Mind Mind Mind
She was in her office actually working. She’d been working almost non-stop since returning from Snape’s. Her door was open, but Draco politely tapped on the doorframe anyhow.
“Willow?”
“Draco, come in,” she said, smiling.
She also looked better than he had seen her look in months. That made him happy. She’d been doing so poorly lately. It was nice to see her looking like her old self again. He knew she likely wasn’t quite there yet, but she was on her way. That was important. Improvement was important. He hoped Snape figured out what had happened to her soon.
“What’s on your mind?”
“What makes you think I have something on my mind?” Draco asked.
“You always have something on your mind, Draco.”
“Fair enough. Look, Willow, I’m sorry-”
“Don’t,” she said. “Just... don’t. Leave it.”
“But...”
“Draco, I know how hard it is for you to apologize. You don’t have to. Yeah, I wish you hadn’t been so mean, but I get it, okay? As long as we’re still friends, as far as I’m concerned it’s finished, settled. I need to concentrate on being just Willow.”
“We’re still friends,” Draco said. “But friends don’t treat people like I treated you.”
“Draco, I don’t like you because I think you’re perfect and never make mistakes.”
He chuckled at that.
“We’re okay,” she said. “Really. We were okay the moment you walked into the room at Snape’s. We were okay the second you hugged me. We’re always okay. Stop being so hard on yourself.”
“But if I had been paying more attention-”
“It probably would have happened anyway.”
“But-”
“No,” she said.
Then she made her resolve face and pointed at it. Draco started chuckling. Sometimes it amazed him that someone who was so disgustingly adorable had the ability to end the world.
“Fine,” he said. “So how are things going with Snape and everything?”
“Snape’s Snape,” Willow said.
Draco laughed because that sounded like something he would say about his godfather, and he could tell she didn’t want to talk about her time with Snape. Draco understood. There were things that had happened with him and his godfather he didn’t want to speak of either. The summer after his sixth year came to mind. Draco imagined that black magic detox with Severus Snape as your caretaker was not the best of times.
“How’s...” Gods, he hated to bring her up. “Daphne?”
Draco wished Willow would hook up with anyone besides Daphne. He didn’t trust Daphs not to hurt WIllow. Despite all her power and darkness, to him Willow was still a very gentle soul. She was kind and good and thought about everyone else before herself. Daphne would take advantage of that, but if Draco started protesting, she would ignore him. She would think it was just him being Slytherin.
“Daphne’s been very busy lately. I haven’t seen much of her,” Willow said sadly.
She didn’t know if Daphne has been busy or not. All Willow knew was that her owls were mostly ignored or she got one word replies. She was thinking her trip into the dark had freaked Daphne out and she was keeping her distance. Willow couldn’t blame her. Perhaps she would seek out Astoria to ask if she’d seen her sister lately.
She didn’t really want to talk about Daphne with Draco, though; it would probably be the same conversation she’d had with Blaise about Daphne, and she didn’t feel up to a round two of that discussion. She wondered if Blaise and Draco knew what creepy ‘brain twins’ they were at times. They just had such a similar way of thinking in Willow’s opinion.
“I wish Dawnie hadn’t had to go back to school,” she said, changing the subject. “She only stayed for the weekend. I wish she could have stayed until Xander got back from whatever the heck he’s doing.”
Draco nodded. He’d liked having Dawn around again as well. She could be very annoying, but then again, so could he, so they were like kindred spirits.
“What is Xander doing anyhow? There’s not been any more slayer sighting, right?” Draco asked.
Willow frowned. She was still disconnected from the slayers. It was proving difficult for her. She was used to them being there, used to being able to sense them. Now it was eerily silent. She didn’t know how to get it back. Buffy has said maybe she needed to just be ‘just Willow’ for a while, but Willow was beginning to think part of her was having them there now. She felt like a piece of herself was missing.
“No,” Willow replied when she realized he was waiting for a response. “There haven’t been any more sightings. I think he was doing something with Sam Zabuto, but I could be wrong.”
Draco was wondering what a respected watcher like Zabuto was doing wandering around the world when they needed watchers here and in Cleveland and all the other places the Council was starting to set up shop. Then again, as more slayers were discovered, they did need someone sending them in the right directions.
“Do you ever wonder why he’s not come here or to Cleveland to take on another slayer?”
“I know why,” Willow said. “Losing Kendra was absolutely devastating to him. He practically raised her. She was identified as a potential very early on, and was given to the Council by her parents for slayer training. It was probably when she was chosen when Buffy died the first time. The thing I understand now about the slayer that I didn’t before I released the essence from the scythe is that that magic or energy that is the slayer always went for the best hope when it was time to choose another.”
Draco was considering the first part of what she said. He’d probably turn back into the drunken mess he was right after Voldemort was defeated if Pevensie was killed in the line of duty. It would hurt that much. Even thinking about it, just considering it for a moment, was painful to him.
Willow put a hand on his. “You don’t have to worry about Pevensie.”
“How... nevermind. Forgot to whom I spoke for a moment.”
Willow started giggling. It was nice to just be normal with him again.
“Willow?”
“Draco, come in,” she said, smiling.
She also looked better than he had seen her look in months. That made him happy. She’d been doing so poorly lately. It was nice to see her looking like her old self again. He knew she likely wasn’t quite there yet, but she was on her way. That was important. Improvement was important. He hoped Snape figured out what had happened to her soon.
“What’s on your mind?”
“What makes you think I have something on my mind?” Draco asked.
“You always have something on your mind, Draco.”
“Fair enough. Look, Willow, I’m sorry-”
“Don’t,” she said. “Just... don’t. Leave it.”
“But...”
“Draco, I know how hard it is for you to apologize. You don’t have to. Yeah, I wish you hadn’t been so mean, but I get it, okay? As long as we’re still friends, as far as I’m concerned it’s finished, settled. I need to concentrate on being just Willow.”
“We’re still friends,” Draco said. “But friends don’t treat people like I treated you.”
“Draco, I don’t like you because I think you’re perfect and never make mistakes.”
He chuckled at that.
“We’re okay,” she said. “Really. We were okay the moment you walked into the room at Snape’s. We were okay the second you hugged me. We’re always okay. Stop being so hard on yourself.”
“But if I had been paying more attention-”
“It probably would have happened anyway.”
“But-”
“No,” she said.
Then she made her resolve face and pointed at it. Draco started chuckling. Sometimes it amazed him that someone who was so disgustingly adorable had the ability to end the world.
“Fine,” he said. “So how are things going with Snape and everything?”
“Snape’s Snape,” Willow said.
Draco laughed because that sounded like something he would say about his godfather, and he could tell she didn’t want to talk about her time with Snape. Draco understood. There were things that had happened with him and his godfather he didn’t want to speak of either. The summer after his sixth year came to mind. Draco imagined that black magic detox with Severus Snape as your caretaker was not the best of times.
“How’s...” Gods, he hated to bring her up. “Daphne?”
Draco wished Willow would hook up with anyone besides Daphne. He didn’t trust Daphs not to hurt WIllow. Despite all her power and darkness, to him Willow was still a very gentle soul. She was kind and good and thought about everyone else before herself. Daphne would take advantage of that, but if Draco started protesting, she would ignore him. She would think it was just him being Slytherin.
“Daphne’s been very busy lately. I haven’t seen much of her,” Willow said sadly.
She didn’t know if Daphne has been busy or not. All Willow knew was that her owls were mostly ignored or she got one word replies. She was thinking her trip into the dark had freaked Daphne out and she was keeping her distance. Willow couldn’t blame her. Perhaps she would seek out Astoria to ask if she’d seen her sister lately.
She didn’t really want to talk about Daphne with Draco, though; it would probably be the same conversation she’d had with Blaise about Daphne, and she didn’t feel up to a round two of that discussion. She wondered if Blaise and Draco knew what creepy ‘brain twins’ they were at times. They just had such a similar way of thinking in Willow’s opinion.
“I wish Dawnie hadn’t had to go back to school,” she said, changing the subject. “She only stayed for the weekend. I wish she could have stayed until Xander got back from whatever the heck he’s doing.”
Draco nodded. He’d liked having Dawn around again as well. She could be very annoying, but then again, so could he, so they were like kindred spirits.
“What is Xander doing anyhow? There’s not been any more slayer sighting, right?” Draco asked.
Willow frowned. She was still disconnected from the slayers. It was proving difficult for her. She was used to them being there, used to being able to sense them. Now it was eerily silent. She didn’t know how to get it back. Buffy has said maybe she needed to just be ‘just Willow’ for a while, but Willow was beginning to think part of her was having them there now. She felt like a piece of herself was missing.
“No,” Willow replied when she realized he was waiting for a response. “There haven’t been any more sightings. I think he was doing something with Sam Zabuto, but I could be wrong.”
Draco was wondering what a respected watcher like Zabuto was doing wandering around the world when they needed watchers here and in Cleveland and all the other places the Council was starting to set up shop. Then again, as more slayers were discovered, they did need someone sending them in the right directions.
“Do you ever wonder why he’s not come here or to Cleveland to take on another slayer?”
“I know why,” Willow said. “Losing Kendra was absolutely devastating to him. He practically raised her. She was identified as a potential very early on, and was given to the Council by her parents for slayer training. It was probably when she was chosen when Buffy died the first time. The thing I understand now about the slayer that I didn’t before I released the essence from the scythe is that that magic or energy that is the slayer always went for the best hope when it was time to choose another.”
Draco was considering the first part of what she said. He’d probably turn back into the drunken mess he was right after Voldemort was defeated if Pevensie was killed in the line of duty. It would hurt that much. Even thinking about it, just considering it for a moment, was painful to him.
Willow put a hand on his. “You don’t have to worry about Pevensie.”
“How... nevermind. Forgot to whom I spoke for a moment.”
Willow started giggling. It was nice to just be normal with him again.