A Veela's Mate || Draco Malfoy

Eɴᴇᴍɪᴇs Gᴀʟᴏʀᴇ

Thursday, September 19

Iris swiftly made her way into the sitting room and over to her special trunk, not wanting the others to come with her. Not this time. She might be opening up to the three Slytherins, but she wasn't willing to give away all her secrets. Not yet, anyway.

She was about to climb inside when Iris came to an abrupt halt. Groaning in frustration she suddenly remembered her promise to the others. She had promised not to get into the trunk on her own, but to retrieve the item she needed she had to get into the trunk. Glowering darkly, Iris came to the conclusion that there was only one thing she could do. Turning around abruptly, Iris stomped back to the others and with forced calm asked, "Lucius, could you come with me while I get something from the bedroom?"

Lucius looked startled for a moment at the request, but then he understood and with a slight nod he followed the Elf over to the trunk.

Climbing inside, Iris hurried to the bedroom, reluctantly leaving the door behind her open after asking that Lucius wait for her outside, putting up a silencing charm to give herself some privacy. Walking over to the bed Iris placed her hand on one of the carved figures decorating the bedposts and murmured a spell in Parseltongue.

For a moment nothing happened, and then there was a soft click and part of the footboard fell away, revealing a secret compartment. Inside was several books, and Iris carefully picked one of them up, making sure it was the correct one. Holding it close to her chest, Iris closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Was she doing the right thing? Did she truly want to share the secrets hidden in this innocent looking old journal?

Reopening her eyes, Iris closed the secret safe, not paying any attention to the other things stored inside. Walking over to the bed the youth sank down onto the mattress, her mind a whirl of emotions, yet she never fully forgot about the blond waiting patiently for her. So much had happened. In three short weeks - not counting the time she had just spent at Black Manor recuperating - her entire world had been turned upside down, and it was enough to leave her mind spinning.

Who would have thought that the two people she once called her best friends would turn out to be such backstabbers? Who would have thought that Blaise and Theo were shaping up to become good friends of the Girl Who Lived? Who would have thought that Albus Dumbledore of all people would completely lose his mind, using underhanded threats and tactics to get his way?

And who would have thought that Draco, Lucius, and Severus would be the ones to stand by her unconditionally, no matter what shit was hitting the fan at the time.

Iris looked down at the journal in her lap. Slowly, she ran her fingers over the cover, taking in each crack, each imperfection in the old leather, as she pondered the secrets hidden within. She supposed that she could continue to keep the journal secret. Iris was sure she could make up some cockamamie story that would pass muster, fooling the three Slytherins.

But if she did that something would change, and it was a change she could not undo. The other three might not know that she'd lied to them, but Iris would know. And considering how much she hated it when others lied to her...

"I guess it all comes down to trust," Iris said musingly, testing the words as she spoke them. "Do I trust Draco to always love and support me? Do I trust Lucius and Severus to always be there for me, no matter what my needs are? Do I trust myself to always be there for them?

Unable to remain seated, Iris jumped to her feet and began to pace around the bedroom. "That is the real question, isn't it? What I had before, with Ron and Hermione, it was all one-way. I gave, they took, and they didn't bother much to give anything back. I guess they got so used to me always being there for them that they couldn't comprehend what happened when I no longer had anything to give them.