Salazar's Angel

XXVI

Explaining how it was merely a coincidence that both she and Draco were gone on the same night to Pansy, Millicent, and Tracey was no easy task for Dahlia. In fact, she practically had to hint that she had been off in another part of the castle hooking up with a different guy just to get them off her back. She could only hope that this little white lie didn't make it back to Draco somehow.

Eventually they left her alone about it, allowing her to put her pajamas on and crawl into bed to mull over everything that went down over the last twenty four hours. By the next morning when it was time for class, she still had come to no viable conclusions. Snape giving her odd looks for the entirety of potions class did not help her predicament.

Dahlia spends the entire following week burrowed so deep into her own head that she occasionally forgets to eat or to go to a class, and Pansy is forced to quite literally shake her back into reality. She spends the majority of this time contemplating her life, and then Draco's life, and then how they intertwine. 

Draco is, of course, gone from all classes and the dorms for the entire week. Absently Dahlia catches herself thinking about how he manages to not get kicked out of the school entirely. Finally, when Friday rolls around and she still has seen no sign of him, she decides she has to pay Snape a visit. 

After her last class is over, Dahlia heads back down to the dungeons towards Snape's class. Everyone else is heading out of the dungeons in the opposite direction, leaving Dahlia to walk completely by herself in the deserted hallway. 

Steeling herself in front of the door, Dahlia takes a deep breath and squares her shoulders before busting into the room.

Snape is seated at the front of the deserted classroom, looking at a stack of parchment at his desk. Dahlia strolls up to the front of the room and seats herself on top of a desk in the front row. 

"Salazar's Angel. Pleasure," He says this sounding as if it is anything but.

"Severus," Dahlia acknowledges, nodding her head at him.

"What can I help you with, Miss Slytherin?" He drops his head to look back at his papers.

Dahlia forces her face to remain neutral, hardening her gaze. "Do you know where Draco is?"

Snape's head shoots up and his eyes narrow. "Why do you ask?"

"Don't answer a question with a question, Severus. I believe you're the one who told me that." Dahlia raises her eyebrows.

"I do know where he is," Snape admits, his eyes roaming her face in search of an unspoken answer. 

"And where would that be?"

"I can't tell you that."

Dahlia exhales sharply through her nose. "And why would that be?"

Snape finally looks her in the eyes. "If you must know, Lucius has some...suspicions about you. Particularly where his son is concerned."

"What, exactly, is that supposed to mean?" Dahlia crosses her arms over her chest and narrows her eyes. 

His cheeks flush with a bit of color and he averts his gaze. Oh. Lucius must have told what he saw when he walked in on the two of them.

"So what? I'm a perfect role model for little Drakey but still not good enough to fuck him?" Dahlia's arm begins to burn even hotter underneath her shirt sleeve.

Snape's head shoots up again, his cheeks going even more pink. "I will remind you to watch your language, Miss Slytherin. You are in the presence of a teacher."

"Severus, you and I both know I could end this job for you in two seconds flat. Let's be real," Dahlia snorts. She isn't bluffing, and they both know it. She has enough dirt on Severus to probably get him sent to Azkaban

"I will not tell you where Mr. Malfoy is. However, to the best of my knowledge he won't be returning to Hogwarts until next weekend." He drops his head back to his stack of papers. "Now, please leave my classroom."

Dahlia slides off the desk with a huff and storms out of the room. By the time she has reached the Slytherin common room, the thought of spending another entire week without figuring out what the hell happened last weekend is driving her crazy. She finds her feet leading her up the stairs towards his room.

"Salazar's Angel! What can I do for you on this fine Friday afternoon?" Nott asks when he pulls the door open at the sound of her knocking.

"Do you know where Draco is?" Dahlia asks as Nott leans against the door frame.

He looks at her wearily. "Yes."

"And where would that be?" Dahlia asks, narrowing her eyes into slits and staring him down.

Nott sighs and pushes off the door frame. "Why don't you come in so we can talk?"

Dahlia follows him into the room and shuts the door behind her. 

"Do you want some Fire Whiskey?" Nott asks, offering her a glass filled with amber colored liquid. 

Dahlia thinks for a moment, then realizes there is a chance that her drinking with Nott might piss Draco off. "Sure, I would love some." She takes the cup from him and then perches on the edge of Draco's bed.

Nott pours himself a glass and they both look at each other as they sip their drinks, sizing each other up. The liquid is burning hot and tastes lightly of cinnamon. It certainly is not helping the fire raging at her forearm, but she's in too deep now.

"Alright, Nott. Where is he?" Dahlia asks, tapping her nails on the glass.

Nott inhales deeply and then sighs. "I can't tell you."

"Okay, what the fuck is up with all this secret keeping? Someone spit it out because this is getting real old real quick." She cocks her eyebrow at him. The reaction in his eyes tells her that he is just the right amount of fearful of her.

"Dahlia. I literally cannot tell you. I would if I could." Nott turns his eyes to the floor, and she knows.

Faster than she knew she was capable of, Dahlia is on her feet and crossing the room. She grabs Nott's arm and rips up his shirt sleeve.

"Happy now?" Nott sighs, as Dahlia stares at the black mark staining his flesh.