Halloween treat for lumosed_quill
Gift for: lumosed_quill
From: lordes
Title: A Different Kind of Blame
Pairing: Harry/Draco
Rating: R (for subject)
Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine. I wish he were, though. I’ll ask Santa.
Warnings: Pending Character Death
Summary: No matter how much Draco loves Harry, when his family is threatened by Death Eaters, he sees no other way out than to comply with their demands.
Notes: A big shout out and thank you to the amazing mods for not only notifying me when sign ups were open (as I tend to be late every single year), but also for organising this incredibly fun fest once again. I don’t know how I’d be spending my Halloween without it. And thanks to my lovely beta, lordhellebore as always, and missingkeys for the last minute save! You two are my heroes. ♥
lumosed_quill, this ficlet was born out of your prompt: “A cold tomb behind his/her back”. You might find that I used it metaphorically, and I really hope you don’t mind, as I kind of got attached to the idea that it gave me.
It’s not his fault. It’s never been his fault. Not the war, not my fate, not even Him and what He did to my family. No, it’s definitely not his fault.
And yet, despite none of this being on him, despite the sacrifices he’s already made, despite my pleas and begging for forgiveness to Them, he’ll still have to pay the price. He always will, because he always has. I understand that now.
An angry tear rolls down my cheek, leaving a burning streak on my cold flesh. I don’t wipe it away. I won’t. I don’t deserve it.
He’ll be better off, back with the people he’s lost and so desperately longs for. People who love him in a way I feel I’ve never fully managed to. I see it in his eyes every single time I look at him. And my family: the father for whom I was never quite enough and the mother who never spoke up to him, they’ll be safe. They’ll be saved, one last time.
And as I pull my hood back over my masked face once again, cover my Mark and pull out my wand, I console myself with that exact thought.