𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐃𝐄𝐕𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

𝟏.𝟏𝟔 - 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬

 Draco had stayed true to his word, not letting you out of the common room until he could be sure everything was safe in the world outside the dungeon. Students came and went, smiling sadly at you as they entered and left. 

 You became known very quickly as the girl who not only told off Professor Moody and (some would argue) Professor Dumbledore, but you had also been by Harry's side as he emerged from the final task. 

 All weekend long you felt trapped inside your dorm. Pansy would sometimes sit with you, though often she was out around the castle with other Slytherin girls. You didn't blame her. If you could enjoy the soft summer sun, you would. But alas, you were trapped breathing in the same stale air for over forty-eight hours straight.

Most of the time, Draco sat at the common room table reading over the letters his father was sending him. He had gotten at least half a dozen since Thursday night, the night of the final task. The night of Cedric's death. You could only imagine what they were about. Surely he had lots to tell his father but you didn't think it could be anything more than gossip. 

 Every so often he tried to talk to you and coax you out of bed. You rarely listened. The only comfort you had was watching the mermaids swim by your window.

"Can I go see Harry now?" You asked late Friday night, emerging for the first time since he brought you back. Draco didn't even look up from his quill as he replied in a low, monotone voice that sent goosebumps all down your arms. 

"No."

Three times a day he would bring you a bottle of pumpkin juice and a plate of food that the school house elves had prepared seperately. Three times a day you would let them sit in front of your door until his footsteps retreated. Only then would you slip it open a crack and invite the warm food inside.

You didn't bother trying to leave through the common room. You knew either Crabbe, Goyle, or both were standing guard outside the secret entrance. Guilt was present in their eyes as they did Draco's bidding blindly and that was enough for you.

On Saturday morning, a letter slid underneath the door to your dorm and you rolled out of bed to investigate. Turning it over, you saw that it was from your mother. Never had you opened an envelope so quickly in your entire life. 

 In the letter, she told you that both Draco and the headmaster had contacted her about the incident. She asked how you were doing and if you had any interest in leaving school early to return home. You wrote back right away, telling her you would stick it out until the last day.

It was Sunday night and you were lounging on your bed, flipping through a magical teen magazine you found tucked underneath Pansy's pillow. Everyone else was at dinner. You could hear the hum of conversation through the stone ceiling, occasionally rumbling and sending flecks of dust down onto the curtains above your canopy bed. A single candle illuminated the pages in front of you.

Your ears pricked up as you heard the stones of the entrance to the common room begin to shift and quick footsteps echoed across the tall ceiling. You closed the magazine and put it back where you had found it before slowly rising from the bed and inching closer to the door. As you climbed the short steps up to the common room, the sound of ripping paper grew louder and louder.

The common room, like the dorm, was dark and unaired. A fire was roaring in the fireplace against the back wall. Directly in front of it stood a figure, casting a long shadow across the stone floor. You could tell it was Draco by the width of his shoulders and firelight reflecting off of his hair. He continued ripping the paper in his hands until they resembled strands of confetti, only then tossing them into the red-hot flames.

Without looking away from the fire, he slumped back against one of the green velvet couches and listened as it consumed whatever it was he had thrown in to perish. You approached cautiously, not knowing if he was deep into one of his moods like he had been on Thursday night.

His usually neat hair was all over the place, his all-black attire disheveled. His tie was loosened around his neck and his dress shirt had the top two buttons undone. You sat down next to him on the sofa but he didn't acknowledge your presence, still blinking back as he focused his intense gaze on the fire.

After a few minutes of pregnant silence, he finally cleared his throat. "You can go see Potter. I won't hold you here anymore." 

 His words startled you but you didn't flinch. There was a deep sadness radiating from him that you didn't understand. At first, you wanted to jump up and run out the doors as fast as you could. But instead, you found yourself snuggling deeper into Draco's side, pulling your legs up onto the couch. "I can go see him tomorrow," you finalized, resting your head onto his arm.

He finally looked away for the first time, eyes staring down at you in wonder. "You're not leaving?" 

"Not now. Harry has Ron and Hermione to keep him company. I think," You paused to chew at the inside of your cheek. "I think I need to be here with you."

 There was a beat of silence before you felt Draco's shoulder begin to shake from beneath your cheek. You furrowed your eyebrows and lifted your head to see that sudden tears had begun falling from his eyes, plinking against his cool pale skin. His body wracked and he squinted his eyes shut, running a hand over his temple. 

 "I'm sorry," he sobbed uncharacteristically. A pang of sadness slicing right through your heart as he came undone before you. "I'm so sorry."

"Hey, shh," you tried to comfort him, propping yourself up onto your knees and pulling his face closer to your chest. You held him there, chin resting atop his silvery blonde locks as he cried. You could almost feel the guilt pouring out of him as he continued his mantra. "For everything, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

You pouted your lips and began threading your fingers through his hair, smoothing it down in the process. The fire crackled and popped in front of you. You peered closely at it, trying to make out the slip of parchment still peeking out from between two logs of firewood. 

 Just barely you could make out the emerald green Malfoy family seal as it began to melt off of the envelope, dripping between the logs before disappearing altogether.

 (A/N: I love symbolism. This specific scene is gonna make a comeback in the sequel. There may have been something super-duper important in that letter he burnt up. ALSO, I know Draco seems like super sketchy and maybe?? slightly?? abusive?? I'm gonna fix it. Don't worry).