From Wiltshire, With Love

Chapter 40

Author's Note: You know who's at Hogwarts, there is a trigger warning associated with this chapter. Check the chapter end notes for details if you need to.

"Accio diadem!"

Several metal crown-like pieces of jewelry decorated with baubles and patterns ranging from the delicate to gaudy, and from the complex to simple, flew at Draco from around the room. Thankful for having played as a Seeker for so many years, he holstered his wand and caught them quickly with both hands, dropping them to the floor once his hands were full in order to catch more.

After the last of the diadem-like objects in the Room of Hidden Things whizzed towards him, he looked down at a pile of about thirty. He kicked the mess with his boot, spreading them out to the sounds of clinking and scraping on the stone floor. None of them resembled the picture Hermione had showed him. He squatted down, robe fanning out, and picked them up, one by one, turning them over and tossing them to the side.

None of them. Not a single sodding one.

Of fucking course it wouldn't be that easy. Nothing involving Hermione was.

Exhaling in frustration, he stalked back to the thrice damned Vanishing Cabinet and tried to remember where he had seen the Ravenclaw diadem. Perhaps if he walked around the stacks he'd remember. He closed his eyes, ran his hand through his hair and tried to recall. Suddenly it came to him. He walked to his left with purpose. Draco made the first right, nearly knocking over a pile of books and turned to face the ugly warlock bust sitting atop an old desk.

Finally.

Carefully, he lifted the diadem off of the bust and placed it in the pocket of his robes. Almost at once, a sinister, evil presence settled around him, tiny tendrils pricking at the edge of his mind. Whatever this object was, he would be glad to rid himself of it.

Draco strode back to the entrance of the room, eager to leave the castle as soon as possible. His boots clomped heavily on the stone floors as he quickly made his way down the fifth floor corridor and descended the stairs. He turned towards the hallway leading to the castle entrance when the long wavy red hair of Alecto Carrow appeared as she stepped outside a doorway ten feet in front of him.

Sodding, buggering, fuck.

He abruptly halted and cursed his luck. Why was she even out? Severus had assured him that she taught classes now and wouldn't be wandering around the hallways. Maybe her classes had ended early.

Her eyebrows rose in delight and she sauntered over to him, swaying her hips.

"Draco!" she called out with a smile spreading on her red lips. "How wonderful that you came to visit! A shame you didn't tell me." She neared him and it took everything he could not to back away and plaster himself against the wall. Alecto crowded into his space and licked her lips.

Draco crossed his arms in front of his chest, trying to keep their bodies from touching. "Last minute business with Severus," he spoke with a twinge of regret. "Couldn't be helped. I know how busy the faculty is here, having to respond to directives from the Ministry."

A throaty laugh left her throat and she ran her hand over his upper arm, squeezing his bicep. "I would have cleared some time for you," she smiled seductively at him.

"Perhaps a raincheck then," he said with a conspiratorial wink. "I have some urgent matters to attend to back at the Manor."

Undeterred, Alecto slid her fingers underneath his forearms, forcing him to uncross them and ran her hands over his abdomen under his robe, unabashedly fingering the lines of his muscles and pressing her body against him.