Chapter 13
"What do you think you're doing?" he asks sternly.
I'm still looking at Blinky. Stupid elf told him? Really? Any respect I had for the elf is long gone.
"You told him?" I ask Blinky.
"Blinky was asked by Master Lucius where Mistress Calypso was," Blinky said. "Blinky had no choice."
Father kicks Blinky in the side making him go sliding across the floor. Although I'm mad at Blinky right now, that was a little much. He didn't deserve to be kicked.
"Kitchen!” Father screams at Blinky. "Before I close the oven on your ears!"
Blinky whimpers and disappears. Father turns on me with more rage than the night before. He grabs me by the back of my neck and pulls me out of the Floo room.
We head upstairs towards the main area. Narcissa looks up from a chair to see what all the commotion was. Draco rounding the corner, eyes wide when he sees how upset our father is. He pushes me forward, I almost trip over my feet but catch my balance at the last second.
"What were you thinking?" he bellows. "Do you know how much we are risking by bringing you back?"
"Well maybe you shouldn't've!" I scream at him.
"You're my daughter. A Malfoy! You will act like one!"
"Like what?" I ask. "A snake?"
This only makes the fire more heated. I shouldn't have said that. My family isn't snakes, just strange…
"We are trying to protect you!" he says.
"From what? Maybe if you actually tell me from what, then I'll start listening. But until then this is what you get.”
"What? Sneaking off to Diagon Alley at this hour like a little thief?"
"I wasn't sneaking around in Diagon Alley!"
"That's where the network took you. If you weren't there, where were you?"
I freeze. I couldn't possibly tell him that I was at the Burrow. If he is this angry over me going to Diagon Alley, then it'll be worse when he finds that out.
"Maybe she just wanted a walk," Draco chimes in. "She was stored away in her room for a while."
Glad to see he is still on my side for now, until he finds out I broke our promise. Oh, Fred, why did you put me in this situation!
"Shut your mouth, Draco!" Father snaps.
"He didn't do anything wrong!" I snap back at him.
He lifts his hand up as if ready to slap me. I flinch away, closing my eyes. If getting slapped means the anger is taken away from Draco, then so be it. I'm the one who told him to cover for me, he isn't in the wrong.
I wait for the contact to hit my face. When it doesn't come I open my eyes slowly, trying to see what was delaying him. A small glistening tear wells in the edge of his eye. He quickly blinks it away.
"Go to your room…" he says defeated.
I want to stay, wondering what turmoil is fully going on in my Father's head. Why would he grab onto me a couple days ago to the point Narcissa had to step in, to now, where he was going to hit me, until a couple seconds ago?
I decided against staying. He needs to have a moment without me causing anymore damage. I walk past Draco, who gives me sadden eyes. I mouth thank you before fully disappearing down the hall.
I need to tell him about breaking the promise. I don’t know how he is going to react to that. If I were him, I’d be a upset. But if we are going off a technicality then really I didn’t break our promise. Maybe it’ll be better if I wrote it in a note? That way it’s easier for when he doesn’t want to talk.
I close my door behind me as I walk over to my bed. Bobbles sitting on his perch by the window. I lean over to my nightstand, where I keep paper and a quill - since the wizarding world hasn’t learned about pens yet.
I start making out the formings of a letter, when someone knocks on my door. I gently put my quill down to open the door. Draco stands in front of me, this is my opportunity to tell him…
“How was the joke shop?” he asks.
“About that,” I say, moving to the side so he could come in. “You know how I said I wouldn’t meet any more people?”
“You met everyone?” he asks.
I look at him with apology in my eyes, hoping that he can see how truly sorry I am. He walks over to the window staring out.
“So,” he says, “who’d you meet?”
“You're not mad?” I asked, surprised.
“Why would I be? It’s not like you weren’t going to meet them at some point. Really, you need to have more faith than that.”
“I met some really amazing people actually." I smile. "Luna and Tonks were fun to talk to. Did you know that Tonks in a Metamorphmagus?”
“I heard about it.”
“I honestly think if you gave them a chance, they aren’t as bad as you think. The Weasleys are super kind, they share a lot considering they don’t have much. And Neville Longbottom, he is so sweet. Also has these gorgeous hazel eyes… Why you looking at me like that?”
Draco stares at me with some form of longing for something. Maybe talking about how amazing these people are amazing wasn’t the best idea.
“It’s just strange to see a Malfoy have friends that aren’t evil,” he says after a moment. “So, I’m guessing you also met Harry Potter?”
“Yeah,” I say, “he kept staring at me like I was going to steal something. It was strange.”
“Yeah. He doesn’t really get along with us. Aunt Bellatrix… didn’t make things any easier…”
“Wait, what do you mean?” I ask.
“There was a lot that went into that war. Some of which I don’t want to tell you. I don’t want your ideas of us to change.”
“Draco, I nee-”
A knock cuts the conversation off. Father stands in the hall waiting for me to answer him. Draco walks out the room, giving the two of us some privacy for what could only be another screaming match. I honestly have no idea what he wants to talk about, what happened, happened. There is no changing that.
Yes, I went to the joke shop, but at least it got me out of this gloomy place. Hiding away upstairs in my room because no one talks like a family in this house. Always awkward when I bring up anything about the war or this group that they were trying to protect me from. I should be used to it by now with both families acting the same, but at least in America I had friends.
"I'm sorry," he finally says. "Let's sit down and talk?"
I listen. I wave him over to the seat by my closet while I sit on my bed. Let's hope this doesn't end badly…