Dear reader, guess what I did when my best friend stormed out of our room. If you said I got angry and stormed after her, you'd be wronged, wrong, WRONG.
I sat on the edge of my bed and stared at the floor.
So many thoughts and feelings swirled around in my head. Somewhere in the distance, I heard the bell tower chime twelve.
I couldn't sleep. Not tonight.
“Lumos.” I held my wand low.
Pulses of white light filled my room. Sure, being up was against the rules, but find me a prefect who'd question it.
I crossed to my closet and rummaged around for a book. Maybe a story would...
Books fell, and stuff tumbled out.
The Harry Potter plushie fell at my feet.
I stared at it.
The toy lay there, helpless.
I sniffed. Tears flowed unbidden. I scooped it up and brushed the doll's stupid, messy hair.
“Why don't you use a comb?” I sniffed.
I hugged the doll.
“Ahhhh!” A moan escaped me, and I covered my mouth.
My jaw trembled as I started to cry. I clamped a hand over my mouth.
They can't hear me! They can't know what I feel. They can't hear their princess crying. They can't hear my pain.
I fell onto the bed and embraced the plushie.
Why did it feel like this? Why did it hurt so much without him? Why! WHY?
Why did I feel this way without him? Why did I want to smile every time he looked at me? Why did I get sooo angry when he looked at someone else? Every time he touched that combless witch or talked to that gutter trash, Ginny...
“Ahhhh!” I cried and buried my face in the pillow.
“Come back! COME BACK!” I sobbed.
I buried my face in his doll.
“Please... please... please come back to me. I need you... I love you... I... I...” I gasped.
I clasped my hands over my mouth.
No, no, no! It's not true. It CAN'T be true! I don't have feelings for him. HIM! That stupid, scruffy-haired, glasses-wearing, idiotic... Potty... Pot... Potter... my Potter.
Oh...
That's what this feeling was.
I loved him.
His stupid face.
His stupid laugh.
His stupid... his silly... his cute... his adorable face.
I held the doll against my chest.
“I'm in love with Harry Potter...” I whispered.
“And no one can ever know...” I held up the doll.
It looked at me with those stupid glasses.
“You will never... ever know,” I said.
It stared unblinkingly because... you know... it's totally an inanimate object.
“Yeah, I have feelings. Congrats, Harry. The boy lived and snatched my feels, but we can never, ever, be together,” I said.
He didn't say a damn thing.
Because, you know, doll.
“So, what do I do? Hah? Talk to you like a complete loser?” I worked my jaw and stared out the window.
“Knowing you, you'd do something stupid like sneak out of your dorm late at night, risk getting in HUGE trouble and then... then you'd probably go hunt that monster... am I right?” I asked.
He didn't respond. You know. You get it. (If you don't, then sorry to break it to you, my dear reader, but you're an idiot.)
“Yep.” I sighed, then nodded.
“Looks like I have to kill this thing. Me... all by myself. YEP.” I nodded.
He didn't respond.
I remained lying there.
My heart hammered. I didn't want to leave the bed. I could just pull the sheets over me and sleep, except the doll stared at me with those cute... expectant... eyes.
“Best get to it, then.” I got up.
The door to Slytherin House had a circular design. On the outside, multiple bronze snakes formed an intricate locking mechanism. Normally, a series of loud clanks and thuds announced when it opened.
Well, unless you knew the actual secret password.
No, not the one the plebes use. Please! I am a Malfoid.
On the inner surface, a hooded cobra covered the door. I leaned in close and whispered in its ear.
“Salazar, Merlin, Foul,” I hissed.
My pink lip gloss glinted in the moonlight, and I realise now that this almost looked salacious.
Eew.
The cobra closed its mouth. On the outside, a series of soft clicks followed. Normally, the door opened from right to left, but now it swung open in the opposite direction.
I slipped into the hallway, my wand held low and my broom slung over one shoulder.
Great, now I needed to use Disillusionment and...
Light bathed me, and I froze.
Behind me, the door slid softly shut.
“Hey! What are you doing awake at this time?” A prefect approached, the light from their wand blinding me.
I raised my chin and looked down my nose at them.
“Draconia!” He stopped.
I didn't respond.
Mother always said silence was as deadly as any barbed words.
We stood in uncomfortable silence.
“What are you doing up at this...” He stopped.
“Hmph!” I harrumphed and walked off.
He just watched me go.
Oh wow! I see why Potter loves this! It's sooo cool!
I bit my lip and tried not to smile as I rounded the corner.
Under the cover of Disillusionment, I slipped unnoticed out of the castle grounds. Once outside, I mounted my broom and took flight.
My heart soared. I laughed as I took to the sky.
Who knew breaking rules could be this much FUN?
“Whooooo!” I cried.
A light came on, and I heard a professor shout.
“Oops!” I sped away.
I reached the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom and floated outside it.
Of course, a simple Repairing Charm meant no signs of our earlier fight remained.
I drifted to the ground. I dared not cast a light spell. Thankfully, we Malfoids are adept witches.
“Revelio.” I waved my wand.
A spherical aura erupted from my wand, and everything around me sparkled.
I examined the ground. I spotted giant-sized footprints alongside those of an animal. A dog?
Ah, I get it. The half-blood abomination Hagrid came this way. Hmm... so he had his dog sniff her out.
All right, then. Back to bed...
Ah...
What if they didn't find the Voisych?
No, I had to handle this!
Come on, girl!
I slapped my cheeks.
I spotted flecks leading away. We'd damaged it. It had left a trail, and it looked like Hagrid had followed the same trail.
“Hah, amateur.” I chuckled.
Then the tracks and the trail diverged.
I followed the blood trail, but it vanished in the woods. I took flight, and sure enough, I spotted Hogsmeade.
“Well, Harry, I think I know where Miss Plum... ah, the Voisych is.” I gripped my broom with both hands and shot towards the town.
I touched down outside the Shrieking Shack. I waved at my broom to dismiss it, and it floated away to a safe distance.
I drew my wand and held it low.
Snow combined with moonlight practically gave the place a pale glow.
The door unlocked with a spell, and I stepped inside.
The door creaked.
Some homeless guy was sleeping on the floor.
I froze.
That wasn't a sleeping guy, was it?
My heart hammered, and I readied my wand.
I heard movement. It came from my right.
I whipped around and fired off a spell.
Wispy tendrils struck my wand hand and pinned it to the wall.
A man with a shaggy beard, pale skin and white eyes slammed me against the wall.
No, no, no! This isn't happening!
I'm an idiot!
I'm an IDIOT!
I'M A FREAKING IDIOT!!!!
Why had I come here? I should have told a teacher. Yeah, Snape... someone, ANYONE!
“It's you.” He spoke with a female voice.
His skin rippled and then came apart into wispy chunks.
I watched in horror as he transformed into Professor Plum.
“Now, lower your wand before I take this personally.” Plum released me.
“Y... yeah.” I nodded.
She tracked my wand as I pointed it at the floor. She indicated my holster with her head.
I stowed the wand, and she visibly relaxed.
“Did Lucious send you?” She moved away.
“Y... yes.” I nodded.
What am I doing! I need to run! Get out, NOW!
My legs trembled, and I remained rooted to the spot.
“Apologies, but a girl needs to eat. I have been so hungry of late.” She regarded the body and dabbed her lips.
She eyed me.
“Lucious sent you, so what's the message?” she asked.
I stared blankly.
What do I say? I could run, yeah, go outside and get my broom and...
“Well?” she asked.
“They're upset you failed the mission,” I said.
Please work! Please! PLEASE!
“It's not my fault. If it wasn't for that stupid troll, or maybe a giant? Whatever, then I would have been Umbridge. Then somehow Potter and his friends found me out. I suspected something was up for a long time. Things kept moving, and I kept sensing something in the room when no one was there. Perhaps one of them is a shapeshifter, a mouse or something.” She nodded to herself.
“I'm pretty sure Weasley's a mouse.” I moved towards the door.
“A mouse! I knew it!” She snapped her fingers.
I reached the door.
I waved at my broom, but it hadn't noticed. It drifted nearby, oblivious to my plight.
Come on! I'm basically waving my arm out the door, and nothing!!!
She turned, and I whipped my hand back inside.
She eyed me, and I smiled.
“Well, close the door. I'll make you a cup whilst we wait. It's chilly.” She waved at me.
Oh no! Oh no!
I closed the door.
She seemed almost nice as she waved for me to approach. She led me to a back room with dust-covered furniture that I'm sure hadn't been there before.
She waved her wand and summoned a table as well as a tea set.
“You can do magic?” I asked.
“Of course. I was once... a witch... I think.” She narrowed her eyes as if trying to see a distant memory.
“You think? Wait, are you not a person?”
“Once. Have you heard of a Voisych?”
“Ah... no?”
“We are born from those witches and wizards who die screaming or howling. Maybe it was a lover? Maybe it was grief. Maybe we were betrayed. Either way, when we died, our screams became... something... else... something better.” She smiled, a horrible thing, and held out her arms.
“So you're dead?” I asked.
“We Voisych live at the boundary between life and death. Have you heard of a Horcrux?”
“No.”
“Obscurio?”
“Ahhh...”
“Nevertheless, our scream becomes something... more. We become a Voisych. Able to wear any face, able to speak any voice and, more importantly...”
She leaned close and smiled.
“We are immortal,” she said.
“Wow.” I nodded.
Get me out, NOW!
“Of course, there is one who transcends death itself. Oh, what a man!” She gave an unnaturally wide smile.
“A master of not just one Horcr— pardon me.” She covered her mouth.
I need a way out of this, now! Think, go on! THINK.
“Father!” I sat up and looked out the window.
She turned to look.
I whipped my wand towards the door, unleashing tiny balls of energy. A few knocks followed.
“They're here.” She stood and approached the door.
I stood behind her.
My heart hammered.
Now's my chance. Yeah, I've got to do this.
What's the most powerful spell? Oh no! I remember a spell Mother told me about. One of the forbidden ones. Something so terrible it could kill anyone and anything. Even this... thing.
I removed my wand and aimed it at her back.
I trembled.
I'm about to murder someone.
Tears filled my eyes, and the world became watery.
No! You have to do this, girl. You MUST!
I pushed magic into my wand and took a deep breath.
“Avada Kedavra!” I thrust out my wand.
Nothing happened.
Like nothing at all! My wand didn't even glow! WHAT THE HELL!!!
“What?” she asked.
She turned to regard me. Her eyes flitted to the wand and then back to me.
A sadistic grin split her face in two, revealing her teeth.
Ghostly tendrils erupted from her back.
No, no, no!
Then the world exploded...