Fleur-de-Lis: Draco Malfoy x OC

7

Clarissa

Dinner was gloomy. The ceiling of the Great Hall projected a dull, cloudy evening, rain lightly pattering on the castle's roof. Nobody seemed too excited, most just tired and occupied eating. I sat, talking to Millicent about the trip I went on to Greece one year, and how the water sparkled. She listened, but I could tell she wasn't that interested. 

I heard the screech of my family owl, François, as he swept in from above. I figured it was a letter from my brother, telling me about life in Berlin, where he worked. He tried his best to write me at least once a week but it got boring once he ran out of things to tell me about. Occasionally, Mum wrote me asking how I was, but I had the same response every time, "fine". François dropped a small parcel on the table, in front of me, and flew away. The parcel was a light coloured blue, with silver string, and a small parchment letter attached. I used my sharp nail to pry open the letter, and I froze.

Clarissa,
What I am about to tell you is slightly traumatizing, so you've been warned.
Last night, your brother was in Munich, and was murdered by a group of wizards in dark cloaks when he was visiting a friend.
Your father and I still aren't sure who was behind it, but we believe it was He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named.
He was taken to the nearest hospital, but they couldn't do anything due to the dark magic that was used.
Please, stay safe and be careful at Hogwarts, as we don't want you to live out the same fate as Nicolas.
Je t'aime,
Mum xxx

My hands shaking, I unwrapped the parcel. It was a small, emerald, knit blanket, with a silver C embroidered on it. A note on it said:

Nicolas made this for you but didn't get the chance to send it.
- ta Père

I was in such a shock that I didn't even notice the tears streaming down my face, Millicent and Daphne both looked concerned. I snatched my blanket and note from the table and rushed out of the Great Hall. I saw a few boys turn their heads as I ran away, looking confused. I ignored them.

I sat on the bed of my dorm, clutching the blanket from my brother as I cried into it. My throat choked, and my cheeks burned. Why me? Why Nicolas? I'm sure he did nothing wrong. I loved my brother. He was 19, just out of Hogwarts. He worked for the Ministry of Magic, in their Berlin location, with the Department of International Magic Cooperation. He was always so sweet to me, and was always understanding whenever I was having trouble. He too, was a Slytherin, and was Head Boy in his time. My legs jittered as I sobbed into my bed, and I couldn't stand it anymore. I decided to hide in the Astronomy Tower, where I knew nobody would find me.

I must've lay there, silently crying, for hours. I was numb, and no matter how horrible I felt, I couldn't force any more tears out. I just sat there, staring at the sky, the weight of my brother's death holding me down. I tried to fall asleep there, so I didn't have to feel the pain anymore, but my mind, racing like a rabbit, wouldn't let me. I heard footsteps coming up the stairs, so I turned to face them. Draco, in a green sweater and black dress pants, came and sat next to me.

"What do you want, Malfoy", I choked. He seemed hurt, and looked into my eyes, welling with tears, and puffy from the hours I spent crying.

"Are you alright? What happened?" He asked politely, surprising me. He had always been so toxic, so the sudden switch was concerning.

"I- it's just tha-that" I spat out, not able to finish what I was saying. I knew exactly what happened, but it was just so difficult to say it out loud.

"Hey, hey, you're fine. Take your time." He whispered, hand on my back. "Is this about last night?". I shook my head. I'm not sure how long I sat there, trying to find the words to explain.

"M-mon frère", I said quietly, trying not to burst out in tears again.

"What happened?"

"Il a été assassiné", tears dripped from my eyes. He took his thumb and wiped them away. I could tell he understood, because of the way he looked at me, with sorrow.

"I'm so sorry", he whispered. "By who?".

"V-Voldemort". I said, trying to be quiet. His mouth gaped, eyes wide open. Just that look made me think about it again, tears welling at my eyes, turning into waterfalls from my eyes. Thankfully, nobody else was there to see, but I choked, and began to sob again. "Does this mean he's back?", I whispered. He looked me in the eyes, his cloudy grey eyes shining , reflecting the moon. Tears welling in my eyes again, I watched as he nodded his head.

"Hey, Riss, you're alright. I'm here." He whispered into my ear as he embraced me into a hug. I felt the rings on his large hands against my back, and the minty, musky, smell of his cologne as it infiltrated my nose. We didn't talk again, we just silently enjoyed each other's presence. I stayed in his arms for the rest of the night, as we fell asleep on the Astronomy Tower. We were unfortunately woken up by a group of Ravenclaws, trying to see the morning star alignment. Embarrassed, we rushed back to our dorms, so we didn't miss our classes.

"Draco?" I asked, as we walked down the halls silently.

"Hm?"

"What are we?"

He didn't say anything, but rather took his hand in mine, grasping my fingers as we walked back to the dungeons. I assumed that meant we weren't enemies anymore.