#grahaem

Such a suggestion was foreign to Draco’s ears; his family mostly avoided talking about issues, or anything at all. His parents had learned to suppress, to CONTAIN their inner world and they had brought him up the same. Work with people, but never let them see you vulnerable. So now Graham had found him, lost deep in thought about the dark times that were ahead, Draco felt like a deer caught in the headlights. His silvery eyes slid away from Graham’s, not wanting the other to see how splintered he felt inside. The notion that somebody might CARE about him and be willing to help him shoulder his burdens was terrifying to consider. “It’s fine.” Draco replied, his usually loud and arrogant voice suddenly a whisper. Keep it together. “I don’t want to hold you back. I’m sure you have better things to do.” He tried to keep a neutral expression on his face, but the rest of his body did not comply - his shoulders tense and hands clenched tightly into fists. Sentiment made a person weak, didn’t it? If this was the truth, however, Draco couldn’t understand the empty hole he felt in his heart.

     “I don’t think that’s so!” Her voice is gentle as she chirps her reply, “Wantin’ gives us a direction, a sort of finish line to strive for. It leaves us open for hurt, I suppose, or failure, but neither of those are weakness!”

     “The answers aren’t supposed to be so hard to find.” She stated, cerulean hues drifting from stacked tarot cards, drying tea leaves, and the overly fingerprinted crystal ball. “They all conflict and Trelawny isn’t here to explain what I’m supposed to do if that happens and--” Her palms cover her face with a soft groan, “I’m supposed to be better at this than this.”