Transfixed: A Draco Malfoy Fanfiction

Chapter 27

Dad was buried in a small graveyard by the sea, next to his parents. It was peaceful, with wild lilacs and daisies blooming in abundance in the surrounding tall grass. At the reception, everyone came up to me to offer their compliments on my speech, which I accepted gratefully. I hoped my dad would have been proud, and I was finally starting to feel a sense of peace.

We went home and prepared to go back on the train to Hogwarts the next day. I finished my packing quickly and went to Cassady's room to see if she needed any help. Her door was open, and she was facing away from me as she looked out the window.

"Cassady?" I said as I put my hand on her shoulder.

"Ahh!" she gasped as she jumped away from my grasp. I stumbled back, startled. "Oh, Audrey, I- I'm sorry," she stuttered.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

"I'm fine," she said, but I could tell from the way her eyes were darting that she was still on edge.

"I just... wanted to see if you needed help packing," I said slowly, glancing at her near-empty suitcase.

"Oh, no I can manage!" she said quickly, a fake smile on her face. "I'm almost done, really."

"OK..." I started backing out of the room, unsure of what else to do. "I'll just... leave you to it then."

Mum was downstairs in the kitchen, starting a beef stew for dinner. I cleared my throat nervously before I came in. I didn't want to startle anyone else. Mum looked back and offered me a warm smile.

"Hello, darling," she said.

"Hi, Mum," I replied, sitting at the kitchen table. I hadn't spoken one-on-one with Mum since I'd gotten home, which she didn't really seem to mind. But there was something we had to talk about.

"You did a wonderful job at the funeral, dear," she said, stirring the stew with a wooden spoon. Mum loved to cook, even though she could just use magic for most of it.

"Thanks, Mum," I said. "I'm glad you think so."

"Your father would be so proud of you..." She faced away from me, staring intently at the pot. "I know you were unhappy with how we explained his death at the funeral, but honestly, we didn't have many other options Audrianna."

I held up my hand to stop her. I could tell she thought I came downstairs to fight.

"It's fine, Mum," I said quickly. "I'm not here to talk about that. I'm here to talk about Cassady."

That got her attention. "Yes?" she asked.

"I don't think she can go back," I said, twisting my hands nervously around in my lap. "Mum... These nightmares, they happen every hour during the night. She's jumpy, she's on edge, she just jumped a meter in the air when I came to ask her if she needed help packing."

Mum sat down next to me at the table as she nodded. "You're right, of course you're right," she said, her blue eyes looking at me intensely. "Does she talk to you about what happened much? You two are so close."

"Not really. She told me the basics of what happened at the Ministry, but not much more than that. I don't think she wants to go into the details." I shuddered as I thought about what it must have been like for her. I don't think I would have been strong enough to endure it.

"She'll be furious if we held her back. She takes her studies so seriously, as she should."

"Oh, come on Mum! What choice do we have? She can barely sleep, let alone study!"

Mum looked over at me, a slight glare on her face. I looked down sheepishly, knowing I shouldn't have yelled.

"Yes..." she said softly. "She needs to be here, with me. I'll go write to Dumbledore right away."