Traitor : Fred Weasley, Draco Malfoy & OC Fanfic

Chapter 41 - The Vanishing Cabinet

The next morning I woke up, early enough that Daphne would still be sleeping soundly, and penned a letter to Fred. I'd hardly had a wink of sleep all night because the uncomfortable pit in my stomach hadn't gone away and this felt like the only way to stop it. Through bleary sleep-deprived eyes, I stared at the blank page, trying to make the words come out. There was no use sending off some well worded essay or a thought out note, it had to come naturally.

Summoning the courage, I poured everything I had to say into it. That I missed him, that I was just as scared for myself as he was, before finishing it with the sentiment that I was only putting myself through this to find answers. I folded the letter neatly into its envelope, writing out the address to 12 Grimmauld Place on its front and pulled my coat on over my thick pyjamas to take it to the Owlery before breakfast.

I trudged the grounds with the tall, stone tower in my sights. Atherol, my family owl, was already waiting on one of the many perches that lined the tower's walls when I wrenched the heavy door open. He gripped the letter in his beak before speeding off with it. I hated coming to the Owlery, it smelt heavily of the birds that inhabited it and there was always a strangely eerie feeling in there. Getting out as soon as I could, I pushed the door back open and began to make my way to the castle, hoping I'd be able to get back to my dorm before anybody noticed I was gone.

I'd reached the courtyard leading into the school when a loud screech tore through the silence. Atherol was back already. He had the letter still clutched in the mouth, before dropping it into my hands and perching on my shoulder.

"You were meant to deliver it you stupid bird" I muttered. Atherol was anything but happy about this and snapped sharply at my ear with his beak. I shooed him off me and opened the letter up to see why he'd brought it back.

Underneath everything I had written there was a short sentence that had been penned distinctively in different coloured ink, that read:

Are you sure that's why you're doing this?
- Fred

My eyes narrowed on the messy red words on the page. I could hardly believe that's all he had to say. Feeling my anger take over I placed the letter on the ground and pointed my wand at it, shouting out "Incendio"

The letter set ablaze for a moment, then quickly burnt down to a crisp and disappearing, not catching fire to anything else around that hadn't had the spell cast on it. My eyes transfixed on the ashes as they scattered into the wind, before I was startled by a voice behind me.

"Trying to set fire to the school, are we?" came Snape's low, drawling voice. I turned slowly to see the head of my house staring down at me with an eyebrow raised, his long-sleeved arms crossed over his chest.

"No sir, just practicing on a useless bit of paper" I lied, feebly.

"Alright well run along, breakfast will be starting shortly" Snape replied, as I began to turn away, "oh and Miss Reading..."

"Yes, sir?" I responded, turning back to him.

"You've been spending a lot of time with Mr. Malfoy, I'd advise against it" he answered flatly. Snape had never shown any interest in me, not even being one of the top students in our house, so it seemed rather odd for him to be commenting on my social life.

"Why's that sir?" I questioned, looking back at him in utter confusion.

"He can not be distracted, you see"

"Distracted?" I repeated.

"Yes" he paused, "from his studies"

The answer was somewhat unconvincing and there was clearly more to it than that, but I gave him a nod to show that I understood and scurried back into the castle, narrowly avoiding other early rising students as they made their way to breakfast.