The Truth | The Sister book 2 | HP Fanfic |

-Chapter 25-

"Bombarda Maxima."

Draco pulls me out of the way as the wall blasts inwards, bits of stone and glass from the mirrored walls inside flying towards the group. The sound echoes through my head and the world starts to spin, my legs giving way beneath me. Draco hauls me to my feet, and I do my best to stand myself up. He pulls me, roughy, to the side so that we can see inside the room; dust clouds at the feet of the students inside, all pushed towards the back wall. Shakily, I look up.

The group glances at one another in the quiet that falls. The only sound to be heard is the dust settling and our own breathing. Mine are shallow, getting caught in my throat. Harry's eyes meet mine and he grits his teeth, looking away, to Umbridge. I bite my lip, looking back down at my feet.

"Well, well, well," Umbridge says, I look up at her and she smiles at me, "It seems your classmate was right-"

She keeps talking, I know, I can hear the noise of her voice in my head. I stagger to the side, and Draco pulls me up harshly. I can't make out any words. Anything. My heartbeat is too loud- My breathing too heavy- I look up as the remnants of the army file passed us, my eyes briefly meeting with Neville's. I want to say something- Scream, even- But he's gone. Draco leads me down another corridor, around a corner, and stops, letting go of me. I don't move. I can't move.

I failed. I lost my fight. My fight. They hate me. They all hate me. Hermione, Harry, Ron, Neville, Fred, George, Ginny. They hate me. I know they hate me. I just have to tell them. How can I? How can I tell them? Why would they listen to me? I'm a Gryffindor. I can't escape them. I'm trapped like this. Harry will never forgive me.

I feel Draco's hands on my shoulders, and I look up. He's talking, his forehead creased, tilting his head to the side.

"Clara? Clara?! Can you hear me? What's going on?"

I blink, stepping backwards. His hands' recoil and he watches me. I feel for the cold stone wall I know is behind me and I find it, pressing myself up against it. This is real. I'm here. Stop this. I close my eyes.

"Clara I think I should take you to the hospital wing-"

"SHUT UP!" I yell. He stops. I don't look up. I know the look on his face. The hurt look on his face. How his eyes miraculously seem to grow bigger. How his bottom lip sticks out the tiniest bit more than usual. The regret pools in my stomach like I knew it would. Now he hates me too. "Just leave me ALONE."

I also know how that hurt look turns into anger. How he grits his teeth. How his eyes turn to daggers. "Alone? Leave you alone?!" I don't say anything, "Are you serious?! Don't give me that, alright? Don't get angry at me because I'm here. I'm not just your emotional punching bag you can bring out whenever you need it. I spent half this year dealing with your shit so you don't hurt your other friends who mean the world to you. The friends you haven't had the guts to talk to-"

I groan, pressing my face into my hands.

"The friends who you are determined to impress. Where were they when you fell apart in that goddamn bathroom?! Where were they when you had to undergo the Cruciartus Curse three. Whole. Times. Just to keep their secret?! I'm so sick of being your second best friend. The friend you don't talk to at school. The friend you ignore. So no, I'm not leaving you alone so that you can run straight back to them. So that you can get hurt again and again, and then come to me, and then go back."

He hesitates, "Don't think any of this has been easy for me, either. It's not fun to watch you screaming on the floor when there's nothing I can do. I hate it, Clara." His voice is croaky. He's going to cry, "I'm not leaving you alone. I'm not. You're my best friend and I'm not leaving you alone just so you can get hurt again. But I can't keep being the second best friend to you, Clara. I've been here through all of your shit, have you noticed? And I'm not leaving. But I might have to if you don't stop pushing me away. Whats happening, right now, this isn't my fault, so don't blame me for it."

I wait for him to continue, but he doesn't. He just stands there. I know he's right. He's always right. I look up at him through tears and see his red face. He's not crying exactly, but his cheeks and nose are red, and his eyes are swimming in tears. But he's not crying. I don't know how he does that. I bite my lip, walking up to him slowly. He doesn't move. He winces as if preparing for me to hit him, but I pull him into a hug. I press my face into him and let out a sob. He does that same, hugging me tightly.

"I'm s-sorry," I whisper, "I know I've been-"

"I shouldn't have done that then-" He sniffs, "I shouldn't have-"

"No," I say, "You had to. I would have,"

I feel him moving his head, and I crease up my face in disgust. "Are you wiping your nose on my hair?!"

He scoffs, "No?"

"Ew ew ew ew ew!" I push him off me, and he laughs. I hop up and down, shoulders hunched and hands balled into fists. He walks over to me, reaching over to my hair.

"There's not that much on there-" He laughs, attempting to wipe his snot on his own sleeve.

"You are disgusting!"

"No, I'm not!"

"Yes, you are."

"I'm a Malfoy. Malfoys are never disgusting."

"There's a first time for everything!"

"Aw well, you still love me,"

"Maybe, but this does throw a spanner in the works," I laugh, he hit me playfully.

"Hey!" he says, and I smile leaning into him.

"Your pride will recover, I'm sure,"

We stand in silence for a moment, him awkwardly trying to clean my hair. The exhaustion hits me like a wave. All of a sudden I can barely keep my eyes open. I sniff, wincing at the prospect of returning to the common room. They'll barricade me out. I won't have a chance at telling them the truth. My stomach drops. I reckon Hagrid would let me stay, or my old room- No. If I do that I won't be a student anymore. I'll be McGonagall's daughter again. I can't do that. Not to mention the questions that would be raised by the teachers, and the trouble I would get in from the toad herself.

"Draco, where am I going to stay?"

He stops, sighing, thinking for a moment before saying, "I knew this would happen. I can't make any promises- Slytherin is a bit weird about guests, but maybe- Just maybe- You could stay with us? In our common room?"

"Really?"

"No promises, ok? Follow me,"

xxx

Whoot

IMPORTANT: SWEARING? YA? NO? THOUGHTS? I will put more swearing in as they get older but only if that's ok with you. The issue is that I don't want this book to be marked 'Mature' cause fewer people will find it.

Alrightly then, see you next week!

Taylor xx