Please Be There If I Remember

Chapter Fifty-Four: Torn

"Oh get off your high horse, Draco, you're fine. Stop being a wuss."

He screeched indignantly. "I am not being a wuss!"

"Sure you aren't."—

Draco was falling through the open door in front of him before he could even understand where he was.

His arms flailed about, his hazy and wayward mind zeroing in on the fact that holy shit, I'm falling, I'm falling, I'm going to die, holy shit—

Until he stopped, coming to an abrupt, screeching halt right before he got a face full of floor. Then, he fell for a moment again, all seven of them landing with an umph on the ground.

From somewhere beside him, Ginny groaned. "Okay, I am never doing that again."

Draco silently joined in with the sentiment.

—"You're such an idiot, Theo! I don't want to see you right now. Leave."

"And where am I supposed to go, Draco? You were the one that asked your mother to put us in the same dorm—I'm just supposed to get up and go when you ask me to?"

"Yes! No! I don't know, I don't care. Just go!"

"I won't."

"Theo—"

"You don't get to control everything. This isn't a vacation away from your terrible home life, you don't get to boss everyone around. Just because your father beats you—"

"I never should have told you about that."

"But you did."

"And I wish you'd just forget it!"—

Draco groaned again and lay still on the floor while the others got up.

"Draco, what's wrong?" Hemione asked, walking up to where he was on the ground with his head in his hands. "Are you sick?"

"Well, he just threw up over some Death Eater's shoes, Hermione. I doubt he's feeling great," Ron snickered.

"I think it was seeing his father," Luna intoned quietly.

"Well, who cares if seeing his father made him throw up?" Ginny sneered. "We have to get out of here before the Death Eaters come running after us in revenge."

—Narcissa gently brushed the dampened cloth over his back, and Draco winced.

"I'm fine, Mother. You don't have to worry about it." Narcissa sighed but stayed silent. Her hands continued to deftly heal his back, and Draco almost snapped at her when she brushed her fingers over a delicate spot.

"Will you just leave it alone?" He finally broke, moving away from her hand. Narcissa hummed.

"It's my job to protect you, Draco. I'm just trying to help."

"If you want to protect me then you'll leave him."

She sighed, the first sign of emotion showing through her blank facade. "You know I can't do that, Draco. I love him, despite his faults."

"His faults?" Draco sneered. "That's rich, coming from you."

She was silent for a moment, but Draco refused to take back what he said.

"I love you, Draco, but I love him too. Hopefully one day you two can stop whatever this is and we can all be a proper family. But you must stop antagonising him, he'll just get worse."