DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Harry Potter'.

A/N: Another relatively short one. Enjoy the awkwardness of cringe-worthy, socially inept Ryuu Veil.

BETA: Reeah Noseworthy.

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Chapter 11 – Grindylow In The Dark

Ryuu

The last room we came to was impossibly spacious. There is no way that this room should fit in here, I thought as I stood below the small, thin glass window that resided at the very top of the far wall. In the distance, I could see Hogsmeade. More people were moving about in the streets now, because the snowfall had lessened. Barren trees stood solitary around the path leading back to the village.

"Lumos Maxima."

Light reached to the far edges of the room, and I could see that it was a little different to the others. Carvings lined the top of the walls and all over the roof. Some of them looked like words, and others looked like scrambled attempts at patterns and symbols. A boarded up fireplace was positioned to the left of me, and fallen chairs were piled in a tower to the other side of the room. A hat stand stood behind the door like an assassin, but Draco failed to notice its presence as he walked in. I smiled. Dad would love to take photos of this place.

I noticed Draco's eyes narrow when he saw my grin. "You're really strange Ryuu."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too. Strange is my middle name."

Draco made a sound in his throat that sounded like a singular laugh, unaware of the fact that I wasn't joking. "I mean, most people wouldn't enjoy strolling around haunted buildings."

I shrugged, my eyes sliding over the higgledy piggledy tower of chairs. "What's wrong with a little darkness? It's so much more interesting than the light."

We both strolled to opposite sides of the room. The white glow from the window illuminated my position, whereas Draco leaned against the hard timber of the wall, cast in shadow. He regarded me with an expression pinched with bemusement. "How so?"

I was caught off guard. I'd merely been voicing an idea."Well," I began, "If um…" He smirked, and I felt myself flush. I wasn't going to let myself look stupid in front of him, so I quickly began. "…Imagine I had a Grindylow." Yeah, said a voice in my head instantly, not stupid at all…

I could see that Draco was struggling to come up with an appropriate answer for the atrocious introduction to my explanation. "Okay…"

I desperately began to elaborate. "If I had a Grindylow in a room full of light, you'd see it for exactly what it is-"

"-a dead Grindylow," Draco interrupted.

"Exactly. Wait, what?"

An eyebrow raised. "Grindylows live underwater. They can't breathe on land." He said slowly, as if explaining to a child.

I blinked. Oh. Right… "My point is…if I put the- dead Grindylow in a room with no light, you wouldn't be able to see it. There could be anything in the room. Darkness has so much more… depth than light does," I finished awkwardly. I'd never been good at explaining my thoughts, and I could feel an outburst similar to the one I'd rambled at Harry tickling my tongue. I suppressed it. Draco tilted his head, considering my theory. It was a tad ruined by the Grindylow part, but I knew it made sense in my head. Besides, Draco seemed convinced enough.

"Well, if that's true; then you are a complete hypocrite." he said casually.

I paused, forehead furrowing in a frown. "Excuse me?"

"Well, you're talking about how great the darkness is when you are; one - claustrophobic," A finger flicked from his hand as he said this to be closely followed by another, "and two - holding a lit wand."

Unable to think of a witty response and annoyed that he'd commented on my claustrophobia, I slapped my arms to my side, wiggled my shoulders and hissed like a snake. Draco's eyelid twitched. "Point taken," he said. But I could still see the smugness on his face.

"Fine then." I spat and lowered my wand."Nox." Darkness blanketed the room, and for a moment I panicked; before my eyes snapped over to the light from the window. The outside world was just a panel of glass away. Calm, control. Suddenly, I heard footsteps approaching. "Draco?" I said to the darkness. I peered around me, seeing only shifting shadows.

I was just about to light my wand again when, out of nowhere, his lips were upon mine. My entire body froze in shock, and almost robotically, my senses heightened. Draco's right hand on my wrist – no, he must be able to feel my pulse! His left in my hair. My eyes blinking furiously, eyelashes brushing against his face. The light weight of my wand in my own hand. The dull sound of the wind whistling outside. The cool taste of ice. My lips on his. Whoa, no! My free hand reaching up to his neck. Stop. His fingers twisting through a ringlet of my hair. I squeezed my eyes shut.

No.

I pulled away, a shiver coursing through me. Draco's face was still inches from mine, and his fingers were now tracing along the edge of my cheek. I hastily stepped back, nearly crashing into the tower of chairs and lifted my wand."Lumos." I gasped, clutching the handle poured from the tip, his smug grin was the first thing I saw. His eyebrows flicked upwards, in their usual dance of two jumps, before he cleared his throat and said: "Ryuu."

I opened my mouth to say something clever, feeling myself blush. "You- you tricked me!"

"That I did." His tone was frustratingly smooth and unwavering. "And you went along with it quite nicely."

"…I- you-"

"You kissed me back."

My jaw opened and closed like a drunken fish. "You tricked me!" I repeated dumbly, tugging at the side of my hair and stuffing it behind my ear.

His mouth twitched in barely contained glee. "Apologies if it shocked you, Princess, but you kissed me back." Draco straightened his jacket and lifted his chin in a movement of success, as if he had just won the Manipulative Bastards Award.

I imagined steam was rocketing out from my ears. How could I have let that happen? I marched forwards, mouth set in a firm line, getting more pissed off when this only provoked a smirk from him. "Fine then." I hissed through gritted teeth. "You win. But don't call me that."

"Okay, Princess." He said as he lit his wand and strolled lazily towards the doorway, looking immensely pleased with himself.

I straightened, calling after him. "You laugh now, but just wait until I tell my father about this."

Like a cherry on top of my outrage sundae, Draco's laugh echoed around me.

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