In The Shadows² ★ Draco Malfoy

*Sirius Black

Ever since the dementors had attacked Harry, and Sirius Black had attacked the Gryffindor portrait, sleep had been something Briar struggled to come by easily. So right now she found herself curled up in front of the fire while the rest of the tower was asleep

So when the portrait swung open and Harry climbed through, she jumped in fear

"Oh!" She cried "I didn't expect to see you this late. What are you doing here?"

"Don't talk to me" He replied monotonously. And in the flickering light from the flames, she could see that his eyes were red and bloodshot like he had been crying

"Harry, what's wrong?" she asked, shooting up from the sofa and going around the back of it so she could face it

"Did you know?" He asked and she tilted her head in confusion "Did you know?!"

"Know what?" She replied

"That Sirius Black betrayed my parents" he whispered "They're the reason he's dead" 

"Harry..." she sighed "No I swear to you, I didn't know"

"Your dad did" Harry snapped "Our parents knew each other and Sirius is the reason mine are dead!"

"Harry I'm sorry-"

"You have no idea how this feels!" He shouted "My parents are dead! You have one!"

"Harry, my dad didn't have anything to do with it!" she cried "All he told me was that he knew your parents, I had no idea how they died I swear"

"STOP IT!" He bellowed "You play the orphan act with me, but your dad is alive! My dad died because of Sirius Black, who also killed their friend Peter Pettigrew! He got out to kill me and probably your dad too!"

"Calm down," she said

"I can't!" He shouted "When I find him I'll kill him!"

"This isn't you-"

"I don't care!" Harry shouted "I don't care!" With that he stormed past Briar and up the stairs to the boys dormitories. 

Briar now definitely knew she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight, so she pushed open the portrait door, ignoring the calls from Sir Cadogan, and quietly making her way through the dark, empty corridors. She managed to make it out of the castle unseen and stood in the brisk December air

She debated where she should go next. And for some reason the forbidden forest seemed to be the best place to clear her mind.

But as she approached the tree line, she spotted a shaggy black dog standing there, watching her curiously. She had never noticed a dog on the grounds before. Maybe it was a student's? But something about the way the dog's eyes were almost analysing her sent chills down her spine

It seemed as though it was trying to tell her something, nodding its head towards the woods. She knew she shouldn't go in, or do something stupid. But her curiosity got the better of her, so she followed the dog into the dark woods, where barely any moonlight got in, making it nearly impossible to see

But as they ventured deeper, her hair stood more on edge and her heart rate picked up more, so eventually she stopped. What was she doing? A killer was on the loose and here she was alone in the forbidden forest at night.

She quickly took a deep breath and turned around, heading back towards the castle 

"Wait" a hoarse voice called behind her and she froze. Briar glanced over her shoulder, heart pounding in her chest as she locked eyes with a man now standing where the black dog had been seconds ago

He had long, unruly black hair, which looked like it hadn't been washed in years. His visible skin was dirty, making how pale it was stand out. And he wore long, tattered clothes that looked sort of like pyjamas which also hadn't been cleaned in ages.