𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐬

Chapter 33

It was a rare sight to see Adeline in the Great Hall for meals nowadays, when it was so easy to just conjure up food in the Room of Requirement. But one thing that she missed out on was the normalcy of it. Sitting with classmates, students playing with cards and talking about school things, teenage things.

And, as their first Hogsmeade trip came closer, Adeline decided to spend more time in the Great Hall and less time on the cabinet, because if this succeeded she wouldn't even have to worry about the cabinet at all. Adeline would officially be a murderer via the cursed necklace. If this didn't succeed, she'd never be allowed to step foot in the Great Hall for meals ever again because she'd be a slave to the cabinet.

But once eating, she realized she had to babysit Harry, who sat surrounded by his Gryffindork friends, trying his best to keep an icy glare, but failing because he was excited to see Adeline back in her spot again. When she thought the coast was clear, she jerked her head towards the door.

After Adeline ate a few bites and made sure that Harry did too, she stood and left, walking to the courtyard and hiding behind one of the pillars. No one was lounging outside since a heavy snow fell from a gray sky.

Harry quickly followed and met her with a surprising smile. "This place is nostalgic."

"Why?" Adeline stood on edge, ready for a fight. They hadn't talked in a few weeks, Adeline sending him letters that she was practicing Quidditch instead of going on dates with him, to which Harry grit his teeth, but Harry decided to swallow it back after noticing the dark circles under her eyes.

"I do recall one fourteen year-old Adeline Malfoy freaking out about a crush she had on some dork with glasses."

Oh yeah. "The Plan."

"Oh yeah! You told me about that last year. What was it again?"

"The Plan to Seduce Potter."

"Seduce," Harry questioned. "You didn't even seduce me. You sparked my crush on you and then started taking me on fake dates where you were too scared to kiss me."

"Yes, and then your revenge in detention foiled it all," Adeline played along. "Clever you."

"Clever me." Silence followed and in the absence of conversation, Harry leant forward, putting his arms around Adeline's neck and pressing their lips together. "I'm glad kisses are real now. At least I hope they are. It would suck if this whole time you were still faking it."

"Wouldn't that be something?" Adeline almost laughed.

Harry snorted. "You couldn't pull that off."

"Hey, my acting skills are well above average." If they weren't, you'd know I was a Death Eater by now.

Harry kissed her again and then stepped back. "Of course they are. We wouldn't be able to pull this off if it weren't for that. Speaking of, it's been so long since I've been able to sneer at you over breakfast. It's been forever since I've seen you in the hall."

"Drama," Adeline said casually, leaning back against the pillar crossing her arm so that the pressure of her chest could calm down the Dark Mark's rage. "Some Slytherins have Death Eater parents and some of them agree. It's just better to stay away." Still, Harry stared at her. "Crabbe and Goyle. They like cornering me, thinking I'm like my father. I've told them a million times I'm not. So it's just easier to eat in my room."

"As long as you keep eating. It's weird being on the other side of this."

"What do you mean?"

"Worrying about you not eating."

"I'm eating."

Harry's face knit with concern. "I don't want to insult you at all, but you just don't look... your uniform is loose. And I know what that means."