in the end ~ d. malfoy

Chapter Sixty-Nine

October 2016

MIDNIGHT SILENCE CAN OFTEN RESULT IN FOND MEMORIES, and as Maya silently sneaks down the deserted halls, she hopes that this escapade doesn't turn out to be another nightmare.

She should be used to it by now. The eerie, unnerving silence that seems to pervade Hogwarts at night is something that's always disturbed Maya, despite the amount of hijinks she's gotten up to in the past. There's a certain warning in the air, a caution towards an unfamiliar path. It makes the hairs prickle on the back of her neck, and as she silently jimmies the library lock open, Maya swears that she feels eyes prickling on the back of her neck. She looks over her shoulder and sees nothing but the dark expanse of the castle's brick walls.

Interesting.

Maya tightens her grip on her wand, slipping into the dark deserted library as the creak of the door makes her cringe. As she expected, the library is utterly deserted, moonlight falling over the tomes of books and shelves as a resounding silence remains. Her footsteps patter down the aisle, and Maya conjures a glowing orb from her fingertips in order for light, not wanting to risk dropping her wand if caught by surprise. It takes a few moments before she sneaks over to the entrance of the Restricted section, kneeling as she crawls below the chain stretched across the entrance before scurrying inside.

Normally, Maya would have just put in a request for materials from the Institute, seeing as though their library is miles larger than whatever Hogwarts can give her. But unfortunately, the texts she needs go beyond the lowly clearance level she's been assigned, and asking for it to be raised would generate a whole lot of suspicious attention directed toward her. Attention that — considering what she's trying to keep under wraps — would derail everything Maya came here for. So now she's slipping around Hogwarts in the dark, trying to find a book that might not even exist on these shelves.

Ah, well. The internet always has free PDFs lying around. Maybe she'll get lucky and find a leaked copy from a magical library.

Something rustles behind her, making her hair stand up on the back of her neck. Maya freezes, whipping around as the light from her hands illuminates the corner behind her. Nothing but rows of empty shelves remain, but there's another rustle to her left, and Maya gasps, stumbling. "Who's there?" She calls out, her voice hoarse and panicked.

There's no answer, but from the corner of her eye, Maya sees a tall shadow move. "I'm armed!" She calls out, gingerly stepping toward it, her footsteps light and careful, "So unless you want your face burnt off, show yourself!"

Her heart thunders as a few beats pass, and Maya swallows as the figure shifts. What once looked like a menacing black mask is now a cloak, and it slips backward to reveal a familiar shock of blond hair. Silver eyes meet Maya's in shock as Draco Malfoy exhales, sharply, "Spare me the dramatics, Rajesh."

"Malfoy?!" Maya chokes, "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Draco raises an eyebrow.

"I asked first." Maya retorts, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'm a prefect. I have every right to know." He scoffs.

"You're not on patrol." Maya scoffs, a realization coming over her.

"So?" Draco gives her an incredulous look.

"So.." Her footsteps revebrate in her ears as she steps closer to him, the gears turning quickly in her brain, "You're not supposed to be out at this hour either."

Draco's expression hardens, a certain wariness creeping into his expression, "Is that a threat?"

"Only if you give me a reason to make good on it, " Maya cocks her head to the side, a smirk playing at the corner of her mouth. There's something intoxicating about this control she has, finally learning how to grasp the upper hand in her favor.