Winter (Draco x Reader)

Chapter 26- Snakes and Second Chances

The green light from the lake assaulted my eyes, head throbbing in retaliation. The ticking of the clock on Daphne's bedside table felt like the clanging of a massive drum. I squinted at the small numbers irritably; it was past eleven. There was a school-wide meeting in session today to iron out the fine details of sending everyone home. I pulled on my uniform out of habit and mechanically went through the steps of my morning routine. Reddened eyes stared back at me in the mirror, and I turned away with a wince.

My roommates were busy packing, shoving the contents of drawers and closets into monogrammed luggage. Pansy raised an eyebrow in my direction, taking in my ruffled appearance. "Look who's finally risen from the grave."

I grimaced slightly, choosing to ignore her. She huffed, turning back to Daphne to discuss the details of her upcoming trip to mainland Europe, starting with the ever-blooming tulip fields in the Netherlands. Millicent padded over, swathed in a cozy dandelion yellow sweater, a cool glass of water held out as a peace offering. I took it gratefully, downing it in two greedy gulps.

"The prefect came by," she said softly. "They'll be sending up the carriages for us tomorrow, so you still have time." The corners of her eyes crinkled suddenly. "And... You have a visitor waiting downstairs."

I thanked her in hushed tones, hurriedly slipping out of the room. A distraught-looking Draco was pacing back and forth at the foot of the stairs to the girls' dorm, his blonde hair unusually messy. The top step creaked as my foot landed on it, and his eyes shot up to meet mine. He grabbed my hand as soon as I was within reach, tugging me towards the exit, and I squeezed it questioningly.

He let out a haggard breath, grey eyes distracted. "It's Zabini."

A wave of nausea rolled over me. "Blaise?" I echoed in a small voice. "What about Blaise?"

The hallways were utterly deserted, and our footsteps felt intrusive in the thick silence. Even Filch was nowhere to be seen, the cold stone of Hogwarts devoid of the echo of his ill-tempered grumbling. He pushed open the doors to the hospital wing wordlessly, gesturing me in. No alarms went off -- Madam Pomfrey had not taken her usual privacy precautions, likely thinking no one would come during the staff meeting.

Blaise lay in the infirmary bed next to Hermione's, his handsome features as though carved out of stone. I sank into the chair by his bedside, wiggling my fingers with difficulty into his rigid hand. It felt so cold, like living death.

Draco approached the other side of the bed, gazing down at him. "He left the library a little later than the rest of us. They found him with a mirror."

He paused, gauging my reaction. I tried to swallow past the growing lump in my throat, and he mumbled the rest. "The Weasley girl was apparently taken into the Chamber, where the snake is."

I gasped, suppressing a horrified shudder. "No."

He suddenly leaned over Blaise's recumbent figure, his flashing eyes all I could see at this close distance. They swam with conflict, but his voice did not waver. "I'll fix this, I promise you I will. I'll help them open the Chamber."

"Draco, you can't--"

"I can and I will," he said in a huff, straightening abruptly. "I wasn't useless last year, was I? And I'd..." He ducked his head to hide the growing blush on his pale cheeks. "Rather it be me than you."

I bit back a laugh. The sound of the door banging open interrupted the moment, and I looked up to see two figures rushing towards us, clad in scarlet-lined robes.

"Y/N, we heard about Zabini," Harry blurted, just as Ron moaned, "My sister--"

"I know," I said, screwing my eyes shut for one long moment. I sighed, opening them again tiredly. "I know. We need to fix this, there's no more time."