Bright

-14-

trigger warning: mentions of r*pe

Elle woke up relieved that classes would not be occurring today. With the second task of the tri wizard tournament underway, she had the day to relax. After last week, it was definitely a necessity.

She sat up from her warm duvet cover and felt the cold breeze that ran through her room. God, she hated cold mornings. Getting out of bed was exhausting for her, but she was going to push through. She had to talk to Draco.

She felt horrible that Draco found out the way that he did, and she wanted nothing more than to get the courage and apologize to him. She felt like she owed him that much.

She made her way to her dresser to retrieve her clothes. She wanted maximum comfort, but she still needed to look presentable. So, she opted for black leggings and a beautiful emerald green sweater. Her black hair curled using magic. She felt put together. She felt like herself. This is what she needed after not being put together in so long.

She slipped on her favorite pair of black boots and made her way out to the common room. She was greeted by a flock of people who all asked her if she was okay. I guess news spreads fast in Slytherin. Better question would be who told? Her team finding out was one thing, but the whole house finding out was just too much. She didn't want that. She'd have to ask Draco.

She caught sight of Pansy and Blaise sitting by the fireplace, but no Draco.

"Hey Pans!"

"Hey sleepyhead! Are you feeling any better?"

"Yeah" she said not as enthusiastically. She had felt better on the surface, but her insides were screaming both physically and mentally. She felt like she was going to hurl at the thought of the whole house of Slytherin potentially knowing that she was hurt by Pucey in unspeakable ways. Her knuckles were also really sore... she was okay with that pain. But mentally, despite the cover that she put on, she was in no way okay. Her life was just exposed to more people than she ever wanted it to be, and she only had one person to blame for that. A broken nose wasn't enough. She needed more.

"Hey, have you guys seen Draco anywhere?"

"Yeah, he should be in the Astronomy Tower. That's where he usually is if he isn't with you." Blaise said with a chuckle behind it.

That is true, Draco has stuck by Elle's side most of the week. Ever since that night, he has been keen to never let her out of his sight. She sat by him at every meal, and she didn't want it any other way. The only time that she didn't see him was when she was in her room with Pansy.

"Thanks, Blaise," Elle said. As she made her way out of the common room, she couldn't help but feel like people were staring at her. What did she do wrong? It wasn't her fault... was it?

She made her way through the cold school that was filled with students trying to get from the great hall to go outside where the second task was. She was tempted to watch, but she had more important things to take care of today.

Zig zagging through hustling bodies trying to catch boats, or so Elle heard, was harder than it needed to be. But once she got out of the main sea of students on the first floor, she had an easier time getting to the astronomy tower. Even though she knew that Slytherin was the only house that knew, she felt like all eyes were on her. From every house.

She finally found sanctuary in the astronomy tower. As the door shut behind her, she saw a disgruntled Draco leaning on the window sill of the astronomy tower. Wow, he was a violent thinker. He looked about ready to murder someone.

"I swear to Merlin, Blaise, if you are here to-" Draco turned to see Elle standing by the door with her hands behind her back. "Sorry, I thought you were someone else."