Restoration

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Writer's note
- Hi. Thanks for all the support , I also made a trailer (linked above as well as in Ch1).
I hope you have as much fun reading the story as I have writing it.

***

"You need to knock me out. I'm serious," Draco shut his eyes as he prepared himself for a punch in the face.

"You don't have to ask me twice," Anthony's lip perked into an evil smile as he clenched his right hand.

"Jesus, if the founders of your houses could hear you now they would be appalled," Luna jumped in between the two, stopping Anthony's flying fist mid-air.

"Lovegood, get away! I need to be put to sleep to speak to Elara-," Draco shoved her away, motioning Anthony to make a move and hit him hard.

Upon realizing something must have gone wrong for Elara, the duo decided to intervene in each their way. They had been bickering back and forth as to how they were going to go about it. Anthony's first instinct was to get Professor McGonagall and alert her that Elara was mistreated and abused wherever she was being held. But Draco disagreed - like always - saying that Professor McGonagall was one of the people who sealed Elara's fate as they reported her to the Ministry.

Instead of getting help from the adults, Draco said the only way they could get to Elara was if he were to speak to her in her dreams. His idea was to reassure her they were working on getting her out, that they hadn't forgotten about her. And most importantly - he had to tell Elara that he had not betrayed her nor broke his promise.

With the adrenaline rushing through his body, and a picture of frail and bruised Elara lying on the floor in front of him, he knew there was no chance he could fall asleep. There were so many things going on in his mind and his heart was beating so fast he thought his chest was about to explode.

"You have to tell her she's not been shifting realities, but going into your dreams instead," Anthony impatiently added.

"Not a chance," Draco said with mock astonishment, backing away swiftly from the reach of Anthony's fist.

"Surely you realize this deception can't go on indefinitely, right? How is she going to believe you're there to help her if she doesn't even know you're in the same reality as she is?!" Anthony shouted menacingly.

Draco hesitated as he began thinking about Anthony's words. He hadn't imagined, nor even thought of, a world where Elara knew that the other Draco was the same Draco she despised. That she hadn't been visiting another version of him all this time. That the only Draco that ever existed was a liar and a cheat, misleading her for months.

He had to make sure Elara know that he could be like the other Draco as well. It didn't have to be the way they started - as enemies. Ever since he had gotten to know her better, she realized they had so much in common. From growing up with emotionally distant parents, to being taught by Bellatrix, and eventually stepping over to the dark side and working for the Death Eaters, Elara became one of the only people who understood him. Perhaps without even realizing it.

And if he were to tell her the truth, that he had lied to her from the start, he would lose her. Again.

"I'm not telling her," Draco shook his head.

Luna rolled her eyes, knowing they would lose even more time trying to calm the two boys down. And with no one coming to help her, she wasn't sure how to calm them down and convince them to not kill each other.

She sympathised with both of them. But she has also gotten agitated as she knew that some of their motives were full of selfishness and ignorance, wanting Elara to see the best in each of them. Luna sighed and stepped back, trying to collect her thoughts as Anthony and Draco's chests puffed like peacocks, their voices getting louder and nastier by the minute.