The Slytherin Heiress

Chapter || 15

We make our way to Holeydukes and once inside it is Blaise's turn to shop and my turn to sneak up on Draco. He sifts through a stack of hard sour candies. I tap his shoulder and he flinches before realizing it's me. I hold a pack of gummy candies and he looks at them with disgust.

"What's that look for?" I ask with a small laugh.

"You are uncultured." He says taking the gummies from my hand and swapping them with hard candies. "These are much better."

"Who are you to decide what is uncultured in candy?" I scoff and he looks at me pointedly. "Fine I'll try them. As long as you at least try those."

"I've already tried them." He says. "I hate gummy sweets."

"Hmm, good to know." I say, popping a hard candy in my mouth.

"Watcha gettin?" Pansy asks, throwing her arms around my shoulders.

"These things because Draco says gummy candies are 'uncultured'." I say.

"What?" Pansy guffaws. "Who are you to judge."

"He's the great Draco Malfoy." I say mockingly and catch Draco's mouth twitch.

"All right can we go?" Blaise says, coming up to us. "I'm bored now."

"Yes, please." I say.

We purchase our candies and head back to the castle. This Saturday the common room is practically empty except for a few students studying for classes. Our group sits by the fire, all of us piled on the sofa. Pansy sits on Blaise's lap and I sit beside them, Draco on my other side.

We begin talking before I turn and notice Draco zoning out. His hand has a death grip on his knee and his jaw clenches. I nudge him with my shoulder and he doesn't respond. I place my hand on his leg and nudge him again. He turns to me and tightly smiles before his hand slides up his leg and catches my hand. He intertwines our fingers and tucks them between our legs on the couch. His thumb strokes mine gently as we converse.

After a while my eyes get heavy and I fight to stay awake. After a few minutes I give in and slump on the couch.

When I wake I find I had no dreams, no visions, no communication from my father. Peace envelops me as I peel my eyes open and feel weight on my head and leg. I look down to see a pale hand adorned with rings resting on my thigh. I slightly lift my head and Draco's head moves to rest on the couch instead. I look to my other side to see Blaise and Pansy nowhere to be seen.

Draco stirrs and my first instinct is to pretend I'm still asleep. I lay my head back on his shoulder and breathe as evenly as possible. He moves lightly before stilling completely. My gut turns before I feel his fingers on my cheek, pushing away the hair that has slipped free from my ponytail.

Then I feel his arms scoop under my knees and around my shoulders. I force myself to stay limp and my head bobs against his shoulder as he stands and walks up a flight of stairs. I inhale deeply and catch his cologne. The deep woodsy scent soothes me untill he lays me on a bed, the scent ripped from my nostrils. He pulls the covers over my shoulders and trails his fingers over the back of my hand.

"Goodnight Verena." He says softly.

"Draco?" Pansys groggy voice sounds somewhere beside me.

"What?" He asks.

"What are you doing?" She asks.

"Nothing. Go to sleep." He says before Pansy groans.

I hear the door close and I feel the jaws of sleep encase me.

When I wake my body is rigid from the fear of my dreams. Pansy sits beside me and shakes me awake. I find her eyes and sit up slowly.

"Jesus," Pansy says sharply. "You scared me half to death."

"What?" I ask, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"You were. . . You were talking in your sleep and screaming." She explains calmly. "Are you alright?"

"Ya I'm fine it's. . . It's just a nightmare." I say, rubbing my temples.

"You've had nightmares before, this one was different." She says. "What were you dreaming about?"

I think and all I saw was a flash of a boy red hair, a sword all engulfed in thick black smoke. And pain, so much pain.

"I can't remember." I lie. "What time is it?"

"It's five am." She explains. "Are you sure you're alright? You're sweating."

"Ya, I'm, I'm fine." I say. "I'm gonna go take a shower."

"Okay." She says, watching me with pinched brows as I exit the room.

I make my way to the bathrooms and take a hot shower. The water burns my skin for a moment before it relaxes my muscles. My mind flips over the dream, perhaps it was a vision. I brush it off. It was just a dream. Just a dream. A dream.

I finish and dress in my regular clothes, a green sweater and black pants. I comb my hair and dry it with my wand, styling it naturally as the ends brush my shoulders. I make my way to the commons room and find Pansy getting ready as well. I sit on my bed and open my sketchbook. I have filled nearly half the pages and now sketch Pansy as she does her makeup.

"Are you sure you're okay, Vee?" She asks.

"Ya I'm sure." I say, not looking up from my paper.

"You know you can tell me anything right?" She asks and I look up as she sits at the end of my bed with a grin. "Like what's happening with you and Draco."

"What do you mean?" I ask, my stomach turning.

"Don't play dumb." She says with a giddy smile. "Come on you two have been smitten for years."

"Oh whatever. You said it yourself last year you had the idea we were dating when everything was happening with well everything and you said it was ridiculous."

"Okay first of all, you're over explaining, red flag." I move to interupt her but she talks over me. "Second of all I only said that to get your reactions. Third of all you fell asleep on his shoulder last night. Fourth of all your recent little hand holding and touching. Fifth of all-"

"All right." I blurt. "I get the picture but you're wrong. Nothing is going on we're just actually friends this year and with our fathers we just found different ways to comfort eachother."

"Faith reason right there." She says. "Comforting. You don't comfort anyone. When I was crying over Tish third year you practically told me to get over it."

"That is because Tish was a bitch and you were way too god for her." I argue.

"Alright, lie to yourself and everyone else for as long as you want." She says standing. "But I see right through you, Verena Riddle."

"Ya right." I scoff under my breath. "You're ridiculous."

"Blaise thinks I am quite sensible." She smiles. "Come on I'm hungry."