Secrets & Slytherins

Chapter 29: Liar

Grace tiptoed out of the Gryffindor common room, carefully pulling open the painting of the Fat Lady so that she could pass through the portrait hole. She shut it quietly, releasing her breath once she was fully in the corridor. The castle was so peaceful at night. Well, technically it wasn't night anymore. When she had glanced at the clock in the common room, it was nearly one in the morning.

"Lumos," whispered Grace, holding her wand out in front of her to light up the corridor. It had been a while since she last took her wand beyond the walls of her dormitory. Ryan didn't like it when she had her wand on her.

But she was alone.

Grace walked down a few moving staircases, getting farther away from Gryffindor tower. She took a left at the bottom of the stairs, making her way toward the end of the corridor where the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom would be waiting for her. Once she stood outside the door, she swallowed hard before turning the knob, leaving the door cracked open slightly to let in a small stream of light.

She slowly dragged a desk away from the center of the room to create more space. She knew she would need it. This wasn't her first night doing this. She'd been coming here for weeks now.

Grace set her wand down for a moment to throw her hair in a ponytail. She went over to the cabinet across the room, unlocked it carefully, and backed up to the middle of the room. She held her wand out in front of her, her knuckles turning white.

She watched as the cupboard slowly opened, a shoe stepping out onto the wooden floor. Her eyes traveled up the figure's legs, over its abdomen, along its arms, and finally rested on its face.

Ryan.

"Look at you," he said, his body now completely out of the wardrobe. "You're so weak."

Grace clenched her jaw as he slowly walked toward her.

"You're nothing without me. You're just a-" He took a step closer with each word he spoke. "Stupid. Little. Girl."

Grace's heart was racing. Her throat was so dry she wasn't sure if she would be able to speak. Her arm, sticking straight out in front of her as she gripped her wand, was shaking. Don't listen to him. You're not weak. You can do this. Fight back!

"I'm the best you'll ever get, Grace. No one else wants you. You're tarnished goods. I did a real number on you, and I don't plan on stopping anytime soon." Ryan stood just before Grace, staring down at her with a menacing, confident look. "You're mine. You belong to me, and me only."

Grace locked eyes with him, shooting him a daring look. She put her wand under his chin, digging the tip of it into his skin. "The only person I belong to is myself," she spat. "Riddikulus!"

Ryan's eyes widened as his black robes were replaced with a floral top and a mini-skirt. He tried to cover himself as he ran back into the cupboard, his cheeks bright red.

Grace slowly lowered her wand as she steadied her breathing. The boggart pretending to be Ryan put on a great show, but somehow Ryan was still worse in real life. She needed to practice more. She shouldn't be this scared when this wasn't even the real Ryan.

Grace got back into position, standing in the center of the room with her wand by her side. The door to the cabinet burst open, a furious Ryan rushing out, back in his normal clothes. The boggart was amping up its game. It got more difficult everytime she tried.

"You fucking bitch," he hissed, poking her in the chest with an angry finger. "You lied to me. I know what you did."

Grace stumbled back a few steps at his harsh touch. "I didn't do anything," she explained, trying to keep her voice from shaking.