Creature of Kinds [1/3] - A Draco Malfoy Love (Harry Potter)

11

A deafening silence fell between the four friends as the stood like statues in the Room of Requirement. Ron almost spoke, but choked on his tongue, resulting in an awkward gurgling noise.

"You really mean...Voldemort..?" Hermione asked to clear up any possible confusion. Her voice held a tone that suggested she hoped she was wrong.

Jinx nodded slowly in response. "..I'm so sorry," she quaked. The genuine guilt in her voice sparked sympathy in Harry's heart.

He looked her in the eyes and explained with a serious yet soft voice, "don't blame this on yourself; I'm sure you had no intention of this happening."

"Of course I didn't," Jinx blurted out with wide, horrified eyes, "but even so, he was my mess..and I couldn't even clean it up."

"You still have a chance," Hermione placed a reassuring hand on Jinx's shoulder. She then looked each of her friends in the eyes individually, "we're going to destroy him, and everything he stands for."

Hermione's motivational pep talk seemed to lighten the mood a bit. Jinx relax her tensed body, and Ron was finally able to talk again. "So.." Ron began with a crack in his voice, "you're on board for murdering your own son?"

There was a distant look in Jinx's eyes as she gazed at her red headed friend. "Tom was my son, but he died long ago," Jinx stated strongly, "Voldemort is many things, but he is not my child; not anymore."

An intense power seemed to flow out of her words and into Ron, Hermione, and Harry. They held such fiery honesty that a spark of hope had lit itself in their minds. And for a moment, nothing was impossible.

• December 1, 1995 •

The next week of school went by quickly, and Jinx was beginning to feel an unbelievable appreciation for her Gryffindor friends. Not only did they know what she was, but they knew her deepest, darkest secret. And still, they told no one. It was them who made her believe that peace was obtainable.

Yet with every passing day, she grew more anxious around Draco Malfoy. What would he say if he knew her true self? How could he continue to love someone who'd brought such wrong to the whole world?

However, Jinx pushed these fears away for the time being; it was time to practice magic with Dumbledore's Army.

"Wand up higher..that's it!" Harry shouted to a young girl. "Neville, flick your wrist with more purpose!"

Command after command, Harry marched around the room of students helping them perfect their skills. Jinx was currently working on a spell that could make someone freeze in place when Harry called everything he over to him. Multiple pairs of bright eyes awaited him to speak.

"You've all made exceptional progress over the past few months," he spoke in an excited tone, "have a good weekend and remember, if you're going to practice on you're own, be careful."

With those parting words, the groups split up. Everyone gathered their things and left with their friends, rushing back to their common rooms before curfew.

However, Jinx always found herself walking back to her dorm alone. She was, after all, the only Slytherin in Dumbledore's Army. And although she usually enjoyed these quiet times of hers, on this day worry invaded her mind. Jinx had so many secrets that she kept from Draco; practicing magic with her friends, being a magical creature, her lengthy past.

As she approached the Slytherin common room, Jinx took a deep breath in and released it slowly. It was time for Draco to know the truth about her.

With a pounding heart, Jinx entered the common room to find Draco still up, waiting for her as always. But there was something about the air that seemed heavy and tense. Jinx furrowed her eyebrows and looked at Draco's face; she knew immediately that something was wrong. His eyes stared into her own from across the room, reflecting mixed emotions of betrayal, anger, and even fear.

But before Jinx could asked what was wrong, she noticed something else that made her blood run cold. There in his right hand was an old, tattered book with a broken spine; the diary of Newt Scamander. "What is this?" Draco's voice wavered as he thrust the book out toward Jinx.

Jinx slowly approached until she stood a few feet away from him. "Draco..." she began, but couldn't find the right words. She was sure that her eyes betrayed her guilt and regret.

But Draco was unable to process this at the moment. All that was going through his head was what he'd read from the diary. "What are you?" Horror flowed out of his mouth as he spat, making Jinx flinch. She observed the book in his trembling fingers, still held out away from his body, and wished it had never been written.

And something switched in her brain. Jinx felt all of her worry and care slip away, and just let her mind fall in defeat. Draco watched all of the emotion leave her face, and realized that she was not going to answer him. He had watched her confidence drain completely. Then as if nothing was wrong, as if the diary was just a normal book, Jinx reached out and gently took it from his hand. She examined the cover for a moment in silence, traced the spine with her slim fingertips.

And before either of them knew what was happening, Draco had raced out of the common room. But Jinx didn't move; for what felt like ages she stood, staring down at the diary in her hands. With slow steps, Jinx made her way over to the couch and took a seat. Only after sitting down did all of her emotion begin to poor out. Anger at herself for keeping secrets, shame that she scared Draco, sadness that he'd left her. What was she supposed to do?

A single tear dripped from her eyelashes, landing on the stained cover of Newt's diary. But with new strength and courage, she rose up. After hiding the book securely, Jinx took the form of a sparrow and fluttered after Draco.

Without giving herself away, Jinx followed the Malfoy boy. However, once outside the castle he vanished. Shocked by the surprise disappearance, Jinx almost forgot to flap her wings for a moment. Immediately she transformed back into herself and walked over to where she'd last seen the boy.

An unexpectedly cold feeling hit her skin. Of course, it was winter now, and the air was bound to be cold. But this kind of cold was darker, and sinister. It was the kind of chill that was left to linger after the use of strong dark magic. Jinx could still feel the irrational emotions that Draco must've left with. But within just seconds, it was already fading.