One life down

Selene's POV

It was late.

The castle was quiet, blanketed in the hush that only winter nights could bring. My boots barely made a sound against the stone floor as I moved quickly toward the Room of Requirement.

I had minutes before training started. If I could just—

"Selene!"

The voice stopped me cold.

I turned, already knowing who it was.

Ron Weasley.

He had jogged to catch up with me, his expression somewhere between hopeful and determined.

I sighed inwardly.

Ron was sweet, truly, but also incredibly dense when it came to social cues. I had noticed it for months now—the way he always found an excuse to sit next to me, the lingering looks, the way he fumbled over his words when I spoke to him directly.

I never reciprocated. Of course I didn't. It wasn't that I thought Ron Weasley wasn't good enough—he was kind, and funny in that completely ridiculous way Gryffindors were. But I belonged to Draco Malfoy.

And nothing could change that.

"Oh, hello Ron," I greeted, forcing a polite smile as the door to the Room of Requirement began to appear.

That was my mistake.

Because Ron saw something in that smile—something that had never been there, but his deluded little heart believed in it anyway.

"Guess we can wait a little," he said, blocking my way.

That's when I knew.

I stiffened, every alarm bell in my head blaring at full volume.

"Ron, what are you—"

Before I could finish, he grabbed my wrist.

It wasn't harsh, but it was firm.

I inhaled sharply, instinctively trying to pull away, but he held on just a moment longer.

"Look, I—I know this is weird," he began, and oh Merlin's beard, he was serious. "I just think—maybe—if you gave me a chance—"

What?

WHAT?!

My heart stopped. My eyes widened in absolute horror.

This wasn't happening.

But before I could even process it, before I could force the words out of my frozen throat—

Ron pulled me in.

It wasn't a kiss. Thank Merlin, it wasn't a kiss.

But it was close.

I pushed back immediately, shoving at his chest, but—

"MALFOY! CAUGHT THEM!"

The booming voice shattered the moment.

Oh. No.

My blood turned to ice.

Crabbe. Fucking Crabbe.

My head snapped to the side, and there—

There was Draco.

Standing in the dim corridor, bathed in the flickering torchlight, his silver-grey eyes locked onto mine with a look so sharp, so deadly, it made my stomach drop.

Oh Merlin.

He looked at Ron. At me. At the way Ron was still holding my wrist.

And then—

And then he moved.

Draco's POV

I was having a good night.

Patrol had been uneventful, my duties in the Squad had been cut short, and I had been minutes away from sneaking off to find Selene when—

Crabbe's voice rang through the corridor.

And I saw it.

Selene.

With Weasley.

Too close.

The world went silent.

My entire body went rigid, a slow, cold burn spreading through my veins, my fingers curling into fists at my sides.

It didn't matter that she was pushing him away. It didn't matter that I knew—I knew—she wasn't the type to betray me like that.

What mattered was the audacity.

The absolute audacity of that filthy, second-rate, poor excuse of a wizard to even think he had a chance with her.

With my Selene.

Ron barely had a second before I was on him.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing, Weasley?" I snarled, shoving him back, tearing his filthy hands off her.

"Oi, mate—"

"I AM NOT YOUR FUCKING MATE!"

The corridor shook with my rage.

Selene was talking—saying something—but my pulse was roaring, my hands itching to wrap around his stupid, freckled, Weasley throat and squeeze.

He was lucky I didn't hex him on the spot.

"Malfoy, it's not what you think!" Selene grabbed my wrist, her grip tight, trying to ground me. "I didn't—"

"Oh, don't worry, love," I said, voice sharp as a dagger, "I know exactly what happened. He fucking touched you."

I looked at Weasley.

And he had the audacity—the nerve—to glare at me like I was the problem.

Like I was the one in the wrong.

My fingers twitched toward my wand.

"Malfoy, it's not—" Selene tried again, voice pleading.

I looked at her.

And that—that's when the second, deeper wound hit me.

Because she had hesitated.

Not with her words.

Not with her explanation.

But with me.

For the first time, she had hesitated to tell me something.

I hated it.

I hated him.

I hated everything.

"Get the fuck out of my sight, Weasley," I spat, my voice deadly. "Before I make you regret every single life choice you've ever made."

Ron hesitated—like the absolute moron he was—but Selene shoved him away.

"Go, Ron."

He did.

Slowly.

But not before giving me a look.

A knowing look.

One that made something sharp coil in my gut.

And when he was gone—when the corridor was silent again—I turned to her.

"Selene."

Her name tasted like fire on my tongue.

"Draco—"

"Tell me," I demanded.

Tell me this was nothing.

Tell me he meant nothing.

Tell me I'm still the only one.

She reached for me.

And I let her.

Because of course I did.

Because no matter what, I always would.

But that didn't stop the ache.

That didn't stop the storm brewing in my chest.

That didn't stop the slow, painful, maddening realization that something was wrong.

That something had been wrong.

And that I had been too blind to see it.

Selene's POV

I forgot.

I fucking forgot.

The door to the Room of Requirement stood open behind me, the golden light spilling into the dim corridor, illuminating everything.

And Draco saw it.

He saw everything.

His silver eyes flickered between me, the door, and Weasley—his expression shifting from burning rage to something far, far worse.

Realization.

Betrayal.

He knew.

He fucking knew.

For a moment, just a moment, his features twisted into something unreadable, something vulnerable, something that made my lungs ache. He had thought he won. He had thought, for just a second, that I was telling the truth. That whatever had just happened with Ron was the only thing wrong. That it was just some idiotic Gryffindor crossing a line.

But now—now he knew there was more.

His momentary triumph?

Gone.

And Ron fucking Weasley stood there like he had won a war.

Smug. Smug—like he had proven something, like he had confirmed whatever delusional fantasy he had in his head, like he had one-upped Malfoy.

I could practically feel the rage rolling off Draco in waves.

But then—

Of course.

Of fucking course.

"TAKE THEM!"

The sickly sweet, high-pitched voice slithered through the air, delighted.

I turned—just in time to see Umbridge stepping forward, her toad-like face stretched into an almost inhuman grin. Crabbe was beside her, puffing out his chest, beaming like he had just secured the Dark Lord's favor.

I didn't move. I couldn't move.

My ears were ringing. My heart was slamming against my ribcage.

My throat—dry. My body—cold. My mind—blank.

"No—no, wait—" I tried, stepping forward, pleading. "This isn't—"

But there was no stopping it.

The second Umbridge's stubby little fingers wrapped around my arm, I stopped hearing anything at all.

Tears—hot, furious tears—burned my eyes.

I looked at Draco.

I wish I hadn't.

Because I had never—never—seen him look like that.

He was frozen.

Absolutely frozen.

Not speaking. Not reacting. Not moving.

Just standing there.

Silver eyes wide, chest barely rising, hands limp at his sides.

Like he had been stabbed.

Like he had been gutted open.

I felt sick.

Kenny and Blaise stood nearby, watching in horror, their eyes darting between me and Draco, like they, too, couldn't comprehend what the fuck had just happened.

Like I was the criminal here.

And maybe—maybe I was.

Because I had just done something unforgivable.

I had lied.

I had betrayed him.

And worst of all—

I had hurt him.

Not in the way he thought. Not in the way he had feared.

But in a way he had never expected.

And that was so much worse.

................................................................

Selene's POV

I don't remember walking back to the common room.

I don't remember passing through the dim, stone corridors, or the echo of my footsteps against the cold floor.

I don't remember how I got here.

But I was here.

And they were all staring at me.

A silent, suffocating judgment hanging in the air, thick like smoke.

It wasn't just the older years. It wasn't just my friends.

Even those obnoxious first-years—the same ones I had wanted to strangle just a few weeks ago—stood there, watching me like I was some pitiful, fallen thing.

I felt it in my bones.

The weight of my downfall.

"I need your badge."

I froze.

Draco.

He was right in front of me.

I could hear my own heartbeat pounding in my ears.

His voice was quiet. Steady. But there was something off about it.

Something broken.

And then I saw it.

His face.

His eyes.

He had been crying.

Draco Malfoy—crying.

Not in anger. Not in frustration.

But in something deeper. Something heavier. Something that tore me apart from the inside out.

"Draco—" I barely managed, my throat tight, my voice foreign even to my own ears.

I didn't get to finish.

Before I could even process, before I could even think, Kenny reached forward and ripped the badge from my robes.

No hesitation. No words.

Like I wasn't even worth a conversation anymore.

Like I was just some traitor.

"You betrayed us."

Her voice was like steel.

"All of us."

The common room—our common room, my home—nodded in agreement.

A wave of silent, merciless condemnation.

And for once, I had nothing to say.

Nothing to fight back with.

Nothing to defend myself with.

I just stood there.

Numb.

I should have fought back. I should have screamed. I should have told them why.

But what was the point?

What was the point?

Instead, I turned.

Walked away.

I didn't run.

I didn't plead.

I didn't let them see the blood dripping from my hands, from my arms, from the thin, cruel lines carved into my skin by Umbridge's quill.

I didn't give them anything.

And I don't know if it was because I was too strong—

Or because I had nothing left to give.

The moment I stepped into my dorm, the weight of it all crashed down on me. My legs gave out before I could even reach my bed, and I crumpled onto the cold, unforgiving floor. My arms ached, the fresh cuts from the blood quills stinging, but that pain was nothing compared to the hollow, gaping wound inside me. My body trembled uncontrollably, my breathing uneven and ragged. I had lost them—all of them.

Draco. Blaise. Theo. Pansy. Even the obnoxious first-years. They looked at me like I was a stranger, a traitor.

"You betrayed us."

Kenny's words echoed in my head, over and over again, like a cursed melody that wouldn't stop playing.

I bit down on my lip so hard that I tasted blood, my nails digging into my palms. The walls around me felt like they were closing in, suffocating me in my own misery. My breaths came out in shallow gasps as I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to will away the pain, trying to pretend for just a second that none of this was real. But no matter how hard I tried, the reality was glaring. I had made my choice, and I had lost my family.

A choked sob forced its way out of my throat, followed by another. And another. Until my entire body was shaking with uncontrollable grief. The betrayal. The isolation. The shame. It was too much. It was all too much.

Then, suddenly, I felt it. A warm presence beside me. A hand—gentle, reassuring—settling on my back.

I flinched.

Kenny.

Of all people, I hadn't expected her to come. Not after tonight. Not after the look of disappointment she had given me.

But here she was, kneeling beside me, her eyes soft, filled with something I didn't deserve. Understanding.

She didn't say anything at first. She just sat there, letting me cry, letting me break down completely without judgment.

"Selene..." she finally spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "You're not okay."

I let out a hollow, humorless laugh between my sobs. "No shit."

Kenny sighed and moved closer, wrapping her arms around me. She didn't care that I was a mess, that I was shaking, that I was probably getting blood on her robes. She just held me. And for the first time in what felt like forever, I didn't feel completely alone.

"You should've told me," she murmured into my hair.

I shook my head furiously, my voice hoarse from crying. "And what? Get you dragged into my stupidity? Get you to turn your back on everyone too?" My throat tightened. "No, Kenny. You don't deserve that. None of you do."

She pulled back slightly, her fingers brushing away the tears staining my cheeks. "And you think you deserved this?" She gestured to the fresh wounds on my arms, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "You think you deserved to be abandoned?"

"I—"

I had no answer. Because deep down, I did think I deserved it. I had lied to them, hidden things from them, made a choice that went against everything we were raised to believe. I had betrayed them.

Kenny exhaled sharply, shaking her head. "You're a bloody idiot, you know that?" Her voice was firm but not unkind. "But you're also my best friend."

I stared at her, the dam inside me threatening to break all over again. "Kenny..."

"You listen to me, Selene Blackthorn," she cut me off, her hands gripping my shoulders. "I don't care what the others say, I don't care what Draco says—I know you. I know your heart. And I know you didn't do this to betray us. You did this because you believed it was right. And maybe you're an idiot for that, but I'll be damned if I let you go through this alone."

A sob escaped my lips as I threw myself into her embrace again. And she held me. She held me like I was still worth something. Like I was still her best friend.

And in that moment, I realized why Kenny was the favorite.

Because when the world turned its back on you, she never did.