𝑪𝑶𝑳𝑫 𝑻𝑹𝑼𝑻𝑯 || 𝑫𝑹𝑨𝑪𝑶 𝑴𝑨𝑳𝑭𝑶𝒀

vii

...strict contemplation...

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(this chapter contains strong language)

KIERNAN QUICKLY MADE HER WAY... up to the slytherin common room to take all of her things to her dorm. She still held her new kitten very close to her as she dropped the large bag full of books, her cauldron, wand, and robes by her bed.

The girl finally decided on a name for her new pet; ember, like the embers of a fire on a cold night.

She was flushed with emotions that she had no control over as the girl finally made her way to the showers. As the warm water grazed her skin, Kiernan broke down right then and there. At this point, she didn't care if anyone could hear her, as long as it wasn't him. He didn't deserve it; it was his fault and they both knew it.

The water got more and more scolding hot as her cries became so intense to the point where her throat started to swell. She leaned up against the cold tile wall of the shower and sank to the floor, digging her head into her knees as the water rushed over top of it. Her mind could only go back to the very instant that the cold eyed boy spoke about her mother; she was most upset about this. Everyone knew more about her mother than she did. She could never get her father to open up about her and now she knew why. She was magical and for some reason she thought that he didn't like that about her.

The girl had only wished she knew what the rumors were about. Who were the Potters? Why are they dead because of Kiernan? Why would Draco call her mother such a terrible thing? These were all the thoughts wrapped around her brain as she laid, crying in the shower for all to hear and yet, not a soul checked on her.

While Kiernan was in the shower, she heard footsteps coming closer to the stall where she had been. The sound of the steps grew louder as they got closer to her, but she did not know who it was.

'Hello? Is someone there?' Kiernan sobbed as she spoke. Whoever was in the showers with her had already known she was crying so she did not even try to hide it.

The girl grabbed her towel off of the hook and made her way out with it wrapped around her. Her face was puffy and red as she stood before HIM. "What the fuck are you doing in here? You're not supposed to be in the girl's showers." She said as she looked directly at a smirking Draco Malfoy.

'Just thought I'd see what you were up to. Not like it's the first time I've seen you in a towel.' He laughed to himself. His expression changed very quickly when he noticed just how upset she was. 'Well, are you okay?' The genuine concern was prominent in his voice, but she did not care.

'Considering you just told the whole school that we slept together when we did not and called my dead mother a whore, what do you think?' She clenched the towel around her chest area as she noticed it slipping.

'Oh, yeah that.' He said, not knowing what else to say.

'Yeah. That.' Kiernan rolled her eyes and walked straight past him. She didn't care to hear another word he said. But, she knew that he had plenty more to say. It could have been good or bad, but she did not stick around to listen. She silently hoped that he would get caught in the girl's showers and get into some kind of trouble for it.

Draco left the showers, feeling extra terrible. He didn't know what to expect, but he knew it would be a lot easier to stay away from her if she hated him. The boy thought about the way she looked at him when those words left his mouth; he broke her even more than she had already been. This was one thing that he did not think possible. He intended on hurting her feelings, but was not expecting her to fight back. It seemed as if nobody at the school would expect her to fight back, but they all forget that she has nothing to lose. They know what happened to her mother, they know how much her father despises her, and most importantly, they know the effect that her life has had on her now. She was reserved and nervous, but portrayed such a confident girl, when Draco knew just how badly she could be hurt.

The boy went back to his dorm after Kiernan left him in the showers and thought about how he just wanted to see her again. He knew that every thought he had was contradicting his master plan, but he couldn't stop himself from thinking about her.

He thought about how she smiled when he bought her the chocolate frog on the train.

He thought about the way they both became engulfed in each other's kisses and how it could have turned into so much more.

He thought about how excited she looked when she walked up to school with her adorable little kitten pulled close to her chest.

But, he couldn't stop himself from thinking about how much worse he could make her life if she only knew. He was the boy who couldn't make any plans for himself; everything had been arranged and he did not want to drag Kiernan into the mess that he had been forced into by his father. She deserved way better than that to him. So he wanted her to believe that she was nothing to him, if not for her sake, then for his because it was far too hard not to speak with her at all.

The two both drifted off into a deep sleep with each other on their minds. It was a devastating story in the making, yet they were drawn to each other like magnets.

Neither would have called it fate or destiny, but it was definitely too strong to ignore; no matter how hard the both of them tried, it was always them.

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