be here."

"Don't remind me." He rolls his eyes. "Your father better be an adequate teacher, or I'm blaming you if I fail." He scolds me and I roll my eyes this time.

"Let's not compare sins of the father, shall we?" I smirk at him, and he looks guiltily down. "My dad will teach just fine, just pay attention in class. Now get out of here, and good luck in your quidditch match!"

"You're going to lose it!" He counters proudly as he walk out tall from the classroom, and I chuckle lightly before heading back to my common room.

"Black." A little third year girl giggles excitedly as she approached me in the common room while I was doing homework later that morning. "Cedric Diggory is outside the portrait hole asking for you." She giggles away as she went to join her friends, and I looked at her and then my friends in confusion until I remembered.