Lost. Harry Potter's sister

chapter four

I push through the massive crowds and sprint after him. He is the only thing on my mind. Not Harry. Not Hermione. Not Ron. Not what they would think. At this moment, I don't care.

"Draco!" I shout after him, following up the large marble staircase and not looking back. He ignores my pleads and continues walking fast, his black robes swaying at his ankle, his blonde hair is messy and not its sleek, usual self. He leads me to a small, empty corridor, which I've certainly never seen before. At the end, there's a single, wooden door. Draco twists the door handle and it opens with a creak, he turns around to shut it and briefly makes eye contact with me as he does so. I don't see what's behind the door because his body is blocking the view. I try to walk faster and stretch my neck to get a good look, but he shuts the door when I am about three feet away. I stare at the door in front of me. It's wooden and there's words carved into it. 'Paulo secretum hortus' it reads. I don't understand what it means. The door is scratched and dented with chipped brown varnish and it has a brass knob, dulled with age.

I raise my fist and give a small knock on the door, causing dust to form small clouds around its hinges. I wait for a little bit and when it's clear that he's not going to answer, I close my fingers over the cold, brass door knob and twist it.

When I push the door open, I enter a completely different world. It's a section of the castle that I've never seen before, and neither has a lot of people by the looks of it. It's a garden. The sky is blue and cloudy above me and there are creepers and vines growing up the castle wall at the back. In the corner, there is a small waterfall that raced down in series of cascades, the cobblestone floor is covered in green moss and weeds and a tall Ever Red tree stands in the middle of the hidden courtyard. It's a small space, and on one side, stone battlements corner off the edge, and by these stone battlements is the blonde haired boy. His elbows are resting on the stone and his head is in his hands. He is breathing heavily and I pray that he is not crying.

I step closer to the parapet, being careful not to upset him more. I position myself next to him. "Draco..." I murmur, softly. His head snaps up. He looks me dead in the eye. His whole body is trembling slightly with fear. My eyes trail to the crease between his eyebrows, the quiver of his chin and the pooling of tears in his eyes, making them shine sadly.

"What? Come to gloat have you? Your little friends send you? Because I'm not interested." He snaps, harshly. I jump slightly and look over the edge. You have a perfect view of the Quidditch Pitch and the sunset in the far away distance.

"I just wanted to see if you were okay..." I say, in a tiny voice. He looks at me, startled.

"What?" He says, his voice a lot softer. He is staring at me with furrowed eyebrows and parted lips. I stare back at him, into those swirls of ice and smile weakly.

"Yeah.." I say, trailing off, thinking about what to say, "I'm assuming that you aren't fine. You just got humiliated in front of half the school. Don't tell me you are fine."

"I am." He says, blankly, staring off into the distance.

"You're not." I say, tucking my hair behind my ear and inching closer to him.

"And you're annoying." he says, with a small smile.

"And you're a terrible liar." I say, chuckling slightly. His smile fades away as he turns to face me. He has tears in his eyes and his once flawless pale cheeks are now red and blotchy.