𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐅𝐚𝐝𝐞 || 𝐃.𝐌

Chapter 4 - Winter

*That same day*

Ivory's POV:

I walked through the castle, alone. The cold stone walls seemed to close in around me, their silence a stark contrast to the storm brewing inside me. Hermione and Ginny must hate me for what happened earlier. I could feel their anger, their disappointment, and I hated myself a little for it.

But that anger, that frustration, made it more tempting to do what I knew I shouldn't: meet Draco at his dorm, like he told me to. His words echoed in my mind, as clear as if he were standing right behind me: "Meet me at my dorm tonight, beautiful."

As I made my way to the Gryffindor common room, the cold air bit at my skin, and students wearing scarves and gloves hurried outside. I stopped and looked out the window for a while, letting the crisp chill wash over me.
My thoughts were still tangled from the fight earlier, the weight of Ginny and Hermione's anger heavy on my chest. But before I could sink too deep into it, a sharp tug on my arm made me freeze.

I gasped, adrenaline surging through my veins, but before I could react, a hand clamped over my mouth. My heart raced, and for a brief, fleeting moment, I thought it was Draco, coming to pull me into the shadows. But when I twisted around, ready to defend myself, the faces staring back were far from the pale, silver-eyed Draco.

Fred and George Weasley grinned at me, their identical faces lit up with mischief.

"Ivory! Are you up for some fun?" they said in unison, their voices a perfect echo.

I slapped my hand over my chest, still trying to catch my breath. "God, boys, you scared me!"

"Are we really that terrifying?" Fred quipped, arching an eyebrow. "I mean, if you look at Georgie here, we know the answer."

"Fred, we're identical," George retorted, nudging his twin.

I rolled my eyes, trying to shake off the remnants of my panic. "Stop the chattering, boys." I said firmly.

Fred blinked at me, taken aback. "Wow. She's just like our sister."

I frowned, crossing my arms. "What do you mean?"

"She was totally in a mood this morning. Any idea why?" George asked, his tone casual, but with that slight curiosity in his eyes that made it hard to keep things from spilling.

I looked down, suddenly feeling a little too exposed. I wasn't sure I was ready to explain it all, not when I wasn't even sure where I stood with myself.

"Girl problems..." I gritted out.

The twins exchanged a look of exaggerated disgust. "Oh..." they both said, almost in unison.

"Yeah... so you better not talk to her." I lowered my voice, hoping to steer them away from the real reason behind Ginny's anger.

Fred raised an eyebrow. "Oh, we're not idiots. We won't go near her. Don't worry, love. We know when to back off."

"Good." I exhaled, feeling a little relieved. The last thing I needed was for them to stir things up further.

"Well, anyway," I said, finally relaxing into the moment, "I am up for something fun." The mischievous twinkle in their eyes was contagious, and I wasn't about to let the weight of everything drag me down.

I stepped forward, ready to join in whatever wild scheme they had in store. It was a welcome distraction, even if it was only for a little while.

The twins led me outside, and a big smile spread across my face as I saw that it was snowing. I adore snow, winter is probably my favorite season of all. I stood there for a moment, slightly amazed at how much snow had fallen in such a short time. But before I could fully enjoy the scene, the twins suddenly hit me in the face with snowballs.