Y/N Potter?

Chapter 6: Lies?

The next morning came faster than I wanted. After Draco's strange appearance in the common room the previous night, my sleep had been restless and filled with odd dreams. The castle felt different, more mysterious, as if it were hiding secrets in every shadowed corner. Maybe it was just my nerves from all the sudden tension with Draco, or maybe there was something deeper at play.

As Quinn and I hurried to our first class of the day—Defense Against the Dark Arts—I found my thoughts wandering back to Draco's words: "Be careful who you trust." It wasn't just a warning. It felt like a threat, but I couldn't figure out what he meant. Quinn noticed my distraction as we entered the classroom, already bustling with students.

"You alright, Y/N?" she asked, nudging me gently. "You've been acting weird ever since that little talk with Malfoy."

I forced a smile, trying to shrug it off. "I'm fine. Just tired. He's been... odd lately, that's all."

Quinn rolled her eyes. "When isn't he?"

The room was already filling up as we found seats near the back. Professor Lupin stood at the front, looking ready to begin the lesson. It wasn't long before the door swung open and a trio of familiar faces walked in. I didn't know them well, but everyone seemed to be aware of them. They took their seats near the front without a glance back.

Before I could think too much about them, Professor Lupin began the lesson, and my focus shifted. Defense Against the Dark Arts had always been one of my favorite subjects, and today, we were going over hexes and how to counter them. Lupin had a calm way of teaching that made even the more difficult topics seem easy, and soon, I was lost in the rhythm of class.

But Draco wasn't done with his mind games.

As we left the classroom, I spotted him waiting outside with his usual entourage—Crabbe and Goyle flanking him like bodyguards. Quinn groaned softly beside me when she noticed them, clearly dreading another encounter.

"Just ignore him," she whispered, trying to steer me in the opposite direction.

But Draco had already seen us. With a lazy smirk, he strolled over, his posture casual but his eyes sharp. Crabbe and Goyle followed close behind, their expressions as dull as ever.

"Y/N," Draco drawled, his voice smooth as he fell into step beside me. "We seem to keep running into each other, don't we?"

"Seems like it," I muttered, not in the mood for whatever game he was playing this time.

Quinn shot him a withering glare, but Draco ignored her completely. "You should come sit with me at lunch," he suggested, his tone almost too friendly. "I think you'll find the company... enlightening."

I glanced at him, unsure whether to laugh or roll my eyes. "I'm fine where I am, thanks."

Draco's smirk widened. "Suit yourself. But don't say I didn't offer."

With that, he turned and walked away, his minions trailing after him like obedient shadows. Quinn let out an exaggerated sigh of relief once they were gone.

"What is his problem?" she muttered. "He acts like he owns the place."

"I don't know," I said, feeling the weight of his strange invitation still lingering. "But I don't trust him."

The rest of the day passed in a blur of classes and studying, but Draco's strange behavior stayed with me, gnawing at the back of my mind. There was something going on beneath the surface, and I couldn't help but feel that I was getting drawn into it, whether I wanted to or not.

By the time evening rolled around, I was too tired to think about Draco anymore. Quinn and I sat in the common room, working on our homework in relative silence. The fire crackled in the hearth, casting flickering shadows across the room. A few other Slytherins sat nearby, talking quietly or reading.

"Do you ever get the feeling something's... off?" I asked suddenly, breaking the quiet between us.

Quinn looked up from her Potions notes, raising an eyebrow. "Off? Like what?"

I hesitated, unsure how to explain the feeling that had been growing inside me since that night Draco had first approached me after class. "I don't know. Like there's something happening around us, but we don't know what it is."

Quinn shrugged, looking unconvinced. "Maybe. But this place is always weird, isn't it? I mean, it's Hogwarts."

I nodded, though the unease in my chest didn't fade. I knew Quinn was right—Hogwarts was full of strange and mysterious things. But this felt different, like there was something brewing that I couldn't quite put my finger on.

Just as I was about to go back to my homework, an owl swooped into the common room, dropping a letter right in front of me. I stared at it for a moment before slowly picking it up. It was from my parents. My stomach twisted in knots as I broke the seal and unfolded the parchment.

"Everything alright?" Quinn asked, noticing my hesitation.

"Yeah," I lied, skimming through the letter. But the truth was, it wasn't alright. My parents were worried about my grades, about me fitting in, about me being perfect in every way. They always wanted perfection. But right now, perfection was the last thing on my mind.

The more I read, the angrier I got. I could feel the tension building up inside me, threatening to spill over. They didn't get it. They didn't understand how hard it was, how much pressure I was under. And now, with Draco creeping into my life, everything felt like it was spiraling out of control.

I crumpled the letter and tossed it into the fire, watching as the flames devoured it. Quinn didn't say anything, but I could feel her eyes on me, curious but too polite to ask.

The fire crackled louder as I sank back into my seat, trying to calm the storm brewing in my chest. I had no idea what was coming next, but I knew one thing for sure—things were about to get a lot more complicated.

As the days went by, I noticed more subtle changes in the way Draco interacted with me. He would occasionally show up in the common room, always with that same infuriating smirk. He'd comment on things I was doing or make small talk, always with that air of casual superiority that grated on my nerves.

One evening, as I was studying late in the library, Draco appeared again, leaning against the bookshelf just a few feet away. I tried to ignore him, focusing intently on my Potions essay. But his presence was like a shadow, lurking at the edge of my vision.

"You know," he said suddenly, "you should really be more careful. People are talking."

I looked up, meeting his gaze. "About what?"

Draco's smirk widened. "About you. About how you're spending your time. Rumors can be quite damaging if you're not careful."

"Are you threatening me?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Not at all," Draco replied, his tone smooth and mocking. "Just giving you a friendly piece of advice."

With that, he turned and walked away, leaving me with an unsettling feeling that wouldn't go away. His words echoed in my mind as I finished my essay, each line of my parchment blurring together.

I knew something was wrong. The more I tried to push it away, the more it seemed to grow. And the worst part was, I had no idea what was really happening. All I knew was that Draco was at the center of it, and the sense of dread was only growing stronger.

As I left the library and made my way back to the common room, I couldn't shake the feeling that the walls of Hogwarts were closing in on me. The castle, once a place of wonder and excitement, now seemed to be hiding darker secrets. And I was caught in the middle, struggling to find my way through a maze of uncertainty and danger.

With every step I took, I knew that whatever was coming next, I had to be ready. I had to find out what Draco was really up to and protect myself from whatever he had planned. Because in this world of magic and mystery, secrets had a way of revealing themselves when you least expected it.