the girl who lost it all [d.m]

nine: vacuus

vacuus: empty, void, vacant

———

DRACO wished he'd kept Elara to himself.

Of course, it would have been impossible. He would have never been able to keep her at his manor without his mother and Astoria finding out and it was far from safe—what with Death Eaters stopping by every now and then for tea.

But seeing Demetrius Rhodes laugh and throw his arm around Elara's shoulders on the porch was desperately making him want to sweep her away and lock her in his room where no one could get to her.

Draco had stayed away from the safehouse for the past two weeks and autumn was beginning to fade into winter, the grass coated in a thin layer of frost, the clouds low and heavy.

He knew he was irrational for feeling the way he was as he approached the stairs to the porch but he barely restrained himself from putting his fist through Rhodes' face when he glanced over.

"Ah, look who's here!"

Elara looked over as well, still tucked into Demetrius' side and Draco saw her gaze flicker as she watched him stride up the stairs, shoving between the two of them and separating them with the excuse of getting to the front door.

"Woke up on the wrong side of the bed, Malfoy?" Demetrius called after him but he let the front door slam shut, blocking Elara and him off.

The sitting room was empty and he frowned. With forty people in this house, it seemed out of character for there to be no one here.

The front door opened behind him, a cold wind blowing in, lifting his cloak and Elara spoke.

"They're all out back," she said, quietly, to his back and he shut his eyes at the sound of her voice. "Dueling."

Draco gave himself one more second to get it together and shove the images of Demetrius and Elara out of his mind before he turned to face her.

Her hair was undone today, cascading in frizzy curls down her back, and she was wearing a tight turtleneck and jeans that made his mind begin to wander before he brought himself back.

"And you're not there because?" he asked, beginning to head for the door, hoping she'd move.

She didn't, just kept standing in the doorway as he approached, Demetrius leaning on the railing of the porch outside, humming to himself.

"Where have you been?" she inquired and he noticed her fingers were trembling where she gripped the door handle. "You said you'd train me."

Draco blinked, let his eyes do a quick onceover to assess her. She still looked thin and lacked the energy she used to have—bouncing all over the castle with her little posse of friends, dropping witty remarks and laughing.