𝔖𝔢𝔠𝔬𝔫𝔡 ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔫𝔠𝔢 (18+ ℭ𝔬𝔪𝔭𝔩𝔢𝔱𝔢)

An Apple Flavored Apology

     My heart slammed against my ribcage at a rapid rate, making me feel nauseated and lightheaded. Despite that, I continued walking through the massive stone room to the fireplace to sit in an empty high-back chair facing Malfoy.

     The Slytherin sat with his long, black-clad legs crossed and his back pin-straight, yet he looked extremely comfortable and in control—like royalty on his throne. A green apple with a few bites taken out of it was resting in his long pale fingers.

     I sat and looked him in the eye.

     He finished chewing and swallowed his bite before setting the unfinished portion on top of a small end table. "I wasn't sure you were coming," he admitted.

     "Well, I did."

     He nodded then shifted around, filling the air with tension.

     Not handling the quiet well, I asked, "Was there something you wanted, Malfoy?"

     "Yes, right," he said while straightening his tie. "Well, you see..." he twitched in his chair "...I." Springing from his seat, he walked to the fireplace and rested a hand against the stone mantle.

     Knowing how uncomfortable he was, I felt the tension in my shoulders ease.

     Malfoy turned to face me. "My treatment towards you over the years was uncalled for, and I shouldn't have behaved in such an undignified manner. I'm sorry."

     I scrunched my face. "What?"

     "Oh, for Merlin's sake Potter, I don't think I can say it again." He placed his hand over his stomach, looking like he would throw up his recently consumed apple.

     Once it sank in, I couldn't help but chuckle. "It did look rather unpleasant."

     Irritation flashed across his face before he did something I thought impossible. A deep throaty laugh left his mouth.

     My whole body tingled from the sound.

     "No, it wasn't," Malfoy admitted in a disgusted tone, that fought against the smile on his face. "I also want to thank you for speaking to the Ministry on my behalf. You didn't have to do that, and I think it's what won them over. Although I don't really recall the end of my trial all that well."

     I cleared my throat instead of laughing in his face for his famous nosedive. "I meant everything I said."

     He studied me for a few moments. "You were wrong about me not having a choice. I did. I chose to stay where I was, so I wouldn't lose my family."

     "That's not much of a choice then, is it?"

     "But, I had one."

     "Then why didn't you turn us over to Bellatrix?"

     He took a deep breath. "I couldn't, you were too important."

     My face must have shown my confusion because his cheeks flushed a little.

     "I meant, you're the Chosen One, destined to defeat Lord Voldemort." He shuddered slightly. "To have someone that evil rule over everything would have been disastrous. I couldn't let them kill you."

     I shook my head in bewilderment. "So at the Manor, you knew it was me, and you didn't turn us over to Bellatrix because you believed I was meant to kill Voldemort?"

     He ran his fingers through his snowy hair, the Malfoy family ring catching the firelight. "Yeah, pretty much."

     I clenched my fists and hissed, "Then why didn't you help us escape?"