A/N: I quite like this chapter, if I do say so myself. I worked very hard on it, and I hope you enjoy it.
Cherry Garcia had always been different. She was also smart enough to know that there would always be stupid people and their ignorant ideals. She had always been aware of this, even when she was a small child and she heard the word fag for the first time - her fathers had not been pleased when they got a call from her school telling them she'd thrown a rather large rock at a fellow class mate. She'd been punished, even if he deserved it.
She'd been against the – few – kids that called her a mudblood. She'd been there, done that when kids made fun of her for her unnaturally bright hair – she was 1/12 metamorphagus apparently. She'd endured getting made fun of for excelling in Divination (they also had taken to stealing her Tarot cards on occasion. She'd found them in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, along with Luna Lovegood's odd radish earrings). She'd dealt with the insecurity of being the only American (and the only student who could do wandless magic on an expert level in the whole entire school, not that anyone had really figured it out. It wasn't really her fault they'd taught her different at Cromwell Academy) attending Hogwarts. Oh, and there was that whole thing about being named after an ice cream flavor, but she wasn't even going to go into detail about that one.
Needless to say, Cherry Garcia was just one big walking taboo. But she never let it get to her too much. She always prided herself on being happy and being able to see people for what they really were. Life experience hadn't hurt her here, but then again, neither did being a Seer. Aura's were her specialty; they were the window she used to get to know somebody. If somebody's aura was dark, she usually steered clear of them; if they were light and bright, and not very clouded, she'd get up the courage and talk to them, if they weren't already friends.
But when it came to Draco Malfoy, everything always got a little fuzzy. Her visions, his aura, her train of thoughts. This is what probably made her approach him, aside from the fact that there really had been an accident by the bathrooms and she had stayed to help Mr. Filch clean it up(she couldn't help but notice after that, he made it a point to toss her an awkward looking smile every time she saw him and Mrs. Norris. Even Mrs. Norris had sought her out on more than one occasion, which she hadn't really minded at all.) Fate worked it's magic, leaving her the only empty seat next to Draco in Ancient Runes, and once again when he – surprisingly – escorted her to the hospital wing. She couldn't help, though, but to notice his aura was fuzzy; a dreary gray that seemed to suffocate him and her, too when she shifted too close to him; sometimes, it turned a dark green, just like the color of his tie. And sometimes, a very rare sometimes, it turned a lavender purple color.
She didn't quite know what drew her to Draco Malfoy, but she was almost certain that his aura had a little something to do with it. The fact that he was quite handsome hadn't hurt either.
She knew that he thought she was "a little funny", just as people thought Luna Lovegood was "a little funny"; but like Luna, she didn't much care(Luna Lovegood was one of the most insightful people she'd ever met, thankyouverymuch). She was comfortable with her cherry popsicle colored red hair and her tendency to dance down the hall way with her Ravenclaw counterpart. She also knew that he was a little awkward around her, not knowing exactly how to be friends with someone, it seemed. Though, when she thought about it, she understood him; no one seemed to show him an ounce of kindness except the staff and few select students like Astoria Greengrass, who'd become almost stalker-ish, staring at him constantly, always throwing Cherry glares whenever she threw Draco a small smile. He didn't really seem to notice this, or want to for that matter. The suffocating only seemed to get stronger where Astoria was concerned.
She also knew that no matter how hard he tried not to (and she could really feel his effort whenever she was around) Draco Malfoy enjoyed her company.
"Draco!" she called one day when she entered the library. She felt about twenty pairs of eyes on her, but ignored them well enough as she skipped over to his – empty – table to find him with his Potions book open and paper strewn all over the place. There were purple bruise like circles under his eyes and his hair was tousled and mussed as if he'd run his hands through it repeatedly. To put it plainly, he looked like he'd been to hell and back.
Cherry slowed down her pace when she took a look at his taut expression. When she was standing across from him, she stopped and blinked. "What's wrong?" she asked, squinting her eyes and taking in the darker gray fog surrounding him.
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Draco had gotten a letter from his mother the night before. Lucius's sentence had been moved up two weeks. He was to receive the Kiss three days from now. She said that she didn't know how she was to go on in this big empty manor with only her and the house elves. She told him how lonely she was now that he was off at school, and how he needed to keep up with his studies and to rememeber, he was strong, and not to accept defeat.
He barely slept that night.
He dozed off during an exam in Potions; hopefully, Slughorn would let him make it up if he'd explained that he'd "gotten a bit sick the night before". He retreated to the library during his free period in hope studying for the quiz he had in Charms next period, but that quickly turned into writing an essay that was due that day for Ancient Runes that he'd completely forgotten about.
That was how Cherry found him, too. He knew he looked half-asleep, and he didn't much care. One thing he knew about the odd girl standing in front of him is that she didn't really find things like appearances all that important, if her own hair was any indication (he didn't want to admit it to himself, but he quite liked her bright red curls).
As he looked up at the red haired girl with droopy eyes, he couldn't help but think how odd he felt in her presence. He had been a closed book all his life, shutting out everyone and everything always keeping a hippogriff's wingspan between them. But suddenly she appears and he feels like she can see right through his stoic composure and short answers and into his very brain. For all he knew, she could. But he seriously doubted it. She was a little too screwy to be skilled in Legilimency. Though, that didn't explain why if felt like she could open him up with one glance and read the pages that made him up, just like that. He really tried not to dwell on it. After all, she'd asked him a question.
"Nothing," he answered automatically, keeping it short and sweet. Really, he didn't know what she was expecting. They didn't even really talk very much, outside of Ancient Runes and Astronomy… sometimes. Truth was, he was trying to keep as out of sight, out of mind as he possibly could. Zabini was already harassing him for talking to her that one day. He didn't need any of his old comrades joining in as well. It would just be the icing on the shitty Hogwarts cake.
That didn't mean, though, that he didn't enjoy Cherry's company. He did; more than he'd care to admit – even to himself – but he did.
And then she looked at him, or right through him as it were, narrowed her eyes softly and studied him intensely. Her emerald eyes shone in what little light was in the library making her look innocent and just a bit dreamlike, almost as if someone imagined her to be their perfect pretend friend. She narrowed her eyes just the slightest bit more, and that's when he knew she'd seen right through his generic excuse.
"You're lying," she stated lightly, willing her eyes to return to their natural doe-like state.
Draco heaved a sigh and ran a frustrated hand through his hair, mussing it up more than it already had been. He was tired and he was irritated and…
"I don't want to talk about it," he mumbled, gathering his papers hastily.
Cherry walked around and plopped into the chair right next to his, surprising not only him, but all of the onlookers trying to be sly. He looked at her in mild surprise but, really, he learned not to be too shocked when it came to her early on. She simply gave him a serene smile and bumped her head to his shoulder comfortingly. He didn't really know how that particular gesture was comforting, but he supposed that only she could make it so. Maybe she was just letting him know that he had a friend, something that he hadn't had in so long, something he desperately needed. His shoulder tingled.
"Okay," she said effortlessly. Draco remained silent as he finished gathering his things and putting them in his bag.
It felt like there were thousands of pairs of eyes on them, burning holes into their backs. Now, the only place he had solace was gone for the day, and he just wanted to leave. It didn't surprise him the least bit when Cherry suddenly said to him,
"Let's go to Stone Circle." It had become their place to go, these days. Hardly anyone went there, ever, and usually, when they did, it was to visit the gamekeeper (Cherry insisted that they visit at least every week. The big oaf was always glad to see them, even if he was more than weary of Draco's intentions at first, not that he could blame him, of course). Even then, the so called Golden Trio – which of fucking course Cherry was friends with them, but Draco didn't really take it to heart seeing as she was friendly and nice to bloody everyone – were the only ones that dared to venture out there(besides Cherry and himself of course).
But he couldn't exactly say no to her. He was also pretty sure she was aware of this fact, and it was how she got him to do things that he wouldn't have been caught dead doing his previous years at school. Of course, now that he looked back on it, a reinvention of himself might be just what he needed. A new Draco Malfoy with no Dark Mark staining his left arm anymore, what a dream come true… Actually, the dream come true would be if the last three years hadn't happened, or if the Dark Lord never existed and he could've lived with no pressure to be perfect, pure-blood, "Prince of Slytherin" Malfoy. What a life that would've been. But life didn't work like that, he knew, and the last three years did happen, and the Dark Lord had existed, and he was always pressured to be something he clearly wasn't, only to fall second in everything he ever tried in life, except friendship, where he came in last.
"Sure," he told the small red head, plucking his bag off of the table and standing up. Cherry mimicked his actions and together they traveled to Stone Circle.
Cherry twirled out of the cover of the bridge and danced onto the grass and into the sun. Draco shielded his eyes from the sudden brightness and watched as she tripped and flopped onto the lush grass with a surprised shriek. Draco quickened his pace slightly – she really was quite clumsy, even though she skipped and hopped and danced everywhere she went – but not so much that she would notice. She didn't like it when people made a fuss over her, and when the two teenagers first became friends, an unfamiliar feeling of protectiveness grew inside of him. Though, instead of helping her up, he plopped down next to her and joined her as she looked at the clouds.
Draco glanced at her from the corner of his eye, only to see her still looking at the sky, her sparkling green eyes half lidded and looking even dazzling than before.. She turned her head in a sudden movement, looking above him for a moment, then meeting his gaze, a thoughtful look on her face.
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"What are you thinking about?"
Draco's aura was still dismal gray, but now, it had a bit of lavender creeping in through the edges, almost like a halo. This is what originally inclined her to ask but, she realized with belated surprise, she really wanted to know. Of course, she always wanted to know about Draco Malfoy.
When they talked, they never talked about his personal life. Well, actually, they didn't really talk much at all; their friendship consisted of comfortable silences and her ramblings and her singing her "outlandish songs that didn't make any sense" – they were muggle songs that she frequently listened to on her iPod – and in turn, she realized that he didn't know much about her, either.
He knew the basics: that her parents were gay, she spoke quite a bit of Spanish, she had two dogs – a Chihuahua named Mocos and a black and white Husky named Gypsy – and her snowy owl, Sombra, was always – always – nipping her fingers whenever she fed her owl treats. She never offered any information about the fact that she was rather talented in Divination or that she didn't do magic with a wand because she was quite afraid it would scare him away. But he never, ever offered anything remotely personal. Ever.
Cherry remembered that Luna Lovegood once told her that Draco wasn't as vile as he seemed. That he had a Knife-nosed Penumbra following him around rather closely for a very long time. Knife-nosed Penumbras, Luna went on to explain, were rather elusive creatures, never really seeming like they were present and if they did make their presence known, they didn't seem to be doing any harm whatsoever. They were quite the parasites, apparently (although, when it came to the red haired witch, Luna continued, Wrackspurts always flew into the young Malfoy's ears.) Cherry nodded in understanding when Luna was finished explaining.
But Draco was never vile… well, towards Cherry, that is (she'd really never seen him act vile toward anyone, actually). He never called her names or raised a hand – or a wand – against her. He was always polite and pulled out her chairs for her in the classes they shared or in the library, which is why it annoyed her slightly – which is really a shocking feat in itself because Cherry was so content with life that she never let anything even remotely bother her. Her fathers always told her she looked at life through rose colored glasses. – when she would see somebody shoot him a glare or give him a shove so discreetly that it looked unintentional and just a result of normal hallway traffic to the average passersby, but she knew that it was no accident. She knew he knew it too, but Draco never acknowledged the glares thrown his way all day or the fact that those "accidental" shoves in the hallway were really not so accidental at all.
Her musings were abrubtly interrupted (well, it seemed abrupt, at least) when Draco suddenly turned to her, his steely blue speckled gray eyes locking with hers, as if he wasn't even looking at her, but something very far away. He said in an almost detached voice,
"My father is getting his soul sucked out of him in two days."
Cherry blinked once and then sat up swiftly, her eyes widening in bewilderment. "What?" she asked, very nearly shrieking. She shook her head, both in confusion and shaking blades of grass that had weaved themselves into her curls. She looked at Draco once more, her eyebrows drawing together.
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Draco felt his eyes widen in horror as Cherry's shriek resonated back toward him. He sat up suddenly, locking eyes with the red haired witch once more, seeing the look of surprise and pity in her green orbs. He stood up, breaking eye contact after a too long silent moment between the two. He made a move to snatch his bag, but Cherry was faster. She stood up a little too fast and took an involuntary step backwards. She dropped his bad behind her.
They now stood a few steps apart.
"Did you just say… your dad is getting his soul sucked out of him?" she asked, not bothering to hide the confusion that colored her tone. "In two days? That's so horrible…" she continued, cocking her head to the side like a sad, befuddled puppy.
Draco berated himself silently as for letting her eyes dazzle him. Seeing her eyes twinkle, he thought with disgust at himself, is not worth this. I hate being pitied. One look at the short girl in front of him made him nauseated as he recognized the look in her eyes. Pity. Sympathy. Like he was a fucking charity case.
Cherry Garcia didn't know what it was like. She didn't understand because she had, not one, but two fathers who loved and supported her. Unconditionally. No matter if she succeeded or failed. She always had that. Love and support. Two things Draco never had. Cherry didn't know that Lucius would lock Draco in his room when he was home if his grades were not up to his standards. She would never know what it was like to love and idolize someone un fucking conditionally, and never be good enough for them to show you an ounce of pride because they were too cold and ignorant. She didn't know what Lucius Malfoy was like. She didn't know what it was like to have evil incarnate live in his house for months, to have to listen to people being tortured in the next room, people he knew, people who were innocent. She didn't know what it was like to have people look at him like he was a murderer, even though he never killed anyone. She didn't know what it was like to have people look at him like they wanted to kill him. She would never understand the darkness that took over his heart after living like a prisoner in his own mind after so long.
Draco clenched his fists at his sides as he felt his temperature rising. His ears were becoming hot as he felt the familiar rush of anger surge through him, an emotion he hadn't allowed himself to feel for months. It felt almost good, like a drug he'd been weaned from all at once. It was fulfilling, feeling the adrenaline pulse through his veins. It was all so sudden, however, that he had to brace himself, pulling a foot behind him to steady himself. He saw Cherry square her shoulders and take an almost defensive stance at his sudden actions.
"You don't understand," he ground out, narrowing his eyes at her. "You don't know what he's like!"
Cherry's emerald eyes seemed to dart every where around him. They looked him up and down, side to side, around and around, until finally landing on his face when he captured her gaze once again. He could see the unsettled emotion in them. He couldn't place her expression…
"I'm sorry," she said, her voice resolutely and unwaveringly light. As always. His hand itched for the familiar feeling of his wand, just to hold it in his hand and revel in the feeling of absolute control. "I don't –"
"That's right," he snapped, taking a step closer to her. "you don't." He took another step closer. He didn't notice her flinch. "You will never understand the kind of evil that lives inside of that man. The man," Draco took another step. He didn't notice her breathing pick up. "I have to call my father. You won't ever know what it was like living with a man like him," he growled as he took another step. "He was horrid. Abusive. Vile. Cruel." With each venomous word he said, Draco took another step toward the short red haired girl. One more step, and he was right in front of her. "Deadly."
Cherry took an involuntary step backwards and her foot slipped. Draco's hand shot out and caught her by the arm, and she yelped and unnervingly frightened noise. He finally looked at her face and quickly yanked his hand back, as if she burned him suddenly. He knew the look on her face, he'd seen it too many times, each time astonishingly similar to the last and it terrified him to see now. She fell clumsily, not having the leverage of his arm supporting her anymore and let out a noise of surprise. She looked back up at him with wide eyes and scrambled to get up. All of the young wizard's anger dissolved in an instant
Draco looked at her in horror when he realized how angry he'd allowed himself to get. There was a red mark above her elbow where he'd caught her, shaped just like his fingers. He looked down at his fingers in disgust. He stumbled back, ashamed at himself.
"Draco, stop." He looked up to see the young witch gazing at him, her eyes returned to their natural doe-like state. "Are you okay?" she asked, taking the tiniest of steps near him.
He froze at her question and looked at her in disbelief. "What is wrong with you?" he asked after two beats. His face quickly contorted into one of vexation.
"Draco…" she trailed, stepping closer slowly, as if testing the waters.
"You're so stupid!" he shouted frustrated. She stood there, unwavering. "You should be running away from me! I'm just like him! I could've hurt you, Cherry! What would you have done, then?" he demanded, striding up to her and grasping her by the shoulders. "What would you have told your dads? Or your dorm mates? Or even Lovegood?"
Cherry just blinked up at him in confused shock as he ranted. "Um…"
"People care about you, you stupid girl! They would be upset if something even remotely bad happened to you!" Draco ignored her mumbling as he continued his tirade. "You should have defended yourself! Not let me put my hands on you." He shook her lightly as if to convey this message. She just blinked again and his resolve was crumbling. "You don't know what it was like during the war, in that house, with them," he stated intensely. He bent his head and looked right into her eyes. "I hope you never will." He gripped her shoulders tighter.
He felt the girl's shoulders relax under his finger tips and her eyes soften. She even smiled a small comfortable smile. "You're not like him," she said serenely, bringing her small hand up to his head and combing it through his hair. It felt nicer than he'd ever let on. It took him a minute to realize she was fixing it because of it's mussed state. "If you were, you would have just done away with me, right?" she asked. He didn't know whether or not to answer. Seemingly reading his mind, she stated a second later, "That question was rhetorical, by the way. I already know the answer." She smiled contentedly up at him and sighed.
He blinked at her once before removing his hands from her shoulders he nearly forgot were there. "I'm sorry," he said after a beat. "I didn't mean to frighten you."
"I kind of really was," she said quietly, looking at his chest, or rather though it. "It was strange. You weren't yourself, you know?" She looked up at him, her eyes the slightest bit squinted.
"No," he said looking over her head. "That was me though. You don't understand." He looked down at the Cherry sadly and she just smiled and shook her head sympathetically.
"No," she breathed a small chuckle. "I don't, I guess. But," she said looking at his face thoughtfully. "I think I understand you a bit better than I did an hour ago."
Now, Draco was a bit confused. "What does that mean?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows.
"I don't think you really want to know," she said, giving him a significant look. He chose to ignore it and raised an eyebrow, willing her to continue. She looked up at him through her lashes and sighed. "You're angry at your dad," she stated, defeated. "but no matter how hard you try to hate him, you still love him 'cause he's your dad. And you're scared you're going to end up with the same fate as him, which is very scary and sad. But I can tell you right now that you won't end up like him."
Draco stared at Cherry in awe, but then again she always saw right through him.
"And also," she continued, a very strange look crossing her face. "You are in dire need of a hug." And so she did. Hug him that is.
Draco would never admit how good it felt. Not even to himself.
A/N: Reveiw if you like:)