Liquorice Honey (A Draco Malfoy x Reader fanfic)

5: Silver Barred Cages

(A/N: Guys guys guys I got the courage to message my absolute favourite fanfiction writer on Instagram and honestly after she said she wished me luck with this I wanted to sit down and write like fifty chapters...)

''Silverlie? More like Silver Lies!''

(Y/N) read the article slowly, feeling sure her heart had stopped. The first few lines alone told her more than she wanted to know. 

'''The Lady of the Silverlie family was arrested last night for use of all three unforgivable curses on an unsuspecting group of Muggleborn wizards. Her husband has decided to file for divorce over this crime, as he is absolutely appalled by his wife's actions. Their daughter will stay in the custody of her father, but information on how she's taking the recent events are yet to be given to us, as she is difficult to engage in conversation...reports from friends of the family say she was always rather distant, and that perhaps things have always been going on at home...''

(Y/N)'s eyes flew down to the bottom of the article; only one person could have gotten that information. (Y/N) felt tears form in her eyes as she read the last few lines out loud; ''Miss Hornsby-Umbridge, still a student at Hogwarts school, has been working diligently to find proof of the Silverlie family's crimes for a while; after the daughter proved to be inconclusive in terms of evidence, she turned to using her skills as an Animagus to provide...to provide the Ministry with information.'' The sound of soft slippers on the doorway of a room caused everyone to turn their head and look at the girl who had just emerged. She didn't smile like she usually did; instead, she looked extremely angry. ''I couldn't just let her roam around madly like that, could I, you half-witted idiot! What, did you expect me to let her go?'' (Y/N) shook her head. ''No, but I did expect you to have the courtesy to let the Ministry deal with it themselves; you, and whoever it was who helped you with this case, are the absolute scum of this school.'' Opal bit her lip a little, obviously still trying to keep her accomplice a secret. ''Your...your father works for the Ministry, doesn't he, (Y/N)? What proof do you have that the friend of the family isn't my aunt—'' (Y/N) stormed up to her room, yelling as she slammed the door, ''I know damn well Malfoy was feeding you information on me! His family is the only one close enough to mine to know anything about me!'' Opal stayed in her doorway, smirking like a cat as she gazed down at her hand. The freshly written words still stung a little as the air brushed against them. The catlike girl smiled as she made her final statement; ''I'm terribly sorry for this misdemeanour, but I'm relatively sure none of you mind that she's crying her little eyes out anyway,'' she squeezed her hand into a fist in pain, ''And I'll make sure master Malfoy is royally repaid for his services.'' Opal closed her door with a silent flourish, hiding herself away. The room soon returned to being alive with chatter, but Malfoy was finding it difficult to speak. For some strange, inexplicable reason, he felt like he'd done wrong by telling Opal lies about a girl who...who he wasn't sure could take it? No, that wasn't why it upset him. (Y/N) was strong-minded, she would eventually get over it, so why...why was there a pain in his heart over this? He watched quietly as Pansy bustled into the two's shared room; (Y/N)'s desperate sobbing was heart-breaking. For all she was her opposite, and for all she wasn't there, (Y/N) loved her mother, so to be told such shocking news in such a harsh, uncaring manner must have been crushing in itself. Draco felt as if he'd been standing in the common room for hours, insulting a girl he knew was feeling insulted enough; he couldn't stop being harsh, of course, or he'd get looked down on, but...his mind suddenly went to how different this situation could have been if she'd been normal. If she'd attended their banquets and winter balls, perhaps they could have been friends, but instead he ruined her. By the time he got to his dorm room that night, he honestly felt like he was the one who deserved to be in Azkaban.

(Y/N) didn't show up to class the next day. Or the next. Or the next. Article after article in the Daily Prophet detailed the case of Primrosa Silverlie and her 'mentally challenged' daughter; everyone drank in these lies like water, and begged Pansy every day for information on her. She revelled in the attention, of course, but overall had nothing to say. ''She's basically been dead for days. Locked herself in our bathroom and forced me to have to walk to someone else's every night; she's being an absolute loser about it.''. Hermione, Harry and Ron eventually got wind of the situation in the Silverlie family, and sent owls every day to try and bring her out of her haze, but nothing worked. Days turned into a month. Rumours got around that someone was sending her written work via owl, and that she did manage to get through some of it; but she didn't attend classes for what felt like forever. Eventually, due to the immense amount of both fame and infamy she was receiving due to her help in the article, Opal fled; apparently she would be home-schooled by someone at the Ministry. She, unlike (Y/N) wasn't heard of again, but after a month and a half, even the odd Slytherin was beginning to worry about (Y/N), mostly because someone said that she killed herself in that bathroom. Girls began to try using unlocking charms on the door but, obviously due to her mother's paranoia about being robbed, (Y/N) had been taught a fancy locking charm that none of the first years seemed to be able to unlock. A few students were sitting together in the common room on the day someone finally managed to drag (Y/N) out, and the whole thing was a huge palaver; a usually very quiet sixth-year boy named Ignis Dulci happened to notice the sheer amount of girls trying to use an unlocking charm on the door, and rolled his eyes at their attempts. He looked over at Draco, who was very obviously trying to hide his want to join the group of girls, and said firmly; ''you're the one who caused this. Not her mother, not Opal, you. Keep that in mind.'' Draco huffed in anger, retorting angrily, ''That furball was just overreacting! It was her stupid mother's fault—'' Ignis snapped his book shut and stood up with a final glare at Draco, ''Stop lying.'' He then made his way over to the room, much to the dismay of the girls, and simply kicked in the door. Inside was a starving hungry, still tearful, little (Y/N). Amorita immediately jumped to her owner's side as soon as she saw her. (Y/N) looked up at her saviour with bright eyes. ''I- I, uh, didn't really expect someone to do that.'' Ignis kept his solemn expression, but it softened ever so slightly; ''Mm. Most wizards don't think to use the simple Muggle ways.'' (Y/N) smiled as Ignis helped her up (she also couldn't help but notice the number of first-year girls who were practically drooling over him), thanking him politely. He nodded in response, adding, ''Breakfast time just ended, but luckily it's the weekend. I made sure to bring some breakfast back for you; you look simply starving.'' (Y/N)'s eyes twinkled with happiness, and she shook Ignis's hand violently. ''Thank you so much!'' He finally smiled as he walked away, saying absentmindedly, ''Now, I must go and talk to my dear friend Hornsby-Umbridge...'' (Y/N) was sure she saw a falcon fly from the window (she doubted this pretty boy was a registered Animagus, but apparently he didn't care for the law) as she shuffled down the steps to where the adorable silver-and-green checked piece of material positively covered in food sat. She sat herself down hastily and, before she even saw who she was sitting next to, she began to wolf down her food. ''You even eat like an animal, furball.'' (Y/N) stopped in her tracks. She ignored Draco, going back to her food. He was visibly angry at this, and exclaimed, ''Did locking yourself in that bathroom like a baby make you deaf somehow?! Merlin, you're—'' (Y/N) slammed her fist on the table. ''How can you still treat me like dirt when you helped a truly evil girl make me seem like I'm completely mad?! And break my family up, at that?'' Draco was silent for a moment. (Y/N) often retorted, and he usually had a comeback, but this time...this time he deserved her yelling. ''I really, really hope someone locks you in a bathroom! I hope they lock you in a bathroom until you decide to be a nicer person, and then...and then we could be friends, like I always--!'' (Y/N)'s hands flew to her mouth. ''Ig...ignore that last statement! I hate you!'' and with that, she picked up her breakfast and ran off. Draco stood alone now, as all of the girls had tried to follow Ignis  (one girl ended up in the Hospital Wing with both arms and a leg broken, as well as some rather severe gashes from landing on something). First he'd mentioned it out of anger, and now she had. Draco threw himself down on the sofa in pure anger at himself; partly because he hated (Y/N) and wanted to keep insulting her, and partly because...because he wanted to stand at her side. As a friend, or perhaps...

Draco didn't finish that thought.