Second Chances: A Draco Malfoy Love Story

Chapter 10

                Kyra poked sleepily at her breakfast, bits of scrambled eggs strewn across her plate. She was sitting in silence at the table in the cafeteria with Madison. The long tables were empty aside from a scattered few across the room.

Glancing up, she noticed the spotted brown owl that belonged to their family flying across the room. She dropped a copy of the Daily Prophet on the table in front of her. Her dad worked at the paper so he had been sending her copies each week.

She quickly spotted an article her father had circled in red, an interview with the new Minister of Magic. Upon further inspection, she noticed it was his own piece. She skimmed it briefly before her eyes travelled to a moving picture on the front page. The familiar face of Alecto Carrow stared back at her, unwavering. She gulped hard, memories of their punishment flooding her brain. She studied the page, identifying the article about the former professor. In large block letters in the center of the page read, "ALECTO CARROW FOUND NOT GUILTY, RELEASED." Kyra's heart stopped and she reread the article dozens of times, processing the words. Amycus had been found guilty and sentenced to death the previous week. Kyra had no doubt in her mind that Alecto was guilty. She was, often, more sadistic than her brother. She began to dissect the article; the ruling had been a shock to all following the trial. It seemed as though all signs pointed to her being found guilty. Kyra felt her stomach drop as she continued on, "Alecto and brother, Amycus, were suspected of involvement after confession from former deatheater, Draco Malfoy, nearly four months previous." Nausea came in waves, her breathing nearly coming to a stop. Draco turned them in. Her mind reverted back to the conversation she had last week with him. He had mentioned that he had given names and that it had put him in danger but it hadn't truly sunk in until now.

Kyra quietly excused herself from the table, grabbing the paper and bolting toward the dorms, the second she was out of sight. She could hardly feel her feet hit the floor as she bounded down the halls, stopping short outside of the boy's dorm. She rapped her hand against the door aggressively. Waiting impatiently, she tapped her foot on the floor. Marcus opened the door, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"What are you doing, Kyra?" He asked, slight irritation ringing in his voice. Kyra attempted to search behind him for Malfoy.

"Is Draco here? I need to talk to him." Marcus stepped to the side, letting her past him. She strode into the dorm, looking around the room. It was identical to their own but backwards. She turned back toward Marcus and he pointed toward the room at the far end. She swung the door open, spotting Malfoy curled up in bed. The second bed was empty, leaving Malfoy and Kyra alone in the room as she shut the door behind her.

She took in his sleeping figure, lying on his stomach. One of his long legs was stretched out, the other folded up at his waist. The mop of blonde hair was a mess, bits of hair sticking up in several directions, a small knot forming on the back of his head. He stirred slightly before rolling onto his back. After a moment, he settled again.

Kyra sat carefully on the edge of his bed, gently nudging his shoulder. He started up, frantically looking around for a moment, attempting to understand what was happening.

"What are you doing here, Harding?" He demanded groggily. She held the paper up, pointing to the picture of Alecto. Malfoy froze, realization sinking in. His fear was unlike any she had ever seen. He didn't move or speak, the only noise coming from the boys just outside the door. She could hear their conversation fairly clear. They were discussing, in hushed voices, their theories of why she had stormed in, followed by several crude comments. Kyra focused her attention back to Malfoy, whose expression had not been effected. He looked horrified; his eyes were dead, color drained from his face.