Killer (Draco Malfoy)

6 - The One Eyed Witch Passage

Saturday came like a dream. I woke up exhausted, feeling heavy from all the first week lessons and homework. I went into the prefect meeting room and snuck out a cup of coffee like I usually did on mornings when I was this tired. The prefects never noticed and they didn't keep the door locked after they left so anyone could just come in. Most students were just too afraid to.

It was already 7 and I had no doubt Draco would be waiting for me early. I chugged my coffee and dressed in my casual clothes. Some plain black jeans and a dark green sweater, with a black jacket for the tunnel. I headed down the hallway, feeling anxious and hoping I wouldn't run into to Poppy who was probably already running about the castle, trying to meet new people and socialize. Something I was never very good at.

Layla!

I heard someone say and turned my head around, facing the empty hallway behind me.

You have to help me!

The voice shrieked in my ear, making my stop in my tracks and flinch my hand up to where I felt the persons hot breath on my skin. "What the fuck," I panicked, clutching my chest and closing my eyes. "Who are you? What do you want?" My words were a whisper but they felt loud in my ear.

Footsteps circled all around me but I didn't see a thing. I wanted to yell for help but I stopped myself before I could. I would be even more of a freak if everyone knew I was starting to hear voices.

Instead I kept my eyes shut and took a big, deep breath. You're not real, I told myself.

Of course I'm real, Layla. How can you say that? Don't shut me out!

I shook my head, blocking the girls voice out of my head. Suddenly footsteps were coming towards me again. It wasn't her. It sounded like her but it couldn't be. She was dead, I -

"There you are," I opened my eyes to the sound of a different voice. "I was beginning to think you stood me up. Well you look paler than usual, did you see a ghost on the way here?"

"Funny coming from you. Hello, Malfoy," I greeted in an unwelcoming way, trying to mask my trembling. I clenched my hands hard to try and steady myself.  "I hope you didn't wear anything expensive," I raised my eyebrows, examining his posh looking button up and black slacks.

He frowned. "Why? We're not crawling through a tunnel are we?" He scoffed. "Are we?" He asked again when I didn't answer and started walking towards our destination.

"Not exactly," I couldn't help but smirk as we arrived at the hunched statue. It was old and slightly cracked but still stood firmly on the ground.

"What's this? Where's the door?" He looked around, utterly confused at the haggled old witch statue in front of him.

"You really don't know the first thing about the secrets of Hogwarts, do you?"

"Whats that's supposed to mean?"

"Are you going to ask this many questions the entire time?" I snapped. "Because honestly I'm thinking of taking back my offer and dealing with the consequences."

"Excuse me for not knowing what's going on," he said sarcastically. "I didn't spend my entire fifth year running out exploring the castle like you."

"I wasn't exploring." I glared and stepped up to the statue, dismissing the conversation. I took out my wand and tapped the hump of the old witch, "Dissendium." The statue suddenly opened with a shake and a dark tunnel revealed behind it. "After you."

Draco looked almost disgusting as he squeezed through the entrance and started down the dirt tunnel. "Lumos," he cast a bright light at the end of his wand, lighting the way. After a while of silence he asked, "what were you doing then last year, if you weren't exploring?"

"What do you think I was doing?" I avoided his question but also wanted to know for myself what everyone was really thinking.

He shrugged awkwardly. "I heard a lot of different things. But I don't like to assume. Most of the gossip that goes around school halls is rubbish anyway."  I thought I detected a slight tone of bitterness in his voice but couldn't tell.

"From Pansy, I suppose." I remarked, remembering her face when she'd discovered me and Autumn in the Slytherin's hidden bathroom. I still have no idea how she knew about it, I thought the knowledge of it had long died away.

"Well, she mentioned it a few times. It's hard not to speculate what happened."

"No one has any idea of what happened." I said sharply, then cursed at myself for letting his words get to me.

"Then care to explain why you were found leaning over your dead friends bloody body, without anyone else in the room?" He tone was airing on the side of hostile but mostly still curious.

"No, I don't Draco. Especially not to someone who's blackmailing me into taking them down secret passages to do secret things they won't tell me about." I gave him a glare, but he was looking straight ahead. "I'd like our relationship to end here, thank you very much."

"Honestly, do you have anything better to be doing? I've seen you talk to one person all week. And you already told me you finished all your school work. Although I don't know how, there's a bloody load of it."

I bit my lip and walked faster, glaring at the path ahead of us. "How would you even know who I've talked to?"

"Because I know everyone."

"Oh and I'm a conversation topic with all of them, am I?"

"Sometimes."

His answer made me furious. It was one thing to know people were talking behind your back, it was something else entirely for a friend not to tell you what they were saying.

Wait friend? Friend? Draco was absolutely not my friend. Why should I be upset he's not telling me, he doesn't owe it to me. First I'm hearing voices in my mind and how I'm calling Draco Malfoy my friend. I really am going crazy.

"We're here." I stopped at a ladder, leading up to a small slab.