The Hollow Beneath Hogwarts

68. I Knew You Were Trouble

After dinner, Bill Weasley and another Auror escorted the four of them back towards the dormitories.

To be honest, Sloane felt slightly ridiculous.

The castle corridors were hardly unfamiliar territory. She'd been wandering them for years. Sneaking out after curfew had practically become a Hogwarts tradition. Yet now she wasn't allowed to walk from the Great Hall to her dormitory without armed supervision.

Not that anyone seemed willing to argue. Not after what they had learned. Not after discovering that the creatures stalking the castle had a name.

Gargoyles.

Not after learning that Euan knew their names.

And definitely not after learning that Euan had apparently developed a particular interest in her, Draco, Harry and Hermione.

The corridors felt different now. Every statue made Sloane nervous. Every suit of armour. Every shadow. Every dark alcove.

Things she had walked past hundreds of times suddenly seemed threatening.

What if one of them moved?

What if one of them was watching?

What if—

She pushed the thought away.

Beside her, Draco walked with one hand firmly wrapped around his wand. His knuckles were white. His eyes never stopped moving.

Every corner. Every doorway. Every staircase. Every passing student.

He watched everything.

Sloane doubted he had blinked in the last ten minutes.

The truth was Draco wasn't really seeing the castle anymore.

All he saw was danger. Potential threats. Things that could hurt her. Things that could take her away from him.

The Great Hall would be safe.

McGonagall had practically turned it into a fortress.

Teachers. Aurors. Security systems. Protective wards.

For one night at least, Sloane would be protected.

But that didn't stop the thoughts clawing at him. Because none of this would be happening if it weren't for him.

Euan wasn't interested in Sloane because of who she was.

He was interested because of who she was to Draco.

His soulmate. His Ceangalanam. The person fate had tied to him. The person he had kissed. The person he loved.

If he had stayed away from her...

If he had kept his distance...

If he had ignored his feelings...

If he had never let himself fall in love...

Then maybe she wouldn't be in danger.

Maybe Euan would never have noticed her. Maybe she wouldn't be carrying bruises from encounters with monsters. Maybe she wouldn't be looking over her shoulder every time she walked through the castle.

The self-loathing twisted painfully in his stomach.

Draco hated himself for it. Absolutely hated himself.

The group finally reached the dormitory.

Bill exchanged a few words with the Auror before stepping aside to let them gather their belongings.