when a fire starts to burn | draco malfoy

CHAPTER 12

I hear voices.

I am suddenly awake again, but I still can't move my arms or legs. They're bound with something.

I keep my eyes closed, trying to focus on what I'm hearing.

"She's bound to wake up any second," a voice says. I recognize it.

"What are we going to do when she does -"

"Just do what I say and follow my lead," the familiar voice snaps to the unfamiliar voice.

With my eyes still shut, I move my hands around slowly, trying to see what I can feel. I wiggle my fingers, but all I feel is something hard, like the back of the chair.

Where am I? Why am I here?

I slowly open my eyes and see Pansy Parkinson talking to another girl that I recognize as a Slytherin. They're sitting on a plush green couch that sits in front of a roaring fire.

Was this the Slytherin common room?

Pansy's back is turned to me and the girl I recognize but don't know the name of it looking at her. Based on the way she spoke earlier and the furrowed expression on her face now, I would say she's nervous about whatever is going on.

However, the girl notices I'm awake and nudges Pansy.

"She's awake."

Pansy turns around slowly. There's a devilish grin on her face.

"Well good morning sunshine," she says, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

I narrow my eyes at her. "What am I doing here?"

"I think you know why, Grimaldi."

I can't help but roll my eyes at the girl in front of me. Seriously? She was going to kidnap me because I caught her stealing supplies from a professor's office? She saw no other way to deal with this situation?

"Did you really think this was a good idea?" I ask her.

Pansy smiles, ignoring the growing looks of doubt on the other girl's face. "It seems a bit dramatic doesn't it? But then again, I thought if I was going to talk to you about what you...saw the other night, I might as well have some fun with it."

"You're a psychopath," I spit at Pansy before turning to the other girl. "I suppose you're in on this too?"

The girl's face goes even paler than it was before but when she opens her mouth to speak, Pansy interrupts.

"Millicent is just helping me. She's here to make sure no one...interrupts us."

I instinctively go to grab my wand from my pocket before realizing I can't move, nor do I have my wand.

"Where's my wand?"

Pansy slips her hand into her robes and pulls out my wand.

"I've got it right here," she says as she dangles it in front of my face.

"So what are you going to do to me?" I ask as my eyes scan the room, looking for a way out of this mess.

"I want to make sure you're not going to tell anyone about what you saw the other night."

"Don't you think that I would have told someone by now?" I ask. "And why go through all the fuss of kidnapping me?"

"Just because you haven't yet doesn't mean you won't. And also, this is just so much more fun. I've been so bored recently," she mimics a yawn.

I haven't allowed myself to panic yet but I can't help but get a little anxious about what she plans to do next. Pansy was unpredictable and cruel. And clearly she had no problem doing something as completely insane as kidnapping another student.