Origami // Draco Malfoy

Chapter 11: Unbreakable Vow

I carefully closed the clasps of the large rusty-brown trunk that was sitting on my bed. My fingers traced along the gold curvy letters printed on the left side of the suitcase. DW. Sometimes I forget I even go to Hogwarts. As though this whole school was just one weird daydream that could fade away any minute and I would be stuck in the Muggle world again. But seeing my initials printed next to the Hogwarts crest made it all feel real. It was safe to say I wasn't looking forward to spending my Summer holiday back in Surrey. Even though I would be surrounded by about seven other teenage orphans, that place was as lonely as ever. There is never any silence, never any peace, just constant chaos and I didn't fit into any of it. I walked into the common room and looked around with an already longing feeling of nostalgia. I was truly going to miss the tower's incredible view of the school grounds. You could see the Great Lake, the Forbidden Forest, the Quidditch pitch, the Herbology greenhouses, and the surrounding mountains all from up here. I was going to miss the Ravenclaw library. It wasn't nearly as big as the main library, but unlike that one, it was impossible to read every book in our common room. Every time you took a book, the empty space would fill up immediately, displaying a brand-new tome for you to read. But most of all, I was going to miss the stars. The Ravenclaw common room was filled with them, from the enchanted ceiling to the midnight blue celestial carpet. There aren't any enchanted ceilings in the Muggle world and the chance of catching a glimpse of a real star was close to non-existent due to all the air pollution. I couldn't bear not being here for two whole months.

After about five minutes of premature nostalgia, I remembered that Luna was waiting for me downstairs and was probably starting to get annoyed. I grabbed my trunk and carried it all the way down into the castle's main corridor. As I was making my way towards the courtyard, I encountered Professor Lupin who was carrying a big suitcase, one that seemed far too large for just two months away from Hogwarts.

"Ah, Dani. Glad I still ran into you," Lupin exclaimed as he put down his baggage in front of my feet. He looked ill and absolutely exhausted; lines were carved deeply into his face, making him look much older than he truly was, and his eyes looked heavy as though he hadn't had a full night's sleep in months.

"Are you leaving, Professor?" I asked distressed.

"I'm afraid so." Even though the professor's words were sad, he still had a big comforting smile plastered on his face.

"But why?" I asked, "You're the best Darks Arts teacher Hogwarts has ever had!"

In reality, I knew why Professor Lupin was leaving. Everyone did, as every wizarding newspaper was talking about it. "Hogwarts Professor Revealed to Be Werewolf," the Daily Prophet had printed on their front page with a moving picture of his face underneath the big bold title.

"Although I greatly appreciate your compliment, I fear you may be wrong. But don't fret, I'm sure Albus will pick out another great replacement," he said as he picked his suitcase back up, ready to leave.

"Well, I wish you all the best professor."

"You too," he started to walk away but stopped after only a couple of steps, "About those dark creatures giving you nightmares," he leaned closer as though what he was about to tell me was a great secret, "Perhaps a talk with your fellow student Harry Potter may be helpful. I think he can teach you something that may calm your mind a bit."

I wondered how he knew I was still having nightmares about Dementors almost every single night. It had been months since our first conversation, but sadly, nothing had changed for me.

Before I could even ask about Harry, Lupin shoved a piece of chocolate into my hands, said, "Safe travels home! Don't forget! Harry Potter!" and ran off.