CHAOS. ( D MALFOY. )

EIGHTEEN.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.
KILLING CURSE.

HOGWARTS.
november 1rst, 1996.

ANASTASIA READ THE BOOK INFRONT OF HER CAREFULLY, SCRIBBLING DOWN NOTES EVERY SO OFTEN AS SHE DID SO. She was quite content in her little corner of the library, her chin resting on her hand as her lips pulled downwards slightly as the incoming sound of voices.

The chair from across her ripped away from the table and she glanced up with a deeper set frown, narrowing her eyes at the three boys standing infront of her.

Theodore Nott gave her a grin before he fell into the seat, pushing her book roughly from her hands before he too snatched her quill from her fingers. Besides him, Graham Montegue raised his brow in her direction before he snatched the quill from Theodore's own fingers and placed it back onto the piece of parchment infront of her.

"Incase you haven't noticed, I am trying to study—"

"We've only come to keep you company, Romanov," Theodore interrupted her, scoffing slightly when she smacked his reaching hand away from her quill. "You've been boarded up in your dormitory for nearly a week," he continued, flinching slightly when Adrian Pucey smacked the back of his head with a scowl.

At the realization, Theodore gave her an apologetic smile and moved to slip into the seat besides her before he carefully placed his arm around her shoulder. He was a bit scared of the girl, especially when her expression gave no indication to her inwards intentions.

"We just wanted to see if you were alright," Graham spoke up, diverting his eyes the instant that her own met his.

Anastasia was silent s moment before she looked up towards the uttermost top of the bookshelves that surrounded them. She felt as though, in that moment, she could cry but her body failed to produce any tears and only began to fill with vexation.

"Who was it then?"

The boys gave her confused looks before glancing at one another.

"I reckon it wasn't Zabini as he's been following me around like a lost puppy, won't dare to let me from his sight," she began, twisting her wand between her fingers. "Nolan has only just let me have room to breath, right alongside him."

She raised her eyes to meet Theodore's, slightly surprised when he didn't then the moment that they connected. He had never been one to turn away from her, no matter the cost.

"Lazarus has been hiding, Merlin knows where, which means it wasn't him either," her voice didn't waver as she continued to speak, silently daring them to talk over her. She knew exactly who had sent them, even if they wouldn't admit it.

Before she could utter another word, Theodore tightened his grip with a loud scoff.

"Nobody has sent us to check on you, Ana. We've only come to be good friends. Suppose you wouldn't know anything about that, now would you?" He sneered, his eyes glaring into her own as they burned admist each other's anger.

Theodore and Anastasia had always been this way. Almost the entirety of the last year had been filled with screaming in the common room as they argued over the stupidest of things.

"Theo—"

"Let's go for a walk," he suddenly blurted, cutting her off before she could even utter the words he knew she was dying to. He could tell she wanted to be left alone but that wasn't about to happen on his watch.

With a singular glance at the other boys, they immediately stood and Graham grabbed Anastasia's bag with a small smile.

"I'll take it back to the common room," he told her, not bothering to wait for her response as he and the others fled from the table and left the two of them alone.