Beneath the surfaces - Draco Malfoy

5. 𝑨 𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒐𝒎

A Few Days Later

The entire castle buzzed with excitement. Students rushed through the corridors, talking in hushed, eager tones about the arrival of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. The energy was electric, the anticipation palpable. Even the portraits seemed more animated, craning their painted necks to catch snippets of conversation.

Lumina darted through the crowded hallways, her robes swishing behind her as she hurried toward the courtyard. She was running late—not unusual, but today of all days, it was maddening. Ron and the others were probably already outside, staking out the best spots to see the foreign schools arrive.

As she rounded a corner, she barely had time to react before she collided with someone.

"Watch where you're going, Weasley," came the unmistakable drawl of Malfoy.

Lumina took a sharp step back, her eyes narrowing. Malfoy stood in front of her, his pale eyes gleaming with annoyance.

"You're the one standing in the middle of the corridor like a statue," she shot back, straightening her robes.

Malfoy smirked. "And you're the one rushing around like a headless chicken. Typical."

Before she could retort, a high-pitched cackle echoed through the hall, and both of them froze.

"Hehehe! What's this? A secret rendezvous?"

Peeves the Poltergeist materialized above them, his wild hair sticking out at odd angles, and his grin impossibly wide. He floated lazily in the air, hands clasped together as though he'd stumbled upon his favorite entertainment of the day.

"Malfoy and Weasley, sitting in a tree!" Peeves sang gleefully. "Let's make it official, shall we?"

Before either Lumina or Malfoy could react, Peeves clapped his hands, and the corridor around them began to shift. The stone walls trembled, the floor rippling beneath their feet. With a mischievous laugh, Peeves waved his hand one last time, and Lumina felt herself pushed—no, shoved—through an open door.

She stumbled forward, barely catching herself before she hit the floor. A loud thud behind her made her whirl around. The door had slammed shut, leaving her and Malfoy locked in a small, dimly lit room.

"What the—" Lumina started, but Malfoy cut her off.

"Peeves!" Malfoy's voice was sharp with fury as he slammed his fists against the door. "Open this door right now, you stupid ghost!"

Peeves' laughter echoed faintly from the other side. "Not until you two learn to play nice! Hehehe!"

Malfoy groaned in frustration, yanking at the handle, but it didn't budge. He spun around, his face a mask of irritation. "Brilliant. Just brilliant. Stuck with a Weasley."

Lumina crossed her arms, her own annoyance flaring. "Trust me, Malfoy, if I had a choice, I wouldn't be stuck here with you either."

The two glared at each other for a moment before Lumina turned her attention to the room. It was small and dusty, with old tapestries hanging crookedly on the walls. Cobwebs stretched across the corners, and the faint light filtering in through a high, unreachable window only added to the sense of abandonment.

"We need to figure out how to get out of here," she said firmly, pulling out her wand.

Malfoy scoffed. "As if you could manage that. Watch and learn, Weasley."

He pointed his wand at the door. "Alohomora!"

Nothing happened.

Malfoy's jaw tightened as he tried again, this time more forcefully. "Alohomora!"