Keeping A Secret

"You're not weird Tammie" he said as he hugged me again. This time I didn't pull away as quickly, I didn't want to realize again too late that someone really did like me for me and while I had the chance I needed to make as many friends as possible, the ones I had clearly weren't bothered by me being a Malfoy or staying at the Manor.

"Do you mind that I'm a blood Malfoy?" I found myself asking.

"Absolutely not, you're nothing like them" he said with a small smile.

"I have to stay with them over the summer, until I graduate probably" I told him as he nodded in understanding.

"You don't have to talk about it, I know you're going through enough already, I'm just here to distract you" he half teased as I smiled up at him and then moved closer, my lips on his before I considered the consequences.

"You're more than that" I told him as he smiled and kissed me again.

About two weeks later and Oliver and I were sitting on a bench in the most unoccupied area of the school. I assumed it had some kind of name where most students went to go make out, but aside from an occasional student I hadn't seen anyone. "Did you hear about Draco and Melinda?" Oliver asked.

"Yeah, actually I did, Draco told me, he was really quite cute about it" I laughed, recalling how Draco wanted to talk to me privately after dinner a few nights back. It was the first time I had seen an actual smile on his face, his cheeks pink as he recounted his three week courtship before asking Melinda in private if she wanted to take their friendship to another point. Naturally she had said yes and found me shortly after my conversation with Draco, her excitement through the roof. I was happy for both of them, until I went to common room and heard Charity making a sink about it, declaring if anyone in Gryffindor supported the relationship they were a traitor. Except me, I was traitor off the bat because I was a Malfoy in Gryffindor. Lavender made a joke asking if I was secretly gathering information or looking to sabotage the Quidditch team. George said it was probably the latter because I had already moved on with Oliver, much to Fred's look of surprise.

"I'm happy for them" he said as I nodded and kissed him again. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy talking to Oliver but kissing him was so much better and he felt very into it. There were no interruptions, no pesky girls who had to talk to him and he always seemed to be up for it. "Have you thought about writing your mum?" He asked as he caressed my cheek. I had told him some of the issues I had over break, not everything, but he recommended I talk to my mom instead of keeping it in, he didn't like to see me upset and he wanted to put my friendship back on the mend with Fred.

"No, I don't think I could handle it if she said anything I didn't want to hear" I told him as he nodded and kissed my forehead.

"Speaking of talking to people and letting them know how we feel..." he shifted so his whole body was turned to me. "You know I really enjoy this" he said motioning at our interlocked hands.

"I do too" I commented with a smile.

"But I was wondering if there was going to be more to it" at first I stupidly thought he meant going further than first base. "I mean more to us" he elaborated as I felt my cheeks brighten.

"Oh, right of course, um" I searched his eyes, I hated that I was making him wait, that I had made him wait to begin with. This should've been an easy decision but my heart wasn't as into it as I wanted it to be and it wasn't fair to be involved in a relationship and just end things the way Fred did. "I don't think I'm ready" I told him as he stiffened.

"Wasn't expecting that" he said as I nodded.

"I know and I'm sorry, but, I just don't feel it's right" I said as he smirked.

"But this is okay?" He asked as I nodded, laughing. "I guess it's not so bad" he said as he leaned forward to kiss me again.

"Ms Allen." I wasn't expecting Professor Burnner to be anywhere near this area, but yet here she was, smiling down on us. "I'm sorry to interrupt, I just wanted to see how you were feeling" she said in a tone I couldn't quite place.

"Oh, um, better" I decided to say as she nodded at Oliver.

"Mr Wood, good to you see again" she said as he awkwardly nodded back. "Do you mind if I have minute of your time?" She asked looking back at me. I glanced at Oliver but got up anyway, not sure if not doing it would hurt me later. I followed her to a corner. "I know you mentioned a graveyard a short while ago, I just wanted to know if those daydreams were gone" she asked with a look of great concern. I fidgeted, I shouldn't have told her anything that day.

"Yeah, I haven't thought about it since" I lied.

"And you're okay after your fainting spell at Hogsmeade?" I was careful with my eye movement, I didn't want to look surprised that she knew. Something was off about her, what professor took an invested interest in their students? Had she talked to any other students?

"You heard about that?" I asked instead.

"Poor thing" she said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I was wondering if you maybe you had spaced out again, I was very worried. And then I heard you were now seeing Mr Wood" she said looking over her shoulder at Oliver.

"We're not dating" I didn't know why I said that, maybe it was something in her tone or just how she looked overly eager. But that didn't seem fair. Maybe I was being too harsh, maybe I was afraid to let others in because of this whole family situation.

"Oh, that makes perfect sense; I quite honestly liked you and Mr Weasley together better" she said her voice a little louder.

"Yeah, unfortunately some things don't work out" I told her as I took a step back, ready to rejoin Oliver.

"Tammie, I know this is a lot on you, you're such a young girl and I'd feel terrible if I didn't offer consultation. Really, I'm here if you ever need to talk, about anything" she said her hand on my arm, an immediate cold sensation running up my arm and through my body. I jerked away, realizing the same feeling was the same in the daydream when I fainted. But that was impossible. It had to be. "Are you okay?" She asked, her eyebrows scrunching up as if it hurt that I moved away from her even more.

"Fine, I—we should get going" I told her, and without waiting grabbing Oliver's arm and dragging him around the corner and up the stairs.

"Did something happen?" Oliver asked as I continued zigzagging down the halls and up random staircases.

"Okay, you have to promise not to think I'm crazy" I said as I stopped and turned to him.

"C'mon, you know—"

"I mean it" I said in a firm tone as he switched to a serious expression.

"I swear" he said as I nodded and ran a hand through my hair.

"Tammie?" I jumped as Professor Barrass came from out of a room. I glanced around, seeing I had ended up at the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. When Professor Barrass got back was beyond me. "Everything okay?" He asked as I started to nod but gave up halfway. "Oliver, why don't you head back upstairs to the common room, I need to talk to Tammie for a minute" he said as Oliver looked from to Professor Barrass to me.

"It's fine, he's fine" I reassured Oliver who nodded and kissed my cheek before walking off. I glanced back once and then followed Professor Barrass into his classroom.

"Thought you were with Fred" Professor Barrass said as he offered me a seat closer to the front as he stood at his desk.

"Since when do professors have an invested interest in who their students date?" I asked him but he shrugged. "We broke up, I had a hard time telling him my feelings and it didn't work out" I told him as he gave me sympathetic smile.

"I hope you know I never wanted all this for you. I assumed you and Melinda would come here, you'd go home during break—"

"You didn't know I was related to the Malfoys?" I asked him as he shook his head.

"Not til recently anyway, your mom sent a letter right after holiday to explain things, she apologized for not letting me know sooner but I imagined she has a lot going on her in her mind." I half nodded, no longer listening, Professor Burnner told me she found out from him I was a Malfoy way before break.

"So Professor Burnner would have no idea before?" I asked as he shook his head, a million thoughts running through my head. "Professor...since coming here, well, the night we arrived I had this...thing happen. I saw Hogsmeade. Like, an image of it just popped in my mind, as if I was right there. When I got here, when Professor Dumbledore came to collect us I saw exactly what I saw before arriving. If that makes sense" I confessed.

"Like a vision?"

"No, that's silly. I don't get visions, I'm not a Seer" I insisted as he slowly nodded, his eyes on me. "It happened twice since then, once was seeing the Malfoy Manor before I got there, another was a graveyard" I told him as his eyes seemed to look even more questionable.

"A graveyard?" I nodded. "Whose?"

"I don't know, but it happened in your class, Professor Burnner asked me about it and now she keeps checking up on me" I told him with a shudder. I expected him to laugh or tell me I was overreacting but he just continued staring at me. "I've had that same thing happen, at Hogsmeade, and this feeling came rushing, like, an ice cold feeling. When I saw Professor Burnner a little while she talked to me about it again and she touched me and there was that feeling" I told him as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Has it happened since or before?" I shook my head, "Maybe it's just when your anxious or stressed" he suggested but I shook my head. "The first time was right before you got here, completely stressful situation, second time I'm sure you were stressed about Draco and Fred and Melinda and finding a way to balance all them. Maybe the breakup had something to do with the third vision" he offered.

"They're not visions" I insisted.

"It sounds like they might be, Tammie" he said as I shook my head again. "Where you doing anything stressful at Hogsmeade when it happened?" He asked. I started to shake my head.

"Oliver and I were sorta on a date" I told him as he made a disapproving sound, though I couldn't imagine why. "Fred came in, probably saw us."

"Well there ya go, sounds like just stressful or anxious situations" he concluded clapping his hands together.

"But the feeling I got when she touched me—"

"I'm sure it was nothing Tammie—"

"I think she's the one at the graveyard and she keeps asking me about it, I want to tell her, but, that feeling" I said as I shuddered again.

"Don't make this harder than it has to be" he said, his face suddenly looking pained but he managed to pull it together in a matter of seconds. "Just, don't overthink it, and don't tell her anything" he said, his voice oddly lower.

"Professor?" I asked but this time shook his head.

"I'll talk to Stacey, don't worry about it" his voice was composed in a matter of seconds, a smile plastered on his face.

"Do you know something? Not just about her, but my dad? Anything?" I asked him but he didn't show any signs of a yes or no.

"Go back to the common room" he said after a long minute. I heavily sighed, annoyed I couldn't get answers from anyone. I slide out of the seat and started to walk to toward the door. "Tammie..." I only turned around due to the sadness in his voice.