NEMESIS || Draco Malfoy

32

November 10th. Five in the morning.

The first new moon of the month and the only hour in which I'd be able to use it for my advantage.

I was light on my feet as I scurried through the cold, empty and silent corridors. A thick coat wrapped around my body and the music box in the pocket of it while a disillusionment charm lingered on me.

I was careful— more careful than ever before, even though I wasn't sure if I was technically still breaking curfew if I had already woken up again. It was early morning, after all.

Despite that, the halls were dark— no pale moonlight illuminating the way and the torches on the wall not burning. I didn't dare Lumos my way up to the room of requirements, unsure of how it would affect the charm I had placed on myself.

Now, generally, I was unsure of a lot of things. Most out of all of them, I was unsure about the room of requirements. I knew whatever Malfoy was doing; he did it there. So choosing the same spot seemed questionable; maybe dumb, even.

Though, I couldn't think of a single place in the castle that was hidden as well as the come and go room was; more than half of the students didn't even know it existed.

And, though I had to admit the blond had been getting on my last nerves recently — having gone through an entire week of prolonged eye contact, deathly glares and condescending scoffs as well as sultry touches and teasing right under our friends' noses — and at least he knew what I was doing, to a certain degree.

He knew I was trying to murder Dumbledore, and I knew he was doing the same thing. And neither of us could say a word.

Seeing the doors to the room already appearing on the usually bare stretch of wall, I picked up my pace and quickly slipped through the small opening in between the two doors.

I closed them with a sigh behind me, lifting the disillusionment charm and finally illuminating my surroundings with the tip of my wand. I found my way through the piles of random clutter, taking a few lefts and a few rights while actively trying to avoid that stupid cabinet of his.

I only passed it once.

Sat on the floor, leaning against the surface of a toppled over table, I carefully placed the music box on the floor in front of me. The crumpled piece of parchment — holding the cleansing spell, instructions, as well as the moon dates and times noted — lying in front of it.

1. Cleanse yourself and item of lingering energy.

— "Purgatio Secundum Purificationem." My wand pointed at my own body; I cleansed myself first, before repeating the incantation with my wand pointed at the box sat before me.

It truly felt like I did something; my entire body light and my spirit care-free as a wave of crystal clear water surged through my veins— that's what it felt like, at least.

After repeating the same process once more just to make sure, I took a deep breath before reading through the instructions I had scribbled down for the fifth time this morning.

2 & 3. Fully concentrated, repeat incantation three times within one hour of moon rising.

I swallowed thickly, eyes darting down to the watch around my wrist as I pushed the sleeve of my coat upwards to reveal it. With still half an hour until 6:01 AM left, I shook my head and told myself it couldn't be as hard as I was making it out to be.

I was a powerful witch, chosen by the Dark Lord himself to perform what I was about to. I had to do this for my parents, my little sister—

My mind cleared of ordinary thoughts, instead replacing those with pictures of Dumbledore finding my box— playing it. Pictures of his eyelids getting heavy before he collapsed on his office floor as my family's music boy played him into a peaceful sleep he'd never wake up from.

"Adducam maledictum tactus."

The words escaped my mouth effortlessly, rolling off my tongue like they should have a long time ago. And with my wand mere inches away from the music box, its tip glowing a bright green before the light engulfed the entire box in its green hue.

It danced around it, almost like there was a melody playing I couldn't hear.

My breath hitched as I watched carefully, pale skin shimmering green.

"Adducam maledictum tactus," I repeated.

Entirely green light turned into a shimmery purple shade right as the last syllable rolled off my tongue; Dipping myself and my surroundings in violet as the spell continued to dance around the wooden box, forming a kind of knot around it.

"Adducam maledictum tactus."

For a split second, the purple shade turned into a fluorescent red before the invisible bonds it had formed around the box disappeared at once.

And it was cold and dark once more.

I continued to sit at my exact spot, barely moving an inch as my eyes stayed steady on the object I had just cursed. Another half an hour must've passed before I began strolling around the large, messy room simply to pass time.

Once again, it was like the room wanted me to find Malfoy's cabinet. I stood right by its side, head angled upwards to take its full size in; it was almost double mine.

I circled it twice, brows furrowed as I checked if anything about it had changed. If Malfoy was working on it almost day and night, surely something about the bloody thing must be changing.

Though, nothing did.

It was still just as empty and boring as it was last time— almost like he himself was.

With a sigh, I gave up on trying to find anything out about the wooden cabinet by simply staring at it and instead hoped that — in all due time — Kai would come to me with good news about it.

The large doors disappeared as soon as I slipped out of them, and as I descended down to the lowers floors, a student or two crossed my path.

Seeing as breakfast was already going — now that it was almost seven in the morning — I could hardly say I was surprised.

"And what are you already doing up?"

His presence did surprise me.

I twirled around, one hand absentmindedly patting down my hair that was already secured in a messy bun on the top of my head as I took Malfoy in.

my brows raised with a huff. "Doubt it's any of your business, is it?" I pushed past him, my shoulder challengingly hitting his as I did so. Malfoy simply took that as an invitation to follow me back down towards the dungeons.

"Well, you're not a morning person. Something's brewing if you're out of bed earlier than I am," He shrugged, eyes not even on me as they flew over the corridor we walked through, hands buried in his robe.

"Hah—" I shook my head as a scoff escaped my lips. "Does it say that in the records you keep, or should I be worried about how much I occupy your mind?" My head tilted, and his eyes shot in my direction.

"Oh, Merlin, calm down—" He muttered, rolling his eyes. "You forget that we used to actually spend time together, don't you?"

"Right before you shoved your tongue down my throat—"

"Right before you went and told the whole school about it—" He snapped back immediately, almost drowning out the entirety of my sentence as soon as he realised where I was going with it.

Is sighed loudly, eyes no longer on him as my gaze pointed straight ahead.

"'Went on a walk, is all, Malfoy," I shrugged, taking a glance at the blond out of the corner of my eye. He didn't say anything. "Why? Are you upset I didn't ask you to tag along?" An amused snort occupied the words, and this time they coerced an annoyed grown out of him that made my lips twitch upwards victoriously.

"I'm glad you didn't."

And as I took a left turn to get down to the dungeons, he took a right and escaped into the great hall without another word. 

A/N: I literally forgot to update yesterday I am SO sorry lmfao

I hope you're all good <3 

More Draco content in the coming chapters but this was necessary lol