it's okay to stare at me, i understand🖤

20

POV: Draco

The ceiling above my bed is now boring to continue to look at. Crabbe's snores are just too damn loud. I literally can not fall asleep.

I would normally go up to the tower on a sleepless night, but it's too cloudy to see anything interesting in the sky. I sigh and flip the covers off of my legs. I pull a shirt over my head and walk outside the room to go downstairs. The fire is still lit, meaning someone is there.

One of the larger seats has someone laying on it. Their face is turned away, so it isn't visible to me.  I better stay quiet if I don't want to wake them up. I move slowly and silently to my usual chair. Now seated, I watch the fire dance. It's soothing. Not as beautiful as the stars, but just as calming.

The person on the couch across from me shifts around so that I can see their face. Mira. Why was she down here? I'd expect maybe Blaise because of the snoring in our room, but not her. Her lips are slightly parted as she breathes slowly. Her curly hair falls around her everywhere. Her glasses aren't on her face and I don't think I've seen her without them yet. Her head lays on her arm so face is squished to one side. I smile to myself. It makes her look odd. I run my fingers through my hair. My hair.

I got it back but her stupid boyfriend hexed it off my head. I should be angry with her for defending Potter, but she was doing her job. If anything she should thank me, if I hadn't decided to fight Potter, she wouldn't have had to save him. Basically, I put her on his good side, which would have never happened because of her attitude towards everyone. It's starting to grow on me, if I'm being honest. It's refreshing to have someone argue with me.

The summer changed her. I expect after dueling me she'll have the same respect and fear around her that I have. No one stands up to me; with the exception of Potter.

She shifts again, bringing my attention back to her. She curls up a little more. The more I study her, I see she's shivering. I grab a blanket from the basket and lay it on top of her. Before I walk away, I look closely at her face. 

A singular tear falls down her cheek. Nightmare. I get it. I have a lot too. I just wouldn't think that she would be having one. She walks and acts like she knows she'll rule the world. I fully believe she could too. Father says so too. He told me in his latest letter that something seemed off in this situation. No has seen or met her parents yet. But, the Dark Lord marvels over the family in his letters to father and mother.

I was instructed to become closer to her. She could be advantageous to the family in the future. I agree with Father on the advantage she could potentially bring, but I'm unsure of what it could be. She has an obvious thirst for power. I see the way she looks around the common room, like she's better than everyone else. She's prepared to do anything and it scares me. I thought she was going to kill me after I shot that spell at Potter. I definitely want to stay on her good side now. I need to remind myself to not anger her to the point where she'll duel me.

"Malfoy," she says sharply. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. She, honest to Merlin, scared me. "You're intensely staring. Stop it. It's weird." She raises her eyebrows, obviously suppressing a smile.

"Very funny; quoting my words back to me." I roll my eyes. Silence encompasses us. "What are you doing down here anyways?"

"Pansy hexed my bed so I can't sleep in it." she replies simply.

"Oh." I hate Pansy almost as much as I'm sure she does.

"Why are you here?" She puts her glasses on her face.

"It's too cloudy to-" I start.

"-to see the stars?" she interrupts. Exactly that.

"Yeah." I wonder if she finds comfort in the balls of light as well.

She turns her head and looks at the fireplace. The flames reflect in her glasses. She would do well with power. She's more suited than I am for it. The problem with Mira is her ambition, it blinds her. She's missed every detail that's mattered so far.

This whole situation is just too odd. Even father has noticed, and he turns a blind eye towards almost everything. Voldemort has not been actually seen since the night of the Potter family death. It honestly confused me when we saw him in a physical form that night. There is no way that it was real.

Father has only been receiving letters of instructions, nothing more. How do we know if this is even The Dark Lord? Mum is very skeptical of the situation as well. She tells me to just do as father says, to avoid any conflict.

How has Mira not noticed any of this yet? Have none of the dots connected? Well, maybe she has. We haven't exactly spoken at all yet since then. I guess I should ask now. Father wants more information on her anyways.

"Aenigma?" Her green eyes trail from the red flames to me. "Do you remember that night? When we spoke to Voldemort?" I ask.

"I think of it everyday. Why?" She shifts, now sitting on her left leg.

"Do you remember anything..." I struggle to find the word, "weird?" That will do. Her lips press into a line and her eyebrows furrow.

"Besides his snake talking, no. Why?" The snake didn't speak. Snakes can't possibly speak. The only way for humans and snakes to converse is through Parseltongue, and that is inherited by blood. That could be important, I better tell father.

"I just thought that it was weird that he came here, that's all." She seems to think nothing of the question and looks at her hands.

"Are you scared?" She whispers. Yes. I'm very much afraid.

"No," I opt to lie, "...are you?"

"Yes and no. I'm only doing this for my father. I want power but I also don't want to be labelled as evil." That's precisely how I feel. The only reason why I'm doing any of this is for mum and father. We sit for a while, not speaking, just watching the flames.

"Thanks for the blanket." she says suddenly, getting up. "I better get ready to help Potter with his first task." I almost forgot about that. Caring is weakness. Aunt Bellatrix would kill me if she found out. Oh well.

I head upstairs behind her but go to my dorm instead.

Everyone is now up. The sun's reflection on the water brightens the room. I can't believe I was downstairs for so long.

"Where have you been?" asks Blaise, looking up from a book. He puts it down and pulls on a jumper over his white button up.

"In the common room with Aenigma." I say heading over to my desk to write to mum.

"Damn," he says, walking over to me, "I'd ask her out if she weren't fucking Diggory and kissing Potter's arse." I guess that is what it looks like to everyone. No one else knows that it isn't her voluntary choice. I feel like she really does hate Potter. 

"Man," he says sitting down next to me at his own desk, "she's hot." I raise my eyebrows at him.

"What? Literally everyone thinks that. She's just too scary for anyone to try and approach. Personally, I think it adds to the effect," he leans back in the chair. 

"She's not scary at all; you lot are just chickens. And I find it hard to believe people think that." Mira is not afraid of talking back like everyone else is. People probably think it's hot that she can argue with her superiors.

"You only think that because girls think of you the exact same way that we think of her. You two are oblivious to what you do the opposite gender." Blaise says. I shake my head dismissively.  I think of all the times she's been a straight bitch to me. I guess that could be seen as attractive to some. It shows bravery, I guess.

"She really beat your ass yesterday." he adds after a while.

"I let her." I simply say, deciding to keep my mouth shut for the first time. Usually I'll fire back with an insult, but I can't have Zabini think I'm defending her. After all, she is typically disrespectful to me and doesn't deserve that. But recently, she hasn't been that awful.