XV.   lose you to love me

Draco Malfoy was raised into a family who tormented others that they believed were beneath them. His father was the second command to the darkest wizard of all time. The evilness of the Malfoy and Black family bloodline ran through his veins, and would continue long after him: He knew one day he would be destined to follow in his father's footsteps whether he wanted to or not. It was one of the reasons he put on an act. He bullied the ones whose families were different from his and pushed around the ones who beneath the pure bloods. The Malfoy/Black family were known for getting away with their terrible crimes simply because of their name. Independently wealthy, power hungry, and absolutely no remorse for the victims that they destroy.

But while the students and professors of Hogwarts saw the young boy for being another version of Lucius Malfoy, Devore Taylor saw something deeper.

To her, Draco was just a scared teenager who hid behind the transgressions of his family. He was a puppet and Lucius pulled the strings while Narcissa was forced to watch. Whatever daddy dearest wanted,  Draco did it. And whether it was by choice or by force,  Devore didn't want to be apart of it anymore. 

Lucius Malfoy's prideful and superior personality embedded into Draco and caused destruction in his relationship. It drove her away. After years of ignoring the great deal of suffering he brought upon her, Devore was finally strong enough to set herself free from him. 

Now he had to pay the price for his actions by watching the girl he failed to love, love someone else. Draco watched the smile that he drained her of reappear when she was around Fred Weasley. Her laugh was back along with the healthy glow to her skin. Weasley had found the happiness within her and Draco hated it.

"So you love him now?"

Devore looked up from her studies and rolled her eyes. "Go away, Draco."

"Didn't take you for someone who shagged dirty blood traitors, Dev. Especially someone like him." He sneered.

"You know nothing about him—"

"I know enough. I know the whole family are disgraces to the pure blood line. They have nothing, Devore."

Devore looked up again and glared at him. "They may not have what we have but they have something you never will. They're a loving family who are always there for each other. That's more than anything money can buy. That's what I want."

Draco's eyes scanned her face. It'd been weeks since she last spoke to him, let alone looked at him. He missed her. He missed having someone to talk to, to tell him off when he did something wrong. The fact that he missed her presence made him angrier. "You've always been such a dreamer, Devore. Always talking about this perfect life to be married and have children and have everything. Well news flash, Dev. He can't give you what you want. He has nothing to offer you."

When Devore was eight-years-old, she sat outside her home with her dad and they colored together at the table. It was a warm Sunday afternoon, her mother had taken Bennet to the market with her. She asked her father about love, Isaac told her the story of him and her mother when they went to Hogwarts, and even when she was a kid, Devore could see how in love he was with her mom. He said that love doesn't come easy but it's the easiest thing in the world to do. That it should never be hard and always kind.

Devore thought she found that love in Draco but she was wrong. She searched for her father in him but loving Draco was really hard. It was exhausting. Violent. That's not the kind of love she wanted. The kind of love her dad wanted her to have.

"What happened to you?" Devore asked him.

Draco narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"I used to believe I needed you in my life because you reminded me of my father. I thought you were the one person who understood me and loved me despite how fucked up my life became. I thought what happened to me was the reason I'm so messed up but I was wrong." She then laughed. "You're the reason."

He shook his head. "You sound crazy."

She ran both of her hands through her hair. The realization slowly settled in. "I've spent so long trying to heal myself. I thought that's what I was doing with you. But you were only making things worse. I thought I was honoring my dad by staying with someone I loved but I think I've only disappointed him."

Draco was pained by her words. They almost made him shrink back, but that's not who he was. He released a dark chuckle. "Typical Devore Taylor, always playing the victim."

Devore stared at him and shook her head, looking disappointed. "Goodbye, Draco." She said and left the table with her things in her arms.

Devore found Fred sitting outside at a table with George and Lee, laughing about something she didn't know, and she walked over to them. When he saw her, his smile brightened. "Hey, love."

She placed her hand on his shoulder, smiled softly, and hugged him. He seemed startled at first, and glanced at George and Lee, the two of them raising their eyebrows. Fred laughed and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Is everything okay?" He asked her.

It was clear to her now what it meant to be loved, to be cherished the way somebody deserved. Devore should've known way before, and maybe she did but she was too young and blinded by something else. Fred always loved her. He loved her when she was at her worse, he loved her at her best, and he loved her for her. All her life, Devore had been wondering when she'd be in love, and she was.

She wasn't dwelling on her past. She was leaving it all behind her, and focusing on what was right in front of her. "Everything's perfect." Devore answered him and pressed her small hands to his cheeks. "I love you."

Fred smiled again and seemed to forget all about George and Lee being there. "I guess I love you too, Taylor." He smirked.

She giggled, and George looked at Lee, the two of them smiling.

June was finally among them. Everyone was more anxious for the third and final task. Devore had been using her time to help Ron and Hermione prepare with Harry, teaching him new spells to use such as the Impediment Jinx; a spell to slow down attacks. There was also the Reducto Curse which enabled Harry to blast through solid objects. Devore had gone as far to help him as throwing random objects at him to see if he had mastered the curse. He hadn't quite got hang of it yet.

"Ow, Devore, will you stop it already!"

Devore cringed. "Sorry, Har." She went to retrieve the library book she threw at him.

Hermione was flickering through the book of spells.  "You're still doing really well, though," she encouraged. "Some of these are bound to come in handy."

"Try not to think of it as a maze. Think about it as your Ron trying to find the last piece of his mom's pie." Suggested Devore.

Her friend's jaw dropped. "Hurtful!"

On the day of the third task, Harry's nerves were shot through Hogwarts's roof. Breakfast that day was noisy and hectic. Devore and her friends sat at the Gryffindor table to give Harry encouragement. Devore was looking down at her History of Magic textbook. Her hands tugged at her hair. "I find there to be something much scarier than these tasks and it's our History of Magic exam!" She exaggerated.

"I told you to study with me but you said you had  'better things to do'." Hermione air quoted.

She looked across the table at Fred. He met her eyes and winked. Ron looked between them and pushed his plate of food away. "Okay, I'm done."

After breakfast was over, Devore quickly kissed Fred goodbye, him telling her a good luck on her exam, and her and Ron left the Great Hall to go to Professor Binns's classroom. "Y'know, mum and dad'll be here tonight to watch the final task?" He told her.

Devore looked his way with wide eyes. It had been a while since the last time she saw the remainder of the Weasley family. But she thought of them all the time. Of Mrs. Weasley's baking and her warm hugs. Mr. Weasley's jokes. How kind Ron's older brothers were to her. It made her sick to think about what they thought of her now. And now she was dating Fred. "Oh."

Ron noticed her discomfort. "She misses you, Dev. They all do."

"I doubt that."

"I'm serious. You know how mum is. She loved you the first time I ever introduced you to her. Nothing you've done in the past can change that. I mean, look at us now." He assured her and smiled.

Their friendship had grown stronger and better over the course of the months. She'd done everything in her power to gain back what they lost.

When their exam was over, Devore and Ron returned to the Great Hall. She briefly cheated off the girl sitting beside her, but only about ten of them. When they entered the hall, Devore almost choked when she saw Molly and Bill surrounding Harry. "Mum, Bill! What are you doing here so early?" Asked Ron, feeling stunned.

Molly Weasley's warm eyes beamed at her son. "Come to wish Harry good luck in the last task, of course! I must say, it's a lovely change, not having to cook."

Devore stayed in the back, feeling extremely nervous. The last time she saw Molly was two years ago. Their relationship was once wonderful. She loved the girl like her own daughter. She was the kindest woman. Now, Devore felt even more guilty facing her after everything she put her children through.

Molly spotted the familiar brunette standing far behind her son. Then, she gasped. "Is that Devore Taylor? Why, it is!"

Devore was more than shocked when she was suddenly engulfed into a hug. But the warmth practically put her in tears. For a long time she'd put herself down for what happened. For what she did to such an amazing family. But to know that she was still loved and welcomed made her feel less regretful. She returned the hug. "It's wonderful to see you again, Mrs. Weasley."

The woman pulled back and looked at her. "Oh, look at you. You're so beautiful, my dear!"

Fred watched the interaction and would admit to himself that he was nervous about telling his mum and dad that he was in a relationship with Devore. His siblings assured him many times that their mother would be happy to see he again but he was still nervous for her.

Bennet was sitting by Cedric when he saw Molly. He gasped out loud and quickly ran to the Gryffindor table. "Mrs. Weasley!" He called out.

"Oh, Bennet dear!" Molly exclaimed happily and opened her arms for him to run into you. "Look how big you've gotten!"

Devore sat beside Fred. "You doing okay?" He asked her.

She looked at him and smiled briefly. "Oh, yeah. Fine now. Felt like I could throw up for a moment."

"We told you she'd be happy to see you." Said Ginny.

"I know, I know. You were right."

"How was the exam?" Asked George.

Devore nodded. "I think it went quite well. I copied the answers the from the girl beside me at one point, but, everything else was easy."

Hermione scolded her for cheating while Ron looked offended. "And you didn't let me copy yours?" He asked. Hermione hit his arm.

"They would already be suspicious with two people having the same answers, let alone three people!" Devore excused.

He grumbled under his breath.

When lunch was over, the Weasley family, plus Harry, Hermione, and Devore, took a long walk around the castle. Molly's arm was intertwined with hers and they walked further ahead of the others. "You have no idea how much I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too. All of you. I've been trying very hard to regain everyone's trust. I can only wish to regain yours as well."

Molly smiled warmly. "Oh, my dear girl, I have loved you since the first day Ron brought to our home. I know you and I know your heart. You remind me so much of your father." She patted her hand kindly .

Devore met her eyes. "You knew my father well?"

"Of course! I was best friends with your mother, as you know. Me, Chanel, and Lily were quite the trio. I've always known your mother to be an amazingly strong woman. Every day, your father would send her these gifts to try and persuade her to go out with him. Flowers, letters, candies." Molly laughed. "He even took private singing lessons to serenade her! It was the most petrifying thing ever but it was so sweet. He finally convinced her just before the Yule Ball. It became one of the most beautiful love stories I ever witnessed."

She listened to the story with a heavy but warm heart. "Sounds like he was desperate." She joked.

Molly laughed. "It seemed like that at first, but I promise you, it only drove them closer together."

She nodded slightly. "I miss my father terribly."

Mrs. Weasley squeezed her arm with her free hand. "I'm just happy you have so much love around you, especially my son." She said with a kind smile.

She looked at the woman with wide eyes. "H-How did you—"

"Oh, please! You and Fred have been in each other's lives for years, Devore. At one point, your name was all I heard in my house. I always knew it would happen eventually."

Devore couldn't help but laugh. She looked over her shoulder and met her boyfriend's eye, and he smiled at her. She smiled widely.

It was dark outside by the time everyone got to the Quiddich field. It was unrecognizable. The field was surrounded by a twenty foot hedge which was the maze that the champions would have to enter to retrieve the cup. Devore and the others arrived to get their seats in the stands. She released Fred's hand and walked with Bennet so he could wish Cedric good luck.

"Good luck, Cedric!" Bennet told him and gave him a big hug.

Cedric smiled widely and hugged him back. "Thanks, Ben." He let go of the boy and crouched down to his height. "I'll tell you what. When I bring the cup back, you'll be the first person I let take a picture with me with it."

Bennet's eyes widened. "Really?" He received a nod. "Wow, thanks Ced!"

They hugged once more. The boy went off to tell Harry good luck. Cedric looked over to Devore and half smiled. "I love that kid."

"He loves you." Devore said with a smile. "Good luck out there, Diggory."

"Nothing can stop me, Taylor." He said with a cheery grin. He went off to be with his father.

Everyone took turns wishing Harry good luck. Devore took her turn and stood in front of him. "Are you ready for this?"

"Is anyone ever really ready to be faced with death?" He responded, shaking with nerves.

She half smiled. "I guess not. Hopefully all those books I threw at your head will do something." She said and ruffled his black hair.

That got him to laugh. "Thanks, Dev."

She grabbed ahold of his hands. "You know, I like to think I understand you a little better than the others. And not just because of our parents. I know there's days you feel like you have no one to turn to but I promise, you do. I love you, Harry. If you need someone to think about while you're in there to push you to keep going, you can always think of me."

Harry nodded along while he listened to her talk. When she was done, he grabbed her by the shoulders and hugged her tightly. "Just don't leave again, okay?"

"Never again."

The champions were called to line up and Devore went to the stands. She stood by Fred's side and her arms circled around his waist.

Ludo Bagman stood in between the champions with his wand to his throat. "Ladies and gentlemen, the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin! Let me remind you how the points currently stand. Tied in first place, with eighty-five points each - Mr. Cedric Diggory and Mr. Harry Potter, both of Hogwarts school!" The cheers and applause sent birds from the forbidden forest fluttering into the darkening sky. "In second place, with eighty points - Mr. Viktor Krum of Durmstrang institute!" More applause. "And in third place - Miss Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons Academy!"

"Let's go, Fleur!" Olivia cheered for her cousin while Ron and and the twins letting out whistle sounds.

"So. . . on my whistle, Harry and Cedric!" Announced Bagman. "Three. . . two. . .one—!"

He let out a short blast on his whistle and everyone watched Harry and Cedric enter the maze. Not long after, he blew the whistle again and again, sending Fleur and Viktor in the maze and the towering hedge slowly closed. Now, everyone waited.

"Oh, I feel so nervous." Hermione said, anxiously grasping onto Devore's arm.

"Worst case scenario he loses his glasses and can't see anything." Said Atlas, trying to hide is snorts, resulting in a swat on the back of the head from both his sister and his boyfriend.

Devore rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, Mione. He's been practicing for months. Surely some knowledge got through to him."

"If he didn't get knocked out by you throwing stuff at his head." Ron chuckled.

"You threw things at his head? Like what, exactly?" Asked Fred.

"I might have thrown a book or two," she admitted. Ron and Hermione gave her the same look. "And my shoes."

Time seemed to pass on excruciatingly slow. Devore was gnawing on her nails. "Why aren't they back yet?  It's been forever?" She asked with a groan.

Fred checked his watch. "It's been thirty minutes, Dev." He told her.

"Well it's been thirty minutes too long!"

Not long after that, Fleur and Viktor returned, failing to retrieve the cup. Bennet looked at his sister and gasped. "It's just Cedric and Harry now!"

"I know!" She said back and put her hands on his shoulders.

A little while after, a cold feeling washed over everyone in the stands. The lights seemed to dim. Devore pulled her jacket closer to her body. She got a bad feeling all of a sudden. "Something's not right." She said to herself.

"What makes you say that?" Olivia asked her.

"I dunno. Just a sick feeling, I guess." Then, red lights started flashing from above the maze and into the sky. Everyone in the stands gasped. "What does that mean,  Hermione? What does that mean?" She asked frequently.

"I-I don't know!" Hermione responded and her voice went high.

The chatter got quiet and it grew more intense. Devore wrapped her arms around Fred's waist again as more anxiety boiled her stomach. She got that bad feeling again and she squeezed him tight, feeling him rub his hands up and down her arms.

Suddenly, there was a flash of light and Harry and Cedric appeared. Cheers broke out as they were spotted with the cup. "YES!" Bennet's young voice cheered.

Devore broke away from Fred and rapidly clapped. Everyone in the stands were practically bouncing on their feet. But it quickly turned treacherous when Fleur's shrilling scream echoed. Bagman and the professors fled down the stands to investigate, leaving the students confused. 

Harry and Cedric remained on the ground with Harry hovering over him. His body was shaking in sobs. A pair of hands grabbed his shoulders roughly trying to remove him but Harry refused. "No, no!"

"What's going on?" Atlas questioned but he received no answer.

"Harry!" It was Professor Dumbledore. Harry looked up to see the man crouched over him. The sky was an eerie black and the silhouettes of teachers surrounded him. The young boy clutched the Hufflepuff beneath him as he cried in agony. "He's back. He's back,  Voldemort's back. He asked me to bring his body back.  I couldn't leave him! Not there!"

"Diggory, he's dead!"

Devore felt like she could throw up.

Amos Diggory pushed through the crowd of students.  "Let me through. Let me through!" The professors held him back as he came face to face with the two young boys and his eyes met with the lifeless eyes of his dead son. "That's my boy!"

Cedric was dead. Amos let out an agonizing cry. Devore's mouth was dropped open, her eyes glossed over, and she felt frozen until she heard her brother's cries. Bennet stared at the body of his friend, the one who promised to come see him when he got back, and he completely broke.

Devore crouched down and hugged him so tightly he almost couldn't breathe. "He's dead, Dev. He's dead." He cried into her neck.

"I know, Benny, I know." She whispered with a break in her voice. She rubbed his back to try and calm him down but her own tears fell.

Everyone watched Professor Moody dragged a crying Harry out of the arena. Their hearts were breaking by the second and the cries of a childless father ripped through the cloudy sky casting a dark shadow over the crowd.