daughter of wands (d.m)

XXXII

I stormed up the stairs, the ruckus in the ballroom becoming faint noise behind me as I rounded the corner toward my bedroom. The hallway felt longer than usual and the walls closed in around me, my head reeling.

"Everett, please wait!" Draco calls behind me, his footsteps catching up to mine.

Just as he reaches the door I slam it hard, locking it with a flick of my wrist and resting my back against the cool wood. My eyes fill with tears as I sink to the floor, placing my head in my hands and sobbing silently.

"Please let me in," He pleads, his voice thick with emotion as he knocks vigorously. "I can explain."

"There's nothing to explain," I respond, wiping my cheeks, my makeup smearing across the back of my hand.

I hear him sigh behind the thick wood, "Everett... I'm sorry I didn't tell you. If you just talk to me, I'll tell you everything."

I rest my chin on my knees, breathing heavily to collect myself before standing up and facing the door. I run a shaky hand through my hair before manually unlocking the knob and opening it slowly.

He stands silently in the hall, leaning against the frame, his platinum locks falling into his eyes. I don't say anything as I walk away toward the bed, running my hands over my dress before perching on the edge. He follows close behind, taking his place next to me on the sheets.

We sit in silence for a moment, emotions bubbling up inside of me but I wait for him to say something, not sure if I could control myself. I feel my skin crawling with heat as my foot taps impatiently on the wood floor.

"Well?" I begin, my anger getting the best of me. "Aren't you here to explain?"

He sucks in a sharp breath, "I never told you because I didn't want you to know."

"Obviously," I scoff.

"Everett listen to me," He says sternly. "No one else was supposed to know, only some of my family and Professor Snape know, I don't even understand how Blaise found out."

I exhale deeply, "Why you? He has so many other people who could do it."

"Let's just say my family owes him," He states with disgust. "I just didn't want you to feel like you had to do it. I'm happy to have your help with the vanishing cabinet but this part doesn't concern you."

"Doesn't concern me?" I say, adjusting so we face each other and my leg rests delicately on his. "Draco, of course it does."

He rubs his forehead, "I can't tell you how sorry I am, I should have- I should have been honest with you."

"When do you have to... You know?" I ask quietly, secretly afraid of his answer.

He looks to me with shameful eyes, "Soon. By the end of the school year. My aunt has been helping me with... Darker arts."

"Oh," I state, realizing what he means. "That's why you researched me, because I can conjure fire."

He shrugs stupidly, "At first. But then I found I sort of liked you."

"Well you had a rather funny way of showing it," I scoff.

He takes my warm hand in his ice cold one, "I will never stop trying to make it up to you."

I muster up a weak smile, the uneasy feeling in my gut still making my stomach swirl. "So I won't have to do anything right?

"No, of course not. You won't even have to be there," He says matter of factly.

I nod, "Okay, it's just Blaise... He made it sound like... I don't know."

"He doesn't know what he's talking about, he was just trying to get you upset." He states with an eye roll. "I'm going to talk to the Dark Lord when he comes tomorrow, we can sort everything-"