mahogany ; d.m

24 - the hogwarts express

Athena snapped her head up immediately, tearing her eyes away from the small box in her hands to find Harry, gaping at her in shock horror.

"Harry! I- I can explain!" she stuttered, rushing over to him and dragging him further into the room.

"So he's the father, is he?" he confronted. "That's who you...did it with."

"I-" she stared at his appalled expression, feeling there was no hope in denying it. He had obviously heard everything. "Yes."

"Malfoy?"his voice squeaked in disbelief. "That's just..."

She threw her hand to her face and rubbed her eyes with strain, cursing her luck.

"Oh god Harry! Please don't make me feel worse about this than I already do!"

"I'm not trying to make you feel bad,"he said. "I just want to understand...why?"

"I don't bloody know!" she cried, losing her composure. "It just happened. I made a huge mistake and you can't even begin to imagine how much I regret it."

She felt the last words tug at her like a noose around her neck, as she tried to shoo away the thoughts which came into mind, that attempted to persuade her that she was lying.

"It just seems... I mean it's Malfoy," he repeated, finding it difficult to come to terms with this turn of events. "The horrid git who I thought you hated."

"I do hate him!" she said forcefully.

"Really? Because it doesn't seem like you do 'Thena," he sighed. "Not from what I just saw anyway. Looks to me more like you want to hate him."

She stared at him, processing the words he had just spoken, letting them sink deeper into her soul.

"You won't tell the others, will you?"she asked in a timid tone.

"They should know."

"Harry, please. I will tell them eventually. I promise you," she plead.

He looked at her unsurely for a moment before subtlety nodding.

"Oh and er- he is a Death Eater by the way,"she uttered. "You were right. I've seen the mark."

His eyes widened in surprise but he seemed to be more pleased with himself.

"I would have told you sooner but well...you know,"she said.

"It would've given it away, I guess,"he rolled his eyes with a huff.

"Oh Harry! Please don't be pissed off at me," she cried. "I feel nothing for him."

The words unfamiliarly stung in her throat as she said them.

"I never said anything about feelings..."

She closed her eyes in shame, wishing desperately that she could turn back time, to long before she had ever considered being skin to skin with Draco.

"I won't say anything, as long as you tell Hermione and Ron soon," Harry said. "I hate keeping secrets from them."

"I promise you, I will,"she smiled with gratitude, watching Harry exit through the door to the boys dormitories.

Her smile faded as she collapsed onto one of the sofa chairs, burying her head in her hands feeling completely displeased to how this day had turned out.

She scanned the empty common room hopelessly, resting her eyes on the flickering flames which illuminated the fireplace.

A huge sigh of regret escaped her, whilst her mind replayed what had just happened.