I Knew You Weren't

Chapter Eleven

My darling Draco,

I was beside myself when I realized you had gone. No note, nothing. So, I'm not sure where this letter will end up. I've asked around and was shocked to learn from your friends that you had been spending your free time with a Gryffindor girl. And a half-blood, no less. Your father would be absolutely appalled. While I understand that she is the Head Girl, your duty as Head Boy is to Hogwarts and representing Slytherin house, not her. I do hope you aren't with her now. After the events of the past few years, and the discretion at your father's hand, it has been difficult to get the Greengrass family to uphold their end of your marriage contract. I have finally, after weeks of correspondence, gotten them to keep their end of the deal. This could ruin our chances. I hope you will find your way home so we can deal with this ourselves.

Love, mother.


The next morning, Kylie quickly found Draco sitting beneath the same tree she has sat under with Charlie the day before. She walked up slowly, trying to find the right thing to say.

"So, which Greengrass are you engaged to?" Well, that wasn't it.

"I'm not engaged." Draco spat out the word like it was poison.

"Not according to your mother." Kylie held the letter out and Draco immediately jumped up and snatched it away.

"Going through my things now? Childish." Draco quickly folded the letter up and shoved it in his pocket. "You shouldn't meddle in things that aren't your business."

"I didn't go through your things. It was on the floor and I stepped on it on my way out of the room last night. Is that why you were being such an arse? Trying to push me away?"

"You don't understand! My mother-"

"Is using you!" Kylie interrupted. "She's using your father to get to you. Take it from someone with a more than toxic parent. They do what they want. And they back you into a corner to get you to do what they want."

"Don't you dare speak of my mother like that again." Draco said through gritted teeth. "She's nothing like your mother."

"Oh, you're right about that. She's worse." Kylie crossed her arms. "If you want to go home, I'm not stopping you. But I will stop this, whatever we are. I won't sit idly by and be a distraction or a placeholder until you have to get married."

"What happened to Gryffindors fighting for what they wanted? You're not very good at that."

"If I fought for you and had to compete with your mother, I'd lose every time. I'm not going to fight for you over this. You leave and we're done. I will just be your Head Girl, because we have a gala to plan when we get back to school. And maybe I can be your friend. But nothing more. If picking my battles makes me a terrible Gryffindor, then they sorted me too soon." Kylie just shrugged and pressed her mouth into a line.

"Right then. I'm not worth it?"

"Oh, you're worth it. Going head to head with Narcissa Malfoy isn't." Kylie bit her lip and shrugged. "Go home. She needs you more than I do." She turned in her heel and walked away, not looking back.

Neville was leaning against the front door frame, with his arms crossed and a sly look on his face. He opened his mouth to speak, but Kylie rolled her eyes.

"Can it, Longbottom." She snapped.

"Wasn't even going to say anything." He leaned over as she walked past him. "Told you so." He whispered in her ear as she passed. Which earned him a quick slap on the arm.

"I said can it." Kylie rolled her eyes again.


(A month prior)

Neville fell backwards onto Kylie's bed as she dug in her messenger bag.

"Can I steal this comforter?" He asked with a content sigh. "I'm stealing it."

Kylie turned around, box of chocolate in hand, and plopped down next to him. "Steal it and I'll kill you."

"So, you know I'm not just here for the chocolate and great company."

"I know." Kylie replied, shoving a piece in her mouth. "Ginny sent you in to spy on me."

"I'm not spying! I'm..."

"Collecting intel?" Kylie winked.

"Basically." Neville chuckled as he took a piece of chocolate from the box. "She's worried about you."

"Why? I have done nothing that could be construed as worrisome."

"You're friends with Malfoy. That's worrisome. You spent the night in the hospital wing with him. Which is also-"

"Worrisome, yeah. I got it. We're just friends. And you may scoff and roll your eyes, but he's actually been pretty decent."

"We just know him better than you do. We're looking out for you." Neville smiled as he took another chocolate.

"Yes, you have more experience with him than I do. But I think that makes you a little biased. People change, Nev, all the time."

"Not that drastically." Neville rolled over onto his side and propped himself up on his elbow. "We don't want you getting hurt. I don't want you getting hurt."

"If I get hurt, you'll be the one I run to. Deal?" Kylie winked.

"Deal." Neville blushed a little. "Just keep your guard up as long as you can. He's not worth the fight."

"I'm worth the fight, though. So, you never know."

"That, you are." Neville chuckled. "That, you are."


Neville followed Kylie into the kitchen, where she started to make a cup of tea.

"You're not funny, Nev."

"I'm not trying to be funny. I'm trying to look out for you." Neville replied, hopping up to sit on the counter.

"I'm tired of people looking out for me!" Kylie snapped. "I am not some delicate little flower that needs constant care!"

Neville's hand shot out and grabbed Kylie's arm. He pulled up her sweater sleeve and with a flick of his wand, the glamour charms vanished. "This says otherwise."

"How'd you know about that?"

"I overheard Bill telling Harry earlier. I had suspicions anyways."

Kylie closed her eyes and jerked her arm away, pulling her sleeve down in the process. "I'm not going to relapse because of a dumb boy, if that's what you're thinking. I take medications to keep me sane and stable. I'm not a crazy psycho."

"You don't have to tell me that. But everyone is a little worried you've gone off the deep end. You show up here, bruised to hell, with Malfoy tagging along. It's all a bit suspect."

"It wasn't him!"

"We know. Bill went to your house this morning. Your mum was still out cold and he saw the hole your head left in a cabinet door. Your dinner was still on the stove."

"What's your point?" Kylie tried to ignore the tiny pinpricks of tears fighting to form.

"Everyone is wondering why you never said anything. And if it was that bad, they think you're acting out by hanging around Malfoy."

"He makes me happy." Kylie whispered. "He's not...he's different now. Not that that matters anymore because his mother runs his life. So, I don't think any of you will have to worry about us much longer."

"Well, we're going to keep worrying, because you like to keep things from us."

"What did they do to my mum?" Kylie asked, trying to change the subject.

"Cleaned up any sign that you had been there, woke her up, wiped her memory… said they were the police and the neighbor called because of a ruckus. Told her she must have passed out. She has no idea you even came home." Neville raised an eyebrow as he caught on. "Oy, don't change the subject."

"Sorry if I'm tired of beating a dead horse. You don't know him like I do and I don't know him like you do. And that's all well ever agree on on this subject. Say, do you remember… the fact that your didn't like me when we first met?"

"What? Bollocks!"

Kylie laughed. "But you did! You thought I was loud and obnoxious. And that I tried way to hard to make friends. Until you found out about my dad and how he died. And then you took the time to talk to me and found out why I was the way I was. Plus, we learned we had a bit in common."

Neville nodded as he understood the point Kylie was trying to make. "I'll give him a chance if it makes you happy. Obviously something is different there, or he would willingly be sleeping in a Weasley's bed."

Kylie gave Neville a small smile. "Thank you. Even if he and I don't work out, I'd still like everyone to play nice."

"Just… if you really feel this way about him..." Neville reached out and laid a comforting hand on Kylie's shoulder. "Let him do this his way. Families like his… they have a lot of rules and he might not know how to defy those quite yet, even if he wants to. Let him go and he'll come back when he's ready."

"He's supposed to be marrying a Greengrass. It's so archaic. I mean, arranged marriages? People still do that?"

"Keeps the bloodlines pure, if you're worried about that sort of thing." Neville shrugged. "Let him figure this out on his own. He's a Slytherin for a reason. He'll do what he has to to get what he wants. And I doubt he wants to marry a Greengrass. 'Specially if he's got you."

"Thanks, Nev." Kylie reached out and pulled Neville into a hug. "Thank you."

"Anything for you." Neville smiled as they broke the hug. "You need your own happy for once."

"Maybe someday, I'll get my happy. Who knows." Kylie wrinkled her nose at Neville and gave him another hug. "I gotta go talk to a Snake." She winked.

"Go get 'em." Neville winked back. He crossed his arms and shook his head as he leaned against the counter and watched her walk away.

Xxxxx