Chapter 14 - Bad, bad news

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We then have to change our habits once again. Malfoy and I start to live exclusively at night. We wake up after the sunset and eat with my friends and his at the Great Hall. (We stopped hiding the fact that he can transform into a human, we considered it was useless now since Ron, Neville and the aggressor know.)

After midnight, we spend some time with our classmates to study and around midnight, when they go to bed, we continue to read on our own. At four o'clock sharp, we go to one of our teachers office to have three intensive hours of class.

Malfoy and I continue to wake up in each other's arms, but we never talk about it. He keeps dreaming about me, loudly; I keep taking too long showers. This is a rather precarious status quo. I crave to touch him every day, if I'm not careful I tend to stare intensively to his lips and every time he's too close to me, I'm captivated by his scent.

Sometimes when he's absorbed in his thoughts, his eyes wander on me. He doesn't protest when I caress his head, whether if he's a snake or a human. But he doesn't confide in me, even if I can clearly see he's keeping a lot of things quiet.

Plus, I don't dare ask him anything : if I question him, I'm sure he will clam up.

One evening, one week before the Christmas Holidays, as we are preparing for the dinner, someone knocks at our door.

"Who is it?" I ask.

"It's me, Hermione."

I step to the door and open it. She comes in as Malfoy finishes to button his shirt.

"Hello guys, how was your 'night'?" she greets us.

"Fine. How was your day?" I retort.

"Rather pleasant, I took a lot of notes. I'll let you copy and read them after dinner. I also have some letters for you..."

She hands me and Malfoy an envelope each. He rushes to take his and, seeing that Hermione and I were looking at him in surprise, he lets out a faint, embarrassed chuckle.

"Sorry... I was expecting some news from my mom..."

He opens it and takes the letter out to read it. I seize my own envelop and look at the handwriting.

"Oh, it's Mrs Weasley." (I rip the letter open.) "She says I can come to the Burrow during the holidays. She's so sweet."

"My parents accepted me to go to the Weasleys, but only for New Year's Eve. I'll spend the second week of the holidays with you and-"

"WHAT!?"

We turn to Malfoy. He grabs his bottle of ink on the desk and smashes it against the wall. Hermione shrieks.

"Wow!" I shout angrily. "What's wrong?"

He looks at us, realising we're still here. He swallows with difficulty.

"I'm sorry" he apologises hoarsely. "I've received some bad... very bad news."

He stops talking and draws the second-hand wand McGonagall gave him out of his pocket. He mutters a spell that cleans the ink on the wall and puts the inkpot back together. I suddenly notice that the letter he received is squashed into his tightened fist.

"What is it Malfoy?" Hermione questions him worryingly.

"I... This is..." (He averts his gaze and, turning to our desk, he seizes his black, wooden box.) "This is... about my mom..."

He stops again. He puts his hand on the lip of the box, it slides open under his palm. He tucks the creased letter inside of it and shuts the lip close.

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