Trail of broken hearts and slimy snakes

14

"Take a breath." Snape spoke firmly but gentle.
I closed my eyes and sucked in a breath of air.
"Slower." He snapped.
I opened my eyes and slowly let it out, feeling my lungs deflate, my muscles relax and my head clear for a moment. We were in an empty room, the one I had found him and Draco in before. He called it the room of requirements. He said it was a magical room that appeared when it was needed and took shape of what it needed to be. For us, it was a large empty room with four walls and a floor.
"Your ability reacts and feeds off your emotions. So in order to control it, you have to control you."
Snape glued himself to the back of the room with his arms folded over his chest and the same brooding look he always wore.
"From what I read in that book, I can create fire from nothing. Is that true?" I asked, focusing on a single point in the wall.
"Yes." Was all he said.
We stood in silence for a moment more, the only sound was my deep breathing.
"Now I want you to think of something that makes you angry." Snape spoke finally.
I looked at him, panic in my chest.
"Don't worry, I am here to counteract anything you may do." He comforted me.
I nodded and closed my eyes. Angry. What made me angry. Blaise and Alice. My father. Just to name a few things but when I opened my eyes, nothing had happened.
"You're not thinking hard enough." Snape barked.
"I am!" I shouted back. "I've been angry my whole life and this problem has never happened before. Why now?"
"Something must have happened that made your anger turn to rage and it had nowhere to go but out. What happened yesterday?" Snape asked.
"Nothing. I had classes." I shrugged.
"Think harder. Why were you so mad at miss Luster?" He asked.
I pictured Alice and her smug face. I pictured her standing in front of me in class. I heard Blaise tease me. I furrowed my brow as I replayed that moment again and again but still nothing happened.
"It's not working!" I whined.
"Take me through it, step by step." Snape hissed.
"I walked into class, trying not to be seen by you when you called for volunteers. You called me up then Alice and I remember feeling irritated but not angry. I stepped on to the platform and watched her step up too. She shot a simple spell at me and I deflected." I began to explain.
"Right. What was the thought that went through your mind before you shot the spell at her?"
"I-I wanted to hurt her. At first I was numb, almost like I was frozen in ice, but then I could feel fire building inside me. I could physically feel the flames as they crept up my legs and into my chest, searing everything inside me, but it didn't hurt. It was raging, growing, screaming to be set free, so... I let it." I explained.
"Why were you so mad at her? Why did you want to hurt her?" He pried.
I shook my head, trying to rack my brain for an answer.
"I was mad at her for taking Blaise." I furrowed my brows.
No. That wasn't it. I didn't care that much about Blaise, he had become more of an annoyance by that time anyway. I began to pace the floor, snape watching me in silence. No, not Alice.
"I remember as I stood in front of her, I caught a glance of.. of Draco." I breathed.
Suddenly my skin began to crawl, my bones began to ache and my chest grew tight. The red hot heat was back. It was beginning to churn and bubble inside of me like lava getting ready to burst from a volcano. My fingers began to twitch and my muscles became tight. My arms flew down to my side as the heat began to grow hotter. Clawing and climbing its way through my body.
"Draco was there. He was watching us." I whispered.
"Why were you so mad at Malfoy?" Snape asked, anticipation leaking from his words.
"I- I don't-"
"Dig deeper." Snape barked.
"HE HURT ME! I WANTED TO HURT HIM!" I screamed, feeling the lava turn into raging flames, combusting and burning inside me.
It was overwhelming. It hurt, not the fire but- HIM! I threw my head back and let out a roar, and with it, flames! They shot from my skin, bursting out of me like a popped water balloon. They swirled and danced around me and this time, I wasn't scared, it felt amazing. Letting all that heat and rage pour out of me.
"You need to control it! Take that rage and turn it to another emotion!" Snape shouted over the roaring of the fire tornado that had now engulfed me.
I raised my hand up to the wall of fire, spinning and scorching in front of me. Snapes eyes narrowed as I leaned it forward, pressing my fingers against the flames. It felt cold. The fire felt cold to the touch and I flipped my hand over and over in it, like it was a waterfall.
"Katherine." Snape warned.
I shot a look to him and realized what was going on. He was right. I needed to control this so I wouldn't hurt anyone. I nodded and closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. I thought of Draco, what he said to me that day. He didn't love me. He wanted to use me. He threw me away like I was nothing. I was nothing, to him. He held my heart in his hand and he crushed it like it was nothing. I could feel the flames growing hotter, stronger. I had to stop this now. I thought about the moment he said he loved me. That night. His eyes were so gentle and his touch was so soft. His words wrapped around me, soothing me, filling me up.
"I love you too Katherine."
He had whispered to me in the shadows of my room. His eyes blazed with silver and blue as he stared into mine. Our fingers entangled and his lips pressed on mine.
I opened my eyes and Snape was staring at me, his wand in his hand. The flames were gone, no evidence they had ever been there. I looked down at my body and everything was normal. I lifted my hand, the one I had used to touch the fire and there was a faint mark, swirling around my hand and looping around my fingers. It was faint but it was there and it was beautiful.
"Good. Now you need to learn to do that faster before you burn down a classroom because Draco happens to walk in." Snape snarled.
I nodded, understanding this was the first step in a marathon I was trying to run. I would get there. Hopefully without hurting anyone.

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I walked into the common rooms and there were a few people sitting around, some reading, some writing but it was quiet. I took in a deep breath and made my way to sit on a couch when someone grabbed my arm.
"You and Blaise are friends again?" Draco spat.
My blood boiled. I ripped my arm away from him.
"It's none of your business." I growled.
"You made it my business." He snarled.
We glared at each other for a moment when suddenly his gaze softened a bit. He closed his eyes and huffed.
"Look, after what he did at the club-"
"You're not my boyfriend. You made that clear. You don't care about me. So fuck off." I hissed, venom seeping from my pores.
His eyes widened and he leaned back a bit, shock and surprise written all over his face.
"Now if you're done, I have stuff to do." I stomped past him and straight to my room.
I walked inside and turned to close the door when Draco pushed in past me.
"What is your problem?" He shouted, turning and crossing his arms over his chest.
"Right now? You." I scoffed.
He began tapping his foot and he raised his eyebrow at me. I rolled my eyes and headed for my bed, letting out a loud dramatic sigh.
"I have a lot on my plate. Can you leave now?"
"You're not eating, you're not sleeping-" he began to pace back and forth.
"You're stalking me now?" I said sarcastically.
"You're not talking to anyone, you're shooting literal flames out of your hands! Now you're buddies with Blaise again! What is going on?!" He whined, turning and looking at me.
Behind the exhaustion on his face I could see a bit of desperation. Why did he care so much? Was he trying to find something to tease me about or was he just a nosey twat?
"Can you leave?" I asked quietly.
"Not until you talk to me." He demanded.
"I wanted to hurt you." I softly blurted.
He froze, staring at me with wide eyes.
"In class. That's why I- that's why I was so mad. You make me mad. Not just mad, you make me enraged. You hurt me, no you crushed me and you act like nothing is wrong. Well you know what, you may be fine, since I meant so little to you but Draco, I love you! And you- you just..." I could feel heat singeing my fingertips.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
"Can you please leave." I whispered, my voice cracking.
"Love?" He breathed.
"What?"
"Not loved?" He said.
I furrowed my brows at him and realized the same thing he did. I had said I still loved him.
"Draco please just-"
"I can't love you. No matter how bad I want to, no matter how much I do." He plopped down on the end of my bed and hung his head low, his arms falling limp at his sides.
"What?" I whispered.
"I- my family- they're-" his voice cracked.
"I know Draco. I know what they are."
"Then you know what I am!" He barked, shooting back to his feet.
His cheeks were bright red and his jaw was clenched.
Draco is a death eater...