Clementine yawned, acknowledging the late hour, "You're probably right. I need to get back to Hogsmeade before I fall asleep on the path there."
"You should be careful." Cristian warned, "Those woods are... strange to say the least."
"That's why they're forbidden." Clementine teased, "I'll be fine, I've got my wand."
"Just—" Cristian paused, uncertain of what to say next, "Be careful... Please."
Clementine brushed off Cristian's warning with little concern. She wasn't even going home, not yet at least. She still wanted to take a visit to the Astronomy Tower before bed.
The tower was empty when she arrived, as expected. The wooden floors creaked beneath her feet as she made her way to the open arches that overlooked the entirety of the Hogwarts grounds. She could see everything from up here. The lake and the boathouse to the south, the forbidden forest and Hogsmeade off in the east, and the quidditch pitch to the north. Everything looked so small from her unique vantage point.
It was quiet, and all was still, except for a person— who looked an awful lot like Blaise Zabini— walking near the edge of the forest. Clementine had half an inclination to call out to her friend, but she paused, watching as he disappeared between the trees.
'Hogwarts Business,' that's what Blaise would tell her if she asked about it. But what was he doing in the forbidden forest so often, and at this time of night?
She didn't dwell on it too long. That was a problem for another day. Right now, her mind was racing as memories flooded back to her. It felt like she was reliving a past life.
Clementine hadn't been up to the Astronomy Tower since she left. It was her favorite hiding spot, other than her spot by the lake. She would sit up there for hours, pointing out constellations that sparkled in the night sky, just like on a night like tonight.
The clear skies often helped Clementine to clear her mind, and clarity was exactly what she needed. Being with Theo felt warm and inviting, almost like coming home, but there was something else missing that she couldn't quite describe. It was a feeling of—
"Are you looking for me out there?"
Clementine turned her head to see Draco watching her from the shadows.
He pointed to the sky, "My constellation, I mean."
"Just because it's your namesake doesn't mean you own it." Clementine wrapped her hand around the cold, metal railing and got to her feet. "I didn't think you came up here anymore. Not since..."
She trailed off, letting the silence hang heavy between them. Everyone knew what Draco did, or rather what he didn't do that night in 1997. Clementine could see in his stormy eyes that it still weighed heavily on his conscience.
"I make myself come up here sometimes." Draco admitted, forcefully breaking the silence. He leaned over the railing and stared out at the lake. The water reflected in his eyes, gentle waves crashing in his irises, "As a reminder to myself of who I am and what I've done."
"That's not who you are." Clementine reached to touch his arm, but he recoiled when she accidentally grazed his dark mark.
"Isn't it though?" Draco sneered, angry at himself. He couldn't look at her as shame flooded his pale features. His jaw clenched as he spoke. "At the end of the day those were still my actions, my choices."
"You didn't have a choice. Voldemort would have killed your family."
"Don't say his name." Draco swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat as he tried to remain calm as the past trauma rose to the surface. "He would have done much worse than that to me."
YOU ARE READING
STAY WITH ME | Draco x OC x Theo
Fanfiction18+ "Why are you here, Clementine?" He stared at her as if she were a ghost despite the fact that she haunted all of his dreams. "I didn't come back for you." Her words were cold, but her soft voice sounded sweet like spun sugar. "Because you came...
