Narcissa Malfoy decided that tonight would be the best time to try to convince Draco to return Hogwarts by inviting the Zabinis over for tea. Odette Zabini, Blaise's mother, arrived in her usual garb - somehow more overdressed than ever if only to display the wealth her most recent husband had spoiled her with. He, somehow, managed to last over a year being married to the Zabini mistress in comparison to the mere months of those who came before him.
The two mothers sat in the large drawing room, one of the few with large windows that weren't curtained. Blaise was dismissed to the upper floor to Draco's room. Just behind him, a house elf followed with a silver tray with a pot of tea and scones.
Blaise knocked on the door, and it gently swung open to reveal Draco who was sitting at an empty desk. He flipped through a textbook, though it did not appear that he was reading it at all. The house elf placed the tray down next to its young master. It poured two cups of steaming tea, dropping three fairly large sugar cubes and a splash of cold milk in one (just the way Draco liked it), placed a delicate silver teaspoon which started stirring itself in the liquid, and apparated back to the kitchen without a word.
"Still studying, eh?" Blaise sat on the four-poster bed, one of the few things in the bedroom aside from the desk. There were stains on the walls, sun-stains from the picture frames that had been taken down. Even the large armoire had nothing but the mirror that was attached to it. No photos, no trinkets. Everything was bare.
Draco shut the book and sat back in his chair. He pulled the teaspoon away, quickly dropping it to the tray, before taking a small sip. "I see your mother needed an excuse to get out of that God-awful mansion."
Blaise chuckled stiffly, always admiring his friend's ability to say the harshest things as a means of avoiding questions. He reached over to the porcelain cups, ignoring the lemon wedges, sugar, and milk, and took his own tea. "Your mother is keeping her distracted. I think she believes I'd somehow be able to convince you to finish your last year at Hogwarts."
"I told you I'm not coming back."
"I know you did. She knows you did." Blaise stood, wincing from the piping hot drink. "You don't honestly think she'll stop trying to convince you, do you?"
Draco rolled his shoulders back, avoiding yet another question, and sipped again.
"You're looking quite awful, you know."
He knew. Draco never really liked looking at himself in mirrors, but the hatred grew stronger in the last year. Every time he saw his skin, it looked paler, grayer, more gaunt than the day before. It got to the point where he learned to look only at his clothes and his hair if only to be presentable. His face, he still can't bear to see. A strong tea in the afternoon wasn't enough to bring the color back to his cheeks.
"So you really won't come back?"
"Did you always ask this many questions?" Draco squinted suspiciously.
Blaise managed a laugh, and placed his cup back down on the tray. "No, I just think you're not used to interacting with anyone. Can't imagine you get much conversation being stuck in here."
Footsteps were coming down the hallway. Blaise turned, expecting to see Narcissa but instead, the familiar figure of Io Visage walked past and entered the bedroom only steps away. She didn't notice he was there. She just kept walking, almost like a ghost with no weight in her steps.
Blaise ran, catching the last of Io's hair as she closed the door behind her. He looked at his friend who sat silently. Draco's eyes flashed up, knowing there was going to be another question.
"Draco, what the hell is she doing here?"
He didn't answer, of course. Blaise didn't actually expect one, but the last thing he expected was the briefest flinch in Draco's shoulders.
"Answer me, dammit!" Blaise raised his voice. "What is Io doing here?"
"I…" Draco tried to find something to say. His hands trembled as he quickly put his drink down to avoid spilling any of it. "I didn't know she was -"
"- she came here? On her own? Where's Aster?"
"Not here."
"You're lying, mate." Blaise shook his head and started pacing. "This is mad…"
"I'm not lying!" Draco shouted. "You think I wanted this?"
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't punch you in the face right now! She's our friend - no, she's your girlfriend for fucks sake! She and Aster are the only people either of us have dared to get to know in years, and now, it's all fucked. I can't believe you'd let this happen."
"Let this happen?" Draco repeated. "I let this happen? I didn't let anything happen! She's here, I didn't ask her, and I couldn't stop her. I don't control what she does, but I'll be damned if anything should happen to her while she's here."
"You're lying to yourself, mate. There are Death Eaters all over this house. They're parasites - all of them, and if you think they won't try to hurt her, you're mad. Especially that aunt of yours -"
"- I don't want to talk about this." Draco stood and faced the window, hoping somehow that his friend would take the hint and leave.
"Bellatrix already did something, didn't she? I saw what she did to the Great Hall. I know Io ended up in the infirmary with a concussion. I'm not daft, Draco. Aster told me she found Io in a ruddy broom closet, the one near the Great Hall. It was her, wasn't it? Bellatrix hurt her!"
"Blaise, I swear, I didn't…" Draco's voice was soft. "I didn't ask her to come. I thought that when… when this was all over, I could just go back. Find her in the end, and we could -"
"- could what? Have your happy ending? Look where we are right now. If the Dark Lord wins, then what? You still think you'll have that cozy home with her? Run away to the countryside, have children, and live happily ever after? And if he loses, you don't think you'll get carted right off to Azkaban?"
Draco walked over to close the door, but before he could, Io was there. She looked at Blaise, and he just looked back, neither of them knowing how to approach the other.
"Blaise," Io raised her chin.
"Don't look at me like that." Blaise scoffed. "What the fuck are you doing here - you know, what? Don't answer that." He turned to Draco. "You - what did you do?"
"I didn't do anything," Draco replied dryly.
"Io, you can't be here. You don't -"
"- I know exactly what's happening here, Blaise." She defended.
"Obviously, you don't know, or else you wouldn't be here! There's no reason for you to…" Blaise stopped himself from speaking. He lowered his eyes, seeing Draco's fingers reaching for Io's. Though she kept her gaze forward, Draco looked at her.
There weren't very many genuine displays of love or affection around Blaise when he was growing up. His mother was a narcissist, that much was obvious. She'd kiss him goodnight, but she also kissed his many stepfathers as well. Look how they turned out. He'd never seen what it was to love someone and think of them as precious, so when he saw the way Draco looked at Io - like she was the most hauntingly painful piece of art he's ever laid eyes on, like at any moment she could vanish and he just needed to see her one last time - Blaise knew. She was here for him, nothing more. Somehow, that answer was more satisfying than anything excuse either of them could have given him.
"Draco," Blaise called his attention. "I know you're not a fool. If she's here for you, and I know she is, then you better damn well know what you're doing."
Io looked at Draco and smiled softly at him.
"God, you really do love her, don't you?"
This was the one answer Draco could give.
"Yes. I do."
Blaise nodded, almost laughing to himself at the simple response. "Draco Malfoy... I never thought I'd see the day where you'd admit something so heavy."
The two lovers stood side by side like puzzle pieces, fitting perfectly only to each other. Neither of them ever looked for validation for their situation, not once in the months since they met. They knew it was confusing to some, obvious to others. But any question that ever came their way, there was one they never cared to ask, and it was a question of if there were any doubts.
Io broke away and turned to hug Blaise. He accepted her embrace, wanting to let her know that he trusted his friend to watch over her but that trust was laced with fear -the fear of what would become of her, of Draco, of them both.
"I need you to watch over Aster for me," Io whispered.
Blaise nodded, his chin resting on Io's head. "Of course."
"She…"
"I'll make sure she's safe. I promise."
Io shook her head furiously. "No, Aster, the sound of thunder terrifies her. Ever since we were kids, she'd shake until it stopped. She would get so scared, and I would… during thunderstorms, she would sleep with me."
"Io, I'll make sure she's okay."
"A-And she can get really cranky sometimes, so I used to bring her hot chocolate or -"
"- or licorice wands." Blaise nodded. "I've got this."
Draco put his hand on Io's shoulder, slowly guiding her back. "Don't tell my mother you saw her. She doesn't… she doesn't know yet."
"I won't. I'm sure she'll ask me if you were convinced at all to come back to school, but I don't think her hopes were high to begin with."
Draco held out his hand, and Blaise shook it firmly. "Thank you."
"That's the second thing I never expected to hear you say." Blaise sighed. "I suppose love changes people. I'm happy for you, mate. I just wish it was under different circumstances."
When the Zabinis left for the afternoon, Narcissa summoned Draco downstairs. The house elves had thoroughly cleaned everything so that there was no hint of any guest being there at all. The Malfoy matriarch stood stoicly, staring at the grand fireplace. She couldn't bother to reignite the dying embers, instead letting the crackling fill the room instead. On the mantle, there was a photo in a black frame of Draco as a child. Then again, he was still a child, her child.
"What is it, mother?"
"Have you made a decision?" Narcissa's voice always had a hint of warmth when she spoke to her son. Even for her husband whom she still loved dearly, all of her affection went to Draco. Lucius, even with his freedom with the rise of the Dark Lord, was a mere shell of himself, and she couldn't muster the energy to revive him.
"I have," Draco nodded curtly. "I'm staying."
Narcissa sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Darling, I wish you would reconsider."
"I am needed here."
"I don't know what gave you that impression."
"Do you not want me here?"
Narcissa's head snapped in his direction, eyebrows raised. "You know I want you here, but you know that is not what I meant. You have one year left at Hogwarts, and if you expect to work for the Ministry or do anything when you're of age then -"
"- then what?" Draco laughed dryly. "I don't know if you're aware of the state of things, mother, but I don't think finishing my seventh year at a school that's been taken over actually matters. I have business to attend to here."
"Is it the girl?" Narcissa asked just as Draco was ready to leave. "You want to stay here because of her?"
"I never said that."
"Who is she that you'd lie to your own mother?"
Draco's eyes were still. She hated it when he looked at her like that because there was no budging him. Even when he was a child, she could never convince him to respond to questions he didn't want to answer. That stubbornness followed him, and it didn't appear to be a trait he'd grow out of.
"Go upstairs." Narcissa shook her head. "I will have dinner sent up to you."
Draco bowed his head before stiffly walking back up the stairs and to his bedroom. Once she heard the door close, she shut her eyes tight.
Narcissa didn't want to admit anything, but she knew what she saw the night before. In fact, she'd seen it more than once, heard it more than once. She just didn't want to believe that her son was sneaking out after midnight and into Io's room. He was clever though. Every time she would enter his room unannounced in the mornings, he was always there in a deep sleep.
The stress was driving her mad. Now that Lucius was worn down by the Dark Lord's hand, Draco was the only thing left for her to protect. She failed to save her husband, and she'd spend the rest of her life trying to revive the fire that once ignited his soul. For now, her son was her priority. The strange girl who showed up at their manor weeks ago was a stranger, and though Bellatrix did what she could to break her, Io would not falter. It was almost admirable. However, it was slowly becoming obvious that there were secrets that didn't belong to the Dark Lord now flooding the upper floor.
Narcissa knew Draco wouldn't leave his room while she was still awake. Dinner had already been sent up, but she commanded the elf heading towards Io's room to wait.
She didn't knock. Hell, this was still her house.
When the door swung open, Io didn't flinch. She just turned her head, eyes locking directly on her unwelcome visitor. Narcissa closed the door behind her.
"What are you to my son?"