WHAT YOU DO TO ME | Draco Malfoy

Year Six - Part Twelve

The following days were dull and gloomy. There was no more school this year. All of our lessons and exams were canceled in the wake of the battle and Dumbledore's death. Many students were leaving abruptly. You were never certain when someone was going to be there or not. I found Clara in her hiding place in the woods. She looked up at me expectantly like she knew I would come to find her.

"We need to talk." I said softly.

"I suppose we do." She nodded. Her head was resting on her knees as she stared into the water.

I moved to sit down next to her on the bank. "They want you and Mum to go into hiding. I'm inclined to agree with them."

"Normally, I would argue, but I think I'm inclined to agree as well. Where are we going?" She asked as she looked at me with her glassy eyes that were so similar to my own.

I frowned, "I don't know. I told them not to tell me. You're going to be leaving today after the funeral."

"You're not coming?" She asked in shock and disbelief.

I shook my head no and looked at her sympathetically. She started to cry and leaned in to hug me. I felt overwhelmed with the thought that this is the last time I might see my sister, and saddened by the fact that we had been so distant our entire time together at school. We sat there for a long time just holding each other until I realized it was getting late.

"Come on, we have a funeral to attend." I told her.

We walked out of the forrest together in silence, hand in hand. The funeral was being held not too far away from where Clara had been hiding out, so we made it there in good time without being late. Clara didn't leave my side despite the encouragement of her Slytherin classmates. Theo looked furious. I was more interested in Crabbe and Goyle who were talking amongst themselves off to the side. They looked lonely and lost without Malfoy there to boss them around.

There were a lot of people there already. I saw all of my friends grouped together and we joined them. Dean Thomas looked delighted at Clara's presence and she left me to go sit next to him.

"It's a beautiful day, considering." Fred said as he moved to sit beside me. He placed a hand on my knee to comfort me.

I looked down at his hand and then up into his brown eyes and nodded. "Yeah, Dumbledore would have loved the weather. He might have cancelled classes just to make sure we all went outside." Fred was trying to be supportive of me right now, but that just made me feel even worse. If I had just stayed with Fred like I should have, then I wouldn't be in love with a death eater right now.

Every person you could imagine and more showed up to the funeral. Even the merpeople swam up to the banks to pay their respects. They sang a sad song. It was beautiful, but depressing all the same. The centaurs from the forest were there was well. Creatures of all walks of life adored and respected Dumbledore. That was pretty clear today, and every day. I paid little attention as person after person got up to give speeches about Dumbledore. They did little to shed light on the wonderous life the man lived, and instead made it about themselves. I suppose that funerals are for the living, though. The dead don't care at all.

I looked to my right and Ginny and Harry were having an intense conversation, while on my left Ron and Hermione were holding each other close while Hermione cried her eyes out. I'd never felt so alone, even with Fred at my side.

We each went up to the marble tomb and paid our respects one by one. I lingered there with uncertainty. Dumbledore was a mystery to me. I hardly knew the man except for what Harry told me. Yet, every time he spoke to me it was like we were dear friends. I quite liked that dynamic. He had a way of making every single person feel special.