Hope to Sin, Draco Malfoy
Chapter Twenty Nine: In Front of You
Artist- The Quiet Kind
Song- In Front of You
I know you all are wondering what hell. No apologies or excuses will make you feel better and my guilt is already high. So here is Chapter 29.
The morning rises with pure snow littering the ground. A grin appears on my face ready for the Hogsmeade trip that waits. Rayna stretches her arms and lazily puts her hair up in a bun and dresses for the cold weather and so do I. I am wearing a huge rainbow tribal patterned coat with fleece fur lining it and fleece fur lined leggings with tan thigh high flat boots. A grey beanie tames my wavy locks and we make our way to the meeting place for the students who are going. Rayna and I run into Lincoln who embraces me tightly.
She gushes, "Ohhhhh Scarlett how I've missed you!"
I squeeze back with the same intensity, "Me to Links."
We all get to Hogsmeade and sit down and have a nice pint of butterbeer at the Leaky Cauldron. It has been kind of getting wary with the He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named getting stronger and his Death Eaters doing his bidding. There had been a time where Hogsmeade appeared inviting with warmness even in the chill of winter, but now it seems to appear as a run down and abandoned amusement park. No matter the appearance this where anyone can be together without the stigma of who's who. Our house colors not maiming our bodies to tell who we are supposed to be spending our time together with. That is how it seems. Back in the days of my parents it had not been uncommon for outside houses to interact with each other. Adrian spies me from across the bar and he tips his beer to me as I do the same. I tap my fingertips to my mouth and blow an air kiss to him which he grasps to his heart. A silent chuckle comes from me and he turns back to his guy friends.
Lincoln turns to me and blurts, "Seriously Scarlett?
"What?" I ask giving her my pout.
She presses her lips together tightly and stares intently at me, "Why can't you ever see what's in front of you?"
An exhale of confusion comes from my mouth as I ask, "Lincoln I truthfully have no clue what you are talking about."
Her hand wraps around mine on top of the dark chestnut table and clears it up for me, "Stop pretending that what you have with Adrian is real."
I almost spit out my butterbeer as well as Rayna.
Rayna tries to diffuse the situation, "Come on Links let her do what she wants."
My head snaps at Rayna and with high pitch revolt I exclaim, "Excuse me!"
She slinks into the black velvet booth contemplating if she wants to get into this with me at the moment. Her mouth opens and then immediately closes.
Instead Lincoln intervenes, "This mushy gushy crap with Adrian is getting out of hand. I wouldn't care, but that boy loves you and he doesn't deserve this."
"Oh so this is about how you're jealous because you like him," I snap maliciously at her.
"No, Scarlett just shut up and think," she calmly hisses as she downs her butterbeer wishing it had fire whiskey in it.
Knowing who she is as a person I relax into the booth and take a beat. Lincoln would never go out of her way to not speak up if it didn't matter. Not to mention Rayna basically sided with her by avoiding the topic at hand. I take a sip from my butterbeer a few times before Lincoln asks, "Are you good now?"
Rayna peeks a glance at me and I reply, "I get what you two are worried about, but surprisingly I do like Adrian. He likes the ooey-gooey relationship crap. It makes him happy. I couldn't care less, but I care about him."
The tension around Lincoln's mouth relaxes, "Good answer. I'll allow it."
"Didn't know I needed your approval," I snidely remark.
Lincoln giggles in condescending manner, "No, but you do need us to tell you when you're being or doing stupid things."
"Fair enough," I say and raise my mug. The girls join and we clink them together and go off on one of our trio conversations that leave us in fits of cheery laughter.
I venture off to find the trio as I trudge through the thick snow I see them head back to the train. Up ahead is Katie Bell and Angelina Johnson arguing about a package Katie is holding. Angelina's distant voice of trying to stop her from opening it. With a slight jog I manage to catch up to the trio and they murmur my welcome, but we are engrossed at the duo ahead. Katie scrambles to open and just as instantaneously she touched the silver necklace Katie lets out curdling shriek of anguish. Her body is frozen yet her screams ring out while her body rises in the suspended air and plummets into the bright, white snow. We all sprint to her wanting some way to help her. Thankfully Hagrid clomps up, picks her up, and instructs Harry to gather the necklace only using the wrapper. Warning him to make sure he does not touch it with his hand or to make any type of skin contact with the jewelry.
When we make it back to the castle McGonagall with a present Snape inspecting the necklace interrogates us. We tell her exactly what we saw, but out of nowhere Harry speaks out of turn to tell her that he thinks Malfoy did it. Says that he is a Death Eater. Hermione, Ron, and I have no choice and cannot back up his story. Harry gives us a look of mistrust.
"Harry you have no proof," Hermione reminds him of his non-evident evidence of his allegations.
Harry urges me, "Scarlett you even said he said something about not being the same person and you wouldn't like who he has become."
My voice falters, "Harry I just thought he meant in general. He's always been mean and I have never liked that about him, but he seems extra cruel this year because of all the spotlight and criticism on his father. Who could blame him?"
Ron collaborates with us ladies, "Give it a rest Mate. Malfoy doesn't have the gut to be a Death Eater." Harry sighs at the end of our conversation wanting us so desperately to believe in what he is saying.
The walk to the dungeons seems especially lonely with no one accompanying me and when I arrive in the common room Adrian is waiting up for me.
"You waited," I smile and plop down in his lap as I drape my legs over him and rest them on the armchair.
He returns the smile, "Of course. I heard about Katie, is she okay?"
I explain, "She was cursed, but they believe she'll make a full recovery."
"Good," Adrian mutters while wrapping his arms around my waist, "did it frighten you?"
A shiver runs down me, "Indeed it did. Her body was lifeless it held no movement, but this-this scream of complete torture came from her mouth," and my breath becomes ragged, "I can't get the sound from my mind." Soothing shhh's come from his lips as he carries me to his bed.
Morning comes fast and I see a gold envelope next to me. It says that I am invited to Slughorn's Christmas party and that I am allowed to bring a guest.
"You got one too," I ask Adrian?
He waves it in the air, "Yes madam I did," crawling into the bed to give me a peck on the lips, "wondering how it knew to come here."
I tap my index finger against my head, "I suspect Hogwarts knows more than it lets on," and put on my clothes to stride back to my dormitory, hopefully without notice.
Night enters as I slip on my long-sleeve emerald green velvet dress with a black rounded collar and cuffs, sheer black knee-highs, and chunky ebony platform booties. In a gentleman fashion Adrian awaits for me at the bottom of the stairs and we make our way to the party. Hermione is standing by the punch bowl all the while her date Cormac inches his hand closer to her buttock. Her face flushes crimson and her hand swats his hand away. Harry shows up a couple of minutes after me with Luna Lovegood holding onto his arm with her silver tiered dress. Appetizers make their way to everyone in the room with Professor Slughorn mingling around searching for his prized student that stands above the rest. An hour into the party Filch pulls matted hair Malfoy and Snape grabs him by the collar as they briskly gait out of the room with Harry right behind them. I pay none of them any attention and keep dancing and eating with Adrian. It is the first time in awhile where I forget about everyone else and tend to my night and let free without any drama or mishaps sneaking in.
Sadly the next morning on my way to breakfast Harry bombards me.
"What the Peeves Potter?" I ask struggling for breath to regain my frightened composure.
Harry wastes no time, "Did you see Draco after Slughorn's dinner?"
I respond, "Adrian and I saw him flee in a hurry and ran me over. Then as I was doing homework in the common room he came in drenched in sweat looking suspicious per usual."
He grabs my shoulders, "That night I overheard Snape offering help to Malfoy about," he checks around to make sure no one is in earshot, "some mission for Voldemort."
Slowly I take his clenched fists off my shoulders and place them at his sides and ask, "Well what did Malfoy say?"
Harry glances away and timidly answers, "He refused any help."
"Look, Harry Malfoy's parents were Death Eaters and I bet Voldy isn't particularly happy with them plus Snape is probably just gathering information for Dumbledore," I try to pacify him.
"Then what is his mission?" He pushes it more.
This time I grab his shoulders, "Just because they want to stay in good graces with Voldemort does not mean Malfoy is a Death Eater."
Harry slings me off as he stomps to the Great Hall. I follow behind him as I sit at my house table with Rayna and Adrian. He pecks me on the cheek as we dig into the feast before our eyes.
