❛ the antidote ❜ | draco malfoy

NINETEEN

"Well, I know your game, you told him yesterday. No chance, you'll get nothin' from me. But now she's there, you're there, everybody's there. He's in turmoil, as puzzled as can be, just like me."

***

ALICE'S DAD USHERED THEM out of the tower, Draco not letting go of Alice as they ran out of the school towards Hagrid's.

Thorfinn Rowle performed a spell, setting Hagrid's hut on fire, much to Alice's dismay.

"It's okay, Alice, it's okay." Draco knew it wasn't okay, but he felt that reassuring the girl would calm her down.

"No, it's not," She cried, swatting at Draco's chest, he began to run his fingers through her hair as he practically carried her away from Hogwarts.

Much to everyone's dismay, Harry Potter had watched the whole assassination unfold, following the Death Eaters out of the school.

Snape began a confrontation with the student, turning to tell Draco to Apparate to Malfoy Manor with the others.

Holding tightly into Draco, they apparated, and had landed on the steps leading into the mansion.

Alice hadn't stopped crying, she didn't think she ever would, and she didn't care if she seemed weak.

Holding Alice in his arms, Draco rocked the girl back and forth, rubbing her back to calm her down.

Narcissa and Gemma had come outside to see what all the commotion was about.

"Oh Merlin, she's crying," Gemma sighed, sitting beside her daughter. "Alice, it's alright, it's all over now. You fulfilled the Dark Lord's task."

Alice shook her head, it wasn't alright, she wanted to scream, but didn't have the will power to do so.

Gemma gave Draco a look, and nodded her head up the stairs. He nodded, helping his emotional girlfriend to her feet.

Narcissa rubbed her sons back as he passed her, ushering the two towards the stairs, up to Draco's room.

Entering the room, Draco lay Alice on the bed, sitting beside her.

Her cries began to diminish as she stared at the pale boy, running her fingers over his face.

"Draco," She whispered, "It's okay to cry."

He nodded as the tears had finally decided to fall, he had been holding them back, not wanting to seem weak in front of the elder Death Eaters. But, he knew Alice wouldn't think he was weak, so he lay his head in her neck, the tears falling as fast as hers had.

"It's okay, Draco, it's okay."

Running her fingers through his hair, she heard his sniffles, pulling his face away from her neck she placed a soft kiss on his lips.

The kiss was mixed with salt from their tears, but they didn't seem to mind, they were just glad to finally be alone with one another after all they had been through.

"I love you," Draco whispered against her lips as she nodded, bringing their mouths together again.

Brushing her hair to the side, Alice gave Draco a look that said she was ready for the love bites.

He laughed at that.

It had happened so fast, but within the next hour they found themselves laying naked next to one another, after doing what they had been waiting for since their last Christmas holiday.

Draco lay his head between the valley of Alice's breasts as he began to doze off. He had never felt so- so good, he had never felt so alive, even.

Running her fingers through his hair, Alice placed a soft kiss atop his head, before laying back against the pillow to sleep.

It had been a long night.

-

Waking up with Alice's head placed on chest, Draco smiled, thinking of the events that had occurred in his bedroom hours prior.

Reminiscing on the way Alice's body felt against Draco, he began to frown as he realized that wasn't all that happened.

What had happened with the students and teachers at Hogwarts after finding the Headmasters body, laying in the courtyard? What had happened with Snape and Potter? What had-

"Morning," Alice's voice brought Draco out of his thoughts as she lightly smiled up at him.

She was still upset about everything that had happened in the Astronomy Tower, naturally, but the events that had occurred after it all, made her smile.

"You're a Parselmouth," Draco broke the silence between the two as Alice froze.

She had completed forgotten that Dumbledore had revealed her deepest, darkest secret.

Alice sat up, holding the duvet around her chest as she stared down at Draco, nodding.

He clenched his jaw, aggravated, but Alice didn't notice.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Alice furrowed her brows, playing with Draco's fingers that had been roaming her body hours earlier.

"I didn't tell anyone," She revealed, "not even mum and dad. I was intensely studying the language my first few years and finally picked it up after years of research. I didn't want to tell anyone, I didn't want them to think of me... Differently."

Draco nodded, not fully understanding, but pretending to anyways. He knew speaking Parseltongue was very, very rare, and to teach one's self was probably the most complex thing to ever attempt. Deep down, Draco knew the innocent girl was not as innocent and naive as some thought her to be.

"So, nobody else knows, except for you and me?" Draco questioned as she nodded profusely.

"And you can't tell anyone," Alice insisted.

Nodding Draco brought the girl back into his arms, silently thinking over all that had occurred in the last 24 hours.