This chapter contains mentions of abuse, violent actions, blood, and other troubling themes. Please read with caution.

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''Did you cheat on me?''

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''Here,'' Amelie forced all the things covering the kitchen island off of it in a sudden move. Glass and porcelain crashed to the floor, and pieces of it leaked messily across the marble, but she didn't have a second to spare. Theodore strode through the doors. A heavy feeling weighted her bones at the way Adrian laid numb in his arms, ''Lay him down here.''

Carrying the boy he believed he'd lost forever, Theodore settled Adrian's iced body upon the counter, not having enough time to take the boy up to his room, ''He's so cold, Amelie. Boil up some water, would you?''

''Already did,'' She smiled bravely through the pressure as it sickened the air. Amelie watched how Theodore drew his wand, and he aimed it at the boy, ''Theodore, you don't have to search him. I can do that.'' She whispered. One of her hands landed on his arm, granting him solace.

She saw how he was shaking, ''You don't need to see how this happened. You don't have to think about that. If I search him, you heal him.''

Shooting her a warm look from above his shoulder, Theodore nodded, and he breathed in sharply as the boiling water began to sound. She walked over to the stove, filling flasks with the heated liquid before she wrapped them into towels, making sure that it wouldn't burn his skin.

''Now?'' Amelie mumbled, placing the clothed glass all around his body, pushing them into Adrian's frame until his sides were covered in them, slowly warming him up, ''We do what we always do?'' Her voice was shaking, unsteady.

Theo stared ever so blankly down at Adrian. Not clearly grasping what he was looking at. He was alive. He'd most likely crawled his way to their house from wherever he ended up after Amelie burnt Azkaban to ash.

''We do what we always do....'' Theodore still hesitated, seeing how she brought her wand out and her fingers traced in circles above the boy.

''Okay,'' She began to hum the tiny words in other to understand what his body so desperately wished to tell her, ''Come on, Adrian. Show me—''

''Wait!''

Amelie jolted back by the sudden level in Theodore's voice. He raised it, and he yelled out the word. Blinking quickly in surprise, she looked puzzlingly at him, ''Teddy, what are you—''

His body radiated dubiously, his breaths nearly imaginary, ''Are we sure we want to do this?'' His note cracked, ''Save him?''

''Teddy?'' Shaking her head, her pupils dashed in confusion, ''What are you talking about?''

''I don't want to save him if it means that I'll lose you, Amelie,'' His teeth nearly shattering as he spoke, ''What if he hurts you again? What if he hurts you, and it's all my fault? I can't live with myself if he—''

Amelie seized a step forward, her arms wrapping around his waist, and she tucked her forehead against his chest, ''He wanted to die for me and Draco, Teddy. He's not hurting me anymore.''

''What if he does?'' Theo couldn't hold her back. He felt so at fault for everything. It turned real for him when he had them both in plain sight in front of him. When he saw how Amelie struggled to keep Adrian alive, ''What if he hurts you?''

''Then we'll deal with it, but I'm telling you, Teddy — he won't hurt me. He wouldn't do that to me, and he most definitely wouldn't do that to you.'' She spoke with honesty, her arms clinging onto him, ''He loves you, Teddy, and he would never put that at risk.''

Still shaking his head, Theodore caught her jaws in his palms, and he looked down at her, forest colliding with bronze, ''I can't forgive him for what he's done,'' The guilt of it all turning real suffocating him, ''I can't have him here knowing what he did to you—''

''Teddy...'' Amelie weighted her head in his hands, peering up at him from below her lashes, ''No one forgives him. I know I won't. I know Draco will kill the both of us for even considering saving him, but I do choose to move past it. I'm not forgiving, and I'm not forgetting, but I am giving him a chance to make it count.''

It was a pained pause in her talking where she gazed across the boy she once had given her life to until she took tone again, ''And I'm not saying you should forgive him, or forget what he's done. He hurt you too, and that will never be excused, Teddy, but it's more than alright for you to give him a chance. Just because he was a bad person doesn't mean we have to be too.''

''So you're saying that not giving him a chance is us being bad?'' The brunet questioned, scowling at his friend, ''Because that's—''

''No, I'm not saying that, but I'm saying that it's alright to be better than he was, even if he deserves it or not,'' Amelie tried to stand plain, but the stressed heart she owned nearly exploded as she caught trembling breath after trembling breath fled Adrian's throat. It didn't sound good at all, ''Teddy, he's—''

''Damn it,'' Snapping his head, he didn't know what to do anymore, how to act as he felt Amelie's bones shaking, her skin shivering, ''Fuck — okay, search, and I'll heal.''

Theo gripped his wand, spinning away from her as he aimed it at the boy, so did she, ''On three?''

Amelie nodded, grasping one hand at the other to keep herself balanced. It was in the middle of the night. Darkness and shadows swallowed them in the dimmed kitchen.

''One.''

Both of them straightened their shoulders.

''Two.''

Amelie sucked in the harshest of breaths, causing it to drag daggers down her throat.

''Three.''

The iced light bolted from both of their wands, brightening the gloom around them in lively colors. Amelie searched while Theodore healed. She was much more clever to understand, to form patterns, and to read signals — while Theodore had the skill for putting the broken back together. They were an outstanding team. They always had been.

Amelie and Teddy complemented each other well, and it was Adrian's safest bet.

Flickering her eyes across his cold, nearly frozen figure — she earned no idea of how he could be alive. Amelie burnt Azkaban to the ground. There wasn't a way for him to survive that, she believed, until a gasp fled her throat, noticing how his clothes were stained in dirt, looking like sand almost.

''The water...'' She breathed, shaking her head and looking up at Theo as the light, still looping around them, shifted brighter. She was onto something, ''How bad are his burns?''

Theo frowned slightly as he hummed, ''Not bad. Deep but not bad, it's like something stopped the burning process....''

''It makes so much sense!'' Harshly whispering now, she ripped away from the magic she searched his body with, and she marched around the table, ''You don't understand, Teddy. He should've died. I burnt it all to the ground. There isn't a way he could be alive and not have any burns to kill him, but—'' She continued until she leveled Adrian's head, ''The water.''

''Water?'' Never had he been so confused. Theo tried so desperately to understand what she meant. He'd never been to Azkaban. He didn't know it was guarded by miles of mighty sea. He just so miserably needed to save the piece of his heart, lying numb and lifeless on the counter, ''What the hell are you—''

''Listen to me, Teddy—'' Amelie dragged the tips of her fingers over the exposed surface Adrian possessed, where the fire had caused holes in his shirt. The fabric of his wearing melted with his skin, ''He burnt in that fire. He was trapped, so he must have thrown himself into the water, and it must have been so cold because of this....''

She lifted Adrian's chin, tilting it so Theodore could see the scarring of his blazed flesh, ''This doesn't happen by itself. He shouldn't be alive. He couldn't have healed like this without ice-cold water, Teddy. Not with these burns and not with that fire but the water saved him.'' 

It ached within Theo, coming to a realization Amelie yet had forgotten about, clearing his throat, he increased his healing, ''Threw himself in order to save his life from the fire, or jumped to die?''

Amelie's eyes flickered, her face drained of emotion as she caught his trembling words, ''Teddy—''

''You can continue this, can't you?'' Gritting his teeth, Theodore backed up, spacing himself from Adrian. He didn't look at the wounded boy anymore, ''I can't do this, Amelie.''

Nodding, she knew exactly what he meant. Theodore took care of Draco when she wasn't able to. Now it was her turn to mend for Theo's love, ''Go upstairs, I'll send for you when he needs to move.''

Theo slipped out of the kitchen as Amelie stayed behind to warm the boy and search for other injuries, but he didn't go up to his room as she told him to. He snuck down the stairs instead, and he hunched beside the door Draco was kept within. He couldn't stand anything anymore.

He needed Malfoy. Even if he was in a lost state of mind, Theodore needed his friend.

Being prepared as he was for losing Adrian — Theo had banned Pucey from his mind, and ever since Amelie confessed about how he sacrificed himself so that she could live, he tried to replace the sorrow and mourning of the one and only person who seemed to love him back, with the girl he lived for.

Theodore always put Amelie above himself, and he'd rather focus on getting Draco back than settle his mind upon the boy who chose the former love of his life before him.

Never could he be upset with Adrian for surrendering himself in order to save her. Theo would've done the exact same thing without blinking. Yet he was, Theodore was indeed troubled that Adrian so bluntly gave his life for hers and left him behind.

Again, someone left him without question, and he was ever so miserably left behind.

''Nott—'' Draco scowled the minute his sight squinted through the light outside the cellar he was chained within, ''What the hell—''

''I know you don't love her right now. I know you hate her and that you want to kill her, but I need you to be honest with me,'' He blurted out, the door slamming shut behind him as the gloomy light shifted brightly, ''I need to know something, Draco and I know you probably can't be honest, but I need you to try.''

Malfoy clicked his tongue, tilting his head as he glared at the brunet, ''Where is she?''

''Draco—''

''I want to know where she is. It's been hours since she walked out from here, which means it's the middle of the night now. My guess is... two, three in the morning? Is she sleeping?'' Malfoy held hostility in his voice, yet he was desperate to know if she'd been able to heal the wounds he caused upon her, ''Is she still sleeping in our bed?''

Theodore looked away, not knowing if he was meant to spill the secrets he so urgently wished to know, ''She does. Atlas sleeps on her side, and she sleeps on yours.''

A rush of pain scored through Draco's veins, feeling nauseous almost, ''Can she sleep? Or is she fiddling with the edges of the covers all night?''

''I think she got a few hours last night. She's exhausted, Draco. You've seen her, you know she's drained,'' Theodore took steps to the side, sliding down next to the wall, his spine felt heavy upon it, ''I had to put her to sleep the night we got you back... we lost someone.''

''What?'' Draco fired, rudely, ''What do you mean — who? Who died, Nott?''

Hesitating, Theo's mind caught the girl upstairs, and his whole being caved at everything she'd been through. Even someone like Blaise she mourned, ''Zabini.''

''Zabini, what the hell did she do with Zabini— no.'' Closing his eyes, he thought about it. How Amelie didn't travel to Azkaban by herself. She'd gotten help from Blaise to get them out. ''He wouldn't be that fucking stupid. He wouldn't take her there. He knows I'd kill him.''

''Well, he did, and now he's dead. They were aiming for her, but they got him instead,'' Battling the idea if he was meant to tell Draco about Adrian, he decided not to. Perhaps the boy Amelie healed was more educated on Malfoy's state than they were, ''They were trying to kill her, and she didn't have a wand, Draco. He saved her life.''

''Damn it,'' Draco hushed, tilting his head back as the chains rattled, ''Fucking damn it. So stupid! Why would he take here there? Why would he... Zabini doesn't know Azkaban, Nott.''

The hurtful glint shifted into a darkened one as Draco stretched his spine, ''He's never been there. I'd know if he had, so how could he take her there if he doesn't know where to find it?''

Gulping now, Theodore looked away.

''Who?'' Draco snapped, louder, ''Who took her to Azkaban? My mother? My father?'' More and more realizations came to Malfoy's mind, ''Why are you awake? What was that noise I heard earlier?''

''What noise?'' Theo stuttered, knowing that he'd let on more than he was supposed to, ''I don't know what you're—''

''Who is she with, Nott?'' Draco didn't falter. He yanked at his chains, and his skin reddened in fury, ''Who the hell has she been seeing behind my back—''

''You always say that you'll leave if she leaves. What does that mean?'' Theodore stood completely out of his own mind, not properly grasping a thing. He still needed to ask what he came down here to ask, and he wished to defuse the tension Draco brought, ''You would die if she dies, right? Do you say that because you mean it or because you think she likes to hear it?''

Draco blinked quickly, easing the tensed hold he had of his chains, and he leaned back in his chair. Looking suspiciously at the brunet, ''Is this another trick? For you two to try and turn me again? Where is she? Who is she with—''

A loud sigh hewed the blond off, ''You hurt her, Malfoy. She was bleeding, and that's beside the point—''

''That's...'' Draco swallowed thickly as he swayed his hair to the side, making the blond strands fall from his eyes, ''I didn't plan on doing that. Did she—'' He didn't want to show emotion. He couldn't, ''What is she doing?''

''Like you care,'' Theo wasn't fully aware of his actions, knowing how Amelie at this moment was trying to save Adrian's life, ''She's with someone...upstairs.''

It felt like someone turned all the warmth in this world off as the entire room shifted cooly. Draco stiffened, his skin paled, ''Someone?'' He hissed at the image of Amelie being with someone else, ''Who?''

''It's none of your concern, Malfoy,'' Theodore crossed his arms, poking his chest out.

Ache. It ached so wildly within Draco, and it almost numbed the craving he had to kill her.

''Who?'' Malfoy shouted now, not sparing an ounce of his temper, ''Is it another guy? Yeah? There's another guy up there, isn't it? Who the fuck—''

Theodore dragged his eyes from Draco, backing up until he was standing in the doorway. He didn't say anything.

''She doesn't love me anymore, does she?'' Caving into his chair, Draco felt so small, ''She's not in love with me anymore.''

''I still want to know what I asked of you before, so tell me,'' Theo said, harsher now. He wanted to know, ''If she leaves, you leave. Is it because you actually wanted to die for her? You loved her so much you wanted to die if she did?''

''Nott—''

''Tell me.''

''I can't do that—''

''Just tell me, damn it!''

''Yes!''

Malfoy was heaving now, confused out of his mind. He still battled the frame of Amelie and someone else, ''Of course, I'd die for her. I'd kill myself in a heartbeat if she needed me to.''

''So it's possible then, feeling like that with someone else then? To love someone else so much that you actually want to die for them?'' Tears prickled in Theo's eyes, shaking his head as he stepped closer, ''Would you sacrifice yourself for her?''

Draco rolled his neck, tensing his shoulders. It took a lot of him to confess what he'd already had done, ''Get out, Nott.''

''I just want to know, and then I'll leave.'' Shaking, Theodore's eyes pleaded his.

''What do you want me to say, Nott?'' Draco was spitting his words, trying to avoid his own emotions. The way he'd hurt Amelie earlier took more than a toll on the blond, ''That I love her so much that I am willing to die for her? I think you know the answer to that.''

''I don't know....'' Theodore let out in a whisper, ''It didn't look like that earlier.''

Looking away, Malfoy drew a breath, ''I'd tear this world apart for her, Nott. So what the hell do you think? But that doesn't really matter anymore, does it? She's not in love with me.''

''You hurt her,'' Theodore halted, feet away, both of them glaring at the other, ''You tried to kill her. You don't get to pity yourself right now.''

''Yeah?'' Growing inflamed, Draco spat, ''She cheated on me? Is that it? What if I fucked someone else too? What if I was living hell of a life when you thought I was captured? Whoever it is upstairs can have her.''

''You would never do that to her,'' Theodore gulped, wide-eyed, understanding that Draco misunderstood him completely, ''You would never cheat on her.''

He wouldn't. They both knew that, but Malfoy felt so hurt by the thought of Amelie even thinking about giving upon him. He wasn't anywhere near his right mind. If he'd been let out as they spoke — he'd most likely rush upstairs to rip her apart.

It was what he'd been tortured into doing. That was his only goal, yet it pained him. It ached so severely within Draco to even think that she would let him go. That she wouldn't fight for him.

''I would, and I did. I took the first fucking chance I got to sleep with someone else. Fucking another witch was the best bloody thing I've done in over a year. Anyone is better than Avery in that field—''

''Teddy...''

Draco stopped breathing.

Not once, since that soft angelic voice he couldn't grow tired of, stammered the brunets name, did he look away from Theodore. Malfoy didn't dare to. He was terrified that he would turn human if he did.

''Amelie—'' Theo spun around, looking right at his best friend as she stood, with tears crowded in her eyes, ''No—''

Clearing her throat with half a sob, Amelie quickly wiped the tears away, and she stretched her spine, gathering all the courage she still carried, ''Your patient is ready.''

''Patient?'' Draco snapped his neck, looking at her from behind Theodore, and his heart dropped. The sight of Amelie's clothes, being drenched in blood and her skin stained in the crimson color, caused his insides to wrench, ''What the fuck happened?''

''Teddy,'' Amelie didn't spare Draco as much as a glare, ''You need to come. He's waking up soon, and I think it's better if you—''

''Avery,'' Draco said, cutting her short, but she still didn't want to look at him, ''What I said—''

''Theodore,'' She begged now, shutting Draco out as she understood how hard this must be for Theo, always being in a constant battle between everyone, ''Please, he needs you.''

''Avery—''

What Draco had stated before he realized that she was there — tore her apart. Amelie had given her body to him, despise every single insecurity she owned, she handed her whole self to Malfoy, and he talked about her like she was nothing to him.

Grasping that he was far out of his normal self, that he loathed her now in this state, she still never thought he'd ever spoken of her as he did. Never did she believe that Draco would make her feel the way she did now.

''Avery—'' Malfoy arched forward in his chair. He gripped the wooden armrests, digging his nails into them, ''Listen to me.''

''I'll be upstairs, Teddy, but you need to hurry—'' She whispered before she backed away, and it was a moment, if so, a tiny one, where he got to level her gaze. Amelie looked at Draco with so much hurt in her heart that it caused his to cease.

''For fucks sake, listen to me, Avery!''

Amelie walked away.

''Fucking hell!'' Malfoy shouted, tossing and turning in his chair, nearly ripping his chains to pieces at the way he fought them, ''Just fucking kill me, Nott! Take my fucking life. I don't want it anymore.''

He couldn't breathe.

''She's not in love with me anymore, Nott,'' Draco looked away, pain and torture filled his eyes, ''So whatever you came here to do, isn't worth it. To none of us if she doesn't want me after this.''

Frowning, Theodore took a step closer, ''She will always love you—''

''There's a bloody difference!'' Draco shouted, hauling at his chains, ''There's a bloody fucking difference between her loving me and her being in love with me. If Amelie doesn't want me — you might as well kill me on the spot because I wouldn't be alive without her.''

Malfoy's head tipped forward, burying his chin against his chest, ''Without her, I might as well die.''

Screaming and yelling, Draco knew that he'd hurt her more than any violent act ever could. He keened how fragile she was when it came to her body, and now — now he was a reason as to why she hid it. Why she concealed her scars and dressed in covering clothes.

''Just fucking kill me!'' Tears shaped in his eyes, and he had never hated himself more than he did now, ''Kill me and let her be happy. I can't make her happy. Just let me go, let me die, and take care of her, Nott. I can't do this anymore.''

''I'll be back,'' Rushing a hand through his hair, Theodore didn't know who he was supposed to comfort, but as he'd always had done, he chose Amelie.

Teddy would always choose Amelie.

Walking his way out the door, he looked back at the blond as he sat chained and nearly crying in the darkness, ''I'll be back in the morning, Malfoy. Try to get some sleep.''

_____

Stroking her fingers across Theodore's dressed spine, she granted the boy a heartwarming smile. The dawn had climbed the treetops, and the sun flickered in between the curtains of his room. She'd stayed by his side all night, both of them hovering over the boy they waited for to wake up.

''Any minute now,'' She whispered, pushing her lips into Theo's head, ''He'll wake up any minute now.''

''How do we do this, Amelie?'' Theodore kept his elbows placed on his knees. Not once did he take his sight away from Adrian, ''Are we keeping him in here? Do we tell Narcissa? Malfoy?''

''I don't want him near Atlas,'' She stood tall, walking around the bed and slipping onto it. Her spine struck the headboard, ''I don't want to risk it. We don't know how he'll be when he wakes up, and I can't risk Atlas being taken.''

''Of course not,'' Theo nearly snarled at her, offended that she even thought she had to make that part clear to him, ''That's why I didn't mention Atlas. I'd never let Adrian near him.''

''I'm sorry,'' Her eyes fell upon the boy lying next to her, and she smiled faintly, ''I didn't mean it like that. I just... we need to keep him safe. It's dangerous enough that Draco is in the basement.''

''I know it is,'' He hummed, taking a deep breath, ''We can move him if you want? You don't have to have him here. What he said down there, what he said he did, Amelie — I hope you know he was lying. He would never do that to you. ''

''I want to have him here,'' She looked away, quickly as her fingers twitched against her palms, ''I want him close.''

''Amelie—''

''What if he did, Teddy?'' She blurted, aching so vividly within, ''What if he cheated on me? What if everything he said down there is true? What if he actually played me? If this was his plan all along—''

''That's enough,'' Theo clenched his jaw, gritting his teeth, ''He would never do that to you. Never, Amelie. He's lost in his own head, and he has no idea what's going on right now. He was jealous, and he was mad, but he would never cheat on you — perhaps he'd cheat for you, to save you if it ever comes to that, but he wouldn't do it because he wanted to.''

Shaking her head, Amelie tried to space herself from the hurtful images of Draco betraying her in that way. She'd given her body to him. She'd given him everything, and just the thought of him wanting someone else caused her heart to sink.

''What about you?'' She tried to change the topic, ''How is this going to work for you? With Adrian here?''

''I think he can help us, Amelie,'' Theodore whispered, pushing himself off his chair, ''I think he can tell us how to fix Malfoy. He was good with these things, torture, and understanding how to twist the mind.''

Blinking in surprise to his words, she peered down at Adrian, shocked, ''I think I'd know just how good he was with those things, Teddy—''

''Damn it,'' He muttered from the bathroom, pouring water onto a cloth and bringing it to the bed, he wiped Adrian's forehead clean, and he rolled the fabric down his cheeks, ''I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry. I mean that he knows more than us, and I think he can help.''

''I think he can help too, but I also think it's for the better if he stays in here until we know what to do with him. I can't have him out in the house when Atlas is here, Teddy. He can run into him, and I don't—''

''I know,'' Hunching onto the chair again, both of them jolted by the sudden shift in Adrian's position, sensing how the boy was waking up.

''I think I should—'' Amelie tipped her head against the door, wanting to leave for them to have a moment alone, ''I'll take Atlas out in the yard to pick some flowers, and you can make sure Adrian's okay.''

''I think he'd like for you to be here too,'' Theo leveled her gaze for so a second until hers dropped to watch the boy, ''He felt safe with you, and I think—''

''I have Draco now,'' Amelie trailed the tips of her fingers across Adrian's forehead, brushing some strands of his hair away, ''I have Draco, and Adrian has you. Besides, if I don't play more with Atlas, he'll throw a tantrum on me, so I think it's for the better.''

''I love you,'' The brunet smiled weakly as she walked over the floor, spinning around in the doorway, ''I love you, Amelie, and if this in any way makes you uncomfortable — you have to tell me, and we'll take Adrian somewhere else.''

''I love you more,'' She mumbled, ''You deserve to be happy, Teddy. Remember what we said last night. You don't have to forgive him, but you are allowed a chance to be happy.''

''You make me happy,'' He said, his eyes caught hers again, and he'd never grow tired of looking at her. Theodore loved his best friend more than he'd ever loved anyone.

''And you make me happy,'' She began to close the door, ''Even if you're a bit foolish at times—'' She chuckled, slamming the door shut as rapidly as she could.

''I heard that!''

Amelie made her way down to the kitchen, seeing how Narcissa slipped down the hall with a tray in her hands. It was time for her morning with Draco. She always made sure to spend some time with her son in that basement.

''Amelie!'' Atlas nearly shouted, sprinting his way up to her and wrapping his arms around her waist, ''You're awake!''

''I am,'' The girl huffed out, arching her spine and tousling her hands into his messy curls, ''And so are you, I see.''

''Narcissa made me breakfast,'' He smiled, tucking his chin into her belly and looking up at her, ''She made me pancakes with berries in them, Amelie! Berries in the pancakes! Can you believe that? That's so cool.''

''That sounds delicious,'' Amelie chuckled, her head felt heavy from her lack of sleep, ''Then you better go eat it then, don't you? Before Teddy comes down and eats them instead.''

''No!'' Atlas abruptly let go of her, nearly jumping his way back to the kitchen island as he crawled up on the high chair, and he immediately began to stuff pieces of his breakfast into his mouth, ''Teddy ate my chocolate frogs last night.''

''Did he?'' Amelie smiled, stepping up to the counter and dropping to the chair next to his, ''Teddy eats my chocolate too.''

A grimace climbed him, frowning slightly, ''I like Teddy. He told me to curse—''

''What?'' Amelie raised her brows, looking down at her brother, ''Teddy did what?''

''Nothing...'' Atlas blushed, grabbing his fork and shoving more pancakes into his mouth, ''He said you look pretty—''

''Mhm,'' Placing her elbows upon the marble, she rolled her eyes, ''I'm sure he did.''

''But he also said that if I want to, when it's just him and me — I can say damn it.''

Amelie blinked ever so quickly, rubbing her knuckles in her eyes, ''No, you can't—''

''He said you do it!'' The boy laughed out, muffled by the food, ''He said you say damn it and if you say damn it—''

''Stop saying it.''

''Damn it.''

''Atlas—''

''Damn it.''

''Atlas, stop—''

''Damn it, damn it, damn it....''

Amelie didn't know what to do, so instead, she grabbed a fist full of whipped cream from his plate, and she smeared it to her little brother's face, ''Stop saying damn it,'' She chuckled at the look of him, covered in the substance.

Atlas laughed so loudly that it echoed down the hall, dragging his palms over his face, and when she least expected it, he stained her arms with the whipped cream, ''Damn it!'' He grinned proudly.

''Atlas—''

''You started it!'' He yelled, picking up a pancake as he threw it on her, ''Don't start something you can't finish!''

''You little—'' Amelie took the same pancake and threw it back on her brother, ''I'm older than you—''

''What? Are you a grandma—''

''No, you didn't—'' She laughed, looking after the boy as he slipped down from the chair, running around the kitchen island to the counter on the other side of the room. Narcissa had left a bowl of whipped cream upon it, ''No, Atlas!''

''Oh dear!'' Narcissa stood wide-eyed in the doorway, seeing how Atlas had his arm down the bowl and how both of the siblings were covered in whipped cream, ''I leave for fifteen minutes, and you two....''

''I didn't do anything!'' Atlas shot Amelie a smug smirk, ''Amelie taught me how to curse.''

''Amelie—''

''I didn't!'' She stood up, taking a paper towel to wipe the fluff off her face, ''Teddy told him to say damn it and when he didn't stop....''

''Mhm.'' The lady crossed her arms, staring them both down, ''Well, you better go upstairs, Atlas. You can't go around in that dirty pajamas all day, can you?''

''Fine...'' The boy huffed, squinting as he provokingly smiled at Amelie, ''Can you read for me later?''

''We'll see about that,'' His sister shook her head, peering after Atlas as he went before her sight leveled Narcissa again, ''How... how was he?''

She looked away, sighing, ''He didn't sleep... He said something happened last night, and he didn't sleep.''

The feeling of warmth she'd gotten from playing around with her litter brother vanished and was replaced with the ache of Malfoy not feeling alright.

Amelie panted out a troubled breath, bending her upper body over the bench, and she buried her head into her arms, ''Adrian is alive.''

It caused Narcissa to shiver, to freeze as she placed the dishes in the sink, ''Excuse me?''

''He's alive, and he's asleep upstairs, or he's waking up now... Teddy is with him.''

Narcissa's lips fell parted. They'd told her everything. Amelie had spoken the truth of both Azkaban and Adrian to her — Theodore had done the same, and Draco's mother now knew all of their secrets, even if she suspected them before.

''Theodore...'' She shook her head, placing her palms upon the counter, ''Is he alright? He thought that boy died and he's been crying—''

''He's with him now, and I don't know,'' She smiled, almost, ''But something tells me he's going to be just fine.''

The image of Adrian and Theodore together did her good. Amelie wished nothing but happiness upon her best friend, even if that joy would be found with her former lover. Theodore Nott deserved the world, she believed, and if this were a piece of heaven — she'd do anything for him to have it.

''And you?''

That was a much tougher question. She didn't know how to answer it. Worn and drawn from battling Draco, to doing the best she could with Atlas, and finally Adrian being back. Never could she answer that truthfully.

''I don't know,'' She whispered, and Narcissa noticed just how much the girl was struggling, ''I will be fine. I think.''

''It's alright to hurt,'' The lady lowered her voice, marching up to Amelie with a wet towel, and she carefully stroked it across her arms, wiping the whipped cream away, ''It's alright to feel, Amelie. You don't have to put all of them above yourself. My son hurt you. Adrian hurt you. You don't—''

Tears began to form at the words Narcissa was speaking, and with a deep breath, Amelie wrapped her arms around her, hugging Draco's mother with all she had.

''I'm just scared,'' She whimpered, crying now, ''I'm scared that I'm losing him. I can't live without Draco.''

''I know, dear,'' Narcissa spoke into the wavy strands of Amelie's hair, ''I know, but he's downstairs. He's still there, Amelie. I can feel it. We just need to try to get him out.''

Amelie stood there for long moments, hugging Narcissa and draining her of all comfort she could possibly give until Atlas called on her and she needed to help him with his clothes.

Halting in the doorway, Narcissa shot her a gracious smile, ''Go down there and talk to him. I think it could do both of you some good.''

She hesitated for almost an hour. Amelie doubted and weighed if it was a good idea for her to visit Draco again. She was longing so much for him that it ripped her apart, but at the same time, she didn't know if she was able to handle his cruel words.

Amelie knew this wasn't her Draco. That Malfoy wouldn't treat her like this if he wasn't forced to, yet it burnt within her.

With two cups of tea in her hands and a shaking breath, she stepped into the cellar. She leveled the damned eyes.

''Finally,'' Draco scoffed arrogantly, ''Mother said she'd send you down here over an hour ago.''

Standing with her spine pressed against the door, she frowned, ''How do you know that it's been an hour?''

''I counted the minutes.''

Amelie's sight flickered, and she, with stumbling steps, walked up to him. Settling one of the teacups in front of him before she backed up again.

Draco rose a brow, ''Sure that's the one with sugar this time?'' Remembering all the times she gave him the wrong one, ''I can't stand your damn honey. I don't understand how you can drink that.''

''Teddy smells—''

''Like honey, I know,'' He finished for her, reaching for the cup, ''You say that all the time.''

''Then why are you asking?'' She kept her tone calm.

Taking a sip of the hot drink, he looked right at her, ''What do I smell like?''

It took her a moment before her lips parted, and she said, ''Home,'' Her voice shaking, ''You smell like home.''

His jaw gritted, and his sight grounded, ''Still?''

''You always will,'' Amelie sat down on the floor, drawing her knees up, ''That's not changing just because you did.''

''Avery—''

''Did you cheat on me?''

Her words tore through the room, and dashes of pain stained his icing eyes, ''You already know the answer to that.''

''Do I?'' She lifted a brow, snapping her neck to peer down at her lap, ''That's not what it sounded last night.''

''I'd rather die than cheat on you.'' Draco felt so much agony within that he had to tell her that. He was ruthless to her. He understood that, yet it pained him that she questioned him. He would never hurt her in that way, ''I didn't cheat on you. I tried to get back to you every minute of the days I wasn't here.''

It warmed her up inside, somewhere, knowing that he didn't fully give up on her.

''My turn.''

''What—''

''What happened last night?'' Placing the cup upon his table again, he rolled his shoulders, staring at her from a distance, ''You asked me one question, now it's my turn. What happened?''

Debating what he'd asked for seconds, she took a sip of her tea, ''Someone made it back.''

''Who?''

''That's two questions,'' Amelie felt the heat of the mug in her palms, ''You said one question, so it's my turn again.''

Rolling his eyes, he fixed them upon her, ''Fine.''

''What happened when you escaped from Azkaban?'' Dubiously, she asked that. She'd been wondering ever since Blaise told her about it, how come he didn't tell her himself.

''What?'' Licking his bottom lip, he propped himself up in the chair, ''How the hell do you know—''

''Blaise told me,'' She had a glint of curiosity in her eyes that he caught immediately, and the boy didn't feel like he had anything else to lose.

''I killed someone, and I got caught,'' Draco held a chilly look, not an emotion showed upon him, ''It was a different world back then, and they sentenced me to Azkaban for it, but I got out, and I fucked it all up, for everyone.''

She stayed silent, waiting for him to keep going, and he did, ''If I didn't make that mistake, my family would've been free. My father wouldn't have given mother and me up to join the Dark Lord, and I wouldn't have done all of this to you.''

''That's not true,'' She shook her head as her fingers brushed over the cement floor, rolling some tiny rocks between the tips of them, ''My mother still ran away, and he would've just sent someone else to do what you did.''

''Wouldn't that had been better?'' He took his cup again, bending forward in his chair, ''If it wasn't me?''

An arch on her lips as she tried to hide it, ''Is that a question?''

Glaring at her now, '' Yes.''

''No,'' Amelie breathed, her chest rose and fell heavily, ''It wouldn't have been better. I wouldn't change a thing between us.''

Draco hated himself. He absolutely despised himself that he was the reason she settled for this. He tried to kill her not too many days ago, and the utter fact that she was this kind to him — caused him to feel.

''Are you in love with me?'' He asked, out of the blue, and it rocked her. Amelie didn't think he cared if she was.

''That's two questions,'' Raising her cup, she tipped her head to the side, ''My turn first — how are you?''

''How am I?'' He growled, shocked and bothered, ''What the hell type of question is that?''

Amelie simply looked at him as he placed one of his ankles upon his knee, both of his elbows on the armrests.

''How are you?'' She said again, ''I want to know how you are. All you've been doing every time I've been down here is yell and scream at me. I never get to ask how you're doing anymore.''

Muttering something inaudibly underneath his breath, he sunk further into the chair, ''It feels like I can't breathe, sometimes.''

''Why?'' Forcing her palms into the floor, she stood tall. Brushing the material of her nightdress off, ''Why can't you breathe, Draco?''

''Because you're not mine.'' He didn't spare her a glance, boring his stare into the stone, his eyelids twitched, ''Because I hurt you and because I'm scared that I've lost you for good.''

''Draco...''

''Don't pity me. I don't want your pity, Amelie. I want you. I want you for the rest of my god damn life, but I'm never getting you back, am I?'' He missed her so much that it tore him to pieces, and she stood right there. She was so close, yet never had she been further away, ''I fucked it up. Like I fuck everything else up!''

''Don't say—''

''Don't say what? The fucking truth? I tried to kill you, Amelie. I tried to drown you in our bloody bathtub, all because I'm so fucking weak!'' Straightening his shoulders, his eyes found hers again, ''I'm so fucking weak for what I did to you. I don't deserve you. I could never deserve you after that.''

Never had she been so frustrated. Never had Amelie been so upset with his lack of understanding in fusion with his stubborn mind, ''You don't get to decide that for me. I'm fully capable of deciding that on my own. That will never be up to you, how I choose to love you—''

''You don't know who you're dealing with,'' He yelled, and he started to intimidate her again, ''You have no bloody idea who I really am behind all that love I have for you.''

''Tell me then!'' She shouted, despair ripped through her soft vocals, ''Tell me what the Dark Lord did to you! Help me understand you. You never talk about it, and I never ask you to because I know how hard it must have been. Just like I don't talk about Adrian.''

''Don't speak his fucking name,'' Draco spat furiously. He yanked wildly at his chains, ''I don't want his fucking name on your damn lips, Amelie!''

Gulping, she felt more than guilty that she hid that exact same boy upstairs. That she rescued his life after he sacrificed it to save them.

''You want to know what happened to me? Yeah? I was bloody tortured since I was a fucking child — just like you, but the difference is that I was so damn weak, Amelie. I couldn't stand against it, and I caved. I became what he wanted me to be, and I turned into a murderer. That's what happened to me.''

Drawing a deep breath, he slackened into his chair, ''He praised me. He awarded me with compliments and attention, and he asked my parents not to. After he'd done that, he took it away. He ripped me apart for his own pleasure, and I got dependent. I got bloody hooked on the validation of a father figure like him. Of course, I didn't know it back then — how he asked my own father not to give me any attention and to curse me for every single thing I did. Remember the scars I showed you in the library? The scars you kiss every chance you get? Many of them are from battles and fights, yes, but most of them are from my father.''

Amelie slipped down against the wall again, hugging her knees to her chest, and she listened.

''The Dark Lord gave me everything he secretly took, only to take it away again on his own terms, and he did that, over and over until there wasn't anything left of me, and he could shape me into whatever he pleased. Mother always told me how he threatened them to take me away if they didn't play along. Then I found you, and you saved me.''

Her heart ached for him. She never knew this.

''So there you have it. I'm a lost fucking cause, and I lived on borrowed time with you. You gave me the time I never thought I'd have. I got it, and then I ran out of it because, in the matter of three days, he managed to change me again.''

''You were tortured, Draco,'' She whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks as she sought too hard to wipe them away before he saw it, ''What he did to you isn't your fault. It will never be your fault to carry.''

''Yeah?'' He lifted his chin, ''Because you love me? Is that why you're saying this? Because I'm yours, and you're mine? Because I'd die for you, and you'd leave for me?''

''Stop, don't say—''

''That it's us, and that we're going to make it out of this?''

''Draco—''

''Then what the hell do you want me to say, Amelie? That I want a family with you? That I want you to carry my kids? That I have a ring in the inner pocket of one of my jackets upstairs? That I've had that fucking ring ever since we went to London before Christmas?''

That caused her to snap her head, looking at him with broad eyes, ''What?''

''That I've wanted to ask you to marry me every damn day since then? Because I did. I do. I want that. I want all of those things with you. I never thought I could have that. I never thought I would be loved in the way you love me, and I thought I'd be alone, but I found you, and then I fucked it up.'' Heaving, his chest felt like it was on the edge of exploding.

''Don't do this,'' Amelie felt so beaten, her mind couldn't handle much more, ''Don't tell me this.''

''Tell you what?'' Draco kept going, desperate for her to understand, ''The truth?''

''Yes, Draco. Don't tell me the truth when you know we can't have it.''

It turned quiet. Both of them were painfully out of breath.

''You asked me if I'm in love with you,'' Amelie broke the silence, her words barely heard, ''I could never imagine a life where I won't be.''

Standing on her feet, she felt her bones as they turned to dust within her, and she, without proper thought to what he'd do to her, raised her wand, and she whispered, 'finite' underneath her breath.

With broad eyes, Draco watched how the chains loosened, and with a noise falling to the ground, ''Don't do this, Amelie.''

''I want that future too,'' Her voice held so thin as she stood with her arms hanging by her sides and her eyes begged his. Silently, she pleaded for his mercy.

Malfoy forced his hands into the armrests, and he stretched tall on his legs, ''Amelie....''

''Come back to me,'' She said, and that was all it took for him to storm towards her.

Amelie's breaths hitched the very seconds his palms caught her jaws, and he heedlessly pushed his lips to hers.

Crashing her spine into the cellar wall, Draco kissed her. His damned lips melted with her pure ones, and never had he kissed her as he did now.

Pressing his body against hers. He drained her of everything she owned, moving his lips along with hers, and he stole the air from her lungs.

''I love you,'' Draco breathed heavily into her mouth, one hand stayed on her jaw as the other tangled in her hair, ''How I fucking love you, Amelie.''

''Come back to me,'' She let out quietly, finding trouble breathing as she stretched up on her toes and she kissed him back, ''Be with me, Draco.''

''I am yours,'' Growling now, he kept honoring her lips with his, breathing her and every piece of heaven she brought him, in, ''I'm fucking yours to the end of time.''

Slipping his hand lower from her chin, he caught her throat, and unconsciously — he tensed his fingers, ''I love you,'' He groaned, ''I love you.''

''Draco—''

He leaned back as she peeled her lashes wide, and that's when she saw it.

The darkness took over again.

''No, Draco—'' Lifting her hands from his waist, she tried to pry his touch away from her, ''Stop!''

Malfoy didn't, and panic bolted through her. Viciously, he forced her body into the wall, her head collided with the stone, ''Draco—''

Amelie couldn't breathe as his hand tightened around her throat, squeezing so roughly that her eyes nearly rolled back. Her feet didn't touch the ground anymore.

''Draco!'' She tried to scream, but it was like he didn't hear her, and his grip lifted her higher.

He was strangling her. The wicked mind the Dark Lord chained him in seized every ounce of sanity he still owned.

''Draco, please—'' Clawing at his arms, digging her nails into his hands, she sought to free herself. Tears rolled down her pale skin, and her lips shaded in blue, and just like that, he ripped his hands off of her.

Stumbling back, he stared ever so blankly down at his own shaking hands. Malfoy gasped for air as she fell helplessly to the ground.

''No—'' He shook his head, and his gaze trapped the girl coughing on the floor, ''No, no, no. I hurt you again....''

Not wasting a second, he marched to his chair, yelling, ''Chain me!'' Draco couldn't believe what he'd done. He tried to kill her again, ''Fucking chain me!''

He craved for Amelie to lock him up again. He couldn't risk her. He wasn't as strong to fight the evil thoughts he carried as he thought he was.

Grasping for her wand, she whispered the spell, and the chains bonded him to the chair.

''Get out of here!'' He shouted, tears rimmed in his eyes, ''Right now, Amelie. Get out!''

And she did. Amelie nearly crawled out as the door slammed with a loud thud behind her.

_____

One week.

One entire week passed since she last saw Draco, and it ached a bit more for every day that passed. Never did Amelie think it was possible to miss someone as much as she missed him.

It drowned her, over and over. It took every last piece and toll of her to stay balanced enough to function for Atlas, to be with him and make sure he had someone when their mother was still in the wind.

The time she didn't use with her brother she spent crying in the shower, their bed, and outside the cellar, Draco was locked up inside. Every nerve in her body ached for him. Every vessel shredded in the utter longing for her heart to beat in bearing with his again, but she never got there.

Hearing him cry was the worst of it all. As she sat outside the metal door keeping them apart, she'd hear it. She'd hear his cries, his sobs as they so heartbreakingly leveled in anger and hatred for himself. Relentlessly, he kept going. Malfoy yanked at his chains. He screamed and shouted in agony of what he'd done to her.

Draco always believed he saved her, that he brought her up to the surface sinful souls in her life continuously kept her below, but never did he think he'd be the reason she would drown altogether.

She missed him. She missed him. She missed him.

That was all she could manage — that she missed him.

That his voice in the early morning as she rolled over to her side between the sheets of their bed wasn't hers to hear.

That the kisses he'd poured over her from the second she peeled her lashes wide to the point where she had to convince him to let her leave the mattress wasn't hers to have.

That his arms as they slithered around her waist, lifting her and carrying her back to bed when she tried to get dressed, wasn't hers to feel.

How he spoke to her, that was the hardest of things, she believed, how he made her feel as his soft lips parted to honor every last inch of her. How he'd praise her for being the human she lived to be, how he welled kind words over her, how he'd look at her when he did so. How he'd touch her, how his body, no matter where they were, always held close to hers.

It tore Amelie apart because he was still there.

Draco was downstairs, and that tended to pain her to a point where she didn't wish to wake up in the morning. He was there. He wanted her as much as she wanted him, but he couldn't have her. Malfoy didn't trust himself around her after he'd tried to kill her again last week.

Finally, she realized how he must have felt when she didn't own her memories of them. It's been months since then now. Still, it soared within her that he spent time after time constantly feeling this way for her, and she nearly died after a week of it.

''I think we should tell him,'' Amelie whispered, barely in between the walls of her room, ''About Adrian, I mean. I think he deserves to know.''

''Amelie...'' Teddy tilted his head, resting on her side of the bed she shared with Draco, ''He's making so much progress. It wouldn't be fair to him if we drop this on him right now. He might snap out of what we worked—''

''Or the other way around,'' Huffing out the words, she tucked her chin into her folded arms, hugging her knees higher, ''What if this is what he needs to break out of it altogether?''

''Are you willing to risk that?'' Theo stared at her now, nearly frightened for what her answer would be, ''He's almost there, Amelie. A few more weeks—''

''A few more weeks?'' Her heavy breaths sogged the glass of her window as she stared blankly out over the trees, ''In a few more weeks, we could all be dead, Teddy. In a few more weeks, none of us may be here anymore, and I'm not waiting weeks to get him back if there's a possibility I can have him back now—''

''This is not the time to be selfish,'' Propping himself up, Theodore threw his legs across the edge of her bed, ''Think about what this would do to him—''

''Selfish?'' She hissed, spinning around in her seat, and she stood up, ''Me wanting him back is selfish? We're lying to him, Teddy. Ever since Azkaban, we've been lying to him, in his right mind or not, he's still there, but let's say we do it your way — let's say we don't tell him and he'll be fine on his own, then he'll never trust us again.''

''Me,'' Theodore rose to his feet, shaking his head at her, ''He'll never trust me again because I did this. I lied to both of you, and I saved him behind your backs. That will never be your fault. You didn't choose to bring him back to life—''

''Neither did you!'' Scowling, Amelie crossed her arms, tightening her fingers over her shirt, ''You didn't know it was him until weeks later, and when you did — it was too late. This isn't your fault either. I would never let you take all the blame for it, but we're making it our fault when we're actively hiding it from him. We're not making a mistake. We're not keeping him safe. We're making a choice, Teddy. We're making a choice. Every time you or Narcissa goes down there, we make a choice not to tell him, and that's on us.''

''That's not how it works,'' Theo stood his ground, offended that she even went there, ''He tried to kill you—''

''Because they tortured him, because they hurt him and forced him into believing that all of this is on me.''

She believed it was. Amelie felt the weight on the world as it lingered on her shoulders, ''Perhaps it is, but he wouldn't do this if they didn't force him to.''

''It's not your fault,'' Teddy reassured her, ''I know you think he's been through enough, but so have you. This isn't on you. All of this happened because Athena cheated on your father all those years ago. You were a child.''

''I know I was....'' Sighing out, her fingers twitched against the pad of her palms, and her eyes flickered to the door as it slowly shoved open, ''But we told Atlas about him, and Draco deserves to know too.''

''About me?'' Adrian stepped into the room, closing the wood behind him as he stayed afar, not wishing to intrude, ''I'm sorry I'm late, but Atlas threw that ball into the woods, and it took us almost half an hour to find it.''

''Where is he now?'' Both of the best friends asked as they snapped their heads towards each other.

''With Narcissa in the kitchen... She's making him dinner, but you we're saying—''

''Yes,'' Forcing a smile, Amelie nodded, ''I want to tell Draco about you, and Teddy doesn't.''

''That's not what I said—''

''That's exactly what you said,'' Amelie raised a brow, glaring at her friend now, ''You said that you didn't want to tell him in case it backlashes on us.''

''And is that really such a bad idea—''

''Yes,'' Adrian pitched in, frowning at his boyfriend, ''That is a bad idea. I've seen this before, Theo, and I told you that I could help.''

''What?'' Amelie strode forwards now, her whole body stiffened at what Adrian confessed, ''What do you mean told him? Teddy! You can't just keep these things from me, not when it comes to Draco—''

Pushing his lips into a solid line, Theodore scoffed at the boy in the far edge of the room, bothered and displeased with him for exposing him, ''I wasn't hiding anything. All Adrian said was that he thought he knew how to fix this—''

''You didn't tell her?'' Folding his arms, Adrian straightened his shoulders, ''You said you told her—''

''Well, obviously, I didn't,'' Panicking at the way they both were confronting him now, he took aim at the wall and drilled his stare through it.

Rolling her eyes, Amelie faced Adrian instead, shrinking a bit in her way of standing as she marched closer to him, halting only feet away, ''How do we fix him?'' She asked, begging almost, ''You said you knew how to fix this?''

''There's a reason I didn't tell her, Adrian. It's not a good idea—''

''We provoke him,'' Pucey hewed Theo off as his eyes fell upon the girl, and he couldn't fail to notice the lack of sleep she owned. The dark circles underneath her eyes, her skin ashen. Amelie was exhausted, ''I've done it before, with other... soldiers, and it's possible to break the state he's in with love like Theodore tries to do, but it's more likely that you'll break it by hurting him.''

''We tried that,'' She whispered, her sight scanned the boy, ''We tried, but it got worse. He hurt me instead—''

''Because he hates himself. You and Theo can never be his savior in this. It's as if he's ripped apart on the inside, one part of him is still here with you, and that's usually the person talking, so if he's rude or mean with words — then it's usually because he's trying to distance himself. He knows he doesn't deserve you anymore, so he tries to make you hate him.'' Taking a breath with slight hesitation, he could feel Theodore's glare as it burnt through the both of them, ''While the other part, the dangerous one is placed in his body. You said you kissed when he tried to strangle you?''

A tip of her head spoke loud enough.

''That's because he can't control it. When he stood there, telling you how he loved you and how much he wanted to be with you, he meant it, but it still took over his body even if his mind was clear. It's a dangerous thing, playing with a person in the way they did with him, but it can be fixed, just with more... provoking methods.''

Amelie blinked, quickly and her eyes were hooded, ''Provoking how?'' Sensing the hesitancy in his vocals, she needed to know.

''I think you should let me see him, not just telling him about me. I think you need to bring me in there, and I think he needs to see it, and then you'll leave it to me.''

It wasn't up to Teddy. Adrian knew that. It was up to her.

This was Amelie's call, and even if she so dubiously stood in front of him, her body so much more frail and drawn than he'd ever seen her, she nodded, and she agreed.

It was painful to her, knowing how betrayed Draco would feel by this, but she needed to do this. Amelie needed him back, no matter what the cost would be. Prizing that Malfoy would rather have died in that fire than having Adrian to thank for being alive — she peered back at Theo, and she whispered, ''Let's take him downstairs.''

_____

The door slammed shut behind her, and the second it did, the very instant Amelie showed herself through the shadows lingering along with the stone-covered walls, Draco sighed out.

Shaking his head as his chin dipped to his chest, slacking in his chair, ''No,'' He said, and he looked away. He couldn't bear to watch her, ''Absolutely not. You need to leave.''

''Draco...'' Amelie let out, silently, and her veins rushed in pure pain, ''Don't do that.''

Still with his sight mangled to the ground, he gritted his jaws, ''No. I can't have you here. I don't want you in here when I'm like this. Not after last time.''

Malfoy refused to let her see him after he attacked her. He could never risk hurting her again, not having any faith in himself, ''You need to go, Amelie. Don't do this to me.''

It ached. Every nerve felt like it flamed within him.

Hesitantly, Amelie took slow strides forward until she reached his chair, ''I'm not afraid of you.'' She wasn't. Never could she be scared of him, and never would she make him believe that she was. It would cause him to build the walls around him higher, and she couldn't have that.

''You should be,'' Draco let his sight stay floored, but it was more than hard to do so. She was standing so close to him now. So near that if he'd tipped his head forward, he'd bury it in her stomach, ''You should be scared of me. I deserve that.''

Her fingers tracked towards him, and she let the tips of them brush along his forehead. Amelie just needed to touch him. She simply craved to feel his skin on hers.

What she didn't know was that this was killing him. Having her there, inches apart with her scent of blooming flowers as it trapped him. Draco caved, he'd always cave for her, and he did what he fought so hard to resist. Curling his spine, he let his cheek crash against her belly, and he hid his face in the shelter she brought him.

''I miss you,'' Draco breathed into the soft material of her dress, reaching his arms out and wrapping them around her waist. The chains clinked along the rocks as he pulled her in between his legs, ''I miss you so much it bloody hurts.''

One minute. He could afford to lose himself in her embrace for just one minute.

Clinging her own arms around his head, she pushed her nose into his hair, and she kissed his skull, ''I miss you more,'' Her whisper caused daggers of shivers to trail down his spine, ''I miss you so much more, Draco.''

Tears crowded her eyes as she held the boy her heart was longing for, ''So please forgive me for this....''

''What—''

Amelie withdrew, quickly moving her hands down his jaws, and in a swift move, she pressed her lips to his. She kissed him, her tears rolling over to his cheeks, ''Please forgive me for this, Draco.''

Frowning, he stared wide-eyed at her as she stumbled back. Nearly tripping over her own feet, her spine collided with the wall next to the door, ''Amelie, what the hell are you—''

''I lied to you.'' Stuttering her words now, she shook her head, and he could see just how much all of her demons struggled to get a hold of her, ''I lied to you, and I am so sorry....''

His face fell, his features shifted in total coldness. He never looked at her like that, ''What did you do?''

''Ever since we found you, I've been lying,'' Slowly moving her hands over her dress, she nervously tugged at the edges of it, ''Do you remember the man that approached me at the masquerade?''

''Still need to kill him,'' Draco rolled his tongue on the inside of his cheek at the remembrance of how that Death Eater had spoken to Amelie, ''But yes, unfortunately, I do remember him.''

Not finding any amusement in his way of wording, the tears kept leaking, ''He wasn't just another man, Draco, and I didn't figure it out until the night we came to get you.''

''We?'' Raising a brow, he cocked his head, leaning back in his chair, ''Who are we? You and Zabini?''

''He's the reason we made it out of there, Draco. He saved us.''

''He?'' Clasping his teeth, nearly shattering them at the mention of another man, ''Who the hell is he?'' Draco groaned quietly to himself because there it was again.

The constant fear of her giving upon him. Malfoy could hear it in his own vocals as he spoke. The jealousy of someone other being close to her, the torture of another man saving her when he failed to do so. Deep inside, Draco knew she would never cease her faith in him. They'd been through too much for her to give up on him. He knew that. Yet it made his blood boil.

''I thought he died,'' Moving towards the door, she carefully closed her fist around the handle, ''I thought he died for us. He asked me to burn it down. He told me to burn Azkaban to the ground, so I did—''

''Wait!'' Pinching his lids for so a second, he flayed them open, and he fixed his stare upon her again. Pushing his palms into his chair and he straightened his shoulders, ''Burnt Azkaban to the ground? What the hell are you talking about? You brunt it down? Amelie, what the—''

Draco couldn't wrap his head around it, that she'd done what she said she did. He knew her to be powerful, and he always praised that the world rested on the tips of her adorable fingers, but he never took her for this. Even if he was meant to be mad, furious with the way she'd been lying to him — he could never be that.

Draco was so proud of her.

''I thought he burnt with it, and that's why we never told you,'' Continuing, she overlooked the asked questions, ''They were coming for us, and he stayed behind to stall them, and he dropped his wand, so he couldn't—''

Clearing her throat with a sob, she tried to stay solid, but every bit of that horrible night flashed through her mind, ''He couldn't take his own life, Draco. They were capturing him, and they would've figured everything out if they did. So he told me to burn it down, and I did.''

''Amelie... What did you do?''

Her eyes caught his blond hair, how tousled it looked to be, and her heart ached, pounding and swelling in her ears as she twisted her wrist around the knob, ''But he made it, Draco. He was thrown into the water, and he survived.''

Shoving the door wide, the blood flooding through her veins iced, and she tore her sight away from him. Amelie didn't want to see the look of betrayal as it took over once her secret was unrolled.

''I am so sorry for this, Draco,'' Barely mouthing the words now, she stepped aside, ''Please, forgive me.''

And then — then Draco Malfoy looked as if he'd been drained of life. His skin paled, his eyes darkened, and all the devils he'd slaughtered crammed his damned pupils, ''No....''

Adrian stepped over the threshold, and the instant he did, his eyes narrowed in Draco's, ''Well, well, well....'' The boy grinned viciously, ''We meet again, Malfoy.''

_____