Damaged Goods by slytherin_after_dark

Chapter 37

- NOT MY STORY!! ALL CREDITS TO @slytherin_after_dark ON A03!!

She wanted to get as far away from the wizarding world as possible. The muggle world was supposed to be her safe space but now Draco was there with her.

Even in the pouring rain, his hands on her stung.

"Let me go," she screamed.

"Please, just listen to me," he said with desperation as his arms pulled her closer.

She tried to push him away but he was too strong. "Don't ever touch me again."

"I'm so sorry." His voice was frail as he pulled her against his chest. "Forgive me. Please forgive me."

For just a moment she let herself collapse into his arms. Wishing she could feel as safe in them as she had before.

"No," she pushed him away, and this time he let her. "I don't know what to trust anymore."

For the first time, she really looked at him. Drenched in rain. Desperation was written across his face. Eyes that rang with endless sadness. As if something had broken in him.

"It was all a lie. I swear," he said. "I would have come up with a better plan but I ran out of time since you decided to offer yourself up as life bait today."

"I needed to get closer to Scrimgeour, that was my way of doing it."

"You risked your life. What do you expect me to do? Sit back and watch it happen? I realized I had to act quickly. I needed to get to Bellatrix by herself. Draw her out."

"You lie so effortlessly; I don't even know what to trust anymore."

She didn't know if she could still trust him. Her head was spinning.

He ran a hand through his wet hair in exasperation. Pleading eyes found hers. "I needed to make it believable. I knew she'd buy all that blood purity shit. It all explained why I protected you at the party. If she trusted me enough, I knew I could get to her. I just didn't account for the fact that she seems to be unkillable."

"Why drag it out so long? You had her in the same room."

"She's incredibly fast at dueling. One of the best I know. She taught me. I needed her close and I needed her distracted. I..." He swallowed hard, closing his eyes and it looked like he was about to be sick. "I...didn't expect to have to restrain you...physically."

The blood had entirely drained from his face. He looked to the ground. His plan was to simply put her in magical shackles but since he didn't know about her shield potion, that didn't work.

Earlier his face had been a cruel mask, now he looked broken. Which one was the real him?

"Who's to say I wasn't a means to an end this entire time to get to Bellatrix? You always have some bigger scheme planned behind curtains."

"I swear I'm telling you the truth."

"Ok, the truth then. When did you first talk to her through the portrait?"

He opened his mouth and closed it again. "I..." He swallowed.

"You knew she was alive, didn't you? All this time when I was thinking I was going insane with nightmares, you just let me talk about it but never mentioned that she was back?"

She started to walk away and he ran after her.

"Don't you dare touch me right now," she hissed, and his hand that reached for her retracted.

"I had completely forgotten we even had a portrait of her at the Manor, otherwise I would have burned it after the war. A few weeks ago, I heard murmurs and walked into the room and she was talking. I didn't think anything of it. Portraits of dead relatives keep talking a lot. I didn't know she was alive until she appeared at the engagement party."