CURSED [D.M]

-(10) the way it was cursed to be

DRACO holds the necklace in his hand with such delicacy- as if the slightest mispressure might cause it to break. The guard dog of his walls bark at him to throw it afar. He almost does. But then again something sparks within him. Something fond. It tells him to keep it.

He listens.

He listens but he assures himself it's the only time he'll listen to this foreign voice.

He is almost sure of it.

The next day, he walks into Herbology class with Blaise and Theo.

"Ah! Mr.Malfoy, Nott and Zabini. You three are late and so was Ms.Emerson. Twenty points from Slytherin. Today we will be revising mandrakes for OWLs. You will work in pairs. Malfoy, you be with Emerson and Nott you can be with Zabini", Professor Sprout declares in one breath and walks away. And like what the fuck woman?

Theo and Blaise looks at each other and simply shrugs before walking away together.

"I guess it's you and me again then..", Zilliah mumbles out at him from the corner.

He nods stiffly, barely even meeting her glance before walking over to the pots. She closely follows.

"I've never dealt with these things before", she says and begins to reach for the plant.

"Wait", he shouts out of pure concern, extending his own arm to block her hands. "Earmuffs. Their cries are fatal."

With a startled air, she turns to him. "Oh. Didn't know that."

"Figured."

Her cheeks grow red as she reaches for the pair of earmuffs beside the pots. She hands him one before putting her own on.

"Longbottom fainted in the first year", he says with a small laugh, the memory of the incident ever so vivid in his memory. Then there was that one where he got bit by a mandrake- he shakes it off rather quickly and turns his attention back upon her.

She doesn't reply. Of course! Her confused expression was enough to remind him that she couldn't hear his mumbling. "Did you say something?"

He almost reiterates his words but then he shakes his head, puts on his earmuffs and bends down to get to work.

They work together in silence for half an hour; Zilliah observing and following Draco's steps with precision. When Professor Sprout approaches them and says it is time for a small break, he stops and sits cross legged on the floor. She follows that too. They both remove their earmuffs and sit in silence for a moment.

"That was exhausting", she comments.

He doesn't speak- with much difficulty, that is.

"You're really good at it", she mumbles again.

But he still makes no reply.

"Well, aren't you going to say anything?", she asks him with that annoying smile he was trying not to fall for, shaking him by the shoulders to get a reply.

"Stop trying so fucking hard", he flicks her hand away and snaps at her, louder than he had intended to, in a voice mingled with pure spite and disgust- it was pretense but only he could decipher it- such strong were his defences.

Her face falls as she draws her hand back. "W-What?"

The heads around them turn to the commotion in interest. The foreign voice tells him to stop. But he promised. He promised himself that he would no longer listen to it.

"I said stop trying so fucking hard you fucking whore. I don't want you!"

Her face slips into a complete shock. Her eyes flutter in disbelief. Her lips part in distress. She gulps again and again utterly uncomfortable. Pure disappointment washes over her features then and it settles in his own chest too.