For You and Your Denial

"You have to do it!" He spits with his back facing me. Even though his face is hidden in the darkness, there is no doubting his face is full of rage and anguish. He paces the Astronomy tower with his wand in hand, holding it so tight he might break it.

Taking a deep breath as my mind races, I walk to the edge overlooking the lake. "I'm afraid," I whisper as I watch the moon reflect off the lake, illuminating the world below. The pacing stops and I hear his footsteps coming towards me. Out of the corner of my eye I see him standing next to me with his eyes fixated on the sky.

With a sigh, he grabs the railing and looks at his feet. "I am, too," he admits. "But we have to do this, Allira. If we don't he'll kill us. We made-"

"I know, I know!" I yell, wanting to drown out the rest of his sentence. I step away from the balcony and pace the small room, biting the inside of my cheek. "I know the consequences if we don't do it."

A hand rests gently on my shoulder and my insides churn. Draco steps out of the shadows so the moon illuminates his pale face. He looks at me in the eyes and hesitates for a moment or two. "I'll do it," he says.

"What?" My eyes widen and my heart sinks. I am not expecting this. "Draco, you can't-"

"Don't argue with me, okay?" His tone is serious and harsh. I swallow the lump in my throat and feel my mind race with endless outcomes of this task. None of them have a happy ending.

"He told me to do it!" I yell at Draco, not knowing if I am outraged by the fact he is trying to steal my task or if I am yelling because I don't want the worst outcome to come true. "He gave me the task and I will do it."

Draco sighs and leans against the cobblestone wall, crossing his arms. Only half of his face is lit up by the moon. The rest is mysteriously hidden in the shadows. "Well," he says as he looks at the ground, "I guess we know what we have to do then."

I stare down at my wand that is held in my trembling hand "He'll be dead before morning," I say hauntingly.