The days after my midnight meeting with Draco passed like fragments of a fever dream - disjointed moments of hushed conversations, uneasy silences, and the feeling that something was lurking just out of sight. I couldn't shake the sense that i was being watched, not just by Draco, but by shadows in the corridors, eyes i couldn't see.
Theo tried to bridge the growing distance between us, but i could feel his frustration simmering beneath his patient exterior. Each time he reached for my hand or met my gaze with that quiet, earnest intensity, a part of me wanted to confess everything. But the warning in Draco's words held me back, a constant reminder that revealing the truth might put him in more danger than he could imagine.
Still, pretending was exhausting. By the time our next Potions lesson rolled around, i felt like a puppet, pulled between my conflicting loyalties and the weight of what i couldn't say.
Professor Slughorn had just set us on a difficult assignment, a potion meant to induce clarity of mind. Ironically, i felt like i was drowning in confusion. My hands shook slightly as i chopped the ingredients, the repetitive motion a small distraction from the storm inside me.
Across the table, Theo watched me carefully, his brow furrowed. He wasn't bothering to hide his concern anymore; he didn't need to. We were lovers, i think, and he could sense every tremor in my hands, every breath i took that was just slightly too shallow.
"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked softly, not for the first time.
I forced a smile, though it felt paper-thin. "I'm fine, just tired."
His eyes narrowed slightly, the disbelief clear in his expression. Theo wasn't easy to fool - he could read me too well for that. "You've been 'tired' a lot lately," he said, his voice low but pointed. "Is there something you're not telling me?"
There it was - the opening he'd been waiting for. A chance to pull back the veil of half-truths and finally be honest with him. My throat felt tight, and i swallowed hard, trying to push past the fear that threatened to choke me.
"I-" I started, but a flash of movement to my right caught my attention, and the words died on my lips. Blaise Zabini had approached our table, his usual relaxed demeanor replaced by something more serious.
"Slughorn wants to see you," Blaise said, his gaze flicking between me and Theo with a mixture of curiosity and caution. "Both of you."
Theo exchanged a wary glance with me, and i could see the same questions swirling in his eyes: What does Slughorn want? Why now?
Blaise didn't offer any further explanation, and as we followed him to Slughorn's office, i couldn't help but feel like we were being led to some kind of reckoning.
Slughorn's office was warm and inviting, a stark contrast to the unease twisting in my gut. The professor sat behind his cluttered desk, a small smile playing on his lips as he welcomed us in. But there was something off about his expression, a hint of concern lurking behind his eyes.
"Ah, Miss Selwyn, Mr. Nott," Slughorn said, gesturing for us to take a seat. "I hope i'm not interrupting anything too important."
"Not at all, Professor," Theo replied, his voice carefully polite. "What's this about?"
Slughorn leaned back in his chair, folding his hands in front of him. "I've been hearing some... interesting things lately," he said, his tone casual, but his gaze sharp. "Rumors about old alliances and new tensions. And as your Head of House, i feel it's my duty to ensure that all my students are well-informed and - if i may be so bold - safe."
I felt my heart skip a beat, the implications of his words hitting me like a punch to the gut. Slughorn wasn't just talking about general gossip - he was hinting at something more specific, something that felt uncomfortably close to what Draco had warned me about.
