What He Knew

Chapter 14

Christmas came and went with no difference to me. I refused to look at Malfoy and he stayed as far away as possible from me. To be fair though, this definitely wasn't my worst Christmas, Christmas alone at Beauxbatons had been ten times worse, at least Hogwarts was homey and welcoming. 

I spent most of the holidays in the library and writing to Ryan who has having a splendid Christmas back in Ireland with her family. I didn't dare tell her over owl what Draco had said to me that night and I still hadn't made up my mind whether or not I wanted to tell tell her.

Soon January rolled in and the students were returning to Hogwarts, new trunks or pets in hand. Ryan couldn't stop talking about how her siblings had begged her to show them tricks all Christmas but she wasn't 17 until March and definitely wasn't willing to get expelled at this point.

Ryan kept asking me if Draco had been good during the holidays and I had given her brief rundown, telling her how we had barely spoken but nothing had been out of the ordinary and this seemed to soothe her. 

It was a couple of weeks into the new term and Ryan, Pansy, Blaise and I were sitting in The Great Hall having lunch when we heard a commotion over at the Gryffindor table. I stood up, seeing that Katie Bell had returned and her friends had run over to greet her. It had been months since Katie had been cursed but she was back and looking pretty healthy. As Ryan was watching Katie, I noticed Draco enter behind her. On seeing her he paled and turned the other way running. I knew then what he had done. 

I jumped up from my seat, Ryan too distracted to notice and ran after him. He had run the whole way to the bathrooms on the 2nd floor and by the time I caught up with him I was out of breath. I stood at the door, he was heaving and crying over the sink, pulling at his tie, his jumper on the ground.

I hated the boy but what was before me was heart breaking.

"Draco?" I said gently. He looked up, seeing me in the mirror.

"Didn't I tell you not to talk to me?" he spat.

"I'm not going to leave you alone like this... but Draco, if you did what I think you did-"

"You don't understand, Rose, no one understands." His voice was shaking.

"If I don't understand, who here will? You're the one who told me my own mother betrayed my father for He Who Must Not Be Named."

He pulled his hands through his hair, still not turning around.

"Draco, I can help you," The sorrow in his eyes sent pains through my heart. He was just a boy and I could see he didn't want to do any of this dark stuff he'd gotten himself into.

"No one can help me," his whole body was shaking, "I can't... unless I do it soon... he says he'll kill me..." he shuddered.

Before I could respond, Harry barged past me. 

"I know what you did Malfoy!" Draco spun around, and shot a hex in Harry's direction. I fell to the floor to dodge it and it shattered the lamp in the hall behind us. 

Harry threw himself sideways and flicked his wand, but Malfoy blocked whatever it was and raised his wand to send another hex.

"Stop it! Stop it both of you!" I screamed from the floor, now drawing my own wand.

Draco took his eyes off Harry for a moment, "Get out of here, Rose!" It wasn't his usual snarl though, I could hear the fear intwined in his voice, his eyes pleading. He was daft if he thought I was leaving him after he defended me against Harry.

There was a loud band as Harry took advantage of Malfoy's distracted moment and a bin exploded and another hit the wall close to Malfoy, smashing the cistern; water poured everywhere and Harry slipped in it as Malfoy stormed over to him, raising his wand.