Power and Persecution [1] || Harry Potter x OC x Draco Malfoy

70. Guard Duty

DISCLAIMER

I do not own Harry Potter ... but if I had to have one ability it would be to read minds and so that technically makes me jealous of Snape :/

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Bel woke up that morning already smiling, despite the strange whispers in her dream the night before.

"Today's the day, Gus", she spoke to her owl, perched up on a floating stand towards the roof of her room.

Bel had a strange tendency to enjoy being high up.

She had charmed multiple places around her private room to float in the air so that she could sit and glance out of the tall window placed on one of the walls, overlooking the Black Lake.

Her owl simply glanced down to her, tilting his head in confusion.

"Term starts today", Bel explained as she leapt out of bed.

It would just be later that same day at the welcome feast that Bel would finally see her friends again.

Something she had been waiting forever for at this point.

After her birthday yesterday, she was gifted with a range of new clothes to choose from.

Some, shockingly, were gifted from Malfoy.

It really did shock her to receive a gift from him at all, considering she had only found out about her birthday after visiting their Manor.

Not to mention the fact that he absolutely hated her, and she hated him with equal measure.

But she shook it off and took notice that the note attached was very obviously written by Narcissa rather than her vile son.

It was probably in an effort to replace the ones she had bought when in Diagon Alley with Draco.

She had burnt those clothes.

Because his father and mother insisted it, he had paid for every item she touched.

It made her feel both angered and cheap.

Seriously, who do they think they are?

But she had to admit, Narcissa had impeccable taste in fashion.

Bel hesitated to put on a lavish skirt and jumper that they gifted her, instead choosing the sweater she had received last Christmas from the Weasley's, a top that she had borrowed (stolen) from Tia, and her usual combination of black leggings and boots.

She also wore a bra this time around. Something she was very awkwardly gifted by Professor Sprout.

When she opened the gift yesterday, she wanted to curl up into a ball and die from embarrassment.

But someone needed to look out for her in that way.

She was only glad it wasn't Dumbledore.

She would never be able to look him in the eye again.

Instead, the headmaster had given her a very sweet gift of a charmed coat for the times in winter where she wished to visit her clearing.

Her Hufflepuff robes never really shielded her from the cold, but with a charm in the coat that maintained constant heat she knew she would be fine now.

Bel tried to tidy up her room as well as she could with a simple wandless magic spell to help her, knowing she would be staying again once Christmas came around, before summoning Gus onto her arm and heading out into the castle.