Cessation ⌁ Draco Malfoy [3/4] ✔

18

The holiday was approaching an end faster than Emma had hoped even though at the start she was worried about someone finding out about her much easier. As the next few days came and went, she started noticing Daphne's eccentric behaviour whenever she'd thought Emma wasn't looking. It was concerning, seeing as Daphne was pretty much Emma's only friend in Slytherin, but it wasn't like Emma could just point it out and demand an explanation. She could be wrong.

As they finished up their supper and started to head out of the Great Hall, they noticed a very peculiarly happy Astoria, who was blushing and combing her fingers sheepishly through her long brown hair. The girls shared a look with one another but said nothing as they passed the younger student. 

"What was that all about?" asked Emma as they skipped down the stairs that led to the dungeons. She looked over her shoulder but Astoria wasn't following; it seemed she was waiting for someone. 

"Probably swallowed a chili," Daphne said. "Wouldn't be the first time she's been all hot and flustered, which is probably what happens when she swallows one. We're complete opposites her and I; if I were to eat a chili I wouldn't be standing there looking all insecure, I'd be on the loo for hours with a hot ass."

"Tragic," Emma tutted with a pout. 

"Emma . . . there's been some things on my mind," Daphne pulled her friend to a stop before they could tread down the corridor that led to their deserted common room, which sounded all heavenly with the plump pillows on the sofas and that oh so warm fire, and the table to lift her feet . . . "Emma! Are you listening?"

"Yes."

"Prove it. Repeat what I said," Daphne narrowed her blue eyes.

"Emma, Emma, are you listening," she answered with what she'd heard; which wasn't a complete lie.

This didn't seem to reassure Daphne as the girl was reducing the ordinary blinks of her eyes. The blonde shook her head and looped her arm in between Emma's and they continued the short walk to their common room, where from there on they headed to the girls' dormitory. 

"School is so boring now, especially these holidays," Emma complained as she jumped down onto her bed. "When school's on all we do is worry about angering the wrong person, and now that it's holidays all we do is wake up, eat, come back in here, go back out and eat, come back -"

"Yeah, I get it," Daphne said in a hasty voice as she threw off her shoes. "Would you prefer to go back to class, then? Although not much happens to us Slytherins it's still kinda terrifying. And with Potter's sister being hunted down all us girls will probably be interrogated if they don't find her soon, and can you imagine coming face to face with that interrogator?"

"You really think they'd interrogate Slytherins?" Emma said, trying to behave as clueless as she could. After what happened with sharing her secret with Sabrina . . . well, she would never risk it again. "As if Potter's sister would be in Slytherin. And as for the interrogator, if you've got nothing to hide, you've got nothing to fear."

Daphne gave Emma a look, a look that Emma wouldn't be forgetting anytime soon. "I think you should take your own advice, Emma."

 And with that, the blonde forced herself off her bed and opened up her trunk. Emma blinked, watching all of her friend's belongings being thrown around the room like frisbees. She wasn't sure what to do, but it seemed Daphne was quite determined on locating something. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Emma frowned, feeling like she was alone in the silence that draped over them. After all, there was only one other person in the castle she could vent her true feelings to and he probably wouldn't lend her an ear. "Daphne, are you all right?"