𝓓𝓸𝓾𝓫𝓵𝓮 𝓓𝓮𝓿𝓸𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷𝓼 - [EDITING]

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓕𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓽𝓮𝓮𝓷

When I enter back into the waking world with a yawn, I can't remember ever sleeping so soundly. A moan escapes my lips as I stretch my body so well that I shudder overcomes my body. Before even opening my eyes, I swat at my prickling nose. Then swat at it again.

I swear, if Fred or George are behind this stupid feather trick, I'm going to kill someone. No. No, not kill someone. Not again. The night comes back to me in a rush of sick reminiscence.

Blimey, I'd ruined it all. Things would never be the same with George now. Who was I kidding, it was never going to be normal in the first place! I wouldn't have a normal life. As soon as the Ministry found him, which couldn't be too far since it was three months since I did it, I would be locked away in Azkaban. Just like my mother. Just like the prisoner running loose, this Sirius Black.

"Peeves!" I hiss. "Go away!" I snatch the feather from his icy cold grasp and flick my wrist in a shooing motion, taking mind to not disrupt George's sleep. He moans in his sleep and shifts a bit, but living with so many siblings must have trained him to sleep through a thunderstorm as he doesn't wake.

He smiles in mock sweetness. "I only wanted to make sure ickle Gwenny knew she was getting stinky boy fumes all over her." He pinched his nose in disgust and mimicked waving the odor away.

"Quiet down!" I exclaim as he starts to make gagging and vomiting noises. "They're sleeping!"

Peeves only pauses for a moment to say, "You wouldn't want me to wake your captor and his jealous brother?"

"Captor? Peeves, he's not kidnapping me-"

"Too baddddd! I'm doing it anyway!" He sing-songs, floating up and swooping around me like a hawk circling his prey. Seems like Fred isn't the only one jealous of the attention I'm giving to George.

But Fred wouldn't be jealous even if he did know. What was there to be jealous of? I was being silly. Besides, they were still mad at me over Honeydukes. George was only trying to comfort me. That's all. It was my fault for waking him in the night. He was being a good friend. That was all. Nothing more.

I shrug out of George's embrace, gently repositioning his arms so they're no longer holding me hostage inside them -ha! See Peeves, if I can escape so easily, he wasn't keeping me captive!- and slip into my own sleeping bag once again. Just in time too. Professor McGonagall marches over to try and quiet the poltergeist down as he made obnoxious rooster noises. Just a moment sooner and she would've seen the cuddling. Not as though she'd do anything, but if she'd been woken, others would've as well.

George didn't do more than moan in his sleep as I moved, once again utilizing his ability to sleep through a thunderstorm. Curious, I think, that he was able to wake in the middle of the night by my muffled sob and jerking into consciousness, but not when I had an entire conversation, though it was whispered on my part, and untangled his body from mine. Unless he was awake the whole time, I realize with horror.

My cheeks redden. Blimey, if he heard the entire exchange between Peeves and I... Merlin's beard, what have I gotten myself into?

Unable to bear it any longer, I wriggle out of the warmth of the purple fabric and pad across the hall to hide in the bathrooms for as long as I can without being missed. Only a handful of other souls wander about in the land of the living, but as I make my way past a particularly Slytherin section, familiar platinum blond hair catches my eye.

"Draco!" I sigh in relief. My little cousin lifts his head from its perch on his knee and turns to my voice, eyes sagging from exhaustion. At the sight of me, he sends me a tired smile and nods his head to the door, implying he'll meet me where we won't be seen in just a minute.

I nod in acknowledgement and slip out the door after muttering 'bathroom' to Flitwick who guards the door. Like he can protect us from an escaped Azkaban prisoner and mass murderer. I should be more frightened, but I'm not. If he has anything to do with my mother, he'll kill me immediately. If I'm in the way, he'll kill me immediately. Either way, if I see him, I die. What can you do about it? My life is in the hands of fate. If the universe wants me alive, I'll live.

Draco joins me a few moments later at the doors right outside the Great Hall. Immediately, I wrap him in an embrace. "Oh Dray. What's going on?"

"Isn't that a stupid question," he says. "What's going on is the school is being surrounded by the same creatures meant to be keeping your mother in prison, your father is coming to kill the thing that nearly killed me, and a mass murderer is on the lose looking for your little friend, Potter."

"Woah, woah, woah," I say. Dread takes up residence in the pit of my stomach. "What about my father?"

"Haven't you heard?" Draco eyes me warily, as though I've gone mad. "The hippogriff. That attacked me." He points to his arm in its sling. Clearly no longer injured as he didn't even flinch when I squeezed it within my tight embrace. "My father has convinced the Ministry to put that stupid creature down, as it should be."

I nod, urging him on, but he seems to be finished. My voice wobbles as I speak, garbled by the lump in my throat. "And my father. He's coming? He's the executioner?"

"That is his job, is it not?" Draco has no idea why I've gone so pale. He doesn't know what I've done. I'd thought that meant I'd gotten away with it, but clearly I haven't. You can't get away with something if you never finished the job.

My father is alive.

I tried to murder him.

And now, he's coming to Hogwarts.

*A/N Chapter FOURTEEN?!?! Already?? It seems like I started writing this one yesterday!! Where has the time gone? Also, how many of those chapters were fluff...? Oh well. I hope you enjoyed!! Bit of a juicy chapter, I think. Don't forget to comment! Reading them always makes my day! I love you all <3 *