Slytherin Royalty (Draco Malfoy)

xxix) Resurrection Stone

The others went ahead while I stayed back with Draco. He is trying to compose himself before going up. I look at him silently, not knowing what to say. I don't know how to answer his question.

Am I going to the Forbidden Forest?

The honest answer is yes and Draco knows it too. But I can't bring myself to tell him that he will lose me too right after losing Snape. It's cruel and I don't know how to tell that to him.

"We need to go up there." I say quietly after a few moments.

Draco eyes keep travelling back to Snape again and again. "He was the one who stood up for me when I was young. Most of my happy memories from my childhood involves him. And now... I don't know what to expect."

"You will figure that out. I know you will." I carefully make sure that I don't say 'we'.

"'You' and not 'we'." Draco says lowly. "You are going then."

"I thought you already knew." I say simply. "What other choice have I got?"

Draco looks outside, at the sky. "I can ask you to stay but I know that will only make it harder for you. I understand it but I still wish it doesn't have to be like this."

I smile sadly as I cup his face. "Promise me you will see this through."

"How long have you known?" Draco asks. "That you will have to..." He can't force himself to say it though he knows it's inevitable.

I consider what I should say. "Since the beginning of sixth year." I say slowly. "Dumbledore told me everything and I came back to tell you about it but by then Voldemort had told you that you are to take the Dark Mark."

I look away for a second, gathering courage for what I will say next. "I am a horcrux, Draco." His mouth falls open when he hears the words. "I have been ever since the day I got this." I hold my sleeve up showing my scar. "It shows that I am a horcrux. When my mother had cast herself between us and Voldemort, she had put a protection spell on us. It may have resulted in Voldemort being defeated for the time being but it also made sure that Harry and I are horcruxes."

Draco stares at me for a few seconds not saying anything. I am slightly dreading what he is going to say. We had promised not to keep secrets about ourselves from the other but here I am keeping the worst secret possible.

"Why didn't you tell me back then?" He asks in a steady voice, not giving away anything.

"Because you were just told that you are to be a Death Eater and I didn't know how to tell you that I will have to die one day." I explain truthfully.

Draco takes a deep breath before nodding. "I understand." He says before leaning in and kissing me. "I love you." He mumbles into the kiss.

"I love you too." I say immediately. I kiss him again wanting to remember everything about our last kiss. I don't plan on letting him know before going. I will just disappear.

When we part, we decide to go up to the castle. Inside the Great Hall, the injured are sitting on the benches and the dead are lying, some covered, some not.

My eyes barely scan them when someone hugs both Draco and me. Pansy. Blaise is behind her and doesn't waste any moment to hug us like that. Draco and I don't say anything, simply hugging them back.