DRIPS OF FANCY - draco malfoy

↳ 𝑐ℎ𝑝．14

Alvena walked through the dense trees of the Forbidden Forest with a cloud of smoke swirling around her. The air was crisp, but there was something calming about the stillness of the place. She was with Sage, Stormy, Mattheo, and Blaise, all of them lounging around and enjoying the quiet of their little escape. The group had slipped out of the castle after their afternoon lessons, looking for a little freedom from the constant swirl of classes and responsibilities.
Sage, clearly feeling the effects of the weed they'd been smoking, leaned back against a tree with a content sigh. "I'm baked," she giggled, eyes half-lidded as she stretched out her legs and settled onto the ground. Blaise sat beside her, his grin lazy as he passed the smoke between them.
Stormy, never one to shy away from a bold statement, chimed in, her voice soft but amused. "This is the life. You two are no fun, though. Just sitting there like you're in a trance."
Alvena shook her head, leaning against a nearby tree, arms crossed. "You guys are too slow," she said, smirking. "No energy to even move around. You're practically zombies."
Mattheo, who had been sitting quietly by the group, stretched out with a yawn. "I'm getting tired," he said with a casual glance around. "Think I'll join the others on the ground."
Alvena rolled her eyes playfully as Mattheo slumped down next to Sage and Blaise, letting his head fall back on the cool ground. He closed his eyes almost immediately, the calmness of the forest combined with the effects of the smoke pulling him into a deep state of relaxation.
"Lazy," Alvena muttered under her breath. She couldn't sit still for long. She pushed herself off the tree, brushing some leaves from her jacket as she turned her back on her friends. "I'll go for a walk," she said, already taking a few steps toward the deeper parts of the forest.
"Don't go too far," Stormy warned, her eyes sharp as she watched Alvena wander off. "You know it's easy to get lost in here. And it's not exactly safe."
Alvena barely heard her, too caught up in her thoughts as she walked deeper into the trees. The cool, damp air of the forest mixed with the hazy fog in her mind, and she couldn't help but feel a strange pull—something calling her to go farther, to explore beyond the familiar.
Ignoring Stormy's warning, she continued her path through the forest, her boots crunching on the fallen leaves. The deeper she went, the quieter it seemed. A strange, almost magnetic pull in the air seemed to grow stronger with each step she took, until, suddenly, she saw movement through the trees—a figure, tall and slender, almost ethereal.
It was a woman, her pale figure blending with the shadows of the forest, her steps almost soundless as she moved. Alvena felt a wave of curiosity sweep over her, and without thinking, she began to follow the woman, her heart thumping in her chest.
The woman moved gracefully, as if the trees parted for her as she passed. Alvena's feet moved quickly, but the more she followed, the more the forest seemed to shift, the trees stretching taller, their branches weaving together in patterns that were almost unnatural.
After a few minutes, Alvena found herself in a strange, empty garden. It was unlike anything she had ever seen in the forest. A beautiful stone fountain stood in the center, the water glimmering with an almost unnatural light. The air felt thick, charged, and there was a faint sense of déjà vu that hung over her, though she couldn't place why.
Drawn to the fountain, Alvena stepped closer, the cool mist spraying gently over her face. She reached out to touch the water, feeling the chill of it against her fingers. As she leaned over to peer into the water, the reflection staring back at her was... not her own.
The woman from before was there, standing behind her in the reflection, her face pale and her eyes dark, filled with an unsettling depth. Before Alvena could react, the reflection seemed to speak, her voice a haunting whisper that echoed around the garden.
"Alvena..." the woman's voice called softly, her lips never moving in sync with the words. "Alvena..."
Startled, Alvena whirled around, but there was no one there. The garden was silent again, the only sound the soft trickle of the water in the fountain.
But then, everything went black.
The next thing Alvena knew, she was lying on the ground, her head pounding as she blinked against the sudden rush of consciousness. Her friends were standing above her, faces filled with concern.
"Alvena?" Mattheo asked, his voice laced with worry as he knelt beside her. "Are you alright?"
She pushed herself up, rubbing her forehead, trying to shake off the lingering sense of unease. "I'm fine," she said, forcing a light laugh as she sat up. "Guess I smoked too much or something," she joked, even though she wasn't entirely sure what had just happened.
Blaise raised an eyebrow. "You've been acting weird for a while. Maybe we should head back before you knock yourself out again."
Sage and Stormy stood nearby, looking equally puzzled. "You were out for a minute there," Stormy said, glancing around the clearing. "You weren't even moving, like you were in some kind of trance."
Alvena stood up, brushing off her pants and shaking her head to clear the lingering fog in her mind. She didn't feel like explaining what she'd seen, or what had happened. Whatever it was—whatever she had felt in that garden—it was best left forgotten.
"Let's go," she said with a small grin, her voice steady despite the unease gnawing at her. "Dinner's starting, and I'm starving."
As the group made their way back toward the castle, Alvena couldn't shake the feeling that something had shifted in her—something that had been triggered by that strange vision. And although she didn't know what it meant yet, she had a nagging feeling that her night in the forest was far from over.