Magnetized Draco Malfoy

Chapter 26: Promises

Hailey laid down in her bed, staring at the ceiling. The moonlight filtering through the windows and the room was silent. Yet her mind screamed with conflicting emotions.

Draco the enigma she had grown to care for. Hovered at the edge of her thoughts.

The revelation of his Death Eater mark had shaken her, but something deeper tugged at her heart.

Terrified and torn, Hailey grappled with the truth. Draco Malfoy, the boy with silver eyes and a sneer, was more than the sum of his reputation. She had glimpsed his vulnerability, the cracks in his carefully constructed facade. But why? Why had he let her in?

The world saw Draco as a privileged rich kid, a prick who reveled in tormenting others. Yet Hailey knew better. She had seen glimpses of his true self—the boy who carried burdens too heavy for his young shoulders.

He wasn't evil; he was trapped, caught in a web of family expectations and dark choices.

Draco's confession echoed in her mind. "I didn't want it," he had said about the Death Eater mark. "It was forced upon me." His eyes, haunted and desperate, had pleaded for understanding.

And Hailey understood. People wore masks, hiding their pain behind polished exteriors. Draco's mask had slipped, revealing vulnerability. He wasn't heartless; he was fractured. Just because someone projected strength didn't mean they didn't ache inside.

Draco's unraveling was evident, the cracks in his feigned perfection widening. He no longer fit the mold of the arrogant Slytherin. Hailey sensed his struggle, the battle between loyalty and conscience.

Why did she care so much? Perhaps because she recognized her own battles, the darkness that threatened to consume her. Hailey had learned not to judge by appearances. People revealed only what they wanted others to see. Draco's vulnerability called to her, and she couldn't turn away.

He was the boy who didn't have a choice. Draco's path had been set for him by others, but maybe, just maybe, she could alter it.

Hailey resolved to help him, to be the light he desperately needed. She would stand by him, even if it meant navigating treacherous waters. Because she knew if she didn't help him now, no one else would.

                     ____________

This time Hailey didn't wait for Draco to approach her, rather she went to find him first. And she did so when she reached the library.

The room enveloped her in hushed whispers and the scent of old parchment and the soft glow of lamplight.

Hailey's heart raced as she approached Draco, her courage bolstered by determination. He sat at a table, lost in a book, the weight of the world etched into his features. Stress clung to him like shadows, and she wondered how much longer he could bear it.

Déjà vu washed over her. The memory of that night in the beginning of the year, when she had watched him from afar.

But now, she stood before him, her resolve unyielding. Draco's silver eyes met hers, and she felt the gravity of their connection.

"Hailey," he said, standing up. "I should've known better, I saw this coming."

Her breath caught. "Well, if you're expecting me to say I'll never talk to you again, you're wrong," she replied, her voice steady. "I'm not leaving, Draco. Get that thought out of your head." as she said this, she took Draco's hand in to hers.

His vulnerability surfaced. "My life is going down a dark path," he confessed. "Are you sure you want to stay in it?"

Hailey's grip tightened on his hand. "Draco, you might look ahead and see darkness, but if you look up, you'll see the stars." Hailey looked down at her necklace and then back up at Draco. "And just like the moon, half my heart will always love the dark. So, don't you understand? I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying right here with you."

She released his hand, her fingers tracing the contours of his face. Their lips met, and she sealed her promise with a passionate kiss.

When she pulled away, she looked into his eyes, hoping he'd find solace in her presence. She would be his star, guiding him through the night.

"You're a poet Hailey Groves." Draco chuckled. "I know." said Hailey grinning. But Hailey just basically quoted something she saw in one of Blair's poetry notebooks, that was laying open on her bed a few nights ago.

He looked into her eyes, just for a moment, but then broke the silence. "You're bad." he teased.

"You mistake me for an angel, but there's a reason I was put in Slytherin and not Hufflepuff. Well actually, I was almost put into Gryffindor, mind you, but the sorting hat made up its mind."

He raised an eyebrow. "Well, I'm glad you were put in Slytherin. Besides, you look much better in green." Hailey's smile widened.

Then Hailey pushed past him, and sat down in the chair that he originally was sitting at. She picked up the book that he was reading.

Hailey's fingers traced the spine of the old book—the title *Transportation Magic* embossed in faded gold letters.

Draco's warning hung in the air, but curiosity drove her forward. She flipped the book open, revealing a yellowed page. There, nestled between the words, was a bookmark, a thin strip of parchment. Hailey's heart raced as she followed its trail.

"Vanishing cabinets," she read aloud, her voice echoing in the quiet room. The words held a weight she couldn't ignore. Why would Draco be researching vanishing cabinets?

"Why are you reading about vanishing cabinets?" Hailey asked, her gaze fixed on Draco. Her sugar brown eyes, board into his, which stung his heart.

Draco hesitated, then leaned closer. "They're more than furniture," he whispered. "Yes I know this Draco" Her pulse quickened. "But why would you need such a rare piece of furniture?"

To be continued...