𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬, 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 • (𝐝.𝐦.)

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐲-𝐬𝐢𝐱

♔

I looked at Hogwarts differently when I got back. Nothing would ever be the same once I did what I had to do. 

Almost immediately, Draco was by my side, looking a tad too pissed off for comfort. "Sometimes I wonder if you're either too risky or just fucking stupid," He hissed, keeping up with my pace as I hurried along the corridor, going back to my dorm in the dead of night. 

"Keep your voice down. You know where I went?" I asked, and he nodded. 

"Of course I do. I got a lovely letter from my father wondering what the bloody hell my girlfriend was doing at our house demanding to speak to Voldemort. He said you barged in there and talked with the Dark Lord for an hour. Care to explain what the fuck is going on in your brain?" 

"You weren't supposed to know," I said, feeling like I had failed. He had to know what I said, so if he asked, I would tell him. 

"So?" He said, his hands on his hips as he stopped me from walking any further. 

"I had to talk to him. I had to clear something up," I said, and Draco sighed. "What did you say to him, Maggie?" He demanded, and I pinched the bridge of my nose. 

"I told him you and I no longer meant anything to each other. That we really never did. I told him to assign me some other task, and-" 

"Did you mean all of that?" Draco said flatly, not emoting any more than he had to. He stared into my eyes as I grappled for the right words to say. I looked down at my feet, suddenly nervous. 

"No. I could never mean any of that," I admitted.

"Then why-"

"Because! I don't want him using me against you anymore! You told me yourself, part of why you became a Death Eater was to prevent me from having to go through that, but it still happened. The least I can do is protect you!" I whispered as fast as I could. 

He looked dumbfounded. 

"That's not your job. I can well enough handle myself, and we've talked about this," He answered. 

I took a deep breath. This was getting us nowhere. He would never back down, and neither would I, so something new needed to happen. 

"Well, there can only be one thing we can do. Enough of this 'for each other' bullshit, we're just going to work together, how about that?" I asked, and he stopped to think for a moment. 

It wasn't a terrible idea, and this way nobody would have to be a martyr. 

"Fine, okay. What's your new task?" He asked, and I hushed my voice, "Can we go to the Astronomy Tower?" I asked, noticing all the paintings around us were beginning to stir slightly.

♔

Looking out onto the water from up so high made me feel powerful. It made me feel invincible. It made me feel like I could do anything I ever wanted. 

"I'm supposed to kill Dumbledore," I said quietly, hoping he heard me and I wouldn't have to repeat myself. 

Draco said nothing, so I turned around but noticed he looked very perplexed. "What is he playing at?" He seemed to ask himself, and I moved closer to him. 

"Draco?" I asked, and he looked up at me. "That's another task of mine, I don't know what's going on here, but I know things are going to go bad soon enough," He said. 

My face paled. "He knows," I said, and Draco seemed to know exactly what I meant. 

"He knows I lied to him. He knows. I don't know how, but he does," I said, and Draco ran his hands through his hair. 

"Maybe it won't be like we think it is. We have to let in the Death Eaters in order for them to weaken the barrier enough for Voldemort to get in, so we can... is it possible we could escape? We could manage that, right?" He asked, and I nodded. 

"It's possible. We can do that," I said optimistically. "I'm sorry," I said, and he nodded. "I am too," He offered.

We said nothing else, just sat in each other's silence until we had nothing else to do except go to each other. I hugged him tightly and he reciprocated, pulling me close to him and holding me. 

I latched my arms together behind his back, afraid that if I were to let go, he would evaporate into thin air and leave me alone. 

"I love you. I've been stupid, I've been so awful lately, but I need you to know I love you," He said desperately, and I smiled, a few tears escaping me. 

"I love you, Draco," I said, ignoring the word 'too' in order to make it sound more personal. 

"I missed you. I missed holding you. Touching you. Being around you. Hearing your jokes. Seeing your beautiful face. Having you crawl into my bed at night. Feeling you play with my hair. I missed everything about you," He said. 

I was speechless, unable to produce anything that could possibly match that. I did feel it though. "Me too," I said simply, choking on my tears slightly, and he held my jaw, wiping my tears with his sleeve before dipping down to kiss me. 

"I love you. I love you. I love you," He said between kisses. 

"I love you," I said back, my breath hitching as his lips latched onto my neck, and I relished in the feeling of him being near me once again. 

His lips didn't stop there, also attacking my collarbone and his hands roaming around my waist and legs. 

"You're the best thing that ever happened to me, Draco," I said, and he shook his head. "No, that's not true, I-" 

"Shh. You are. I love you and don't want anyone but you for the rest of my life," I said, and his eyes went to mine. 

"Do you mean that?" He asked, and I went on my tip-toes to kiss him gently again. 

"I do," I confirmed. 

♔

80K READS! THATS CRAZY! THANK YOU SO MUCH! so so so sorry this chapter took so long, i had so much homework. xoxo, you guys are amazing i'm totally gushing over this.