Bright

-18-

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TRIGGER WARNING: mentions and brief depictions of r*pe. 

READER DISCRETION ADVISED.

Elle made her way out of Snape's office and into the cold chill of the corridor that led to the Slytherin common room. She kept her head held high and refused to look at anyone. She had to keep her emotions off, she had to stay safe. She couldn't rely on using others for safety. Hearing the soft clank of her shoes against the ground, she grew closer and closer to the door.

She muttered the password she knew all too well and walked into the common room. The dark ambiance of the common room, coupled with the stark smell of cologne hit her in the face. She could never understand why, but the common room felt oddly homey. She looked around the room and saw absolutely no one, which made her happy. She could just go to her room and sleep with no questions asked.

She made the walk to her and Pansy's shared bedroom, where she was greeted with darkness and the smell of her made bed, it smelled of lavender. Her bed looked very inviting, coercing her to get under the covers and fall into a dreamless sleep.

It didn't take long for her to succumb to her tiredness, falling slowly under the influence of sleep, listening to the tune of her lullaby in her head. She repeated the words in her head, imitating the counting of sheep.

I'll take you dreaming...

Through a...

Rainy...

Just like that, she was out.

                                                                            * * * * * *

"Draco, can you tell me how to make a dreamless sleep potion?" Snape asked in his very monotonous voice.

To be frank, Draco wasn't paying an iota of attention to Snape, or any of his professors for that matter. He just wanted to see that Elle was okay, and that she could have a good rest of the year, living in peace. Just thinking about what he did to her, and how she didn't feel like she could tell him, her childhood best friend, made him very upset. Was he that unreliable as a friend?

Draco's thoughts were interrupted by Snape as he got his head smacked with a book.

"Pay attention Mr. Malfoy."

"Yes, sorry sir, I'm just out of it."

"If you are so out of it that you cannot tell me the ingredients of a dreamless sleep potion, then must I recommend St. Mungo's psychiatric facility?" Snape said sarcastically, still very monotonous.

"No sir, sorry sir." Draco said.

"Now, tell me the-" Snapes sentence was interrupted by the harsh opening of the door. Draco could feel the wind blowing in his face from the aftermath of the assault on the door.

"Ah, Mr. Pucey, I see you've managed to hit your head so hard you found the wrong classroom?" Snape shot at the boy in the doorway.

Draco thought he was in Drumstrang, or Ilvermony, or any school other than this one. Why was he here? What was going on?

"Sir, I believe this is 4th year potions?" Pucey asked. The stupidity made Draco scoff.

"Get on with it Pucey"

"Right, well, Dumbledore had me transferred into this class instead of my advanced potions."

"And why on earth would he do that, Mr. Pucey?"