"Running away is not going to solve anything," Draco commented as he closed the door behind us. I walked past one line of desks, running my fingers along the backs of them before turning to see him watching me.
"I don't remember asking for you opinion on the topic." He dropped any remainder of that poker face from earlier and released a sigh as he leaned back against the door.
He knew I wasn't going to make this easy for him. Whatever he was out here accomplishing.
"It's not an opinion, Ava, it's a fact. Your father would find you within the day—"
"Is there anything else you want to share about my father while we are on the topic?" I countered steadily. Draco paused in his words and shut his mouth.
So he did know.
I chuckled ironically as I shook my head, looking away from him. "Unbelievable."
"Is your father the reason you're running away?"
I glanced back at him to see an attempt I was sure of Draco trying to sway the conversation. It made me sick.
"Oh please, it's nothing like that-"
"Surely your mother could do something-" I looked him dead in the eye before shooting that down with a simple, "You've seen how my parents interact. Do you really think she has much of a choice there?"
Draco didn't respond so I went on.
"I'm not here to talk about my father's abusive behaviors. And frankly I didn't want to talk about the hypothetics of running away when I was never planning to do so in the first place-"
"Then what was Spencer going on for?"
"She's upset because my father grabbed Theo and took him last night. Granted it happened after we found out that my father was a death eater." I watched as Draco remined unnaturally still to my revelation. "It's funny," I added, walking along the line of desks with my fingers trailing the seats methodically. "You think you know someone and then everything shifts on a dime."
"Ava, what did you—"
"I saw your father there too, you know," I turned back to face him as my words hit and saw those silver eyes of his darken automatically. I knew Draco enough to know he was going to take his father's side no matter the comment I made next.
"I also saw," I continued after a pause, "Nott's father, or at least heard him called. I also managed to send a lovely Bombarda curse at Goyle's father. Doubt he's going to be walking anytime soon."
"You fought them?" Draco reacted in alarm. "Ava, their death eaters!"
"No shit," I deadpanned. "Maybe if someone had told me how my father had turned I would have acted differently-"
"No you wouldn't," Draco cut off. He walked toward the first line of desk but stopped from coming any closer. "You'd follow Potter to the ends of the earth from what I've seen."
"My bad," I snapped back. "I should have realized my association with Harry would drive you to keep me in the dark. Guess I should have just talked to Nott—"
"Ha, yes, I bet he'd be more than happy to follow your loose attentions," Draco remarked in a sick tone. "Should I go get him back here? It sounds like you two weren't finished-"
"Don't be so petty. I want nothing to do with Nott— you saw what he pulled the other day. I can't understand why you're friends with him—"
"It's not that simple, Ava."
"Oh? So seeing you two walking together outside of the common room just now wasn't a sign that you're friends? You Coward."
"He's a family friend! It's not like I could just up and leave him, he's around my family's house every other weekend. I'd have thought you would understand."
"Family friends?" I repeated back innocently. "Right, you want to know what I did to one of those so called family friends I had at home? I broke a her leg. Twice."
Draco up and walked away from me for a moment, muttering who knows what before turning around again, showcasing the obvious: that he was absolutely done with me.
"You parade that fact around like it's a prize. Has a year gone by since I've known you where you haven't brought that story up?"
"Oh please! It's you who can't seem to separate your family life from your personal life!"
"What's there to separate?" He demanded. "My family is my personal life! If that means I have to deal with Nott's bloody antics, so be it! My father trusts me, and I will do anything I can to look after my mother. So by all means, judge me as a coward! Add it to the list of things you've called me."
"I'll add another," I said, not winding down. Draco waved me on expectantly with true sarcasm.
"It's obvious that from the start you knew what I was getting into. You knew my father was a death eater—how else could he have gotten into that lot if it wasn't for your father? And yet you never told me!"
"It's not my fault you couldn't' see what was going on under your nose," he snapped. "And I warned you-"
"You did not!"
"At the Quidditch World Cup. After we ran away from your brothers. I showed you your father's exacerbation into the Death Eaters. It was his first rites if you will, and I told you-"
"You did not tell me my father was a damn death eater, Draco!"
"Well I wasn't going to go up and tell you in a matter of words. If your father doesn't trust you, that's his play—"
I scoffed loudly, and paced again across the classroom, blocking out his words. He knew he was in the wrong. There was nothing more he could say that would tell me otherwise. I turned around and saw him watching me, his hands were braced against one of the desk that he had been looking down on until now.
"Anything else?" He questioned, as if asking for trouble. I stopped short and didn't break eye contact.
"All this year, when we were together..." I paused, feeling my brain catching up to what I was throwing out into words. Across the room, Draco relaxed a fraction before I continued. "Your father was writing to you with news. News about all of this, wasn't he?"
Draco shook his head, and there was an urgency in his eyes that told me to an extent he was telling the truth.
"He doesn't tell me about work. Not like that," He assured.
"But you did know what I was getting into when I left you on Umbridge's floor," I pointed out, feeling myself begin to pace again. "I saw you, you were trying to warn me."
"Not to go run off with that no good gang of Gryffindors!" he exclaimed, throwing his arm out to the side to express his point. "Why you always end up following Potter into the trouble he creates I will never understand—"
"Oh no you don't," I said, cutting him off. "I won't fall for that again," I went on, taking a step closer. "Your thoughts do not just revolve around me. I'm not like Pansy where I need such validation," I went on hastily. "You knew. I don't how you knew but you did. And if I were to gander here, I would think you wanted to come."
"You're barking mad," He muttered, dropping his head between his arms. "You really are—"
"Then explain to me this," I started, walking up until I was standing opposite him and the desk. "How did you know Harry was about to get into so much trouble? For all you know we were just running to stop Umbridge. If we won, there would be no more headmistress for a few hours and I doubt you would have worried as much over that. And if we failed, I would have ended up expelled with the same punishment I was already charged with in that office. But you knew I was about to go to the ministry. You must have known Harry's godfather was being tortured or—"
"I could care less if Potter's outlaw relative was getting sentenced to death. I didn't know—"
"Stop lying to me!"
My voice had broken. It wasn't just anger anymore. I was hurting and it had welled up slowly day by day since he and I broke things off. But I was like my mother in this way. I could keep myself together for the most part. Focus on my studies, aim for an O in Potions... But Draco testing my nerves had finally won out.
I didn't have the nerve to look him in the face, especially this close, so I turned my back to him and started to walk away while taking a deep breath. I needed my composure.
"I wasn't lying when I said my father does not tell me about what he does as a Death Eater." I shook my head but didn't turn around.
"But he did leave clues. By accident of course—he would never want to tell me what he's done. If anything he tries to glamorize it to look like everything he does is hero's work. When in reality I know it's a lot more dirty."
"Your father kills people, Draco," I whispered, turning to him. He didn't look away from me. He didn't deny what I said either.
"It's for a better world, Ava-"
"What world can justify killing innocents for the validation of a dictator and his need for power?" I combated back.
"Ava it's not-"
"No, that's what he is, Draco. That's what he's do-"
"Will you just shut it for a half second so I can finish what I trying to tell you?" He slammed his hand on the desk making me stop cold. "Right," he went on after a moment of silence.
"My father never told me that Sirius Black was going to be there, nor that Potter was going to go after him that night, but I did have a suspicion that my father was after something at the Ministry. All summer last year and even over winter break, my father did nothing but go from one meeting to the next. They would be at the manor but even then I was never allowed in. I'm not old enough.."
He made it sound like he wanted nothing more than to be in those meetings. As if it were only a matter of time. He saw my look and held up a finger to pause me.
"Not done," he warned. I eyed him as I clenched my jaw. And then I rose my brow at him to go on.
"But while they said most of their plans in the dining room," he went on, "some of them were stupid enough to continue talking about points from the meetings as they left. And I was always listening. On the second floor, behind the wall near the staircase where words could amplify."
He knew I was listening now, but the story was making him aggravated, so he began to pace.
"Dolohov could never keep his fat mouth shut. Granted it worked in my favor. I wanted to know what my father was up to. And I was angry I couldn't be a part of it. Yes- I know, You don't approve. But Ava, you have siblings to take up your empty time. When your parents go off on their busy work, you have ways to fill your time. I only have my parents. And my father—"
"What did you hear?" I asked simply. He paused in his pacing and released a slow breath.
"They were after a prophecy. Something the Dark Lord wanted. And it was housed in the Department of Mysteries."
"You heard that much from a stairwell conversation?" I asked in disbelief. Draco rolled his eyes at my question.
"Of course not. But I'm not dumb, Ava. As you well know. I heard prophecy and I learned from readings that prophecies of any value are kept locked up in the Department of Mysteries. All I needed was a date. A time. And during winter break I was lucky enough to hear about it."
"Why would you care about the exact time of the steal?" I asked. "Your father has done more over time than just steal. I'm sure you've heard of it." Draco shook his head.
"Well that's just it. That one time when you stormed off after our little fight under the staircase in February, your little Gryffindor trio came down the steps. And Potter, of all people had a planned meeting with Snape. At first I thought it was for remedial potions. But even I know he's not that thick. And Snape wouldn't waste his time on him unless forced. Which means Dumbledore was involved, as he so candidly is with anything Harry Potter related-"
"What did he say?" I asked, getting back on topic.
"It wasn't what he said. It's what he saw. In a vision."
My confusion must have been easily read on my face. A spark of a smirk appeared on the corner of his mouth. He elaborated.
"You've never heard of Occlumency I take it."
"Get to the point, Draco."
"Potter was being taught how to guard his mind from these so called visions that he's been getting. No clue why he gets them but my guess is that whenever one of these visions is true, or important in Snapes eyes, he makes a copy and stores it in his pensive. You know about pensives, right?"
"Of course I know about pensives!" I huffed. "Quit being cocky and finish the story!"
"So hasty," Draco commented, this time with more than a hint of smirk. "I came across the pensive after I made up a lie for both Potter and Snape to leave the classroom. You see, as Harry was making his way down for that little lesson of his, Weasley let slip Potter's been seeing things that only appeared in the Department of Mysteries. It was too much of a coincidence for me to ignore. So I waited. I waited for Granger and Weasley to leave, and even then I waited until I heard the lesson begin, which isn't hard considering how much direction Snape has to give him."
"What could you have possibly used as an excuse to get the two of them out of there?" I asked too curious. Draco looked rather smug by the attention as he answered.
"I saw Crabbe spill a vial of Umbridge's vieritaserum after one of our Squad meetings. I figured she'd ask for more once she saw the vial was drained and Snape would have been the only one to supply her with it. I simply walked in and relayed a message like I was her servant boy, saying she demanded it at once. It's not like Snape would let Potter linger in his office. And like I said, neither of them like working with one another. So it was an easy way for both of them to get out of this planned meeting."
I couldn't help seeing the genius in his plan. But I couldn't let it show on my face, he had enough of an ego as it was. He didn't need it to grow anymore.
"And so I assume you somehow went in for the pensive?" I asked, leading the story on. Draco nodded passively before beginning to pace again.
"I knew where he hid it. He's used it in front of me before. Back a few years ago. And I was right to guess that the last time he used it was for Potter. So I dove in. And I was suddenly in one of Potter's visions. I knew I was in the Department of Mysteries for the simple fact that I was surrounded by prophecies on large shelves."
I remained silent as Draco seemed to relive the sight before he turned back to me.
"It was Nott of all people who knew the day our fathers were going to break in. He didn't know exactly what he was saying of course. Nott may be book smart but when it comes to everyday life he's a fool. His mother let slip at the table that his father would be away all night on the 20th of June. He thought it was odd that his father would do a trip all evening and be fine in the morning. And said as much to me when he came to visit. Little did he know..."
"And so you jumped to the conclusion that since we were causing trouble on the 20th and running away, I would run straight for the department of mysteries?"
Draco gave me the craziest look.
"I thought you believed I knew you were going that day. What's with the sudden suspicion?"
That shut me up for a moment and Draco's gaze brightened at that.
"Look," he said, and I was surprised by the gentleness in his voice. I turned and saw him make his way over to me. "I knew you would never want your father to be a death eater. I was just trying to keep you happy and away from that knowledge as long as possible."
I turned away from him, feeling bile rise up in my throat.
Was he being serious?
"Of course you liked me when I was naive," I snapped back and I saw those words hit him where it hurt. He was regretting his words as I went on. "We were only relatable to each other when I was kept in the dark about the real world. Wow," I laughed ironically. "I should probably thank you for that kindness. Keep the bottom from falling out below me..."
"If you would just listen to me, you'd know that's not what I-"
"You know what happened to your father on the 20th, don't you?" I asked, stopping him short. He scanned my face and with instant, selfish joy, I realized he did not.
"Your father was arrested, Draco. He was catered off to Azkaban along with numerous others. Do you think Nott is as naive on the topic as you? I should go tell him—" I moved as if to go the door when I really was just acting out of shear spite, but I was stopped non-the-less by Draco grabbing my arm and pulling me back toward him.
"My father's in Azkaban?"
His eyes had lost that silver shine and had gone flat, along with his features as he waited for a response from me. He shook me when I did not answer making me stutter.
"Y-yes, he was arrested once Fudge showed up."
"Fudge saw him," Draco repeated, and by his tone the sudden energy in the room had shifted drastically in the opposing direction. I had made a mistake. A big mistake.
All for my precious ego.
"Yes, he saw him," I clarified, regaining my composure.
"And all this time we were talking you didn't once think to tell me?" He asked in less than a whisper. I tried to look away from him but his other hand had grabbed my chin and made me look him dead in the eye.
"Don't be a coward," he said, using my own words against me.
"Draco- I," I started, but something clicked in his eyes—like a sudden realization and just like that he let go of me, walked across the classroom and left, leaving me alone behind him.
-
Hello there,
Is it wrong that I truly enjoy fights like these? It's the bread and butter of fan fiction so go figure, but honestly the amount of attitude I can put into writing these scenes is such a kick.
I have my last final on monday, so I plan to post on that tuesday. I know that's longer than our usual posting but since it's exams, I have to take school as priority.
But I will see you then!
-WG-