Home / A Shifting One-Shot

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TW: Attempted self harm, gore.

*

"i don't pay attention to the

world ending.

it has ended for me

many times

and began again in the morning."

- nayyirah waheed

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Salem opened her eyes slowly, fearing disappointment.

Disappointment was not what she found.

She did, however, find deep, velvety green curtains hanging off of her four-poster bed.

A small gasp left her lips as she sat upright, reaching out to touch the fabric of the curtains, of the bed, of herself. She could feel everything.

It was real.

She drew back the curtains and set her eyes on the still-sleeping figure of Pansy Parkinson, and couldn't help but smile.

She truly was home.

Quietly, she slipped out of bed and almost tripped in the process. She looked down; she was already in her school robes, the Slytherin crest sitting proudly above her breast. Her shoes were already on and fastened, face clean and clear, hair long and healthy.

Of course, she had scripted all of this. But she had never imagined she'd actually get to see it come into play.

It had been over two years since she first learned about shifting.

It took her a month to gather the courage to start trying.

Another to get her script together.

Another to get over the anxiety of what it would be like in her desired reality.

But that anxiety was for naught- for twenty-one months, anyway. Her motivation had started strong, but gradually faded as the time went by. Friends came and went, her grades slipped, her happiness diminished.. but Salem didn't care. She only cared about one thing.

Well, one person, specifically.

Draco Malfoy.

Her heart swelled at just the thought of the boy. She'd never met anyone like him- she'd never met him.

But she was about to.

She took a calming breath before heading downstairs, to the common room. She felt the watchful eyes of the paintings on her back as she descended, and did her best to ignore the impending sense of unease that rose within.

She couldn't help but smile as she reached the ground, until she realized the room was empty. Her brows furrowed as she looked down at her watch; eight AM.

Draco should be here, reading the Daily Prophet. Lifting his eyes as she enters the room, intrigued by the new girl's mysterious background.

Why wasn't he here?

She tried walking back up and down the flight of stairs. Nothing happened.

Strange.

She couldn't very well wait for him. She'd just have to run into him at the entrance of the Great Hall- yes, that would do. She straightened her posture and glided through the door, making her way down the corridors. She turned right, then left, because she was supposed to know the way. She was surprised to find herself back in front of the Slytherin Common Room.