The Slytherin prince

Chapter 21: Dementors kiss

I hurried myself to the great hall for diner. I hadn't heard from Anna yet. I was getting more and more nervous the closer I came to the great hall. Reaching out for the doorhandle, the first thing I looked for was her. To my worry, she was nowhere to be seen. But Seamus was.

"Hey Seamus, were is Anna?" I asked him casually.

"Oh Victoria, you came at the perfect time. Anna asked me to give you this at diner, so right now." He laughed while he handed me a sealed envelope.

"Thank you, do you know where she is?" I grabbed the envelope and studies his face. He looked oblivious.

"No, sorry." He turned around and sat himself down at the table again. Where had she gone to? I wasn't feeling hungry anymore. I decided to go to the Slytherin common room instead. I took a loaf of bread and some dessert with me. On my way I broke the seal and opened the envelope like a maniac. Inside was a carefully folded note with an exact description on the location I asked her to find. I took my map with me and followed her instructions. It was not placed at the map. Or I was wrong, or she was wrong. Waves of stress hit me the whole evening. Every time the cursed door flew open, my heart jumped a little hoping it was her, but it never was. It was close to curfew by now and she still hadn't returned. I looked over at the clock. It's too late for her to be still outside, I thought. I fidget uncomfortably in my seat. I looked over to the clock hanging on the wall for a second time, It's now or never. I crept my way through the students, took my jacket and slid through the portrait hole without been seen. It was dark, darker than usual, all the lights in the castle were extinguished. Even Flinch, the creepy housekeeper, wasn't wondering around. I only had one lead, one place I could go to even though it didn't exist on the map. I was one corner away, my anxiety was growing by the second and by every step I took. It was more quiet than usual, the air was too dense and too cold. I could hear my racing heart pounding in my ears and saw my breath escaping my mouth in the shadows of the little light I was holding onto. I turned around a corner, peering down on the map hoping to find a glimpse of his name. I bumped right into a cold hard wall, scattering my things onto the floor. A big black Icey figure came right at me with its deadly cold touch. Every cell in my body was turning into ice and every happy memory became a nightmare. My mind was diverting in different worlds at the same time. It was a dark, cold and wet place were no light or love would ever find its way. I reached for the surface, were I could see the slightest hint of brightness. I couldn't breathe.

"Expecto patronum!" A flash of blue light surrounded me and liberated me from whatever was happening. "Vic? VICTORIA! Are you all right?" Anna asked with intensity. I opened my eyes.

"What the hell are you doing here? Where were you, I was worried sick?" I kicked her in the legs, still laying on the ground.

"Couldn't you be a little more careful?" She snapped. "You are lucky I was here! Merlin knows what would have happened next." She fell quiet. "Vic, this isn't anything you want to get yourself involved into, believe me. This all is bigger than you think."

"I don't understand what is? and what do you know of it?" I urged, but she didn't answer. "Answer me!" I shouted, my voice echoing through he castle.

"Stay as far away from that Malfoy boy as you can, will you?" She simply said. "Go to Fred now and afterwards come straight back, no detours, all right?"

"Where are you going? Are you going to leave me alone, are you crazy?" All kinds of questions were hitting me. "Why do I need to stay away from Malfoy? wat do you know?" I shouted at her.

"I CAN'T TELL YOU! Yet." she took time to breath. "Now go, you will be good. For now." She turned around and walked right into the darkness. What the hell did just happen. I found my way to the storage room and busted in without a single knock. It didn't look like a broomstick storage room at all.

"What is all of this?" Fred was not surprised at my tone. "Why are you so secretive, why here and why now?" I was furious.

"I want my map back." He said dryly.

"What?" I couldn't believe my ears. "This is why you wanted to meet? After curfew, with dementors? Are you mental?" I threw the map at his face. The room was circular, covered in light brown wood, no brooms at all. "Are you going to say something or will I be talking to the walls?" He never looked up, not even the moment I stepped in. It was like he wasn't allowed to look at me. Or when he did, he would turn into stone. I was getting really frustrated. "Why didn't you just say that you had a girlfriend? Or not treat me as a toy. Is that really too much to ask?" I was losing control over my emotions. The door flew open and someone stepped in.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He studied the room. "Didn't you have a girlfriend?" Malfoy eyed Fred with a disgusted look on his face. Fred got up at once.

"You!" I started, pointing my wand at the blonde boy. "What the hell are you doing here at this exact time at this exact spot?" I took a step forward. Draco carefully took a step backwards. Fred was standing still right behind me, his eyes probably on the ground.

"You should go and look into a mirror." Fred handed me a piece of paper with some letters scrabbled onto it.

"Why do you always have to be so vague?" I was tempted to shred it in pieces, but I saw that weird look in his eyes again. The same look I had seen this afternoon. Another riddle, nice.

"You should really look in a mirror." He spoke every word with flavour. "There is something on your face." He added quickly and just disappeared into the night with the map. Saints. I really needed that thing to get back to my room. A loud sigh from the opposite of the room caught my attention. Here I was again, standing in a small room, with Draco Malfoy.

"What did he want from you?" Malfoy asked. I really wanted to go back to my room and get rid of the boy standing beside me. At least I wasn't going to face the scary corridors alone.

"What in Merlin's name are you doing here?" I rubbed my temples.

"I followed you, moron. You will get yourself killed before you could call for help." He spat back.

"Why do you even care?" I took a step closer. My eyes burning with frustration. I studied his face, noticing a tiny scar just above his left eyebrow. I could simply give him another one on the other side, symmetric and all.

"I don't, I just feel..."

"Responsible?" His mouth twitched.

"So, you did eavesdrop." He said, too calm. He already knew of course.

"Yes, I did. Now tell me, dear mister Malfoy." I lured him into a corner, with my wand at his throat. "What the hell was Anna talking about?" I paused. "I know you heard." He swallowed thickly, looking at the wand against his throat.

"Never thought you were this much of a witch." He clenched his jaws.

"But I am only getting started?" I poked my wand a little further into his skin while saying so.