Bound by secrets

Chapter 20

I woke up with a sense of heaviness in my chest, my head resting on Draco's shoulder as the early morning light filtered into the room. Today was the day I'd finally talk to Katie.

Anxiety swirled inside me, and I couldn't help but feel the weight of what was coming. I shifted slightly, careful not to wake him, but Draco's arm tightened around me as if he sensed my unease.

"You're worrying again, aren't you?" he muttered, his voice groggy but gentle.

I sighed. "How could I not? What if I say the wrong thing? What if she figures out why I'm really asking?"

Draco shifted, his grey eyes locking onto mine. "You've faced worse things than this, Y/N. You're strong. Katie loves you, and this isn't your fault. We'll get through this." He pressed a soft kiss to my forehead. "You've got this."

I managed a small smile, but the knot in my stomach refused to unravel. "I just hope I can pull it off."

After a few more moments of quiet, we got ready for the day, meeting Pansy, Nora, Blaise, Lucas and Theo in the Slytherin common room. The air was thick with tension, but we all pretended like it wasn't there.

"Alright, so what's the plan again?" Pansy asked, leaning back in her chair as we all gathered around. "You talk to Katie, play dumb, and see if she says anything about Arlo."

"Yeah," I nodded, fiddling with my sleeve. "I'll bring up the rumors going around about me having a long-lost brother. If she mentions Arlo, we'll know for sure."

Nora gave me an encouraging nod. "It'll be fine. I'm sure Katie has no idea what's going on, and she's probably just as confused as you are. She won't suspect anything."

We ran through the plan again before heading to the Great Hall for breakfast. The entire morning felt like a blur, and my classes dragged painfully slow. My thoughts kept drifting back to Katie and what she might say. I barely paid attention to anything the professors were saying, too caught up in my own head.

By the time dinner rolled around, my nerves were on edge. We all sat down at our usual spot at the end of the Slytherin table, waiting for Katie to arrive. I drummed my fingers against the table, watching the door anxiously.

"Relax, Y/N," Draco murmured beside me, his hand gently squeezing mine. "You'll be fine."

Finally, I spotted Katie walking in with her three best friends, laughing about something. I took a deep breath and stood up, giving my friends a quick glance before making my way over to her.

"Hey, Katie," I said, sliding into the seat next to her. "Mind if I join you?"

She looked up, smiling brightly. "Of course not! What's up?"

We made small talk for a few minutes, just catching up on school and life. I asked her how she was, how classes were going, and tried to keep things light. After a few minutes, I finally decided to start the plan.

"You know," I said casually, "I saw someone around the castle a couple of weeks ago. He kind of looked like...well, the male version of me."

Katie's laughter was immediate. "Really? That's hilarious. I didn't know you had a male twin running around Hogwarts."

I chuckled with her but quickly added, "I even heard some rumors going around...saying we both might have a long-lost brother or something. Pretty crazy, right?"

Katie's laughter died down, and for a moment, she looked like she was thinking. Then, an innocent look of realization crossed her face, and she said, "Oh, that was probably Arlo."

I kept my expression neutral, feigning confusion. "Who's Arlo?"

"Oh," she said with a light shrug, "he's our half-cousin or something. Dad asked me to let him into the castle a while back, by floo powder in the Room of Requirement. Apparently, the one in Flitwick's office was broken or something."