NEMESIS || Draco Malfoy

63

Usually, when I thought back on the occurrences of the day before I fell asleep, it was never this unpleasant.

I couldn't close an eye without hearing Draco yell or seeing someone who was supposed to be my best friend in tears. I couldn't take a proper breath without having it shake with the uncertainty of the future that laid ahead now.

I never imaged a Hogwarts in which Pansy and I weren't friends. But then again, neither did I imagine her and Granger.

It was all that, and a general feeling of uneasiness for no particular reason, that drove me out of my bed, in the first place. Why stay there if I couldn't sleep?

Despite it, a yawn rattled through my chest as I tiptoed out of my bed, eyes naturally falling on the bed next to mine, in which Pansy slept in safe and sound. I wondered how long it took her to fall asleep— she'd been in here all day.

And though I was mad — there was no doubt about it — I smiled regardless at the sight. My eyes lingering on her for a few moments longer before I grabbed my wand, stored it in the pocket of my pyjama pants and left the dorm quietly to wander the silent halls of the castle for a bit.

At this point, Filch and Professor's taking house points off me was the least of my worries.

Though, I didn't get quite as far.

"Gwen?" My voice echoed through the empty common room, startling my sister sat cross-legged in front of the fireplace. Her head tilted to throw me a single glance, but she didn't say anything as she turned back towards watching the fire.

With furrowed brows, I made my way over to her, light steps before I came to a halt by her side. Wordlessly, I sat next to her, mirroring her position as I crossed my legs just like she had.

Without another word escaping my mouth, she sighed heavily, head turning to look at me again.

"'Can't sleep," She offered with a shrug, her lips pressed together tightly when she tried to grace them with a smile. Nothing could've convinced me it was genuine.

"Why's that?"

She inhaled another shaky breath, her eyes diverting as they fell to her covered forearm. She was silent for a moment, but following her gaze, I knew the answer before she spoke.

"It won't stop hurting." Her breath was heavy, sounding like she was on the verge of tears by simply talking about it out loud. It was followed by a sniff and then a muffled sob before she let her head fall onto my shoulder in defeat.

My heart clenched at the words, a wave of guilt flooding through every vein in my body when I remembered it was my fault she was in pain. If only I had worked harder, and faster—

I cut my own thoughts off, knowing I couldn't spiral down that path myself, when it was my sister who was already doing so, in a way. And so, instead, while one arm wrapped around her head on my shoulder, playing with her hair gently, my other hand took her left arm in it, carefully rolling up her sleeve.

The mark stared right back at me, and I grimaced at the thought of what it might be doing to Gwen. It made my own mark hurt more, all of a sudden.

"Why isn't it concealed?" I asked into the quiet, eyes unable to divert from the black skull writhing on her forearm without ever planning on stopping. The sight of it on her hurt more than the physical pain from mine.

"'Hurts more," She explained shortly, voice timid and quiet as I felt her head shake lightly on my shoulder.

"Alright, okay."

At once, I ushered her head off my shoulder, jumped up to my feet and extended my hand towards her. I didn't wait for her to pull herself up but did so myself as soon as she grabbed it. A strained groan escaping my lips at the motion before I gestured towards the exit of the common room. "Come on—"

Her expression was puzzled, following me through the room hesitantly before she asked, "Where to?"

"The kitchens."

We were there mere five minutes later, and the painting closed behind me with a quiet thud. Gwen's hand slipped out of mine, immediately taking everything in as she made her way further into the middle of the large room.

Her head angled upwards as she took in the high-ceilinged room, walking around one of the four large tables identical to the ones in the great hall right above us.

"You ever been?" I wondered casually, heading over to the large freezer holding an unfathomable amount of ice to cool the pain in her arm. It was the only thing I had learned to help with it— the cold.

Gwen shook her head at my question, a noise of absentminded denial escaping her lips.

With a handful of ice cubes wrapped in a cloth, I sat on top of the table Gwen had sat down at only a few moments later, holding them out to her with a slight smile on my lips.

"It'll help," I assured at her hesitance. "Trust me."

A sharp hiss escaped her mouth at the first contact, though her facial expression relaxed immediately after into one of relief. Giving me a grateful smile, she closed her eyes.

"Remember when you broke my arm when I was, like, nine?" She muttered, eyes still closed as she leaned against the tabletop that I sat on. I nodded.

"Of course I do," I huffed. "You wouldn't shut up about it for years." My words coerced a humoured snort out of her, her red hair flying around in a mess as she shook her head. Then, she sighed.

"This hurts more."

"Oh yeah, I know."

Silence lingered in the large room only for a moment before a dry laugh from Gwen broke it. "Doesn't feel like it's already been six years, does it?" She asked, seemingly in her thoughts more so than here. "Sometimes I just wish we could go back, you know?"

I huffed in light amusement, agreeing to her statement with a nod. "You and me both, Gwen." My head shook in delight at the thought before a sly smile found its way onto my lips. "Who thought we'd peak at eight and eleven years old?"

And the words had a laugh spill from her lips as well.

"Even though mother would always make us wear those—" I knew where her thoughts were leading her, the grin on her face speaking volumes before she ever finished her sentence. I chimed in before she could do so.

"— awful matching dresses," We chimed in unison, laughter following our words immediately after. It subsided with sighs that were equally as in sync from the both of us.

The following silence lingered in the air for a while after that, the both of us hanging after our thoughts— mine going back to our childhood, leading me down a path of nothing but happy memories with her.

I wondered where her thoughts were taking her.

Every now and then, I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye, though I always found her simply staring at the fireplace before us, reminiscing in memories and thoughts that I hoped to be pleasant.

After a while, and a look at the clock, I broke that silence softly.

"Hey," I muttered, poking her arm gently to draw her attention to me. "Let's get you to bed, yeah?" The ice on her arm had melted by now, though no doubt the towel was still cold enough to grant release from the ever-enduring pain coming from her forearm.

Gwen sighed, nodding gently with a smile so insincere it looked sad all on its own.

"Listen to me—" My hand wrapped around her shoulder, my brows drawing together as soon as our eyes met. "I promise you things will be different soon— better, for everyone, okay?" I tried my best to give her a comforting smile. "I'll do anything to ensure that."

"Anything?"

"Anything." 

A/N: cute sibling bonding <3 I honestly love Gwen 

Two chapters left besties let's get ittttt 

See you tomorrow for pt. 1/2 of the end hehe