Obliviate my Destiny {Book 5}

16. Cole's story

"You're lying." I said the room spinning. "She can't—she can't be."

Cole just grabbed at his hair and sobbed harder, confirming that this wasn't a sick nightmare. My best friend was in Azkaban. "I—I could have done more, I should have—it's all my fault—"

He kicked out at Draco's table, and kept kicking and screaming at the table until I managed to pull him from it. "Cole, you need to calm down," I said, though I was starting to shake.

"I CAN'T CALM DOWN MY FIANCEE IS IN AZKABAN!" Cole screamed, and he picked up the chair and threw it at the wall, where several photos shattered and the chair legs broke off with a crash.

"Stupefy!" Draco cried for the second time, and Cole crumpled in front of our eyes, his head lolling on the floor.

"Draco!" I cried as I ran to Cole's side. "What did you do that for?"

"I—I thought he was going to break something or hurt one of us, I panicked!" Draco said, and his voice was higher than usual from panic.

"He's just having one of his anger episodes, he only hurts furniture, the anger is from his thinking he's screwed up—he'd never hurt anybody." I said, brushing his unkempt hair from his eyes. What had happened to him and Gennie? "He's off his medication that much is clear. I'm sure Camille or Alia have some."

"I'll help you take him to the tower," Draco said, and once again, the two of us dragged Cole to his feet. "If anybody asks—I'm dragging you both to detention."

"But they'd figure out we weren't in detention." I pointed out as we left the office.

"Exactly—it's called a favour, Lena." He snorted as we struggled down the corridor. "I don't know what you've been told from your new friends, but I am becoming a good person."

The two of us were silent as we hobbled down the corridor, thankfully never coming across anybody. "Lena," Draco said his voice odd. "How did you know all of that about Cole's condition? I thought you only met him in August?"

"I—"there was no logical way I could fight my way out of this. With both relief and horror, with the silence between us, I could hear footsteps approaching. "Draco!"

Looking panicked again Draco seized both Cole's limp arm and mine and pulled us behind a tapestry of dragons playing a game of cards. Pressed so close together that our chests touched and Cole was slouching on us we waited for the person to pass.

"—what was even the point of dragging that Wilde kid back here?" It was the Carrow sister, who I hadn't met yet but already hated. "It just riles Cameron up—as if he isn't crazy enough to begin with."

When a death eater even thinks Cameron is crazy you know that he really had leapt off the deep end of crazy.

"Yeah, but you know what he did to his kid brother all those years," her brother spoke, sounding both impressed and slightly disgusted. "It's probably to punish both of them—Cameron for already screwing up at his job, and to try and motivate his brother to join us. You know the Dark Lord still desires him."

"Was separating him from his girlfriend necessary though?"

"Yes—because it gives him false hope of her getting out. It's like when parents say maybe to their kid—the kid thinks they can get what they want."

Feeling more uncomfortable about them talking about Gennie, and how close I was to both Cole and Draco I let out an involuntary squeak.

"What was that?" the sister said suddenly and Draco clamped his hand over my mouth.