•Memories• ||D.M.||

66. Bedtime Story

The next few days were hell.
Finding out that the Stone Guard has fled the country with Christina in the middle of supper was when I finally broke.
I ran to the doors, slamming them open with a bang as all the eyes in the room were on me as I rushed to the bathroom.
I threw up my entire meal.
In total, I had been missing for 92 hours, and it's been almost a week since then.
The minister promised she would be found, but at this point, especially with Umbridge, I would never allow myself to believe that.
She found a way to pin this on Dumbledoor, and is mere seconds away from becoming in power of the school.
"(Y/n)?" Maud's icy voice echoed through the bathroom.
She had become the only upperclassmen, in Gryffindor no less, to care about me since Jay was here.
I missed him when Jeremy was working here.. and Christina was too.
And now that Jeremy's off saving her with his father and their 'organization' or whatever, I've never been more drowned in the color green.
Maud, even if she's supposed to be a slytherin, is refreshing.
"Yeah, I'm here.." I wiped my face with the back of my hand and stood.
"Can you keep a secret?" She asked.
She wasn't the type to comfort, I learned.
I nodded as I went to the sink and washed my face.
"They found her, they're keeping her at a safe house."
My eyes widened.
"Really??"
"Mhm. I overheard the minister talking to Professor Umbridge"
"Thank you, Maud.." I grabbed her shoulders, and began tearing up.
She just nodded and left.
---
That brought me ease, but it became torture at night.
"How's everything?" Chloe asked as Donna laid in her bed silently for the third day in a row.
"She's missing and-" Donna began. "We had lunch together the day it happened, Chloe.." her eyes were genuinely teary for the first time I'd probably ever seen.
And I felt so guilty for not saying a word, so I snuck off to be with the boys.
---
"Crabbe and Goyle?? Didn't they stab you in the back?" Theodore asked.
Draco shrugged. "It's what it takes to get on that frog-woman's good side."
Actually, Draco was the strangest thing about the whole incident.
He barely acknowledged me, but kept me close at all times. Either holding my hand, keeping our arms pressed together, it was like my presence was the only thing he needed.
And now, with the Inquisitorial squad, and me being with the group that's the reason there's even the inquisition, things were tricky.
"Isn't Pansy on the squad?" Blaise asked and I shamelessly whipped my head towards Draco, who had his arm around me.
And he just shrugged. "Honestly I've been paired up with her once on a night shift and it wasn't all bad."
"When?" I asked with a deadpanned face, and the other two boys looked to each other in pure terror.
"Um, about 5-7 days ago. Why?"
I did the math. "Nothing." I said with a smile, standing up from the gossip circle.
Draco took a sharp inhale and seemed to stop himself from reaching out.
Theodore's mouth was gaping open from the whole interaction.
"Oh.." Blaise said once he realized.
"What, you gawking fools??" Draco asked.
"You took the shift with her while your girl was missing..?" Blaise asked cautiously.
Watching his face pale even more than it was, was enough satisfaction and conformation for me, and while I got what I wanted, I turned away and crossed my arms, not letting them see.
"Fuck... Blaise did we have that thing to go to?" Theodore motioned first the door.
"It's 1 in the morn-"
"Yeah, we gotta go guys!" Theodore yelled over Blaise and pulled him out.
...
"I promise you nothing happened.." he started, and I let out a harsh laugh.
"I really don't care.. I'm not the jealous type like her, it's okay." I blinked hard as I said so.
I heard Draco sigh. "I can't do this, alright?"
Oh, I turned around. "I said I don't care!"
"You're sobbing! I- we can't fight over this, not now!"
"I'm not trying to fight! I said I'm okay!"
"Please, just stop crying!" He said.
I covered my mouth with my hand as the tears relentlessly poured, and I started pacing.
"Just stop!" He continued to yell, and a fresh stream started.
"NO!" I demanded. "I was kidnapped while failing to save my best friend! I saw my parents for the first time in years and this time they loved me! I walked through the streets, through the forests, for
2 fucking days straight! I BLED WITH EVERY STEP TO GET BACK!" My voice was sharp and hoarse.
"I made it back, but I've never felt more alone than next to you!" I finished, face stained with tears but my eyes dry.
He was quiet as I stared at him, the slightest shadows of tears pooling in his eyes.
".. I didn't stop you. You didn't listen to me, and I spent four days believing that you were dead because of that." He said quietly as his voice quivered.
"Every minute, I had a front up, pretending to live life as I watched myself move from outside my body, all because I couldn't handle it. I tried to reach for you at random points, to squeeze your hand or ruffle your hair.. and you weren't there." Tears fell from his eyes.
"I still don't know if you're here." He whispered, looking at me with the look of a desperate child, and I instantly caved.
I slammed into his chest and wrapped my arms tightly around his torso. "I'm here.. I'm here, okay?"
I felt him sob as he held the back of my head.
---
With no clue where Blaise and Theo were, we had just held each other under the blankets for almost an hour.
"No more crying because I'm an asshole, is what I meant to say.." he informed me as he stared up at the canopy, fingers twirling around my hair.
"Yeah, yeah. I thought that was over after you tried to kill my best friend."
He furrowed his eyebrows and looked down at me. "I swear if you're still going on about that hippogriff-"
"Oh, that's a future bedtime story for our kid-" I realized what I said and immediately imploded in on myself.
He also went completely tense.
"I- I didn't mean-" I sat up and started, facing him, only to see him silently laughing his heart out.
"What was that again?" He asked through his laugh.
"You and your creepy silent laugh gave me a heart attack!" I grabbed the pillow next to him and hit his chest.
He sat up, effortlessly snatching my weapon and propped the pillow behind him.
"So, as you were saying?" He continued with a smirk, and I instantly scoffed and put my head down, blushing like crazy.
He supported himself by his elbow as he watched me have a embarrassment stroke, amused by my suffering.
"You're the worst ever!" I hit my head against his collarbone, defeated.
"Ow!" He laughed, lifting my head. "I'm the worst ever?"
"Mhm." I said with a pout as he gently cupped my chin.
"Ever in the world?" He said in a mocking baby voice and I frowned.
He squished my cheeks together and I finally laughed, pushing his hand away.
His eyes were still slightly puffy, and I noticed that they seemed more blue after he cried. It was a bittersweet, beautiful thing. Brought from such a dark place but being absolutely mesmerizing.
I swear I thought they were getting bigger, but when his lips met mine, I realized he was just getting closer, and I closed my eyes, smiling into the kiss.
And the door opened.
"Oh god they're having-"
"Stop!" I yelled as Theodore looked at us with disgust, Blaise "subtlety" giving Draco a thumbs up.
"I should get to my uh, room." I said as I got up and put my slippers on, shivering.
"Yeah, you dirty sinner.." Theodore teased as they both came inside and closed the door.
"I will have you kidnapped." I warned, allowing myself to joke knowing Christina was safe as I shamelessly stole one of Draco's sleep shirts.
I stopped pulling it over my tank top when the thought hit me.
How'd Maud even overhear the minister talking about the safe house in the first place..?