✓ | RECKLESS AND BRAVE | Draco Malfoy

28 | BERCEUSE

BERCEUSE
(n.) lullaby

TESSA STAYED IN THEIR CLOSET ALL ALONE THE REST OF THE DAY. She was huddled up in the corner, knees drawn up to her chest, as she quietly thought back on everything that had happened today. Nobody came in to grab the cleaning materials — not even Malfoy came in to have some quiet place to think.

     She felt a bit better by supper, so she got up and opened the door that brought her directly to the Great Hall. She ate dinner along with Harry, quietly spooning food into her mouth as Ron and Hermione watched them nervously. None of them dared to talk about earlier, especially when Percy was sitting close by them.

When they went upstairs to the crowded common room, it was to find that Fred and George had set off half a dozen Dungbombs in a fit of end-of-term high spirits. Tessa didn't even go upstairs to grab her book, she simply curled up into an armchair and took a nap, suddenly feeling extremely drained.

Tessa woke up the next day to Hermione handing her a glass of water and a blanket to cover her shaking body. She took a sip as she watched Harry slump into the chair next to her.

"You really don't look well, you know," Hermione said to Harry and Tessa.

As though rehearsed, they answered together, "I'm fine."

Hermione and Ron exchanged a look at that before she sighed. "Listen, Harry, you must be really upset about what we heard yesterday. Tessa, I know you must be lost and confused as well too. But the thing is, you mustn't go do anything stupid."

"Like what?" Harry mumbled.

"Like trying to go after Black," Ron said sharply. He turned to Tessa. "I know you're going to look for answers. Especially when everyone has been keeping secrets from you your whole life on your parents on who you really are."

Cold fury flared up in Tessa at what he said. She wanted so badly to demand answers, once and for all. She wanted someone to look her straight in the eyes and tell her everything that happened. She clenched her jaw and stayed quiet, averting her eyes to stare hard at the fire.

"You won't, will you?" Hermione asked.

"Because Black's not worth dying for," Ron added.

Tessa opened her mouth to retaliate, but it was Harry who said, "D'you know what I see and hear every time a Dementor gets too near me? I can hear my mum screaming and pleading with Voldemort. And if you'd heard your mum screaming like that, just about to be killed, you wouldn't forget it in a hurry. And if you found out someone who was supposed to be a friend of hers betrayed her and sent Voldemort after her —"

"There's nothing you can do!" Hermione exclaimed. "The Dementors will catch Black and he'll go back to Azkaban and — and serve him right!"

"You heard what Fudge said. Black isn't affected by Azkaban like normal people are. It's not a punishment for him like it is for the others."

"So what are you saying?" Ron said, looking very tense. "You want to — to kill Black or something?"

Tessa remained silent throughout it all, focusing on her breathing to keep from lashing out anything she would regret later on.

"Don't be silly," Hermione said in a panicky voice. "Harry doesn't want to kill anyone, do you, Harry?"

Then, Harry said something that brought out a reaction from Tessa. "Malfoy knows," Harry said as she stilled. "Remember what he said to me in Potions? 'If it was me, I'd hunt him down myself . . . I'd want revenge.'"