familiar ; draco malfoy

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

It took Ramona much longer than usual to get to breakfast that morning.

Pain is an interesting thing to think about, and during the long walk from her dormitory to the Great Hall, she had plenty of time to think. Though not as philosophical and mind bending as one would assume upon seeing the concentration on her face, Ramona was dealing with two distinct kinds of pain that would eventually be the pinnacle of her morning; the cherry on top of the strangest and most eventful birthday morning she'd ever had to date.

The very pain she experienced while walking- and breathing, as that required a certain amount of effort too, at the time- could loosely measure to the pain of embarrassment while she explained to her brother that the reason she was walking so slowly was because she slept odd, and her back was stiff.

"Is your bed not alright?" asked a worried Romeo as he loomed over his sister, her present safely hidden behind his back. His watchful eyes rarely missed a thing and Ramona hoped with all her heart that he wouldn't notice her grimace every time she had to move.

"My bed is fine. Just drop it." Romeo did not want to press further upon seeing his sister's nostrils flare slightly- a sign that she was not going to disclose the details of her peril much further. So instead Romeo opted to present her with the very carefully thought out gift he'd wrapped and bought himself some time ago.

Draco could not hide a smirk as he watched her from his end of the table- sitting on the opposite side but much further down, so while they were their usual distance apart, he could still watch her. And as the skinny boy with a large afro placed the small box before her theatrically, half the Slytherin table could notice the commotion.

Ramona had previously warned him that no one was to know it was her birthday; and Romeo was not that good at being subtle.

"Is it a special occasion?" asked Daphne hesitantly before she could stop herself, the events of the previous night fresh in everyone's mind.

"No," said both Romeo and Ramona, dooming Daphne to at least pretend to mind her own business, since she was not ready to face Ramona's temper. Even though Daphne had not done anything wrong, the entire Slytheirn sixth year did not feel right with what had happened. Well, almost everyone.

Theodore Nott sat before Draco Malfoy with sleep still in his eyes, not paying attention to his surroundings much. It was baffling how little he cared for the events of the previous night, though Blaise was sure it was just a front. No one could remain cold after seeing an unforgivable curse- not even rotten Theodore Nott. Pansy was nowhere in sight, though that was expected, and both Blaise and Draco just hoped Theodore's mouth would remain shut.

Ramona, however, barely noticed him and Draco was unwilling to let himself be bothered with that man. Blaise only stared at him in disgust from time to time, hating that he chewed with his mouth open.

After the events of that morning, both Draco and Ramona laid in bed for a little while, unable to keep smiles off their faces. It was equally as beautiful as it was sad, for their brief escape from reality- as they decided to go down for breakfast- left space for the dread of the day ahead of them to set in.

Though watching Ramona struggle to walk was a great pleasure of Draco's. They'd arrived to the Great Hall separately, and Draco's absence for the morning and most of the night wasn't something that concerned any of his dormmates. He had a giddy feeling in his chest each time he'd glance at her, remembering the way she moaned his name and the little sounds she made. Their secrecy made it even more exciting; though a looming kind of dread could not go unnoticed by him each time she'd smile. He didn't want that smile gone, though he knew it would be soon.