Chasing Shadows || Draco Malfoy x OC

Year 4- Ch. 50

The next morning, Céline woke up feeling groggy, she tossed and turned the whole night. The nightmares that haunted her sleep all second year and the summer after, had paid her a visit again.

It had been a while since she had nightmares of her second year. She felt as though being at Hogwarts had really helped her heal a bit.

She got out of bed and went to go shower and get ready for her day. When she came back, her roommates were already up. Pansy had left for breakfast, but Tracey and Daphne stayed and waited.

Céline smiled at them, "Good morning."

"How are you feeling?" Daphne asked with a concerned look. "Malfoy told us that you had cried yourself to sleep. Which, by the way, is going to be a separate topic on its own later."

Céline thought back to the night before and how she cried in front of Draco. How he had been there to comfort her. Her cheeks had a tinge of pink to it.

"Oh.. yeah. I'm a bit better, now that I've rested." She faded a little. "I had come down for dinner after visiting Hermione in the Hospital wing. Unfortunately, I ran into Marie Ann and Manon." She said looking at her hands. When she looked up at her best friends, they looked a bit confused.

"Marie Ann is the main girl who bullied me, she was the one to spoke to me when they had first arrived. Manon is her best friend that took part in a lot of it. They had broken away from their group when they saw me coming down the stairs last night."

"Did they attack you?" Tracey asked.

"No... they approached me, though. I think that triggered me. I felt frozen, it didn't help that I was on a staircase either. It had only been a couple of minutes before Cedric came down. And quickly after, Harry and the professors, including Madame Maxime had appeared too. So they left."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that alone. Im also glad that Diggory came to the rescue." Daphne said, as she came up to Céline to give her a hug.

"I feel embarrassed that I cried. They didn't even do anything..." Céline sighed.

"You shouldn't feel embarrassed." Said Tracey, "just because they didn't do anything now, doesn't mean they didn't do anything before. That overwhelming feeling you got when they came to you, was enough to bring back memories you've been wanting to forget."

"I just thought... that I was fine, now. But I was wrong, so much anxiety flooded my mind the moment they were just a foot away. But, I suppose, every time I did see them from afar, I was with someone, so that's probably why I was fine." Céline said solemnly.

"Why don't you go to Dumbledore and see if he can do anything? Maybe he can have them go back, since their school has a champion now." Daphne suggested.

"I can't." Céline shook her head, "if I asked him to do that, Madame Maxime would ask him why he was kicking two of her students out. If she does that, he would have to tell her the truth. If he does that.."

"She'll have to bring it up with your parents..." Daphne finished. She nodded.

"Honestly, the best I could do is just avoid them as best as I can and hope the year ends fast." Céline sighed, running her hands through her damp hair.

"Don't worry we'll be here with you, you're not alone anymore, you have people now." Daphne said giving her a reassuring pat on her back.

Céline smiled at them, "I truly appreciate you guys so much."

Céline walked over to her bedside table and pulled out her hairbrush from her drawer. When she looked back at her friends they were still staring at her.