Just Happiness │D. Malfoy ✔

chapter thirteen

Dinner was nearing an end and I hadn't seen Tara since earlier this morning. She wasn't in any of our joined classes and wasn't there for lunch or dinner. I was starting to get very worried and I noticed Roman was as well. He kept looking over at the Hufflepuff table and at the entrance to the Great Hall, looking for her. I didn't know what to do. I was going to check the library after dinner, but if she wasn't there, I had no way of checking if she was in her common room. I had no idea how to get into the Hufflepuff quarters.

So after dinner I went to the library, she wasn't there. I decided to check the Astronomy tower, just in case, although I highly doubted she would be there. It was raining this evening and it was cloudy. As I ascended the steps to the top I saw it was empty. I let out a long sigh and walked down the stairs again. 

To my surprise Pansy Parkinson was leaning against the wall at the bottom of the stairs, looking worried for some reason. When she saw me her eyes widened and she pushed herself of the wall and came over to me. To say I was surprised was an understatement.

"Are you looking for Atrio?" Her question was sudden and she looked like she knew the answer already.

"How did you know that?"

"I've been following you."

"Excuse me?" I was shocked to hear that she had been following me, and rather unsettled. Why would she be doing that and how did she know anything about Tara. As far as I knew they didn't know each other

"She's in her common room. I think you should go talk to her." I was even more confused now. What is going on.

"I don't know how to get into the common rooms, and how do you even know that?" I had to be a bit suspicious of her, she could be up to no good for all I knew.

"It doesn't matter how I know, but I'll show you how to get in, come on." She started walking away, expecting me to follow. I decided I might as well, it's not like she could be anywhere else, and Pansy looked more serious than I'd ever seen her.

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We arrived at cluster if big pipes close to the kitchens. Pansy stopped, looked around the deserted hallway and started tapping on the pipes. She glanced over her shoulder and caught my raised eyebrow. "I was with her earlier and saw her do this. You should go in to her now. I think she needs you". 

Pansy was confusing me and worrying me. Had something happened to Tara?

I thanked her nonetheless and walked in through the pipes to the common room that was rumored to be the most cozy one of all four. When I entered I couldn't help but agree. The light was dim, but dim in the way that made the atmosphere cozy. The walls were a mustard yellow with wood to accentuate. The floor had carpets and there were chairs of all kinds spread across the area. Tara wasn't in any of them. The ones who actually were in the common room looked at me questionably, but didn't ask any questions. They just stared.

I decided to try my luck and walk up one of the stairways leaving the common room. I must have been in luck because as I passed the names on the doors belonged to girls. I read all the names, hoping to find Tara's as soon as possible and find out what was going on.

At last I found it, at the end of the hall. I pushed it open and was greeted with silence. It seemed to be empty. I took a careful step in, to see if she might have been there, and just as I decided it was empty I heard a quiet voice speak up from the mound of blankets on one of the beds.

"Draco?"

I closed the door behind me and walked over to the blankets. Sure enough Tara was the one lying underneath them.

"What's going on, Tara? You weren't in any of the classes or at lunch or dinner? Did something happen? Are you okay?" I looked into her red rimmed eyes that were barely peeking out of the blankets and I could see them start to water. Immediately I started wondering if what I said was wrong.

"Tara, are you okay? What's wrong? Did I say something?" I didn't sit down in case she wanted me to leave. I didn't want to make her uncomfortable, seeing as she was so distraught.

"It's nothing to do with you, Draco." she removed some of the blankets and moved over so I could sit. I made myself comfortable at the head of her bed beside her and gently grabbed her hand.

"You didn't answer if you were okay."

Again she didn't answer, and I was sure something had happened at this point. I slowly moved so I was looking at her properly, her head had moved into the light and it was then I noticed it, a deep purple bruise on her right cheek.

"Where did you get that bruise, Tara?"

Her whole expression changed. Her eyes widened and she went to cover it up with her hand. Her expression was one of pure fear and panic. It made me scared. What had happened.

"I fell." Her excuse was transparent.

"I don't believe you." I paused to see if she would admit to what happened but she remained silent. I could see tears starting to form in her honey brown eyes and it broke my heart. "Darling, please don't cry. I just want to help you."

It isn't long before she catapults herself into my arms and starts sobbing uncontrollably. I wrap my arms around her and pull her into me. Rubbing my hands up and down her back, trying to comfort her.

"Did someone hurt you?" I ask quietly. She doesn't give any answer which only supports the answer to my question being yes. I immediately start getting angry at whoever hurt her. Why were people out to get Tara, one of the kindest people in this castle. Why did she end up being hurt.

It was then I realized something. "Was it Nott?" I asked. I could feel her swallow harshly and very carefully nod. She didn't look up but her ears and the back of her neck were red. She was embarrassed about it, and that made me feel awful. Had I made her think she should be embarrassed, or has someone made her believe this was something to me ashamed of. I didn't know, but I was angry. The anger I felt in that moment was unlike anything else. He had the audacity to hurt my girlfriend, to hurt her more than once, to violate someone. I could hardly contain my anger towards him. I must have been more angry on the outside than I though because I hear a gulp from beside me and noticed Tara had removed herself from my grasp and backed away a significant amount. The anger disappeared immediately. I couldn't believe I had scared her. That she was scared of me. I felt horrible. I was about to apologize and ask if she could ever forgive me for my outburst when she spoke up first.

"I'm -I'm sorry. I know I should have defended myself, but I was in shock and he was holding me to the wall and he threatened me an- " she was about to go on apologizing for things she shouldn't apologize for when I interrupted her.

"Tara why would you be apologizing? You have absolutely nothing to apologize for."

"I - I thought you were angry at for me not being able to defend myself." her voice was quiet and she was looking down, as if she was ashamed.

I reached over and lifted her chin up. I didn't need to say the words, we both knew I would say them. "Darling, listen to me now. You have nothing to be ashamed of. I am incredibly sorry for scaring you, and even more sorry for not being there for you, when it happened. But I want you to know that Nott is the only one at fault here, and me. You don't have to apologize for not being able to defend yourself. I am sure you did your best and that is all we can strive for. Doing our best, okay?" I smiled at her and brought her in for another hug, placing her on my lap and gently stroking her bruised cheek.

We sat there for a while, enjoying each others presence when Tara spoke up. 

"Thank you again, Draco. You really are a nice guy. I don't know why people at this school think you are fraternizing with the enemy. They just don't know you." 

My heart broke at her words. If only she knew.