Aftermath

The Line Drawn

Ever since her childhood Hestia feared the dark. It's said that fear of the dark is just fear of the unknown. Hestia wasn't afraid of the unanswered, however, she was afraid of the temptation of wanting to go deeper into the dark to find more. She was afraid of the completely consuming dark that was as inescapable as death. You could avoid it for a while but it was inevitable.

When she was seven her father threw her into a dark closet and locked her in there for two days. "No Blackwell will be as weak to something as simple as the dark. You will not disgrace this family name." So she sat in the dark for 48 hours without any food, restroom, or light. Only when Draco came looking for his friend was she freed.

Hestia sat in the closet again. She was paralyzed and cold. So cold. Her voice called out but the sound never passed her lips. She found it odd that she could hear herself so clearly when she hadn't actually said anything. She looked around for any sign of the light but found nothing.

Calm became a stranger to the girl. Panic invaded her as she started screaming out for help but again no noise left her lips.

She woke up to the face of Draco Malfoy, his arms holding her from thrashing around. Upon seeing his light grey eyes she was thrown back to the past and instantly calmed down. Her breathing slowed and heart calmed as she continued looking into the worried eyes.

"You alright, Love?" Draco whispered intensely. Hestia looked around and realized she was in her room, the bright white room darkened slightly by the night sky.

Hestia's eyes fluttered closed, "How'd I get here? What time is it?" Hestia's voice was soft and gentle.

"The interrogation went wrong. We heard your screams and we're going to ask if something was wrong, that's when you busted out of the room. Within seconds you collapsed into my arms. I decided to take you here, thought you'd prefer it over my place. It's a little past 3 in the morning." Draco's eyes darkened as he spoke about what happened, battling an internal anger.

Hestia remembered the events from the night. How the interrogation was just torture and the pain that shattered her bones and exploded her insides. She remembered having to use magic to free herself. Anger boiled in her stomach as she remembered the pain she was put through.

Then she looked at Draco. His skin was paler than usual with dark purple circles under his eyes. He looked drained.

"Did you have to go through it?" Hestia asked, worry seeping into her mind. She could imagine him screaming in pain as she had.

"No. They said things got out of hand and the three of us would go through training tomorrow. Gawain is in extreme trouble, serves him right." He explained, instantly relieving Hestia.

The two sat in a comfortable silence. They both had so many thoughts and questions running in their mind. Hestia wondered why he stayed with her.

"I won't ask you what happened," Draco said suddenly. "I won't ask you about the screams that tore me apart or about why you collapsed after your escape. What I will say is if Robards ever hurts you again I will put him 6 feet into the ground, whether you want me to or not. I will never allow myself to hear you in pain again."

Hestia was left in a shocked silence after Draco finished his rant. His face was hard and hurt but completely serious. Her heart almost fluttered at his words. He cared and she knew it. When she couldn't find words to say Draco got up from the bed and looked her over once before heading to leave the room.

"Draco," Hestia called out making the boy freeze. He turned toward her weak but loud presence. "Thank you."

He smiled before walking out of the room leaving Hestia alone in the dark.