-7-
Coward
Summary: She barely even knew him. Draco Malfoy was just one of those kids she passed in the halls between classes or asked to borrow a piece of parchment from when she had none. Thanks to the Dark Lord, however, Aurelia Finn and Draco Malfoy will soon find out they have a little more than just age and house in common. And maybe a little bit greater of a task than just "that Charms essay due next period" underway.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my made up character and plot. J.K Rowling owns all else.
Warnings: Sexual Situations, Violence, Character Death, Substance Use/ Abuse, Adult Language, Book 7 Disregarded, Book 6 Events Slightly Altered
"You're just a coward."
"You're not worthy to bear that mark."
"You're just a coward."
"You're just a coward."
"You're just a coward."
Aurelia's words rang in his ears, sounding more cruel and hurtful each time. He stood transfixed on the spot. He couldn't move, he couldn't speak, he couldn't think. All he heard was her. Yelling at him. She was right, it was all his fault. Everything that happened the previous year was his fault. Everything that was happening now was his fault.
Draco wanted to scream. He wanted to yell as loud as he could. He wanted to shout random nonsense into the sky until his voice became dry and he couldn't speak again for weeks.
"She called me a coward."
No one was around to hear his whisper. No one was around to hear the hurt and confusion in his voice. No one was around to tell him it would be OK.
"She called me a coward."
The words were louder this time. Still, no one heard. Everyone was asleep in their beds, not caring or worrying about Draco. Not caring or worrying that he was breaking down.
"She called me a coward!"
Still, no one heard. Not even a whisper of his yells entered their ears. Nothing. Everyone was sound asleep.
"SHE CALLED ME A COWARD!"
No one heard him. No one heard him scream.
"SHE CALLED ME A COWARD!"
No one heard him. No one heard him because he wasn't speaking. He wasn't letting out a sound. He stood still, transfixed to the spot he claimed just minutes ago. The same spot he stood in when Aurelia yelled hurtful things at him. He stood transfixed, barely blinking, barely breathing. Not letting out a sound.
"She called me a coward."
It was a sob this time. An actual sob. An audible one. He fell. Draco Malfoy fell to his knees and sobbed. No one had ever called him a coward.
Her words pierced him harder than a thousand curses or a million and one crude remarks. Her words pierced him harder than any spell or weapon ever would. No one had ever called him a coward.
No one like her had ever called him a coward.
Like her? What makes her special? She's just another classmate. She's just another Death Eater. She's just another girl.
She's not. She's an exceptional classmate. She's an exceptional Death Eater. She's an exceptional girl. She's better than anything Draco could ever be. She's better because she's not a coward.
Enough! He wasn't a coward and he knew it! Just because some girl told him he was doesn't make him a coward! He had more bravery in his left toenail than she had in her entire body! He was twice the Death Eater she was! He could have gone on that mission alone! He could have done it twice as well!
Lies. He was a coward. He had nothing to tell him otherwise. He would have done terribly on the mission by himself. He wouldn't have made it out of Scotland, let alone to the Atlantic.
He needed her. He needed her to guide him. To tell him what to do and what not to do. To teach him. He needed her to comfort him. To tell him that he was going to make it. He needed her more than he needed himself.
Ridiculous! He was perfectly fine on his own! He didn't need any help! He was managing just fine on his own!
No he wasn't. It was all too hard and too confusing. It made his head want to explode from the pressure. Everything was building up and slowly causing him to break down. Break down into little bits of himself.
Draco Malfoy had fallen. He had fallen for blindness. He had fallen for weakness. He had fallen for failure. But, most importantly, he had fallen for cowardice.
There was not one thing he could do or say to help him stand.
"She called me a coward."
A/N: WOAH short chapter! There's a reason I did this. This chapter was short; It was almost like a side-note. If you noticed, it didn't even have a title that matched the theme the rest of chapter titles have. It was something completely different.
1. It all happened within a couple of minutes.
2. It was Draco's point of view.
3. It was all thoughts.
If you noticed, I left everything in third person. It symbolizes that it was almost as if it were a completely different person thinking these thoughts for him. It was almost like he was watching himself struggle.
There was a lot of battling with his thoughts. Sometimes he could be thinking one thing and then completely turn around and think contradictory. I wanted everyone to be able to understand what was going on with him and what effect Aurelia was having on him.
I'm planning on, maybe, having more of these side note chapters in the future. We'll see how things go.
Also, I'm picking the winner of the review contest on July 16th. So this is your last chance. You have today and tomorrow to write me a review that I will absolutely love and I'll put you in the story. If I choose you, I'll just need you to tell me what you look like (or a picture if you want but I prefer a description), your name and some things about your personality. Don't put that in the review. Make the review a regular one that I'll love. No sugary stuff. Review it for real. Don't brown-nose just because you want to win. I have a unique way of picking my winner. Just…just review.
You know I love you :)
