sweet talk ↯ draco malfoy

THIRTEEN

THIRTEEN | the good side in you

DRACO'S FEET CARRIED him towards the Slytherin dormitories, a sinking feeling in the pit of stomach. He hadn't been able to find Rosalie all morning, which alone made Draco uneasy.

But after he had heard of what happened between Rosalie and Pansy during lunch break, the uneasiness he felt morphed into terror.

Draco had searched everywhere - the Quidditch pitch, the Great Hall, and the majority of the classrooms in the school. The last place he had yet to looked was the common room and he hoped that she was there.

After whispering the password and slipping through, he quietly shut the frame behind him. With a quiet breath of courage, he peeked his head around the corner and saw a disheveled head of brown hair.

He was about to alert her of his presence when he heard Rosalie sniffle, her hand raising up to wipe her cheeks. The ache in Draco's chest swells when he realizes that she had been crying - but he didn't know what for.

"Rosalie?" He calls, waiting her flinch and spin around in her seat, hands frantically wiping at her cheeks to rid the evidence of tears.

Seeing that it was Draco standing at the doorway, she quickly picks herself up from the couch he had claimed as his own. "Sorry - your couch is the comfiest."

And with that, she begins to move towards the staircase to her room. Draco, who she thought would be angry with her for using the piece of furniture that he claimed as his own, quickly follows after he.

"Where are you going?" He ponders, gently grabbing her wrist to stop her advance.

Sniffling, Rosalie pivots on her heels to look at him. "My four poster."

"You can sit on my couch, Rose." Draco says with a small smile, his eyes noticing her red and splotchy face. "Why are you crying?"

Rosalie stares down at the floor, willing herself not to cry in front of him. He thought of her as strong and ruthless and she wanted to keep it that way. She didn't want Draco to think she was weak or even vulnerable.

"Rose?" His voice is soft and soothing, not his usual way of speaking. Draco wasn't his usual way when he was with Rosalie. He wasn't as rude to her as he was to others, he didn't try to intentionally put her down, and he didn't let other people mess with her if he had a say in the matter.

Rosalie knew this. She picked up on it just after a few weeks of being in the school. She saw the dynamic shift in Draco whenever they were in a room together, regardless of if they were alone or not. He seemed to value her company just as much as she valued his.

And that's what made Rosalie open up to him so quickly.

"I got a Howler from my parents this morning," she admits quietly, taking a quick glance up at Draco's face. "And it was pretty awful."

"What did they say?"

"That I was a disappointment, a disgrace to the family, and basically as bad as a Death Eater," she sighs. "It's daft, isn't it?"

"I remember the first time we ever spoke," Draco leads them back over to the couch, taking a seat. "My father had just finished telling me about how much I've let him down when you came up, telling me that I wasn't the only person who disappointed their parents."

Rosalie laughs quietly, nodding her head. She remembered that day in the robe shop perfectly.

"And you got so angry," she comments.

"I did - because I knew it was true. And I resented the fact that I let him down from my very first day at Hogwarts." Draco admits, a sad chuckle leaving his lips. "But what you said helped. Knowing that I wasn't alone one of the first times in my life."

"You're still not."

"And neither are you, Rose." He says, his voice no longer sad but proud. "You're not the only 'disappointment' to a parent. You're not the only 'disgrace' for a family name. And you're not one of You-Know-Who's people."

"If anything," he continues. "You're too good for your parents and they're jealous of the skill you have. Damn it, Rose, you took down Parkinson without touching your wand once. I know your parents dream of having the power to do that - all wizards do."

"I wish you could've seen the look on her face, Draco," Rosalie smiles, thinking back to Pansy's horrified expression. "She was terrified of me."

"Rightfully so, don't you think?" Draco laughs, imagining the picture in his head. "It's the only thing I've heard about all morning."

A proud smile works its way into Rosalie's face, recounting the fight in her head before remembering why the fight started. At this, her smile disappears.

"I don't know why what they said effected me as much as it did today," she admits with a sigh.

Draco bites his lip, looking down at his hands. "Sometimes you meet people who tear down your defenses and bring out the good side in you."

Realizing that Draco is talking about her, Rosalie looks up at him. His wide eyes are locked on his hands, undoubtedly equally surprised at what he had just spoken.

"I, ugh," he says after a few moments of awkward silence surround them before quickly standing. "I should get back to class."

"Draco," Rosalie stands as well, following him towards the portrait.

"I'll keep telling the Professors that you're sick and get your work for you," he says and quickly pushing himself through the exit, not sparing Rosalie a second glance.

Rosalie stands by the door for awhile after it had banged shut after Draco's escape. Her mind is spinning as she replays his words over and over again in her thoughts.

"Sometimes you meet people who tear down your defenses and bring out the good side in you."

And she quickly realizes how true the statement if for not only Draco, but for herself as well.

•••