From the Stars to the Stars → Draco Malfoy

xlv. Hercules

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     The Gods may have everything, but let's not pretend they're not lonely too.

     They may not have anything to lose, but maybe for once, they hoped they did–having something to lose was such a mortal profound idea, to clutch onto something, whether it may be someone or even some feelings, anything that they could grasp as an anchor to ground them.

     Loneliness was not a strange concept in the Greek Mythology stories, lonely beings often seek something greater, something that could overpower their feeling of hollowness. Well, there it goes, the word, power and where power goes, greed follows. Weren't that just the core nature of the deities that people often noticed at first? Power and greed. Everything comes undoubtedly natural when ichor runs through your blood, least of all power and riches.

     But then again, when they could have anything in the world, maybe some of them would be greedy enough to want what they could never have – to be mortals. Some of them may be longing to have something to lose for. For once, they wanted something to make living worth a while.

     The loud rumble of thunder outside of the tall windows in her dormitory was one of the many things that kept Orion awake, she had been ruffling between her sheets. She had already taken two vials of Calming Draught, under Madam Pomfrey's attention, of course, she had asked her first whether it would be alright for her to take two vials that morning. But yet, her mind was wide awake, and the storm outside the tower did not help either.

     "Orion," a soft voice from the bed across the room called her before the sound of drapes being pulled followed. "Just come here, you can sleep with me," Cho once again said softly, her voice was hushed as she tried not to wake Padma and Marietta from their deep slumber.

     How Cho always managed to know whenever she's struggling to sleep was beyond her.

     The brunette hopped off her own bed, dragging her feet towards her friend's bed where she had opened the drapes for Orion to hop on. Cho saw the flash of doubt in Orion's eyes, after all, her friend was never one who wanted to burden someone with whatever's troubling her. Cho, Padma, and even Marietta had spent years pouring all of their problems and even traumas at her, especially at their late-night sessions they used to have once a week, which they never had the time anymore since Orion always spent her night time practising while Padma and Cho usually have their night patrolling shift.

     "What's wrong?" Cho whispered, looking at Orion standing next to her bed, her hand gripping something. She looked like a proper five-year-old about to tell her parents that she just had a nightmare.

     "I was wondering if it's okay if I ask you to put this on my back, just below my shoulder," Orion pointed to her right shoulder with a tub of cream on her hand. "I just can't seem to reach it and it has been bothering me lately."

     Cho gave her a sharp nod, of course, it would be okay. Orion could ask her to jump off a cliff and she would say yes, merely because she knew the girl standing next to her bed would do it for her without having to be asked. That's just the kind of person Orion Mikaelson was.

     "Does it hurt?" Cho asked, grabbing the tub from her hand, patting the space on the bed next to her. "What happened?" she once again asked when Orion finally sat down on the bed.

     "I dislocated it a few days ago when I was practising and I just popped it back, but it's been bothering me, I think I damaged some tissues or something," the brunette explained, hand clutching her right shoulder.

     Cho scrunched her nose when she heard what Orion did. "That's dangerous, you should've gone to Madam Pomfrey," her tone was laced with a bit of worry, as she moved her friend's hair aside.