The Dark Lords niece

Chapter 44

I sighed as I packed the last of my trunk up. We were leaving tomorrow for school, and I was ready to get out of this house. The last few weeks had been stressful with everyone trying to get their hands on Harry. They had managed to find him, but they had all escaped and disappeared somewhere in London. They suspected he was at Grimmauld Place, but they hadn't seen anyone come or go from that place. I heard a knock at the door, and I glanced up to see Matthew.

"Yes?" I asked. 

"Was just seeing how far you have come in packing. I finished already." He commented. I nodded as he moved inside of my room and sat down at my desk. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"What? You want to spend more time together besides our wonderful dueling sessions?" I asked as I folded up a shirt and set it inside my trunk. He laughed at me.

"How are you doing after that last one?" He asked. I shrugged. The dueling sessions were getting tedious, and Uncle was being relentless with the spells we used. I currently had the bruises and the healing gashes on my ribs to prove it.

"Painful." I muttered. It hurt to bend over. Anyone could tell it was doing a number on me because I was paler and starting to lose weight from being stressed knowing I had the sessions every other day or so. Draco hated seeing me bruised and cut up and the last few weeks I wouldn't even let him see me change clothes. Every time I was any sort of unclothed in front of him, he stared at the bruises and the healed gashes. At first, he had asked if there was anything he could do, and I would tell him no. It was worse if I healed it and Uncle noticed that. Eventually Draco stopped asking, and just stared at me with sad eyes knowing I wouldn't let him help me. I hated it. I didn't want him seeing those sorts of things. I was thankful to be going back to school. I heard him sigh. He didn't like the dueling any more than I did. I glanced over at him to see him messing with something on the desk. 

"What are you doing?" I asked. He shrugged.

"Messing with your stuff. It's rather entertaining." He murmured. I rolled my eyes as I finished with the rest of my stuff. He glanced over at me as I sat down on my bed. 

"Are you ready for this year?" He asked me. I shrugged. 

"I suppose." I muttered as I crossed my arms over my chest. He stared at me leveling me with a look.

"You know everything's going to be different, right? No muggle-borns are allowed in school." He commented. I nodded realizing this. He just nodded in return and then sighed before glancing back at something on my desk. He was staring at a photo of Draco and me. I tilted my head as I watched him stare at it.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" I asked. He looked up at me startled. I stared at him with raised eyebrows waiting for him to respond.

"There was a girl from Beauxbatons once. But that's different now." He murmured. I raised my eyebrows at him. He just shrugged and then looked out the window that looked over the backyard. It was already dark out, though, so I don't know if he was just staring, to stare so he wouldn't look at me or what was really happening here.

"She was a muggle-born, wasn't she?" I asked. He stared over at me.

"Does it matter?" He asked. I shrugged but then reconsidered what I was going to say for a moment.

"No, it doesn't. I mean personally to me it doesn't matter what kind of blood she's got running through her. We're all human." I murmured. He looked over towards me and sighed. 

"Some people didn't think that way." He muttered. I just rolled my eyes at him

"Our parents didn't have those prejudices. I don't believe we should either." I muttered. He stared at me and chuckled bitterly. I just sighed and started to chew on the inside of my lip.