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'' What's your favorite book?''

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Amelie Avery.

She walked after him, watching as he nervously fiddled with the rings coating his fingers, '' This way.'' Draco mumbled. His hand gestured for her to step into an empty room with nothing but a chair standing in the middle of it.

Amelie nodded, and she did as the blonde wished. She didn't want to provoke his temper in ways she had done last night. '' Here?'' She asked as she strode towards the chair.

'' Yes, take a seat.'' He hummed in response.

She slipped down onto the chair. Her hands placed in her own lap as she watched him — how anxious he seemed as he marched his way back to the doorway and his hand clenched around the ledge of it.

'' And all I have to do is ask her for it?'' Draco tried to hush himself down while he talked to someone outside, '' What if she doesn't want to give it up?''

His voice shredded low — not for her to hear.

'' Then you have to take it from her, without her content. She came here willingly,''

His shoulders shrugged, nearly as if shivers fled his spine, '' I'll try.'' He then closed the door, and his palms halted at the wood. His shoulders sunk, '' I don't want to do this, Avery.''

Amelie swallowed, and she pushed herself off the chair. Her steps closer to the boy who looked as if he might break — were hesitant. She felt scared, '' Do what, Draco?''

'' I need something from you.'' Malfoy turned around. His hands shoved into his pockets, '' And I can't—''

The grey eyes shut, and his breaths turned ragged as she walked even closer until she halted inches away. Draco looked drained — utterly empty, and not one emotion held on his face. His heavy pants echoed throughout the shallow room.

'' Yes, you can.'' Amelie forced a smile as her hand sought to touch his, '' Tell me what you want from me.''

The tiny muscle in his jaw twitched, '' I need a memory,'' He muttered, and his gaze fell to look at her hand, placed on his arm, '' Do you remember the night in the library? When you were close to giving something up?''

'' I do.''

She did, but what that memory was — she didn't know. Her mind shut her out the instant she sought to reveal them, and that's what he needed. He wanted that hidden, buried memory — even if it hurt her, even if her head nearly pounded at the thought of it.

Draco cleared his throat, shaking his head as he gestured for her to sit down again, '' Do you remember your safe word?''

'' Blue.''

He pulled the edge of his suit jacket open, and he dragged his wand out before he demandingly walked up to her. His hands gripped around the armrests of her chair as he towered over her. She watched as the regret flashed his eyes — the heavy lingering in his breaths, '' Can you tell me what it is?'' She spoke up, '' The memory?''

His brows furrowed, and his jaws clenched, '' No. You need to give it to me on your own.''

Amelie's bottom lip sucked in between her teeth as the hesitancy nagged within. She didn't want to do this because last time — it hurt. She was a wreck after he searched her mind to reach that one string of light, that little memory.

'' Legilimens.''

_____

Day 9.

Draco has been searching my mind for days, and to be honest with myself,

I don't know for how long I will be able to stand this.

Every time the light of his mind reaches mine, it's like I can't breathe.

I am allowed a piece of Draco that I'm not even certain he knows I'm able to see.

He's hurting. His mind is more tortured than mine has ever been. I could see that.

I could see how he hated himself and not just parts of himself as a normal person would do.

He loathed everything, every single thing of himself, and that broke me.

It broke me more than he did, more than my father or Adrian ever did.

I feel for Draco, in a way I can't begin to understand.

Perhaps it's the way his mind works, how cruel and evil he makes himself look, but how kind and broken he truly is.

I don't know what, but something about that blonde boy made me feel warm, cared for, even if he did everything possible for me to hate him,

I did hate him, or at least I tried to.

But somewhere along the line, I couldn't keep it up because I knew he needed me almost as much as I seemed to need him.

_____

'' Come in!'' Amelie shouted at the knocking on her door, and she watched as Draco stepped inside with the tray in his hands. His eyes immediately locked in hers.

The blonde took long strides up to the bed before placing her dinner on the nightstand, '' Thank you,'' She mumbled.

'' Do you need something else?'' He asked. His hand rushed through his hair, scratching his neck after, '' I mean — can I do something for you?''

He looked down, miserable as she patted the edge of her bed — she gestured for him to take a seat, '' Will you stay here, only for a moment?''

Draco's jaws clenched and unclenched as his eyes snapped to where her hand held before he grumbled something beneath his breath. He slipped down. His legs held long before him as he peered over her, confused as to why she had asked him to stay, '' Did you want to talk about something?''

'' No—'' She hushed herself down as she chewed on her bottom lip in hesitation, '' It's just boring being alone all the time.''

Malfoy huffed at her statement, and his fingers curled into fists. '' You have a library here, am I right?'' Amelie asked him as she forced a smile to ease the tension.

Draco nodded, and the blonde strands of hair fell over his eyes, '' We do.''

'' Can you take me there? I have already finished all the books —'' Her eyes flickered to the bookshelf standing tall against the wall, '' — in here.''

He swallowed as his mind battled if her proposition was a good idea or not before he forced himself off the mattress, '' I can,'' He held, narrowing grey eyes in hers, '' But can I trust you, Avery?''

'' Can I trust that you won't try to leave?''

She felt the lump growing in her throat — her veins flushed in disbelief, '' I'm still here, right?'' Amelie quieted down while she looked up at him, '' If I wanted to leave you. I would've done so weeks ago at Adrian's ceremony.''

Her hands pushed against the silky material of the sheets, holding in front of him, '' I think the question is, can I trust you, Draco?''

He sucked in a harsh breath, and his eyes snapped down to the tray on her nightstand before he held his arm out, '' No, you can't.''

Amelie winced back. Her face twisted in doubt as he stretched his arm further, urging for her to braid hers with his, '' Not yet.''

_____

Draco pushed the massive doors to the library open, and the second they swung wide — the room lit up in warm light. The vast bookshelves covered every inch of the wall in the room.

Amelie shifted around, looking at him as a glint of light tore through his numb eyes. He looked happy by the swift gaze of her smile. She stepped even further into the room, hearing as he shoed closer behind her, '' What's your favorite book?''

Draco cleared his throat, nearly startled by her question, '' I don't have one.''

'' You don't?'' Amelie snapped. Her eyes wide at the confession, '' No, you're lying.''

'' I'm not lyi—"

'' Yes, you are, because everyone has a favorite book, Malfoy.'' She smirked, and her fingers dragged over the dusty books, '' But it's okay. You can tell me when you're ready.''

He scoffed, shaking his head as he slipped down onto the couch placed in the middle of the shelves. Amelie's eyes searched wild over the novels, looking for the one she knew Theodore loved — the one book he always used to read when she was around.

Throwback.

Her eyes fell upon the brunette, watching as he rested in her lap, and she smiled by the autumn breeze dancing through her hair. The gentle strokes of sun tickled her nose as Theodore mumbled to himself.

He always did that — muttering the words he was reading without realizing that he did it.

'' What are we reading today?'' Amelie asked him, feeling how his body slightly flinched by her unexpected speaking.

Theo merely shrugged, turning a page of his book, '' Same as usual, but you already knew that, didn't you?''

She held on to her smile as her eyes rolled, '' Only because you've been reading the same book for a decade now.''

The tips of her fingers dragged gently through his hair, untangling the messy strands, and the touch of her — brushing through the brown pieces, made him gaze up at her. His eyes glimmered by the bright light around them,

'' Can I read you something?'' He looked eager.

'' Of course.'' Her fingers kept on brushing over his head as she peered out over the lake in front of them. Both Amelie and Theodore loved sitting out here, close to the water, as they read in quietness.

It was one of the many things they always did together, and especially out here, because here — Adrian couldn't find them. He didn't know about their secret little place.

'' Ready?'' Theo asked as she nodded, '' Alright. What greater punishment is there than —''

'' — life, when you've lost everything that made it worth living?'' She finished for him with an amused cloak on her face, '' And it's still Romeo and Juliet. You have read me that line a hundred times.''

'' So what if I have?'' He began to pout, shifting around in her hold, '' I like it. What's wrong with that?''

Her brows knitted together as she sought to hide her growing smile, '' There's nothing wrong with it, Teddy. It was just the obvious choice for you, that's all.''

Theodore sighed loudly as he rose from her lap, settling himself next to her instead, but he stayed quiet. He didn't speak against her, and he didn't try to defend himself like he normally would've.

'' Is that so wrong?'' He humbled, his legs crossed in front of him, '' Is it so wrong to wish for someone that cares for you so much that they would rather die than be without you?''

_____

It wasn't — it was nothing wrong to wish for someone that cares about you in that way because that's how she felt for Teddy. She loved her best friend so much that living these days without him was torture, and she needed to find that book — Romeo and Juliet, to feel closer to him.

'' Here,'' Amelie gasped for herself as she tugged the spine of it off the wood. Her hands brushed over the cover only to smile by the look of it — this book seemed new as if no one had ever read it before, while Teddy's was worn, the pages nearly falling out of it.

''Did you find what you were looking for?'' Draco muttered as Amelie shot him a kind stare, studying him as his elbow placed on the armrest, and his chin rested in the palm of his hand.

'' I did,'' She gently dropped down next to him with the book glued to her hand, '' Can I read you something?''

Draco looked shocked, almost agonized, as he slightly nodded, ''Certainly.''

Amelie doubted herself at first, not knowing if she held the bravery to do what she wanted to do, to let her head fall onto his lap, just like Theodore always rested his head on hers.

Her eyes shut closed. Her breath hitched as a grimace shredded her features. Her head felt heavy on his thighs, feeling how his entire body tensed at her doings.

She dragged her knees up to the backrest of the furniture as she shifted around, looking up at him from below.

'' Is this alright?'' Amelie hushed, making his brows furrowed, his hands nervously fiddling with his rings.

'' Hm,'' He hummed, biting his own tongue from ruining this moment.

She sucked a harsh breath in, raising the book over her chest as she searched to find the page she needed.

'' Here,'' She called out, '' Okay, are you ready?''

'' What greater punishment is there than life when you've lost everything that made it worth living?''

Draco froze completely as she peered up at him, his teeth clasped, his nostrils flaring.

He didn't know what to say or what to do — she made him nervous with the quote she just read to him.

'' Have you ever felt that way for anyone, Draco?'' She asked, lowering the book to let it rest on her chest,

'' No,'' He spoke, severely, '' I don't get those type of feelings,''

She jolted up from her laying position, her legs over his as he cringed at the sudden move, '' What? Are you telling me that you have never been in love?''

Amelie's face sunk in question as her nerves ached at the look of his numb eyes — he hadn't.

He had never been in love. He had never cared for another person in the way you always dreamed of doing — he was alone, lonely in his misery.

'' No,''

Her head tilted as she sought to read the cold, mysterious boy in front of her, '' Have you ever cared for anyone?''

''No.''

''Do you want to care for someone?''

Her pushing made him snap his head to level hers. His heart pounded hard within, '' No,''

She felt the twisting feeling inside. The sinking sensation wavered her as his lips parted again — but not a word fled them.

The tension thickened as he leaned closer to her. His cold hand put pressure on her lower back, almost urging her to move forward, and she did.

She pushed herself onto him until she was straddling him on the sofa.

''But I do,'' Draco breathed out, his nose brushed against hers, and that made her breaths flutter, the kind, gentle heart she possessed hammered out of control in her chest.

'' I do care for someone.''

The corner of her mouth twitched as her hands moved slowly over his arms before she tangled her fingers together behind his neck.

The tips of her fingers played with the soft strands of his hair, '' You do?''

He looked at her — in a way no one had ever looked at her before, it was as if he could see all of her, as if he wished to see more.

Draco's arms clung tighter around her as he pulled her just an inch closer, '' I do.''

And without another thought shared between the two broken souls they tended to be,

Amelie's lips collided with his.

_____