𝒯𝒽ℯ 𝒫𝓇ℴ𝓂𝒾𝓈ℯ𝒹 𝒪𝓃ℯ | 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐨𝐲 |

#5 The Witch Burnings of Salems

As much as I tried that night, I couldn't sleep.

Maribel and I went to bed early this day, talking about the selection on the next evening and mainly about Maribels' fear that Cedric will actually get hurt if he's the one to attend as Hogwarts champion. She tried to hide it, but she seemed really fearful.

Although, I knew my sister. She's the kind of girl who could sleep everywhere and in a blink of an eye. Sometimes she asked me a question, but once I answered she already fell asleep. So, when I started to ramble over my full packed schedule and the classes I already had, I felt Maribel next to me drifting away in a peaceful blackness. It wasn't until Daphne and Pansy returned to the dorm and probably fell asleep right after without sharing even a gaze in our direction, that I laid alone with my swirling thoughts.

As much as I tried to hide it, this dumb annoying smirk crawled across my inner eye and this was the most annoying thing ever. But worse was the fact, that his words rang through my mind. Or better, that I knew deep down he was right.

I was a Slytherin, and I was happy to be one.

I just simply choose to not hold on the conservative ideas of education in this castle. I had to deal with this kind of thoughts at home with my parents, I didn't need it at school either. Not here, where I could partly choose who I wanna be. Of course, my name brought a burden with it too. Everybody knew about our family; everybody knew who Maribel and I were. But I could decide what other people thought of me, changing the taste of my name on other tongues.

I made friends over the last years, I found friends in people my parents wouldn't accept and so was Maribel.

As much as I tried, my mind was racing.

I stood up, carefully not to wake neither Maribel or the other girls and made my way down to the common room. I loved to sit by the fire late at night when no one was there. The eery silence when even the Bloody Baron wasn't around trying to scare the shit out of me. The portraits' eyes were closed, and the only sound was the cracking of the burning wood in the big stack.

I kneeled down at the fireplace cross-legged, felt the warmth immediately relaxing my muscles.

It was like a wave rushing through my body, easing it in an instant.

The windows facing the black lake were dark. My sister always said it was scary to not see in the night if a squid or some other creatures were looking into the common room, but I couldn't help losing myself when I looked at the darkness. I liked it.

"Don't burn yourself", a whisper right next to my ear startled me in a way, I nearly lost balance as I spun around.

Dracos' eyes shortly changed to surprise as he grabbed my shoulder to keep me from falling. As his hand remained on my arm, his expression transformed to amusement again. He was standing right behind me, looking down on my startled figure with his hair tingling his temples. Draco was wearing sweatpants and a simple black shirt, probably fresh out of bed like I was - a strange picture to be honest.

"Merlin, Malfoy. I know I'm not your favorite, but you don't have to replay the witch burnings of Salem with me", I stuttered as I disconnected his hand and stood up.

I didn't recognize how close he actually stood until my nose nearly stroked his chest, a light scent of peppermint and perfume tingled my senses. The blonde boys' eyes still on me, a strange amused sparkle in them.

"Don't worry, Fox. If I would seriously want something bad happen to you, I've already done it", he snickered as he let himself fall on the couch backwards, his arms laying on the backrest, this stupid smirk still on his lips.