Author's Note: Sorry for being MIA for BILLIONS OF YEARS, but my inspiration and will to write has been very low lately; it's been hard getting anything out. Plus I've been really into original fiction and I want to start writing more of that, but I can't POST anything because Fiction Press is being dumb and their document manager is completely screwed up. |8 POOP! Dx Anyway, enough rage. Again, sorry for the long absence. I really want to finish this story soon, since I'm nearing the end anyway. Leave your comments, please. Thank you! -Michele
PS: CONGRATS, BRUTIEBOOTS, ON BEING PUBLISHED. I'M SO PROUD OF YOU! :'D (AND INSANELY JEALOUS AT THE SAME TIME! (Sorry, I had to release that outburst. x3) This chapter is dedicated to you. (: Plus, it revolves around your character, Kira, so you'll like it anyway. xD
CHAPTER 25
Even after we leave the Quidditch shop after our encounter with Malfoy and Zabini I'm still left bitter. Kira narrows her eyebrows at me and scolds me for letting the two gits affect me like that, but I still can't help it. Once again I wish I would have just blurted the truth about his father—that he's a two-timing cheater with a second kid: me. If Kira knew the truth, she'd probably understand why Malfoy affects me so greatly, but something still keeps me from exposing Draco's secret, which irks me.
Kira gives me another tour of the village and soon I'm able to forget about our encounter. Our last stop on her tour is Honeyduke's, and, just like Rose had mentioned, it is a fascinating shop. Sweets of all sorts are displayed on shelves, counters, and even hanging from the ceiling. I treat Kira to whatever she likes, and after purchasing armfuls of goodies, we walk out of the shop. She eyes a lone bench overlooking the edge of the hill the village is perched on and leads me to it.
"Today's been really nice," she says, unwrapping a small piece of chocolate. "I mean, other than running into the snobby rich brothers." I scoff.
"Don't remind me. I'm having a good time," I say. I can see her cheeks reddening, and not just because of the cold air. Her lips turn into a half smile as she turns back facing in front of her.
"Alright. I won't remind you again." She chuckles and I reach over to comb a strand of hair behind her ear. As soon as I do this, I suddenly pause and knit my eyebrows together, concerned about where that urge came from. She cocks her head to the side, also knitting her eyebrows, but only briefly, for then she smiles shyly and places her hand gently over mine. My throat tightens and I can feel my own cheeks getting warm. I suddenly am overwhelmed with the desire to lean in, and I wonder if I'm imagining Kira already drawing nearer. Am I getting closer to her, or is she getting closer to me?
I notice her eyelids begin to subtly drop slightly, her long eyelashes struggling to reach the tops of her cheeks. Her slightly upturned nose is close to mine, almost touching, and I feel everything around us pause, as if the earth is standing still.
And then, just as quickly as the moment began, it ends as Kira's gaze absently drifts behind me, her eyes immediately widening with disgust. She backs away and I narrow my eyes, my eyebrows furrowing at her sudden change of behavior. I follow her gaze and turn around and suddenly my eyes widen with disgust as well.
I'm cursed with the unpleasant sight of Scorpius and Tatiana completely entwined with each other, a position much like Giselle's and Braxton's in the girls' lavatory the other night. Their lips are molded together, as if they're sharing on mouth, and I can even see their tongues squirming around when they briefly part.
I'm enraged, I'm disgusted, and I want nothing more than to push the both of them off of the hill.
"They're doing this on purpose," I snarl. "Tatiana is such a slut and Scorpius just wants to look good in front of me."
"Tatiana is jealous that I'm hanging around you more often, especially considering you are her ex-boyfriend," Kira inputs, cringing at the sight of them and quickly looking away.
"And Malfoy! I knew he just wanted to get into Tatiana's pants. And in front of me! They are most definitely doing this on purpose. I can't believe how low and tacky they're getting just to piss us off."
"We should leave," Kira suggests, standing. "I can't stand to be around them any longer. They make me sick."
I stand with her and, taking one last look at them, storm off in disgust.
"I'm sick of Malfoy and his antics. That git needs to go straight to hell, I tell you."
"I completely agree," Kira says.
"God. He's doing this because he's onto something. He's suspicious about where I've been getting my money." Kira arched her eyebrow.
"Why would Scorpius Malfoy be suspicious about where you're getting your money?" she asks.
I realize now that it's too late. I've said too much. But, for once, I don't even care. I've come to trust Kira wholeheartedly, and considering that she listens to me, and even ditched her no-good best friend since childhood, I know that she can help me burden this heavy secret.
"Because I'm getting it from his father," I say slowly. Kira stops and shakes her head.
"Wait, wait … I'm extremely lost. Why the bloody hell are you getting money from Draco Malfoy? I thought you were getting money from your father?"
"I am," I say, waiting for her reaction. She gives me a blank face.
"What?"
"He is my father," I say softly. "I'm Draco's son."
Kira stares at me with wide eyes. She shakes her head, her eyebrows furrowing.
"Wait … no. He only had one son."
"That's what he wanted people to think."
"And … all this time … And Scorpius doesn't know?" I shake my head. "Does his mother know?" I shake my head once again. "Oh God. And my mother wanted me to start rumors about Draco cheating on his wife." She scoffs.
"Well, they wouldn't be rumors," I say with a shrug.
"How long have you known?" she asks. I count briefly on my fingers.
"Since August."
"Since August … of this year?" she asks incredulously.
"Of this year," I confirm.
"Oh bloody hell. Maybe we should sit down. This is a heavy topic."
"That would be ideal," I chuckle humorlessly. As we sit on another bench next to a shop, I sigh heavily, ready to tell Kira everything I've hidden. Her face expresses genuine concern, her fingers weaving together.
"So," she says slowly. "You are a Malfoy as well."
"No," I immediately say, and she knits her eyebrows together. "I'm not a Malfoy. I'm not a part of his family. Hell, as far as I'm concerned, I don't have a father."
"I understand," Kira says softly. "He wasn't in your life at all. I mean, you just figured out he was your father in August."
"I just figured out I even had a father in August," I mutter. "My entire life my mother and grandmother fed me lies about my father being dead before I was born. They knew my mother was the 'other woman' in Draco's relationship. They knew I was a love-child.
"If Scorpius only knew that I was his half-brother, well, it would be a real slap in the face. He'd probably leave me alone because he'd realize his high and mighty father is really nothing but a low pig who sleeps around with Muggle women."
"That will really eat him, the Muggle part," Kira mutters. "So why don't you tell him?"
"Because Draco asked me not to," I say with disbelief at myself. Kira also doesn't understand this either.
"Why do you care? He never made himself a part of your life and now all of a sudden he announces that he's your father?"
"And that I'm a wizard," I add.
"God. That's terrible. I mean, I'm trying to view this from a Muggle point of view. If I were a sixteen-year-old Muggle girl and I was just barely told I was a witch—"
"You'd freak the hell out," I scoff. She stares at me.
"Yeah, I think I would."
"Don't get me wrong, though; I do like being here, learning magic and whatnot. It's probably the best thing that's ever happened in my sad pitiful life. But then there is that Parselmouth thing that's gotten annoying. McGonagall and others are trying to convince me that the gene couldn't have come from Draco, but my mother is a Muggle woman. How is that even possible?"
"Maybe they're missing a piece of his family tree. Maybe there is a lost ancestor that traces back to Salazar Slytherin," Kira suggests.
"Maybe. They're also comparing my case to Harry Potter's, about being transferred the ability, although I don't see any lightning-shaped scars on my forehead." She shakes her head. "But apparently the ministry has sent Aurors to search for a loose Dark wizard. He could possibly be a relative."
"I still think they should look further into the Malfoy family tree. Even the Black family tree," Kira says.
"Black?"
"The Black family is one of the largest wizarding families in the history of magic. Draco's mother—er, well, I suppose your grandmother—came from the Black family. I wouldn't be surprised if somebody from that family descended from Slytherin. The Black family was always huge supporters of Slytherin, purity in magic blood, and Dark magic."
"And here they are questioning whether my mother could be at fault for giving me this gene, that she could have somehow have magic blood in her, even without knowing." I scoff and shake my head, utterly disgusted.
"What do your friends think?" asks Kira.
"About the Parselmouth thing?"
"About everything."
I pause before looking away shamefully. "They don't know."
"Your Gryffindor buddies don't know?" she asks with surprise. I narrow my eyes at her. She throws her hands in the air to defend herself. "What? I'm honestly curious. I thought you would have told them something this grave, especially before telling me."
"Well no I haven't. I wasn't planning on telling anybody, quite frankly," I admit.
"So … why did you tell me?" Kira asks gently. Once again, I can feel the redness flushing through my cheeks.
"Well, I … I don't … know …" She giggles as I stutter.
"I like that you feel comfortable to confide in me. I'll always listen," she says.
"I know."
"And just as I'm a friend to you, you're a friend to me, too. And, as a friend, I think you should tell your other friends about this too. They're close to you. You need to confide in them about this as well. They won't like being kept in the dark," she advises.
I sigh and slowly nod. "You're right. I will." She smiles and, gently, she turns my chin towards her so that she can look into my eyes. "Kira?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you for listening."
"I won't tell anybody about your secret," she adds.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
And, after her soft words, we suddenly collide lips and we're kissing on the bench. I don't know how it happens, or why, but the kiss isn't long and I do know that it was a million times better than kissing Tatiana. And I do know that I absolutely love it.