The Girl Who Hid | George Weasley

ch 28 : stupefy

You had just left the Gryffindor common rooms one evening and were heading back to your dorm when you heard the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching. You looked around, trying to locate the noise when you heard someone yell, "Stupefy!"

You dropped to the ground, instantly losing consciousness before you could locate your attacker.

You woke up in an unfamiliar hallway, half leaning against the wall. Your entire body felt sore as your eyes slid around your surroundings in a daze. You blinked away your blurry vision as your eyes landed on a boy with a head full of silvery blonde hair. Slowly, it all started coming back to you.

Pulling herself up against the wall for more support, you pulled your wand from the pocket of your robe and gripped it tightly. Draco turned around at the sound of your robes sliding on the floor, and he flinched when he saw the wand in your hand.

Staring at him without a hint of a smile, you demanded, "Did you just kidnap me, Malfoy?"

He didn't deny your accusation and instead just stared down at your tired face as you were still slowly coming out of the stupefy spell.

You lifted your wand and pointed it at him with a disappointed frown. You threatened, "Let me go because I will not hesitate to hurt you if I have to."

Draco shook his head and whispered, "No, don't. I just want to talk."

You were in no mood to talk to him after what he just did, but you also weren't in good enough shape to run away, and you knew you needed a moment to gather your strength and the rest of your consciousness. You planned to escape at your earliest opportunity.

He took your silence as permission and started, "Listen, I'm a stupid, foul git, and I know I completely ruined things, but I want to explain. You deserve an explanation."

You just stared at him with your wand raised while you frowned deeply.

His Adam's apple bobbed in his throat as he choked, "You deserve to know that I never wanted any of that stuff to happen. What happened at that party was out of my control!"

With a hurt expression, you spat, "You mean that it was out of your control when Pansy and her friends were bullying me, and you did nothing. It was out of your control when you treated me horribly and then kissed her in front of me, just to make me upset. You're telling me that when Crabbe and Goyle drugged me and tried to kiss me, and you stood back and did nothing, it was because it was all out of your control?"

Draco flinched at the hurt in your eyes. He had been afraid of this, but he had hoped that you would have just smiled and hugged him and told him it was alright. He had hoped that you would forgive him easily again for his mistakes, but he realized that this wouldn't be the case.

He really screwed up.

A single irritating tear slipped from his eye as he pleaded, "I didn't have a choice, Y/N! Pansy was blackmailing me. They were all blackmailing me because of our relationship, threatening to tell my father. I wanted us to be together, but I knew that he wouldn't allow it, so I didn't tell him on purpose. I knew that he might try to hurt you or me if he found out, and so I tried to hide it from him. Pansy and the others told me that I couldn't do a thing to stop them that night if I didn't want my father to find out, so I just watched as she hurt you. I'm so sorry."

You blinked rapidly at him, unknowingly slowly lowering your wand as he spoke because of your exhaustion.

Draco saw this and took it as an invitation to get closer. He dropped to his knees next to you and put his cold hand on your face. You felt the cold settle in your bones, radiating out from your cheek. He begged, "Please, Y/N. I didn't have a choice. My father is controlling me, and I didn't have a choice."