The Slytherin prince

Chaper 43: Written all over it

The blankets laid comfortably over my body and hours went by. I refused to take a step out of my bed. This holiday had taken a gruesome turn. The people who I trusted, and who trusted me, just saw their house burn down to the ground by no other less than my mother and her squad. The guilt burned my insides, leaving me empty. It was still a few days before term would start again and therefore, I was left alone with my thought in this big and empty room. All day long, I would come up with excuses and apologies to plead when I would face the Weasleys again. None of them were good enough to pardon their burned down house. Dark was really all around me. My thought were irrupted by a loud rumbling noise on the other side of the stairs. I presumed it came from the boys dormitories. I pushed myself up and made me walk towards the door. I though I was alone. In a smooth motion, I opened the door without making a noise. I peeked around the corner, scared that something or someone had followed me here. My breath hitched when I recognized who I saw.

"Dobby?" I threw the door open. "You scared me." My hand reached for my heart.

"Dobby never meant to scare anyone. Stupid Dobby." The elf began hitting itself with a silver candle.

"Stop, it's all right." I reassured him. "What are you doing here?" I asked him. The skimpy build creature tore a piece of its already sloppy clothing to blow its nose. I had seen dobby once in the Malfoy manor. He had served the Malfoy family for decades. Draco once told me that he and Dobby used to play when he was a child. But what was a servant of the Malfoys be doing here with me.

"Dobby came to warn misses Blackburn." The elf sneered in a high pitched voice. "Miss is in great danger." His eyes were round as the moon with the colour of a ginger cat.

"What kind of danger?" Anxiety tightened my throat.

"Dobby can not say." He lowered his gaze while speaking. "Miss has to be careful." Without I could ask any further, Dobby snapped its long fingers and disappeared. The door of the boys dormitories flung open, making me jump in the air. The one person I really didn't want to see, stood eye in eye with me.

"Who were you talking to?" Draco sneered. His face pale and hair sloppy.

"No one." I said hesitantly. "What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here, you mean?" He snapped back at me.

"No!" Anger rose up in me. "How did you now where I was and why didn't you stop the attack?" Draco sighed deeply, closing his eyes and rubbing his temples.

"I can't stop that, you know it."

"I thought your mail was always checked. Why warn me?"

"So that you could stand here, arguing with me instead of laying in a coffin, frozen." His words came out hard. I took a step back.

"What about the Weasleys? They don't matter?" I screamed back.

"Not as much as you do, no." He closed the doorbefore my nose.

Days went by. Anna hugged me tightly the moment she opened the door of our dorm. She had heard. My tears had flowed like rivers that evening. The anxiety I felt when going to breakfast next day was immaculate. To my surprise, not one redhead was spotted on the Gryffindor table. Maybe it was not as strange as I had found it a couple of days ago. All of their belongings were gone. Of course they wouldn't come to school right away. Harry and Hermione included. I felt like an immerse coward when a wave of relief washed me clean. Maybe I did this. I kept thinking. How inappropriate the death eaters thought it was of me staying at the Weasleys. Burning their house in return. I hadn't spoken to Draco in almost weeks by now. Both of us too stubborn to talk things over. That git could have stopped it all.

"Miss Blackburn." Professor sprout interrupted my daydreaming. It was the last class of the day and my thought were everywhere but in the classroom. "Can you tell us how you harvest a asphodel?" The whole class turned their heads towards me.

"I do not." I straightened myself.

"You would if you did your readings." She accused me. I kept quiet. I was happy when the hour was over and I could retrieve to me room.

"No, no, no." Anna grabbed me by my arm and dragged me the other way. "I won't let you skip dinner again." I thought about it for a second, knowing I had no choice whatsoever.

"I am feeling a bit hungry anyway." I agreed with her.

"Very good." She smiled widely at me. We placed ourself at our regular spot and filled our stomachs with everything the table had to offer. Meatballs, lemon sauce, treacle, everything. By the end of dinner, we were laughing with a full belly. Looking over my shoulder at the other end of the table became a habit. I grew used to the fact that he was not showing up anymore for dinner. My heart made a jump when I saw him. An hour and 3 courses late, he pushed the door open and walked him. His eyes bloodshot and his clothes ruffled. His facial expressions made me stand up and walk towards the door. When he saw me, he just stopped. He looked deep into my eyes, like he wanted to tell me something without actually forming the words. I took a few steps closer. The expressions chanced and panic overcame him. He withdraw and ran away. What the hell. Without thinking I grabbed the door, pushed it open and followed the sound of his heavy breathing and angry footsteps.