Pawns | A Draco Malfoy Love Story

Remnants

I was completely devoid of any feeling.

I sat in the cold cellar, staring into nothing. Every bone in my body ached my lungs were sore from my screams.

I'd realized Voldemort had used legilimency but, because I was forced to leave, I couldn't be sure of exactly what he'd found. I only prayed that whatever he saw, whatever they were discussing upon my removal, wouldn't have any significant impact on Harry. I suppose my broken friendships was a help in that regard since I really didn't know much about where Harry and the others would be.

Although, I did know about the Horcrux's. Though I didn't see any of those images flashing in my mind. Was it possible he'd still extracted them? I tried to convince myself that this wasn't the case. That he wouldn't have been wasting his time talking about Harry's use of Expelliarums if he'd realized that Harry knew about his secret to immortality and would be actively working to destroy all the horcruxes.

I managed to console myself with respect to my friends' safety. They wouldn't get hurt badly at my hands.

But despite this, I still felt dead inside.

I was starving again but food was the last thing I could think of. I sat unmoving and depressed. The image of my dad was still in my mind and it was crushing all over again. I'd only just managed to learn how to close my eyes without seeing him. Now, his lifeless form was etched in the back of my eyelids all over again.

But it was the memory of being with Draco that had removed Voldemort from my mind. I couldn't say why - I was no expert at legilimeny nor occulmency. But however it happened, I was grateful.

*

It took a long time for my mind to shut down that night and sleep. But my muscles were sore and my eyes were heavy.

When I was seconds away from falling asleep entirely, I heard the cell doors open and felt a presence standing by the door. My blinking was slow and the room was dark. I could barely make out the figure and I had no further energy to force myself to become alert again.

I let my head droop to the side while I was slumped against the wall. Through my heavy eyes, I saw a thin figure, watching me. Their light hair stood out in the darkness. Their face was feminine, and their expression looked sad and confused, possibly even regretful. At least, I think it did; I was too tired to take a second glance.

My eyes blinked once more, just catching a glimpse of a wand raising in my direction. My eyes remained closed after that, and my breathing slowed down and became deep and rhythmic as I sensed the beginning of a dream coming on. It took the form of flashing images, mimicking the evening's ordeal. But for whatever reason, I was gifted with pleasant sights as opposed to the nightmares I was usually plagued with.

If not already unusual in that sense, it was strange because I could see the whole thing from third-person perspective. I was a bird looking down, a fly on the wall. I could see my own face light up, the way my eyes would sparkle and the way my smile spread from cheek to cheek.

Just like I'd saw this evening with Voldemort, I again saw the flashing image of Draco and I walking hand in hand down the Hogwarts grounds after laying under the tree near the lake. We swayed while we walked, lightly bumping into each other and smiling as we talked.

It changed. I then saw myself smiling at Draco on the first night that I agreed to spend in the Room. I saw our cheeks blush as we exchanged our little stories of how and when we'd notice each other. I watched him tell me he loved me and saw, if it was possible, the butterflies stir in my chest, making my own flutter even now.

I saw us running into each other in the hall near breakfast time one morning, the time we acknowledged we were well past friends. I watched him kiss me and saw my cheek turns pink as I ran my fingers through his light blonde hair.