daughter of wands (d.m)

XXIII

Draco and I walk silently through the castle, the other nights events still ever present in our minds.

I'm starting to get my bearings when we reach the abandoned hallway I saw him in at the beginning of term. He looks over his shoulder to make sure no one is around and he begins to pace, his eyes closed in concentration.

The vines appear on the wall once again, weaving up the stone and intertwining to create the large door I remember so vividly.

He reaches for the knob and turns it slowly, the creaking of the wood echoing through the corridor as it opens.

We walk in the room together, Draco first and me trailing after. The place hasn't changed since I last visited, the area is still covered with clutter from front to back, cobwebs gathering on every surface.

Draco ducks in and out of view as he walks on ahead of me through the maze and by the time I catch up, we've reached the cabinet.

He doesn't look to me as he rips off the cape to reveal the huge structure, the dust making me cough.

I gaze up at his sunken face, his eyes almost glassy as he stares deeply at the wardrobe. He looked exhausted and depressed, like he had been up for nights trying to fix this massive hunk of oak.

I'm about to speak up when his voice cuts through, "This is the room of requirement. It appears to those who need it."

"So..." I start. "Why do you need this cabinet?"

"It's a vanishing cabinet, you put something in and it's transported to another one, it's twin." He says quietly, and unknown presence weighing heavy on his shoulders.

"What are you supposed to do with it?" I ask curiously.

"I have to repair it," He whispers, his voice almost shaking. He hesitates to continue, his eyes glancing sideways quickly, unsure that he trust me.

I shrug innocently, "You don't have to worry so much anymore, I guess I'm kind of working with you now..."

I jokingly shove him on the shoulder to ease the tension, but it appears to have the opposite effect.

He takes in a long hard breath, his expression a mix of anger and sadness. "Well once I- once we fix it... The death eaters can come and go as they please from the castle."

I snap my mouth shut as soon as it falls open, doing my best to hide my nerves. "Oh... So the Death Eaters want to be inside the castle?"

"Obviously," He says with a biting tone. "No one can apparate in our out of the school so, we had to find a different way."

I nod, trying my best to remain as calm as possible. "What do they want that's inside of Hogwarts."

"Don't be daft," He rolls his eyes. "What do you think they want?"

My heart beat quickens as my mind takes over all the possibilities, my thoughts landing on one promising subject.

"Harry, I'm guessing." I state quietly.

He shrugs, half-heartedly. "Not just Harry, anyone they can get their hands on. Longbottom, Lovegood, Merlin they'll probably kill each other over who gets to take down Granger and Weasley."

"Hmm," I whisper, taking everything in. "So what does this mean?"

I look behind me to the door, a school of children walking behind that wall who have no idea what's coming.

"It means that people will die," He whispers, his voice shaking. "And it will be all my fault. Our fault now, I guess."

I brush off his final comment and, against my better judgment, reach for his hand. Maybe jokes wasn't what he needed right now, maybe he just needed someone to help him.

To my surprise, he accepts my gesture, his cool fingers mixing with mine.

He looks down to me with sullen eyes and I muster up a small smile, "Well, have you fixed it yet?"

He shakes his head lightly, "No but if I'm being honest I've only tried a few times, I was kind of putting it off. Whenever I put something in, either comes back in half or never comes back at all."

"May I ask you something?" I question quietly, moving so I stand between him and the cabinet.

He nods, his eyes falling to his shoes in a rare moment of vulnerability.

"You said the other night that some people are helping you-know-who because they have to while some are doing it because they want to. Which one are you?" I ask.

He inhales deeply, thinking over his answer. "I have to. I have no choice."

His heartbroken eyes meet mine as his shoulders raise in a defeated shrug. My heart sinks to the floor as he opens his mouth to speak but nothing comes out, the guard he tried so hard to protect completely shattering.

"You know, you're nothing like I thought you were." I whisper.

He suddenly stands stiffly, clearing his throat and trying to regain some of his composure, his gaze returning to the towering hunk of wood that stands behind me.

He steps forward, his hand brushing over the detailing on the side and settling on the handle, turning it slightly. I peak over his shoulder to look inside and find a small green apple sitting at the bottom of the cabinet.

"I can't get this to go through," He says, returning to normal. "I've tried every spell."

I switch my gaze to the dark wooden frame standing double my height. I push past him and lean down, close my eyes, and place my palm on the open floor of the wardrobe.

Thousands of words and spells flow through my mind before three jump out and recite themselves in perfect harmony.

I close the door and back up a few inches from the cabinet, grabbing my wand as my lashes flutter shut for total focus. The words appear again, this time in bright colors, begging me to utter them.

I flick my wand slightly and whisper, "Harmonia Nectere Passus."

The words pulsate two more times indicating I have to repeat them.

"Harmonia Nectere Passus. Harmonia Nectere Passus."

I open my eyes, the vanishing cabinet looking no different then when I began. I look to Draco who stands behind me stunned, his mouth ajar and his eyes wide.

"How did you do that? I've never heard that spell before," He questions, his brow furrowing in confusion.

I shrug smugly, "Another one of my gifts, I guess."

Draco joins me at my side as he pants nervously, the tension rising as we both wait anxiously for something to happen, for the cabinet to give us some sort of signal that it's worked.

Draco sighs next to me and jumps forward, his fingers gripping the handle impatiently. He opens it cautiously, a groan escaping his parted lips as he looks in. I once again peak over his broad shoulder to see the apple in the same place we left it.

I push past him and grab the fruit, annoyed that my spell didn't work. I had never had a problem knowing what charm to use before but I seemed to have failed this time.

But then I feel a sticky substance ooze onto the back of my hand, the very same fragrant smell from the amortenia invigorating my nostrils.

I spin it around in my hand, an entire chunk of green skin missing from the side.

Someone had bitten it.

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