I didn't sleep that night. As dreadful as my cell was, it was better than the cavern that awaited me in my sleep. I might not be able to stay awake forever but I was sure as hell going to try. I shivered as the underground chill seeped into my bones. I had been given a thick quilt but the cold managed to permeate it, no matter how tightly I wrapped it around myself. My bracelet also seemed to draw the cold, sending it through my body as a constant reminder that I could never be safe again.
In the dark, my fears grew wings. They circled me, taunting me and shearing pieces from my soul. Eventually, they would devour me whole. I whimpered.
"Chin up," echoed a voice down the hallway, "I brought coffee,"
I jerked in shock and my mouth dropped open as Scorpius appeared outside my cell. He offered me a mug through the bars.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
He shrugged, "It occurred to me that if I went nutso in my sleep, I would want to stay awake for as long as I could. So I waited until I could sneak past Filch and then I came with caffeine,"
Hesitantly, I accepted the mug. I took a sip and warmth coursed through me. It was amazing how much that simple sensation could change my outlook on life.
"Thank you," I said quietly, "Shouldn't you go and get some sleep?"
He snorted, "Nope. Sleep is for potions class, not for night time,"
We sat in silence for a while. Despite the small kick the coffee had given me, after a few hours, my eyelids grew heavy. Terror flared within me but it couldn't hold my weariness at bay. Scorpius looked at me kindly and his presence was a balm.
He scooted forward and took my hand in his, "You go to sleep," he said quietly, "I promise I'll wake you up if anything goes wrong,"
Tears blurred my vision, "Promise you'll stay here?"
"All night," he said sincerely, "I promise,"
It felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I was still afraid but suddenly I had help and it felt like, with support, I might be able to weather the bad stuff and survive for the good. Sure, the help was from an unexpected source; I didn't know why he was helping me but I wasn't in a position to be choosy. I dragged my little bed over to the bars of the cell, where I could lie down and keep a hold of his hand.
"Scorpius?" I asked, closing my eyes and laying my head back on my pillow.
"Hmm?"
"Talk to me?"
He exhaled slowly, "Want me to tell you a bedtime story?"
I nodded mutely, fixating on his words as a kind of beacon to burn away the fog of terror that kept me from resting.
"Okay. This is called 'the time that Scorpius Malfoy turned his classmate into a snail' It is a true story,"
Despite everything, I fell asleep smiling.