Chapter 1
with just a slight creak of the giant door. a heavy stench of stagnant air hit him. scanning the lifeless room, the darkness only made sense at the sight of closed curtains and windows.
merlin knows, for how long.
the next thing he noticed was the heaps of papers laying everywhere. various odd sketches were on them.
complete ones, incomplete ones, contorted ones, crumpled ones. some he almost recognized, some barely.
some painted in single tone, some tainted in scarlet here and there.
the room was nothing near the picture of perfection. as it is expected to be. it was a mess.
just like its owner.
not wanting to alarm the said owner, who was nowhere in sight, a silent lumos was cast. and very carefully, he treaded through the pile of papers. he didn't understand why he was being so cautious. or considerate either.
because why would he..
the giant four-poster bed was pristine. the food on the nightstand was untouched too. that's when he noticed it.
a little bit of pale skin that peeked through the floor-length bed linen. a stark contrast against the emerald sheets and auburn floor. just a little bit and well hidden. sighing, he dropped both the charm and his knees to the cold floor.
it was bone freezing and there were no socks on those pale feet. lifting the covers slowly, what greeted him was the sight of a miserably curled in figure. eyes shut tight with long eyelashes sticking over the dried teardrops. he laid next to the trembling figure and watched in silence at the once pristine but now pitiful features. only at such close proximity, the volatile scent of liquor was present.
as though triggered by the sudden presence of warmth in his personal winter, the figure stirred before staring straight into his eyes. a sad smile slipped out, stretching the dry skin around it.
"you came..."
one scrawny hand slowly reached out but stopped before touching him. abruptly retracted as though burnt. the smell of alcohol felt stronger with every breath. and he noticed the other hand was clutched in a tight fist. holding onto something.
"i had to.."
silence suffocated while he waited for something. anything. but nothing followed.
"you're drunk."
so, he broke the silence himself.
"mhmm.."
the muffled hum was almost inaudible. a sign of consciousness drifting in and out.
"you'll die at this rate.."
voice trembling at his own words. he didn't know why but the thought stung his heart.
"that's good, isn't it?"
there was no hint of fear in that fragile voice. it was void of emotions. of hope.
"everything has already left me.. what's left is my breath.."
"that's not true.."
he shuffled a little closer.
just a little. but the usually alert figure stayed unmoving. willingly unguarded. defenceless.
"lucius, narcissa, severus, vincent, dobby.."
hollow eyes bored into his again for a second, glistening helplessly.
"you..."
launching forward on impulse, he embraced the broken figure in his arms. again, he didn't know why. only that, he felt like the figure would disperse into dandelions if he didn't. and he couldn't fathom that frightening absence.
"can't you take me along? please..."
not broken sobs but benumbing wails followed the cry for mercy. and it pierced through his already shredded soul. who knew, such painful sounds could be heard from that once prideful mouth.
he couldn't console. he couldn't control.
"i never even got to tell you.."
pale eyes pleaded again in pain as he felt a touch as cold as death on his face. the bony fingers could not be of a human's. but they were.
still human, perhaps.
"please.. i-"
frostbite could not even compare to the chill of those cold lips as they met his for a fleeting moment. nothing deep nor sensual. it felt more like a desperate kiss with a dementor.
begging to be freed of this damned vessel.
the cracked lips carried a rather volatile scent. so different from what he always wondered. strong whiskey instead of sweet apples.
the sweetest green apples.
he wasn't prepared for this. he wasn't prepared for any of this. but he realized too late as cold palms caressed his face frailly. tracing along his features. as though engraving every line and contour into memory. the broken hymn of teardrops pouring from those barren eyes echoed louder in the darkness and the deafening silence under the giant bed.
"i loved you, theodore nott. and i am sorry i failed to protect you."
oh..
oh...
his gut contorted into a cruel knot. like a poison coated hand was ripping at his very core. rupturing his lungs along the way. restricting respiration in its wake. it felt as though the shrill pain was being siphoned from those sickly lips and straight into his when the bittersweet words finally hit his unsteady mind. the figure slowly slumped in his arms and went completely listless. unconscious at last. only harrowing sobs and hitched breaths remained. tugging at his tattered heartstrings.
it took him a few poignant gasps before finally gaining strength in his shivering limbs. slowly, very slowly, he gathered the broken boy in his shaking arms once again. carefully, like he's collecting pieces of shattered glass. and just looked at him, for once.
silver hair seemed like straw without its usual glow. fair skin appeared too fragile for even the wind to kiss. the white long sleeve was missing buttons, rumpled everywhere. and the patches of crimson and coal were clearly unmissable. especially the largest patch of red on his left forearm.
he resembled too much of a fallen angel in despair. and it butchered the beholder's soul because he knew.
he knew the boy was broken beyond remedy. he knew the boy was drunk and sorely drowning in his own poisoned pureblood. and he also knew. that none of the soul wrecking sorrow was meant for him.
draco was hallucinating about another.
harry knew very well. he wasn't disappointed. because again, why would he.. but why did it hurt that bad though.
he didn't know either.