daughter of wands (d.m)

XLV

"You know," Draco laughs as we approach the door to the Room of Requirement. "I'm still not convinced that you aren't taking me to have s-"

"Will you relax!" I laugh, turning the knob and pushing him in before me.

He chuckles, "Sorry! But you can't blame me... I mean we're alone, in room that no one knows about besides us..."

I pull him close to me, placing a quick peck on his lips. "If were the only ones who know about this place, how did all this stuff get in here?"

"Touché.... If that's your real last name..." He jokes with narrowed eyes.

I go to hit him but he dodges it, his blonde hair flitting off behind a book shelf as I hear his shoes running off.

"I'll find you Malfoy!" I shout, my feet springing me in his direction.

He laughs in the distance, "Not in a million years... Grindelwald!"

"Hey!" I yell back, stopping to listen for any sign of where he may be. I spin around slowly, my eyes scanning over every inch of my surroundings in search of his white hair.

Suddenly, I hear his footsteps quickly approaching behind me, but before I have time to react he shouts, "Rictusempra!"

I fall to the floor immediately, my stomach in knots as I laugh loudly. Draco stands above me triumphantly, a devilish smirk across his face as I beg him to stop.

"Draco please!" I beg, grabbing my chest as the tickling gets worse. "Draco!"

Slowly, the feeling subsides, my body laying lifeless on the floor as I breath heavily between giggles.

"That..." I say between exhales. "Was terrible."

"You're fine! I only tickled you!" He says in his defense.

I let out a short laugh, "Oh yeah, that was great! Thanks for that."

"I'm sorry, will you ever forgive me?" He says with a smile, laying down next to me on an oriental rug that's been laid out. His hand finds mine and he pulls me into his chest, my head resting on his shoulder.

We stay like this for a while, just listening to the sound of our heart beats, the harsh realities of our world settling in uncomfortably once again.

Despite his protests, I've seen a change in Draco since the Dark Lord gave his task to Blaise. He's finally starting to stand up for himself, find his voice, and most importantly, have a little fun.

I always knew he had it in him, but collapsing here on his chest after chasing each other around the Room of Requirement was something I had only ever imagined.

I sit up, meeting his expectant eyes as I run my fingers through his hair.

"Can I tell you something?" I ask quietly, the moment feeing right.

He narrows his eyes worriedly, "Should I be nervous?"

"No..." I laugh.

A silence falls between us as the words get caught in my throat, Draco eyeing me cautiously.

"Is everything okay?" He asks.

I nod, "Yes, everything's fine. Perfect actually."

He smiles, "Okay... What do you want to tell me?"

"I think," I begin, starting to stand, "Actually, I think I can show you better than I can tell you."

Another stupid idea forms in my mind as I grab his hand and pull him up, the two of us making our way through the clutter until we stand face to face with the vanishing cabinet.

"What do you have to show me?" He questions, pulling me under his arm.

I sigh, "At the meeting the other day, why was everyone laughing at you."

He shrugs, shoving his hands into his pockets. "No one believes I can do anything."

"I do," I state.

She laughs stupidly, "You'd be the only one."

I take in a deep breath, "I want to show you how much I believe in you."

He chuckles, "And how exactly are you going to do that?"

I step toward the cabinet, reaching for the knob and turning until the door is open just enough.

I turn back to him, his brow furrowed in confusion. "I trust you Draco, I trust you with my life, and so I'm going to test our work."

"What?" He says, pushing past me and shutting the door loudly. "That's ridiculous Everett, I'm not letting you do that."

"But Draco-" I start.

"No!" He interrupts me. "You're not going through there, are you crazy? We've only tested fruit, you'll get spliced, are you crazy?"

I cup his cheeks, pulling him close until our foreheads touch. "I trust you Draco..."

He sucks in a surprised breath, but before he can respond, I slip into the cabinet and slam the door shut.

"Everett!" He shouts as I stand silently in the darkness. "Everett, get out of there now!"

"Just say the spell Draco," I yell back, my hand gripping the knob tightly from inside as he tries to pry it open.

He stops pounding, his voice quieter than before. "What if something goes wrong?"

"Nothing will go wrong," I lean my head against the door, laying my open palm on the wood.

He sighs, "I can't let you do this."

"Do you trust me?" I ask, swallowing nervously.

I hear him chuckle lightly, "Of course I trust you."

I take in a deep breath, "Then say the spell. Wait a few minutes, say it again, open the door and I'll be right here."

He doesn't say anything for a moment, both of us just leaning on the door and thinking. Eventually I hear him sniffle, his shoes clicking on the floor as he steps away from the cabinet.

He takes a deep breath as I shut my eyes, his voice as smooth as butter as he utters the words, "Harmonia Nectere Passus. Harmonia Nectere Passus. Harmonia Nectere Passus."

I feel a slight gust of wind, my hair flying up quickly before settling around my shoulders. I open my eyes carefully, the inside of the cabinet looking no different than before.

Against my better judgement, I slowly open the door, the smell of incense seeping through the cracks. I stick my head out, peaking into the space to see if it worked.

To my surprise, it did, the twin to the vanishing cabinet seemed to be in a small shop somewhere, the shelves lined with small figurines of skulls and wands. I step out, curiosity getting the better of me.

"I told Draco to wait a few minutes..." I think to myself. "I have some time to explore."

The shop was empty, a 'open' sign facing me meaning the 'closed' hung to potential customers. The lights off and no one stood behind the register opposite me, I was alone.

I exit the cabinet and walk to the window, a few knick knacks on pedestals grabbing my attention. I run my hands along the intricate masks, following the cobwebs across the shelves to a glass cases holding a severed hand.

A shiver goes down my spine as I suddenly feel as if I'm being watched. I take a deep breath to center myself before turning around to return to the Room of Requirement, but before I can open the door,

Someone grabs me.

****