I should have thought about my next class. I was on the complete opposite side of the grounds to Transfiguration and I knew McGonagall wouldn't be impressed if I was late. I hauled my bag onto my back and ran full pelt through the castle, trying my best to dodge the oncoming students and teachers passing me. I felt my feet trip up on something I hadn't seen and I hurtled through the air. Before I hit the ground, however, someone grabbed the back of the robes and wrenched me back into a dark, narrow passage, shoving me up against the cold stonewall.
"I'd like to have a little chat to you, Eddie." Pansy Parkinson patronised, trying to keep her screechy voice low.
"Parkinson, I don't have time for your rubbish, let me go." I demanded, knowing I was already at least ten minutes late. She laughed shrilly and pushed me against the wall with more force.
"I wouldn't be speaking to me like that if I was you." She threatened, "Now, whatever it is that's going on between your filthy self and my precious Draco is going to end right this moment and you're going to stay away from him, got it?"
"Is that really what this is about, Parkinson?" I sighed, rolling my eyes, "You can have your precious Draco, he's an arrogant git. I hope you two are happy together."
By that time I'd managed to slip my wand out of my pocket and I drew it right under her chin.
"Now, if I was you, princess, I'd let the witch that's holding the wand to your throat go and walk away." I suggested menacingly, I wasn't in any mood to deal with her or any of her kind.
She stared at me hard and I could see the fear evolving in her eyes, she knew what I was capable of. Slowly, she released her hold on me and backed out of the passage and not a second later I heard her bolting down the corridor in the opposite direction. I glanced at my watch and cursed. I sprinted the rest of the way to class and by the time I arrived and threw open the doors, I was puffing and heaving so heavily that I couldn't speak.
Professor McGonagall was sitting at her desk at the top of the classroom, glaring at me and I quickly walked to her desk. At the last minute I noticed Umbridge perched on a chair in the corner and she smiled in her sickly sweet manner before scratching something down in her notes with her pink tipped quill.
"So glad of you to join us, Miss Eddie." Professor McGonagall said sternly.
"Professor, I-" I started.
"Take a seat." She ordered quietly.
"But, Professor-"
"Take. A. Seat."
I bowed my head and did as she asked. Every pair of eyes in the class followed me as I walked to the back of the room where the only vacant seats were. It was a difficult lesson for everyone, especially the Professor. Umbridge repetitively interrupted her while she was giving an explanation and it reached the point of making her so frustrated that by the end of the lesson everyone dashed from the room, attempting to avoid her wrath. I was included in the stampede of fleeing students, however, Professor McGonagall called me back to her desk before I had a chance to escape. Umbridge had scuttled out with the students, so I at least didn't have to worry about that pink rat. Solemnly, I trudged up to the Professor's desk once more.
"Professor, I really am sorry for being late. I fell asleep on the other side of the castle and I got caught up trying to get here-" The explanation tumbled out of my mouth before she had even uttered a word.
"While I'm sure those are all wonderful excuses, Miss Eddie, that is not what I wanted to speak to you about." She interrupted quickly, "Mr Potter has told me about your behaviour towards Professor Umbridge-"
"You can't seriously be telling me you care-" I exclaimed, forgetting myself.
"As a teacher it is my duty to protect my students from any... harm, and I am telling you, do not retaliate to Professor Umbridge. You must avoid unnecessary trouble for yourself." She explained further, "Do I make myself clear?"
I nodded, "Yes, Professor."
She was on our side, like Harry had said. That had to count for something.
"You may go." She granted in her forever stern voice, only with the hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her lips, "Oh, and you might want to think about getting more sleep during the designated hours, Miss Eddie. I will not tolerate you being late again."
My afternoon lessons were attended with lifted spirits, mainly due to the fact that Umbridge had completed her intense lesson inspections and I didn't have DADA and after dinner I strolled around the castle in content solitude. With the short amount of time I had until it would be unwise to be caught outside the castle, I lay on my back on a hard stone bench in one of the quieter courtyards, absentmindedly tracing the outlines of some of the constellations I knew with my wand. After some time I became aware that there was someone standing next to the bench, watching me. I hadn't heard him approach.
"What do you want, Malfoy?"
"In your bad books today, am I?" He sneered.
"Most days, actually."
There was a pause.
"I need to talk to you."
"Isn't that what you're doing now?"
"Okay, what have I done now?" He asked, lapsing back into his old, cruel tone.
"How much time do you have?" I retorted, matching him. I wasn't giving him any help.
His hands curled into fists as he beat the air and let out a noise that was half way between a scream and a shout. I didn't flinch. This was the Malfoy that everyone loathed, I knew. But this wasn't him. He collapsed on the ground directly opposite me into a sitting position and held his head in his hands.
"Stop it." His voice was muffled.
"Stop what?" I asked levelly. I refused to let him know that this was hurting me too, for whatever reason, and that that scared me.
"Stop treating me like they do."
I raised myself into a sitting position, my harsh front melting before him, "Stop acting like Malfoy."
He looked up at me quizzically, "But... I am Malfoy."
I shook my head and stood to leave, "You're Draco."
He still appeared confused, however, he caught my arm as he quickly stood, "I- I still need to talk to you."
I couldn't be sure of what he wanted to say to me, but I was sure that whatever it was I wasn't ready to hear, not from him, not from this boy that had made his way silently into my mind... and heart, and seemed to have settled there.
"It's late, we should both get back to our common rooms."
"Sarah-"
"Draco, please." I could see the glassy layer slowly cover my eyes. He moved closer to me, still holding my arm. I steadied myself.
"This... you... it's scaring me. I don't kn-"
"I'm scaring you?" His face dropped and he let go of my arm, immediately backing away from me.
"No, Draco, how I fe-"
"I-I didn't mean to... I should have left you alone."
I shook my head vigorously, salty tears visibly running down my cheeks as I tried to go to him, but he only backed away further. "Please, listen-"
"I'll go, okay? I'll leave." He was walking away and I couldn't form a sentence and I didn't know why I was so upset.
"Draco?" He had broken into a run and within seconds he was out of sight.
Idiot.
Everyone was scared of him.
The morning lessons passed agonisingly slowly with History of Magic and Ancient Runes and in Potions, much to Snape's disapproval, all I could do was continually stare at Draco, trying desperately to get his attention.
"Eddie! What are the two main ingredients of the Strengthening Solution?" Snape snapped at me. Hermione's hand instantly shot into the air beside me.
"Uhh... salamander blood and powder of- powdered hippogriff claw?" I stammered, wracking my brain. Hermione coughed disapprovingly.
"Incorrect! Powdered griffin claw. I advise you pay attention in class."
"Yes, sorry, Sir." I answered half-heartedly.
I let my eyes wander towards Draco again. Blaise was nudging him and laughing in my direction, the classic Slytherin ridicule. Draco glanced at me wearily and I inclined my head towards his arrogant friend with a smirk and a flick of my wrist under the table.
"Diffindo!"
Blaise's wooden chair collapsed beneath him, sending him sprawling onto the hard stone floor with a loud yelp. Draco didn't flinch, he looked over his friend, then back at me and returned to his work. I was sure that I would have had him with that, I'd ventured out onto a think limb for him. Was he really that bothered by me? I could almost feel the outrage being projected to my right and the amazement to my left, however, with my newly sulky attitude I chose to ignore both Hermione and Tyler sitting either side of me.
When the lesson finished I completely forgot myself and ran after Draco, calling out to him loudly and causing an embarrassing scene for myself. Blaise turned around to identify me after the first time but Draco only reacted after the third or fourth, when it was getting ridiculous. He spun around and marched up to me.
"What do you think you're doing?" He snarled at me as people walking past gave us curious looks.
"Draco, I just wanted to talk you about last night."
"I don't know what you're talking about." He lied, straightening up and taking in the people around us.
"You just left, ran away! Draco, I didn't mean to hurt you, but-"
"Hurt me?" He laughed cruelly, "you think you could hurt me?"
I frowned and blinked furiously, not understanding why he was acting this way.
"Look, Eddie, I think you just need to go calm yourself down and leave me alone." He laughed again. He knew exactly what he was doing to me. It was cruel.
"Everything alright here, Sarah?" Tyler had been looking on from a distance and put a protective arm around my shoulder, but I couldn't formulate any words.
"She's fine, she was just leaving actually." Draco sneered.
"I seem to recall talking to my sister, Malfoy." Tyler retaliated.
"She just didn't seem able to answer at the moment, bit emotional, you know, Eddie?"
Tyler's clenched fist collided with Draco's jaw on full impact, cutting through the air like a steel sword and landing the blow. Draco stumbled to the ground as Blaise came striding over, ready to launch himself at the offending Tyler. I came to my senses and stepped between them, clutching my wand beneath my robes, something I thought was particularly brave in theory.
"Zabini, if you even touch my brother, I will make you damn sorry you did."
I was aware that he hadn't retreated because of my threat, a threat from a clumsy girl only as tall as his shoulders. It was because Draco had communicated some unspoken signal to him and he was aware of whatever it was that was going on between Draco and I. Blaise knew that hurting Tyler would only make the already complicated situation worse for his friend.
"Are you okay, Teddy?" Tyler asked, cradling his hand after the two Slytherins had stalked away.
"I'm fine! And don't call me Teddy. I'm not ten years old, Tyler, I don't need your protection anymore."
"What was all that about then?" He continued, ignoring my anger.
"Nothing, it's Malfoy, he's a git, okay?"
"Okay, Teddy, let me know if he gives you anymore trouble."
Tyler was about to leave to go to lunch, sensing that I didn't particularly want him around at that moment, when a searing pain exploded in my head, dropping me to the ground and causing me to cry out. Tyler was back at my side in an instant and clutched each side of my face, forcing me to look at him, he knew what was happening.
"Teddy, focus on me, okay? Just look at me, don't think about anything else but me."
My hearing was the first of my senses to go and my sight began alternating between my brother's face, his muted lips still telling me to focus on him, and a graveyard, the same graveyard I'd seen previously. The flashing quickly slowed until all I could see was the graveyard in which Cedric Diggory was killed and he was restored to full power. However, I didn't see Cedric die this time, I saw Harry and You-Know-Who mere metres away from each other, surrounded by Death Eaters, all draped from head to toe in black, much resembling Dementors. One in particular stood out to me, a man with platinum blonde hair identical to his son's, Lucius Malfoy. Harry had always said he was a Death Eater, and now for me there was ocular proof.
Faintly, I heard someone, a man, yell my name, and my senses slowly crept back until I had control over them once more. However, I wasn't on the stone floor of the corridor anymore. I was seated on a high stool, slumped over a table in the classroom I had just left, I could feel Tyler's presence next to me. The man yelling was Snape.
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