The Malfoy Mystery

7 • misery

tw!: Descriptive mention of an Anxiety Attack. 

"Metwizards usually come to a different line than Malfoys, previously known as the Prewetts."

"Prewetts, I heard the line was eradicated?"

"Draco, the last alive Prewett married, there's no easy way to say this, into the Weasley Clan. More specifically, Arthur Weasley."

"You're telling me that-"

"I'm sorry, Draco. Lucius and I were unable to bestow an heir to Voldemort. The only criterion was a pureblood son and heard that a potential Metawizard had been born in the Weasley Clan. So after pulling a string or two, we took you with us. Since you aren't officially adopted, I've been ordered by the Ministry to stay away from you. Weasleys will be your legal guardians. I'm sorry, son."

Draco rushed out of the room and briskly walked towards an isolated washroom. After the war, Moaning Myrtle had taken this place as her abode. As tears sprang into his hurt eyes, Draco forgot about the existing ghost and splashed his face with water. The cold water seeped into his skin as he held his breath to regain control of his emotions. His previous conversation with his mother (could he even call her that?) was replaying in his head. It was almost torturous knowing that he risked his life for someone who deprived him of a peaceful life. He would have grown up in a cottage full of tenderness, with siblings and no imminent threat to life. He wouldn't have had to conform to the Dark Lord, wouldn't have to obliterate his last years at Hogwarts.

Draco ran his hands through his hair and scrutinised himself in the mirror ahead. All this reminded him of his sixth year at Hogwarts. Just after Katie Bell revived from being cursed by the necklace. The despair was suddenly perceptible on his face, his eyes looking anguished, and the tie on his neck abruptly feeling exceptionally tight. He roughly threw away the tie as he gasped to catch his breath. He felt a restraining feeling in his chest and gulped as the pain worsened. Meanwhile, his body had begun to disgorge dark light he couldn't focus on.

Not being able to concentrate on anything, he lost his balance as he harshly dropped onto the hardwood floor. His sobs were becoming more and more pronounced. He extended his hand forward as he began to count his fingers to regain control. As his racing heart slowed down, the headache became more prominent. He felt the knot in his stomach unhurriedly disappearing. The only sensation that unsettled him was that his entire life, until now, had been a hoax. A disastrous hoax. As all the pain settled, he screamed to drown out his thoughts.

As the diluted scream was reverbing in the halls, Hermione tried to discover the source of this voice. She sensed somebody in misery and desired to assist them. Hermione peacefully entered the washroom and was overcome with cries and dark smoke surrounding someone. As she stepped into the smoke, she saw Draco crying silently into his hand. Meanwhile, his arm was tightly clutching his stomach. His skin looked incredibly pale, and his tie was scattered on the floor.

"Malfoy, is that you?"

Draco, lost in his own thought, didn't take notice of an entity beside him. When a figure touched him out of the blue, Draco was taken over by shock and was about to hyperventilate. He violently shook off the hand on his shoulder.

"Get off! Don't touch me!"

All the years of book knowledge didn't teach Hermione how to approach such a situation. So she retrieved her hand and gave the unsettled boy some space. His grey eyes were red as tears stained his cheeks. If Hermione was to be polite, she would say Draco looked miserable. She just sat down beside him, waiting for Draco to calm down. After several minutes, the duo decided to not talk about this incident. They went back to their dorm.

Theo and Blaise were clumsily eating Chocolate frogs when the duo showed up at the doorstep. Just one glance at Draco and Theo's expression changed dramatically.

"Zabini, Granger, out! Now!"

He pulled Draco inside and shut the door on the faces of Hermione and Blaise. Both uttered together, "We shouldn't eavesdrop, should we?" They heard irregular muffled sentences as they shoved their ears on the door, which unlocked unexpectedly, and Blaise fell on Hermione.

Despite the atmosphere, Theo proudly said, "That was how it felt when Malfoy fell on me!" Hermione shot glares over at Theo. Meanwhile, Blaise came up with a wild assumption.

"Ah! I see. Granger is your 'secret' girlfriend, ain't she?"