AUTHOR'S NOTE: So maybe two more chapters. Maybe. I might get muse-y and write more. So yeah, enjoy.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter.
When she woke, she had a feeling of anxiety. She hadn't slept well during the night. She spent most of it tossing and turning. Outside of her window, she could vaguely hear the lake lapping against the side of the castle. However, she did finally managed to fall into a restless sleep, and when she awoke she was more tired than she was before her restless sleep. When she looked at the clock in the dorm, she realized that she had only been asleep for an hour or two. It was four am. Adrienne knew that she wasn't going to get anymore sleep, so she slipped out of bed quietly and went to the shower. Since it was so early in the morning, the warm that ran to the dungeons was cold. That was just what she needed. The ice cold water washed over her chocolate skin as she tried to freeze her anxiety. However it wasn't working. The longer she stood there the more anxious she got. So she showered in the arctic water, hoping that it was calm her. After about ten minutes of the cold water, Adrienne's body demanded that she get warm. So she shut off the shower and dried off. She then dressed in a clean pair of black silk pajamas. The girl picked up her black cat and cradled it in her arms as she walked into the common room. It should have been empty at this early hour, but it wasn't.
"Draco," she questioned quietly as she stopped on the staircase. He didn't turn to her, he simply nodded stiffly. Adrienne sighed and walked down the rest of the stairs and on to the cool floor with her bare feet. Without asking or saying anything more, she sat of the sofa beside him, pressing snugly against him with her cat in her arms.
"You're cold," he told her after a long silence. It was only then that she realized that she was shivering violently against him. He pointed his wand at the fire and muttered a spell. The flame jumped to life. Warmth spread through the common room quickly, but it didn't cease her shivering. With a heavy sigh, he pushed her off his side and pulled of his jumper. It was then that she realized that he was still dressed in his school uniform. He handed her the jumper and she slipped into it and slipped into her previous position. However, she was still shivering. He pulled her close, inhaling her scent. "What is wrong with you, Adrienne?" he asked her. His voice was raw, from not using it.
"I'm cold," she told him. Her shivering slowly started to cease as his warmth radiated to her.
"Did you take a shower in ice water?" he questioned. It was a tease but the lack of emotion in his words canceled it out.
"I did," she responded.
Draco decided that he wasn't going to question her actions. He didn't want to know that him doing this and leaving her was killing her. He didn't want her to see that him doing this and leaving her was killing him. He'd been with her every day, every day since the start of term. No matter what he told her to comfort her the week that they were apart would be hell. It wasn't often that Draco Malfoy was able to feel something real. It wasn't often that he was able to see something pure. This betrothal was forced upon them. However, the feelings that he had for her weren't. The fact that she had managed to make him fall in love with her wasn't. The fact the he would do almost anything for her was real. The cat purring was what brought him out of his thoughts. Now he could hear her soft breathing. She'd fallen asleep. Which was fine by him, he wasn't in much of a talk mood.
She'd spent most the day with him. Save the hour that she had to go and take a end of term Ancient Ruins final. A final that she'd had no time to study for, but she was sure that she'd do well on. Maybe not aced it, but she'd passed. When she exited the classroom, she found Draco leaning against the wall opposite the class with his hands shoved deep into his pockets. She walked over to him, her arms crossed over her chest. He didn't say anything to her, he just tucked a stray hair behind her ear and motioned for her to follow him. Which she did willingly. As they walked her eyes were continuously drawn to the grey sky. Not normal June sky coloring. He took her to the kitchens. She realized that she hadn't eaten at all, and yet, she wasn't hungry. However, as Draco tickled the pear, and opened the door to the kitchens, she realized that this was more for him than her. If she would eat, then he would have one less thing to worry about.
"Master Malfoy and Mistress Zabini," an elf greeted. "What can Mea get for you?" Her ears were droopy and her eyes were large and green.
"Whatever you have ready," Adrienne voiced, knowing that Draco wasn't going to say anything. Not to the elf anyway.
"Yes, ma'am," the elf said as she scurried away.
Adrienne gave Draco arm a soft tug and gestured to a seat by the fire. Despite the fact that it was June, not that June was extremely warm in London, she'd been freezing all day. She'd had goosebumps all over her skin since her ice cold shower that morning. Even when she woke up nestled against Draco's side in his jumper, she was still freezing. She had no clue why. Adrienne sat on a cushion beside the fire, the flames warmed her skin, but didn't reach her core. Silently, Draco took the cushion beside her, his pale eyes trained on the fire. The elf brought over a tray of tarts, sliced turkey, bread, and pumpkin juice. The elf then bowed to her and scurried away again.
"Draco," Adrienne started slowly not really knowing what she was doing to say.
"Adrienne, I can't," he voiced to her quietly. "I just can't."
"You can," she assured. "You can. You were chosen."
"Adrienne, I can't," he told her again, not looking at her.
"You can," she responded again as she picked up a tart. "I know you can. You'll do this and I'll see you in a week. It'll be fine."
Draco was silent for another moment. "Snape made and Unbreakable Vow," he voiced.
"Oh?" she asked before biting into the tart. It tasted liked dirt, but she ate it anyway, and the washed it down with pumpkin juice. There was nothing wrong with the tart, it was just that she wasn't hungry and she wasn't in the mood for food.
"If I can't do it, then he'll do it."
"Oh."
He was quiet for another long moment, "He may have to do it."
"You'll do it," she assured. "Eat the turkey," she said in a motherly voice.
He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "No, I'm fine. It's for you," he answered. He reached over and tucked the same strand of dark hair behind her ear. "Do me a favor."
"Anything."
"Stay in the common room tonight. Don't talk to anyone. Don't leave," he said.
"Okay," she agreed.
He was quiet again. "Adrienne." Her dark eyes flicked over to him. For the first time in their conversation, his eyes met hers. "I love you." That was the first time that he'd offered up the phrase since she'd pried it out of him at Christmas. She hadn't said it, in those words, since then either. It wasn't their thing.
"As I love you," she told him before turning her gaze away from him.
Draco slipped away from her dressed in a black suit around seven thirty. The grey sky had only greatened. There was a storm brewing. Adrienne had been trying her best to make things seem normal. They spent their day in the common room. Draco was beyond lost in thought, and would only talked when she started a conversation with him. His answers would be short, but that was good enough for her. She just needed to keep his mind off the task at hand. Of course, there was no avoiding it, and when it was time for him to go, he pulled away from her, almost reluctantly, and kissed her briefly. Then he left.
Adrienne couldn't bring herself to move for the spot, so she remained on the leather sofa looking into the drying fire. Blaise appeared beside her with an arched eyebrow. Adrienne said nothing, her dark eyes just stayed on the fire. Her white teeth biting down on her bottom lip and her chin on her knees. Blaise placed his shoes on the table across from the sofa. Blaise knew his sister well enough, he figured. He knew when she didn't want to talk. He knew when she needed to talk. However, right now, she needed to talk, but she didn't want to. She couldn't. He knew that if she said anything before the gates were locked, she wouldn't be able to get her emotions in control.
"Adrienne," Blaise questioned after a long silence between the two of them.
"I don't want to lose him," she voice quietly. "I can't lose him."
"He'll be fine," Blaise said. He leaned over and kissed her side of her head. "You'll be fine."
Before she could respond, there was a loud shattering of glass from just above them. In the Great Hall. Fighting the urge to get up and go to the Great Hall, she wrapped her arms around her legs and closed her dark eyes. Cackling, reached her ears. Lestrange. A chill ran down her spine.
"The Headmaster," a second year shouted into the common room as she ran in, "he's dead."
And Adrienne shed her tears. Not for their lost Headmaster, but for Draco. Something in her told her that he hadn't do it. That Snape had been the one to finally take down the Great Wizard Albus Dumbledore.
"People are gathering by the body, in the courtyard," the girl continued.
Adrienne didn't go to the gathering. She went to her bed. She'd heard what was there when Melanie and Pansy walked in. The Dark Mark was present. This was the doing of a Death Eater. There were only four assumed Death Eaters at Hogwarts: Adrienne, Blaise, Draco, and Snape. One, or maybe two, of them was missing. What would the rumors be?