(1) 𝐍𝐄𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐇𝐄 | d. m

Chapter ten

Draco

Three months ago

No matter where I stood with Lane at this point, nothing seemed to calm my nerves about the task at hand. I knew what I had been ordered to do and I would do it, only problem was — I didn't know how.

I had been bragging to my fellow Slytherins about my new found position and challenge, but no amount of attention would sooth my already troubled mind. I had no idea what I was going to do, and this made me ever so terrified. And as if that wasn't enough, I had my so called 'relationship' with Lane to worry about.

The shining moon made the otherwise villainous looking Manor even more mysterious. The misty evening set the tone for disaster and everything felt hopeless. I spent whatever time I could at home, clearing my mind. Not that it helped. I kept thinking about that Potter and how he had been hiding overhead, in the luggage compartment, listening in on my conversation with Pansy and the boys. I had then proceeded to break his nose after using a Full-Body Bind Curse to paralyse him and hopefully that would throw him off my scent for awhile. It felt good though, to avenge my father. Even though that feeling of satisfaction didn't last.

One day, after having spent hours terrorising my own mind in an effort to come up with any sort of plan to execute my task, I realised something that would change everything.

In my fifth year at Hogwarts, I was told by Graham Montague, another Slytherin, that he had been forced into a cabinet by the Weasley twins and as a last resort to free himself, he had proceeded to Apparate out of the limbo space to which he had vanished. I also remembered that Montague had told me something about him being able to hear whatever voices entered the cabinet from the school as well as the sounds that entered the cabinets twin. Apparently, there was a cabinet just like it, in Borgin and Burke's. The other one, however, was broken and needed to be fixed for it to work.

That's when the idea came to me. If I fix the broken cabinet, I will be able to Apparate between them. Maybe even get the Death Eaters into Hogwarts via it. I thought to myself, impressed by my own skillt, but all the more worried for the things to come. In order for this to work, I have to practice blocking jinxes nonverbally.

And that means — going back to school.

***

September

Delaney

Even though I had told my brain not to, all I could seem to think about was Draco. His voice telling me I was ugly, his grin being forever imprinted into my mind, and the way they he seemed, distracted. Distant. Unlike himself in every way.

The summer break gave me some head space to think about everything else going on in my life, or at least attempt to. How I had just gotten one of my best friends to trust me again and how I was still struggling with making plans for my mission to kill one of the most powerful wizards who ever lived. Just another Tuesday at Hogwarts, in other words. This paus however, proved to be short. Because when we returned to school what felt like seconds later, I was right back were I started. The only difference was — my knees seemed to be weaker than before. I don't suppose he wanted anyone to notice, but I could see through his act, that he was pretending that everything was alright. I don't know what it was, but something made me feel as if he was troubled by something other than our last conversation. He had gone out of his way to prove to me that I didn't mean anything to him, after all. So his unusual demeanour, must have had to do with something else.

In potions class, he seemed to actually make an effort to take part in whatever we were supposed to be doing, and when time came to learn how to cast non-verbal jinxes, he actually stepped forward.

"Excellent, Malfoy. So why don't you pair up with Miss Ross for this exercise?", professor Lupin had a surprised smile stretched across his scarred face. "You remember what we talked about? Try to empty your minds of everything else other than the spell, yeah?".  I could see the disappointment in Draco's eyes as we stood opposite each other, wand in hand. I tried not to show him whatever I was feeling, and whatever I was feeling was anything but happy. I had tried my very best to think about anything but Draco, and even though I had failed miserably at that, I wasn't exactly jumping up and down with excitement over being paired with him. Unfortunately, I think that was noticeable.

"Let's get this over with, shall we?", I said, preparing for whatever attack he would come at me with.

"Oh, don't be like that, Ross. I'll be sure to go easy on you".

"Oh, I'm sure you will".

He was now grinning, making me more and more anxious for the lesson to be over so that I could leave and never come back. Of course, I would never do that.

The first jinx hit me like a Quaffle to the groin, and I was pretty sure Draco had just cast a Knockback Jinx, because the moment I realized what had happened, I was laying on the stone floor, a few good feet away from were I had been standing. I felt weird, but not weak. No, quite the opposite. The realisation of what had happened, made all of the feelings I had felt and all the thoughts I had been thinking up to that point, rise to the surface. I was confused but mostly angry and hurt. Before I could think too much about it though, I felt myself raising my wand in the air, wanting badly to scream until my lungs expired. However, this was a DADA lesson, and I wanted to remain at the top of my class. The words of some stupid boy wouldn't bring me down.

Levicorpus!

Less than a millisecond after the word entered my brain, I noticed how Draco was being hoisted into the air, by his ankles. His grin had for sure left his face, and he was now struggling to get down.

That's when I realized that I had started to smile instead. I had spent so many nights crying over this boy, and here I was, looking at him being hung from the air.

Something made me feel like I would remember this for a very long time.

***

After class, and after Professor Lupin had ordered me to say the incantation of the counter-jinx to bring him down, I marched right back to the Great Hall, still smiling.

"Look who's in a good mood", Neville said, as I sat down next to him and opposite Luna. They were again, stuffing their faces with whatever food they could get a hand on. Without saying a word and with the smile still stretched over my face, I took a bite of a green apple and helped myself to some mince pie.

"Well, what can I say? I had a good day.".

I could sense that Neville and Luna had no idea what I was talking about and why I was in such high spirits all of a sudden, but I couldn't help but feel like this was the start of something good. Something intriguing. As I dug into my piece of mince pie, I noticed Draco, looking annoyed, from across the room. He was staring at me, not smiling, not frowning. It was something else, he seemed bothered.

It was almost as if he.... cared.

***