The Slytherin prince

Chapter 23: inside a dangerous mess

It was only a few hours later when a spell brightened the room and woke us. We hadn't moved since we fell asleep. Still laying in his arms, I opened my eyes and freed myself from his grip. "We fell asleep like this?" Draco snared with a crack in his voice.

"Good morning to you too." I threw the blankets off of me and jumped on me feet. I grabbed my school robes and put them on in a rush.

"Awkward." He sighed while stretching himself out. He made himself comfortable again on our warm spot. "You definitely had warm enough." He commented.

"Yes, now get your ass out of bed. We need to get back before anyone notices we are gone." I said moody. The sun was already peeking over the horizon.

"Morning temper?"

"Get up!" I threw a pillow at his head. Within less than 5 minutes, my body was, again, crammed inside a tube and the storage room came to vision. "Merlin, my wand!" My wand was still laying in the corner of the room. I picked it up, thankful to have it back.

"Listen carefully." Draco said intensely. "No one can know what happened last night, and I mean absolutely nothing." He peered right through me. "Not about sneaking out, not about Anna or Fred, not about us... Nothing!" He paused. "Do you understand?" A wrinkle formed itself between his eyebrows.

"The paper!" I reached in my pockets and to my relief, the piece of paper Fred gave me was still there. I shot my attention back on Malfoy and our conversation. "On one condition." I started. He narrowed his eyes. "That you tell me what the hell is or was going on."

"I won't." He stared blankly at me.

"Anna, Snape and even Fred knows, why can't I?" I shrieked out of frustration.

"Because... it is none of your business, so stay out of it!" There it was again, he hesitated.

"You hesitated." I accused him.

"No, I didn't." He rolled his eyes.

"Am sorry, this are my conditions. If you don't want the whole school to know what happened last night, I suggest you to tell me." I smiled.

"Then go tell the whole school." He said, stiff. "Like I care." He passed me, bumping my shoulder on his way out. Bloody hell. A few minutes later, I peeked outside the door and ran as far away from it as possible. A few corridors further, I slowed to a normal rhythm and headed towards the common room. I took a deep breath before entering.

"Were the hell have you been?" Anna jumped right at me. Angry. "I have been up all night!" The veins in her eyes were about to burst. "I was worried sick." She took me in her arms and hugged me tightly. "Saints, you stink."

"You will not believe what happened. I was in that stupid room with Fred when freaking Malfoy busted in." Her eyes narrowed. "Fred lured me into that cursed hut to ask for something back. It didn't make sense at all!"

"Well stop setting Fred over your fucking life then, dumbass!" He looked me from up close. "Still doesn't explain where you were." She was probably looking at my smudged makeup. I never had the chance to take it off.

"Malfoy Manor." I lowered my voice, looking away from her.

"EXCUSE ME?" She choked. A thick vein appeared right above her temple.

"Hear me out." I pulled her away from the sofa and pushed her inside a little room with all kinds of stuff for the house elves.

"You better have one hell of a miraculous story to tell!" She flushed brighter than my smudged lipstick.

"Fred walked out the moment that git entered. I had this huge fight with Malfoy."

"Why?"

"Because no is telling me a god damn thing about what is going on!" I shouted. "Then we heard noises outside." I left one particular part out of my story. "Footsteps and wind." I stopped.

"Dementors." Anna replied.

"Draco apparated us away to the manor."

"APPARITE?" She shrieked. "We aren't supposed to know that!"

"He said he learned that from home." I studied her face in the dark room. I had a thing for dark rooms lately. "He said that this was how he always won at hide and seek." I added lightly.

"That bitch." Anna wondered.

"I had to share a freaking bed with him, Anna!" I lifted my voice.

"Anything happen?" She asked casually.

"No, just lost my wand. But I've got it back."

"No, I mean..."

"No." I lied. "I have to ask." I started. "Do you still have feelings for him? I feel bad for always getting involved with him." I felt my cheeks burn.

"No, but you can't have him." I was about to protest. I don't want him. "Just stay away from the both of them, please?" She sounded tired.

"I don't understand a thing anymore. Please just explain." I was tired too.

"Just stay away from them." She urged.

"WHY?" I screamed, totally losing my temper. "Since when can't I choose the people around me anymore? This is not fair. You can't say 'stay away' and don't explain!"

"Because this is all their fault!" She finally snapped. "Draco is a death eater, Victoria!" She sighed.

"A what?" Silence.

"His family is responsible for all those attacks." She wiped her face with her hand. "They are followers of you know who." She lowered her voice. "They are hosting him. In the manor!" She took a deep breath. "They control of the dementors, choose who..." She fell quiet. "They chose by strategics." Suspicion crept inside me.

"How do you know all of this?"

"Everybody knows. It is not a secret that the Malfoys have bounds with the other side." She lowered her gaze. "You weren't about to find out."

"And why is that? Why does it sound like you are protecting them?" I accused her, my head spinning.

"Because you somehow are involved."

Silence. "How the hell am I involved in this?" My heart was beating out of control. It took everything in my power to not smack the truth out of this witch.

"The attack on the Weasley family, Fred's dad?" He continued, careful with her words. "It were them. The followers of the dark Lord, the death eaters."

"The dark lord, who is after Harry Potter?" My legs were unstable. She nodded in the dark.

"I have a theory." She began. "The dark lord is after the Weasley's, because Arthur works for the minister of magic. So they attacked. I think Fred figured this out too... He is protection you, Victoria."

"How is avoiding, protecting me?"

"If they know he fancies you, maybe you will be next." My eyes flew to hers. "It is just a theory." She added.

"So that oaf is spying on me, to hurt them?" I screamed. Shame flooded my body. I've had these encounters with that boy, my body longing for him. He just used me. And I let him.

"I don't think so." She reassured me. "You are not going to like this." She warned. My breath stoked. "The dark lord is forcing Draco to do all kinds of stuff, by threatening you."

"I don't understand-." But Anna interrupted my sentence.

"Because I believe he has a thing for you too, can't you see? You are literally in the middle of this dangerous mess!" My legs gave in. "You have to stay away from them both!" Something was off. The knot in my stomach tightened every time a new piece of information revealed itself to me.

"How do you know all of this?" My hand reached for the doorknob behind me. It flew open without turning it.

"Because she is my cousin."