Chemistry ; draco malfoy

t w e n t y t w o

a/n

surprise update as a thank you to everyone voting and commenting :)

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draco arrives at hogwarts the day before the break ends, looking sunken in and exhausted. his once normally pale face has an almost blue tinge to it. i cringe the first time i see him, knowing that whatever happened over the break mustn't have been good.

i had hoping for him to come back and for everything to fall into place, but apparently that had been wishful thinking. draco goes out of his way to ignore me. every class we have together he conveniently is able to skip.

it takes 28 days for him to talk to me.

we're in care of magical creatures at the moment, and today is some sort of miracle. draco actually shows up to class. he doesn't stand by me or anything, but he's here. it takes everything i have to not stare at his sickly appearance.

the class is dismissed by hagrid as he heads off to feed the flobberworms.

this morning i had decided that enough was enough. if he was going to break off whatever we had going, then i deserved an explanation. i needed one.

draco was a few meters ahead of me, walking alone toward the castle. we're on the outskirts of the forbidden forest when i finally reach him. i grab onto the sleeve of his robe, tugging it harshly. i see his body freeze up as he sneers at me. his eyes are filled with anger as he rips his arm out of my grasp before heading back to the tower.

the second that i make it into my dorm i lose it. i cry. i need something to comfort me so i search through my nightstand for my bear. it seems as though i must've left it in my trunk though, it's not there. i open my trunk which lays at the foot of my bed. nothing.

i rip my wand out of my robe pocket. "accio stuffed bear."

nothing.

panic seeps in as i rummage around the room. every crevice turns up empty. it's not here.

i don't know where else to go, i don't know any other place that can comfort me like this. my legs are carrying me up the steep stairs of the astronomy tower, trembling ever so slightly.

once here i let everything out. the anger, the fear and the hatred. i'm angry at myself for being so careless. with my relationship with draco and with my belongings. i'm afraid of what's going on with draco, i fear for his health. and i hate what he's done to me. i hate that he's made me scared and angry. and i hate myself for letting him make me like this.

i sit against the wall, allowing my head to lean back against it as i cry. the hot tears stream down my face quickly, each time i think it's over a fresh set rolls down my cheeks.

i get off my feet, feeling tired of just sitting here allowing these feelings to envelop me. i walk toward the railing, resting my hands against the cool metal. and just once i let out a scream. i want everything that i'm feeling to leave. i want to be left feeling nothing. i want to be left empty. anything would be better than what i'm feeling right now.

the sound of footsteps alerts me to someone's presence, i turn sound wildly, my hair sticking to the fresh tear tracks.

draco.

he's frozen like a deer in headlights, his eyes dull as he stares at me. without saying a word he turns and descends the stairs. i let the anger consume me, it's red hot and prickly against my skin.

how could i let him make me like this? how could i give him the satisfaction of seeing me broken? merlin i should've listened to blaise.

my thoughts stop.

blaise. that's who i need to go to. blaise will talk some sense into me. blaise might even know where my stuffed bear is. i sniff softly before wiping the leftover tears off of my face. i exhale slowly through my mouth before heading to the slytherin common room.

it's when i reach the dungeons that i realize that i don't know the password. fuck. i close my eyes as i knock, praying for anyone but malfoy to answer. the gods seem to be on my side today, theo swings open the door with a smile. i smile lightly back at him, i know that it doesn't reach my eyes.

"m'lady." he gestures for me to enter and i chuckle softly. over by the fire is blaise, who luckily is sitting alone.

i make my way over to him and take a seat beside him on the couch, resting my head on his shoulder. the second he runs his fingers through my hair i feel myself shatter.

i snort humourlessly thinking of blaise and dracos interaction earlier in the year. 'sisters off limits' said draco. funny.

blaise doesn't say anything as he massages my scalp, he doesn't have to. he knows. he's always had a way of knowing what was wrong, but never had the gift of knowing what to say. instead, he's learned to communicate through touch.

from under my cheek i feel blaise stiffen up. i open my eyes slightly confused at his action.

"i see you've found a charity case, blaise." my blood runs cold as malfoy's voice carries across the room. i keep my eyes downcast, not wanting to look at him.

"watch yourself, malfoy," blaise growls out. his fingers continue to card through my hair in an attempt to keep me calm.

draco laughs from across the common room. i hear his footsteps as he approaches us. "she's just upset because she's realizing that i was right." my eyes shoot up to meet his, he's standing in front of the couch across from us. the only thing that separates us is a small black coffee table.

"she was easier than romilda vane," draco brags. i can't keep listening to this, i know that it will destroy me. yet i can't bring myself to get up and leave. "might've been the easiest i've had," he sighs," i mean c'mon," he takes a pause, fiddling with the rings that i once adored. "who knew hufflepuffs were so slutty."

blaise is up off of the couch before i can react, jumping across the table to punch draco. the sound of his fist hitting malfoy's cheek echos in my ears and i gasp. i know that i'm completely powerless. one after another his fist rains down on dracos pale face.

"stop it blaise!" i yell from the side, too afraid to try to go between them. he relentlessly smashes his fist against dracos pointy cheekbones as draco lays there limp. streaks of blood gush from his nose and a gash in my eyebrow.

draco seems to egg him on, sputtering out "that's all you got?" i hear a shout that i can't seem to decipher from behind me. theo and graham montague rush in, pulling at blaises shoulders.

"mate, drop it," theo grunts as he finally is able to pull blaise off of draco. over his boulder draco spits out blood, probably staining the green carpet.

i watch in horror as dracos head falls back against the rug, passing out.