Draco was over dramatic as always, he wasn't even that hurt but it was enough for Pansy to glue herself to him, and he enjoyed it. 'What an attention seeker.' I thought to myself while exiting the infirmary.
When I arrived at the Slytherin's common room, I went straight to bed, my head was pounding even thought Madam Pomfrey fixed me up. At first it took me way to long to fall asleep but when I managed I haven't woken up for hours.
Few hours have past and when I woke up no light was coming from the windows. Not even the small amount that was usually reflected in the water.
I stood up felling stiff, apparently I have slept through the whole day. I decided to go and sit by the fireplace and read a book. When I entered the place that was usually full of kids from all ages, I firstly noticed that it was unusually quiet. I scanned the room and found one blond head sitting alone in front of fireplace. Even without the fire that was lighting his face I could tell that it was Draco. He was only one who had that kind of blond and messy hair. 'Wait messy?' I had never seen Draco with messy hair.
I almost shouted out to him when I noticed that he was muttering some kind of a spell. Weird light spread from the tip of his wand through whole room. He casted a spell that was blocking a sound from coming out of the room we were in.
I stood silently for few second to examine the situation when familiar voice that sent shiver down mine spine, spread through room. It was a voice of Lucius Malfoy.
"You are such a disappointment you know! To lose from a Potter! Tch and here I thought that you couldn't be more pathetic." His voice was in straight line but that was even scarier then shouting. "I had to pay you a spot in the quidditch team and you blow it up. I don't want to see you this Christmas at home! Fix this up, I don't care how! You insolent fool!" And with that the howler ripped itself.
I couldn't believe what I heard just now. I mean I had always knew that Draco had a strict and scary father but for him to be like this.
Even thought I was at top of the stairs I could hear the sobbing that come from Draco. At first I thought that I should leave him alone because I knew how much he liked to be the best in everything which resulted that his pride was way to big, but I couldn't leave him there crying so I slowly made my way towards him.
"Hey." I said softly as I put my hand on his shoulder. He jumped from the touch of my hand and his head swung in my direction. Our eyes meet and he looked terrible. His eyes were red and puffy and his hair was a whole bloody nest, it pained me to see him like that.
"H..h..ho..how long have you been here ?" his own voice was betraying him.
"From the beginning. I'm sorry." He inhaled loudly and with blank expression he looked at the flames. With the green light that came from the flames he looked even sicker.
I found my place on the sofa next to him and took him by the hand. He tried to pull his hand from my grasp but I was holding it firmly.
"Draco listen to me! You did nothing wrong! I saw how you played and you are great and no one can say otherwise." He was still staring in same spot and I become frustrated, so I grabbed him by the cheeks and turned his head towards me. "Look at me when I talk!" I squished his cheeks so much that his lips plumped. "You are allowed to make mistakes, you are not perfect nobody is!"
"B..b..but my father..." His voice cracked he was ready to cry.
"Draco your father is way to hard on you. Earlier even I was afraid of him. He is one scary man, so you are allowed to feel afraid, you are allowed to cry if you want to. No one is here to judge you!" I could feel that he was trembling and his eyes started to water. I noticed that his gaze was shifting from me to everywhere he could, so I figured that he didn't want for me to see him crying. I pushed his head on my shoulder and hugged him tightly.
He hesitated for a moment but he soon put his hands around me and hugged me back. Then his restrained tears finally broke free. And he was crying while squeezing me tighter and tighter.
'I guess that he really needed a shoulder to cry on' I just kept patting his back in order to comfort him.
For some time I was quiet but I wanted to make him feel better so I tried talking to him.
"I'm not good with comforting people but I'm here to listen to you if that would make you feel better."
He shifted closer to me with his head still on my shoulder and sighed.
~Draco's POV~
I felt unusually calm in her embrace. A soft sent was coming from her and hers heartbeat made me feel at ease. And in no time my tears had stopped. I can't understand why I allowed myself to show any weakness especially in front of her.
When she told me that she would listen to my worries I just bring myself closer to her and buried my head deeper in her neck. Then without any control I suddenly started pouring my heart out.
"You know... I've never told anyone this but I'm afraid of my father to the point that sometimes I don't want to go home. You been in my house so you know how it feels to be there. It is suffocating that I can't be who I am even at home. Here I have to show a confidante and egoistic attitude so my family name will remain on top." My voice was raspy from crying and it was really embarrassing but Estherwasn't judging me. " I don't even know who I'm supposed to be anymore."
"You know Draco, the hardest thing is to meet others expectations, especially your parents. They have that idea that you will be the best in everything, just because you are theirs child. And I believe that your father loves you in his own weird way. I hope that you will see that one day." She said in slow yet lovely voice. Even thought she said that she is bad at comforting people she made it sound as if everything will be okay, and weirdly I trusted her.
But something in her speech made me wonder how could she know how the pressure from her parents expectations feels when she is an orphan.
"I know, but how would you know how it feels when you don't have anyone ." As soon as I said that I realized how it sounded. So I straightened up immediately. "I.. I. I'm sorry. That is not what I m..."
"Draco everyone has secrets." Esther said in calm voice, and I was staring at her like a fool.
~Esther's POV~
I don't know why but I felt the sudden urge to tell him about my father, and somehow it just felt right.
Not waiting for a reply on my previous statement I grabbed him by the hand and pulled him towards the exit from the common room. "Come with me I need to show you something!"
"Hey where are you taking me?!" He whispered truing so hard not to be loud since we were already in the hallway.
"Shut up, you'll see." I was still pulling him and he didn't even tried to break free.
We finally arrived in front of my old room. I moved the stone with password almost the same way the entrance in Slytherin common room looked like " After you!" I bowed jokingly.
"Esther I'm not a lady!" His face was priceless it looked as if I said the stupidest thing in the world, which I did actually, but it was so fun looking at his reactions. But even thought he said that he still went first.
"Lumos!" The darkness inside the room disappeared. I could see that he was full of questions but he didn't know from where to start.
"This is my old room before we started going to Hogwarts.'' I said in calm voice.
He just turned and looked at me weirdly and I showed him to sit down.
"Draco I lived here my whole life" I sounded melancholic but I wasn't feeling like that I was actually proud of my life here and all the things I learned so far.
"Esther you are not making any sense." Worry could be seen in his eyes which were still slightly red from crying.
"And one more thing my name is not Esther." I just ignored him and continued with my story which to him clearly didn't make any sense.
"Wait.. wait.. wait slow down!" He shouted in order to shut me up. "Then who in the Merlin beard are you?"
I sighted loudly. "My name is Christine and I have been living in Hogwarts for thirteen years. And I also have a father who works here."
"Oooookay all this is really hard to believe but I trust you. Why? That I don't know!" Draco was sitting alone on the bed while looking at me like a lost puppy.
"I hope that you understand why I never told anyone about this." I was playing with my fingers nervous and scared that he will go and tell everyone who I really was.
"It is okay but why did you tell me? I wasn't exactly the nicest person to you."
"I just felt like it so don't worry and above all I wanted to show you this room. I still use it from time to time when I want a break from reality." I quickly scanned the old room feeling nostalgic. "And now you can use it whenever you want to be alone." I smiled widely he really needed it, even more then I do at the moment, so I was totally okay with him being here.
"Why?" Draco definitely wasn't himself tonight. He kept on asking unnecessary questions. Just accept the bloody gift.
"Think of it as gift to make you feel better."
We were talking in my room almost all night. After some time he forgot about all the bad things that happened that day and at some point I even told him that I have a father, but I wanted for him to try and find who it is on his own. I just wanted to enjoy this a bit longer.