Lumos (A Draco Malfoy Love Story)

3

"Fine," I said finally, getting up and grabbing my messenger bag, strapping it to my shoulder. Draco strode towards the door, and I followed him, curious. We went down another flight of stairs, which confused me because I thought we were already on the bottom floor.

Together, we strode through the halls. Suddenly, Draco stopped me and pointed up. I looked, confused. "Why are we staring at a bird cage?" I whispered. Draco didn't answer right away. His eyes were somewhere else as he grabbed my hand and walked my through the remainder of the hall. We were walking quickly.

Finally, we stopped at a stone wall. I glanced at Draco, but his eyes were closed. I turned back to the wall, and suddenly, it wasn't a wall anymore. It was a door.

"Draco," I muttered. He opened his eyes and smiled. Gesturing for me to open the door, I did as I was told. Together, we walked in. I looked around the messy room, and suddenly, a thought struck me. "This is the Room of Requirement, isn't it?" I asked, looking around in wonder. Draco nodded.

"Follow me," he said. We walked, and I realized we were still holding hands. I didn't try to take my hand away, mostly because it seemed Draco needed something to hold on to. And partly because I liked the security in having him so close to me.

When we finally stopped walking, we were in front of a wardrobe. I looked up at it, a confused look spread across my face.

"Guess what this is," Draco muttered, looking at me. We both reached to touch the wardrobe at the same time. I studied his fingers as he studied mine. Long, slender, and pale. Like the fingers of a piano player. I wondered if he had ever played before.

"Something dark," I muttered, trading my fingers over the intricate designs. I circled around the wardrobe, dragging Draco behind me as we walked in unison. "Something you're using for a dark cause." I looked back to him, only to see him nodding. He looked depressed and lost, not the cocky Draco I knew.

A lady will always comfort someone in distress, trustful or distrustful. Rule 102.

I gently rubbed his back, and he glanced at me. For a second, I thought he would pull away. I saw in his eyes that he was unaccustomed to being comforted. Finally, he gave in and sighed, looking down. "I didn't mean to gain your distrust. Honestly," he murmured. "In fact...I wanted to be friends with you."

"Let's start over, then," I said, letting me hand drop. I held it out to him, wanting him to shake it. "Val Rosalind. Nice to meet you."

Draco smiled. "Malfoy. Draco Malfoy. Pleasure." We shook hands, and for a second, our eyes held onto each other. Finally, I looked away, blushing.

Looking back at the wardrobe, I reached out to touch it again. "So...could you tell me more about the wardrobe? And about that tattoo on your arm?" I gave him a slightly annoyed look, so he gave in with a sigh.

"Alright," he said finally with a big, exasperated breath. "The Dark Lord chose me for..." He gave me a look of perplexity. "I don't know if I can tell you much, honestly, but I'll tell you what I can." He started pacing, so I took the chance to take in his appearance. Today, he was wearing a black, long sleeved shirt with black pants. His hair wasn't sleek, but instead unruly, which suited him better. His blue eyes were shining as he explained more of himself to me.

"The Dark Lord chose me for...a job," he said. "A job that could make or break him. And he chose me so that I could prove myself to him. See...I come from a family of dark wizards. My dad has always followed Voldemort-" I shuddered just slightly at the name, but tried to cover it up. "-and my mother follows my father. My aunt, Bellatrix, is basically the lieutenant to him."

"Bellatrix Lestrange?" I asked in pure shock. "Your aunt is Bellatrix Lestrange?" I had heard Bellatrix Lestrange had escaped for Azkaban last year, around Christmastime or maybe a little later. How could someone as poised as Draco have an aunt was crazy as Bellatrix Lestrange?

"Yeah, sadly," Draco said with resentment clear in his voice. "But, anyway, I was the next in line to service the Dark Lord. And...well..." He sighed, then looked right at me. "Can I trust you with something, Valise? Truly, can I?"

I gave him a look, then finally answered, "Duh."

Draco looked away, and I knew suddenly that he wasn't joking. I stared at him until he turned back to me. "I was chosen to kill Professor Dumbledore, " he said finally.

My gasp escaped my lips before I could contain it. "You're..going to...?" I was lost for words. I looked away, resting my head against the wardrobe to clear my thoughts. Finally, I whispered, "You're going to kill Professor Dumbledore?"

I felt Draco creep slightly closer. I didn't shy away as he gently comforted me by rubbing my back. I placed my head on his shoulder, which probably surprised him even more.

"I'm not going to kill him. At least, I don't want to," he whispered, and I feel his fingers playing with my hair. "It's just...Voldemort'll kill me if I don't. I don't know what to do. I..." He trailed off, and I looked up at him as he looked down at me. Slowly, I looked away and touched the wardrobe again. I felt I was in a daze.

I broke away from him, regaining my senses. "It was pleasant to talk to you, Mr. Malfoy," I said hoarsely before walking away, picking through the various items in the Room of Requirement. I could feel his eyes on my back, but I didn't care as I walked.