DARK SOULS ☽ 𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚏𝚘𝚢

𝔵𝔵𝔵𝔳𝔦 | sixth year

The train stops slowly, screeching to a halt at Hogsmeade Station. I've returned to my seat with Ginny, Dean, and Luna, and exit the train with them as well.

Thestrals pull the carriages along, but as soon as I look at one of them, a rough hand pushes me backwards. I almost fall over my feet as Draco pulls me with him behind the stables. "I-" I stutter, confused at his sudden touch. I was not prepared to be this close to him, so my face turns bright red.

"Use your words," He mutters into my ear. Stop it Draco, "What did you want to say to me?" 

"I don't want to talk to you," I push the pressure of his chest off of me, starting to walk back to the carriages, but he catches the hood of my robes, "Let me go!" He does, and crosses his arms. However, at this point I want to stay with him. 

"Not until you tell me why you pranced into my train car just to look at me and then leave," He chuckles, "Because I know it wasn't to say hi to your good friend Aurora."

I deny everything, "I was looking for somewhere to sit, but there wasn't a place in my own house's car."

"There was plenty of room next to me," he laughs. So arrogant. I roll my eyes, "Kidding."

"You're awful." I want to scream at him. He makes me so mad. One of his pale hands reaches up to brush a piece of my hair out of my eyes. I slap it away, "We never even talked about last year. How about you use your words and explain why you're acting so weird."

"Acting weird? We're friends, I thought we already went over this," He smirks, "Wow, you're possessive."

"And you're acting like a toddler. We aren't friends." I take in a deep breath, "We're nothing." I don't understand why I sabotage myself like this. He curls his hands into fists, obviously upset, but trying to hide it, "Have your daddy issues gotten worse or something?" I look up at him, playing with fire. 

He snaps, his hand suddenly against my throat. My breath hitches as he presses me against the wall of the stables, "Don't talk about my father." The barrier between us that he's built since last year suddenly crumbles as he pulls me towards him, crashing his mouth onto mine. He's got a weird way of forgiving, but I can't complain. 

A rustling comes from beside us, and we break away from each other, the kiss already forgotton. A thestral walks around in the clearing next to us. It seems to have been left behind from the rest of the pack as they escorted students to the castle. I approach the beast slowly. 

"What are you doing?" Draco hisses from behind me. I pat the thestral's snout. 

"Can you see them?" I look behind me, to Draco, who stands closer to me than I expected him to. He looks at my outstretched hand as if that's the only thing he can see. 

"See what?"

"I figured that you wouldn't," I pause, "You can only see them if you've seen someone die. Thestrals." I pet the skeletal horse's head, before turning around to Draco, almost running straight into his chest. 

"Someone's going to come looking for us," He says suddenly, looking out to the thestral, which must just be empty air to him, "We should get going."

❂ 

I settle into my dorm room later, thinking about the conceited boy I keep finding myself entangled with. He's so full of himself it hurts. But for some reason, everything about him is interesting to me, like a book that I so desperately want to read. 

I just want to understand him. I think about what could be between us as I fluff my pillows and get my bed ready to sleep in. Azazel is curled up at the end of my bed, and I sit there for a second to pet him and he mews. 

I get into bed, grabbing a book from my bedside table to read before bed. Since class doesn't start for a week, nobody seems to be in the dorms yet, which I thank Merlin for, because my Slytherin girls dormitory situation isn't that good this year. My roomates are Aurora, Pansy, Daphne, and Cassandra Carpathia. Not the best combination, but I'll make do. 

Daphne suddenly barges into the dormitories right as I'm cuddling up next to Azazel. Her face is red and puffy, like she's just been crying, "Daphne?"

"Y/N." She tries to hold back sobs, but they burst out of her, "I'm so sorry I didn't believe you last year. I should have." 

"It's okay, Daphne. It was a crazy story that scared people, I understand why you had your doubts," I go over to hug the crying girl, "Now tell me what's wrong."

"It's Aurora," she says between cries, "She's just different. I don't even care that she and Blaise are together, I care that she went behind my back to do it, and... I don't even think I want to believe this last part... but I think her parents might be Death Eaters."

"What?" I sit next to Daphne on her bed, grabbing my hairbrush to brush through her blonde hair. What she said shocks me. 

"I went to their house this summer, back when we were on good terms, and they were just acting suspicious and their opinions are a little... a little too pureblood for my liking. Also, Aurora's changed. She's just... darker."

"I know what you mean, I sensed that something was off about her just by looking at her," I sigh, running the brush through the knots in her hair, "It's like something changed about her aura. Do you think she has the Dark Mark? Maybe we can try to see if it's on her arm."

"I have no idea. We aren't even close anymore," she sighs as I finish brushing her hair, "Thank you, Y/N. I wish I had the courage to agree with you last year, and I'm sorry we fell apart."

She pulls me into a hug and I respond, "It's okay, Daphne, I'm always here."