Magnetized Draco Malfoy

Chapter 39: Confrontation

When Hailey got home from the hospital, she was sore, and her head still throbbed with pain. She moved slowly to the kitchen, where she made herself a cup of tea, hoping the warmth would soothe her. She then settled on the sofa in her living room, picking up a random book from the bookshelf.

Drawing usually helped clear her mind, but today she didn't want clarity—she wanted distraction. Her focus was too scattered to draw anyway.

A few moments later, her father descended the stairs and sat on the opposite couch. His serious tone sent a shiver down her spine. "We need to talk," he said, his voice heavy with authority.

"I'm sorry, Father, but I don't have the bandwidth to talk right now," Hailey replied, her exhaustion evident.

"Well, that's just too bad because we need to talk right now," he insisted.

Hailey put her book down and sat up, frustration bubbling to the surface. "Okay, speak. What is it?" she asked.

"What the hell were you thinking last night, hm? Sneaking out to a party in the middle of the night, dressed like that," her father said, his voice dripping with disapproval.

"Oh my God, now is not the time. I'm still trying to recover," Hailey retorted.

"I'm trying to think where I went wrong in raising you, where you learned such naughty behavior. And now that I think about it, you've picked up all this attitude and bad behavior from that damn school," her father accused.

"First of all, do not ever offend my school like that. And second, no. If anything, that school taught me how to have manners, unlike you did," Hailey shot back, her blood boiling.

"I should have just kept you in public school. You wouldn't get into all this trouble with this stupid magic stuff," her father said, raising his voice.

"Public school?" Hailey scoffed. "I never fit in with those Muggles, and I never will!"

"No, not Muggle school. People school, like actual human beings. If I kept you there, you might have actually grown up to be a normal person," her father said, his voice rising even higher.

"So what, you would have just never told me about magic? A life like that is not worth living. Magic brings color into my life; it makes everything a hundred times more beautiful. And the friends I've made—the witches and wizards at my school are better than any Muggle friends I would ever make!" Hailey said passionately.

"Oh, so what about your so-called Muggle friend Hannah?" her father asked.

"Do not bring Hannah into this!" Hailey yelled.

"I am just so sick of you wishing you were at that damn school all the bloody time. You need to wake up and realize that where you are is the best place for you," he said.

"This place? You mean this house? This was only a good place when my mother was living in it, but when she died, it became a hellhole. This isn't my home. My real home is Hogwarts, and my real family is there too," Hailey said.

"I'm your family, biologically by blood, not those stupid little friends of yours," her father said.

"Friends? No, sisters. Family is not those who are biologically related to you; it's those who make you feel loved and at home. And Hogwarts is my home," Hailey said, trying to make her father understand.

This made her father very angry. "That's it, I've had it with you!" he said, standing up to tower over Hailey and pointing a finger at her. "My mind is made up. You are not going back to Hogwarts in the fall. You are going to stay here in London with me for the rest of the year. Got it?" he said.