Dark Promises (A Draco Malfoy Fanfic)

Chapter 2

Knock, knock, knock.

"Password?"

"Salazar Slytherin."

"Enter." The stone wall slides open and I walk into a long, vast room where the rough stone ceiling holds onto greenish lamps. Stones are intricately carved into the wall, each placed distinctly like a puzzle. It has a certain Gothic feel to it, with its drab colors, yet so expensively upscale. A fire cracks under an elaborated sculpted mantlepiece, red and orange flames bursting from the logs.

Passing by the window, the scenery is quite beautiful: a giant squid swims in the depths of the Black Lake, almost like I was in a mysterious, underwater shipwreck. No one has seen it up close. No one but me. 

Luggages of mine have already Apparated in my dorm, waiting for me to unpack them; piles of clothes that I will rarely wear. I stop at the black obstinate door and turn the bronze handle to find Pansy Parkinson and Daphne Greengrass laughing obnoxiously.

"Oh, look at what we have here," Pansy sneers, glaring at me up and down. "For a second, I thought that the school officially banned Mudbloods. Aww, I guess not. Too bad." She giggles for a second, huffs, and then turns back to her equally vexatious companion, already bored of tormenting me.

I roll my eyes, completely ignoring the crude comment, as I stretch over to an empty bed. Green silk curtains drape over the four ancient posters, and the bedsheets are embroidered with silver thread, images of snakes slithering across the emerald hue. To my left is a wooden nightstand; a stack of books lay there, the top one being, Advanced Potions. Medieval tapestries depicting the adventures of famous Slytherins cover the walls, and silver lanterns hang from the ceilings. Nights here are calm, soothing, listening to the lake water lapping against the windows. And even when I have trouble falling asleep, I enjoy it, like a sweet tune to my ears.

A wooden trunk sits at the edge of the bed, untouched, until my hands find their way to the buckles, pushing the top up to reveal an organized set of bottle-green ties to match the black robes located underneath a variety of other uniforms. I haul my luggage closer to the box and begin the dreadful process of unpacking my possessions, contemplating how to fit everything in. 

With the two girls cackling and chattering behind me, I couldn't even hear my own thoughts. After a while, I lost count of how many times I kept putting the clothes in and taking them back out. Eventually, I gave up and got distracted by a loose string that hung from one of my blouses.

"So, Daphne, have you heard about the Slytherin Party tonight? Everyone's going to be there; dancing, drinking booze, smoking. You have to come with me." My head tilts a little to the left as I listen in, curious to know what all the furor is about. I mean, a party? I guess I wouldn't understand because I've never had a thing for social gatherings. There was never a craving or desire to go. I just went. And the only ones that I have attended were hosted by Gryffindors. Ironic, isn't it?

"Well...I don't k--" Daphne replies hesitantly. 

Pansy immediately interrupts as she continues speaking with a mischievous glint in her voice. "You know, Zabini will be there." 

Snapping out my thoughts, it takes me a moment to notice that my legs fell asleep as I've been sitting motionless in front of my trunk. If those two weren't so engrossed in their conversation, they would have pointed out my lack of ability to eavesdrop.

"That boy never misses a party. I'll just talk to him the next time I see him."

My hand grapples onto the nearest chair as I force my body to stand. I swing my legs around, pace back and forth; did any kind of ridiculous movement to shake off the temporary numbness. Out of nowhere, Pansy dramatically sighs and my attention is brought back to the conversation. Sh*t. I forgot that they were here.