Liquorice Honey (A Draco Malfoy x Reader fanfic)

16: A Girl I Could Know

(Y/N) fell into a deep depression after the events that transpired at the game. Owls were ignored, presents were discarded...only death crossed her mind for the rest of the holiday, and not even her father could tempt her out of her bedroom with the idea of a trip or something. The only creature (Y/N) kept close was Amorita, as she knew she wouldn't ask questions; she was just a kneazle, after all. 

The train trip was spent alone, despite Ron's desperate efforts to get her to sit with him; books were read, but they weren't really processed. Everything was just a haze, really. Knowing someone you didn't know had died for you, and that your friend had died on her way home...It was simply too much for her.

When she looked at herself in the mirror, she didn't even see (Y/N) Silverlie anymore. She saw a murderer, someone who inadvertently ended innocent lives. She was broken, and wouldn't ask for help...

Soon enough, it was the 30th of October, and the students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang began to file in; tears pricked at (Y/N)'s eyes as she realised that Marinette and Jessika may have been among their respective schools if...if she wasn't. The pricking of tears turned to visible ones, and Hermione caught sight of this, as she was desperately trying to get (Y/N)'s attention. It didn't work. She ended up eating next to nothing that night, and attempting to storm off to her dorm room as quickly as she could; Pansy made a point of tripping her up on the way, and left the girl as a tearful heap on the floor, catching the eyes of a few giggling Beauxbatons girls. Pansy hovered a couple of metres away, watching spitefully as (Y/N) struggled back to her feet, making a point of looking as cutesy as possible when Draco appeared in the doorway. Initially, he began to make his way over to Pansy, avoiding Hermione's scrutinizing eyes as she tried to go over to her friend...Yet again, he stopped himself from getting any closer, instead letting Hermione be the one to hold her for a second, letting her cry. It was painful to walk next to Pansy as he watched (Y/N) soak the shoulder of Hermione, and then Ron's, robes, sobbing piteously about people who were strong enough to show how much they cared for her. Sobbing with people who were strong enough to show how much they cared about her...He pulled away from Pansy, stalking into his room alone, ignoring her catlike hisses of ''Drakie-poo, come back!'', and slammed the door on her.In the moments he spent in silence, she was all he could think about; every part of him wanted to leap back up, push through the Golden Trio and be the one to hold her, to tell her...what could he tell her? She'd lost a close friend; a friend he'd insulted moments before being told she was dead. The very perturbed boy fell back on his bed, his silvery eyes closed, his mind wandering to completely impossible situations...

''Hey! Malfoy!''

The door had been thrown open, and that voice most definitely didn't belong to (Y/N) or Pansy. No, it was Isabel Deimos; with a rather angry look in her eyes. Not far from her was Blaise Zabini, and it appeared the two had been talking about something rather...rather aggravating. ''How dare you claim you like her and then leave her crying in the corridor, you absolute—''Her wand-wielding hand was grabbed by Blaise, who was obviously rather sure that Isabel could and would land Draco in the Hospital Wing if she tried something. ''Calm down, Deimos.''

''Oh, piss off, Zabini! I just want to make this asshole feel some of the pain my friend is going through; hell, some of the pain I'm going through!''

''That's not a reason for murder.''

Isabel huffed; she kept her murderous blue eyes focused on Draco's neck, as if she was ready to stab her wand through it if his response was snarky. ''Since when were you anything to Deimos, Blaise?'' Draco asked, his voice venomous; ''since she helped me realise that if you mess up much more, I could take (Y/N) for myself,'' he smirked, ''She's grown up quite a bit from the weird cat thing she was in first year, eh?'' Isabel went practically cross-eyed trying to look angry at both boys, huffing to herself, as she knew this was no longer her argumentative territory. ''She hates you,'' spat Draco, ''and she hates me every bit as much. Try getting Granger and Weasley killed; that might give you an opening.'' A light chuckle came from Blaise, who had attempted to leave; only to have his wrist aggressively grabbed by Isabel (she practically had claws on the ends of her fingers; was this girl some strange werewolf or something?), and held onto. ''We are going to have a nice little conversation about how to make (Y/N) feel like an actual person, instead of an object,'' she hissed, digging her 'nails' in further, ''Or I'll tell Pansy that you'd both love to go to hers at Christmas.'' Both boys cringed a little; the idea of Christmas with Pansy was enough to make anyone want to be kinder to someone. ''Right, let's get one thing ticked off,'' said Isabel, her voice softer, but still very demanding, ''She hates both of you because you walk past during her frequent episodes of sadness. Do you know which 'ginger and poor' boy doesn't?'' 

Twin sighs.

''Ron Weasley.''

Isabel nodded condescendingly, ''Oh, well done, you aren't completely thick,'' she smiled mockingly, ''But I know that one of you is definitely not able to give her that kind of care; one could, if he really tried.'' Draco watched in confusion as her eyes softened towards him, and she made a gesture with her head as she let go of Blaise's no bleeding wrist. ''Run off to the Hospital Wing now, hun; I have to make wedding arrangements.'' 

In her usual, fast-paced fashion, she pushed Blaise from the room, his blood spilling a little on the floor as he stumbled ever so slightly. She clapped her hands together, sitting promptly next to Draco on his bed. ''You have no shame, do you, Deimos?'' He muttered, angry at her last comment. ''I do, I just care about (Y/N)'s happiness more than my social standing at the moment,'' she sighed, ''Poor girl is goin' through a lot.'' He knew that; Isabel knew he knew that. She was trying to prod at veins, trying to get the information out, trying to force something..

.''What's it like, Deimos?''

Isabel was bemused. ''What's what like? You're being stu—''

''Being able to talk to her normally.'' 

Isabel blinked, and then a smile encroached on her usually rather angry looking face. ''It's awkward sometimes, but that's just how she is; and she'd be overjoyed if you decided you did want to talk to her.'' The anger that was once deep-set in Isabel's eyes melted away as she saw a very tiny smile tug at Draco's face. 

Then the call that caused both of them to look to the door came; ''Isabel? Hermione gave me some Potions answers for you, and I was wondering if—''

''Uh, yeah, I'll be there soon!'' (Y/N)'s footsteps stopped suddenly. She opened the door ever so slightly, and went a little pink at seeing Isabel sitting next to Draco, on his bed, tinged pink...''Am I interrupting something?''Isabel shook her head frantically, thinking hard about a quip she could shoot back; but ended up just sprinting after her friend as she headed back to their now shared dorm room. '

'Make up your mind soon, Draco. Or she'll be (Y/N) Zabini-Weasley before you can say 'Pureblood'.''