Choose Me Instead II Draco Malfoy x Reader

Hogsmeade

There was a loud ringing in your head as your brain frantically tried to decide what to do next. Your eyes shot back and forth between Greengrass and Ron. Everyone's attention was fixated on you. Time began to slow down and what felt like an eternity to you must have only been a few milliseconds in reality. Then Ron opened his mouth but before he could get a single word out, you had decided.

"Bathroom," you blurted out like an idiot and rushed towards said room, not looking back.

Inside, you forced yourself to resist the urge to pace and instead grabbed the cold ceramic of the sink.

Get your shit together!

Three deep breaths. One ... two ... three. The last one came out as a sigh and you leaned down to splash cold water at your face. While coming back up, you mumbled a spell to dry your skin. Better. So much better. Your reflection now stared back at you, the anxiety all too visible in your eyes.

He knew.

Your family did everything they possibly could to keep Alissa's name out of the Daily Prophet when it had happened. It hurt too much; too big was the shame that followed. You were purebloods but you didn't get raised to think that it would matter. Your parents were kind and loving growing up and to this day, you didn't understand what went wrong. What made her want to destroy the lives of so many families, including her own. It happened over two years ago and yet, what she did changed you. There was no coming back of it. You didn't speak of the incident at home but it always lingered over your head when your mother freaked out over nothing again and your father hid in his study all day. When Hogwarts opened back up, you were more than relieved. Here, you wouldn't have to think of it. Here, you were happy.

However, it didn't surprise you that Malfoy knew, now that you thought about it. Alissa believed in the same thing his family did. Obviously, the Death Eaters would have been aware of who attempted the Cleansing.

"Shit," you cursed and rubbed your hand over your eyes.

Get your shit together!

There was no time for this now. You didn't want to think about it. Malfoy had probably understood that when he saw your reaction. What were you supposed to do now? Speaking about it? Certainly not. Hogwarts was not the place. Here, you were happy.

Besides, there were more urgent situations to deal with. Ron and Greengrass.

"Having a meltdown in a bathroom?" Speak of the devil. "How very pre-war of you."

Astoria walked in, graciously as always. She looked beyond beautiful in her dark-green coat (oh, how very Slytherin) and with that long ebony hair flowing down her back in soft waves. Her delicate features and blood-red lips would have made anyone wonder why Malfoy would choose someone like you over her, you thought.

Pansy Parkinson followed her inside. She walked over to the sink on your left side. You stayed quiet, waiting for Astoria to go into one of the stalls. She didn't leave you out of her sight, making you feel like a bird in front of a housecat. Then she stepped over to the sink to your right. So she was here for you, after all.

The bathroom was filled with silence. You glanced at Astoria, waiting for her to make the first move. She expected you to act like the dumb quick-tempered Gryffindor she thought you were. You didn't want to give her the satisfaction. However, Astoria began washing her hands while Pansy plucked at her ponytail. Nothing happened.

After a few more seconds, you took a step back and turned towards the door. Still nothing. It was truly irritating but you kept your composure and started walking steadily towards it. Just when you reached for the door handle, Astoria spoke.