Everlasting 2 (Draco Malfoy x Reader)

The Other Girl

As Draco walked through the corridors of Hogwarts, the weight of the night's events hung on his shoulders. The echoes of the Death Eater attack reverberated in his mind, and the image of [F/n] conjuring a protective shield lingered, a testament to her strength and resilience - the manner in which Daphne had described the events was something he'd expected; that is indeed something that [F/n] Potter would do. And he knew this better than anyone. 

Astoria Greengrass, ever-present in Draco's orbit, continued to trail behind him. Her gaze, filled with longing, sought his, but Draco found it increasingly difficult to meet her eyes. The facade he had crafted, the mask of indifference and manipulation, now felt like a heavy burden.

"[F/n]," he muttered under his breath, the name escaping his lips like a silent prayer. The conflicting emotions within him threatened to unravel the carefully constructed walls he had built around his heart.

Draco's steps grew more aimless as he wandered the castle grounds. The whispers of the night breeze seemed to carry the weight of unspoken truths, and the cool night air offered little solace for the turmoil within. He couldn't shake the image of [F/n] facing danger.

"Draco," Astoria's voice cut through his thoughts, her hand gently touching his arm. "Are you alright?"

He turned to face her, the conflict within him written across his features. He had no response. Nothing that he could conjure up upon lips. If he spoke, it would be nothing but the name [F/n] Potter. 

She looked at him with concern, her eyes searching his for answers. "What happened out there? Who were those attackers? I didn't understand what Daphne was saying - she was a mess! It's ... it's Daphne that worried you, isn't it? You wouldn't care about [F/n] Potter, would you? You're worried about Daphne - my sister!" 

"They were Death Eaters," he admitted, the weight of the truth settling between them.

Astoria's grip tightened on his arm, a silent plea for reassurance. Draco, however, found himself torn between the loyalty he felt for [F/n] and the web of manipulation he had woven with Astoria.

The common room welcomed them with its subdued ambience, the low hum of conversations filling the air. Draco's eyes briefly scanned the room, searching for a distraction from the turmoil within. Searching for [F/n] Potter to be sitting somewhere within the walls. 

"Draco," Blaise said, standing from the table in the far end of the room. "Come." 

With a polite nod to Astoria, Draco excused himself from her company, the need for solitude overpowering the social niceties.

She was not pleased about his dismissal, but she did not argue back. She used this opportunity to leave Draco's side and head back to her room up many, many stairs, back to her sister, her mother, and her cousins, who, upon hearing of the evening's events, came at once. 

"You want to talk?" Blaise asked, sitting beside Draco on the sofa before the fireplace. 

"No. There's nothing to talk about." 

"I think there's a lot to talk about." 

"She told me to let her go, Blaise." 

Blaise pursed his anxious lips. His gaze bore into Draco's troubled expression. "Did she mean it, though?"

Draco sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "I don't know, Blaise. I don't know what she meant, what I'm supposed to do."

The crackling of the fireplace seemed to echo the turmoil within Draco. Blaise leaned back, studying his friend with a knowing look. "You can't keep pretending, Draco. Not to yourself and certainly not to [F/n]."