Folding Stars - Draco Malfoy

Chapter 1

Escaping reality, that's all I want to do. I have no other choice – I can't breathe any more. My-my eyes... what's wrong with them?! I can't see anything. Everything appears to be hazy. The whole situation is so surreal! The sole purpose of me posing as a good person does not exist anymore... What should I do?
Before I realised it, a dense fog started to envelope my body. I felt the ground beneath my feet shit. And suddenly – I was falling.
The smell of burning flesh burned my nostrils as I fell further and deeper. Until I hit the ground – hard. The sound of my bones breaking as clear and sharp, but I felt no pain. It was like my body was high on numbing-potions.
And then it hit me: I could feel the throbbing pain not only in every inch of my body, but could somehow taste it, too. The sensation was like being under the Cruciatus curse all over again. I couldn't even hear my own screams over the pain, or feel the tears beginning to roll down my cheeks. Was-was this my end?!
I heard a spell being cast a few metres away. I tried to look in that direction, only to be blinded by a strong light and then... I groaned, using my palm to cover my eyes from the bright morning light streaming through the un-curtained window. My dark eyes snapped open as I sat up, looking about my bedroom, letting out a sigh as I realised I had been dreaming. Running my dainty fingers through my thick dark hair, I turned to look out of the window, my eyes now adjusted to the natural brightness, regarding the dark grey spotted sky. The landscape was blanketed in beautiful, untouched snow. It was one of those cold winter morning that called for on staying in bed, warm and comfortable, all day long.
Shaking the remnants of the nightmare from my mind, I pulled the blanket up to my neck, basking in its warmth. Sighing once again, I closed my eyes, concentrating the serenity of the moment. But after only a few seconds, I heard the familiar squeals of Draco Malfoy, my best friend, coming from just down the corridor.
"Draco!" I called, annoyed he had disturbed my short-lived peace.
Nothing. No response what-so-ever. "Draco Malfoy!" I cried again. The lack of attention I was receiving from my best friend was an irritation. Finally, the bedroom door opened and Draco sauntered in, his platinum hair all damp and sexy, with nothing but a loose towel hanging around his hips. He rolled his eyes comically at me before grinning – dimples and all – and crossing the room and flouncing down next to me on my queen-sized bed. "You look just like a dumpling – so cute!" He pinched my cheeks affectionately. Swatting his hand away, I smiled sarcastically. "What are you shrieking about, or even doing up at this ungodly hour of the morning?"
"What's that supposed to mean? It's Christmas, you idiot! I woke up, checked that the house elf had arranged breakfast and came upstairs to take a nice, relaxing bath. But I had just gotten out of the bath when-"
"When you realised it was way too early to do all that?"
"No!"
"Draco," I cut across him once more, "it's a holiday. And what do we both enjoy doing in the holidays...?" I shot him my million-dollar Nova Evans smile.
"Sleep 'til noon," He answered, sighing – Draco could never resist one of my smiles.
"Exactly! Aren't you an intelligent little butterfly," I cooed, trying to pinch his cheeks like he had done mine. "I am not a butterfly and if you don't get up I shall eat without you," He batted at me with one of my many pillows.
"Aren't you cold? I mean, you sat on my bad in just a towel – I don't think your mother would like to see you breakfasting in nothing but a towel!" I paused as Draco looked down at himself. "Ew! You sat your half naked, dripping wet ass on my bed!" I pushed him away, noticing little dots of water on the sheets.
"Fine then," He acted hurt, turning to leave.
"Yeah, put some bloody clothes on," My grin faded as memories of my nightmare flashed across mind. Draco must have seen, as a concerned look manifested on his rather handsome features. "I had a nightmare," I mumbled.
He raised an eyebrow and regarded me curiously, "Nightmares are a perfectly normal phenomenon, Nova. Although – I thought they cleared up after you started taking the dreamless potion... You have been taking it?"
"I'm sure I don't need it, it was stupid," I paused, debating whether to tell him more. "But, I think I died in it," I added, sounding off-handed.
His eyes filled with alarm, "Dying in dreams isn't normal – how can you take this so lightly?"
I shrugged, wondering what the big deal was. "I'm sure it is – I promise you, it's not that big of a deal,"
"Not that big of a deal?" He almost screeched; I widened my eyes in shock at his reaction. "Draco, it's fine," I raised my voice over his incredulous stare. "By the way, Merry Christmas!" I jumped out of bed to hug him.
"Merry Christmas," His strong arms hugged me back. "You really piss me off sometimes with that carefree attitude of yours, especially regarding your abnormal nightmares!"
I shrugged once again, retracting my arms from his body. "You should be happy I'm this calm. Stress causes wrinkles, especially if it's over something as pathetic as a dream,"
"It wasn't so pathetic last time – you cried in my arms for hours," He snapped, glaring, but in a caring way.
"I didn't cry for hours – I'm not that weak. Yes, I'll admit I did have a little break down, but you promised you wouldn't ever mention that, especially in front of father because I have a reputation to uphold," My hands were on my hips.
"Fine," Draco huffed, "That reminds me: I came up to tell you that Lucius and Narcissa are expecting us downstairs – you better get dressed for breakfast,"
"So better you!" I groaned internally at the thought of having to make an effort for the Christmas breakfast with the Malfoys.
"But what are we going to do about that nightmare?" He fumbled with tightening the towel around his waist, trying to keep what modesty he had left from me.
I waved his concern away, "I guess we can talk about that later – but now, I'm going to take a bath,"
"Why, because you stink?"
"Draco, as you well know, an Evans doesn't stink," I marched about the room, collecting my NE engraved towels. Flashing me a don't-mess-with-me-right-now, I stuck my tongue out at him. "Shoo shoo, I'm going to take a bath,"
"Can I join?" He smirked.
"What are you, a nudist and a pervert?" I spat, feeling my cheek tinge with red, trying to suppress a laugh. "Now go – before I stun you,"
"Fun sucker," He huffed at my smile to go and get ready himself.

Lounging in the hot bath of my ensuite, amongst the rose petals I had sprinkled in, my thoughts drifted back to my dream and what the heck it could heave meant. Could it be a warning – something to do with my family? I had lived with my grandparents until I was five, but by then they had become to senile to properly take care of me. So they sent me to a home they knew I would be happy in. That's how I ended up living with the Malfoys. The Malfoys were my parents' closest friends and they were happy to have an Evans about the house. I'm glad they were so happy to have me, because they gave me a happy childhood and my best friend.
You see, my father was a Death Eater – a keen, proud and devoted follower of the Dark Lord. But once he was defeated, my dad tried to flee, and went into hiding. No one one will tell me much about my mother, aside from that she was an amazing witch, and how caring and devoted she was to other around her. Narcissa tells me that my dad a was apparently an ass until you got to know the loveable person he truly was. I don't hate my parents – I don't know them well enough to do that, but I wish I did know them. I know I get some of my characteristics from them – my mother's skill with charms, and my father's hand at potion-making, but I'm told I also got my mother's smile – but my hair and eye's were my father's.
But as I think about the life I could have had with them, soft, salty tears sneak from under lashed down my face too fast for me to brush away. Gathering myself together, I climb out of the bath and focus on the festivities of the oncoming day and week.