PRECEDENT : Draco Malfoy II

23

I've decided that I'm not an idiot. It was a hard conclusion to reach because Malfoy's suggestion that I sneak out after hours was compelling. Going with him would make be the biggest fool on campus. I know what happened to another muggle-born when she was out at night. The Slytherins' attack on her isn't something that anyone would easily forget. Even if he weren't to betray me to him, there is the risk of getting caught by Filch, and there are concerns of drawing attention from the girls in my dorm, and there are a thousand and one problems that I've listed out in detail.

That's what doesn't make me stupid. I've thought through every risk possible. I'm not blindly walking into danger. I'm embracing it.

On the fifth floor, I find Boris Bewildered's statue. I count out the doors to the left. I get to the door. My hands press into the wood, feeling the grooves along it. I shouldn't hesitate. I'm more likely to get caught if I hang out.

So, I breathe in and whisper, "pine fresh."

The door clicks inside. It doesn't swing open. My fingers find the knob and I turn it, pushing softly.

There aren't lights on. It's pitch black inside here. I wonder if I'm too late. It's half past eleven, later than he asked, and if I did actually expect him to be here, I don't know why I expected him to wait around for me. With my wand in my hand, I'm not sure if I'm supposed to do something. Instead, I listen. My breath is so loud, and so I hold it so long I feel my throat tighten and burn. I stay still for so long that my cheeks flush and I can feel my heartbeat under the skin in my forehead, hoping to hear a sound.

Then, I open the door again. He didn't come.

My hand jerks the handle and the door slams back shut.

"Lumos," I twist my wand around, hoping to catch a glimpse of the room and some sort of hidden trap. A rune on the door which will keep me in, an assailant in the shadows, or something that will tell me what's going on.

Malfoy is next to me. Hanging practically above me, even just a bit taller than he was this summer. His one arm is up against the door behind us, holding it shut. The thundering of my heart only seems to get stronger. He was so close, and I couldn't even hear him breathe. He doesn't say anything either.

"I've got it," I manage, swallowing. "Pale skin, dark eyes. You're not a whole wizard, are you? My bet is part boggart. You seem to feed off scaring people."

"Funny," he answers, grimacing. "You're late."

He steps away, deeper into the room. With his wand, he lights a few of the lamps around the space. The Prefect bathroom is a strange place. In the Ravenclaw tower, each suite of about five girls has its own bathroom, with a standing shower. The bathrooms around Hogwarts are like this one in a sense, with marble floors and columns, and gothic architecture. Of course, none have a bath. Really, I would hesitate to call this a bath. The whole in the floor surrounded by faucets is really a swimming pool. It is as deep as one anyway, and if I wanted to I'm sure I could swim laps. The details are hard to make out with only the glow of the oil lamps, and the corners of the room past the bath are obscured.

Malfoy steps away from me. He walks over to the bath, before sitting down. His legs dangle over the edge while he sits on it. His back is to me, his grey jumper looks tight from the way he pushes his shoulders back and straightens himself. Before the summer, I never would've described him as lanky. I might now, if pressed to comment on his body. The way he stands upright, every muscle stiff no matter how strong it is, certainly doesn't help his case.

"What happened?" I still don't know why he invited me and I can't dance around my presence any longer.

Well, perhaps I could. If I were so inclined, I could come up with quip after quip to throw at him. Maybe I would make fun of how his serious demeanour is out of place in a bathroom. I could ask him why he changed into weekend clothing because I know prefects are expected to patrol in their school uniforms. I could ask if he's going to conjure a table and candles so we can have a silly little date here in the bathroom. No matter how much I get around it, I'm going to have to ask him why he called me here.