Chasing Shadows || Draco Malfoy x OC

Year 3- Ch. 14

Céline walked across the bridge, immediately seeing the two faces she dreads the most. She's learned to hate them in the past few months. She wiped her sweaty palms against her robes.

'Today is the day...' she thought to herself. She finally was going to tell them, enough was enough. The last few months were miserable but bearable, she'd been so tired from running around at their beck and call and trying to keep up with her schoolwork.

But this last month has been an utter nightmare. Not only did they want to meet almost everyday, but they also decided that she would do their essays. They also told her to start ignoring everyone who spoke to her. When she told them 'no', Hannah hexed her across an empty classroom.

She took a deep breath as she approached them by the three tall stone pillars. They stopped talking and looked at her, "about time you showed up.."  Lousie crossed her arm.

"Well did you finish it?" Hannah asked impatiently. Sticking her hand out. Céline look at the hand and back up to Hannah.

"No." She said, immediately she felt her body was spun and shoved against one of the pillars.

"What do you mean no?" She growled.

"I mean no. I didn't do it. I'm not going to do this anymore. I truly allowed you two to do this to me for far too long. I will not stand for it any longer." Céline said resolutely. Her head whipped to the side, hard, when Hannah slapped her. Her hand lifted to her cheek and flinched as it stung. She looked back at the girl incredulously.

"Who do you think you are? You think you're running this now?" Hannah let out a haughty laugh, "Need I  constantly remind you that if you don't do as I say I will tell the entire school the truth."

Céline glared at her, shaking with anger. "For the millionth time..." she huffed, "your cousin is lying! I never was—-" she was silenced again with another hard slap.

"How dare you!" She yelled.

"How dare her? HOW DARE YOU?!" The three girls looked behind them to see a furious group of Slytherins. Daphne pacing down the steps with her wand out as she casts calooshoo, causing Hannah's shoes to be stuck underneath her.

Hannah drew her wand out, only for it to be quickly removed from her grip. She looked at who did it, she saw Tracey who casted expelliarmus.

Louise, terrified, ran down the hill, only to be chased by Pansy who had her wand drawn out. You hear her yell "Locomotor Mortis!" Causing Louise to fall face first down the hill, as her legs stuck together preventing her to move.

Theodore looked at the whole scene from on top of the steps and let out a low whistle as he watched Daphne, "wow... I've never seen the girls so angry before." He grinned and turned to look at Draco, only for his grin to fall, stunned by the murderous expression Draco was giving at the Ravenclaw girl. Draco stormed down there. "I've never seen him that angry before... at least angry for someone else.." He said to himself, his grin slowly reappearing on his face.

Draco approached Céline, his frown only deepening when he saw the large red mark on her cheek. He felt another twinge in his chest, before stepping in between Céline and the stuck Ravenclaw girl. "How dare you." He growled in a low and menacing down, making everyone around him freeze.

Céline couldn't see his face from where he stood in front of her, but she felt the anger radiating off him.

Hannah scoffed at him, "How dare I? I've done nothing wrong." She crossed her arms, trying to hide her fear.

"you've done nothing wrong?!" Daphne shrieked. "You've been bullying my bestfriend for months!" She hissed, gripping her wand tightly.

"Bullying?! I'm only putting her in her place! She's the real bully!" Hannah yelled as she tried to point at Céline, only for Draco to block her more and slap the hand away. "She was a horrendous bully back in Beauxbaton last year! She almost killed a girl."

Draco looked over his shoulder, when he heard Céline whimper and saw her looking down, shaking.

Daphne rolled her eyes, "Oh, what rubbish are you on about?"

"My cousin told me that all last year this bi—"

"Watch your mouth." Draco warned.

Hannah shuddered in fear, before clearing her throat, "this girl.. had been parading around school last year, thinking she was better than others, just because she is the daughter of one of the professors. She bullied other students, especially muggle-born. Marie Ann told me that Céline harassed a poor student so much that nearing the end of the school year, she pushed her down the grand staircase at the academy."

"Oh please! And you actually believed that rubbish?" Daphne looked at her incredulously. "Céline of all people?"

Draco huffed out a laugh, causing them to all turn to him. "Are you laughing?" Hannah glared at Draco.

"I just found that interesting." He raised an eyebrow at her. "Yes, that story of a girl being pushed down a staircase is true,"

Hannah whipped her head back, "See! I told you!"

"Do not interrupt me, Ravenclaw." He warned and she shrunk a little, "Although it's true. Everhart wasn't the one who pushed them."

Hannah scoffed and crossed her arm, "is that so?"

"Yes..." he glared at her. "The one who did was your own vile cousin Marie Ann DuPont."

"Excuse me? You blame my cousin? She witnessed this as a bystander!" She yelled.

"No, she witnessed it as the offender. And the victim?" He said matter-a-factly and then stepped to the side to reveal a shaking Céline, clenching her robes so hard, her knuckles were white. "Was Everhart herself." Earning a gasp from Daphne and Tracey.

Hannah looked in between the two of them stunned. "And... and how would you know that? Where's the proof?!" She demanded.

"Did you have proof when you accused Everhart?" He questioned. She opened her mouth and then closed it, knowing she didn't. She only had what her cousin had told her. "I didn't think so. I for one did get proof that your pathetic cousin did bully and abuse and assault Everhart. Enough evidence to have your precious cousin expelled from Beauxbaton Academy. And don't think for a second I won't go to the headmistress of that school with it." Hannah's face was drained of color.

With that Céline's head snapped up to look at Draco and she grabbed his forearm. "Please don't do that, Malfoy." She mumbled. His icy gray eyes stared down at her saddened green ones. He glanced at her cheek for a moment, before sighing sharply, removing his arm out of her hold, he slowly approached the shaking Ravenclaw girl.

In a low whisper Draco threatened her, "If you ever hurt her again. As a matter of fact, if you so much as breathe in her direction or any of us. I will make you and your filthy cousin's life a living hell. That..." He looks down at her in disgust, "is a promise... and I don't break my promises." He growled, before grabbing Céline's wrist dragging her up the pathway towards the steps. "Finish up will you, I need a word with Everhart." He told Theodore as he passed him.

"It would be our pleasure." Theodore responded with an amused grin and he walked down the steps.