STAY WITH ME | Draco x OC x Theo

09

Draco hadn't shown up to Hogwarts in days. McGonagall said it was work-related business, but Clementine knew better.

He always got like this. Whenever he would fight with anyone his first instinct was to disappear. Clementine could relate to him in a way. In fact, she had perfected his method by disappearing for years.

It was after hours, and most of the students were away in their dormitories for the night. Clementine had finally finished grading some assignments, but didn't quite want to leave the castle just yet as she let her mind wander.

She was on her way to the Astronomy Tower when she saw a light on in the history classroom. Curiosity got the better of her as she knocked on the door, anxious to see what Cristian was working on at this late hour.

"Come in!" His voice called out sounding excited.

Clementine walked through the door and paused, looking at all of the candles that were almost fully melted. He must have been there all night.

"What are you working on?" Clementine jumped to sit on top of one of the desks, swinging her legs that dangled off the edge. She watched him with great interest as he continued on with his work.

She felt like a young school girl with a crush on her handsome older Professor, except they were supposedly peers. Still, the 20 year age difference did create a power dynamic that she hated to admit still existed. Despite being work colleagues, Cristian still felt like an authority figure to her.

"Have you ever looked into the history of the school's founders?" Cristian held up a copy of Hogwarts: A History. "It goes way beyond what's in these books, and it's absolutely fascinating."

Clementine shrugged, picking at the edge of the desk with her nails, "I know enough. Salazar Slytherin was a raging narcissist... Helga Hufflepuff was one of the first to really care about house-elf rights..."

"That's a very basic understanding, to be sure." Cristian nodded, accepting her answer, "But if you dig in deeper there is so much more to uncover. Did you know that Rowena Ravenclaw had a secret daughter?"

"Her daughter died. She's a ghost here." Clementine furrowed her brow and frowned, "That's not exactly a secret with the way she roams about the castle complaining to anyone who will listen."

"No, not that daughter." Cristian spoke excitedly, holding up a stack of letters. "She had another daughter, Evangeline, who was a squib. Rowena decided to keep her away from the Wizarding World as a means of protecting her. It's all written down here in her letters. Evangeline ran away because she didn't feel accepted by her magical family. It wasn't until much later in life that Evangeline discovered she wasn't a squib at all. Could you imagine?"

"Where did you even get Rowena Ravenclaw's letters? They've been lost for centuries." Clementine hopped off the desk to get a closer look as Cristian held one up proudly, just out of her reach.

"They were tucked away in the Restricted Section of the Library." He beamed, "I discovered them on accident. It's such a breakthrough in learning more about the Hogwarts founders. There are detailed accounts of some very powerful lost magic here that I can't wait to delve into myself."

"Can I see them?" Clementine spoke eagerly. "I'd love to read some of Rowena's writing."

Cristian folded the letters and looked at Clementine with a smirk, "I thought history was boring to you."

"I have a selective interest in powerful witches." Clementine shrugged. "Rowena Ravenclaw is my house founder, so it's even more personal to me."

"Well maybe sometime soon, but not tonight I'm afraid." Cristian slid the letters into an envelope with a magic seal making it only openable at his touch, "We'll schedule something, I promise. As for now, it's extremely late, and I've got an important meeting in the morning."