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Chapter Text

I changed to this school when I was 18 - my mother told me it was necessary to really “hone my skills.” I guess being top of my class back at Durmstrang wasn’t cutting it. I mean, the school was weird - with its history and focus on dark arts and all… Although, for most of my school years I thought everything that went on in Durmstrang was normal - until some students started trying to recruit me into shady organizations they had either formed or joined. I don’t think that it was because of me having the best grades, but probably because they knew my family had a certain gift - a special kind of magic that was passed down generations in the witches of our family, sometimes seen as the perfect tool for a dark witch. Unfortunately for them, my family stayed away from the dark arts and so did I.

Also, except for one time when I was younger and a boy had broken my heart, I had never before used my unique ability against another person - mostly because it’s a very exhausting and draining magic. Luckily my control wasn’t as strong back then and all I really did was make a paper cut hurt more than it would normally. From the way he screamed though, it must’ve felt like a knife cut. Even if I still think he deserved it back then, after the monumental speech my mother gave me about abusing my power… I’ve been more mindful of my actions.

After the tragic events in the past, Hogwarts has had two years of peace before I joined and luckily, this continued during my time here so far. My transfer went surprisingly smooth and - after some bickering with the old sorting hat - I was put into Gryffindor, of all houses. I was really aiming for Ravenclaw, since I felt it would fit me most personally, but alas. Back in Durmstrang we didn’t have houses and were instead sorted only by year, so it was a tad weird at the start, but I enjoyed the feeling of community.

I’ve already made quite a few friends and I suppose a few enemies as well since I’ve transferred. Hermione and I usually study together and in the classes we share, we have been in a sort of friendly competition. I’m pleased to say that between us, we get the best grades and have been excelling at everything the professors threw at us. Though, I must say that I was a little more reserved about these things, since I’ve noticed that there were quite a few people that didn’t appreciate overachievers much.

The other friend I had made was a Ravenclaw boy named Ezra Morgan. Ezra excelled in astronomy and had a keen interest in a nature magic he called druidry.

---

‘Keeping a journal is actually nice’, I thought to myself, as I finished the last sentence and closed the small black book. With everything that has been going on recently, I felt the weight of my responsibilities amplifying my emotions and it was making it too hard to focus on lectures and exams. Ezra was the one who had recommended writing my thoughts down. He described it as ‘emptying your brain onto paper’ and I must admit even just writing this small piece made me feel better.
I wrapped a piece of burlap twine around the book and hid it under my bed, casting a quick notice-me-not spell on it so it would not be found accidentally. The sun had started to set and the girls dormitory was empty as everyone had already run off to the great hall for dinner.

I slipped my grey V-neck jumper over my blouser and stuffed the tie in. The uniforms here were much nicer than the ones back in Durmstrang, especially the cozy jumpers.
I hid my wand up my sleeve and made my way to the great hall.

The tables were already filled to the brim with delicacies, a mouthwatering smell lingered in the air. In response to my growling stomach, I quickly made my way over to the Gryffindor table where Hermione was already waving at me.

“You really have to come down sooner Alice, I can’t always save your favorite foods for you, you know how fast the boys devour everything.” Hermione said, handing me a plate of baked veggies with a side of rice and creamy orange sauce as I sat down next to her.

“Hey!” Ron called out, spraying pieces of whatever he had in his mouth at that moment.

“See what I mean, gobbling up all the food.” Hermione said, shooting Ron a judgemental look, at which he quickly cleaned everything up and continued eating grumpily.

I chuckled and grabbed a fork. “Thanks Hermione, I really appreciate it. It’s just, I can’t write when there’s too many people around.”

“Fair”, she replied, putting on a warm smile “I get that. Just don’t be angry at me when you arrive one day and all that’s left is bones and shells.”

“No promises.” I laughed.

Dinner was uneventful, as usual. When I was pleasantly full, I got up and made my way towards the exit. Hermione said she wanted to stay longer, since Ron, despite eating so much, was still always last. As I walked down the aisle between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff table, I glanced around, but I didn’t see the person I was looking for. As I reached the door, I heard a familiar voice call out to me.

“Alice, wait!”

It was Ezra. He hurried towards me from the far end of Ravenclaw table, as we headed out into the main hall.

Ezra was a little taller than me and had short messy black hair. I would probably never really get used to his amber eyes, a quite unnatural color, but he said it had happened when he became an Animagus and he wasn’t sure why.

“Hagrid brought a few Bowtruckles after class today, you should’ve stayed! It’s amazing how much they resemble sticks and leaves. One even seemed to like me a lot, he almost didn’t let go.” He laughed. “Anyway, you promised we would talk after dinner.”

I shrugged. “Let’s wander around the grounds a little. I know it’s dark already but I saw it snowing from the great hall and I just wanted to get out a bit before heading to bed.”

Unlike the first to seventh year students, the seniors, so the first, second and third year Mastery and Apprenticeship students, were allowed to be out a tad longer after dinner and I certainly made use of that, especially now.
We made our way through a couple of corridors, passing the entry to the dungeons. A few slytherins were hanging out there. We walked by quickly, but Ezra had noticed me glancing at them. Once we were out through a small door that exited towards the lake, I released a deep sigh.

“Still worried?” Ezra asked, giving me a compassionate smile.

"A little... Fancy sitting down by the lake?"

"Yeah alright, I just hope you don’t freeze with just that jumper on."

"I'll be alright, it's not that cold actually."

In response, Ezra shivered underneath his thick winter cloak, but he followed me down to the lake.
When we got to the edge he pressed his hand on the ground and a thick branch grew from the frozen earth, forming a nice bench. I sat down, stroking the wood. It still amazed me how deeply connected he was with the nature surrounding us. We sat still for a while, just looking out over the lake. I was glad that I could just sit in comfortable silence with a new friend. Eventually it started snowing again.

"So, Harry Potter, huh?"

Ezra stared at me in complete horror. “H- how do you know?”

“You blushed heavily when I introduced you to him earlier today.", I laughed, but Ezra buried his face in his hands, groaning. “I'm just joking. It was more of a lucky guess. I noticed you were a little nervous around him."

"You're horrible." He said, as he looked up again, making me laugh. "Aaaand you're just changing subjects. So, what's the story behind what happened today?"

“Alright, alright.” I breathed in deep and started at the beginning.

-----

A few hours had passed and we had moved closer together, huddled into Ezra's cloak.

"I think we should head back now, I can't really feel my toes anymore… or my fingers for that matter." Ezra shivered.

"Yeah, let's head back. The moon is also up high already, it's probably around midnight by now.” I breathed some warm air on my fingers.

As soon as we got up the tree branch retracted, leaving nothing but a small pit in the ground. We stayed close together and walked up the castle. I watched our shoes plow through the fresh snow, letting Ezra guide me back as I kept warm at his side. I was still thinking about everything I had just told him. Why did I even let it get this far?

Suddenly Ezra stopped dead in his tracks. I looked up at him in confusion, but he just stared straight ahead. When I turned to face whatever he saw, it felt like someone had knocked the air out of my lungs.

"You and I need to talk."

He had his wand pointed at us, his expression cold. It was Draco Malfoy.

Chapter Text

“Happy 19th Birthday Alice!” The chorus of the Gryffindors chanting was just far too loud, but I felt fantastic. I never really used to celebrate my birthday’s in Durmstrang, they just weren’t a big thing there. I had been at this school for only 3 months and I already felt like I belonged. Any efforts of mine to make it just a small party had been completely in vain, but I didn’t mind anymore. It was amazing and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and really made me feel included.

A few people had given me random gifts, most just celebrated by smuggling in fireworks, magical sweets and drinks from Hogsmeade. I’m sure it was Hermione who had told everyone it was my birthday. She handed me a gift that I quickly unwrapped. I squealed excitedly as I held the multipurpose herbalist’s bag in my hands. I had wanted one for ages. Collecting medicinal and magical herbs, as well as making potions had been a long time hobby of mine, but I couldn’t remember telling her that.

“I saw that you studied the herbal potions quite intensely during the potion classes and I witnessed you pick some herbs off the grounds that other people would probably just consider weeds, so just a lucky guess!” She smiled from ear to ear, but so did I.

I hugged her. “Thank you so much!!”

This was incredible. Hogwarts is awesome.

The party went on for quite a while, but eventually quieted down when Professor McGonagall charged in to shoo the junior year students into their beds. I was worried about the drunk seniors she caught, since drinking was strictly prohibited on school grounds, but Professor McGonagall said that tonight would be an exception. Nonetheless, she did confiscate the rest of the alcoholic drinks, much to the dismay of many. As the night went on, eventually only myself and three Gryffindor boys were left.

“Hey new girl!” the tallest of them called over to me as I was just about to collect my things and head to the dormitories. I turned around curiously.

“Do you wanna go play some pranks on Professor Snape while he’s asleep?” The three of them gave me challenging grins.

“Are you sure that’s a smart idea? I’ve not been here long, but I know one shouldn’t mess with Professor Snape.”

“He’ll never know! Plus it’s almost a tradition to do something a little stupid on your birthday.” The tall one smirked.

“Yeah come on, we’ll be quick!”, “We’ve done it before and never got caught!” The other two joined in.

I bit my lip, considering whether I should join them. I mean, it sounded like fun and if it’s really a tradition? Also I’m new here, a fast runner and good witch, so I supposed that even if we did get caught, I could probably easily escape undetected.

“Alright, let’s do it then.” I gave them my best mischievous grin, causing them to jump up from the couch, cheering me on, albeit silently.

“Ha, sweet! I knew you had it in you. I’m Cormac btw, Cormac McLaggen. That’s Seamus Finnigan and that’s Lee Jordan.” He pointed at the two boys behind him.

“Hi Cormac, Seamus, Lee, I’m Alice.” I waved at them a little awkwardly.

The three of them guided me quickly through the school. Occasionally I had to shush at them, because they kept bickering with each other like little children, making far too much noise for my liking. Luckily, it was very late and the only person we saw was Filch, the creepy groundskeeper. Thankfully he had been far away and didn’t hear them as they made stupid jokes about him and his cat.

The dungeons were quite unsettling at night, as green-flamed torches lit the corridors and stairs. Eventually we arrived in front of a tall wooden door and the boys told me that this was Snape’s office.

“We should hex him so whenever he speaks he croaks instead, like a frog” said Lee.

“Also let’s make his office floor slippery!” added Seamus.

“Guys, that’s childrens stuff. We should make his door into a portkey and have him be teleported into the girls lavatories!” Cormac suggested and the other two quickly agreed, holding back excited laughs, patting Cormac on the back.

“So, you guys know how to make portkeys?” I asked, very much not okay with their idea.

“Err, well no, we thought you would, since you’re so smart and all.” Seamus grinned at me.

“Do you not know how to make one?” Cormac asked, disappointed.

“I don’t sorry,” I said, giving my best fake apologetic smile. I did actually, but I’ve never used the spell before and was very worried I’d be sending Snape who knows where. “I guess we could do the croaking idea, that actually sounded fun-”

“Who is there?!” A voice came from the other end of the hallway that was leading to Snape’s office, leaving the three of us in shock.

“Shit,” whispered Lee, “let’s get out of here quick!”

They started to sneak away from the door and around the corner of a nearby corridor, I tried to follow them, but then a spell hit the wall between us, making me stumble backwards. Who on earth would attack us within the school?

“Run!” Cormac shouted, and the four of us started sprinting down the corridor. A few more spells shot past us and I deflected two of them. I was sure I heard our pursuer shout ‘Stupefy’ and I really didn’t want to get hit by that down here.

“Quick, split up!” Seamus shouted and the boys each ran down different corridors of the crossroad we had arrived at. I stood confused for a second, unlike them I really didn’t know the dungeons, so in a split second decision I decided to follow Cormac. We ran through a maze of corridors and I heard him curse at the dungeons. Our attacker seemingly had followed us instead of the other two, since another spell just barely missed me. The unexpected flash of light made me trip over my own feet and when I got up again, I had missed which corner Cormac had taken. I heard the attacker coming closer, so I hurriedly scrambled up and ran.
When the adrenaline rush finally subsided I was hit by exhaustion and realised, much to my dismay, that I was completely lost. At least I couldn’t hear our pursuer anymore, so I leaned on a wall to catch my breath, my heart still beating a million miles an hour.

I looked around. This corridor just looked exactly like all the other corridors we had passed, but that would be impossible, there surely couldn’t have been such a gigantic maze underneath the castle? Poor Slytherin students.

When my breathing returned to normal I decided to move on in a more careful manner. Maybe I had been missing something, maybe there was a spell on the dungeons to ward off intruders. I walked down the corridor and around a corner, when I suddenly bumped into someone. I looked up and my face went pale. It wasn’t one of the Gryffindors.

“Finally, I caught one of you little shits.” he spat out.

In front of me was a tall student with platinum blonde hair, wearing a black waistcoat with the Slytherin crest embroidered on it. He held his Lumos-illuminated wand into my face.

“Wait, you’re the transfer student, aren’t you?” He lowered the wand a little, pointing it at my chest.

I was still frozen in place, staring at him in shock. Why had I not heard him coming? Who was he? His face seemed so familiar... Slightly absent minded I noticed that his eyes were a beautiful light grey color, silver even. We stood quite close and upon realising that I felt heat creep up my face, hoping that I wasn’t blushing.

“I know I’m handsome but you can stop staring now” he gave me a smug smile.

I woke from my stupor and took a step back, becoming quite aware of my situation again. I remembered his face now, I had seen him before when he had made a sarcastic remark about how ‘Gryffindor was picking up the trash from Durmstrang’.

“You’re Draco Malfoy.” I said, more as a confirmation for myself rather than a statement.

“Wow, 10 points for Gryffindor.” He jeered. “So what’s a mutt like you doing in the dungeons after midnight?”

“None of your business.” I retorted, narrowing my eyes at his insult.

“Oh, a feisty one. Just remember who you’re talking to here.”

He drew his wand up my neck until it rested just underneath my chin. There was a mischievous sparkle in his eyes. I pushed it to the side, wiping the cocky grin from his face.

“Get out of my way.” I walked past him, but he grabbed my arm.

“What, so you can continue wandering around completely lost in the dungeons until a teacher finds you in the morning?”

I paused. He wasn’t wrong. When I turned around to face him, he looked all smug again. I pulled my arm out of his grasp. He was so arrogant it made me angry, but I couldn’t deny that the way he looked at me got me unusually nervous. However, I wasn’t gonna let him know that, so I focussed and kept calm.

“Fine. Can you show me the way out?” I asked slightly annoyed, rolling my eyes.

“I think you’re missing a “please” and a “sir” in that sentence.”

I looked at him in disbelief. He couldn’t possibly mean that.

“Alright fine, have it your way, I’ll let Professor Snape know that I caught a bunch of Gryffindors sneaking around in the dungeons at night.” he turned to leave.

I watched him walk away very slowly, knowing that I had no choice. What an absolute prick.

I fought with myself for a couple of seconds, deciding what to do. I really couldn’t afford to have anything on my report after just 3 months at this school. My reports were always clean back in Durmstrang, I never caused trouble - or at least I never let anyone catch me.
He was halfway down the corridor when I gave in, cursing at him silently.

“Can you please show me the way out, sir”, I said as politely as possible, making sure to emphasize the words.
He turned around slowly, a triumphant, arrogant smile on his face.

“That’s more like it.” He gestured me to follow him and so I did, albeit reluctantly.

We walked down the barely lit corridors, Draco in front of me, leading the way. I couldn’t help but stare at his back. I hated myself for thinking how stunning he looked in that slim waistcoat. It really outlines his lean physique and his almost white hair was a beautiful contrast to it. Whenever I got a bit closer, I noticed that he smelled really good as well and I hated that I was starting to feel a stirring of attraction. Everything about him seemed almost intoxicating…

I mentally slapped myself for my thoughts. He’s a rude, entitled, narcissistic git and messing with girls is probably a hobby of his.

“So, what’s your name, actually?” He suddenly asked, looking at me over his shoulder.

“...Alice Silvermore” I responded hesitantly. Maybe I should’ve used a fake name just to be safe, but somehow I also wanted him to know my name.

“Alice” he repeated, letting the name roll over his tongue. “Sounds cute…”, my eyes widened. “...for a Gryffindor mutt.”

I let some air pass through my clenched teeth, but I didn’t respond, worried that he’d leave me behind or hand me in after all.
We arrived at a stairway and I remembered that this was the spot where we had entered the dungeons. The way back here had been far too short, so there actually was a spell on the dungeon corridors, I concluded. Draco positioned himself between me and the stairway.

“So?”, he asked expectantly.

I took a deep breath. “Thank you so much for showing me the way out, sir.” I made sure to sound extra sarcastic.

“I’ve always had a weakness for submissive girls.” he sneered.

I opened my mouth to retort, but then decided he wasn’t worth it. I shoved myself past him, but he grabbed my arm again and pushed me with my back against the wall. He put his other hand against the wall next to my head, effectively trapping me there. Blood rushed to my face and I felt the hairs on my neck stand up. He leaned in, putting his mouth to my ear, his chest almost touching mine. My breath and any protest got stuck in my throat. This tantalizing smell of his, the closeness… it drove me mad and I couldn’t help it.

“Next time I find you down here I won’t let you get away so easily”. He whispered huskily.

He let go of my arm and took his hand away from the wall, giving me space to escape. I immediately turned and ran up the stairs. I didn’t look back, but I could hear him laugh behind me. Fuck this guy.

Chapter Text

It had been two months since the incident in the dungeons. Professor Snape never heard a word about it, so at least Malfoy had stayed true to his word. However, since then I seemed to have become the target of his mockery once again. Hermione told me that Draco had been on Harry’s, Ron’s and her back since the first year, with his main target being Harry. Apparently he had missed no opportunity to make their lives harder, so I was really hoping he didn’t shift his focus onto me, even if it already felt like it had already started. He might mess up my potions if I dared to look away, he might trip me up or make me the butt of stupid jokes to his Slytherin entourage. Usually there was always another Gryffindor around to help me out, so I just ignored him as well as I could. His being such an idiot made it even harder for me to swallow the fact that I was now occasionally dreaming about him, fantasizing about how differently that night in the dungeons could’ve turned out. I didn’t tell anyone about any of this, it was too embarrassing and I was annoyed at myself for the way I was thinking about him. I felt like one of those teenage girls who were attracted to some cliché bad boy, it was so unlike me. So what was it about him then? Why Draco Malfoy...

My next class was herbology, one of my favorite subjects, so I made sure to get there early. The greenhouses were one of the most beautiful places in Hogwarts, overflowing with exotic and magical plants from all over the world. To my surprise, even though I arrived a good half an hour prior to the class starting, I wasn’t alone. Ezra was cutting up some devil’s ivy, filling the leaf snippets into a glass bottle.

“Seems like I’m not the only one who’s keen.” I called out to him.

He turned around so quickly that he almost knocked the plant over. When he saw me, he breathed a sigh of relief.

“You can’t scare me like that, I thought you were Professor Sprout”, he laughed.

“Why? Are you doing something you shouldn’t?” I walked over to the table where he was working. Apparently he was mixing some sort of potion.

“Not really, she just doesn’t appreciate it if I make use of her plants without asking, but she hasn’t been around much so I occasionally help myself to them.” He proceeded to cut a few more pieces off of the ivy.

I sat up on the far end of the table, making sure not to knock over any of the reagents he had placed on it.

“Astronomy, Alchemy and Herbology, that’s quite the combination.” I said, dropping my head to the side.

“Maybe, but in Uagadou they’re famous for their focus on Alchemy, Astronomy and Transfiguration.” he shrugged. “So four years there evidently influenced me.”

He put a few drops of a clear liquid into the glass bottle, making the leaf snippets turn purple.

“And transfiguration was critical in becoming an Animagus.” he added casually.

Animagi were quite rare here, the only one I knew of was Professor McGonagall and Ezra always made it sound like it was no big deal. We had talked about our interests and our experiences at our former schools and he had nonchalantly revealed to me that he was able to transform into a dark breasted barn owl and that he had a deep connection to nature. At first I had thought he was just being philosophical, until he actually showed me that he could make plants grow quickly and he didn’t even need a spell or a wand for it. He said it was an inherited gift. I almost told him about my gift then, but ended up keeping it to myself, out of fear how he would react. Ezra seemed trustworthy, but I just didn’t want to risk people knowing about my easily misunderstood power.

Herbology classes were always over way too fast. I had not had a chance to introduce Ezra to Hermione and the others yet, so I brought him to our table at lunch today. It still didn’t happen very often that students sat at tables different from their respective house, but during lunch, no one really seemed to care. Coincidentally Ezra and I shared our next class as well, Care of Magical Creatures, so we made our way down to Professor Hagrid's hut together.

“Did the Gryffindors finally get sick of you so you had to make friends with a Ravenclaw, Silvermore?” There was some laughter behind us.

That mocking voice was way too familiar. Ezra turned around to see who had called out to me, but I didn’t bother and just continued walking.

“Still ignoring me, huh? And here I thought we really had a connection during that night in the dungeons.”

The group that followed him made collective ‘Oooh’ sounds, one was whistling. I felt a blush creep up my cheeks. So he did tell people... of course. I saw Ezra giving me a questioning look from the corner of my eyes, but I just kept staring at the hut at the foot of the hill and continued walking - faster now.

“Tell us about what happened Drakey” I heard a girl call out.

Oh god no.

“Well you see, I caught her sneaking around in the dungeons a few weeks ago, not sure what she was looking for, but she seemed quite pleased when I found her.”

More ‘ooh’ sounds. He spoke loud enough for everyone around to hear.

“She practically begged me to take her to my room, going all like ‘Please, sir!’” There was laughter.

I stopped, my face flush. That wasn’t true and he knew it.

“Shut up Malfoy.” Ezra suddenly said. “No one in their right mind would want to screw you.”

I knew he meant well, but the fact that I had fantasized about Draco before just made me blush even more.

“No one asked you, birdbrain.” He barked at Ezra, “So you need a halfblood to protect you now, huh?” He shouted at me. I heard them come closer.

I wasn’t sure what to do. I knew that reacting to it would only make it worse, but at the same time I was worried about Ezra getting dragged into this. I turned around to face them.

“What do you want Malfoy?” I tried to sound as intimidating as possible, but he just had this smug smile on his face again. That damn annoying... handsome... smile.

“Oh, look who finally grew a pair.” He said loudly, evoking more laughter from the three Slytherins following him. “Not much, I’d just really like to hear you beg me again” he said. The girl in the group jumped in front of me, imitating me - well, imitating what Malfoy told them I had sounded like. “Please take me right here Draco!” she moaned. The Slytherins roared with laughter, making smooching gestures. I felt tears welling up from the embarrassment.

Ezra noticed my distress and stepped in front of me, but the girl had her wand ready and pushed him away with a quick spell, making him land backwards in the grass.

“Ezra!” I shouted, trying to run over to him, but the girl grabbed my robes, pulling me back like some dog on a leash.

The Slytherins were howling, cheering her on. That’s enough. I’ve had it with these idiots.
In a quick motion I freed myself from my robe, effectively escaping her grasp and in return, I grabbed her wrist, pushing my fingernail into the soft skin underneath her hand. I knew this by itself would’ve barely been impressive, but I had my secret weapon, after all.
The girl, called Pansy according to the others, screamed in pain. She tried to get her arm out of my grasp, but I held her tight, amplifying the sensation further. Malfoy and the others looked at me in shock and confusion, to them it must’ve looked like Pansy was screaming over me just holding her by the wrist.
After a sweet few seconds, I let go, and she stumbled backwards. When she recovered from the shock, she got up and ran, the other two guys looked at me like I was some sort of monster, then followed her quickly. Malfoy was frozen, staring at me, his face a mixture of shock and awe.

“What?!” I barked, but he didn’t react.

I turned to face Ezra, who was seemingly also still processing what had happened.
I held out my hand to him, smiling apologetically.

“Sorry that you got dragged into this, I hope you’re alright.” The spell had been draining, but I was doing my best at acting like I was fine and nothing unusual happened.

He took my hand to get up, patting down his robes.

“That was wicked!” He said amazed.

We continued down to Hagrid’s hut, leaving Malfoy behind, without another word.

---

“You know you’ll have to tell me what you did there, I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
Ezra whispered to me while we were feeding the Crup our group had been assigned to.

“I didn’t do anything.” I said shrugging, but I could see he wasn’t buying it.

“I know this kind of wandless magic only from my family. It’s something inherited, right?”

I looked at Ezra for a while, considering if it was really smart to tell anyone besides the headmaster, but somehow I felt like I could trust him, maybe because we shared a similar kind of magic.

“Alright, I’ll tell you after dinner.” I whispered.

We got straight A’s for our Crup training from Hagrid and the rest of the day went by smoothly. I didn’t see Malfoy again until dinner. I tried to make out if any of them were talking about me over at their table, but they all seemed to be acting normally. I saw Pansy wearing a small bandage around her wrist. Seems like her name fits her well. Admittedly I was slightly worried that they’d figure out that there was more to what I did, just like Ezra had, but it seemed like I had worried for no reason. Suddenly Malfoy caught my gaze and his expression shifted into something undefinable. Was it curiosity? I quickly averted my eyes and sat down for dinner without paying it another thought.

Chapter Text

I stood frozen next to Ezra, still covered by his cloak, as Malfoy gestured to him to get away. I barely even noticed the cold anymore, as I tried to figure out how on earth Malfoy had figured out where to find me.

Had he been watching us this whole time? Had someone told him? None of this made sense. At least I knew what it was that he wanted to talk about, but I was not going to tell him anything. Malfoy’s expression wasn’t angry or hateful, it was rather neutral, a bit cold. As if he was sure of himself and that he would get what he wanted.

“Lower your wand Malfoy,” Ezra called over to him.

I noticed Ezra’s hand slowly moving towards his pants back pocket, where I knew he kept his wand. I nudged him slightly with my elbow and gave him a ‘don’t’ look as he glanced down at me.

“Shut up half-blood, I have no business with you.” Malfoy spat out, coming a few steps closer, his wand still pointed at us.

I really didn’t want Ezra to get involved in this again, so I stepped out from under his coat. The wind had picked up a little, but I tried to resist shivering.

“Alright, we can talk, but please let us go somewhere else. It’s a little cold out here, don’t you think?”

Malfoy raised an eyebrow at my attempt to joke. “Fine.” he said, after considering it for a few moments. “Follow me then.” I noticed that he kept a close eye on my every move.

Maybe it wasn’t the smartest idea, but I just wanted to diffuse this situation as quickly as possible. I walked up to him, turning around briefly to see Ezra give me a very strong ‘are you sure this is a smart idea’ look. I smiled at him, but I wasn’t sure if it was convincing, since I was quite nervous. I just really hoped he wasn’t planning on doing anything once we got inside. Though, maybe getting a teacher wasn’t that bad of an idea, depending on what Malfoy had planned.

“And don’t try anything stupid, birdbrain.” Malfoy called out before he closed the small door behind us, leaving a worried Ezra outside alone.

----

Malfoy had waited behind the door for a few moments, as if making sure that Ezra was indeed not following us. When he didn’t hear anything from outside, he walked ahead, telling me to follow close.

We walked for a long while before I figured out where he was leading me to - the Divination tower. The tower area was usually empty anyway, but at night it was almost scary. The candles along the walls gave it an eerie feeling.

“Alright, no one should be bothering us here.” Malfoy suddenly said, as he gestured to me to walk ahead.

I got in front of him hesitantly and walked around the corner at the end of the hallway that led to the tower. Right in front of me was the long spiral staircase that led up into the classroom.
This spot was quite perfect to stay out of sight and prevent people from eavesdropping, since no one would be able to see you standing here from down the hallway. The realization sent a small shiver down my spine. I turned around, assuming that he didn’t actually want to get all the way up there. The doors would probably be locked anyway.

Malfoy was right behind me, cornering me in front of the stairs and suddenly all I could think about was how on earth I was going to lie myself out of this situation. Even though all of this was downright scary, I was more nervous about being alone than anything else.

"Good, finally some privacy." Malfoy said cooly.

I noticed he had put his wand away, but I secretly let mine slide down the sleeve of my robe until I felt it touch my fingers. I wasn't sure what to expect and I wanted to be prepared.

"So what do you want to talk about?" I intentionally played dumb, hoping that maybe it wasn’t about what happened this afternoon.

"You know what I mean. What did you do to Pansy?”

Of course. While the other Slytherins might’ve just dismissed it as me being strong or Pansy being, well, a pansy, Malfoy was more perceptive.

“I didn’t do anything. She was overreacting.” I tried my best to sound convincing.

“Look, I’m not buying that. I know there was some sort of magic involved.” For some reason he sounded less hostile now.

I clenched my teeth. “I told you - I didn’t do anything.” I tried to walk past him, but he stepped in my way, crossing his arms.

“I am not going to let you go until you told me what you did, Silvermore.”

“And what’s it to you? Why are you so invested in this anyway.” I mimicked his crossed arms and looked to the side to better hide my nervousness. I never had problems hiding the truth about my power from anyone - well, except Ezra, but that was an exception because he knew this type of magic. So just why was it so difficult for me to stay cool around him?

“Well on one hand, this was clearly some sort of strange magic that I want to know more about, but more importantly…” I noticed he took a step towards me. “… it makes you so much more interesting.”

My eyes widened in shock and I looked back at him.

A somewhat dark, lopsided smile had replaced the cool expression and I immediately felt a blush creep up my face, silently cursing at my body over it. I couldn’t let him influence me this much.

Draco came even closer and I moved back, but quickly felt the stair steps at my heels.

“Did you think I didn’t notice your reaction in the dungeons, Silvermore?” He said smoothly. “I’m used to having this effect on girls, but I must admit none of them have ever really caught my attention.” He kept coming closer.

“And I guess that’s what you tell all these girls, too.” My heart rate climbed up and I was quite sure that even the candlelight couldn’t hide my blush much longer. Still, I was determined to not give in to this arrogant prick.

“Maybe I do, maybe I don’t.” He leaned in, I leaned back. “Maybe it’s worth it anyway. Why don’t you find out for yourself?”

“Shut up. I’m not buying your pitiful attempts at flirting.” I gave him my best annoyed look, but it didn’t seem to carry much weight with him and I kept leaning further back to escape him.

When he got dangerously close, I leaned too far back and stumbled backwards onto the stairs, my wand slipping out of my hand. When I got a hold of myself, I tried to get back up, but Draco had already stepped up over me. He had one leg placed on the stairs next to me, propping himself up on one arm, his other leg stood between my feet at the bottom of the stairs. He had me caged, again. Fuck.

“Falling for me already, hm?” he smiled smugly.

I was caught between embarrassment and anger. He was playing with me again and he was winning, he knew that. I was trying to think of anything I could do, anything to retort, but my mind was a huge mess right now, so I just stared at him angrily. I could’ve pushed him away, told him to get lost - but I actually didn’t want him to. I wanted the same aching tension like before... like in my dreams, like that brief moment in the dungeons.

“Hmm.” Draco eyed me up and down. “I had almost forgotten how sweet you looked all flustered like that.”

He used his free hand to carefully draw a line with the side of his finger from my hair down to my jawbone and I didn’t resist. Where he touched my skin, it felt like tiny sparks. The feeling was so much more intense than what I had expected. He continued on along my neck and stopped at the collar of my shirt, grabbing it and pulling me towards him a little. His face was close enough now for me to feel his breath on my skin. I looked up into his eyes, trying to figure out what his plan was, hoping secretly that he was not just messing with me so he had another story to tell. A seductive smile played around the corners of his mouth, causing heat to spread throughout my whole body.

Absentmindedly I grabbed the arm that he was pulling me up with to stabilize myself, but I didn’t struggle. My thoughts were spinning and a part of me wanted to run away again, the other part just wanted this, all of this and more. My fingertips started to tingle slightly when he whispered to me.

“Look at you, completely at my mercy… again.”

“Shut up.” I tried to sound annoyed, but my voice was weak.

My whole body felt hot in a strange way, like I was overloaded with energy... ready to act, ready to run, to do anything. He leaned in further, his eyes focussed on me, but I couldn’t stop glancing at his lips. Just a little closer…

Suddenly he pulled back, inhaling sharply and letting me drop back on the stairs. His face distorted in pain as he held his arm.

“What the-” he checked his arm all over, but there was nothing there.

I was in shock and looked at the hand I had held onto his arm with. Did I do that? Did I lose control? But this never happened before…Refocusing, I used his confusion to free myself from my place on the stairs, pushing him back.

“Hey - wait wh-”, but I didn’t want to stick around having to explain this mess. I grabbed my wand off the floor and rushed down the corridor.

“Alice, wait!” I heard him call after me and it made me hesitate for a second.

What would I say? That I had no idea what happened? There was no way that I could tell him anything about my magic. Not only was he a Slytherin, but also the son of a family that had known ties to the dark lord. If he ever found out and told them, who knows what they’d do to me. But wasn’t running away just as bad? Wasn’t that basically confirming to him that there was more to what I did to Pansy and to him? No matter how I twisted it, there was no easy way out anymore, I had effectively trapped myself.

When I heard him walk up to me, I continued running. It didn’t seem like he was following me further, so I headed straight back to the Gryffindor girls dormitories. My thoughts were racing over what had happened - the heat and energy I had just felt were completely sucked out of my body.

When I got to the common room, no one was there, everyone was either already asleep or out and about. I snuck into the senior girls dormitory and crawled into my bed, drawing the curtains shut. My mind replayed the scene again and again and I couldn’t help but sob quietly. I wasn’t entirely sure why I felt the tears swell, maybe because of how much I realized that I wanted him to not just play with me and how much I knew he was doing just that. Or maybe I was sobbing about how I ruined everything and exposed my secret at the same time.

I was restless that night. Whenever I fell asleep, I woke up again - my mind was just not shutting up. Something about this encounter was off, but I couldn’t pinpoint what kept me awake.

Why was getting close to him always feeling so intense? And why was he able to completely mess with my brain even though I rarely ever struggle to keep my cool?

But aside from that, something about the way his touches made me feel wasn’t right too. The way that this electrifying sensation was so similar to how my magic felt wasn’t right. It had never happened this way before - I’ve always had full control. I’ve also had partners before, but none ever caused this sensation, none ever caused a surge of uncontrolled energy.

And, how could I have caused him to feel burnt? I had never been able to amplify pain without a previous injury. Normally using my gift exhausted me, but this time it had been different. I didn’t feel the least bit exhausted.
Everything about this was so unusual.

I knew I had to talk to my mother and my grandmother about it, even if the thought of revealing my encounters with Draco felt awkward. After all, I was quite set on keeping all of this a secret to everyone, even Ezra and Hermione - unless of course Draco would feel the need to share what happened again. The thought of it made me angry and sad at the same time.

I closed my eyes and tried to fall asleep again, when I finally realized what really kept me awake.

He had called me by my first name.

Chapter Text

Chapter 5 - Dark Corners

I ignored Draco the next day in hopes that it would all just go away on its own. I had barely slept and I excused myself by saying I had been studying and forgot the time - considering my grades, people believed me. Ezra repeatedly asked me if Draco had hurt me, but I kept telling him that he really just wanted to talk and that nothing bad happened. Apparently Ezra had tried to find us for a while, but had given up and made his way back to the Ravenclaw rooms when Filch almost caught him. Even the senior students were supposed to be in their dormitories after midnight, so I was glad that he didn’t get into any other trouble.

“I saw you running back to the Gryffindor rooms while I was heading to our dormitories. You didn’t seem like everything was okay, but you also didn’t seem like you wanted to talk to anyone at that moment, so I didn’t stop you.” He said in a low voice.

We sat on a bench in the courtyard during break, studying for an upcoming exam. It was considerably warmer today, especially with the sun out.

“I was just really worried because he was asking about the Pansy thing. I think he really suspects something.” Thanks to being so tired, my voice lacked any other emotion, even though I knew he wasn’t completely buying this as the reason.

“I suspect you didn’t tell him anything and he probably didn’t accept that, so what’s gonna happen now? Maybe we should get a teacher involved?”

I couldn’t think of any teacher that could really help me with this. McGonagall was probably just going to scold us for being out that late and me for using my magic on another student. Snape might be a help to keep Draco at bay, but he would probably drag me in front of Dumbledore for the misuse of my magic… and after all Draco could still rat me out for sneaking around in the dungeons. Dumbledore himself probably couldn’t do much either except remind me that it’s better to keep my ability secret. Maybe he would talk to Draco, but from what I know of Draco by now, it would not keep him from investigating all of this further. Right now, all I could really depend on was the fact that my gift was so unique to my family and that there was probably no way to find out more about it unless you talked directly to a family member of mine. Even the Durmstrang students only knew roughly what I was able to do.

“I don’t think that’ll help at all. Maybe for now it’s best to just ignore him and rely on the fact that my gift is generally widely unknown.”

Ezra sighed defeatedly. He seemed to want to know more about what really happened with Draco, but was kind enough to not dig deeper. We continued to study in silence until the break was over.

-----

As the week went on, Draco tried to get to me a few times when no one was around, but I kept walking away from him. ‘We need to talk about this’ he would say, but talking to him was the last thing I wanted to do, hoping that ignoring him would make him drop the subject eventually. Instead, I decided to just spend more time with Ezra and Hermione.

I sent letters to my mother over the next few weeks, trying to talk to her about what had happened, but it was difficult, since I didn’t want to straight up mention my ‘relationship’ with Draco or my ability, just in case someone else saw the letter.

In all honesty, ignoring Draco hurt me a little. Occasionally I would find myself wondering if maybe I could actually trust him and tell him everything. Maybe he was actually a good guy and he wouldn’t tell his family. Maybe he did mean the things he said to me.
One day, however, I overheard Pansy talking to another girl about ‘Drakey’s wild adventure in the divination tower’. To my surprise, he seemingly hadn’t revealed that this ‘adventure’ was with me. I was relieved, yet also a little disappointed.

I dreamt a lot about the Divination tower situation. One of my latest dreams was especially torturous. I dreamt I was in that same situation again, but this time, he’d kissed me. It was like my body was set on fire and nothing mattered but him. He’d slowly pull my jumper over my head and start unbuttoning my shirt, kissing me as he went on. I would rip open his waistcoat and his shirt, marvelling at his snow white, beautifully trained figure. I would caress the toned muscles with my hands, making him shiver, then kissing the soft skin at his collarbone. In my dreams he of course knew every single spot - where to kiss, where to lick.
… Unfortunately, the sweetest part was interrupted by Hermione waking me up in the morning. Luckily it didn’t seem like I had acted out on any of it or made any sound during my sleep. Or at least I was hoping that Hermione would’ve told me if I did.

Eventually Draco actually stopped trying to talk to me and ignored me too. It was better that way, I kept telling myself. Nonetheless, the new and more intense dreams kept causing my pulse to jump every time we got close and sometimes I was wondering how he could not hear my heart, when it was beating so loudly. It felt like a magnetic pull that I was straining to work against.

As time passed and the big spring exams drew closer, I spent more time in the library. Exams at Hogwarts were three times as hard as the ones back in Durmstrang and I often had to study overtime to keep my grades up. Maybe I could afford some bad grades here and there, but it had become a matter of pride to stay on top alongside Hermione by now.

After a while I noticed that Draco was visiting the library a lot more. It was not like he was a rare sight there, he also studied quite hard, but he just showed up considerably more often in the recent weeks and I couldn’t help but feel suspicious about it. On top came the feeling that he wasn’t just studying, but looking for something, maybe researching.
Even though I was still sure that there were no books written about my family’s gift, I was nervous that he would find anything at all.

One evening - when I thought I was the last one in the library - I saw him step out of the restricted section with an odd old book in his hand. A quick look around me confirmed that it was really just the two of us and as if acting automatically, I got up and stepped in his way.
The surprised look on his face told me that he too thought he was the last one here.

“Why are you taking a book from the restricted section?”

Draco was quiet for a moment, looking over my shoulder towards the door - as if considering if he should even talk to me or just push me away and be on his way.

“Why do you care?” He eventually said sourly.

“You’ve been acting strangely. What are you planning and what’s that about?” I pointed at the dark red book. The way Draco was holding it I was unable to see the top and there didn’t seem to be anything written on the back.

“So you’ve been watching me, huh? Guess I should consider myself lucky or something.”

I really wanted to snap back at him, but I decided to keep calm instead.

"Look, I'm sorry." Wait, why did I feel the need to apologize?

"For what?"

"Ignoring you."

"And why do you think I care about that?"

“I don’t know if you do, it just felt like the right thing to do, okay?”

“Well, have a gold star then.”

I clenched my teeth looking down. There was no need to be rude, but maybe I deserved some of it. After all, he had so often tried to talk to me and I had literally just walked away each time. I tried to find the right words to de-escalate the situation, but they eluded me.

“So… what changed your mind all of a sudden?”

I looked back up at him, surprised by the suddenly softer tone of his voice. His expression was still quite cold, but it seemed like he was at least somewhat interested in what I had to say.

"I…"

I didn't know actually - for some reason, I just felt like I should talk to him right this moment. Ignoring him had not been easy, but at least I didn’t have to face what had happened and could continue pretending that he didn’t know.

"I want to know if what you said was true, or if you were just messing with me." At least that's a part of it I guess.

He seemed confused. "What do you mean?"

"When you said I was interesting... more intriguing… or something." I blushed slightly.

His eyes grew wide in surprise for a moment, but then his expression shifted into that very familiar smug one, a slight smile spread across his lips - I immediately regretted asking.

“Nevermind, forget what I said - not sure what I expected.” I hissed, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

“Hey now, you didn’t even let me answer that.” He stepped closer. “What if I did mean what I said?” He raised an eyebrow, his smile more playful now. “...in fact, I just can’t get you out of my head anymore and I’m not sure why.”

He was barely an arms length away and his words gave me goosebumps. I tried to act unimpressed, but I already felt the warmth spreading to my head.

“Sometimes it feels like you’re an open book - like when you get all flustered around me - yeah, exactly like that.” He brushed a strand of hair out of my face, making me startle at the unexpected touch. I really was no good at hiding the effect he had on me. “...but then you do these strange things and for some reason getting close to you feels so intense.”

I blinked a few times. Was it possible that he felt it too?

"What do you mean by 'intense'?"

He smirked. "I know my reputation and it’s not wrong. I like to mess with girls but I never get invested. It's just fun."

I rolled my eyes and he continued: "but for some reason around you - even though you're a Gryffindor - I want more and I don't understand it."

My mouth stood slightly agape at his words. Did he really just blatantly admit that he wanted more from me? Though I guess it depends what kind of ‘more’ he meant… I wasn’t sure if he was just being smug again to mess with me but, I felt a strange heat build up between us and it was making me want to get closer. Was I losing control again?

"Draco…" I started.

Should I be honest? Tell him that I was feeling the same when I was around him?
Suddenly, a thought snuck into my head - what if he was just trying to make me fall for him so I told him about my gift? I had to find out more.

“You’re awfully talkative today.” I smirked back at him. “‘More’, you say? What kind of more do you mean?”

“‘More’ like... with other girls it’s so easy to pretend, so they do what I want them to. But whenever I get close to you, I can hardly restrain myself - you make me go mad every time.” He leaned down a little and it almost made me falter a bit, but I kept ignoring the heat that continued to build up.

“‘Restraint’? You’re not exactly known to be some sorta chaste saint.” I scoffed.

There was a brief silence, then he burst out laughing.
It was a hearty and melodic laugh, so beautiful and real it made my heart jump a little.

“Miss Silvermore? Are you still here? Is there anyone with you?”

The librarian suddenly called from her room at the other end of the library. As far as she was concerned, I was the only student left here this late. She often let me stay past closing time under the condition that I was alone and locked the doors after leaving. Luckily she couldn’t see us due to the giant book shelves spread throughout the room.

“Shit-” I whispered. I looked around, pondering on what to do. We could try to leave, but she would see us and that was probably it for my late night library sessions, especially considering Draco was in the process of stealing one of the books from the restricted section. I checked the large pendulum clock in the corner of the room. Past midnight. Around this time I had usually already left.

In a split second decision I snuck past some bookshelves to whisper the locking spell towards the library doors and then went back to grab Draco. We carefully climbed the rope that separated the restricted section from the rest of the library, heading to the far end of it as silently as possible. I pushed him into a corner behind a small broom closet that I had found by accident once, when I was sneaking around this section late at night myself.

The closet was standing against a wall, facing a bookshelf and there was just a few inches of space before the back wall. It wasn’t the best hiding spot, but the closet itself was too small and at least the librarian shouldn’t be able to see us, even if she decided to check this section or especially this row. That is, unless she decided to check this exact spot, in which case I would probably get expelled.

I stayed out of the corner so I could better listen to what she did. I heard her check the front doors, hoping that it would be enough to convince her that she had just imagined things. There was silence for a moment, but then I heard the rope of the restricted section drop.

“We need to get out!” Draco whispered, but I just held my finger to my lips, signalling silence.

Her steps came closer, so she was indeed checking the rows. I got into the corner with Draco, pushing him further against the wall and pressing myself against him to make sure not even one piece of robe peeked past the closet. Holding my breath and clawing into his shirt, I listened closely. Her steps had reached the last row and I could see the light of the small lantern she always carried at night. My heart beat wildly and I prayed that she didn’t investigate further.

“Hm.” she said, turning around. “I was so sure I heard something.”

As I heard her put the rope back in place, I carefully released the breath I was holding. Soon after, she extinguished the last candles, coating the whole library in complete darkness.
When she shut the door to her room, I sighed audibly and let myself relax. My hands slid down Draco’s chest a little and I dropped my head against it.

I tensed back up again as I realized my situation.

“Cozy.” I heard him chuckle.

I leaned back a little, looking up. It was really dark and my eyes only slowly got used to the only source of light left - the moonshine that was coming in from the windows of the general section. It barely reached this corner, but it was enough to make out some things - like Draco smiling down at me seductively. Suddenly the adrenaline rush that having to hide had caused was redirected.

“I wasn’t aware you had experience in hiding from teachers.” He kept his voice low.

“Well, I guess there’s a lot more to me than first meets the eye.” I whispered back, surprised that I was able to form a complete sentence right now.

We were still quite close and our bodies were still touching. I became awfully aware of every little part of him against me. His chest, that slowly moved up and down when he breathed, the soft silky fabric of the waistcoat against my hands and every little part of my leg that brushed against his. I couldn’t tell if my senses were heightened or if I was just becoming very aware of the delicacy of this situation. Even in the faint moonlight, his eyes seemed to have a silver shine to them, eating me alive the longer I gazed into them.

He didn’t make any attempt to push me away and I didn’t make an attempt to step further back. The tension between us grew so strong it became almost unbearable and I realized how much I needed him… wanted him. His intoxicating smell made my whole body ache for him in ways that I hadn’t known before and my heart beat so strongly he must’ve been able to feel it.

I looked down to where my hands still rested against his chest, feeling the defined muscles underneath his shirt, feeling his heartbeat. It was a little faster too, I noticed. The dream I had about our encounter in the Divination tower came to my mind again, causing heat to spread between my legs.

Time seemed to be frozen and there was no sound beside our breathing. In this very moment, he seemed to be the single most irresistible thing this earth had to offer. Despite everything, I was so very aware that this could be a huge mistake - and yet, I didn’t care in the least right now.

I knew that what happened next was up to me. I knew that reasonably, I should walk away and continue the conversation when I wasn’t being driven by basic instincts. I also knew that this situation was far too tempting and I knew that I had waved my common sense goodbye already anyway. As the heat kept building up and I felt this strange sparkling sensation in the tips of my fingers again, there was only one thing that came to my mind.

“So…” I whispered, fumbling with the collar of his waistcoat. “What were you saying about restraint…?” I bit my lip when I looked up at him again, being greeted by this mesmerizing dark smile.

“...That I didn’t have any around you.” He whispered, as he dropped the book and pulled me into a hungry kiss.

Chapter Text

It felt like fire spread to my lips, as we kissed like it was the last thing we’d ever do. He had one hand on the small of my back, the other held my head. I buried my fingers in his hair, ruffling through the silky white strands, subconsciously relishing in their softness. The sensation of his lips against mine felt so much more intense than anything I had ever experienced before. The sparks I had felt in my fingertips before now also seemed to spread to my lips, increasing their sensitivity.

I was sure my heart would escape my chest any moment over the sheer intensity of the situation.

When we broke apart to catch a breath, his beautiful silver eyes seemed to be piercing through me, destroying every barrier I had so carefully tried to build in an effort to not let my desires win. If someone had asked me what I was thinking I was doing right now, I wouldn’t have had an answer.

All I knew was that it felt so absolutely right.

I pushed myself even closer and to my surprise I noticed something hard brushing against my hip. In response, I put on my best dark smile, grabbed my wand to cast a quick silencing spell and then pulled him back into the kiss. My hands moved down to his waistcoat, unbuttoning it swiftly with shaking hands. He shook it off, without breaking away. His shirt was following suit and I had to pull away for a second to marvel at what I could see - and feel - of his body. When I caressed his chest I felt these tiny sparks again and I noticed his breath got a little shaky. His body was hot, in a literal sense - it almost felt like petting silken fire. The heat seemed to rush through my veins, increasing the effects touching his bare skin did to my body, making me long for him even worse.

I realized that it felt like every little sensation was amplified. Was I doing that?
I had never known my gift could be used in this way, but if I did this, why was I not feeling the exhaustion? I felt the heat subside a little.

Draco noticed my hesitation,covering the hand I had rested on his chest with his own.

“I don’t know what you’re doing but please don’t stop.”

My eyes snapped back at him. So I really was controlling it - even if not consciously. In any other situation I might’ve retreated now, to figure out what was happening - but right here, right now, I was completely mesmerized by this sensation and by this almost surreal situation.

“I won’t.” I whispered and he smiled, leaning down to kiss my neck.

The tingling sensation between my legs was rekindled in an instant - even more intensely so as I felt him suck on the soft skin around my collarbone. I put my head back slightly so he could reach it better, moaning silently as he carefully left small love bites all over.
I felt him smile against my neck in response. He stopped briefly as he reached the collar of my shirt.

Aching for him to continue, I reached up to undo the buttons of my shirt, but I was too unfocused to get any of them to open. Draco pushed my hands away - undoing one button at a time so painfully slow, that I was tempted to just rip it open. At the same time his teasing just stoked the fire I was feeling inside me further.
He bent his knees to continue kissing down the middle of my torso, until he reached the last button. I only wore a bra underneath and when he slid his hands up my naked sides, I felt these sparks again - as if he was causing them too. He carefully removed the shirt, letting it slide off of my arms.

A tiny part in the back of my head kept shouting: ‘This is Draco Malfoy - a Slytherin - son to a family working with dark magic!’ but it kept getting buried by all the other parts that screamed: ‘I want more.’

The rush brought on by yielding to something forbidden was nothing short of exhilarating. I wasn’t thinking anymore, just acting on my deepest, darkest desires.

“In Salazar's name - why do you drive me so crazy?” Draco purred as he embraced me, continuing to kiss along my neck.

I felt his hands move up to undo my bra, but I had no intention to stop him, since my hands were already working on removing his belt.
As I shrugged off my now open bra, I saw him smile and bite his lip - he almost looked like he couldn’t quite believe this was really happening himself.

His hands found my breasts and I stifled a moan as his thumbs slid over the hard nipples. Just this sweet touch could’ve been enough to send me over the edge - if only I wasn’t so determined to go even further.

In the meantime I had already undone his belt and the buttons of his dark trousers, suggestively hooking a finger in his now slightly exposed black boxershorts.

“Seems like someone can’t wait.” He mocked me, smiling.

“I’ve waited long enough already.” I said, drowning his silly smile in more ravaging kisses.

The rest of our clothes quickly made their way to the floor and before I could blink, I found myself lifted up and pushed against the wall where he had been standing just a minute ago. I marvelled at his surprising strength, wondering if there was anything about him that wasn’t making me feel like the neediest goddamn witch on the planet.

When we paused to catch a breath again, he lowered me a little and quickly I was able to feel the tip of something hard pressing against my entrance. The tip slid in just a little, but the sensation that followed had me clasp my hands over my mouth - a poor attempt to hold back a cry of pleasure.

“I’m not gonna last long like this”, he panted, clearly also struggling to fight the overwhelming sensations exploding inside us.

He slowly pushed himself in further, breathing hard. I became addicted to the feeling my gift caused for us, my mind clouded with pleasure. When he leaned against me, I clawed into his back with one hand, the other one still over my mouth, causing him to bite my neck in return as my walls contracted around him.
By the time he was fully inside me, I was already close - I could feel the sparks all over my body, everywhere inside me - the heat almost unbearable and yet just right. Fireworks in a foggy mind, blinding me with sensations I never thought I could experience.

"Draco," I managed to say between unsteady breaths.

I didn't even know what I wanted to tell him. I wanted to say his name. I wanted him to know how much I loved what he was doing. I wanted him to feel how much I needed more. He felt like heaven right now. No, he was heaven itself.

"Draco," I repeated, my voice dripping with lust.

He started moving slowly and I hooked my legs behind his back to draw him in further. My body was acting on its own, as my consciousness tried to catch up with what was happening to me. I was lightheaded, unable to think. He slid in and out, steadily picking up pace and I met his movement with my hips, letting out pleased sighs every time Draco reached deep within me again. Sweat pearled off his skin and stuck to mine. I wanted to melt into him. Wanted to lose myself in him.

It wasn't long before I saw fireworks. My body clenched and a part of me silently hoped that the librarian had a very deep sleep.

“Fuck.” I heard him whisper as my body contracted around him, causing his movements to become irregular as he reached his own high.

Indescribable pleasure washed over me as I rode out the waves of my orgasm and only when I relaxed I let myself slide off of him. My legs were shaky and I barely managed to stand on my own, clinging to him in an embrace he returned, breathing equally hard.

When we had calmed down a little, I started to be able to focus again and realization came crashing down on me. First of all, how on earth did I end up having sex with Draco Malfoy - especially in the restricted section of the library - and secondly; how exactly was I able to use my gift subconsciously, without becoming exhausted and somehow also transfer the ability to him? That’s what happened after all, right?

Draco seemed to have noticed me getting tense and let go of the embrace we were in, leaving me with a strange feeling of disappointment and emptiness, despite my worries.
I looked up at him to find him staring at the bookshelves around us, as if trying to find the right words to say.

“Look, I don’t know what happened there, but… please don’t tell the others.” I eventually whispered, embarrassed.

His eyes snapped back at me, his expression shifting from confused to disappointed. “I wasn’t going to.”

“...good.”

I got down to pick up my clothes and get dressed in this awkward small space. Somehow taking the clothes off had been considerably easier. Draco followed suit.

“I guess we should get out.” I said, carefully making my way through the restricted section.

He followed me, not saying anything. I started feeling my heart clench up, needing to say something, but not knowing what. A thousand thoughts and questions were building up, making me anxious.

I unlocked the library doors so we could get out, then locked them behind me again. We stood in the hallway for a few seconds, not knowing what to say. I guess I had imagined that he’d just joke about it, be smug about it like he’s about everything, but nothing.

“Alice-” he suddenly started.

His voice sounded so much like he was going to hit me with bad news, it made me want to run away again.

“- I told my father about your magic… thing.”

My eyes widened and my heart stopped for a second. I had been trying to avoid his gaze, but now I was looking at him straight - disbelief and fear painted all over my face.

“I didn’t mean to… I was angry and… I don’t know that-”

“Know what? That I made for a good fuck so now you regret it?” I was surprised by the venom in my voice, but I couldn’t stop the sudden rage from building up.

“What? No!”

“Then what? I fucking knew this was a mistake.”

When I saw his perplexed expression shifting to a hurt one, I immediately regretted saying that.

“Wait no… I didn’t mean to say that.” I cooled off instantly.

He sighed. “It’s alright, you have the right to.”

A few more awkward seconds passed.

“How did he react?” My voice was faint.

He opened his mouth, then closed it again, exhaling shortly through his teeth, as if remembering something unpleasant. “He sent me to look for evidence in the library.”

Oh, right - we left it on the floor.

“What was the book about?”

“Inherited magic, my father said that would be the right thing to read up on.”

“Oh.”

That made sense and I mean, there was still hope it didn’t specifically talk about my sort of magic, so maybe it wouldn’t even have had any relevant information and I was still safe, right?

There were footsteps in the distance. At this time of the night, it could only be one person: Filch.
We looked at eachother, eyes wide. The library was in the middle of a three sectioned hallway, so there was a good chance to get away, if we were smart about it.

We decided to each escape through separate hallways, so that if one of us got caught, it at least didn’t mean definite expulsion. Even with the older students, Hogwarts still didn’t appreciate any sexual or even romantic encounters on school grounds.

Luckily, the way I took was safe and so I hurried back to the girls dorm. Dropping into my bed as if someone had attached a dozen heavy weights to me.
I stretched out my hand to the ceiling. There was now a lot I had to ask my mother.

Soon after, I fell asleep.

Chapter Text

I got up very early the following morning despite only having slept a few hours. The sun had only just begun to rise, it was a foggy morning and dew had condensed on the outer windowsill. On Saturdays it wasn’t unusual for people to sleep in, since there were no lessons and most extra curricular activities didn’t start until around lunch time. I, however, was wide awake, since there was something I wanted to get done before anyone woke up and asked unnecessary questions that I didn’t feel like answering. I could hear faint snoring noises and the rustling of sheets being pushed around, so the other girls were all still asleep - good.

I quickly took a shower and got dressed before carefully picking up a few sheets of paper, as well as ink, a quill and a small bag from my bedside table. I headed down the stairs to the common room on tiptoe, listening for any noises that would alert me to someone else being awake. Luckily, I was alone. I sat down on one of the couches and placed my things on the table. Furiously, I began writing a letter to my mother.

I stayed vague about what happened, but I was sure she would understand. There was definitely a lot of explaining she had to do and I wish she had warned me about a couple of these things sooner. I made sure to include that I was planning to come home for Christmas, just so she would know that she didn’t need to answer any question via letter.

I decided to not mention anything about Draco’s dad knowing what’s up, that would be something I had to talk to Draco more about first.

I folded the letter carefully and placed it into an envelope, adding my mother’s address to it. Picking up the rest of the things, I placed everything into the small bag before heading out to the owl tower. My owl was a grumpy red eastern screech owl called Jasper, a name my mother gave him. I’m not sure if the name she had given him was part of the reason why, but Jasper didn’t really like me, so I never took him to transfiguration classes. He usually stayed with the other owls in the tower unless I needed him to deliver a letter. My mother once told me that she always struggled sending him back to me - stubborn bird.

As I walked through the corridors, I noticed a large, black, intricately designed double door that stood open just a crack. As far as I remembered there had never been a door there before, so I got curious and approached it. I peeked inside, but all I could see were heaps of random things stacked upon each other.

Then, for a few seconds I thought I could hear a faint voice, but when I tried to grab the door knob to open it up properly, the door closed shut, as if sucked in by a gust of wind. Within a few seconds, the door had vanished as if it had never been there in the first place.

Baffled, I patted the wall. What on earth was that just now? Does Hogwarts hold some sort of hidden garbage dump? But if so, what was that voice? Or was it just the wind rushing through those towers of nonsense? I walked up and down the corridor, closely examining all walls adjacent to that wall, but there was no trace - or space - to hide a room like that. Strange.

I continued to the Owlery, where I quickly made out Jasper’s russet plumage. A little unwillingly and with a bored expression on his face he made his way to a windowsill close to me. I chuckled at how humanly this big bird behaved sometimes.

“Good news, grumpy boy, I have a letter for mom for you.”

Immediately his huge yellow eyes lit up - if you can describe it like that for an owl - clearly excited to be going home to his favorite person of all time. I ‘tsk’ed at him and held out the letter, which he quickly snatched up and then, just as quickly, he was out. Despite our somewhat difficult relationship, I always prayed he got there safe and sound.

I lazily walked down the stairs from the tower. I had to get a hold of Draco somehow, though a part of me kind of wanted to avoid him after last night. Probably the part that remembered the awkwardness of it all once that overwhelming carnal desire had vanished. Just what on earth had possessed me then? Not that I regretted it per se, it was the most fun I’ve had in a long time, considering my last sexual encounter had been back in Durmstrang and wasn’t half as good. My heart rate picked up and I felt my face get warm when I remembered the sensations. Why on earth was my gift able to do such a thing? Yes, I was able to amplify sensations like pain, but pleasure? And for myself as well? This all was just a whole new level of confusing, but that was something I would hopefully get explanations for during Christmas.

When I got back into the hallways, I heard students bustling through the school - seems like it’s time for breakfast then.

I shuffled into the great hall to meet my friends, but noticed that Draco wasn’t there yet. A part of me felt quite disappointed about that - yet, another part was relieved. How would our relationship, especially in the public eye, continue from now on? I was still a Gryffindor after all, while he was a Slytherin - and not just any Slytherin. Since I transferred here, I personally didn’t pay much mind to the whole house rivalry thing, but I knew that everyone else did and I wasn’t exactly someone keen to be in the spotlight.

I sat down at our table, Hermione, Ron and Harry were there already, chatting up a storm about something. Ezra was chilling at the Ravenclaws table, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, even if it felt like my personal world was quite upside down.

“Uhm, Alice?”

I got startled by Hermione addressing me all of the sudden, just as I was about to stack some pancakes. I quickly put on a smile.

“Yeah?”

“You should put some butter on the pancakes before adding maple syrup - it’ll taste so much better!”

I was confused by the sudden suggestion - it didn’t seem like something Hermione would care about at all - but then I noticed that she had her hand at her neck and pointed at a spot as unsuspiciously as possible, giving me a knowing smile. I squinted my eyes, trying to figure out what she was trying to tell me - but then it clicked. I clasped my hand at my neck in the spot that she showed me, to hide what was most likely underneath: A hickey.

I glanced around the table, to see if anyone had noticed my sudden action, but it seemed the students were quite caught up in planning their weekends or just enjoying the good food.
I figured it would be best to just head to the toilet and get it covered up, since pointing my wand at my neck right now would definitely raise suspicion. I pulled up the collar of my sweater and excused myself, taking quick strides towards the nearest girls toilets.
Once I made sure I was the last one left in the room, I leaned in to check the spot. A nice purplish, slightly disfigured, but clearly visible lovebite. As I pulled the collar down further to get a better look, I noticed that this actually wasn’t the only one. Merlin - what had that man done to me yesterday and how did I not notice them when I took a shower this morning?

I pointed my wand at the spots and whispered a cover up spell. I sighed - this should last at least until this evening.

When I stepped outside, Hermione was already waiting for me, hands on her hips.

“And here I thought you were studying until late each night.” She gave me an exaggeratedly reproachful look.

“I did! ...At first.” I avoided her eyes, feeling a blush creep up my cheeks.

“Alice -” she started, then sighed. “I don’t care what you do in your free time, but you need to be careful with things like that.” She tapped at her neck again, where the now covered hickey was situated on mine. “You know this is something that can get you expelled in the worst case.”

I let out a long breath. “I know. Things are just a bit confusing right now and I didn’t notice. Thank you so much for telling me.” I looked up at her again, seeing her give me a soft smile.

“Of course, silly. Just promise me you’ll still study hard for the fall exams.”

“You know it.”

I gave her a bright smile as we headed back to the great hall to finish breakfast.

---------

After breakfast I had a quick nap, since the lack of sleep had caught up to me. Unfortunately the quick nap turned into a full four hour sleep session, so when I got up it was lunch time already. I decided to skip lunch and just grabbed a small snack, since I was still full from breakfast. Still a bit tired, I sat down in the courtyard, which was quite empty, as most students were having lunch.

I scribbled a little message on a piece of paper and folded it into a little bird, before sending it off to find the recipient. I still hadn’t seen Draco around, so it was time I let him know that we still had some things to discuss, following yesterday’s events.

“Skipping lunch too?” A familiar voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

“Oh, hi Ez, long time no see”, I joked.

He sat down next to me, opening his coat a little. The sun was out and even though it was officially autumn already, it was nice and warm on some days. We sat in silence for a few moments. I looked down at the pencil I still held in my hand, fiddling with it. I really wanted to talk to someone about what happened and I knew Ezra was the best choice, simply because he knew about my ability. Then again, I was worried what he would think about me hooking up with Draco, since I knew he disliked him just as much as Hermione and the others did. I put the pencil away. He was one of my best friends, if I couldn’t talk to him, who could I talk to? I looked at him, trying to bring up the courage to start this conversation. He had his eyes closed, just enjoying the warmth of the sun. Are those freckles on his nose? Adorable. I took a deep breath and looked at my now empty hands.

“Hey Ez, can I talk to you about something? But… promise me you won’t tell anyone okay?”
Dammit, I already felt a blush creep up my cheeks. I had no idea where to start on this.

“You mean your little liaison with the snake prince?”

I stared at him wide-eyed.

He looked me dead in the eye for a few seconds, but then he chuckled. “You should see your face right now.”

I was still shocked. “H-How-?”

“...Do I know? I didn’t in all honesty. The interactions I witnessed between you two either meant he was blackmailing you or, the more logical explanation seemed you two had something going on.”

I noticed my mouth was slightly agape, so I closed it as I tried to find anything to say. Good god, had it been that obvious? Did anyone else know? Probably not - well - hopefully not. At least that made breaking the news easier. But what did he think about it? He seemed unfazed, but that didn’t have to mean anything, so my best move was to ask.

“So,” I swallowed, “what do you think?”

“Hmm.” He looked up and I followed his gaze. A snowy owl flew by - a beautiful contrast against the clear blue sky. “I’m not sure - I mean - I think he’s toxic as fuck, but maybe you should let me in on why exactly this happened in the first place?” He looked back at me and I met his gaze. It was curious, even if I could see a glint of worry in his amber eyes.

“I’m not entirely sure myself. I just felt this overwhelming attraction whenever he was around and I know what it sounds like, but it felt different than just some sort of crush - more intense in a way.” My eyes drifted around the courtyard, trying to find ways to describe how I had been feeling these past months. “I’m pretty sure it has to do with my gift, because when we had sex last night-”

“I’m sorry what?” Ezra stared at me, thunderstruck.

I pursed my lips, cutting off my sentence - suddenly aware that this was most likely nothing he expected to hear, even if he figured out that we might’ve had something going on. I swallowed again, giving him an apologetic smile.

“Yeaah…. We kinda had sex last night in the library.” I whispered, aware of the students that started to trickle into the courtyard by now.

“Aesalon’s wings - are you mad or something?”

I looked at him confused, not an idea who Aesalon was, but I figured it was his way of saying ‘by Merlin’s beard’ or something. Ezra leaned back, combing his hand through his hair, looking at something in the distance. That was clearly something he had to digest.

“Well that’s what I wanted to talk about. I’m not entirely sure how it happened either, but it was like some strange urge caused by this weird connection we seem to have-”

“You did think of protection, right?”

“Yes, yes, first thing in the morning - jeez.” I rolled my eyes at him, but he just squinted and pursed his lips, knowing that it implied that we were too 'busy' to think about it then.

“Anyway, during the… act, it felt like my gift was somehow transferred to him, because I swear it felt like the sensations were amplified for me too - it was almost unbearable,” he looked perplexed for a second, so I added “...in a good way.”

He sighed. “You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you.”

“You can say that again. My mother never told me about anything like this.”

“Makes me jealous almost.”

“Huh?”

“I’m just saying it must’ve been really good, almost makes me wish I had that ability too!” He chuckled and I jokingly punched his arm.

“Idiot.”

“So, are you and him an official thing now?”

“I don’t think so - I’m not sure. I haven’t seen him yet.”

“Do you want it to be?”

I didn’t meet his eyes then, but looked down at my hands instead. I wasn’t sure how to answer that. I guess in a way I did want there to be more than just lust, since I know that it wasn’t the only thing I felt for him - but then again, it seemed completely impossible considering his background, his family and just everything that’s going on in the world.

“I don’t think it would work.” I whispered defeatedly.

“You know, I think you could make it work, if you really want to. I know you’re probably worried about his family and the rumors and all that, but I feel like if anyone had the guts to step up and flip a bird at his dad, it would be you.”

I chuckled. “Maybe. What rumors do you mean though?”

“Oh you know, that his family are Death Eaters and he probably is one too - oh - speaking of birds, looks like you got mail.”

The last part of what he said didn’t register with me for a moment. Ezra had said it so casually, like it was common knowledge, but it hadn’t been to me. My heart felt like it stopped for a few seconds and a sense of dread settled in my chest. He couldn’t be one. That was just a rumor. Just a rumor. I would’ve noticed, there would’ve been the mark on his arm, right? Or could he have hidden it? I mean, yes he’s sadistic, rude and smug, but yesterday he had been so sweet too. He wouldn’t have done all that if he really was one. Yes his family has ties to the dark lord, but that didn’t have to mean anything for him. It must just be a rumor. His father? Probably. But Draco? No way… right...?

I woke from my stupor when the little origami crane landed in my palms.

“‘Alice, is everything alright?”

I unfolded the crane to see a time and location, nothing else. Suddenly a drop of water fell down onto the paper. I blinked and another few fell. I was crying. I raised my head at Ezra, trying to give him a smile, but it just caused more tears to escape. He looked at me, face full of worry. When I couldn’t stop the sobbing, he pulled me into a hug.

“Don’t worry, it’s just rumors. You know how students are.”

He tried to console me, but the ache in my chest wouldn’t go away, so I cried, silently.
How do you even handle it, when someone tells you that the person you are in love with is a potential member of a group of known murderers and torturers?

We sat there for a while, until too many students filled the courtyard.

I felt empty, unable to think, so Ezra just pulled me away with him, somewhere into the school gardens, so no one else would see me this distressed. I was thankful for that.

I barely paid attention to the immense gardens unfolding around me until Ezra guided me to a little marble bench hidden behind some large bushes covered in beautiful autumn foliage. He sat down, patting the spot next to him until I finally sat down too. I leaned on to him, head on his shoulder. Ezra was only a little taller than me, so it was comfortable. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders in response.

I started sobbing softly, trying to control my emotions. I was still trying to comprehend the information that I had just received. A part of me seemed to be blocking it out, strictly convinced that it could not possibly be true.

“Does everyone think that?” My voice was so weak and shaky. I knew that if I spoke any louder, I wouldn’t be able to hold back anything anymore.

“Hm?”

“Does… Do they all think he’s a Death Eater?”

“Oh, uhm. I mean, he’s always had a bad reputation. He’s done his fair share of shitty things over the years from what I heard and witnessed, so I guess that those that do know about his family…” He didn’t have to finish the sentence.

It felt like someone had forced a stone into my chest. If it really was true, then what did that mean for me? Other than crushing on a supposed Death Eater, I had also revealed the truth about my gift to him and - oh god - I had slept with him. What would happen to me? To my family? What if he just used me all this time for his own advantages?
No. I couldn’t let my thoughts spiral out of control.

I sat up and wiped the tears away.

There was only one way to find out the truth, especially since I couldn’t drown the feeling that it was nothing but a rumor. If that was naive, then that just meant I had to find out even more urgently. I had the little piece of paper in my hand still, it was all crumbled now, but the ink was still clearly visible.

“Alice, I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

Of course he didn’t have to ask what I was planning to do, he knew me well enough by now.

“I have to know if it’s true and you know that.” My voice was still a little shaky.

“But if it really is true and you just confront him like that, revealing that you know - what do you think he’s going to do then?”

Ezra did have a point, but at the same time, I wasn’t just anyone. I could defend myself just fine and I had my secret weapon.

My eyes wandered to the vague area where I was supposed to meet him. The top floor clock tower was an odd choice for a meeting - even if just purely for the fact that barely anyone set foot there. I tried my best not to show it, but my guts told me not to go.

In hindsight, I should've listened to them.

I wiped away the stray tears and headed out of the gardens towards my destination. Ezra accompanied me grumpily, continuously trying to change my mind until we reached the courtyard of the clock tower.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay with you?"

"I think seeing you there would probably escalate things, since he doesn't seem particularly fond of you."

"Well he can go kiss a goblin's arse for all I care."

I snickered, despite the tension that had settled in my whole body.

"It'll be alright, I'm sure. Worst case, you know what happened and who's responsible and can go tell someone." I gave Ezra a weak smile.

He looked back at me with a clearly unhappy expression, but just sighed annoyedly instead of trying to convince me any longer.

"Fine, but I'll be here. If this takes any longer than one hour I'll go get Professor Flitwick."

As the house teacher of Ravenclaw, it would make sense that he would think of him first, though I would personally prefer if he got Professor Snape or someone else that knew how to handle a wild Malfoy. Nonetheless, I did trust Ezra's judgement, so I didn't argue and after all, I was set on not letting anything escalate.

I squeezed his upper arm as a sign of reassurance that everything would be well and made my way up the multiple flights of stairs.

Despite it being early afternoon still, the top floor of the clock tower was rather dark, the only light source being the giant clock faces. I glanced at the piece of paper again. It stated half past two as the meeting time, so only a few minutes more.

I decided to take the extra time to become familiar with the surroundings. This surely wasn't a place to have any sort of battles - considering the large and small clockwork mechanisms looked rather fragile and destroying this centuries old astronomical clock would be nothing short of a disaster.

My heart was beating faster the closer I saw the hands of the clocks reach their supposed destination. I kept glancing around, hoping to see any trace of him, but nothing yet. The feeling of dread in my chest grew again and I started to mentally prepare things I would say and ask.

I watched the clock's second hand take its final journey.

Noticing my shaky breathing, I tried to calm myself by thinking back if there had ever been any signs that he could be a Death Eater, but I couldn't think of anything. That was a good thing, right? Or maybe I had just been blind. All those sweet words, the way he made me think I was special to him. Maybe I should just turn this pit in my stomach into anger instead. Tell him to fuck right off if it's true.

Most of what I felt was just because my ability was reacting so strangely anyway, right? Sigh. Who am I kidding.

Thirty seconds left.

What if he didn't show up? I mean, he didn't know what I now knew. All I wrote on the note was that I wanted to talk about last night - and while that might be an awkward subject, he would come unprepared to what I had planned to ask. So I would technically have the high ground and I could even try to subtly find out if the rumors were true. Who says I have to ask directly?

My thoughts felt like a mess, but as the second hand approached the top of the clock, I noticed that I suddenly felt goosebumps all over.

Out of nowhere there was a swooshing sound behind me, like a sudden gust of wind, followed by the thud of something landing. I turned around to check on the unusual noise, just as the clockwork set itself into motion to give its usual half hour chime.

When I faced not a thing, but a person, it felt like ice rushing through my veins.

Before me stood none other than Lucius Malfoy.