Always. (A Draco Malfoy Story)

Does He?

FLASHBACK

Snape walked back from the infirmary to his office after instructing me that I'd be staying at the estate for a few days, following my second fainting spell.

He overheard the whispers of the Hogwarts students, gossiping that 'his daughter' was pregnant. He wasn't sure how many times that day he has taken house points away from multiple houses, in hopes that the rumors would stop.

With trying to find the horcruxes, keeping tabs on Harry Potter, protecting Joy and Draco as promised, as well as managing a boarding school full of insolent children, while hiding his true intention from the Dark Lord... he's very surprised that his long black hair has not fallen out by now.

He got to his desk and immediately pulled out his quill and some parchment to write to Draco:

She has fainted again.

She is unfit to stay at Hogwarts any longer, I will be sending her home for the remainder of the school year.

I request for your assistance in helping me find something in the Room of Requirement. I am unable to retrieve it.

Check in on her once in a while.
No sleepovers.

Snape

Snape packed the letter into an envelope and sent his owl on its way for its delivery.

He slumped back into his chair and whipped his head back to sigh, 'This is... exhausting.'

He's spent months trying to figure out a way to safely destroy horcruxes, to help save the only son of his childhood crush... and to save the closest thing he has to a daughter from finding out the truth about herself.

Draco received the letter from Snape later that day and quickly wrote back to him, saying he'd be there tomorrow.

After he wrote that letter, he wrote to Joy:

Love,

I'll be busy for the next few days...

END OF FLASHBACK

Snape was sitting at his desk when Draco arrived at his office.

"You're late." Snape scolds him.

"She's sleeping. I had to find a time to slip away." Draco fixes his jacket and walks over to the exit.

"Time is running out, Draco." Snape looks up to him, "You need to find it for her safety."

Draco nods, "Yeah yeah, I'll find your stupid crown."
He transfigures himself into a new look. Dark brown hair, stubbly beard.

"Draco—" Snape interrupts him from leaving.

"Look, I understand your need for secrecy... but I don't want to lie to her. So the less I know, the better." Draco softy admits, "You can keep lying to her about whatever you're keeping from her, but you better hope she forgives you in the end. Take it from me."
Draco gives him a pitiful look before heading to the Room of Requirement.

-

I'm staring in front of the mirror, in the middle of the empty room again.

In my reflection, I see myself? But I'm not myself.
But I see Snape... and Draco.

Then the Dark Lord appears behind the three of us as the glass shatters into a million pieces.

I turn around and see the Dark Lord standing in front of me. I try to talk, but nothing comes out of my mouth.

Instead, I hear him in my mind.

"I know what you're hiding from me."

I scream out loud and frantically try to get up, wanting the nightmare to be over.
I woke up alone, still in the library at Malfoy Manor. I had short, shallow breaths as that nightmare felt all too real. I look down at my hands and saw that my entire body was shaking.

I looked around the room and saw no trace of Draco anywhere, so I frantically looked for him, starting in his room.

I ran to his bedroom and practically kicked his door open, but saw that his room was empty.

I crouched to the floor as Voldemort's voice began to echo in my head, repeating itself over and over.

"I know what you're hiding from me."

"I know what you're hiding from me."

"I know what you're hiding from me."

I screamed at the top of my lungs, running my hands through my hair, trying to squish my ears shut while simultaneously trying to rip my hair out.

I didn't realize Draco apparated back into his room, until he ran over to me while I was still on the floor.

"Joy!" He takes off his jacket and puts it on me, "You're ok... I got you." He sits down in the floor and pulls me closer to him, "I got you."

I started to cry into his chest, "Draco... I can hear him in my head."

"It was just a nightmare, darling." He tried to comfort me.
I shake my head, still crying, "I heard him!"

My voice begins to shake, "I think he knows."