Hello, my beautiful ladies, gents, and non-binaries <3

This chapter is dedicated to the Trauma Chat, a groupchat that has been formed through the Instagram DMs where they speak and vent about chapters of the book, AND their own conflictions as a friend group<3 , and Hannah Herschell, along with her best friend Caitlin <3

And all you readers are the absolute bestest. 

Without further adieu, I present to you...

B E L I E V E  M E 

lucille granger

"Do you think I should plant the daisies or the orchids?" I said, holding up both flowers in their mini pots.

Hermoine looked up from the ground, small shovel in her hand and dirt on her cheek.

"Mmm..." she thought, "Daisies, so that they can spread around the garden over time. I feel like orchids are independent missies."

"I agree," I said, as I knelt down and started shoveling a hole to plant the daisies.

The air was getting warmer; it breezed against us, blowing through our hair and brushing against our skin.

We were in the garden behind the burrow, planting a couple flowers that Lorenzo had brought yesterday.

From this point on, I'd like to think that whatever happened between Lorenzo and I last night was just a once-in-a-lifetime moment. 

I just want to move on.

I wish I could say the same thing about Draco.

"I brought some iced lemonade!" Mrs. Weasley squealed as she walked out the burrow and into the backyard, with a tray and cups in her two hard working hands.

"And I have the fertile soil," George chimed with the bag of soil over his shoulder.

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," I smiled, as she set down the tray on the patio table.

"Could you place the soil over there?" Hermoine pointed with her shovel.

"Where?"

"By Ginny! Do you not see where my shovel is pointing?" 

"Oh, blimey." 

I walked over to the patio table and poured myself a cup of iced lemonade.

"Where's Harry and Ron?" I queried, as I looked around.

"Lighting things on fire, of course," Hermoine blurted as she continued planting, "I don't know what's up with Harry and his bloody curiosity with lighting things on fire. It's rubbish, if you ask me."

"Where are they lighting things on fire?" Mrs. Weasley badgered, with both her hands on her hips.

"They're lighting newspapers and garbage out front!" Ginny responded, as she ripped open the soil bag.

"Out front? On the lawn that I make Arthur keep tidy?!" 

Ginny and George shrugged.

"We can never have anything nice, I see," George snickered.

Mrs. Weasley stormed back inside, as I laughed.

"Do any of you want any lemonade?" I asked.

"Yes!" they all chimed.

"Fuck's sake," I mumbled, as I started laying out 3 more cups.

I started pouring the lemonade into the glass cups, when Ron suddenly bursts out of the burrow and into the backyard, out of breath.

"What, did you get in trouble by Mrs. Weasley?" I snarked at him.

"Um-. No-." Ron panted, "Draco's out front."

My heart dropped.

Fuck.

"I'm sorry-. Did you say that Draco's out front?" Hermoine fumed, as she got up from the ground and dropped her shovel.

She started walking as she pulled out her wand from her waistline, when Ron immediately blocked her way.

"No-No-Hermoine- no. I-. I don't think you should go out there. He's-. He seems pretty angry-."

"Oh, like hell he is! Out of my way!" Hermoine demanded. Ron kept trying to block her way, and eventually he picked her up by the waist.

"Luce! Go before Hermoine catches up!" He shouted.

"This is-. Ridiculous! Let me- down!" Hermoine squirmed.

I rushed inside the burrow, as my heart heavily palpitated.

And out the front door I went.

Immediately, I noticed Draco being blocked by Harry.

"She's coming, Malfoy-. Just-. Don't come in-." Harry stammered, trying his best to hold him back and prevent him from coming any closer to the burrow.

"Fucking hell, Potter, just move!" Draco shouted.

As I stood by the door, Draco's eyes met with mine.

And I froze.

My hands starting sweating.

My heart was pounding.

I gulped.

My throat tightened.

Draco stopped trying to get past Harry.

And he stood there looking at me.

With his grey piercing beads.

From the looks of it, he looked horrible.

His hair was a mess.

Dark circles formed under his eyes.

He was clammy.

His fists-. They were cut.

And it hurt.

It hurt watching him stand there all broken and damaged.

But-. But he did this to himself.

Get your head out the gutter, Lucille! He cheated on you!

My lips parted, though nothing came out.

"Lucille," Draco spoke weakly. "Please listen to what I'm about to say."

Harry turned around. He looked back at Draco and slowly walked away, then rushing back in the burrow to avoid the tension.

"Why should I listen to whatever you have to say-."

"Lucille, I-. I was set up," He stammered, as he crept closer, "I-. I was set up you have to believe me you have to listen please-."

"Draco," I said, "Stop inching closer. Please." I seethed.

He stopped moving closer. His shoulders dropped as he huffed, looking down at the ground.

He obeyed.

"What do you mean you were set up?" I asked.

Draco gulped, then looked back at me.

"It-. It was my father-. He-. He set me up. He set me up the night I ch-cheated," Draco stammered.

What?

"I-I don't get what you're sayin-."

"Lucille, just listen,"  he huffed, "The night I-. The night I went out, Lucille, I was set up. I was set up, Lucille. M-my father set me up-."

"Draco, how? How were you set up?"

Get to the fucking point!

"Sortis Serum. It was a serum, a-and I don't know I could be so stupid-. I was practically drugged, Lucille I would never cheat on you-. I would ne-I would never ever cheat on you on purpose please Lucille you have to believe me-." Draco's voice cracked, as his lip quivered.

Sortis Serum. The dangerously compelling serum when ingested, which induces lustful thinking.

"Lucille, please believe me-. Y-you have to. You have to, Lucille-."

"Draco," I said, as he quickly shut up, "Who told you that."

"My father, Luce. My fucking pig of a father. He-He set me up. He set me up-."

"Why!"

"Because he hates me! He hates you! He hates my mum-. He-. He hates everyone Lucille just please believe me-." Draco stammered and stuttered.

"We had a baby, Draco-. And you-. You still-."

"Lucille!" He raised his voice, "I was poisoned, Lucille, I was-. I wasn't-. I wouldn't-. I wouldn't cheat on you like that I wouldn't I wouldn't cheat on you on purpose like that-."

"Draco," I said, "Please calm down," I trembled.

At this point, Draco was breathing heavily.

I have never ever seen Draco like this.

And I've never hurt for someone so much.

Besides my own pain.

Draco was breaking right in front of me and this time I fucking cared.

My mind was racing. 

Heart, too.

I mean-. What do you say to this?

"Do you believe me, Lucille?" He breathed.

I gulped.

"Please, Lucille."

I frantically looked around as if the right words were going to appear right in front of me.

"Lucille, please believe me. Y-You don't know how much I fucking love you."

"Where is he! Where is this blonde git!" Hermoine yelled, as she stormed out the burrow. "You! What in the bloody hell are you doing here?"

"Hermoine-. Leave him alone-."

"No! Leave now!" Hermoine shouted, stomping towards Draco.

Ron came after her, then picking her up again.

"Put- me- down!" Hermoine flailed and kicked her legs and arms in the air as Ron headed back inside.

"Sorry, Luce," he frantically spoke as he walked past me and into the burrow again, closing the door.

Which left Draco and I alone.

Out front.

"Lucille?"

Fuck, fuck!

What do I do?!

Fuck!

I love him. I love him more than life itself.

And I wish life wasn't so fucking bloody complicated!

"I'll never understand why you're so good to me, Lucille Granger," He reckoned. "I'm not a good person-."

"Draco," I interrupted his sentence, "You're everything to me. We all make mistakes. We're not bloody perfect, that's for sure,"

"Definitely not," He snickered, "But to me, you're perfect in every way, Luce."

Draco gently kissed me, then pulled away, leaving a smile on my lips.

"I have high hopes for the both of us, Draco," I added. "Things will all fall into place, don't you think?"

He looked back up at the ceiling. "I think so, too."

"Lucille? Do you believe me?"

"Will you promise not to lose hope in me?" His voiced cracked.

I raised my head and looked at him-.

"Lucille, please tell me you believe me."

-with his quivering expression. "Draco, I would never lose hope in you," I assured him, pushing his falling blonde hair away from his sweet complexion.

"You promise?"

"Yes, Draco, I promise."

"Lucille, do you beli-.

"Yes, Draco," I breathed, "I believe you."

***

I hope that part wasn't confusing. She was having flashbacks in between his talking.

D I S C U S S I ON