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-JUST LIKE THEY USED TO DO AS KIDS, DRACO AND ADHARA WERE HAVING A SLEEPOVER IN THE GUEST ROOM OF MALFOY MANOR. The manor had lots of guest rooms. However, one in particular was chosen by the siblings to be turned into their own 'sleepover room'. For years, though, they didn't step foot into the said room or have a sleepover.
So, as a bonding experience that the two desperately needed together after everything they had gone through over the past few years, they decided to have a sleepover.
Back in the day, Adhara and Draco would stay up late at night in the room, playing muggle card games in secret so that their father wouldn't find out. Lucius didn't fully care, though, what his children's opinions of muggles were. However, that didn't stop him from finding muggle stuff boring and tasteless.
Now, years later, instead of sneaking muggle card games, the two Malfoy siblings snuck in alcohol and cigarettes.
Each of them had their own beds in the room, right across from each other. However, they would sit on the floor and talk all night, even fall asleep there as children, due to how late they would stay up.
That night was not so different.
Adhara was laughing over something her brother had said, stopping the unopened alcohol bottle from falling over after she accidentally pushed it. She froze and made eye contact with him. "That would've ended badly."
Draco immediately nodded. "It would," he agreed, then took the bottle and opened it. He poured a glass of the firewhiskey for himself and a glass for his sister. "Cheers," he said as he held up his drink, his sister doing the same.
"Cheers," replied Adhara right before taking a sip of the drink. She grimaced at the taste, but soon got used to it again.
There was a bit of silence, until it was broken by Draco, who asked, "Did you have the talk with mother?"
Adhara nodded with a small, genuine smile. "I finally feel like," she stopped, trying to find the right words. When she did, she continued, "I finally feel like I don't deserve to be blamed, you know? I saved my family. Granted, I had to sacrifice my sanity in the process—" she lightheartedly joked, earning a chuckle from the blond boy across from her. "—but I think as long as they were safe, it was worth it. Besides, I think I've got a lot of growth to catch up on."
Draco looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"Mentally," replied Adhara with a sigh as she took another sip from her glass of firewhiskey. "With everything that I went through with Hermione and everything I put her through, I failed to realize just how many people I was hurting in the process. Pansy being the biggest one."
Draco nodded in agreement, pursing his lips. With a sigh, he said, "Pansy has loved you for years, Ara."
Adhara slowly looked at him, her expression of shock obvious.
He continued, "Since the moment you stepped onto the train in third year, I think. I've noticed the glances she gives you when you're not looking or busy with Granger. But she has loved you for years."
"That can't be true, Dray—"
"It is," he cut her off with a look. He knew that she knew, but he also knew that she didn't want to admit it. "You know it's true, Ara. You've been having your suspicions for a while. Why do you think she went to the Yule ball with you during fourth year as a friend, when she had many people asking her out?"
Adhara shook her head. "No," she said. "Pansy told me that nobody asked her."
Draco let out a scoff in disbelief. "I was there when she rejected the third person right after the ball was announced. And she was asked by those 'three' people in one day. Imagine just how many asked her afterwards. But she rejected them all so she could go with you."
She closed her eyes and groaned, not realizing how daft she had been all this time. Of course Pansy would be asked to the ball. She was gorgeous.
"I can't believe how oblivious I've been this whole time."
"And that time you kissed her during the Yule ball? It was her favorite memory. She told me all about it after you ran after Granger." He continued, giving her an apologetic look when she frowned in guilt. "While you were busy shagging her to get back at Granger, Pansy had spent that whole week thinking of how to ask you out, knowing deep down she wouldn't because you never stopped being with Granger."
Adhara let out another groan and downed the glass of alcohol in one gulp. She put her head in her hands and shook her head.
While she was busy with her own hurt, she didn't realize just how many people she was making go through hurt as well.
"I don't even know why I was so focused on getting back at Hermione," admitted the girl after a minute of silence, trying to gather her thoughts. She shrugged when he looked at her with a look. "I know I hurt her badly. But I was hurt by her too. She didn't trust me multiple times and I highly doubt she trusted me when she told me she did. I think it was just a try from her to make our relationship better, but atleast she gave it a try. All I tried to do was get revenge."
The boy in front of her sipped on his drink, merely listening as his sister continued talking.
"And after seeing her hold hands with Weasley like that on the train..." she shook her head as she imagined it, tears welling up in her eyes. It was often nowadays for her to cry. Crying came so easily to her. "I hate that I had to lose her to know her worth, you know?"
Draco nodded understandingly.
Adhara was too busy being focused on how to build up her own worth after it crumbling to herself, to the point that she forgot other people's worth. It happened to almost everyone. That didn't mean she was selfish, no. It meant that other people hadn't thought of her in return, so she had no choice but to only think of herself when she finally snapped.
"So, what are you going to do about it?" He asked curiously, refilling her glass when she brought it near him.
She took her filled glass back and took another sip in thought. Then, she said, "I'll let her be. I'll watch from afar as she kisses Ron, hoping deep down that what I saw was wrong. I'm still in my hoping stage. I'm not dealing with the hurt until I fully know she's with him. Or else I'll probably do stupid things that I'd regret later on."
He nodded again. That seemed to be the best decision for what she was feeling.
"Enough about me." Adhara waved a hand in dismissal, a smirk creeping up on her lips. "How are you and Harry?"
Her brother immediately blushed, to which she laughed at. "Good," he said shyly. "Wonderful, actually. Things have never been better. I want to invite him over this weekend so that he gets to know our family well. I want to show him how serious I am, you know?"
Adhara nodded. She didn't know, though. Because she never got the chance to show Hermione how serious she was.
She shook her head at her thoughts and put the glass to her lips again, sipping on it.
