I walked up to the boys dorm, waiting a moment before knocking. I hadn't ever been this side of the common room, but it felt colder, not the air but the atmosphere. I breathed in slowly through my nose and proceeded to knock.
The door opened, only three or four inches, but it was enough to make out Blaise's features. His frown almost instantly lifted and he opened the door fully. Exposing the inside of their dorm room, and I had to keep my eyes from searching for Draco.
"How can we help you on this fine evening miss?" Blaise bowed down. I laughed, and hit him on his shoulder. "Um, ouch!" he laughed.
"Stop being a prat" I sighed, tucking my hair behind my ear. "I have something for Dra-" I forced the words to stop, and noticed how Blaise had his brow raised. Close call but I'll try again, "I have something for Malfoy".
"Cute!" he clasped his hands together and stepped away from the doorframe.
"Shut up, not like that" I scoffed, hoping Draco could hear me. I needed to gain some of my dignity back, even if I have to hate him again.
"OH DRACO DARLING!" Blaise cooed in his best feminine voice.
Blaise ushered me away from the dorm, and I stepped backwards. Only understanding why he was doing this when Draco finally stepped out from the room. He was in those damn pajama bottoms, just covering his ankles. He paired them with a dark, steel grey hoodie that looked expensive, too expensive for bed. He kept his eyes on the ground, and I did the same. Focusing on the stone floor, like an invisible line between us, separating us.
It was silent, and for once, I felt uncomfortable around him. I didn't know what to say; nothing that would be appropriate anyway. I really wanted to ask why I'd seen his father in Dumbledore's office a few days ago, but that would be weird. Something needed to be said, someone needed to talk.
"So" he cleared the silence with his low grumble. "What are you doing here?" he asked, keeping eyes head down.
"I needed to give you something" I tightened my grip of the packaging in my hand. "It isn't mine".
I held out the packaging from the necklace he's owled to me, the ripped paper jutting out between my fingers as it lay open in my palm.
"I gave it, to you" he mumbled, not looking up.
"And I'm giving it back. Just take it for merlin's sake" I huffed and held my hand closer to him.
He shook his head, declining my request completely and finally looked up at me. His grey eyes instantly locked onto mine, flickering between them. He kept his jaw tight and managed to come out with the longest exhale, like the kind you make when you've really just had enough of everything. If he hadn't of fucked over our 'friendship' or whatever it was, then I would ask him. I would ask him to burden me with all of his troubles, ask him to tell me what's making him so uptight and angry.
"Put it away will you?" he sneered, turning his head away from me and my outstretched hand.
"Oh for crying out loud Malfoy!" I huffed and stepped into him, shoving the package into the pocket of his hoodie. "It's yours. Now I'm going to bed, goodnight".
"Why are you avoiding me?" he cleared his throat and looked me dead in the eye.
"Are you for real?" I stepped close to him again, this time, with no hesitation. "Do you not recall using legilimency on me Malfoy? Or using me to get your excitement?"
"Y/n I-" he ran his fingers through his hair, frustration written across his face. "I really didn't mean to"
"Which part did you 'not mean to'?" I asked, crossing my arms over my body.
"I didn't mean to enter your mind" he sighed, trying to focus on me but failing. "I'd been learning it and I guess, I don't know how, I just did it by accident".
"Look, Malfoy. I haven't been in the wizarding world for long, but can you really say you entered my mind by accident? Oh, I'm sorry I accidently read your thoughts" I sneered sarcastically.
His jaw tightened again, and his hands were morphing into fists. I swallowed hard and reluctantly stepped back from him, was he going to hurt me?
"I can't stop thinking about what you said- thought. I know I shouldn't but I am okay?"
I could feel the sting of tears around my eyes, and I needed to get out of this hallway. Back to my own dorm, anywhere but here. This was too much and I just didn't feel safe, not now that I've witnessed his angry outbursts in lessons.
"I- I can't do this right now" I shook my head, trying to delay the tears. "I just needed to give that ring back, that's it".
"Why? Why have you given it back now and not when it first happened?" he asked, his fingers were curled around the hem of his hoodie.
"It's not something you give to someone out of the blue Malfoy" I watched his eye twitch at the sound of his last name. Good. I wasn't going to be calling him Draco anymore, he lost that with me.
"It is when-"
"When you like someone, when you have a girlfriend, or you're dating someone" I interrupted. "Seeing as I am neither of those things, it's not mine to keep". I started walking back to my dorm room, not letting him get another word in. I need to forget about him, forget the feelings for him.
I climbed onto Pansy's bed and lay next to her; she was platting her hair into braids.
"I gave it back to him" I said after a moment of silence. "The necklace."
"And?" she twisted her hair under the hairband. "What did he have to say?"
"At first, not a lot. He kept trying to avoid it, not let me give it back" I watched her fingers work around the strands of hair. "I forced him to take it, he gave me no choice".
"If things resolved, would you give him a second chance?" she asked What did that even mean? I didn't realise I had been giving out his first chance.
"Even if they did, 'we' never existed. I don't exactly know what we were Pans..." I sighed. "I don't know if he even sees me any other way, no more than a friend"
"Maybe not" she threw me a pity-smile, and I crawled into the sheets of my own bed.
I spent the next week avoiding Draco, but I think he must have been avoiding me too. On Tuesday, I walked into the common room after quidditch, he saw me and walked the other way. Exactly how I reacted in that moment too, as soon as I noticed he was there. On Wednesday, I was heading up to transfiguration when he spotted me, and jumped onto a different staircase. Moving in the wrong direction, but away from each other nonetheless.
On Thursday, he packed away his book as soon as I stepped into the Library. On Friday he was nowhere to be seen for the whole day, not until I was making my way to Dumbledore's office for my tutoring session. He was leaning against the wall outside of his office, hands tucked loosely into his trouser pockets and his legs crossed at the ankles.
I kept my head down, pretending I hadn't noticed him and continued towards the door. I heard a light chuckle escape his lips as my shoulder brushed past him.
"What?" I spat, looking into his grey eyes.
"Nothing" he smirked. "Halfblood".
He knew. How the fuck did he know? I tried to keep my face as still as possible; the slightest twitch and that would be satisfying to him, knowing it affected me. I laughed, the kind that echoed around the hallway, and ascended the staircase.
How dare he, after all of this avoidance and legilimency crap. He dared to wait for me, hiding in the shadows, to call me a Halfblood. That was it, that was what he had waited for. There were hundreds of Halfblood students in this school, what did it matter.
I pushed open the door to Dumbledore's office, revealing the elderly wizard perched behind his desk. He didn't look up at me, or acknowledge my arrival in any way.
"Good evening, Professor" I said, placing my bag down beside me.
"Ah, apologies Miss y/l/n!" he peered at me over his glasses. "Good week? How are you finding your classes?" he asked, firing question after question at me.
"Er... good. Thank you Sir" I watched as his features were tense, hands clasped quite tightly around his quill. "Can I ask you something?".
"Of course, ask away!"
"How many of the students at Hogwarts, are Halfbloods?" I asked.
"Almost half of the student body Miss Y/l/n. Why do you ask?" he seemed to finally have his attention back onto me again. "Has someone said something?"
"Only Malfoy, Sir. But I think we both know what he's like with that sort of thing" I gave him a weak smile to which he laughed lightly.
"Ah, yes Malfoy" he shook his head with a smirk. "You see, people like Malfoy have status. They are the Purebloods in the Wizarding world; respected families and generations of their name" he explained, slowly lifting from his chair. "It can be difficult for them to understand that Halfbloods can be just as good as magic as the rest of us".
"I'm halfblooded, and I'm years behind the rest of my peers" I said. "But I don't think I should be valued as a lesser witch than the purebloods?".
"Absolutely not, Miss Y/l/n. I think you know that you're capable of much more than what you already know" he turned to face me, one hand adjusting his glasses. "Now, let's teach you some more things to be brilliant at".
He began teaching me some new charms, including the featherweight charm like I had suggested. I had piles upon piles of books, falling to my feet in my attempt at the charm. Making Dumbledore burst into a fit of laughter every time I tried to catch them again, it was quite fun but I finally mastered it before the end of our session.
I thanked him, as usual, and reluctantly headed back to the dungeons. Trying not to think about Malfoy was fairly hard, but trying not to come up with an insult for his remark on my blood status, that was harder.
"In the fan-club yet?" I heard him sneer. He was stood exactly how he had been outside of Dumbledore's office, legs crossed at the ankles and leaning against the wall.
"Piss off Malfoy" I snarled back at him, narrowing my eyes.
"What's got your wand in a knot?" he quirked an eyebrow at me, remaining in the same position against the wall.
"The only thing that's in a knot, Malfoy, is your head" I stepped into him, tilting my head up to look at him. "You're delusional and you're a liar" I spat through gritted teeth.
He pushed himself off the wall, shifting his weight and stepped towards me. His eyes were glued to mine and they seemed darker, his brows furrowed at my words.
"I told you the truth" he said. "I haven't lied to you, and I know what I did"
"What you did?" I laughed, sarcasm lacing my voice. "What you did was wrong, YOU READ MY MIND!" I shouted.
He grabbed my face, covering my mouth with his hand.
"Are you trying to wake everyone up?" he hissed, looking around the corridor. He pulled his hand back from my mouth, letting me lose my balance for a moment, and stepped away from me. "I don't know what you want from me" he said.
"I want to know what gave you the right to do it" I sighed. "I know you know".
"Know what?" he shrugged, leaning back against the wall.
"You know how I feel- felt, about you" I trained my eyes on the ground, this wasn't a good time to make any eye contact. "You have that information, you know it was true and I was left in the dark. I had no idea how you felt, but I know now".
"You have no idea" he inhaled, deep and controlled unlike my own breath.
"What?" I looked up, he looked lost. His posture was more slouched, and I watched him twisting his ring between his thumb and his index finger.
"You don't know how I feel, you never asked me" he replied.
"You said we were just friends, Malfoy. I didn't want to make things awkward"
"Well I shouldn't have said that, should I?" his unpleasant tone was creeping back into his words. "I would have told you-"
"No! You wouldn't have told me anything Malfoy. I know you wouldn't. You never gave me a reason for sneaking around, or for anything else that you did with- to me"
"You never declined" he replied, confidence taking over as his posture straightened and his jaw tightened.
I know I didn't decline, because I really thought that I liked him. I wanted to know that there was a possibility that it could be mutual. That maybe one day the feelings would be reciprocated. I didn't want things to be this complicated, not with him. I felt so much hatred towards him right now, but if he kissed me, I would probably melt right back into his hands again. How can anyone possibly have that kind of affect on someone.
"What do you want from me?" I asked, my voice almost whispering.
His eyes scanned over my entire body, roaming over my face and resting on my lips for a moment. He finally met his eyes with mine before answering me.
"Space" he muttered. "Leave me alone"
"No" Why the hell did I say that, it just slipped out.
"Excuse me?" he spat, looking down on me.
"Sorry I-"
"What do you mean no?" he was now towering over me, my head just at shoulder height to him.
"I didn't- mean" I was stuttering all over the place. "Er.. um.. Look I'm just going to go-"
"You're not going anywhere" he whispered into my hair as I was turning around.
Before I could protest, he was grabbing my waist and pulling me into a kiss. He kept his soft lips pressed against mine, moving slowly over my mouth as he turned the two of us around. He now had me pinned against the rough stone wall, lifting my leg up to hook behind his thigh, and his hand rested under my knee. This was not what I had imagined, not anymore. I didn't expect him to turn like this again, snogging Draco in a corridor at night.
"This isn't space, Draco" I hummed against his lips.
"I think this is far enough" he replied, and I could feel his smirk widen against my lips.
He continued to kiss me, the pressure was perfect and the pace was picking up. I felt that familiar weakness in my knees the further it went on, and I wanted it to carry on, to last forever but this wasn't right. I was worth more that this, I said I was done with this. With him. I couldn't let him get away with everything, using my weakness for him as an opportunity to kiss me.
"Stop" I put my hands against his chest, pushing some distance between us. "This isn't right Draco, what you did and what you said was horrible" he frowned at me.
"When I called you a Halfblood?" he asked and I nodded. "I didn't mean to upset you, I thought you might have been one" he said.
"How?"
"I heard my father talking about someone, I think it was your mother" he explained, he sounded so genuine I wanted him to explain it all. "It was some months ago now, I can't remember much of what he said. I just recognised your name, and connected the dots".
"Draco. What am I to you?" I felt the confidence wash over me and knew this was my opportunity; while he was being genuine. I needed to know and I couldn't continue to feel like this towards him, when I don't know how he feels about me. This could be a huge mistake.
"You're-" he paused, picking the lint off my robe. "I don't know what we are y/n, but you make me feel different" he said.
I smiled at him, that was enough for me. I didn't need an essay about how he felt, I just needed to know what I was to him. If I made him feel different, then surely that was good. He didn't call me a friend, not like I'd expected him to.
"Me too" I let the blush crawl across my cheeks. There was something between us, other than hate, I knew there was and I couldn't ignore it. He was the one person I couldn't take my mind off and the person I searched for when I walk into a room. I just wished he wasn't such an uptight, pureblood, daddy's boy.
That's how it was, some mornings he would greet me in the common room with a peppermint tea as we walked to the Great Hall or into class. He was so discreet that even I didn't notice him holding out the cup half of the time.
Other times, which was most of the time, he would quite openly bully me. In front of anyone and anywhere he wanted to. Much to his dismay, I was one step ahead of him. The open-bullying was too fun and sometimes I just needed to get some frustration out on him, perfect.
When he wasn't being secretly nice or openly horrible, he would be pushing us into broom cupboards to kiss and then carry on like we despised one another. I'd say it was the healthiest, unhealthy balance you could ask for. I hadn't told Pansy or Daphne, and this time I really didn't plan on it, they wouldn't understand. To anyone looking at the two of us, they would say that it was a predetermined enemy situation between us. Most students in our classes were used to the snide remarks thrown at each other during lesson, or at mealtimes.
The only problem; the Yule Ball. It was only 2 weeks away now which meant that I would also be considering where to stay over the Christmas Holidays. It wasn't ideal, and I really didn't want to be there, but I guess I would be going to stay with my Mum. In the muggle world. I couldn't help but feel anxious at the thought; It must have been the idea of speaking to her like nothing had happened or pretending to enjoy the overly boring muggle food again.
I shook my head from the thought and continued walking to Care of Magical Creatures. I was really getting a feel for this lesson recently, but the further into December we got, the colder the lessons were.
"Hey. Where's Hagrid?" I asked Neville, unhooking my bag from my shoulder.
"Oh, it was hilarious!" Blaise chimed in from behind him. "Malfoy was getting lippy with Hagrid, saying he couldn't give a crap about his precious bowtruckles" Blaise burst into hysterical laughter again.
"Basically, Hagrid carried Malfoy out of the lesson by his ankle, just swinging him about the place" Neville finished what Blaise was telling me. "I suspect Hagrid finally had enough of him, and Malfoy is probably talking with Dumbledore as we speak".
"Please tell me you're joking" I whispered to Neville.
"No, and I thought you would find it funny y/n?" he furrowed his brows slightly at my reaction.
"Oh, not it is funny. Don't get me wrong. I'm just a little concerned for Hagrid, that's all" I slid down against the stump of a tree. "He could be in trouble, manhandling students like that"
"I think Dumbledore would understand" Neville tried to reassure me.
I wish I had been here early enough to witness Draco hanging upside down while Hagrid held him by his ankles. I'll just have to take everyone's word for it, and tease him about it later. The rest of the students decided to leave the lesson, when Hagrid still hadn't come back. It was strange missing Care of Magical Creatures, but it also meant that I might have some time away from Draco completely. Figure out a few things that had been playing on my mind.
Lucius Malfoy. I've been feeling odd about that man for the last few weeks. I don't know if he just creeped me out in Dumbledore's office or if it's because I've been snogging his son in the broom cupboard. The way he seemed to know something about my name when he asked me who I was, the look of disgust in his face. Something wasn't adding up and I needed to know what it was. I knew exactly who to talk to about this.
I joined Hermione in the library, sitting at her favorite table in the far right corner. The perfect light to shaded ratio, where the stained glass window sat just above the table. She already had a book open, mid-read, and scribbling notes as she flipped through it.
"Hello stranger" I smiled at her as I sat opposite her.
"It's Granger, how many times do I need to remind you" she huffed sarcastically and followed with a wide grin.
"Very funny" I bit back, knowing full well how her sense of humor worked. "I need to pick your brains"
"What for?" she placed her quill into her ink pot and sat up straighter.
"What do you know about Lucius Malfoy? You know, in regards to his connections, and if he would have known my mother" I asked her.
"I wandered when you would come to me about this" her attention was fully on me now. "I already knew a few things before you joined Hogwarts, but since I learnt your last name... well a few other things have cropped up".
"What do you mean my last name?" I asked her, feeling my anxiety spike.
"Well, you share your last name with your mother correct?"
"Er... yes" I replied.
"It's not your father's surname is it?"
"I don't know who my father is, so naturally, I just kept my mother's maiden name" I replied, and with that she moved further over the table. If something would cause me to panic, this would be the situation. "What do you know Hermione?"
"I know who your father is."
Just like that. Quicker approach to ripping off the plaster I guess. I suddenly felt hot and the fever crept over my back, my throat felt tight. I need to breath, just breath. This isn't a bad thing, this is good. Or at least, it could be a good thing.
"Do you want me to continue? I don't-"
"No, no. It's fine, please carry on. I just wasn't expecting that, that's all" I interrupted. I tried to forget the anxiety that was spreading like wildfire over my torso, keeping my hands linked around each other.
"Just know that no matter what, I'm here for you. We all are ok?"
"He's not dead or something, is he"
"No! Oh, merlin no. He is very much alive, I can assure you" she smiled slightly but continued on. "So, um.. his name is Severus" she squeezed her eyes shut, biting her bottom lip.
"Right. Okay" I was utterly confused, how on earth would I know who that is? It could be anyone in the Wizarding world, and I think people often forget I've only seen Hogwarts and Hogsmeade. So my lack of knowledge on other Witches and Wizards really shouldn't be much of a surprise to everyone.
"Wait, what?" she looked shocked. Like I had taken the news almost too well for her liking. "You're not worried?"
Now I am.
"I don't know who Severus is Hermione" I told her.
"Miss Y/l/n" a long drawl of a deep voice interrupted our conversation. "I do hope that you are not addressing me to your peers by my first name" he quizzed, his blatantly unamused face rested beneath his black hair.
His what?
"Miss Granger, please excuse yourself" he said, not even turning to look at her.
This wasn't real, surely not. He couldn't be my father, it wasn't possible. I looked nothing like him, not one bit. It had to be a foul coincidence, a terrible mistake. A misunderstanding for Merlin's sake. The way he was standing beside the desk, hands placed lazily behind his back but his posture was rigid. I felt sick, this couldn't be him.
Hermione stood, pushing her chair out and finding her way out of the Library.
"Miss y/l/n" he began. "The use of a Professor's forename is their personal choice whether to disclose such information to a student" his eyes were cutting through me like a knife.
"I didn't-"
"If I hear another word in regard to this, you will be receiving a two week detention" he warned, and flipped his cloak around to leave.
"Are you my father?"
He stopped, so abruptly he should have fallen. Professor Snape, or my potential father figure, was still. I couldn't see his long inhales of breath, or his sighing. He was completely still. I didn't know whether to just run at this point, just leave and never come back.
I remembered how it felt calling a teacher 'mum' in muggle school when I was six years old. The embarrassment that your peers had heard you, and the teacher visibly unwelcoming about the situation. But this was far worse; I just asked one of the strictest, most uptight Professors whether they were my father. My biological father.
"Sir?" I tried to retrieve some type of response from him, he had been standing for ages. It was triggering the uneven breathing and shaking feeling I knew too well.
I watched as he finally proceeded to move. Away from me, and out of the Library.
I've been hiding in my dorm room for the whole day, I missed all of my lessons that afternoon. I didn't care, I could happily hide in here for the rest of my life. Nothing would make that moment any less strange for me. I hadn't been given a straight answer or even as much as a response to what happened. I could have just apologised and found out more information from Hermione. Of course, my outburst of questions always seem to get the better of me.
I curled up in my duvet with my astronomy homework, sipping at my peppermint tea while I studied. This wasn't ideal but at least I had some time alone to myself.
I carried on studying until I could hear the usual, end-of-the-day bustle from downstairs. I packed away my study book headed towards the bathroom. I ran myself a bath, adding in my new favorite bath salts; Daphne had showed me the shop in Hogsmeade. I hopped in through the bubbles and closed my eyes. Letting the thoughts and moments of today run through my mind.
"Y/n?" a familiar voice called from outside the door.
"I'm in here!" I called out after her.
"Okay" she burst through the door, having unlocked it with a spell. "You can't keep leaving me out of the loop"
"PANSY!" I scoop up as many bubbles as I possibly can, hiding myself under them.
"Oh shhh!" she sits between the sinks, with her back to the mirror. "We share a dorm room, this is nothing".
"Merlin's beard" I sigh under my breath, and I can feel the pink spreading over my cheeks. "What do you mean in the loop?" I asked her.
"Um hello" she threw her hands up. "You've skipped lessons, you skip mealtimes; and coincidentally so does Malfoy. You need to tell me everything, it's a best friend's sworn duty to know" she gave me stern eyes and folded her legs.
"That is the least of my worries Pans, trust me" I gather more bubbles to cover myself.
"How? You two are clearly into each other, no matter how hard you try to... cover it up" she smirks, watching the bubbles slowly disintegrating on the water.
"Trust me, there's no room for feelings there" I laugh, wishing that there was in fact some room. "Speaking of the Blonde, have you seen him today?". The last I'd heard of his whereabouts was when Hagrid swooped him out of class by his ankles, since then, I haven't heard a thing.
"He's in the common room" she rolls her eyes. "He's been with Dumbledore all afternoon, learning 'the importance of caring for creatures and valuing the lives of bowtruckles' apparently"
I couldn't help but feel the corner of my mouth tug into a smile; picturing Draco's face as he fakes his interest in bowtruckles and how to value them. The only thing he values is himself, everyone knows that, so some lessons from Dumbledore won't have changed anything. Not in a single afternoon anyway.
"What were you saying a moment ago? About the least of your worries or something?" she jumped off the counter top, and started looking through the bottles as I spoke.
"I think I know who my father is" I sigh, closing my eyes for a moment, trying not to picture the way he stood there.
"You're joking? Who is it? Is he famous?"
"HA, no" I took the opportunity to grab the towel while her back was turned. "And he's not a muggle, meaning-"
"-your mother lied to you" she interrupted. Turning around just in time as I wrapped the towel over me.
I stepped around her to get to the sink, using my wand to dry my hair. I felt defeated, but ready for someone to help me piece this information together.
"You know, I'm weirdly happy about this" I told her, easing her in. "It's Snape".
"Are you out of your mind?" she squealed. "Severus fucking Snape is your dad! How can you be chill right now?" she asked with wide eyes. Maybe this was a bit too strange to be so normal about it all.
"Think about it. If Snape is my father, that means I'm actually pureblood. I don't have a muggle father, so I can't be Halfblood" I couldn't control the smile that appeared on my lips.
Everything Hermione and Pansy had told me about blood status, and what it meant to certain families in the Wizarding world, it never bothered me. However, I hadn't given it much thought of what it would be like, to be pureblood. It feels good, a Slytherin pureblood.
As much as I dreaded astronomy class, anything would be better than sitting in potions with Draco on my left, and my father in front of me. I hoped Professor Sinistra denied Draco access back into this class; it would be a joy to have a second class without him.
I took my usual place and as Professor Sinistra began her start-of-lesson drawl about the basics of the stars. Every other second I would get a hit of her fruity perfume, with every breeze that brazed past her.
"Any questions?" she scanned over the scattered robes and books amongst us. "Very good, proceed" she flittered away into the corner of the astronomy tower, jotting scribbles and notes into her book.
I watched as the other students were busy in their pairs, adjusting their star maps and setting up their telescopes. Since Draco had his tantrum a while back, I've been left without a partner. It was quite nice, until homework would be set or a practical task; I would be a little flimsy at presenting. It wasn't my strong point, but I was determined to be confident soon enough.
The bridge connecting to the astronomy tower creaked, but I was too invested in my notes to look up. That's when the smell hit me; apple, mint and a musky cologne. The footsteps came to a stop beside me, and a rucksack was dumped over my notes.
I looked up, of course it was him. Nobody else could be so blatantly rude.
"Malfoy" I greeted him, shoving his backpack into his chest.
"Missed me?" he whispered, followed by a light laugh as he observed my hands. I rolled my eyes at his arrogance, though I did miss him slightly.
"What are you laughing at?" I sneered, watching him settle on the floor beside me.
"You're so incredibly clueless" he states, like it was common knowledge. "Here. Turn it like this". His cold hands came to rest on the back of my hand, holding a piece of the telescope together.
He was now sat beside my on the floor and I could feel his chest, warm against my shoulder and back as he leaned into me. He guided my hands, helping me figure out the contraption. The movement of his hands, naturally allowing his rings to graze over my bare skin, sending a hot sensation up my neck. No, that was his breath. He was hovering his mouth near my neck, each word steamed against the collar of my shirt, and my breath caught in my throat.
"See?"
No. I didn't see, I had closed my eyes at some stage, unaware of doing so. I righted myself, straightening my back and opening my eyes once more. I'm sure no one else had seen, but the embarrassment washed over me all the same.
"New girl?" he crooked his necked round to observe my face.
"Um.. Yes! Yes, I get it now" I lied. I had completely ignored what he was saying, the words felt nicer on my neck. "Thanks blondie".
"Oh" he chuckled, propping himself onto his elbow so he laid looking directly at me. "You have some nerve" he teased.
"Like you're going to do anything about it" I scoffed.
"You should know by now-"
"That you're easily transportable by the ankles?"
"Oh fuck off" he snarled, but I could see it really had wound him up. He shifted in his spot on the floor, inching his leg closer to my knee.
"Come off it" I laughed at him. "I'm not the only person who knows about that".
"Whatever" he drifted out of the conversation.
Later that evening, I bumped into Fred and George on the way back from the Great Hall. They looked like they were up to something; where I found them was suspicious, but their grins were also giving them away. They stood shoulder to shoulder, covering something behind them and no matter how hard I tried, they wouldn't let me see.
"I won't tell anyone" I urged them, trying to be convincing.
"Trust us, when you see it-"
"-You'll want to tell everyone" the other chimed in.
Each professor that wandered down the Corridor, the twins would relax, leaning casually until they were out of sight.
"Just let me see" I tried to barge past them again but they both picked me up.
"Nope" they said in unison.
I was being carried backwards through the castle, a twin under each arm. It could have been worse; if they were shorter, my feet would be creating sparks across the floor. I was practically floating between them they were so bloody tall.
"Where are you two taking me?" I asked between laughter.
"where are you taking me?" they mocked my voice, nowhere near to what I actually sound like.
I huffed in defeat and let them drag me to, well, wherever they were dragging me. They could be planning to kill me right now, but being with the twins, I would still be laughing about it. They came to a stop at just before the Gryffindor Common Room. I'd only been here twice before, once when I first arrived here and the second with Hermione to get a book.
"That was fun" Fred smiled, placing his hands on my shoulders and turning me to stand before them.
"Now, down to the real deal" George said. "You still want to mess with Malfoy?" he asked.
I opened my mouth to answer, but Fred cut me off quickly.
"It's a rhetorical question, of course you do" he smirked.
He pulled a folded piece of parchment from under his jumper and tapped it lightly with his wand. The paper revealed writing in a burgundy-red ink, as it presented them with a sort of map. George reached over to open the parchment more and then handed it to me.
"I'm going to need some explanation or something here" I looked up at the two gingers who continued to smile down at me, their eyes brighter than moon.
"Look closer"
I turned the map to see the corridor we were currently stood in, and spotted footsteps with the twins' names printed above them. They each ran a circle around me as I watched the footsteps move on the map.
"Wait- that- My name on the map. Its-"
"Snape?" George asked.
"We know" Fred replied. "Your secret is safe with us little one".
"Thank you" I breathed, but I felt strange. Seeing my name like that, was strange, but it looked good. Y/n Snape. Yeah, I could get used to that.
"But I must say, being married to Professor Snape must be hard" Fred sighed and leaned on my shoulder.
"FRED!" I tried to push him off me, but his height took quite the advantage in this situation. "He's my dad, not my-" I gave up trying to tackle him, knowing it would only end badly for me.
"Sure" George winked. "So, the Malfoy prank." he continued, "I reckon the Yule Ball. Something that's in front of everyone, that would be humiliating enough, right?"