Hey guys! I'm really sorry for my short absence there but I had a busy week since it was homecoming week and I'm on StuCo! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and I want to thank you all for reading!
Enjoy<3
**UPDATE**
Thank you guys so much for 8k reads! That's great news, couldn't have done it without you all!
***
Jennifer's POV -
Suspicion was not scarce in the following days at Hogwarts.
Every student had developed a certain habit of looking over their shoulder in the corridor, especially when alone, and especially late at night. It seemed that everybody slept with an eye open, even myself.
They'd kept us in the Great-Hall-sleeping-bag-safety arrangement for several days before moving us back into the dorms, and so far, no more attacks had occurred since.
Still, the same hushed whispers rippled across the castle. Nobody felt safe, and everybody was now only looking out for themselves.
Except for Draco, who, for not the first time, was always within a 10 foot radius of me whenever he possibly could be. He told me to constantly owl him when he was working on the task and not to wander the corridors at night alone (I would later break this rule), and try to be in bed by 10:00, Jennifer, and always have your wand at ready because you never know what could happen, Jennifer.
Still, classes continued as usual, and the professors pretend that there definitely wasn't a dry suspicion floating in the air, except for a select few, Snape included.
The warmth of Spring had come at the turn of the weekend, and it was a quiet Monday morning. The Great Hall was filled with the smell of honey buns and apple cider as Josefina, Kelsie, and I sat before our first class.
"Fucking Crabbe." Josefina spits into her heavily buttered breakfast roll.
"Wha'r he do?" Kelsie asks, her mouth full of blackberry cobbler.
"Bumped right into me this morning and knocked my shit all over the floor, and then kept walking." Josefina rolls her eyes, taking a large bite out of her biscuit. "Asshole."
"Do you guys want to take lunch down to the lake today?" I suggest, picking at a napkin. Kelsie throws me a confused look, her eyes squinted and nose crinkled upwards.
"I don't know," I say. Really, I just want to spend some extra time with my best friends. "Get some deli meat and Italian bread and bring it out under the willow tree down by the lake."
"Sounds good to me." Josefina examines her biscuit, puckering her lips. "I've got a load of shit to tell you two about what happened in the Common Room last night after you guys went to bed." A laugh of disbelief escapes her lips, as though she's reliving the memory over again in her mind.
We all agree to meet in the Great Hall at 12:30 during our break, and make the unanimous decision to begin the voyage down to the dungeons for our first lesson.
***
The day drags by painfully slow as I await my lunch date with Josefina and Kelsie. I feel as though I find myself glancing up at the clock every 2 minutes.
When 12:30 finally arrives, I grab a few bagels and a goblet of apple cider and scurry down to the lake.
"Jeez." Josefina sighs as I plop down upon the grass. Momentarily, the memory of Draco and I sitting in this exact spot only a few nights back flashes across my mind. "Took you long enough."
"Sorry, I was getting food. I thought you might forget." I say, dropping the napkin beside me. The cloth unfolds in a peeling manner, revealing the pastries within. I peer around Josefina sarcastically. "And looks like you did."
"Whatever." She laughs, nudging me with her shoulder. "But I do have something to tell you guys."
The time I spend with them is very pleasant. It feels like forever since we've all really gotten together, and I often find my fingers skimming over the golden castle charm they'd gotten me when I'd first arrived at Hogwarts.
Josefina rambles on about some fight between Derek and Zabini that happened the night before in the Common Room, wind tugging at her ink-colored hair, and Kelsie tells us about this 7th year named Peter that she's "romantically involved" with.
I don't have much to say when they ask me about Draco. I mean, what all is there to say? Certainly not anything I can tell them.
When it's time to go, we all head back to the Great Hall, taking our dishes and napkins with us and then parting again for our next lesson.
The rest of the day is fairly easy, and when my last class comes to an end, the only thing on my mind is Draco.
Once again, it's been so long since I've seen him, and once again, I've become worried about him.
Immediately after I get out of class, I begin making my way up to the common room, my paces fast and urgent.
I don't know what his working schedule is so I'm not quite sure if he'd be in his dorm at this time of day, but my hopes are high.
I have to control my quick steps from turning into a hurried jog as I cross through the Great Hall, the dungeons, the common room, and up the dark, rickety staircase.
For some reason, he's left his door unlocked, and I pray that maybe when he went in, he was so worn out that he forgot to lock it.
I clench my eyes shut, taking a deep breath as my hand rests on the cold metal, and then pushes down.
When my eyes open again, I see nothing.
The room is bathed in darkness, bare of any sound or movement, and slowly, the disappointment settles into my heart.
He's not here.
I consider waiting for him to get back, but I don't want to bother him, and I don't have any idea when he'll be back at all, anyways.
"Jen?"
Just as I pivot around to walk away from the room, feeling as though my shoes are filled with lead and my throat too, a raspy voice sounds from behind me.
I freeze.
A calloused palm touches my shoulder, gently turning me in the opposite direction, perhaps to face it's owner.
Not to my surprise, it's Draco.
His eyes are surrounded by a whisper of purple, and his face appears thin and hollow, almost as if he's sick.
His eyes, however, are filled with so much life and longing that it looks as though he's going to cry.
Draco takes a single step closer to me, his shoe clicking against the hard floor. His large hands curl around my waist softly, his eyes now swimming with a soft lust as they rake down my body, and then back up.
"I've missed you."
Bewildered, I open my mouth to say something, although I don't know what. But before any words can come out, he leans down, pressing his lips against mine.
It was soft at first; like the viridian-hued wildflowers down under the willow tree at the edge of the lake. But as our lips mesh together, forming different shapes and rhythms, a certain intensity dances between us that makes me cling to him like he is the only stable figure in a dizzy world.
We stumble backwards into the room, our lips never parting, and I know I couldn't possibly be any closer to him. Without moving away from me, his arm reaches out, pulling the door shut.
I hear the lock click softly.
He presses the hand against my scalp, his other arm wrapped around the small of my back tightly.
We kiss each other like our lives depend on it; and I suddenly remember why I used to feel like I was melting when I kissed him like this because my body quite literally dissolves into his. His lips, strong and safe, are against mine and it hasn't been this way for so long that it feels so right and so good that I want more, and more, and more.
With surprising force, I push him back onto his bed, and climb on top of him hungrily, straddling his waist.
He pulls me down; crashing his lips to mine once again.
My body is so close to his that I can barely breathe; but it doesn't matter. His hands are everywhere; and the inferno of desperation within my heart is so strong that I have lost control over my body because of it. I want more; I need more, more of him.
My hands curl around the fabric of his button up shirt, making tiny fists, and I'm so hot that I can feel the humid sweat of our foreheads gluing us together.
But I don't care. I need more.
After another moment, Draco pulls back, his breath labored. He examines me with soft eyes, looking at me as if I'm a puzzle he's trying to solve.
"What are you doing?" I ask, still winded from the way his lips had touched mine.
He cups my face in both of his hands. "Trying to figure out how I got so lucky with you."
His words make my heart fizzle with affection. I don't know what to say in return.
He tilts his head back so my face can fit in the crook of his neck and pulls me down to his chest, his arms forming a cradle around me.
I feel so safe in his embrace; like nothing bad will ever happen. His lips press in between my eyes for a long, drawn out moment, as if he's savoring the feeling of my skin against him.
"I wish we could stay like this for longer." I admit glumly. I know he has to get back to work soon.
"Someday, we will."
***
Eventually, Draco has to get back to work. He explains that he'd originally only come back to his room to get a spell book as he pries me off of him (a very difficult task).
He gives me a long embrace and a kiss on the forehead before going back up to the Room of Requirement, and tells me to meet him back in his dorm tonight at 11:00.
Although my heart is set with a certain heaviness as he leaves, I know he has a lot of work to do. Besides, I have plenty of homework to finish up.
That night, I sit down in front of the fireplace, my legs hidden by a thick yarn blanket, and spell books and papers scattered across the surface of the coffee table in front of me. Kelsie and Josefina join me, promising that they'd work, which of course, that fell through after just a few minutes.
When I can no longer focus on my classwork due to the excessive amount of whispering about the attacks on the two students floating around the common room, I gather my books into my bag and trudge up to the dormitories, my stomach feeling rather twisted.
I decide to try and take a short power nap before I head to Draco's room tonight. After all, he may have a lot to talk about, and just in case he does, I need to be prepared to listen.
But sleep doesn't come easily. In fact, it doesn't come at all, no matter how hardly I try to force it.
My breaths are very quiet and very still, coming only from my mouth as though my nose is stuffed.
My eyes loosely search around the darkness as though I'm looking for something; Kelsie and Josefina came to bed an hour ago, so it must be at least 10:30 by now.
I can't go up to Draco's dorm; he won't be there for another half an hour. But there's no way in hell I'll fall asleep, the only thing I can think about is the attacks.
With each coming second that they're present in my mind, I feel more and more sick. By now, at feels as though I'm going to vomit my insides out.
I curl my bare toes against my cold satin blanket in thought, and decide to wait down in the Common Room until Draco returns, an idea I know he would not approve of.
Quietly, I slip a thick sweater over my head before creeping out of the dorm, careful not to wake my slumbering best friends.
The common room is very quiet. Almost too quiet; too still. The only noise is a rhythmic popping, coming from the dancing embers of the fireplace. Everything else is dead.
With unease, I take a seat on the stiff leather couch, and I have a strong feeling as though I'm being watched.
Suddenly, I hear a near-silent pair of feet padding down the stairs. Because I'm on edge, I have the immediate instinct to duck down behind the couch, and quickly conceal myself behind the short leather backing.
A slight creaking noise echoes about the floor as the unidentified student enters the common room.
There's a few more quiet footsteps, and for a moment, I begin to become scared that whoever it is might just find me.
Thankfully, I hear the steps heading in the direction of the portrait hole, and silently release the air in my lungs.
As the portrait swings open with a gentle swoosh, I decide to peak my head above the top of the couch cushion, curious to see who's leaving the common room at this time of night.
I don't know why I'm surprised to see Blu.
As her blonde curls disappear behind the closing portrait, my heart begins to beat with anticipation.
I know fully well that sneaking out at night is something that I flat out shouldn't be doing, especially when it involves following another student.
But Blu knows that too, so what could she possibly be up to?
My curiosity is too intense. This may be the only time for me to find out what she's doing, and with every second, I could be losing my lead on where exactly she is.
With all thoughts of meeting Draco that night gone from my mind, I quickly tip toe over to the exit of the common room, and slip through the portrait hole behind her.
***
As soon as I step into the shadowy corridor, I remember just how cold it is during nighttime.
Allowing myself one quick shiver, I begin to chase after Blu, using my adrenaline and chill as a boost to keep my feet moving quickly, yet quietly.
I know what I'm doing could get me into serious trouble, but there's no innocent reason for Blu to be leaving the common room this late at night.
Finally, I turn the corner and catch on to her.
She walks very calmly, and very silently, as though she's not in a hurry to get where she's going. Not once does she look over her shoulder, and I begin to wonder if it's because she's too arrogant to believe that somebody may be on to her.
I force my steps to remain mute, going as fast as I possibly can while staying silent. If she can't hear them, then I'm sure she's bound to hear my heart thumping against my rib cage, as though it's fighting to break loose from my chest.
I almost lose her a few times, but manage to stay close on her heels, slinking near the corridor walls and behind statues and structures just in case she does decide to glance behind her.
After what feels to be a lifetime, she rounds another corner, turning into the abandoned girl's bathroom on floor 3.
As the door swings shut behind her, I slip in through the quickly shrinking gap, and conceal myself in a tight space between a folded up table and the grimy wall.
I try to steady my violent breathing, peering out as carefully as I can from my hiding spot.
There's a faucet dripping, and the room is illuminated solely by the silver blue moonlight filtering through the windows.
Blu pries open a leather duffel bag, quietly taking a few items out of it and placing them on the floor. She points her wand at a wicker candle, closing her eyes and muttering an incantation. The whisper of a single flame appears, casting dancing shadows across the time-worn bathroom floor.
I pull my knees in a little closer to my chest, craning my head out just the slightest bit further. I can feel my wild heartbeat against my kneecaps, and suddenly, I begin to wonder whether or not this was a bad idea.
Blu sits down in the center of the circle of items she's crafted - ranging from the shed skin of a rattlesnake to a thin stick of willow wood.
Although her back is towards me, I can sense that her eyes have closed within the intense focus that falls over the room.
What Blu does next surprises me - she begins to speak. Not casually, or loudly, but in a quiet, soft, and demented tone that sounds odd coming from her lips. I can barely make out what she's saying, or if she's even speaking in a language that I recognize at all.
Too caught up in hearing the words that leave her mouth, I shift forward, and the most terrifying thing that could possibly happen, happens.
My foot, so carefully curled under my calf, slips out from under me and makes what feels like the loudest noise I've ever heard.
My entire body goes rigid. I quickly pull it back to my chest and out of sight, but it's already too late.
Like an owl, her head snaps unnaturally far over her shoulder, her beady eyes squinted like those of a predator hunting for its prey.
I can't breathe, can't think, can't move. She peers around the room, looking for the source of the tremendous noise. I wonder if she knows she's not alone.
I wish to be anywhere but here; I can't reach my wand without making more noise, and there's no chance of making a run for the door at this point. All I can do is pray that she doesn't see me.
My eyes screw shut, so tightly shut that it's painful. The continuous, steady drip of the lone faucet is the only thing audible in the room, and the tension thick within the air is almost tangible.
It seems like an eternity that we sit there in silence, Blu feeling out the room and my eyes refusing to open again.
Then - a single footstep. Steady, sharp, cautious.
My heart spasms uncontrollably in my chest.
Another.
And another.
And suddenly, I feel cold breath on my face, so cold it feels as though I'm being blown upon with nitrogen.
There's a pause - in which the steady drip of the faucet has stopped, and everything is silent - as though it's listening to us, very carefully.
"Thought you could sneak around, follow me, huh?" Blu's voice is steady, yet filled with venom. I can hear her malicious smile within her words, and it sends an even colder chill riveting down each of my vertebrae.
I slowly pry my eyes open, and it's like trying to peel dried glue from your fingertips.
Her arms are folded triumphantly across her chest, and I don't know if it was because of the unforgiving fear traversing through each and every one of my veins, but I swear to god her eyes were glowing red.
"Nice try, Mania."
She places the tip of her wand a few inches away from the space in between my eyes, and I literally can't move.
I see a catastrophic burst of green light, and then nothing.
***
Woah! What do you guys think that was? What do you think Blu was doing and what will happen to Jennifer?
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, thank you so much for reading!
Love you guys and see you soon 😘