THE VISION THIEF - D. MALFOY

27. visions

I cringe at the squishing sound each step I take makes as I finally burst in through the doors of the castle.  The warm, dry castle. I yank a hand through my soaking wet hair and shiver at the feeling of my cold wet clothes, clinging to my body 

I can hear the rain now pounding down on each window I pass. It streams down the glass so heavily that it's nearly impossible to see outside. I furrow my brow. I wonder how such an intense storm just came out of nowhere. 

I take long strides, eager to change into dry clothes, and clear my head from what I saw. Vision or not, there was no denying what I had seen. I shiver lightly, shoving my hair out of my face as I round the corner. 

I look down the corridor in confusion. It was dark outside now, but nearly all hallways in the castle remain lit when it is dark. This one, however, is pitch black and I can only see a few feet ahead of me. I shake my head, figuring I must've taken a wrong turn. After all, this castle still is quite a maze to me. I whirl around, but my heart sinks to the depths of my stomach when another long stretch of a dark corridor is behind me. That's when I look around and notice I'm completely in the dark. 

A blinding flash of lightning illuminates the dark corridor through one of the tall windows, and when the flash strikes, so do the visions. The sounds of a bustling city life as I see a yellow taxi. An American flag waving high in the sky. And the most shocking, a picture sitting on a nightstand of both my real parents, holding me, a newborn baby in their arms. 

When I open my eyes, everything is back to normal. I stand in a fully lit hallway, like nothing had ever happened. I stand frozen, unmoving, trying to make sense of everything I had just seen. My hands begin to tremble. My whole body begins to shake. Maybe it's the cold, wet clothes sticking to my skin, but I can't control the trembling sensation as I struggle to catch my breath. 

I take a deep breath, afraid to close my eyes, fearing what I might see next. The images made no sense. Why was I seeing this stuff, and why so suddenly? Of course, they were harmless, and random. But something about it all felt so unsettling. I begin walking once more. Why had I seen a photo of my parents and I? The only photo we ever got together. 

That's when I stop dead in my tracks and fight the light gasp that leaves my parted lips. What if - by some miracle, these were clues to where my father was? My mother had told me I would find all the answers. When I had asked her how I would find him, at the time her response was frustratingly vague. But maybe, just maybe, she knew I would find small answers along the way.  And maybe I was insane. Maybe I was seeing these images, and I was just crazy. But something deep inside me wouldn't let myself believe that. 

I furrow my brows, and square my shoulders. I had to see Minerva. Maybe she would have answers. I walk with purpose and determination. I need to see her right away, of course after I change my clothes. But I can't wait much longer. I'm much too confused, and curious to wait around. 

I'm almost to the common room, and I take a sharp turn when I nearly run into somebody. I stop myself, quickly moving back and avoiding crashing into them. I look up directly into Malfoy's confused gaze. 

We stare at each other, for just a second, neither of us says a word. He looks me up and down, his brow knitting together. "My God, Did you jump into the lake?" He says, a harsh tone to his voice. I roll my eyes. "Doesn't matter," I snap, and try to move around him, eager to get away from him. 

His arm reaches out, his large hand encircling my whole wrist as he pulls me back. "What are you up to Ashwood?" He retorts. "Why do you care so suddenly?" I ask, feeling annoyed. "I don't care," he mutters. 

"Yeah?" I pause, "Sure looks like it," I say as I nod my head towards his hand on my wrist, keeping me in place.  He lets go and takes a few steps back. "Nice of you to show up today," I say, before he can even respond.