I woke early and stared at my ring.
It didn’t hurt anymore. Yep, no pain whatsoever in that finger. The numbness had started at the fingertip and slowly spread until it engulfed the entire finger. I massaged my hand, then stopped at the knuckle of my ring finger.
I could barely feel it.
“You all right?” Georgia asked.
“Yep!” I hid the ring behind my back.
She crossed the room and snatched my hand.
“Why are you hiding this ring?” she asked.
“Get off me!” I snatched my hand away.
I shoved her. She stumbled and fell onto her bed. I clutched my ring hand to my chest.
“S... sorry,” I said.
“You should be.” She stood and straightened her pyjamas.
“So, will you tell me what’s up?” She put her hands on her hips.
I looked at her, then at the ring.
Yo, friend, I’m a Death Eater now. Remember those guys who crashed the Quidditch World Cup last year? Yep, I’m one of them. Totally cool, right? Oh, and freaking VOLDEMORT sent me on a quest!
I could have said that. What I actually said was...
“I’ve been acting up this week. I guess I’m just stressed with studies and stuff.” I shrugged.
She came over and clasped my hand. The contact only revealed the extent of the numbness.
“Princess!” She laughed. “When it’s just you and me in here, you can talk to me. Out there...” She nodded towards the door. “I’ll keep up the act. Strong right hand of the Princess of Slytherin.”
“Princess, hah! A stupid nickname I made up in first year, and now it’s stuck.” I chuckled.
“Hey, don’t let the others hear you talking like that,” she said.
“Yeah.” I nodded.
Soon, I stood in front of a mirror, checking my appearance. Mother’s voice echoed in my mind.
“A woman’s appearance is her armour, and her wand her arms. Never forget that!”
I mouthed the words as I checked my glossy pink lipstick. I adjusted my scarf and ran my fingers through my hair to fluff it up.
Georgia stood at her mirror, casting spells to change her hair colour. It turned red, then blue, then purple.
“I heard that if you do that too much, it’ll give you split ends,” I said.
“WHAT!” She gasped, and her hair turned blond.
“Come on. The princess needs her right hand.” I held out my hand.
She tapped her hair, turning it black, and hurried over.
I strode into the common room, flanked by my girls. First-years jumped to their feet and gathered around me.
“Good morning, Princess. Can we get you anything?” one asked.
“The Prophet.” I held out a hand.
A newspaper landed in it.
I walked with a sway in my hips as fifth-year girls gave me their reports.
“Prefects’ reports: Harry Potter spotted outside Slytherin House,” one girl said.
I stopped and regarded her.
“Why?” I asked.
“We don’t know. Actually, the prefect who spotted him said they only saw his head, and then he disappeared.” She shook her head.
“Vict.” I snapped my fingers.
“Yes!” Victetta straightened.
“Speak with the prefects. Tell them the princess says to keep an eye out for the Pot-head and his friends,” I said.
“Yes.” Victetta nodded and left.
I bit my lip.
I really should be nicer to her.
No! Focus.
I flicked open the newspaper, and images of inmates covered the page.
My blood ran cold.
I stopped walking.
Death Eaters had broken ten people out of Azkaban Prison.
Ten.
TEN!
My heart hammered. The ring seemed to heat up. I dropped the newspaper and gripped my hand.
I must have looked like a psycho because everyone stared at me.
“I have to go.” I ran.
Saturday came, and I headed into the library. Right after everyone left for Hogsmeade was the best time to go snooping.
I can’t believe this. I’m acting like one of those Pot-Heads.
I placed my bag on the table, opened a book, and spent several minutes taking notes. My heart raced as I worked.
Of course, dear reader, this is what they call a pretext. Yep! My plan was to pretend I was studying and then take a detour.
I glimpsed a ghost in the corner of my eye.
Madam Pince walked past my desk and tapped the table with her long nails. I smiled at her, and she nodded before walking away to sort some books.
I waited until she rounded a corner, then got up.
“Disillusionment,” I whispered.
The air around me shimmered. My body became opaque, then took on a glassy form. It wasn’t invisibility, but it was enough to pass through shadows unnoticed and perhaps even be mistaken for a trick of the light.
I’d scouted this place for days and made a beeline for the Restricted Section. I passed books I would never, ever read. Tomes of forbidden magic and things I had no business studying.
At the back, a flight of steps led down to a strange door.
Mechanisms covered it, with a keyhole in the centre. I pulled out my key and moved to insert it when a glowing orb pressed against my neck.
Harry Potter became visible.
It was as if some kind of invisible veil had been pulled aside.
“Don’t!” he growled.
I just stared at him.
HOW THE HELL DID HE KNOW?!
I gulped and put the key in the hole. My heart hammered.
There had to be a way out of this. He needed to understand. It wasn’t as if I could say no to freaking VOLDEMORT!
“I’ll hurt you! Just stop!” He gripped my wrist.
“They’ll kill me.” My lips trembled, and tears filled my eyes.
I pushed the key in.
“STOP!” he hissed.
I turned the key, and a series of clicks followed. Then I turned to face him, my hands raised.
“I’m going in there, and you’re not going to stop me,” I said.
Loud clunks and whirrs echoed as the goblin mechanisms unlocked.
“Whoooo’s there?” A ghostly howl approached.
I glimpsed the veil of the Grey Lady passing through several shelves.
“If she sees us, she’ll scream. So either you do what you’re going to do, or let... me... go.” I spoke calmly, but my heart hammered.
He glanced at the lady, then at me.
“Is there someone theeerrreee?” the Grey Lady wailed.
The ghost drew nearer.
The door opened, and we moved fast.
Harry pulled his cloak over us and pushed me through the doorway. The ground fell away beneath us. We tumbled down a flight of stairs.
In the distance, I heard a thud as the door slammed shut.
I hit the ground, and Harry landed on top of me.
“Some-onnnnneeee?” the Grey Lady moaned.
Scrambling, he covered us with his cloak. The Grey Lady poked her head through the door.
For a moment, I could have sworn she saw me.
Then she floated down towards us, and I let out a squeak. Harry clamped a hand over my mouth and shook his head.
What’s going on? She can clearly see us! She’s coming right this way, and...
She passed right over us.
Her cloak passed through me, and I felt icy cold for a moment. She continued calling out as she drifted down the corridor.
“She can’t see us,” he whispered.
I couldn’t talk. I could barely think. My heart hammered, and my breath hitched.
He was practically lying on top of me.
Worse! His freaking hand rested on my chest!
Like, dude, are you oblivious? You can’t touch me there!
The Grey Lady floated past us once more and disappeared into the ceiling.
Harry let out a sigh and leaned back.
I slapped him.
“Stop groping me!” I delivered a series of slaps.
He recoiled and staggered backwards.
“S... sorry!” He shook his head.
I stood, straightened my skirt, and glared at him.
Fine, it was probably an accident. Maybe. Likely.
Whatever. I had more important things to deal with.
“Get out! NOW!” I pointed at the door.
“No way.” He stood and shook his head.
I drew my wand, and he raised his.
“I have a mission, and I don’t have a choice. Leave,” I growled.
“I know!” he said.
“You have no idea what—”
“I was there. I saw everything. I know about the ring and what they’re making you do.”
“You... know.” I staggered backwards until my back hit the wall.
“Yes, and we can get the ring off. We can help you.”
“Do you know what this is? Mother told me about them once. Aracni-Syne rings. It’s basically a death contract on me. If I don’t complete my mission, I’ll die. If I cut my finger off or something, I’ll die. If we try to remove it...”
“You die?”
“Yep. I’m screwed. Want it or not, I have to do this, even if I have to kill you.” The tip of my wand glowed green.
He looked away and furrowed his brow.
“Fine, then I’ll help.” He nodded.
“Of course! Why not! A Malfoid and a Potter working together. Why don’t we hold hands? I know! Let’s crank up the stupidity. We’ll start dating and really screw up our lives. Yeah, there’s no way I’m working with you.” I shook my head.
“Draconia, I’m not leaving you to handle this yourself.”
“What, and become a Pot-head like you? Hah! I’ll lose all my credibility if I do this—” I snapped my fingers.
“I’M TRYING TO HELP, MORON!” he yelled.
His voice echoed through the passage.
I looked down and away.
I wonder if I should kill him and leave him buried somewhere...
Mind you, that means killing someone. I can’t do that.
If I let him help, I’ll... I’ll...
He approached and gripped my shoulder.
“I know what it feels like,” he said softly.
“You have no idea what it’s like!” I slapped his hand away.
“I know what it’s like to be scared. To face... him, to think, ‘This is it,’ and expect to take your last breath any second. To be all alone.” He looked so genuine.
I looked into his eyes, and my heart hammered.
“Cedric... Vold... the Dark Lord really killed him?” I asked.
“Yeah.” He nodded.
I looked down the passage. My shoulders slowly sagged, and I let out a sigh.
It felt as if I’d been holding my breath. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
“I’m not going to become a Pot-head like your friends.” I shook my head.
“There’s nothing wrong with it. Consider it a helmet.” He rapped his knuckles against his head.
I snorted and covered my mouth as I laughed.
“All right, then.” I nodded.
The passage just kept going and going. We walked in silence.
Yep, a Malfoid and a Potter. Princess and gutter trash, walking side by side as if we were on one of his stupid adventures.
“So, how long does it go?” I asked.
“I don’t know.” He shook his head.
“I thought you’d explored all the tunnels and secret passages in Hogwarts. Like, in second year, you were crawling all over the place, and we were like, Hello? Curfew much?” I laughed.
“Ah... yeah.”
“Wow, do you even know how to smile?”
“I can smile, but people almost died.”
“Ah, yes. The Potter curse.”
“Potter curse?”
“You’ve never heard of the Potter curse?”
“First time, I’m afraid.”
“Well, Slytherins avoid you because they’re scared your curse will rub off on them. Whenever you show up, bad stuff happens.”
“I think you’ll find it happens in spite of me, not because of me.”
“Yes, but you’re always there, and the common denominator is always you.”
“Or... Voldemor—”
“Shhh! Are you crazy?!”
“It’s not like saying his name will summon him.”
“You never know.” I wrapped my arms around myself.
He let out a dry chuckle.
“If anything happened, I’d protect you.” He patted my back.
“Like you protected Cedric,” I said.
Oh no! I said it without thinking, and he stopped walking altogether.
Don’t turn around, girl. Just look straight ahead. Yep, own it. Totally, just own the moment. You said it, and it’s said, so just, like, forget it. Move on, yeah!
YEAH!
“Anyway, I think we’re almost there.” I pointed ahead.
“Yeah,” he said in a low voice.
What have I done?! What should I do? How do I fix this???
No, relax, girl! Stay firm, stay steady, and just move on. He’s a guy. Guys forget, right? I don’t freaking know! What do I know about what guys do? Just, like, joke it off, right?
“Ha ha ha! Once we’re out of this, we’ll laugh about it.” I chuckled.
Did he just grimace?
HE’S GRIMACING!
Oh no! I’m making it worse. So much WORSE!!!!
Just shut up, stay silent, and you’ll both forget this.
We didn’t speak as we entered a circular room lined with shelves. Scrolls and books filled them. In the middle of the room stood a small table with a quill on it.
“Best get looking.” He sighed.
We checked books and scrolls. Then we checked more books... and scrolls.
This continued for AGES. Literal ages.
It was probably night-time by the time he finally unfurled a scroll.
“Found it,” he said.
I dropped my book and ran over.
The document contained a map of the Forbidden Forest and Hogwarts, along with two dotted lines forming a hidden passage that led to another map farther along the scroll. The long scroll also contained text, with instructions covering the final third of the document.
“The Hollow King is the master of spirits. A cloak that can...” He stopped when I snatched the scroll and started rolling it up.
“Nope! We don’t need to know, but we do need to move. It’s late.” I shooed him towards the exit.
Yep, night had fallen, and we used his cloak to re-enter the library unnoticed.
I approached my desk, only to find Madam Pince seated on its edge, drumming her long nails against my document.
“You know, earlier today, we suspected that a door in the Restricted Section had been opened. We found this.” She held up a key.
My blood ran cold.
“You disappeared around that time.” She narrowed her eyes at me.
“Miss Malfoid, may I see what’s in your bag?” She stood and held out a hand.
Behind me, my bag shifted.
“Th... there’s nothing.” I shook my head.
She grabbed me and turned me around. Then she unzipped my side bag and rummaged through it. I heard makeup bottles clank against one another. She searched thoroughly but found nothing.
“Miss Malfoid, where were you?” She narrowed her eyes.
“I... ah... was with friends?” I grimaced.
“We have records of everyone who went to Hogsmeade today. I checked, and your name wasn’t on the list.” She tutted under her breath and walked away.
“With me!” Harry appeared beside me and draped an arm over my shoulder.
She did a double take, then eyed us both in turn.
“Doing... what?” she growled.
“Ahhh!” My mind went blank.
“Erm... on a date. I took her on a surprise date to the East Tower, and we lost track of time. Sorry.” He grimaced.
She narrowed her eyes.
“Miss Malfoid, tell me you didn’t...” Pince trailed off.
“Yep. Date. Totally, one hundred per cent... a date... with... Harry... Potter.” I forced a smile as I said the last words.
She sighed and waved us away to dismiss us.