Different Worlds [Draco Malfoy Fanfiction]

11. The Dark Truth

Robbie Williams - Advertising Space

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

All my emotions welled up in me. They took over my soul and made me shake. For a moment I relieved the memory, I saw Freddy in front of me, dying. I tried to hold in my tears. I would never see him again, I would never be able to explain to him, I would never been able to apologize or hold him again.

"Pearl?" Draco snapped me back to real life. I turned and met his gaze and he looked almost afraid.

"'I..." My voice was raspy and I didn't sound like myself. "He was very good at potions. Best in class, he was probably Snape's favorite student. I don't know." I said. "His dream was to become a Potioneer. He loved to collect ingredients and brew all sorts of potions. He was creating his own potions as well. That's what he did that night."

"Oh..." Draco said. 

"I err... I haven't told anyone about this." I said my heart was beating fast. "And I don't plan on letting anyone know. Not really. But if I tell you. You must keep it a secret. At all cost."

"Sure." Draco said.

"You promise?" I said. "It's very important."

"I promise." He said.

I took a deep breath. I had to tell someone eventually and it just felt right and easy to talk with Draco. In some weird way. "I don't know exactly what kind of drink he was trying to get that night. I used to watch when he was brewing, mostly because he had such passion for it, you know? And it made him so happy. And that night, I just wanted to..."

I was silent for a while. Draco would leave me, tell the whole school, everyone would avoid me, I would get expelled, maybe put in jail or worse, Azkaban. But still, maybe I shouldn't carry this burden alone anymore. Freya was never the right person to tell but maybe Draco was? I wanted too look up and see his expression now but I didn't dare to.

"It was supposed to be a joke. There was this spider, a black widow. It was all of a sudden on our window and I was so drawn to it. It called for me, I can't explain. But I just had to do it. So I grabbed it and and threw it in his cauldron. He was not looking right then, but after that he turned around and looked into the cauldron. It had turned red, bright red. His smiled just disappeared and... he told me..."

I took a break from finishing. I felt like throwing up. I already said too much, but right then Draco took my hand. I looked down at his hand. I could barely feel it. My anxiety was too heavy. But somewhere, deep inside I could still feel the butterflies. So I continued: 

"He told me: Peal, what have you done? And tight after that it exploded. I wasn't that close. But the heat still hit my face, just like it did in our potion class. If I would have known... I..." A single tear drop dripped down from my chin. "He died from the explosion."

It was quiet for a while, I could just hear our breathing. Draco didn't say anything but continued to hold my hand.

"I have never told this to anyone. Everyone thinks it was Freddy's own fault."

"Oh..." Draco said.

"I miss him everyday and some days I can't bear to live with myself and the guilt. Not a night goes by without me having nightmares about it."

"I really didn't know." Draco mumbled.

"And I don't want anyone else to know either." I said.

"Of course not." Draco said. "But a black widow? Would it really cause an explosion? Do you remember at all what he was trying to brew?"

"No. It all went so fast after that. The neighbors got worried about the sound and called the police. The police and ambulances was there. Our foster parents came home, screaming and running around. They were muggles, but they knew about the magic world. Don't ask me how and within five days, they sent me away to a new place to live and I still live there and I hate that place.