MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27TH 1995
Dahlia's gripped her sapphire cloak tightly as she glared up at the winter moon.
She stood on the precipice of the dark forest. The heavy mist roiled around her crisp, polished boots. Despite her leather gloves and scarf, the frigid chill was slowly seeping bone-deep as the minutes passed. Dahlia was just thankful the snowfall had ceased in time for her detention this evening.
"Thank you," she mumbled, staring skyward at the wraith-like trees of the Forbidden Forest. They were ominously still as no leaves graced their branches for a rustle. The wind licked her face as if to say you're welcome on behalf of nature.
Dahlia heard the icy crunch of thick footsteps behind her. Her cloak flounced high in the night as she turned to see Professor Snape, his usual scowl in place, trudging down the beaten path from the castle. He held Draco Malfoy by the collar as if he were dragging him like a disobedient child.
Dahlia masked her disappointment with a polite grin. She had purposefully gotten detention, gambling on the reliable gossip that the Durmstrang student she had a crush on would be here.
Marcus Belby had told Juliet during Ancient Runes that he had overheard Victor Krum complaining to Hermione Granger that Kieran, the boy she liked, had canceled their Monday evening training session this week as he also had detention with Professor Snape. She had meticulously planned the chance encounter for days, only to see the sneering face of Draco Malfoy unwillingly approaching her instead.
She grimaced. What a waste of fresh curls, she thought.
"Miss Aldair, I see you are excruciatingly early for detention," Professor Snape croaked as his black robes whipped down the hill toward her at petrifying speed.
Dahlia beamed, correcting her posture to stand proudly tall, even though she was only average height in high heels on a good day.
"How unfortunate," Professor Snape mumbled, coming to a halt. Draco squirmed within Snape's iron grip as he held firm.
"What's unfortunate, sir?" Dahlia inquired, oblivious.
Professor Snape narrowed his eyes as if the question, or any reply at all, had been disrespectful. "That you took after your father — you are exceptionally annoying."
Dahlia's mouth parted in shock at the forward rudeness. Speechless.
"I-er," she stumbled.
Professor Snape released his grip on Draco with a light shove and kick.
"My own father will hear about this," Draco snarled as he fell into line next to Dahlia. His pleasant aroma touched her senses. She curled her lip in surprise as the midnight sweetness briefly blinded her intuition. Dahlia shook it off like rain.
"Then send my regards," Snape quipped to Draco.
The professor shoved a wicker basket into Dahlia's arms as it materialized from thin air. She grunted as she fumbled to secure it on her arm without dropping it.
Dahlia peered down to discover several empty glass jars within the basket.
"What are these for, professor?" Dahlia asked, raising a brow in curiosity.
"They are for the leaping toadstools you two will be collecting."
Professor Snape pressed a piece of parchment against Draco's chest.
Draco winced, rubbing the sore spot as he opened the crumpled parchment. His eyes quickly went wide with disbelief. "What even is this?"
"An illustration of what you will find for me in the forest," Snape answered.
"How can I be expected to find anything in the forest at night, especially based on this bloody doodle? Even Goyle could draw better than this!"
Professor Snape pursed his lips in growing irritation, faced with the entitled, brattish children of two of his least favorite peers.
"Silence," he drawled.
He extended his arm, pointing to the heart of the forest. "Now, go."
Dahlia turned with hesitation to face the forest. She saw it with renewed eyes as she realized she would have to enter the dark wood. Unfamiliar calls echoed through the trees, and the moonlight only carried so far.
Her stomach twisted in fear.
Dahlia turned back, her golden hair bouncing in a silver bow. "Professor, I-"
He raised a hand to quiet her, anticipating her fear. Her mouth snapped shut as he pointed once more to the forest. She gripped the lantern with clammy palms as she faced the towering trees once more.
Dahlia took her first step with a shaky breath.
Everything will be fine, she thought. Be brave. Be br-
She grunted as Draco pushed past her and strutted across the treeline and into the wood. Dahlia quickly ran after him, only more terrified at the thought of entering the forest completely alone.
She cut through thick mist that was painted a glimmering emerald in the moonlight and underbrush. Her clock tore through the mist, unwilling to be marooned. The fog was thick, sentient, and blinding.
"Ow!" She groaned, her face colliding into Draco's back as he had stopped short.
"Watch it!" He barked, pushing her off of him as if she was diseased.
She scoffed. "You can't be serious! Wait for me!"
Dahlia straightened her skirt and adjusted her cloak in an orderly fashion.
He sneered, extending a hand as if to mock that she was a lady who deserved the utmost chivalry. "Lead the way then," he bristled.
Dahlia snatched the parchment with the poor illustration of leaping toadstools from his hand, sharing her own polite scowl.
"You don't have to be rude about it," she replied casually, shoving the lantern into his chest before strolling past him and smoothing her hair to perfection.
"I knew I never liked you. You're ridiculous," Draco muttered, falling into step next to her.
"You're foul, Malfoy," she sighed, appearing unbothered by his slight. "Rather be spending your evening fawning over Viktor Krum for the hundredth time?"
"Please, spare me, like your obsession with the Durmstrang students isn't embarrassingly obvious and pathetically desperate," he fired back.
Dahlia glared as she pinched his wrist to shine the lantern to the right, her cheeks heating. She didn't grant him a response.
She suddenly shivered in the chill of the evening. Draco eyed her peculiarly. They came to a stop as a fallen tree blocked their path. Draco quickly climbed onto it, then extended his hand to help her climb up. Dahlia reached for his arm as he heaved her over the log forcefully. He let her fall to the ground as he dropped her hand prematurely, turning to strut on.
"Ow!" She whined as she stumbled onto the forest floor.
She stood and wiped the moss from her blue cloak.
"Don't be so dramatic," he grumbled.
Dahlia groaned as she spotted a grass stain on her uniform. It would never come out. She exhaled sharply, containing her temper.
Fucking fantastic, she thought.
"So why do you have detention?" Draco asked, strolling forward into the thicker woods.
"Uniform violation," she answered shortly, taking strides to catch up to him.
Draco snorted. "I could've guessed that."
Dahlia blushed at the admittance. He had noticed how short her skirt had gotten over the past week.
"It's not my fault these skirts are hideously long and unfashionable."
"I appreciate the effort," he chuckled.
Draco quickly stiffened. "Not on you. I meant, er, generally speaking."
Dahlia grinned as his own cheeks reddened slightly in the silver waves of moonlight.
"So shorter skirts would also be appreciated on Crabbe and Goyle, then? Generally speaking..."
He shook his head in disgust.
"No, Aldair. That would just be atrocious."
Dahlia snorted. He glanced back at her, unreadable.
"And what did you do to earn detention from Professor Snape?"
"Exist, unfortunately." He replied, pushing back his moonlit hair with a sigh.
They fell into silence as Dahlia focused on the ground, searching for the red-topped mushrooms through the moss and roots of the forest underbrush.
"I think I found one!" She gasped, spotting a flash of crimson.
"Great…" Draco grumbled sarcastically. He couldn't care less.
Pitying how much she did seem to care, though, he decidedly shined the light towards the ground in her direction. Dahlia bent down to collect the leaping toadstool gently.
She shrieked, jolting back as the mushroom leaped towards her face. Draco dropped the lamp as her back collided with his chest. It shattered upon the forest floor, drenching them in blackness.
Dahlia squealed, her eyes struggling to adjust to the loss of light as they both fell over loose, gnarling roots.
They felt around in the darkness as they pushed each other away in an effort to untangle themselves.
"Fucking hell, Aldair!" He hissed, yanking her up by the collar of her cloak.
They both rushed to equip their wands, cautious of what lingered. Draco was quick to extinguish the lamp remnants as Dahlia lit her wand in the darkness.
"Lumos maxima," she whispered.
Draco snatched the jumping mushroom from the moss-covered ground in one fluid motion. He turned to sneer at her.
"They obviously leap, you idiot."
Dahlia said nothing as she quickly opened one of the glass jars to store the mushroom. He stepped closer to place it into her hand. He watched her take the mushroom, drop it inside, then seal the lid tightly. She exhaled with a hand on her chest after she placed the jar safely back into the basket.
"Teamwork, baby!" She exclaimed with a nod and a winning smile.
He narrowed his eyes with an incredulous expression
"You did absolutely nothing except break our only source of warmth and light. You're a useless Ravenclaw, you know that? Don't you?"
Dahlia nodded and shrugged at the truth, ignoring his pessimism. "Those are some great reflexes, Malfoy."
Her compliment only seemed to irritate him further as he stormed into a clearing.
"I'm a seeker," he answered proudly, spinning in confusion with a lost expression.
"Never been one for quidditch, so I wouldn't know," she mumbled as she strolled into the clearing and then exhaled heavily.
"Dahlia?" There was a rising panic in his tone as he paced and bothered to use her first name for once.
"Yes?" She called nonchalantly, staring up at the clear starlight.
"Let's get out of here. Do you know where we are?" He asked seriously.
Dahlia tilted her head, reading the stars. "I think we need to make a right."
"Are you sure?"
"Do you have a better suggestion?" She retorted.
He stilled, biting his cheek as he glanced around. He nodded to himself before pushing past her as he headed right out of the clearing, cutting through the mist.
He lit his wand as he took the lead. Dahlia followed wordlessly as she rubbed her shoulder. Draco turned to look back occasionally to confirm she was still behind him.
They walked in silence as the forest thickened beyond moonlight. The creature calls she had heard in the muffled distance as she stood on the treeline became more distinguished as they neared the heart of the forest. She shivered more violently as they came to a large gathering of boulders.
"This wasn't here before," he mumbled.
"I think we're going in the wrong direction," she stated casually.
His own cloak billowed as he turned on his heel to face her. "You told me to go right!"
"You were leading!" She fired back.
"Well, this is just fucking perfect!" He scoffed, running a hand through his silver hair.
"Don't swear at me!" She yelled, stepping forward to shove him in the chest.
He slapped her hand away before she could properly push him. Dahlia's wand deluminated as he gripped her wrist. He stepped closer, and she managed to slap his neck with her free hand before he captured her other wrist. He nearly pressed their chests together as he jerked her forward.
Dahlia looked up as he slowly smirked. She hadn't realized how much taller he had grown over the years until he towered over her now. His grey eyes found hers. They shone brightly, suggesting that he had won something.
"Drop your wands!" A deep voice boomed from behind the large boulders.
Dahlia quickly kicked Draco in the shin to release her wrists. He winced in pain as she stepped away from him and looked up at the large stones.
Centaurs. At least half a dozen of them.
Dahlia carefully lowered her wand to the ground with her head down.
A chestnut centaur stepped forward. His powerful muscles coiled beneath the soft light of the moon. Dahlia fell within his towering shadow. His long, dark hair circled the wind as he glared down at them.
"No child should be alone this deep in the forest," the centaur remarked. His voice was strong with the edge of a warrior.
Dahlia nervously searched her periphery. She wasn't alone — until she realized she was. Draco was no longer beside her. A surge of panic soared through her veins. She turned her head left and then right. Draco was nowhere to be found at all.
"Should we capture the boy?" A white centaur with blonde hair inquired, already reaching for his bow.
The chestnut centaur held out his hand to stop him.
"No, he'll come back for the girl eventually."
Dahlia highly doubted that. She quietly seethed, livid he had left her here to fend for herself while he had taken off into the forest to save his own skin.
She held her hands up and stepped back carefully.
"We don't mean any harm." She shook her head as her voice quivered.
"We simply got lost completing an assignment for a professor."
The chestnut centaur narrowed his eyes. "You can't read your own stars, child?"
Dahlia fumbled over words as she stuttered on a reply. She knew the centaurs had strong ties to divination and astronomy like herself. She couldn't manage anything but the truth.
"I-I tried, but they only led me deeper into the forest," she replied, newly shivering with adrenaline.
The centaurs chuckled as if they could sense how little Divine magic pumped through her heart. They knew they could likely see much farther into the future than she could ever dream of with her unfortunate inheritance.
"Go," the blonde centaur chuckled with pity.
Relief quickly filled her. Her shoulders fell with it.
"Wait," the chestnut centaur commanded. "What is your name?"
"Dahlia," she answered meekly, terrified.
They nodded for her to continue, wanting her full name to her displeasure.
She gulped, her hands once again shaking in the air. " Dahlia Aldair ."
The centaurs broke into whispers as they huddled close. Dahlia prayed to the wind to carry their distant murmurs to her desperate ears.
"...leverage to gain more land..."
"She's just a child!"
"Dumbledore won't..."
"She'll punish us!"
The argument at hand was too great of a risk. She wouldn't stand here politely while they decided if they should or shouldn't kidnap her for ransom.
Draco had made the smart move — to run.
The wind blew left in a strong gale. Dahlia took it as her sign to make a dash for it. She sprinted on light feet, avoiding the crunch of grass and praying she had practiced wandless magic enough to summon her wand properly.
She heard the centaurs bellow in annoyance that she had disappeared. The ground beneath her rumbled as they charged off the boulder behind her.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck," she whispered to herself.
She had no choice but to cut into the thick fog and hope they might not spot her. She vowed to herself that she would memorize the disillusionment charm the minute she returned to her dormitory if she made it out alive.
She hopped over a fallen log when someone tugged harshly on her ankle. She fell forward, and a loud grunt escaped her as she hit the ground. She brushed her blonde hair out of her face to discover Draco hiding within the hollow of the decaying trunk. He held a finger to his lips.
Dahlia saw a furious red as she angrily crawled into the log. She had no choice as heavy footsteps hammered the ground in their direction. She slapped Draco hard in the chest, and he cringed.
"You left me!" She mouthed.
He motioned from her head to her toe with a roll of his eyes.
"You're fine!" He mouthed back.
They both quickly took cover as the strong hooves of the centaurs crashed over the ancient log. Dahlia covered her mouth as she nearly screamed. She hadn't even realized Draco had reached for her until it was all too quiet, and the sound of their footsteps had faded into the distance.
Draco shook his hand out of hers as Dahlia shifted away.
"Get off!" She kicked him, not caring that she was sitting in a skirt.
"Your manners are rancid, Aldair," he sneered as he punched her foot.
They both stilled as the fallen trunk breathed a dying, pained groan.
"I should have mentioned that I'm only hiding here because I hit a dead end. This log is on the edge of a small cliff," he admitted in a quiet whisper.
"What the fuck do you mean?" She hissed, wide-eyed.
He narrowed his eyes, affronted.
"Don't swear at me," he spat in a whisper.
"Oh, for fuck's sake!" She leaned forward angrily to have another go at him, but the shift of weight was too grand. They screamed in unison, holding onto absolutely anything they could manage except each other as the log tumbled down the small, mossy cliff. They were thrown violently inside the hollow as the trunk landed with a great thud and then rolled through the Forbidden Forest.
Dahlia's sapphire cloak was ripped from her shoulders as she tumbled around the walls of the trunk. She held onto a root to stabilize herself.
"I'm going to die!" Draco wailed as they spun relentlessly in the log of doom.
"I'm going to be sick!" Dahlia cried.
Draco shrieked in horror as he fought gravity to try to crawl farther away from her.
They were both thrown into the front of the hollow as the log came to an abrupt halt. They coughed and gasped for air as the wind had been knocked from their lungs.
Draco crawled out of the trunk without sparing a glance in her direction. Dahlia followed, quickly standing to check for injuries. Miraculously, there were only a few cuts and scrapes. She placed her hands behind her head to gather more air.
"Oh, my hair bow!" She whined, noting her hair had fallen.
Draco scoffed as he stood to full height. "
That's what you are worried about? Those are your priorities?"
Dahlia didn't respond, instead casting her eyes to the ground. She began walking forward, following the moonlight and the gentle breeze.
"Where are you going?" He asked.
"I'm getting out of here," she answered breathlessly.
Dahlia didn't care if he followed her or not. She was exhausted and terrified.
"That's the wrong way," he called after her.
She shook her head, not looking back as she limped on. The wind wouldn't deceive her.
"No, it's not."
"Well, I'm not following you, Aldair." His voice echoed behind her.
"Good!" She called behind her.
"It'll be nice to have some fucking peace," she muttered to herself.
Her head tilted skyward as her heavy breaths froze in the air as she glided through the forest.
Draco had meant it — he had taken his own path.
Dahlia finally broke through the tree line and spotted the warm light from the castle in the distance. She almost fell to her knees in relief.
She glanced around and realized she was alone. Neither Draco nor Professor Snape were anywhere to be found.
Dahlia retrieved the small glass jar from her pocket with a single leaping toadstool. She threw it on the ground in exasperation. She sighed beneath the stars before trudging back to Ravenclaw Tower.
She often wondered how Draco had managed to find his way back, too.