{I} slapped my face to make me snap out of the sudden realization, leaving my cheeks ringing. Purchasing my sugar quills, in a quiet daze, my hand hovered over the doorknob to leave the shop. What was I going to say? Should I take some time to think here?
Should I confess?
I laughed quietly to myself, pushing those thoughts away. To the average person, I probably looked delusional. I was sporting a flushed red face, laughing out of nowhere, and standing in front of a door with what seemed like no intent of going outside.
I thought about how Draco's face flushed at my comment and how he didn't tease me back like normal. Was there a chance he liked me back?
A customer opened the door, startling us both. I was forced to exit since I wanted to look like I had at least a pinch of sanity left.
I wasn't jeopardizing our friendship for a crush. It was probably going to pass, just as my crush on Cedric's had.
I stepped outside, taking a deep breath to cleanse my lungs of the wretched stink of the shop. Draco was standing in front of a store's window, trying to look at his reflection. No doubt to fix his hair.
"What are you looking at so intently?" I poked his side, nibbling on a newly opened sugar quill.
"Myself, obviously."
I rolled my eyes, "Next destination!"
As we were walking, hands intertwined and silent, but I couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. I tightened my grip on Draco's hand, making him look over questioningly.
I shot him a quick smile until a streak of black caught my eye. I stopped, blinking to make sure I hadn't imagined it.
"What's wrong?" Draco asked, following my line of sight.
"You know what? Meet me at the bookstore." I told him distractedly, jogging over to the alley where I had last seen the streak. Please don't let it be what I think it is.
I started to run as I saw a black tail disappear in the corner. "Excuse me-sorry-my bad!" I mumbled, shuffling through the huddled groups of people.
While running, I may have realized this may have been a bad idea, as I was probably chasing a death omen. What would I even do if I caught it? Ask it to bring me a life omen? Or maybe I could politely ask it to not kill me?
"Gotcha!" I yelled triumphantly, cornering the dog as it turned into a dead end. I took an involuntary step back as I realized it was much bigger than I thought I was. It's moments like these when I realize I should think things through before I do them.
"H-hey doggy." I waved, my brain trying to categorize the beast as either a threat or... you know, a dog. It looked at me with sad, droopy eyes, and I swear for a split second it almost looked human.
"Why are you following me?" I mumbled, reaching a hand out slowly to gauge its reaction. When it didn't move, I cautiously moved my hand to its head, patting it once and then swiftly taking my hand away. "Aren't death omens, like, spirits or something? Weird."
I pet it again, more relaxed this time, and the dog nuzzled into my hand. "There's no way you're a regular dog," I muttered, and it froze as if it understood my words. "You're too big. I wonder if Hogwarts allows dogs as pets... I mean, we could always just sneak you in. No doubt Fred and George know some passageways."
The dog looked like it was smiling. I frowned, "Seriously, do I smell or something? Why are you following me?" Obviously, I expected no answer. I stood up, brushing my self off. "Well Snuffles, sorry to cut this short, but I gotta get back to my date."
The dog growled.
"If I see you again, I'm going to adopt you," I warned, waving goodbye. I walked out of the alleyway in a better mood than I was in when I walked in. The black dog following Harry and I wasn't a death omen, it was just a sweet dog who had undergone a rather strange growth spurt.
The jingle of the bells above the door welcomed me into the bookstore, and the scent of freshly printed pages wafted through the room. The colorful spines jutted out from the shelves in a beautifully random order, and I pulled out a book that caught my attention. It was by one of Remus' favorite authors.
I flipped it over to read the description until a voice behind me made me jump.
"Boo."
"Merlin!" I hissed through my teeth, inches from whacking Draco in the face.
"Where did you go?" He asked, raising a finger to pull down my book so he could catch a glimpse of the cover.
"I saw a dog. It was about this big," I demonstrated excitedly with my hand a little above my waist, "And it was pitch black, and I named it Snuffles."
"Snuffles?"
"Yeah, after Mr. Snuffles, your best tea buddy." I teased, "Hogwarts has a rule against dogs, right? Maybe I could ask Hagrid for a favor."
"I think so? Ask Granger." Draco shrugged, handing me a chocolate chip muffin while biting down on a blueberry one. "The bakery was next door. I went there while waiting." He frowned at his muffin, "They were out of lemon."
"Aw, thanks," I said, not being able to keep a smile off my face. I linked arms with him while we walked out of the shop, feeling an acute sense of happiness I hadn't felt in a long, long time.
YOU ARE READING
𝐀 𝐏𝐎𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐈𝐍 𝐒𝐋𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐍 ↬ 𝔡.𝔪𝔞𝔩𝔣𝔬𝔶
Fanfiction「 She is scared, but rises above it. He is scared, and hides behind it. She is a cunning mastermind. He finds that out sooner than later. She calls him Jerk. He calls her Moss. She is Alexandra Potter. And he is Draco Malfoy. 」 Both are drow...
