You all apparate back to the school safely and Cassian and Daphne go on their way and you and Draco do the same. You're about to walk into the dark hallway leading to the Slytherin common room when you hear footsteps and two voices. Draco stops in his tracks. You tug on his arm. "What is it?" You whisper. He leans closer. "I'd recognize those voices anywhere. It's my mother and father." He whispers back.

You hear the footsteps get closer. "...odd, Draco would never leave school like that." You hear a woman's voice. "Unless he has something he's hiding from us." A male voice responds. You turn to Draco. "What do we do? We can't run back, they'll hear us!" You whisper with a panicked tone. Draco places a hand on your shoulder. "Act like we were coming from class, talk about school things, and stay a good distance to the side of me." He says.

You nod and take a breath. He nods at you and you both walk around the corner at the same time, talking about last Astronomy class. You both stop when you see his parents in front of you. Draco nods to both of them. "Hello father, mother." He says. You nod to them both as well. Draco's father eyes you for a second then glances at his son. "May I ask, Draco, who this young lady is?"

Draco looks at you out of the corner of his eye. "This is Sarafina. She's my...subordinate." Draco says. Draco's father gives you a once-over. "Very well." He says, placing a hand on Draco's shoulder as he walks by. He leans in and whispers something in Draco's ear, and Draco inhales sharply, holding back a death glare. His father pats his shoulder and walks away, his mother following suit.

Draco waits until they've rounded the corner before taking your hand, muttering something under his breath. You enter the Slytherin common room and see no one is there. Draco shoots a quick spell towards the entrance, locking it. He paces around the room putting his hands on his hips, crossing his arms, running his hands through his hair. You watch as he does this for a good minute.

"Draco," You say softly. He continues pacing. "Draco." He mutters something again. "Draco!" He snaps his head up to look at you. "Come here." You say. He walks over to you, placing his hands on your hips. "I'm sorry Sarafina," He says, placing his forehead on your shoulder. "I've been ignoring you haven't I?" You nod.

"I'm sorry. It was just that..." You place your hand under his chin, lifting his head to face you. "Hey, it's okay. I understand." You say with a soft smile. "Thank you, but my father, he..." He says, and you can sense his anger building up. You crash your lips against his and he immediately pulls you closer, kissing you fiercely. Ooh, angry kisses. You pull away and look into his eyes. "Thanks. I needed that." He says, and you nod. He wraps his arms around you and hugs you tightly. "So what did your father whisper to you before he left?" You ask.

"He told me to meet him in the library. He said it was vital that I meet him." He checks the time. "I should be going now," He give you a quick kiss and leaves the common room.

Draco's POV~

I walk briskly to the library and walk in to find it completely empty. Except for my father sitting alone at one of the tables. "You requested my presence, father?" I say, walking towards him. "Yes. I asked you to come here to talk about your...subordinate, I believe you called her." My breath hitches in my throat, but I compose myself. "What about her father?" I ask calmly.

My father steeples his fingers and looks me directly in the eye. "Don't lie to me, boy. She is more to you than a subordinate, as you called her. Why would she be your subordinate if she was freely talking to you as if you were one of her own?" I inhale sharply and my father notices. "Did you really think that I wouldn't figure out that she wasn't of pure-blood?" He asks. I say nothing.

"Hm." He scoffs. "Never had I thought that there would be a day when my son befriends a mudblood." He looks over at me. "Whatever it is that is between you, I want you to end it. Cut any and all ties with her. I don't want you to be seen meddling around with the lesser of us." I take a deep breath. "No." I say. My father looks at me. "What did you just say to me boy?"

"I said no." I repeat, rising out of my chair. My father stands up as well. "Well why not?" He says coldly. "Because," I start, trying to reason. "Although she is not of pure-blood, she is still a human being, just like the rest of us. And she's extraordinarily talented in everything she does. Just because she may be in a lower rank than you say she is, that doesn't change the fact that her wizarding skills could be equal to or better than mine." I say.

My father confronts me, his face contorted with rage. He raises his hand and slaps me hard across the face. "How dare you speak to me of someone of a lower class with such high praise!" He snaps. I wipe the corner of my mouth and see a tiny bit of blood on my hand. I grit my teeth and stand, facing my father.

"I don't care what you say about her. She's my friend and if you dare try and lay a finger on her, know I am going to protect her with my life." I turn and walk out of the library, heading back to the common room.

~

You lie on one of the many couches in the Slytherin common room, tossing your wand in the air and catching it. Over, and over, and over. You hear the entrance open and you immediately sit up and see Draco walk in. You set your wand down and rush over to him. You see a slight bruise on his right cheek and the corner of his mouth had a small amount of blood.

You place a hand on his face, stroking his cheek gently. "Draco what happened?" You ask worriedly. He says nothing as he pulls you closer and hugs you. You close your eyes and wrap your arms around him. He releases you and rests his forehead against yours. "Can we talk about it later? Please?" He asks. You nod and place a soft kiss on his lips. "Whenever you're ready." You say.

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~♡ Miki