The Storm | The Sister book #3 | A Harry Potter Fanfiction

chapter thirteen

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The cold arrived quickly, a hushed white blanketing the castle and its grounds, making the inside feel especially warm. People chatter quietly in corners, exchanging excited glances at the prospect of a break from school and Christmas. The calm bubbly mood of the castle is contagious, but I still feel a weight on my chest. It pushes me down into my seat or my bed, making me tired without me having to move.

I pull my heavy winter coat on, the only piece of clothing I have that really keeps me warm. I spend most of my time in Draco's jumpers, but on some days I can barely get a word out of him, let alone permission to wear any of his clothes.

I check myself in the mirror once more, smiling at myself briefly, pinning my hair behind my ears. I put my hands in my pockets, heading towards the door. Millie, Pansy and Daphne are curled up in bed, reading the paper together, trying to get warm. Pansy looks up,

"Later bitch,"

"Love you too," I retort. She rolls her eyes, waving her arms as if to say go away.

It was my idea to go to Hogsmeade. Draco had been a bit reluctant at first but soon agreed. When I walk into the common room, Draco is standing there waiting, a dark coat on and a black bag hanging over his shoulder. He smiles weakly at me as I emerge, and when I reach his side, we start to walk towards the door. I take his arm, squeezing it and he smiles at me, his eyes briefly meeting mine.

We walk wordlessly through the castle, the silence seemingly slowing us down, but eventually, we get to the path leading to Hogsmeade. It's covered in snow up to my ankles, coating the countryside in a stark white.

I grin, letting go of Draco's arm and running ahead, I lean down scooping a handful of snow up and throwing it at him, missing ridiculously. He watches it fly past him, turning back to me and giving me a look. I pout at him, sticking out my tongue and scooping up another handful, throwing it at him and, surprisingly, hit him in the chest. He grins, grabbing a snowball himself and hurtling it at me. I dodge it just in time, laughing at him as I throw another, missing him by a long shot. He laughs at me then,

"Good shot!"

I grit my teeth, throwing another and hitting him in the face. He stands still, his mouth open and eyebrows raised. He picks up a snowball, running at me. As I turn to run away he wraps an arm around me, smooshing the snow into my face as I laugh. I spit some out, brushing it off and smiling up at him. I hesitate, then kiss him, and he kisses me for the briefest second, before pulling away. His grip on my waist loosens,

"Come on, at this rate we'll never get there." He starts to walk ahead of me, his hands in his pockets, and I follow. Why did he pull away like that? Did I do something wrong?

Finally, we arrive in Hogsmeade, and I smile warmly at the small town, dusted in white, golden light peaking out through the windows. Still, it isn't nearly as cheerful as it was a few years ago. Now people talk in hushed whispers and hurry to be inside by nightfall. They don't make eye contact, or smile, they just nod.

Draco and I walk into the Three Broomsticks, brushing off the snow and shivering. I spot Harry, Ron and Hermione at one table, and Harry's eyes fall immediately on me. Draco notices, and wraps an arm around my waist, leaning in and kissing me. The kiss is loaded with lust, but it's also territorial. It's a deep kiss, almost knocking me off my feet, and then it's over. I stand there stunned. Didn't he just pull away from a kiss a second ago? When I look back at Harry, he's looking away from me, staring at the glass of butterbeer he has before him as if he's never seen one before. We find a table, and I hang my coat on the back of my chair, leaning forward,

"What was that about?" I hiss, "He's my brother, you don't need to be all territorial."

"I just wanted to kiss you." He answers, not making eye contact. Bullshit. Anyone could tell he was lying. He leans forward, his eyes meeting mine for the first time all day, "I don't want him to think I treat you badly."

Another lie. I nod in response. When the waiter comes around, I order a Butterbeer, but Draco doesn't order anything. He instead keeps his eyes peeled for someone, though I can't tell who, and I don't ask. My Butterbeer arrives and we haven't spoken a word to each other.

"Hey," I say. Draco's eyes flutter to mine and I smile, "The first Quidditch game is in a few days and I was thinking we could go together? As a date?"

"Yeah, that would be lovely." He says, smiling, "I haven't watched a game from the stands in ages."

I smile. I've made contact. I reach my hand out and take his across the table, running my fingers up and down his hand. I bite my lip,

"I think we should talk about what happened in the common room,"

His eyes widen and he looks down, "Of course, sure. If you don't-"

"No, no, I liked it. Genuinely. Did you?" He nods in response, "I was wondering if you'd ever like to do it again, actually-"

God that was bold. What am I doing? Is there alcohol in this drink?

His eyes immediately fly up to mine, and he relaxes slightly, "Yeah, definitely." Suddenly his eyes fly from mine to something over my shoulder. I turn around, but I can't see it. He grabs his bag, squeezing my shoulder and getting up.

"I'll be back in a minute."

I open my mouth to protest, but he's gone before I can say a word. I slump back in my chair. This isn't nearly as fun as I had hoped. I take another sip of my Butterbeer. I glance over my shoulder to see Harry talking to Professor Slughorn. Suddenly, a hand is on my arm, and I look up to see Draco.

"I want to leave." He says in a monotone voice.

"Ok," I say, unsure, getting up and pulling on my coat, "Why?"

"I just-" He glances at Harry, Ron and Hermione, who are watching us, "I want to go,"

His voice is so shaky, scared, that I can't say no. I pay for my drink, taking his hand and walking out with him. He glances behind him, walking quickly.

"What's wrong?" I hiss, but he just shakes his head in response.

xxx

Hello!

I'm completely exhausted I've had such a long week but hey I'm here

Don't write at midnight kids

I value each and every one of you!

Taylor xx