Chapter 10

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"All too young to Apparate just yet?" said Slughorn genially. "Not turned seventeen yet?"

We shook our heads.

"Ah well," said Slughorn cheerily, "as we're so few, we'll do something fun. I want you all to brew me up something amusing!"

I looked around. Only four students were in this Potions class, everyone else was doing their Apparation test. Ernie, Malfoy, Harry and I were the only students left.

"What do you mean, something "amusing"?" Malfoy said irritably.

"Oh, surprise me," said Slughorn airily.

I glanced at Harry to find that he, like myself, was also staring at Malfoy, but for a different reason. Harry was looking at Malfoy's obvious weight loss and ill-looking face.

I, on the other hand, was drinking up the way that his cheekbones lined his face, how his long eyelashes left shadows on his cheeks, how his lips move as he speaks, how his eyes look from a distance, especially when he looks at me......

I suddenly realised that I was staring at him, and he was staring at me too. I stopped my train of thought suddenly, as I quickly turned the pages of Advanced Potion Making, looking for the most complicated potion to distract my thoughts from going anywhere in that direction.







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"This is Felix Felicis, I suppose?" I heard Hermione ask anxiously, as I entered the common room one evening. "You haven't got another bottle of - I don't know-"

"Essense of Insanity?" suggested Ron.

Harry laughed, making Ron and Hermione looking alarmed.

"Trust me," he said, "I know what I'm doing.... Or at least, Felix does," Harry continued, as he slipped his cloak over his head and left the common room.

"Is Harry coming back soon?" I asked, walking up to where Ron and Hermione were sitting. "I was going to ask if I can borrow the Invisibility Cloak later."

Ron shrugged. "If this goes well, Harry should be back soon," he said, as he returned to his homework.

But Hermione narrowed her eyes. "Ron, would you mind if I talk to Skyler alone for a few minutes?" Hermione asked.

Ron looked at Hermione, seeing her suspicious face, and then looked at me, seeing my confusion, and he shrugged again. "Alright," he said, "I needed a break from this essay anyways." Ron got up and walked to Seamus and Dean.

"Skyler, please sit down," Hermione said, in a tone that no one would cross. I sat silently, bracing myself for what was to come.

"Why have you been spending hours and hours in the library?" Hermione asked, in a guarded voice.

"I already told you Hermione," I began, "I'm just behind on homework lately." My cheeks burned, and I cupped my face in my hands in an effort to hide them.

Hermione's eyes widened and her eyebrows rose. "Skyler why are you trying to hide your lie behind your hands? You've been behind on homework for more than a month now. That's impossible, especially when you spend your time looking through books that have nothing to do with homework."

"I.... Wait what?" I said. How did she know?

Hermione read my mind. "I followed you once, just out of curiosity. Skyler, please tell me what's going on, maybe I can help."

"I'm researching a magical way of removing someone's memory, but allowing the emotions of that forgotten time remain," I blurted out. I didn't give an explanation to as why I would be researching such a thing, and Hermione didn't ask for it.

Hermione sighed and looked at her watch. "Well, we've got about an hour until curfew, let's head down and see what we can find."

I stared at her, shocked at her quick resolve to help.









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As the days flew into weeks, Hermione and I stayed up in the library night after night, searching for any clue, both of us covered by the Invisibility Cloak.

"Bloody hell, first Skyler, now Hermione too. The pair of you are beginning to creep me out!" stated Ron one night, as Hermione and I borrowed the Cloak from Harry again.

Even with Hermione's help, we couldn't find a whisper of such magic. Hermione was indignant, the library was supposed to have all the answers. Nevertheless, Hermione stayed loyally by my side, flicking through books.









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"What is Malfoy doing in there?" Harry muttered quietly to himself.

"What do you mean Harry?" I asked. We were walking down to dinner, talking about the upcoming Gryffindor - Ravenclaw match, after he dragged me to the 7th floor to check on the Room of Requirement. I looked at Harry. He was holding the Marauder's Map and was pointing at Malfoy, who was in the boys bathroom on the floor below, accompanied by a girl called Moaning Myrtle.

Harry rushed towards the stairs without another word, and I followed.









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Harry opened the door quietly and peeped in, my head looking through under his arms.

Malfoy was standing with his back to the door, his hands clutching either side of the sink, his white-blonde head bowed.

"Don't," crooned a voice, probably that Moaning Myrtle girl. "Don't..... Tell me what's wrong... I can help you."

"No one can help me," said Malfoy. His whole body was shaking. "I can't do it... I can't... It won't work... And unless I do it soon... He says he'll kill me...."

I froze. Malfoy was crying, with tears streaming down his face. Why? I didn't care, I was suddenly longing to go to him, to hug and comfort him. I craved to tell him that everything was ok. I yearned to wipe his face clean of tears.......

Involuntarily, I took a step forward. Harry grabbed my arm and pulled me back, his eyes questioning my sanity.

At the exact same second, Malfoy looked up and saw us in the reflection of the mirror in front of him. He spun around, drawing his wand. Harry pushed me behind him as he drew his. Jinxes flew around.

"No! No! Stop it!" squealed Moaning Myrtle, her voice echoing loudly in the tiled room. I could see that she was, in fact, a ghost. I froze in shock at what I was witnessing. Malfoy was solely concentrated on Harry, I didn't think that he even noticed me.

Harry suddenly slipped on the wet floor. Malfoy, his face contorted, cried, "Cruci-"

"Draco, STOP!!" I shouted, finally regaining my limbs and drawing my wand. Was Draco Malfoy about to preform one of the three Unforgivable Curses on one of his classmates? Malfoy wasn't the best behaved person I knew, but to do such a thing..............

Malfoy glanced at me, his ice cold eyes melted slightly as he gazed at me. In that split second he wasted, Harry shouted, "SECTUMSEMPRA!", a spell that was unfamiliar to my ears.

Blood exploded from Malfoy's face and chest suddenly. He staggered backwards and collapsed onto the waterlogged floor with a great splash.

"Draco!" I cried, dropping my wand and rushing over to him, ignoring Harry completely, who was also sprawled on the floor, sporting injuries of his own.

"No-" gasped Harry. "No - I didn't-"

Malfoy began shaking uncontrollably in a pool of his own blood. His eyes were on me, the pain so evident in them. My hands began to shake as I saw how much blood he was losing. I hated the sight of blood, but I had to do something, anything......

"MURDER! MURDER IN THE BATHROOM! MURDER!" Moaning Myrtle let out in a deafening scream.

The door banged open and Snape walked in.

I was oblivious to everything that was happening around me, my eyes only on Draco, watching the life seep out of him.

"And you, Potter, Taylor..... You wait for me," Snape said, before supporting Draco out of the bathroom.

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