I apologize for the grammatical mistakes this chapter contain. oh and warning: druna, blinny, and minor ships are in this chapter.
Chapter 54 the Test part ii
When Blaise entered the room, a loud sound of thunder erupted from within the heart of the surroundings immediately. As the thunder hits, so is the dark, blank place shines with color, prodding and disappearing quickly like a heart's palpitation. In it, he immediately sensed a lack of order, a deep chaos from a man's deepest thoughts.
As he walks- from step by step, the walls inches their way closer to him, showing him a narrowed space up to the front path. Hanging on the walls, there are multiple black and white sullen photographs displayed, each photoframe consists of the Draco with different levels of ages. They were all focused with his face, nonchalant and cold looking, his eyes glaring at him and lips turn into a thin line. There is something quite wrong with the pictures, he thought. They are all grief stricken, the canvases blank with nothing but complicated understanding.
The thunder outside the four walls roared loudly, thus, startled the variations of Draco inside the frames. At first, the whole room shook, trembling along with him as he was being thrown backwards,resulting him to sit down on the far left side of the corridor. He placed his arms to the wall, gripping invisibly and tightly to the flat surface beneath his palms. With bewildered eyes, he turned to look at the trembling frames, each dangerously close to falling.
"Father? I failed" The youngest one of the photographs said
"Learn to guard away your emotions, avoid humiliations, and scare them with confrontations. That's how it works" then the next to it
"It's easy to be hated than to be manipulated, Draco"
"Control yourself"
"Father?"
"Control yourself damn it!"
"I am chosen for this! Do not screw this up Draco!"
"I don't.. I don't know"
"I don't deserve her.."
"Luna?"
"I don't know what to do anymore"
When the second to the last spoke, one by one, the frames tugged themselves out from their places and fell dramatically to the ground. The shards were scattered neatly upon the ground, grouping themselves together and had cleared a path for him, directing him to a straight path in front.
He followed the path that it regarded, trusting the transparent prickly shards for the directions.
When he drew nearer, the once blank and dark 'nothing' created a green carved door with its sides illuminating a mist of white waves.
A thunder struck to the space behind the door, creating a sudden appearance of a blinding white color. Through the contrast of the dark room, the tip of the thunder hit the ground, with it, a grayish fog oozed out from the crack.
Blaise coughed violently against the heavy aroma. The gray air entered into both of his nostrils and mouth. The door infront of him went slim, shrinking down along with the increase of the fog. If he wasn't too busy with his coughing fit, he could've been alarmed. But he is too transfixed with clearing the smoke tasted air inside his throat, not noticing how the door went flat unto ground and had gotten swallowed by the dark.
He felt strangely heavy, like his whole weight depended unto his feet. He tries to raise his foot, once, twice, he ended up failing. Instead of getting the result that he wanted, he remained trapped to his straight posture. The fog had already cleared, running across him in a zigzag manner to both of the sides' end points.
He glanced to both of his left and right, the whole scene earlier was cleared-as if it did not even happened. Curious, he bowed his head, casted it downwards. It was as dark as the whole room, leaving him in the implication that he is just going to be alone in this.. Who knows? Probably gonna wait for Draco for .. well, forever. uncomfortable and alone.
"Malfoy!" he shouted.
The thunder appeared once again, shaking his visions and unbounded whatever that is holding him back. He jumped back in surprise, his hand immediately touched the other's wrist.
A cold wind blew by, and coming next to it, figures of dark gray cloaks came in view. Furrowing his eyebrows, he glared unto the upcoming silhouettes. As they grew closer, Blaise's realization made his eyes widen.
"Oh for Merlin's beard" He turned around and was about to run, but just as he had made that plan, a dementor appeared infront of him, floating and eerily creepy. Blaise closed his eyes tightly, his knees wobbly but he defended himself from giving in.
The dementor leaned infront of Blaise's face, the shadow infront of where his kiss is connected with him. He tried to fight back, but instead, the ground opened a huge gash, probably an abyss, and it swallowed him whole.
"He chose me!"
Blaise opened his eyes and groaned, realizing what had happened a moment ago. It was tragic really, he just made out with a dementor.
The scene that he fell into has a bit of color than the ones he had went from. But still, glancing around the place, it was such a sad mess. He stands at the center of the wrecked Astronomy Tower, his Slytherin uniform clutching unto his skin as the heavy downpour of rain wettens his whole body.
The whole chamber was dark with only the thunder that comes rather rarely, could give light to the place. On some parts, there are splatters of chaotic yellow, red, green, and all the other colors, but those could only occupy thirty percent of the room compare to the shadows.
The thunder came, casting a transparent white light around his surroundings. On the stairs of the tower, he saw a crouched silhouette of a man. In the distance, he could easily identify who the other inhabitant is. He have been seeing that same figure for a long tiring time, but watching him bare without the sneer and guarded eyes, he now sees Draco Malfoy's scared and hated self. His underneath. His troubles and doubts.
"Draco?" he 'rarely' calls him by his given name, always THE 'Malfoy'. He never quite understood his concept- in which he hates it when strangers or enemies would call him by his first name. It was his given name after all- his identity, his existence. But now that he thought about it, it was a safe guard, a shield to guide away all the wrong people out of his life.
Guilt coursed through his system, the realization hit him hard.
People can be so naive and selfish. And he, himself is one. Even if he is called the bestfriend, even if he somehow, get to break some of Draco's walls, he never really reached the end. He was a coward, and possibly, a bit insecure. Inside Blaise's eyes, Draco Malfoy is the perfect example of what a man should be like. A proper pureblood, a perfect Slytherin Prince. Deep down, he knows too well that he would never be like him.
But it was his fault for never seeing the broken soul underneath. He is too wrapped up with the Malfoy mask and the foolish prejudice that he never thought that Draco is far from that. He's just a human with a lot of things to hide... He is not perfect. He is just.. Draco Malfoy. His best friend.
"Stop it please!" Upon hearing a familiar but distant voice, Draco buried his head more deeply into the shelter of his crossed arms. He felt too weak, too exhausted as his mind was mentally tortured with guilt and pain. He knows that voice, it was one if them; those who kept on shouting at him with foul words and disappointment.
Where is he? Why is he here!
"Draco, are you alright?" the voice and the silhouette appeared closer, inching unto him without a face or anything at all. All he could see is darkness and all he could hear are screams and words full of disappointment. It could all be flashbacks of a distant past, but who are they?. Why does he have to inflict so much agony?
"You are one of them aren't you? I'm sorry alright? I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" He bumped his head hard to the wall behind, but for some unknown reason, he did not feel, he did not bleed. He wants to escape all of these! To end everything easily. If only..
The thunder rung ferociously, the light showing the shadow's hazel brown eyes.
Blaise knows that Draco really hates it when people pities him, it makes him look small and vulnerable, but right now, as he made eye contact to the blond, he can't help but to feel sympathetic.
The always so ready, so confident blond looks like a child lost in the storm inside the woods without no one and nowhere to turn to. His blood shed eyes were too tired, too sad- it was as if all the happiness that he have had were washed away with the droplets of rain that come.
For a young man, his features revealed a lost boy, with lines and creases on the face of an old tired man.
"You must've loved her, even just for a little bit?"
"I always win Zabini. She's just a bet anyway"
"I want to get out of here. I can't do this anymore" A swish of cold air passed through Blaise's face. His own voice echoed all throughout his thoughts. Draco's raw voice added to the eerie effect, making goosebumps appear on his skin.
"You listen to me Draco-" He tried to talk some sense to his impossible friend, but then, the rain started to drop heavy set of raindrops. The cold wind sighs through, the impact to the four walls so intense it almost tried to form words. The wind ushered up to him and pushed him to the floor, hip first then his head.
' "Let me help you Draco.." '
However, despite the ranging storm, Draco Malfoy remained sitting still, but underneath his feet, the rain's water started to form puddles.
' "Avada Kedavra!" '
' "You win Malfoy, are you happy now?" '
' "... Help me!" '
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Draco punched the ground below him making the room shake. The knuckles on his hand cracked with a resounding sound, water spilling from the cuts and bruises. Blaise sat upright, his eyes widening as the water now created a knee deep flood, soaking him too fast.
"It's not your fault Draco! All of those!" he wanted to run, but as the water accelerates, he found himself stuck to his spot, his shoes glued deep to his ground.
' "Such a disappointment' "
"I'm too tired. Too tired- I didn't mean to-" Draco heaved- half sobbed, his eyes widen as he stared at Blaise, trying to explain something he cannot comprehend, clearly oblivious with the impending death experience that could possibly happen to the both of them.
"It's not your fault. All of these Draco!"
"I can't live through this. Knowing I've hurt so many people.. I can't- I can't get through this knowing I have never been happy"
' "Draco, why?" '
"And this. This woman is driving me mad! Why do I have to hurt her so much? I don't deserve her do I? I can't. I can't remember!" the thunder shook the entire room, from the dark ceiling, the raindrops thickened their size, advancing the time left for the both of them.
Blaise looked at Draco desperately, blinking away the tears from his eyes.
' "Draco, I'm scared" '
' "Just don't- Please" '
The water ran up to his chest, cold and suffocating him with a feeling of being trapped. He look dead serious at Draco, eyeing the poor man with respect and acceptance. He needs to be brave for this man, he was always there for him, so why can't he be there for Draco? He have to stop being a coward. He have to save his bestfriend.
Or what the hell, really. If they would die, then so be it.
"Her name is Luna Lovegood. You bullied, and had hurt her too many times. You never deserved her-" Blaise started, face straight.
The thunder erupted, a soft whistle came from it.
' "Luna, I'm sorry, please" '
Draco blinked his blood shot eyes, his eyebrows furrowing with eyes heavy with fog.
"-but she loves you despite the dark mark. She loves you despite your arrogant, narcissistic, vain crap. She is your morphine. She is your shelter. You never reveal anything to anyone besides your mask of indifference, yet.. well, believe me Draco, she sees way pass that. She knows you too well, and yet she stayed. She accepted you and have gotten to know you more easily than we, your friends have-"
"I destroy everything. She's better off without me-"
-Cut the crap Draco! You're not alone in this alright? You need to learn to forgive yourself. You are not a monster. You are not a murderer. You are not a disappointment!"
' "Draco, you are not like them" '
'"Draco? You're not a murderer" '
' "You're so beautiful. I love you, I love you" '
Right now, Blaise could've cringed but because of the flood that is neck deep, he is desperate to end this craziness.
The thunder once again appeared. White flashes blindly into the room, surrounding from every inch of the four dark walls.
"We, your friends need you. Your parents. Her. She needs you alright? You promised to go back to them! To Luna and Clementine! Draco!"
The water had risen up to his forehead, enveloping him with the dark, swallowing him whole.
'"Clementine. Clementine Larissa Lovegood Malfoy"'
'"I'm proud of you, son'"
Draco blinked. He touched his blood shot eye, curious with the wet patch underneath his eyelashes. He scanned around, he must've fell asleep on the stair of the Astronomy Tower.. Wait, he has a mission does he not? What is he doing here?
"Mr. Malfoy" he raised from the stair, following the sound of the voice.
'"I love you, I love you, I love you" '
"Mr. Malfoy" he spun clockwise, a shiver ran from the bottom then to the too of his spine. Infront of him, just against the window sill, Dumbledore stood. Draco eyed his carefully, his own pale self paling much lighter as the nerves gripped unto him. He has to face this.
"Headmaster, I'm so deeply sorry. I can't- I don't have any choice-"Draco bowed his head in shame. However, a few seconds went by, the Headmaster picked his chin up and smiled kindly at him.
"Never apologize young one. Never" to that, with a much wider smile, the former Headmaster back away from him and sat on the window sill. "Long live Mr. Malfoy, I trust that you will do good in life"
Draco inhaled sharply, knowing what the late wise man would do. The setting outside the tower shifted into an evening, the same exact scenery of the one that had happened just as likely. Draco remained glued to Dumbledore's back, clenching his fists tightly as he forced himself not to look away. With a little wave and a small smile, the headmaster fell from the window gracefully.
"Thank you"
Blaise felt a sudden pull, then, he felt himself heaving hardly with coughs in their in-betweens.
"Oy Zabini, we might as well go back, don't you think?" He glanced around him, furrowing his eyebrows as he found himself laying at the top of some thick wgite snow. Beneath him, a blond man awaits with a smirk plastered upon his face. He rolled his eyes annoyingly, grabbing the blond's hand to force himself up.
"You think. You think! Unbelievable! You almost got us locked in this chaos!" He shrug off tidbits of snow from his skin and on his silky sleeves, acting as if the drama that they ensured did not even happened.
"I know. Thank you Blaise. For everything"
"Well, you should be"
"I am, Blaise. I would've never survived it without you"
"Thanks Draco"
Blaise smirked back, rolling his eyes once again as the drama sounds weird from the blond's mouth. But somehow, as the empty train rolled busily to the rails and the eerie quietness of the dimension came prodding in, he couldn't help but to feel glad that some weight feels like it had been lifted from both of their shoulders.
The dark lord was finally defeated. They've won, they've done it. Finally.
Luna watched them as one by one, students hug each other with heavy eyes but promising smiles. With her chin resting atop her cupped hands, her mind wandered far away from the cheerful scene infront. She cannot help but to think about her daughter, who's innocently living and breathing in a cottage without any note that her father had passed away from the 'adventure' that they have had said. Accepting as she is, she cannot fathom to see him on that concrete ground, not right now. She still chose not to believe fully of it. He promised didn't he?.
"Luna, are you alright?" She nodded with a small smile to Neville Longbottom. She believes herself that she is infact, okay. She is well known for being patient after all.
"He will come back to me, he promised he would. Just wait and see Neville" Infact, even if a small part of her knew that she should just accept everything, she still readied the hopeful one dominantly. She trusts and believes in his every word. Draco Malfoy was never one with unfulfilled words. His parents raised him to be a man of his promises, and right now, she deeply needs to hold on to that.
From Neville's eyes, a flash of pain ignited. Luna knows too well that the man was sort of hopeful, but regretfully and entirely sorry, she is really deeply inlove with the father of her child, the Slytherin Prince, the one and only Draco Malfoy. And nobody could change that.
"He promised, and I believe in him"
Right after the war, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Pansy Parkinson, Ron Weasley, and Ginny Weasley went to the clearings.
To the first three mentioned, they are the ones who knew what had happened. Then Ginny was there because, well, for Blaise. But she still haven't got a clue as to what is happening. Ron was just really suspicious and Luna was in the mood of being left alone with her thoughts. And so they just let her be, knowing that Malfoy would probably want to surprise her with a dramatic entrance.
"What are we doing Harry?" Ginny said once they've reached their destination. She stared accusingly at the boy who lived, her eyebrows furrowing as she tries to understand the knowledge of why she even bother coming. If she might've known they will go to where Draco and Blaise's bodies reside, she would probably just let them leave her alone too.
Harry smiled sheepishly, glancing at Hermione as he tries to find a possible explanation with this. He cannot tell her, incase something might happen and he will get Ginny's soul crashed again. He knows that whatever she is feeling to a certain Zabini, it must be real, something much deeper than how she was to him.
"We have to wait Ginny" Hermione linked her hand to his, squeezing his fingers as she showed him her support. Harry side glanced at Hermione, the side of his lips quirking as he relaxed from her touch. Unto this act, Pansy and Ron both rolled their eyes in annoyance.
Ginny's eyes trailed to the body, her mouth opened with no words escaping. Then, next to the limp hand of Blaise's body, she kneeled.
"You're too unfair you little git. I swear, if you would wake up from this, I would bat bogey hex you so hard you would need assistance to fix yourself up" she threatened mindlessly. Who could ever believe that she would someday, miss this guy? Right now, between her threats, her weak tears fell mutely.
Who could've thought Slytherins could be such idiotic heroes?
She sighed defeated, burying her face unto the crook of his neck. "You could've just let me be, you know. Instead, you acted like an idiot, saving me and all that. Then, you kissed me. Oh for Merlin's sake, who does that?"
Unbeknown to her, the man she thought was dead had opened his eyes right after she laid her head to his chest. Weak as he was, he rolled his eyes and a small smile of relief was plastered to his face.
"Apparently Ginevra, we do"
And right after that, the redhead removed herself from him, stared at him for a long while and gave him a mild hex-but was enough to send him screaming like a girl.
To Blaise's right, a blond man moaned in irritation as the squealing woke him up from his unconscious state. When he opened his eyes, he saw Potter and Granger hand in hand, and Ginny and Blaise chasing each other with wild strides as if their strength and longing had been waiting for far too long.
"Hey Weasley, don't take this personally, but I think we should snog all these icky lovers away"
"Erm, ah. Yeah. What?"
Hurriedly, Draco left as soon as the snogging session was about to happen.
As soon as Luna have gotten a hold to Clementine, the two could not get out from each others grasps. For the both of them, it felt like eternity had happened long before they have met again. Soon, as Luna had said proper goodbye's and a thank you to Bill and Fleur, she visited her father and spent their afternoon on a tea party, idle-chatting the time away. Then, when the evening went by, she stopped to the front porch of the Malfoy Manor, despite the heavy past that she had once had inside it, she just have the sudden need to feel him. Especially when Clementine's fuzzy over her father.
And so here they are inside Draco Malfoy's bedroom, without the man in question.
Luna whispered a soft lullaby a few inches from Clementine's ear. She decided, with the help of Clementine's persistent cries, they would both sleep in his bed, in which the infant stopped her tears when her nostrils smelled a familiar scent. The young mother was not late for this knowledge, for she gripped his pillow tightly to her head, and his shirt hang loose to her frame, as her heart ache to the familiar smell that lingers upon the sheets.
"You promised" she said to no one in particular. She waited and waited, but when the clock churned to two in the morning, her eyelids finally dropped but her heavy heart stayed fully awake.
At five o clock, Clementine normally wakes up because of her nasty diaper. But to Luna's instinct, even inside her dream, her baby did not even make a stir. Opening her eyes lazily, she was on her same position as she was when she fell asleep, only that Clementine was not next to her.
She sat upright, the reality of it all finally hitting her hard.
"Clementine?" she jogged, her voice filled with worry as the child in question was nowhere inside the room.
"Shhh, we don't want to wake mummy, do we love?"
From that, she stopped midstep, for she heard familiar babbles of baby language echoing from the room's balcony. Then a lone tear fell from her eye, and from that, she also hang speechless on the middle of the large room, for she heard a familiar voice of a blond man in particular.
Hullo guys! So I updated this along the date of Valentines day! wooot wooot. :) Happy Valentine's guys! I love you all x here's a happy chapter cause we've all been so dramatic for a really long time now!
Oh and guys, this story will only have filler chapters left, you know.. very few happy chapters then an epilogue. Gahhh, I will miss this so much :(
Oh and after this will be finished, I'll go back and edit those old chapters and will add a few scenes so that the relationship will be more deep and all that. :)
Please review! They are certainly motivating you know! Please? Can you guys give me atleast three or four to up reviews? :) I've set a goal you see ;) please, pretty please ?