The black air, something so similar to a dementor but so unalike. It appears before her and she can notice the differences now. Whatever this is, whatever being that won't leave her alone, is dead.
Dead and unseen by everyone else.
There's a fire. A terrible, dreadful fire. There's death and destruction. Impending and unstoppable.
"Looks like Levier's losing it." Adeline hears. She blinks, looking around for the source. There's a certain trouble in remembering what she had just been thinking of, but whatever it was left a terrible feeling in her chest.
"Go on, go full lunatic on us. We're all waiting for it." A shrill voice and dark hair. Will Pansy ever leave her alone?
"Pansy, c'mon." Adeline hears Draco mutter, arms crossed on the table before him as he stares at the dark wood.
"What? It's true. You're like a ticking time bomb." Pansy smiles, too much amusement for a girl with such unflattering hair. "You and your stuck up, royal family."
In the briefest moment, Adeline doesn't catch the surprised panic before it blooms on her face. It's enough to give her away, to let Pansy know her comment was just a silly little rumour. Adeline looks at her, stricken and the silence that follows has Draco looking up in confusion.
It sounds like such a minor detail, a passing comment that holds no significance. Yet it's one of those things that could unravel every tightly wound secret Adeline has ever kept. It is too specific and too clever for Pansy to think of on her own, too loaded to be just an educated guess.
"Oops," Pansy covers her mouth, faux sincerity on her features. "No one was supposed to know that, right? My bad."
For a split second Adeline nearly jumps up and demands answers but she knows nothing good will come of it, knows it'll only make things worse.
"I'm afraid I haven't any idea what you're talking about, Pansy. Perhaps you're having too much fun in that fantasy world of yours." Adeline says, shrugging indifference.
Pansy quickly grows angry, brows pinching together and a red flush taking shape on her cheeks. No longer amused at Adeline's expense.
"Evil, crazy bitch." Pansy spits, making the corners of Adeline's mouth twitch upward. She stands, gathering her things.
"Doesn't take much to push your buttons." Adeline comments mildly, making move to leave. Just as she passes them, she hears Pansy mutter a "Drop dead". She pauses behind them just long enough for Draco to take notice.
When he looks at her, busted lip and bruised eyes, the stormy silver of his irises shows a boy she no longer knows.
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Pansy is missing from their next DADA class. As Adeline stands with her house, she begins to wonder if she hadn't been paying attention all week or if the girl had even showed up to this class at all these few days.
