Book 1: Of Thorns & Roses

19: Of Stolen things

Once we arrived at the old castle, Harry dragged me through the corridors and into an abandoned broom closet. This felt all too familiar.

I wished Draco could have stayed, but break wasn't quite over and he didn't want his father to become even more suspicious.

"Tell me everything that you saw while you were unconscious Grier," Harry exclaimed with wild eyes.

"I-um, well I saw the Dark Lord's disturbing face in my head, and heard echoing voices. The sounded right next to me, yet far away all at once," I looked everywhere but at Harry with fear of what this might mean, "Eventually, the only voice that I could hear was his... 'You have no idea what is to come, girl.'"

My heart berated itself against my tightened chest like the dread that was overcoming my senses was spreading into far worse places.

"Oh god Grier, that's not good. I experience the same type of thing..." His voice trailed off into a mumbling of possible theories. "The night your mother died, are you sure he wasn't there?"

I shook my head in a confident response, "No." My mind was twisting at the thought that I was somehow connected to the Dark Lord... Was he there? Had the Cruciatus Curse led me to become tangled in the web of this dark wizard?

Letting out a heavy breath, I ran my fingers through my hair like a nervous tick, "I'm terrified Harry. I still don't know who or what has been harassing me." I bit my lip trying to admonish the tears that were forming in my eyes.

"We're in this together, Grier," Harry gave me a warm smile and pulled me into a tight hug, "You're not alone. I can assure you that much."

I smiled, more to myself than anything else because he was right. I had a rally of people who would do anything to help me, and I them. Draco. Hermione. Fred. George. Ron. Harry. Dumbledore.

I couldn't help but feel guilty. Why was I so worthy to be helped? I was a Hufflepuff, but I wasn't afraid to, quite frankly, be a badass.

Stuck in my own thoughts, trails of misgivings and unfathomable events lingered in my wake, ticking like a time bomb. Something would happen. The bomb would implode.

****************

After continuing our conversation, Harry and I still had no idea what was going on with me ever since I had arrived at Hogwarts. Besides the point that Voldemort had to be involved. It was the only rational explanation.

We quietly exited the broom closet, which wasn't really necessary considering most students wouldn't be back from break for another week.

Wandering the halls, I became lost in thought.

I was worried about Draco. His task was nearing completion, considering he had almost finished the vanishing cabinet. He had showed me the contraption in the Room of Requirement, which would eventually help infiltrate the castle with Death Eaters.

He said he would warn me when the time was here, but that did nothing to ease my fears for him, Dumbledore, and the rest of the school.

Merlin I was overwhelmed.

"Grier! Want to head to the library?" Hermione yelped from across the corridor, snapping me back into reality. I giggled and nodded, heading in her direction.

She plopped her arm lazily around my shoulder as we headed towards the library.

"I'm worried about you," she said with eyes slanted in my direction.

"Honestly, so am I, but I have you and the rest of the group, which is far more than I could ever ask for Hermione," I retorted in an effort to ease her distress, which I was feeling myself.

"I don't know. I just feel like something bad is going to happen."

My eyes gripped the floor as we continued the path to our destination. I was too fearful to respond, which became a silent response in itself.

We were doomed.

As we entered the threshold of the library, we sat at our usual table in the back. Sitting across from each other, I glanced at Hermione, "I'm going to go search for a book to read."

She simply mumbled in response as she unpacked her school things, which led me to wander the shelves.

It was eerily quiet. Even the librarian wasn't in sight, leading me to yearn for exploration in the restricted section. I had to learn what was happening to me before it was too late.

Slipping through the entrance of the forbidden section, I ran my fingers along the ancient spine of thick books that oozed death and quiet misfortune.

I pulled some from the shelves, mostly about the Dark Lord and the history of attacks within the walls of Hogwarts. Wandering back to my place at the table with Hermione, I began reading the first musty pages of a book.

"Where did you find those?" Quiered Hermione in an effort to hide her curiosity.

Leaning forward onto my elbows, I whispered, "The Restricted Section." At this her eyes widened in apparent understanding.

"Let me help you Grier," she said as she stood, walking over to the area.

Scanning the pages of the book in my hand, I learned nearly nothing substantial within the ten pages I had completed before Hermione concluded her search.

"You know, we should probably leave the library since Madam Prince might return at any moment," I eagerly nodded at her words as we gathered our books and other things before bolting out of the room.

The rest of the day, Hermione and I lounged in the Gryffindor common room, perusing through the books. Snow danced through the stained glass windows as my thoughts wandered to Draco as I twirled the opal ring he gave me on my finger.

More specifically his touch.

I longed for his intoxicating touch, which had lingered on my skin in beautiful effervescence. I missed the way his eyes glided along my body, the way he handled my innocence, the way he stole it.

I couldn't help but acknowledge that something sinful would soon follow in our wake.

A/N: Sorry that this chapter is a lil boring, but it was for *plot development*! There will be much more of spicy Draco in the future. (;