The Carnival ⌁ Draco Malfoy [1/4] ✔

41

Why...? Why had she done that...?

There was a thunder of footsteps trying to clamber their way up into the fifth-year girls dormitory, and Emma didn't need to look outside the doors to know there was a slide leading up to where she and Millicent were. 

"Emma!"

But Emma could not tear her eyes away from the bed hangings directly across from her own bed hangings. Now Emma understood why she was the owner of Sabrina's anklet...

There was a noose slipped over Sabrina's head, tightened against her neck, and her feet dangled a meter from the ground. There was paper glued to her chest with two words written. I'm sorry. Emma did not want to keep looking at Sabrina's face, but her eyes were stubborn and would not listen to her mind screaming for them to shut tight. Sabrina was a terrible blue, her face looked rather shabby and squashed, as though drowned and not hung. 

Emma automatically assumed the note was for Draco, but she didn't dare move closer to grab it. Instead, stomach churning and tears falling faster than before she could stop them, Emma whirled around on the spot, slid down the slide in one swift movement, and landed directly in front of the crowded Slytherins who were quite determined to know what was going on. 

Draco reached her first and helped her onto her feet. 

"Freckles," he said quietly. "What's wrong? I tried getting up there - I heard you scr-"

"I can't, I can't!" Emma sobbed, squeezing her wet eyes shut tight. An invisible hand was wrapped around her throat, and would not allow her to release anything that might've killed Draco inside. "I can't - I'm sorry - I can't."

Draco gripped her shoulders firmly. The air in Emma's throat died - she couldn't tell him. She could not be the one to tell him. 

"What happened?"

"I can't!" she cried. "You have to get Professor Snape."

"But -"

"Just get him!"

Draco reluctantly turned and a few Slytherins immediately joined him on his quest.

The next morning, a small occasion was held for Sabrina. Professor Snape was the only to speak a few words for Sabrina, there was no emotion in his tone, no emotion in his eyes, and he would not allow anyone to speak unless they were family. But Draco was paralysed - his eyes distant and his lips pursed. It was evident he was keeping his tears in, he was clearly not the kind of person who cried in front of people. 

But Sabrina was sorry, at least. What had been the reason for her decision, Emma didn't know. Sabrina had been happy again, she was back to her old self, why had she done what she did? But at least she'd let her cousin know that she was sorry for leaving him. 

Emma didn't get the chance to go to the hospital wing to find out what had happened to Harry and the few DA members the night before, she didn't even know what they had done. She didn't bother to look into the daily prophet, and if anyone else had, they hadn't mentioned a thing. She didn't even get any sleep. The only thing she could see, whether her eyes were opened or closed, was Sabrina's pale, lifeless face haunting her thoughts and the crumpled note that she had left behind. Any exams that day were postponed for twenty-four hours, it was the least that could be done. 

The entire thing ended and the students slowly exited the Great Hall, silent and gloomy. Pansy and Daphne were hugging and crying, Millicent stuck to herself, apparently still frozen. Emma didn't blame her; she was quite paralysed herself. They were the only students to have witnessed the scene, and, as disturbing as it was, it was quite possibly going to be stuck in their minds for the rest of their lives. 

She walked quietly to the Slytherin common room - Harry could wait for the time being, he was probably fine. For now she just wanted to be left alone to cry for a bit...

There was multiple people that remained in the common room, dead silent, apparently too shocked to say anything. Emma caught sight of Draco's blonde head before he disappeared into the boys dormitory. None of the fifth-year girls went to their dormitory, it was way too soon. 

"I just can't believe that she..." Blaise broke the silence to Theodore, but did not finish his sentence. 

Crabbe and Goyle were coming down the dorm stairs, looking quite undisturbed. Emma frowned and brushed past the two large boys; she wanted to make sure Draco was OK and would not re-enact anything, but sending Crabbe and Goyle away was a start. 

Emma hesitated, biting her lip, before softly knocking on the door of the boys dormitory. 

"Draco?" she called out quietly. "It's Emma."

Silence. She could not hear a thing in the dormitory, no movement, no creaks on the floorboards, and she wondered if, perhaps, he had sneaked out somehow with Crabbe and Goyle. But the door slowly creaked open, Draco did not look at her. Instead, he turned his back to her and sat down on his bed, his eyes still quite distant, but there was no trace of a tear; he was holding them back. 

Emma didn't know what to do other than take this gesture as a means of entering. She slowly approached him, he didn't look at her, and she cautiously sat beside him. 

"I'm really, really, really sorry," she whispered, and took Draco's hand in her own, his was shaking. 

Draco shut his eyes softly and let out a shuddering breath. 

Emma dug through her bag with her free hand in search for Sabrina's anklet to give to Draco. She didn't know whether he had received anything from Sabrina, and, quite frankly, it didn't feel right keeping something that once belonged to her deceased friend. 

"Here - I don't know if she's given you anything, but -"

"Her wand," Draco said quietly, his voice dry. 

"What?"

"She gave me her wand yesterday," he explained, but didn't look up as he spoke. "It was odd, but I didn't think she would - I didn't think she'd...- and to think it was just twenty-four hours ago that she was standing in front of me, demanding that I take her wand. I asked her about it but she didn't answer me..." Draco's voice broke at this point, and a tear splashed on Emma's hand that was still holding his. "She just kissed my cheek and took off."

"It's OK to cry," she told him softly, rubbing his hand with her thumb. She had no idea how to comfort someone in a situation like this, but she'd read things like this in stories and saw things like this in films, and so she figured she was doing this right. "Trust me, it'll feel loads better. Just let it out, Draco."

He chocked back his sob, but not his tears, and he lowered his head in shame. He was not going to listen to her that easily, but she wasn't having it. She reached over and pulled him into a hug, and she head him sob again before she felt him rest his head on her shoulder and him grip the back of her robes. Emma felt her stomach twist with sadness, and her eyes welled up with tears. 

Several minutes later, Emma insisted that she stay the night with Draco. Half the reason was because she didn't want to leave him, and the other half was because she wasn't quite ready to go back into the girls dormitory. She didn't think she'd ever be. 

"But the other boys -"

"I don't care about the other boys, or what they think," Emma told Draco that evening, settling herself next to Draco. "Unless you want me to leave of course."

"No," he said quickly, sniffling. "Er...do you want me to sleep on the floor or something?"

Emma raised an eyebrow. "No. Why would I want you to sleep on the floor?"

Draco shrugged and laid back against his pillows. When Emma did the same, he quickly turned his head and wiped his eyes. Emma pretended not to have noticed, turning on her side and ignoring the other boys entering the dorm, who had half the decency to pretend to have not noticed her. Under the covers, Draco gripped onto her hand, and she was certain that his pillow would be damp by morning.