to be or not to be| sixth year | draco malfoy

coffee stained breath

"careless whispers."
-

The sudden disappearance of Malfoy on the Marauder's Map sent an icy shiver down my spine. My fingers hovered over the parchment, tracing his last known location in that dark, desolate hallway. But the map... sometimes it could be wrong, couldn't it? Maybe I was overthinking it. Still, the unease gnawed at me as I finally set the map down and tried to get some sleep.

But sleep didn't come. Not that night. My mind kept swirling, restless, caught in a web of confusion and suspicion. Instead, I found myself in front of the mirror, my fingers weaving through my hair, trying to perfect the strands for my special dinner with Professor Slughorn.

Camille, of course, had found her way to my bed. "Who's the special person?" she asked with a playful tilt of her head, clearly not able to hold back the curiosity.

I sighed, a small smirk tugging at the corners of my lips. "I have dinner with Professor Slughorn and a couple of other students. Remember?"

She threw herself dramatically onto my bed, rolling her eyes. "You need a boyfriend or girlfriend already. It's getting tiring seeing you mope around all day."

I froze, mid-pinning a delicate jewel into my hair. "I don't mope, Cammy."

I could almost hear the scoff in her voice as she shot me a sideways glance. "You definitely mope."

I stood up, smoothing my dress, and gave her a teasing smile. "Alright, Princess Fiona, go find your Prince Charming," she said, eyes glinting with mischief.

I rolled my eyes, half-exasperated, half-amused. I had a feeling that was going to stick, though. Princess Fiona. How charming.

The atmosphere felt lighter as I walked toward the door, but a hint of tension still clung to me, the weight of the map's cryptic message pressing against my chest. I pushed it down for now—dinner with Slughorn was supposed to be a pleasant distraction, after all.

I stepped into the common room, where Coraline was perched on a table, lazily watching me with half-closed eyes.

I grinned, turning a slow circle in front of her. "How do I look?"

She meowed, a sound that was decidedly unimpressed.

I raised an eyebrow. "Thanks for the compliment, even though it was a borderline insult." She meowed again, almost as if to say, You asked.

I couldn't help but laugh before picking her up. "You want to go see Draco?" I asked her, feeling a smidge of amusement.

Her green eyes brightened, and she pawed at my arm, eager to go. "Sure," I said, setting her down, "If you can find him."

I left the common room with a soft chuckle in my throat, and as I passed through the door, I saw Coraline dart ahead, her sleek black fur a blur as she ran off in search of Draco.

For a brief moment, I wondered what he was up to. And then, with a deep breath, I pushed the thought away and stepped toward dinner.

*

I pushed open the heavy doors of the room, the soft creak of the hinges cutting through the quiet buzz of conversation inside. The instant I stepped through, the chatter fell into a hush. Eyes turned toward me—bright smiles, gasps of surprise. The air shifted, and I felt all eyes on me, each one like a weight, pressing down with curiosity. I shifted slightly, feeling the heat creep up my neck, but I managed to grin shyly in response.

"Violet, my dear, you're here!" Professor Slughorn's voice boomed with a warmth that seemed to envelop the room. He waved enthusiastically in my direction, his face lighting up.