The Carnival ⌁ Draco Malfoy [1/4] ✔

42

It was the first morning Emma had woken up feeling absolutely dreadful and cold on a warm day. Everything came rushing back to her in an instant, quicker than a bucket of water being poured over her head. She hoped that, perhaps, she was being delusional and was distracted by Sabrina's odd behaviour, that it was all just a dream, that she had never woken up and Sabrina was still alive and sad and that her happiness had just all been a dream. But why else would she have avoided the girls dormitory? Chose to sleep in the boys dormitory, next to Draco in his bed, rather than her own? Why couldn't it all have just been a terrible dream? 

And she felt for poor Millicent. The look of pure fear and sorrow on her usual mean, sharp face. Millicent had known Sabrina for five years, if not longer, there was no telling what it was like for her to have seen Sabrina hanging like that in the dormitory that they had shared together for the last five years. Millicent would have been scarred and traumatized, and if there was anything Emma could do to reverse it and bring back the bossy Millicent, she would. 

Emma slowly sat up, respecting that Draco was still fast asleep. If she was being honest with herself, whether she liked or not, she was glad she woke up directly next to him on the left side of the bed to Draco. Reading books made it seem like people were always tangling themselves up with each other, waking to their heads on someone else's chest, waking up to a sleepy embrace. She wasn't really the mushy kind of girl, nor was she a big romantic. She hadn't ever been in a relationship, at least not a big one, and she could visualise herself being awkward and nervous all the time. She couldn't picture herself being comfortable with the opposite gender if they were to be committed to each other, no matter how close they had once been - if they were together, she could picture herself being a mess, whatever age she'd become along with the time. No, instead, Emma gratefully woke with one arm at her side and the other resting comfortably under the side of her head. 

She swung her legs over the side of the bed, and just sat there, thinking. She didn't know what she'd do with Sabrina's anklet that was resting at the bottom of her bag. She didn't want it, she didn't want to look at it, she didn't ever want to see it again. It would just sadden her and remind her of the loss, remind her of the dangling dead body she had seen that was once full and alive, her friend...Would she see Thestrals now? Hagrid had introduced Thestrals to the class once he'd returned to Hogwarts earlier in the term, and Hermione had mentioned that the only way people could see Thestrals was if they had seen death. Did that mean a dead body, or really witness a killing?

Emma suddenly remembered Harry in the hospital wing...

"Hi," croaked a dry voice that only evidently cried throughout the night. 

Emma bit her lip and turned her head a little. Draco was awake. "Hi."

She felt him push himself up, and he let out a low, quiet but audible, sigh. It was quiet for a moment. Emma felt awkward again...she shouldn't have been thinking back to Draco's confession when her friend had just committed suicide...but being this close to him again bothered her and made her feel hot and annoyed, and she just wanted to get out of there. But -

"Did you sleep well?" she asked stupidly, her voice quite uneven, sounding as though she was going to cry but she forced herself to keep it in. Sabrina kept drifting in and out of her mind, as well as Harry, and she wanted to go and check on him but could not just leave. 

"Yeah, the best."

Emma and Draco had fallen asleep in their robes, so, aside from their tears, it was a hot and messy sleep. Emma looked over her shoulder and smiled a little.

"Do you want to go out -"

"Yes -"

"- for a walk," Emma finished, laughing slightly at the fact that Draco was still managing to pull small jokes.