IMPERIO // Draco Malfoy X Reader

Chapter 28: Slytherin Common Room, Girls Dormitory

"Put the damn light out already." Lyre grumbled, rolling over on her bed. "Some of us need our rest."

You laughed, carefully marking your place in the book you had been reading and setting it aside. You reached over Dinah and quickly snuffed the candle that was sitting on your bedside table, casting the room into complete darkness.

Pansy and Lyre sighed appreciatively.

"Goodnight." You said into the darkness around you.

Two soft good nights came floating back.

You shifted on the bed, getting more comfortable. Dinah rolled over, now sprawling out next to your pillow. You gave her a quick scratch behind the ears and kiss on the nose, smiling.

Closing your eyes, you began to drift off to dreamland.

Things had been good lately.

Draco had integrated back into the rest of the group without issue. It seemed to be the consensus that the fight was behind everyone and didn't need to be discussed anymore, which you were grateful for.

For the most part, it was like the fight had never even happened.

Theo still wouldn't be seen in the same room as Leo, but you supposed everything couldn't be perfect. And really, maybe it was better off that way.

Draco seemed to be more conscious of his health now too. He ate more at meals, and from what Blaise and Leo said, actually slept in his bed. The dark circles didn't go away entirely, and he was still late to class sometimes, but he was getting better, and that was all that mattered.

Hopefully that also meant that something had changed with his damn secret task as well - though Harry Potter seemed to be in fine health.

You rolled over in your bed.

Part of you still wanted a real apology from him. Just to hear him acknowledging what he'd done directly would have been nice. But you knew Draco. He never apologized.

Not even when you were little.

You smiled, remembering how small everyone had been first year.

You'd been taller than Blaise for a moment in time.

But then the boys had shot up - except Leo, who had always been and would always be the same height as Lyre, only a little taller than average at best - and all started taking Quidditch more seriously. There had been a while where you'd been upset that they were bigger and stronger than you, but you couldn't change nature, and quickly got over it.

You missed those times. Things had been easier then.

The biggest issue then had been a Basilik in the castle, or Dementors in the castle chasing a murderer, or a troll in the castle.

None of your friends had been trying to murder someone because their parents asked them to.

Or at least, you were pretty sure Draco's parents had asked him to.

You really couldn't blame him for being so stressed all the time, could you?

That didn't make you any less mad about how he had treated his friends - yourself included - but you could at least try and understand where he was coming from. To an extent. Your parents had never asked you to kill anyone... and you hoped they never would.

It bothered you that you couldn't be sure though.

You rolled over again, wiping thoughts of your parents from your mind.

A breeze wafted into the room, carrying with it the scent of the lake and the blooming forest. You smiled, thinking of how you'd sat out by the lake with Pansy and Lyre a few days ago to work on a Transfiguration essay. The weather had been wonderful.

Wonderful weather meant that the school year would be coming to a close again soon though, and then another summer in the manor with your parents.

You could already picture it now. The summer sun shining down on you in your room, reading, alone except for Dinah. Letters from your friends would come and go - the twins would be in France again, Blaise would be visiting his mother. Pansy would be home with her parents, and so would Draco. You might see each other for a dinner once in a while, but for the most part, you would be alone with your cat and your books and your parents who were totally not involved with the Death Eaters.

What a wonderful summer that sounded like.

You rolled over again, washing those thoughts from your mind as well. Thinking about those kinds of things would never let you get to sleep...

And neither would your cat if she didn't stop moving around.

You peeled your eyes open, trying to see her in the darkness. She was trying to wiggle under your pillow for some reason, like she was hiding from something.

You pulled her away, placing her back at the foot of your bed. She came right back though, now trying to get as close to you as possible.

"Dinah, stop." You whispered, pushing your cat away. "It's too hot for that-"

She just meowed, batting your hand away.

"What's up with the cat?" Pansy asked sleepily.

You sighed, grabbing your wand and creating a small light. "I don't know, she's acting all scared-"

"Who turned the lights back on?" Lyre asked, groggily sitting up.

"Dinahs being weird." Pansy said.

"She's usually not like this unless there's a thunderstorm or something." You said. "I don't know why she's acting all weird."

Dinah meowed again, ducking under your covers.

"Maybe we should close the window?" Pansy suggested.

"She's never had a problem with the window being open before." Lyre pointed out.

Dinah sank her claws into the meat of your thigh, gripping you for dear life.

"Ow, Dinah what are you doing?" You hissed in pain, pulling her away and tossing her off the bed. She immediately darted under it.

Pansy peered down after her. "She's all curled up by your trunk."

"You don't think there's something in here, do you?" Lure asked.

"What could have gotten in that would have spooked her that bad-" You started.

The castle tumbled all around you, loose bits of stone cascading down from the ceiling. You looked at your friends.

Something was terribly wrong.