Optionless with Draco Malfoy

46. The Dead Who Rise and the Dead Who Don't

Juliette

"Draco Malfoy!" I called as I tried to catch his attention. He sat outside of the Great Hall on the ground, he had one knee curled up to his chest.

As soon as he heard me, he stood up and then pulled me into a tight embrace. 

"Trails! I was looking for you! Where were you? I checked the Great Hall and all around the castle for you," he said as he stared at me in disbelief. "I've been so worried, I thought you were-"

"Dead? I was just in the Great Hall," I answered. 

"Look I'm sorry about-"

I shut my eyes tight, "Please don't say their names. Don't. Just don't."

I sank down beside him, and put my face into my hands. The grief began to hit me. Remus, Tonks, Parvati, Lavender, and Fred. Their faces popped up in my head continuously on repeat. The tears began to stream down my face.

Draco put his right arm around my shoulder and pulled me close. "It's going-"

"But it's not, Draco... nothing can be undone," for a few seconds, he had no words to say. "Tell me something good. Please," I said, wiping away the tears with my sleeve. I rested my head on his shoulder.

I laid on his shoulder for a few seconds until he heaved out a sigh, "Tonks," he paused, "she was my cousin. I didn't find out until recently. She was a Hufflepuff, did you know? She was also a part of the Order. I'm glad that I have a relative that you know, was good and all. She also has a son now. He was just born a few weeks ago. I just wish that there was more time to get to know her, you know?" He spoke softly and almost with pride.

Right now, it didn't feel like he was the Draco Malfoy that everyone knew and hated. He was the Draco Malfoy that I knew.

My eyes were welled up with tears. I turned my head to face him, "H-how the hell is that something happy?" I asked unsteadily.

I felt him chuckle, "I'm just glad that I have a cousin that did something good. And I'm related to her, can you believe that? My mother has another sister, too. Tonks's mother, Andromeda. Apparently, she's taking care of Tonks's son," he paused for a few seconds. "I want to meet him and Andromeda one day."

I took his hand and intertwined my fingers with his. "Draco, you know you give yourself no credit for the good things that you've done. You're not half as bad as you think you are."

He scoffed, "Today, I nearly let Crabbe kill Harry Potter today. I didn't stop him. And when Potter asked why I didn't tell the truth to Bellatrix on that day, I couldn't come up with an answer. I felt like too much of a coward to admit it in front of Crabbe and Goyle."

I didn't say anything for a few seconds. "When Harry, Hermione, and Ron asked me why I didn't tell them about the plan in our sixth year; the death of Dumbledore, I couldn't bring myself to tell them the truth either," I said truthfully. "Some things, we just can't put in words, whether it's something good or bad."

"I suppose," he mumbled.

We sat in silence for a minute until the thoughts came rushing to my head. "Stay here for a minute!"

Before he could say anything, I was sprinting ahead towards the grand staircase where I found Harry, Hermione, and Ron.

"... yes, that's what I saw in the Pensieve. Look, there she is," Harry gestured at me.

"Juliette! Harry's got a Horcrux inside of him," Ron said panicking. I noticed that he was also pacing.

When I heard that, I began to slow down as I climbed the steps. Then, I furrowed my eyebrows at the three in confusion.