STAY WITH ME | Draco x OC x Theo

16

Two weeks had passed.

Two weeks that Opal Yates had been missing, and it felt like nothing had been done. Nothing other than lock everyone in the castle. No one was allowed in or out of the school, and all extracurriculars, from clubs to quidditch had been canceled.

It was beginning to feel claustrophobic being stuck inside Hogwarts with nothing to do but hope that they all wouldn't be next. Clementine's saving grace was the marauder's map. It had quickly become her most prized possession as she constantly snuck out of the castle unnoticed.

She had started running every day as a way to clear her mind. It started just to the quidditch pitch and back, but her runs had grown longer each day. It was like she was testing the boundaries for what she could get away with. So far she hadn't been caught.

Today, she decided to run by the lake. Running always helped her to clear her mind, though it was obvious that she was always running from something. The sound of water lapping at the bank was soothing to her ears as the gravelly sand crunched beneath her shoes.

Clementine stopped to catch her breath, wiping the sweat from her forehead as she stared at the path leading into the forest. Two weeks. Two unbelievably long weeks, she thought to herself. Where was Harry and the other aurors that she had anticipated?

"Don't be a hero. Well you know what? Nobody is being a fucking hero here. If you want something done right then you're going to have to do it yourself." Clementine began to mutter to herself. She pulled out her wand and stomped towards the edge of the forest with haste.

The world beneath the tree canopy was entirely still as it welcomed her inside. Barely any light filtered through the dense trees as Clementine walked along the trail leading away from the beach. The narrow track of loamy soil weaved through the thick, black trees.

She could hear the trickle of running water to her left, following the stream as she made her way deeper into the woods.

"Lumos." Clementine muttered. Her wand emitted a bright white light that illuminated the mossy stump in front of her. She stood tall, turning around in a circle as she looked for something— anything— that could possibly be out of place.

She shook her head in frustration before continuing further into the darkness. The dead leaves crunched underneath her feet as her sharp ears picked up any sounds of the wind sighing around her.

"I should head back." Clementine let out a resigned groan. It felt like she had been walking in circles. She turned around blinking, unsure of which way she had come. "It was that way... I think?"

It was only then that Clementine started to panic. She couldn't hear the sound of the stream any longer, having walked too far off of the path. She was lost.

Lost in the Forbidden Forest.

"Lumos Maxima!" Clementine's hand shook as she tried to get more light to surround her. It had started getting late, and the faint light filtering through the trees had dwindled. The sound of a creature scurrying past her feet made her fall to the ground.

"Fucking hell!" Clementine hissed in pain as she grabbed her ankle that was throbbing in pain, "That's definitely twisted."

"Are you alright?"

Clementine pointed her wand in the direction of the voice, illuminating the broad frame of the man standing there watching her.

"Are you following me?" She sneered, but her face faltered as the pain in her ankle swelled. She held on to it tightly to try and mediate the aching.

Theo knelt down next to her, illuminating his own wand to get a better look at Clementine's injury. "You've been avoiding me."

"I haven't." Clementine admitted truthfully, "I've just been..."