By the time late June arrived and examinations were long in the past, the students of Hogwarts had earned themselves a lot more time for relaxation.
Everyone was preparing for the summer holidays, some excited to see their families again and others disheartened to be leaving, even if it was just for a short period of time in comparison to the rest of the year.
All except the 7th years of course. Athena felt it was strange that she wouldn't be seeing Cedric around Hogwarts again. Catching him strolling down the corridors, or in the Three Broomsticks with his amiable group of friends. To say the least, she would miss him.
Despite the fact that they were no longer together, and that Athena hadn't possessed any kind of romantic feelings for him for months now, there had always been something about Cedric's presence that brought a certain comfort to Athena.
So she would miss him. It wouldn't be the same at Hogwarts without him, and it certainly wouldn't be the same without Fred and George with their many pranks.
With the weather getting progressively warmer, it meant an abundance of time spent outdoors under the heat of the sun.
Athena, Harry, Hermione, Ginny and Ron were sitting by the Black Lake on a grassy lawn, surrounded by various groups of other students. Ron was sunbathing, Harry and Ginny lying side by side, Athena was reading one of her novels, while Hermione was flicking through one of her compact textbooks.
Athena was laying on her front, resting up on her elbow to read, letting the sun reach her back. They had been outside for hours now, forgetting about the time with every hour that passed.
"Right," Harry let out a long exhale, him and Ginny both sitting up from their laying positions. "We're gonna head off."
Athena peered up at them, her focus torn away from her book and reality fading back to normal.
Harry and Ginny had been together now for a few months. It took Ron some getting used to, but he had confirmed that he'd rather it was Harry than anyone else in Hogwarts.
It didn't come as a shock to any of them. Hermione and Athena had always held a certain precognition that they would eventually end up together. They suited each other, and it was great to see Harry glowing with radiant happiness for once.
"Good idea," Athena said, sitting up, clutching the book to her chest.
"Wanna go to the pub?" Ron asked, still laying under the sun with his eyes restively shut.
"Oh yes! I'd die for a butterbeer right now," Hermione piped up, scrawling the last few notes on the page of her textbook and shutting it. Harry and Ginny also agreed, but Athena didn't make any reply.
"What d'you say?" Ron smiled at Athena, all three of them now standing, looking down at her.
"You lot go ahead," she replied, with a nonchalant smile.
"Oh right, yeah. Gonna ditch us for him again I reckon," Ron added with a light hearted chuckle. Athena looked up at him, rather stunned.
"Come on," Hermione sighed, shoving her fist against Ron's shoulder, and once he turned around, Hermione looked back at Athena and rolled her eyes jokily, giving her a smile.
They said their goodbyes before departing to Hogsmeade, and Athena made her way back up to the castle, with the fancy of going to the Room of Requirement.
She arrived like she normally did, and once inside the room of hidden things, headed over to the area where Draco usually worked.
Strangely, his wand was resting on top of a small archaic table—but he was not there.
"Draco?" she called out, peering nervously around the room.
An eery silence pervaded her surroundings while she stood vacantly, picking up his wand.
"Draco?" she called out again.
From behind, two hands suddenly groped onto her waist, flipping her around and pushing her back against the ancient cabinet.
She was in eye level with the collar of Draco's signature divine, black suit, the scent of mahogany cologne and evergreen submerging into her soul.
"Bloody hell! You scared the shit out of me," she sighed, tilting her head up as she looked into his eyes.
"Sorry," he smirked, his eyes dark like he was holding wicked intentions. He loomed over her, his chest nearing hers as his hands kept her in place against the cabinet.
"Where did you go?" she asked, acknowledging the fluttering sensation in her core while she watched his teeth subtly drag over his bottom lip as he glanced down at her.
"Was having a look around," he replied in a deep tone. He raised one hand off of her hip and brought it to her jaw, brushing his fingers along the edge. His next words were said in a low, seductive whisper. "Who knows what you might find in here?"
Goosebumps prickled over her skin as his head lowered into her neck, and his fingertips trailed down to her throat.
"You're fucking exquisite, you know," he smirked, his breath brushing against her skin as he spoke.
She went to reply but her breath hitched and the words wouldn't come. He chuckled at her hesitation, his thumb pressing over her windpipe, before his lips crushed against her jugular.
While he kissed her neck and she sighed breathlessly into his ear, she reached down to his waist and cupped a hand under his crotch, squeezing him firmly as his erection grew.
"Fucking hell, Greene—you make me weak," he slurred, raising his head from her neck and pressing his lips to hers.
But as he kissed her, she could taste the strong spice of firewhiskey on his tongue. Day drinking. Great.
His hand clasped further around her throat into a rough choke, slamming the back of her head into the cabinet. She winced as his teeth sank into her bottom lip, nipping her between their kisses.
But before they could progress any further, he pulled away from her lips and stared down at her with a hungry expression that set her abdomens alight.
She reached her hand up to his collar, attempting to pull him back down to her lips, but he only smirked teasingly.
His tongue folded over his bottom lip with a chuckle, before he said, "You make it difficult for me not to fuck you right here."
While she struggled for words, her mind was yelling all sorts of unholy things. She'd never get used to the way he made her feel.
"I'm not going to make it back until late tonight. I'm heading into Hogsmeade. They've called a meeting in one of the private rooms of Hogs Head."
"Oh ok," she replied, feeling rather surprised that he was telling her all this. "Be careful, won't you?"
"I'm always careful, Greene," he grinned, brushing his fingers along her jaw.
But his humour didn't fulfil her content. He stared down at her for a moment, evaluating her expression and it seemed as if there was something he wanted to say, but didn't stretch to actually say anything.
"I'll see you later," she said with a sigh, before he lifted up her chin with his hand and kissed her.
And with that, she fled from the Room of Requirement, leaving him in it.
***
It was the middle of the night when a loud thud jolted Athena out of her state of sleep.
The sound had come from the door. A terrible panic froze through her entire body at the constant stream of thoughts of what it could be. Instead of considering the obvious answer, her thoughts only lead her to the worst possibilities.
When she arose from the bed and hesitantly took herself over to the door, wand gripped firmly into her hand, an unbearable anxiety swallowed her whole.
She twisted the doorknob with a trembling hand, opening it only to find an unconscious Draco on the other side.
Her nerves relaxed slightly before comprehending that this was even worse than anything she had considered. Much worse.
She immediately dropped to her knees beside him, checking his pulse and speaking his name a multiple amount of times. His heart was still beating but his appearance was sickened.
There was no time to cast a diagnostic, she needed to get him to Pomfrey this instance. She needed help to get him there.
Leaping up from the floor, Athena rushed to the first dormitory door she could reach—the room opposite them.
Her fist rapped on the door consistently, and she didn't stop knocking until someone opened it.
Emerging from the room, was the one and only Theodore Nott, hair disheveled, eyes half closed and expression confused.
Of course. It couldn't have been anyone else.
But it didn't matter during this moment of time. Nothing else mattered except getting Draco help.
Theo looked down at her, confused for a brief second before his eyes darted to Draco strewn across the floor, shock overtaking his countenance.
"Zabini!" he yelled into the room, before rushing beside Draco without hesitation.
Athena assisted him, going around to Draco's other side and the two of them dragged his unconscious body onto his feet.
"What the fuck happened?" Theo asked, his tone sincere. More sincere than she'd ever heard from him.
"I—I have no idea. I just woke up—and he was out here," the words stumbled out of her as she struggled to keep Draco upright. His body was too strong, and hers was exhausted.
Blaise then approached the doorway, seeming angsty and frustrated at first, before he evaluated the situation in front of him and this changed entirely.
He dashed beside Athena, taking over for her and latching Draco onto his shoulder. She trailed behind the three of them, fingers and thumb absentmindedly fiddling with the ring around her neck.
They reached the hospital wing with haste, the two boys out of breath by the time they dropped Draco onto a bed with Pomfrey's instruction.
There were a few other students in the wing, one had been woken by their entrance, the rest still asleep.
Pomfrey rushed to Draco's aid, asking a stream of questions surrounding the cause of his condition. But none of them could supply any answers.
The three of them hovered around his bed, observing vacantly as Pomfrey cast diagnostics, rushed about the wing, flicking her wand and working inaudibly.
"All of you, go back to your dormitories," she ordered, stress in her tone. "You have lessons in the morning."
Theo scoffed, but the boys obeyed, turning on their heels and wandering out of the hospital wing. Athena thought about leaving, but knew she couldn't.
"Miss Greene, go and get some rest," Pomfrey said without looking at her.
"Please—Can't I stay?" Athena asked, her tone pleading.
The matron eyed her wearily for a moment, considering her request.
"Oh alright. But you must sleep. Mr Malfoy isn't going anywhere any time soon."
"Of course," Athena forced a smile, half heartedly, pulling up a chair and collapsing into it, exhaustion consuming her.
She watched Pomfrey for a while, intrigued by her expertise and imagining for a while if that was what she could achieve to be like one day.
Being a healer had never really appealed to her, but after that time she managed to heal Draco, the thought of it had started to grow in her interest.
She let her mind rise into optimism—envisioned herself in years to come, working during the days as a healer, only to come home in the evenings to her husband, Draco Malfoy. They'd most definitely live in a grand, lavish manor, knowing Draco's expectations. She'd be Healer Athena Malfoy—or perhaps she'd keep her surname, maintaining her own identity in the future. They could have a family, two or three children—
And now she was thinking too far ahead, creating a life for herself that could be possible, but didn't seem like it would be.
After all, he was a Death Eater, and she was the daughter of a traitor to the Dark Lord. It seemed tragedy would only loom over them. But who knows what would happen?
"It appears he has some cerebral damage," Pomfrey announced, breaking Athena's train of thought. "He will be just fine, but he must rest."
Athena nodded, not knowing what to respond with. Pomfrey packed up her things and returned to her office.
She stared upon Draco's stone, still body, noticing how lifeless he seemed at first glance. But as she witnessed his chest rise and fall in the peace of his sleepy state, recovered herself from melancholy.
Her eyes rested upon him until the tranquility of sleep overtook her, and her mind closed down.
When she awoke with her head slumped over the edge of the mattress, a hand was caressing along her cheek, a gentle touch.
She sat abruptly, straightening up and wiping the drool from her mouth, feeling her cheeks redden as she looked at Draco.
His face was dazed, like he had been sedated, and there was a smirk curling at the corners of his lips.
"Well rested?" he asked, his tone tired and a chuckle writhing through his chest. This exertion obviously pained him.
She stared at him blankly, a raucous amount of questions stirring in her mind. But the only thing she felt compelled to do was embrace him.
He winced slightly when she first slung her arms around his frame, but his arms then enveloped her as he returned the affection.
"Fucks sake—don't do that to me again," she sighed, pulling back from their embrace and cupping her hands under his jaw.
Another chuckle escaped him.
"Apologies," he smirked, sarcastically.
"What happened to you?" she asked, this being the first pressing question on her mind.
"I—" his entire face strained in frustration. "I don't know."
"You can't remember a thing?"
"Not really. The last I recall I was walking through the door to Hogs Head—and then I woke up here," he explained. "But I remember certain bits. Like flashes of memory. I remember—being in pain."
"Pomfrey said you have some cerebral damage. That's probably something to do with it," Athena said. "Maybe you were obliviated."
"If I were obliviated I wouldn't know that there's something I've forgotten. The damage also wouldn't be there. I expect I was Crucio'd, but I can't think what for—and why that would cause memory loss."
"It did for Neville's parents," she stated.
"The Longbottom's were driven insane, I simply cannot remember one event. There's a difference there."
"Right," she pressed her lips into a line.
There was a momentary silence, a discomfort in not knowing.
"Did you bring me here?" Draco asked after a while.
"Not alone. You fell against the door and it woke me. I found you on the floor of the corridor," she explained. "But I knew I couldn't manage to carry you alone. So, I knocked on the door opposite to your room—"
"Nott and Zabini?" he interrupted.
"Yeah. They carried you here and then—I couldn't leave."
He clenched his jaw firmly, something so clearly bothering him, but nothing he would express aloud. Instead, he shared another grievance.
"I do wish you hadn't stayed here all night for me, Greene."
"What do you mean? You would have done the same. In fact, you did."
"Well, I don't value my sleep. If sleep deprivation got the best of me, so be it," he replied, snidely. "You know, sometimes I hate how much you feel you need to care about me. It shouldn't be like this. You say you love me, but I know that soon—you're going to return to seeing me in the way you always had. In the way I'd always wanted you to see me—before. Potentially worse."
"What are you talking about? Draco, I don't love you because I feel like I have to, I love you because I want to. I wasn't just going to leave you here alone," she proclaimed. "And I do happen to care about you—very much. So enough with this self-destroying bullshit."
He smirked at her through droopy eyes, apparently amused by her lecture, and let another silence pass by before replying with,
"Only for you, Greene."
***
With the few days that passed, and once Draco had been released from the hospital wing, she hadn't seen much of him.
Most of her time was spent in lessons or with her friends or alone, taking more time for herself. But when she did see Draco, his mood was always off.
Ever since he had left the hospital wing, he was constantly clouded by frustration. A strange persistence of maintaining something. What exactly he was trying to maintain was unclear to her.
She didn't want to press, or show her concern visibly, for those discussions always ended in the same way, with no change whatsoever. He'd promise her he would be ok, and she would worry regardless.
No matter how hard she tried, she could not trust that Draco was at all concerned for himself. Everything he seemed to do was in spite of himself. So again—how could she not worry?
Late one afternoon, Athena was in the common room with Hermione, Ron and Ginny, and she was skimming over a textbook she'd picked up from the library—a Healer's guide that included fundamental knowledge she'd already known, but also new details that intrigued her interest.
While she was reading over a page that covered potion recipes and antidotes for healing deeper flesh wounds, Harry burst into the common room, a hasty air about him.
The four of them observed him without saying anything at first, waiting for him to explain his chaotic behaviour. From his heavy breathing, it seemed as if he had been running.
"I haven't got long," he huffed, breathlessly. "I'm going with Dumbledore—not exactly sure where."
He then gave Hermione and Ron each a pointed look, which they seemed to understand. Athena watched the exchange, but said nothing, deciding it was best to ask questions at another time.
"Be careful, Harry," Hermione said, sounding extremely concerned.
"He'll be with Dumbledore. He'll be fine," Ron assured her, flashing a smile at him. "But yeah, go careful, mate."
Harry gave a sharp nod before racing through to the boys dormitories, and returned less than a minute later with his Invisibility Cloak slung over his arm. He then exited the common room altogether.
"What's going on?" Athena asked, knowing she had obviously missed something and feeling pathetic because of it.
No one replied for a moment, their expressions conflicted and hesitant.
"Oh um—It's a bit of a long story. One for another time," Hermione replied, a guilt upon her countenance.
"Right," Athena sighed, returning her attention to her book.
Half an hour had passed when Hermione, Ron and Ginny mysteriously all got up and left the common room without saying anything to her. She hadn't noticed at first, having been immersed in a few practice spells, but she saw in the last second as they slipped through the portrait hole.
There was something strange in the air. What weren't they telling her?
She left the book in one of the bookshelves in the common room, making a mental note to return it to the library the next day, before she took herself out of Gryffindor Tower.
She made her way down to the dungeons, and when she turned a corner, Draco surprisingly came into view.
He was striding rapidly, as if he was on a mission, blocking his surroundings out of focus. Until he noticed her coming towards him and his direction changed course.
"Athena—I was about to come and get you," he said, his tone clipped. Emotionless.
Not a good sign.
"What? Why? I always come. You know that," she asked, confused.
"Just—follow me," he wrapped a hand around her forearm, striding ahead and dragging her behind him.
"Wait—Draco—" she struggled against his grip, but he didn't falter. Until she stopped walking.
His head snapped back, frustration marking his features.
"What's going on?" she pressed.
"Come with me and I'll explain," he said, impatience in his tone.
She sighed in defeat, trailing behind him as he led the way to his dormitory.
When they entered the room, he locked the door and raised his wand, casting some sort of charm upon it. She just stared, unsure of what was happening.
"I have to leave for a moment, but I need you to stay here—" he stated. She went to ask why, but he halted her before she could. "Something's going to happen, Athena. I need you to cooperate with me. Things are about to change. I'll explain everything to you, believe me. But please just promise me you won't leave this room."
"What—"
"And don't open the door for anyone. I've applied wards to this room. Nobody but me will be able to get in so I won't need to knock. I'll be back in no more than half an hour, and I'll come back for you—and everything will be ok."
"Wait—"
"There's no time, I have to leave. Just promise me—please."
She said nothing.
"Athena."
"I promise," she blurted. "I love—"
"I know," he said in what seemed like a wince, pained by what she was about to say. He leaned forwards and placed a kiss of the top of her head, reluctant to pull away from her.
She stood in the shadows of his room, blankly, not knowing what emotion to feel. Not able to process her thoughts, or comprehend what was happening.
Quite frankly, she was fucking terrified. She'd never seen Draco so filled with fear before and it unsettled her beyond belief. She felt sick to her core, almost faint.
She sat vacantly on his bed, unable to even distract herself with anything else. Sitting alone with nothing but her thoughts, and the silence.
She waited.
Ten minutes passed by.
Paced about his room every now and then.
Another ten minutes.
What the fuck is going on? What the fuck is happening?
Five minutes.
He'll explain. He'll explain. It will be ok. It will be ok.
It began to feel like one of her nightmares in the flesh.
A small patter at the window broke through the silence that tortured her. A breath of relief for the distraction that overwhelmed her, before the fear arose again.
She approached the window and drew the curtains to find an owl hovering outside.
Draco's owl.
There was an envelope in its beak, and its talons were drumming against the window, probing her to open it up.
She did so immediately, snatching the envelope from its beak and watching as the owl soared away, over the Black Lake which she could see from his window.
A gut wrenching anxiety writhed through her as she looked upon the letter.
The scrawl on the front that addressed her name looked like Draco's, slightly messier, as if it had been rushed.
She tore it open, her heart in her throat.
There was a note within that had been folded.
But as soon as her fingers came into contact with the parchment, the entire room was swallowed, with her in it. She felt herself being pulled and wrenched apart from every direction. Until she crashed to the ground.
Grass lay beneath her hands and knees. A bitter chill consumed her.
A portkey.
A few feet ahead of her she could see someones shoes—expensive, jet black loafers. Familiar, but much different.
She pulled herself together, recovering from the fall to the ground, and peered up to see the very sight she had dreaded. To have the sudden realisation hit her that everything was going to go completely wrong.
The sight in question, none other than Lucius Malfoy.
-
fifty second chapter complete.
be scared besties