 ThunderPUFF | Whoodley | MRD&LKD | Graphics Queen | Tristalen | Mrs. A | Hunny Bun
A deep and utter sadness soaked through his bones like a wet blanket on a frigid night. Did Derfael really think he wasn't trying his hardest to protect them? He sighed rubbing his hands over his face. This wasn't about Bowtruckles anymore.How would he explain this? He was just a kid making assumptions he thought were true; what it looked like to him. He looked up, a very sad intensity in his eyes, and said "I don't have to answer you Derfael, but I will...because I feel like it is important that you understand what happened." He looked down at his calloused hands, before placing them on the table in front of him.
"We had to keep our identities from the students, it was crucial to getting Hogwarts liberated from that tyrant. If any of the students found out, including you, you know how quickly gossip gets around this school." He said quietly, "Our plan would have failed in days, if not hours, especially if the prefects found out and you know that is true. We had to play the part or risk being caught. Surely, you understand that, Derfael." He said looking at him with the most sincere face possible.
"It ate me up. I couldn't do a thing. I had to make sure I didn't go to Petrov's lessons so I wouldn't be tempted to risk our mission. I didn't know what he was doing until I overheard other students talking about what you had to do, and I am so terribly sorry you had to go through that and be tricked by that terrible man. Do you really think I didn't want to save these creatures? Or my students? It took my everything not to go down to the barns and rip Petrov a new one! We were doing everything we could to bring that man and his lackeys down. For you and everyone else in this school. I don't know what happened with Jessa and the others that were injured. It wasn't part of the plan to get anyone hurt. None of us wanted that. We didn't expect them to cause harm to you. Probably, because we never would ourselves." He said intently looking into Derfaels eyes. "I wasn't there because I was in the school helping to collect students stories to send off to the ministry, the Prophet and the Board of Governors. We lied to you to protect you. Had you known it was us and we had been discovered...there is no telling what Scrimgeour would have done to you. We had to lie to you to protect you, don't you understand that, Derfael? We didn't want to lie. Our priority was protection of our students." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, rubbing his face with his hand and sighed.
His anxiety was catching up to him. He hoped he wouldn't completely break down in front of the head boy...but if he did...he hoped Derfael would realize how much he hated how everything turned out. "I wanted to protect them so badly...," he said quietly, looking at the creatures in front of him. Dahlia snuggled up to his cheek as a single tear slid down his face. "If you hate me now, that's fine. But I would do what I did again in a heartbeat to save my students and my school." He was close to breaking.
He moved a hand to his pocket and pulled out a hand full of dried wood lice for the Bowtruckles, who slowly made their way towards him and quickly snatched away the treats, leaving a couple for Dahlia who wouldn't leave his shoulder. A small sad smile crossed his lips as he watched them.
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⫷ ⫷____________________________________________ I know that you're afraid to...
...let all the dark escape you._____________________________________________⫸ ⫸ |