The Other Potter (Draco Malfoy Version)

The Illusion of Choice

Chapter 19

Alexis woke before sunrise again, deciding to get to breakfast as early as she could. The common room was still deserted as she crept out and down the hallways. She was one of the first to get into the Great Hall for breakfast and she ate as quickly as she could, she wasn't ready to run into Mattheo or her friends just yet. The Library provided her a safe place to hide until class but her mind spinning with so many thoughts she couldn't focus on her homework.

She knew Mattheo was going to be upset about her note, but his pull was too much for her to tell him to his face without changing her mind. She loved him but she needed time to understand if it was really her loving him or this odd connection making her love him. She looked down at the empty place on her hand where his ring had sat. It felt wrong to wear it while she was figuring out everything she was feeling.

The walk to class felt lonely as she weaved through the other students heading to their classes. The halls were abuzz with whispers about Dumbledore. Alexis started listening closer to the students around her. Dumbledore, according to the rumors, avoided two Aurors and escaped from a trip to Azkaban. The worst part of the gossip was that Umbridge was now Headmistress of Hogwarts.

Alexis settled into class, thankfully it wasn't assigned seating so she sat as far from her normal place with her Slytherin friends as possible. She was lost in her thoughts until she heard someone whisper in her ear, "I was worried about you when I didn't see you around this morning." She smiled at his concern and noticed that her mind immediately calmed in his presence.

"Honestly I've been hiding, I left Mattheo a note last night and I've been avoiding him since. It's just complicated you know," she shrugged not completely sure how to explain it. There were so many things Draco didn't know and couldn't know. When did her life get so complicated?

"A note, really? Will you just talk to me and explain whatever is going on? We were fine until that weird lesson in Divination," Mattheo's voice invaded her thoughts. Her head snapped in his direction and she could see his eyes staring desperately at her. He was a mess, his normally styled curly hair was all over the place. He looked miserable and it broke her heart a bit knowing it was her fault.

"Not now, please just give me some time," she begged him. The tears stung her eyes as all her emotions began to overwhelm her. The swirl of pain and the weight of the world came crashing back down on her. Her breathing started coming in short shallow breaths. A pain started to build in her chest as her hands began to shake uncontrollably. Draco grabbed her hands, "Hey, you're ok. Just listen to my voice, breathe with me ok. In... and out. In... and out."

His touch grounded her and all the noise in her head slowly faded. Her breathing slowed as the panic attack dissipated. He held her hand through class doing his best to keep her grounded. As class ended and everyone started filling out Draco and Alexis reluctantly released each other's hands. They all followed along to the next class.

Mattheo stood outside of the greenhouse with Enzo, Theo, and Blaise. They were smoking as Enzo broke the tense silence, "I just don't understand, what happened? She was fine yesterday and you guys were all happy. There has to be something you remember."

Mattheo flicked his cigarette and lit another one, taking a long drag before answering, "I told you everything I know, she was fine going into Divination, that centaur kept her after class and she came out like a zombie. She was completely lost in her own mind. I tried to see what was going on but the haze in her mind was so thick I couldn't see anything. You guys know everything after that."

Theo had a thought, he wasn't sure he should share but decided it couldn't hurt. "Alexis has visions of the future right? So what if she saw something? Something that scared her so bad she needed space and time to figure it out. Or maybe the only way to avoid that event taking place is for her to distance herself from... well you Mattheo."

"Then she should have told me herself not written me a fucking note!" Mattheo spat as he stormed into Herbology. The other guys shared a sympathetic glance before following him inside. They watched as Alexis stood with her Gryffindor friends. She gave them a small smile before paying attention to the lesson.

"I need your help guys, I need you to get her to our spot in the courtyard. You can't let her know I'll be there, she won't talk to me but she will talk to you guys," Mattheo told them as the rest of the class was distracted. The three boys nodded in agreement.

Mattheo left the moment class was over as the other boys wandered over to Alex, "Hey can we go somewhere and talk, please? You're our friend and we just want to understand what is going on with you," Enzo asked calmly trying his best to convince her.

She agreed and followed them out with a glance over her shoulder at Draco. He followed along at a distance as she walked along with her friends towards the courtyard.

Alexis was starting to feel more at ease at the teasing and laughter of her friends until they rounded the corner to their usual spot and she saw Mattheo standing there smoking. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me! Really guys? I'm out of here," she tried to push through but they held on. "Just talk to him Alex, please. He's out of his mind about this." Theo pressed, gently nudging her towards him.

"Fine!" She gave in stomping over to Mattheo. "You couldn't give me time, could you? Does everything have to always be your way?" she shoved him anger boiling up inside her.

"I just want to understand what happened. Why do you need time? What did I do?" Mattheo asked her as the desperation leaked into his voice. "It's not you, well not exactly you. It's everything, this damn prophecy and fate, and feeling like every choice has been taken from me. I don't know anything about what I actually want. I have the fate of the world on my shoulders and I just need a break. I need to know what is me and what is fate. Who do I want and who fate has chosen for me, are they the same thing or not? I love you Mattheo but I don't even know if that's me or because of this intertwined fate bond. I just need time to figure out all of this."

Mattheo took a step back and nodded slowly, "Okay if you want to figure things out I'll give you time. But if you think for one minute that I'm letting you go you're crazy. We are right, we fit and that's not going to change no matter how much time you take, princess."

"Thank you, oh, and don't use our friends to trick me again," she turned and walked away from them. She wasn't interested in lunch anymore as she found her way to the Astronomy tower. Draco met her part of the way up the stairs slipping his hand into hers, "You ok? I saw you with Riddle, it seemed tense."

"I'm fine, just I don't know, complicated," she confessed as they reached the top and walked to the railing. "It just all seems to be too much lately, I don't feel like myself anymore. Ever since Valentine's Day, I feel like I'm more Mattheo than Alexis. I just want to feel like myself again, and somehow you make me feel that way."

"It doesn't make sense to me either. I just feel drawn to you, like all the stress and pressure from my family just melt away when I'm with you. Do you wonder why that is?" Draco leaned on the railing as they looked out over the grounds.

"I can't say I understand it myself. Nothing makes sense since You-Know-Who came back. The nightmares, and the visions all have gotten worse since then. I had small visions before then but nothing on the scale I have now. But when I'm with you all of that goes away, my mind is just peaceful." She gave him a warm smile as they just stood there, both at peace for the first time in a year.

Just below them, a hidden figure listened to everything. An evil grin spread across their face knowing they had just stumbled across exactly what the Dark Lord needed to bring his son over to his side.

The threads of fate continued to spin slowly weaving into a tapestry of what was to come. Two paths lay ahead one that leads to the light and the other to the dark. The illusion of choice played a part in what was to come but which path would win? Only time will tell.