The Siren's Call (A Draco Malfoy Fanfiction)

80. Sweet Creature

The booming voice of Theodore Nott was one of the first sounds that reached Dioleh's ears the following morning as she went out into the crowded corridors to wait for Potions to start. "Yeah, Umbridge gave the Slytherin Quidditch team permission to continue playing straight away, I went to ask her first thing this morning. Well, it was pretty much automatic, I mean, she knows my father really well. It'll be really interesting to see whether Gryffindor is allowed to keep playing, won't it?"

Dioleh sighed, flipping open her book. Before she could start reading, a pale figure appeared at her side. "Dray," she said in surprise, looking up at him and tuning out Nott as he continued rambling on. Dark circles ran around Draco's eyes and his hair hung messily across his forehead. "Are you all right?"

"Fine," he muttered, fidgeting with his hands. Before Dioleh could press him, Neville sprang forward from the line, pouncing on Nott. Harry and Ron held him back but Dioleh was distracted as Draco let out a small breath before turning on his heel and walking away.

"I-" Dioleh began, looking towards Imani.

"I'll cover for you," she said.

"Thanks," she replied, rushing after the blond.

Draco rushed through the halls, attempting to escape the lack of air in his lungs. A tight band of fear coiled itself around his chest, leaving him breathless. He moved in a haze down the hall, vaguely aware through his sleep-deprived mind that footsteps were coming closer and closer to him. He sped up. "Draco!" a voice called. He instantly froze in place. Dioleh dashed behind a pillar the moment she spotted Umbridge. "Shouldn't you be in class?" she remarked, coming closer to him. Dioleh frowned. She had never seen him so tense in her life.

When he said nothing, she frowned, adding in a colder tone, "Get to class."

The moment Umbridge was gone, Dioleh stormed from her hiding spot, stepped in front of Draco and said, "Dray, we need to talk." Too tired to fight, he went along with her.

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Dioleh crossed her arms over her chest as she turned around in the sand to face Draco. "What happened?" she asked sternly.

"What are you talking about?" he asked wearily.

"You haven't been eating, you're closed off, you clearly aren't sleeping, and you're avoiding me and Blaise!" Dioleh retorted. "What is going on with you?"

"Nothing is going on with me!" he snapped back, turning toward the exit of the hideout.

"No," Dioleh snapped back, raising her hand. With it, a wall of water rose, rising in a high arch to the other side of the room, blocking his exit. Clenching his jaw, Draco rounded on her, his eyes blazing, but behind that Dioleh could see fear. Keeping her hand up, she approached him, asking quietly, "What is going on with you, Dray?"

Every emotion in his chest boiling over, Draco snapped, "Can you just stop?!"

"No, not until you tell me what's going on!" Dioleh retorted. "Tell me why you're shutting everyone out. I wouldn't press you if I knew you were letting someone else in. But I talked to Blaise. He said you haven't been talking to him. I know you don't talk to your parents and frankly, you don't seem to have anyone else, Draco."

"Stop," he interrupted. Turning away from her, he pressed his palms into his temples.

"Dray-"

"Stop pressuring me, you're just going to make it worse!" he cried.

"Make what worse?" Dioleh replied, taking another step toward him.

"Stop walking toward me!" he shouted, backing up and shielding his face from her with his hands as his voice rose in pitch by at least an octave. He was panicking.

"Okay," Dioleh said gently, moving the water back into the waves and lowering her hand. "I won't come any closer, but please talk to me, Dray."

"I don't know what happened, Dio!" he cried, his panic reaching the limit. His voice breaking, he resumed, "She kept coming closer and closer and she wouldn't leave and she reached toward me and I ran!" The corners of her eyes became moist as she realized what he meant. A constrained sob left his lips as he collapsed on the sand, pressing his palms into his eyes.

As gently as she could, Dioleh moved slightly closer to him and said, "Dray, listen to me." The only answer was another sob. "What she tried to do was wrong. It's okay. You are entitled to feel however you feel about this, but please, don't shut me out, Dray. Don't shut me out. Please don't." He began to cry harder. "Can I come closer?" After a few more sobs, he nodded.

Dioleh came closer slowly, making sure he could see her the entire time. "Draco, I'm here for you," Dioleh promised, sitting by him but far enough away that he wouldn't feel too claustrophobic. "Whatever you need, I'm here." He let out another sob, wrapping his arms around himself protectively. Cautiously and slowly, she extended her hands toward him but didn't try to touch him. After a moment's hesitation, he fell into her embrace, burying his head in the crook of her neck. She wrapped her arms around him, fighting off her own sympathetic tears as she felt him breaking in her arms.

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"What class are we supposed to be in?" Draco asked thickly a few hours later. Glancing at her watch, Dioleh sighed. It was time for Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"Nothing we can't miss," she replied, looking away from her watch. After a pause, she asked, "Dray, have you been sleeping or eating at all?" He shook his head.

"I can't," he said quietly, his voice beginning to break. "I just don't know why. Nothing happened!"

"No, Dray, something did happen," Dioleh countered, gently taking his hand in her own and running her thumb over the back of his hand. It seemed to sooth him. "You can feel however you need to about it, but you still need to take care of yourself. Just start there. Just eat something at each meal and maybe take a sleeping draft. I can make you some dreamless sleep potion if you need it."

After a long time of silence, he said, "Thank you, Dioleh."