Irresistible (Draco Malfoy X Reader X Hogwarts Boys)

29. What Now?

Y/n's pov

My mind was a whirlwind, a chaotic storm of emotions that I couldn't untangle. Draco's coldness this morning had cut deeper than I ever thought possible. I couldn't make sense of it—how someone could hold me so tenderly one night and then act like it never happened the next day.

I wandered through the castle, trying to find some sort of refuge, some place where I could clear my head and make sense of the gnawing emptiness that was quickly consuming me. I passed by students who chatted and laughed as though the world hadn't just turned upside down. It felt like I was the only one drowning in this sea of confusion.

By the time I found myself near the Astronomy Tower, the sun was beginning to set, casting long shadows through the windows and painting the stone walls in hues of orange and gold. It was one of the most beautiful sights in the castle, but tonight it only served as a cruel reminder of how everything could change in an instant.

I leaned against the cool stone wall, letting the tears I'd been holding back finally fall. It felt like everything I thought I knew was slipping through my fingers. The warmth of Draco's arms last night felt like a distant memory, a cruel mirage that was never meant to last.

Why had he changed so suddenly? Was it something I did? Or something he was afraid to admit?

But the more I thought about it, the less sense it made. Draco had always been complicated, sure—but not like this. Not so...empty.

The strangest feeling washed over me—a sense that something wasn't right, that something was off. I tried to shake it off, chalking it up to exhaustion or the emotional toll of the day. But it lingered, like a shadow that wouldn't leave me alone.

I wrapped my arms around myself, shivering despite the warmth of the evening. I knew I needed answers, but I didn't even know where to start. Draco wasn't talking to me, and I couldn't bring myself to ask anyone else. What could I even say? That the boy who held me all night now looked at me like a stranger?

A sudden sound—soft, almost imperceptible—broke through my thoughts. I glanced around, feeling a prickling sensation at the back of my neck. The corridor was empty, but the uneasy feeling only grew stronger.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. Maybe it was just my imagination running wild, my mind playing tricks on me after everything that had happened. But then I heard it again, a faint rustling that seemed to come from just around the corner.

"Hello?" I called out, my voice sounding far too small in the vast silence of the castle. There was no answer, only the echo of my own voice bouncing off the stone walls.

Something about the silence was unsettling, like I wasn't really alone.

I turned, ready to head back to the common room, when I felt it—a presence, a weight of unseen eyes on me, watching. My heart skipped a beat, and I spun around quickly, scanning the corridor again. Nothing.

But the feeling wouldn't go away, and it wasn't just fear—there was something else. A lingering sense that something or someone was closer than I realized.

I backed away slowly, the unease growing with every step I took. It felt like I was retreating from something I couldn't see, something that was just out of sight but somehow always there.

My foot caught on a loose stone, and I stumbled, catching myself just before I fell. In that split second of panic, I could have sworn I heard it—a whisper, soft and fleeting, almost as if it was carried by the wind. But when I whipped around, there was still no one there.

"Stop it," I muttered to myself, forcing my legs to keep moving. "You're just imagining things."

But even as I said it, I wasn't sure if I believed it. I needed to get back to the common room, back to where there were other people, where I could at least feel some semblance of safety.

The feeling of being watched persisted, sending a chill down my spine. I quickened my pace, practically jogging through the corridors now, not caring how ridiculous I looked. All I knew was that I needed to be somewhere else, anywhere but here.

I didn't stop until I was back in the common room, surrounded by the familiar faces of my housemates. I collapsed onto one of the couches, my heart still racing, my mind a jumble of confusion and dread. Something wasn't right—I knew it in my gut.

As I sat there, trying to calm myself, a thought crept into my mind, one I hadn't dared to consider before.

What if this wasn't just about Draco? What if there was something—someone—else involved, someone who didn't want us to be together?

The thought chilled me to the bone, and I couldn't shake the feeling that, despite the safety of the common room, I was far from safe.