Draco and I were relatively okay after our spat last night, but there was still lingering tension. The burning and weighing on my chest never went away. I felt it intensify as Daphne and I neared the Slytherin table for breakfast and I saw him too close for comfort with Faye. I tried to turn my nose up, coercing myself into believing it was immature jealousy and there was nothing to worry about. But the feeling didn't leave and by the time Daphne and I sat down, the weighing felt suffocating.
"Goodmorning!" Faye chimed as she leant over my boyfriend to grin at me.
I feigned a quick smile, "Morning, Faye."
"Good morning," Daphne returned.
"How did you sleep?" Draco then asked me.
"Well," I was short. "You?"
The subtle inhale through his nose told me he suppressed a huff. "Well." He answered, just as short.
"Good." I lifted my lips into another fake smile, one he saw straight through.
The wafting scent of bacon and green onions drew me away and I started plating my breakfast. In my peripherals I saw Draco turn back to Faye and whisper something. She started giggling, covering her lips with a hand as she fought against laughing with a full mouth of food.
"You have to be joking!?" I heard her giggle ecstatically.
Draco chuckled lightly, "not for a second."
He returned to his food, slicing through his oven-fried tomatoes and pita bread. I chewed aggressively on my own breakfast, trying to hint my irritation to him. He remained oblivious, so I sipped on my ice-cold orange juice then slammed it down on the table. Still, no reaction or notice.
Faye leant over to Draco again, whispering something I couldn't overhear and he snickered. They gradually began laughing as Faye's joke stewed to the point she was clutching his arm and giggling.
I grabbed my bread roll and ripped into it angrily. My actions hadn't attracted Draco's attention - who was still gleefully leaning into Faye and laughing - but I had caught Blaise's.
"You right, Mel?" He asked from across the table.
"Draco, you're hilarious," Faye harped in the background.
"Splendid," I gritted.
Now I was further annoyed by Faye calling him by his first name. Only myself and his parents called him by his first name.
Blaise continued to watch me oddly before returning to his soup, nose close to inhale the fragrant fumes.
Does Malfoy like you?
What makes you think that?
He was practically hanging off you today at lunch.
I cut into my bacon and bread combination again, chewing roughly on the salty yet soft bite. Their laughter and touching was amplifying in my peripherals and ears by the second. I was reaching a point where I couldn't even hear Daphne and Nott's conversation beside me anymore.
I'm sorry. I'm just jealous.
My teeth stormed down on my food. My jaw was beginning to ache from the intense workout.
I feel lonely, Mel. I'm not usually the lonely one.
I looked back over to them, not even bothering to hide my frown. Draco's eyes sparkled as he continued conversing to Faye. She beamed at him blissfully, eyes saddled on his. I snapped back to my plate before someone noticed my severe jealousy.
My locket made my neck crane, my chest still burning more and more as I tried to control myself. I spent the next few minutes internally meditating, but my entire body was suffering some self-induced fever. I tugged at the chain of my locket, careful not to pull the pendant out. It was weighing a ton, but I couldn't bring myself to take it off. The notion felt impossible to me.
Faye finished the last of her breakfast, standing to her feet to walk to class. Now, I knew Faye quite well. Since I was 11, I had nearly spent every day with her. I knew what she was like. I knew her flirtatious ways. As she passed Draco, I noticed her hand run along his shoulders briefly.
He's gorgeous.
"See you all in class," she said.
"See you there, Faye," Draco smiled to her. Faye. First name basis now?
The impending ferocity from me reached detonation. I couldn't handle it or keep my emotions bottled any longer. I was already fiery from my confrontation with Draco last night followed by his cold act this morning. Then his flirting with Faye, the use of their first names which was too uncharacteristically friendly for my liking. Added with this burning, Merlin-damned inferno on my chest from I-didn't-even-know-what. I couldn't handle it.
I didn't even need to speak nor point. I held my wand in my pocket and hexed her as she was walking away. Faye fell to her legs, confused by the loss of strength in her body. She tried to stand again, but her legs wobbled profusely from my Jelly-Legs Curse.
"Faye, are you okay?" Daphne called out.
"Do you need some help?" Draco asked as he started to get to his feet which maddened me further. I grabbed his arm, hoisting him back down to his seat. He looked at my slightly addled.
It didn't take long for Daphne and Nott to pull Faye to her feet and accompany her to the hospital wing. I started to regret my outburst as the younger Slytherin's pointed and laughed at her and Faye covered her face with hands, so embarrassed.
Turns out the curse hadn't been enough to get me off my wrathful trip. I tried flexing my neck and taking a deep breath to calm my senses, but everything still frenzied around me.
"Sore neck now?" Blaise noticed.
"Can you get off my case?" I snapped. Blaise's golden eyes widened, hand flinching, taken aback by my attitude. Draco was also staring at me abashed. "All of you?!" I exclaimed with my hands.
Everyone's eyes detached from me and they scrambled back to their food. I sighed again, already exhausted and it was just the start of the day.
"What's up with you?" Draco eventually asked lowly.
"Nothing," I grumbled, throwing my cutlery back down on my plate with force.
"Isn't it obvious, mate?" Goyle sniggered. "She's on the rag."
I saw red.
All my emotions erupted there and then. I slammed my hand down on the table and focused on Goyle's green and silver tie. I didn't think, I didn't move. Wandlessly, I managed to make it tighten by itself, slowly closing in on his throat.
"Mel, chill," Draco quietly advised. He placed a hand over mine, but I was too infixed.
The tie tightened further, suffocating Goyle whose hands were reaching for the knot, trying to pull it off. His pale white skin slowly developed into a pastel blue.
"Melody," Draco said sternly, his hand clenching mine now.
"Taylor, he can't breathe!" Crabbe panicked.
Goyle was visibly gasping for air now which made Draco vigorously shake me from my trance.
"Melody!" He shouted.
I withdrew and Goyle slumped down in his chair with relief. Crabbe leant over to pull off his tie as he gasped in breaths of air desperately. It wasn't until I looked at everyone staring at me that I started to realise the extent of what my anger had caused me to do. As if a red fog cleared my sight. It was one pair of eyes that made me fear the most. Draco's penetrating stare. He looked at me like he didn't know me.
I was upset and embarrassed now, and still the violent anger within hadn't quelled. I got to my feet, desperate to flee the situation and started storming out of the hall. Draco and Blaise called for me, but I didn't have the courage now to turn around. I knew what everyone would be thinking, the deranged daughter finally lost it or the Death Eater succumbed to the darkness.
I wasn't surprised to hear Draco's footsteps following me briskly into the dungeons and back to my bedroom. If he hadn't, our relationship would start straining. He slammed the door to my dorm behind us, exasperated by what I had just done.
"What the fuck?!" He called. "You were strangling my friend!"
"Please don't start, I know, okay!" I called back and paced around the room frantically. "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me," I panicked.
"He made a cheap shot, but it didn't call for death, Melody," he lectured.
"I told you, I know!" I uttered.
"Then why did you do it?!" He yelled, hands flying wildly from his stance still near the door.
"Because he made me mad! I was already mad! What was up with you and Faye?" I cried.
"Me and Faye?! You're being dramatic," he pointed.
"No!" I screamed and stepped towards him, "you were all over each other. It was sickening," I spat.
"We were laughing over how much food was on Millicent's plate!"
My acrimony didn't stall for a second. If anything it made me more defensive.
"Well you didn't have to ignore me like you did!"
"I said good morning to you," he griped.
"No you didn't, you asked how I slept."
He rolled his eyes as exaggeratedly as he could. "Melody, this is pathetic."
"Well it's not like you've never called me that before," I sniffed as moisture started to fill my eyes and run in my nose.
"I said this is pathetic, not you are pathetic," he corrected, enunciating his vowels. He pinched between his eyebrows as he steadied his anger. "Melody, please don't cry," his voice lowered as I started sniffing more.
"You have no idea how I'm feeling right now!" I shouted as the fire continued to engulf me.
"You don't think I'm not stressed either? For fucks sake. And you say I'm the one who needs to 'act accordingly and not on impulse,'" he repeated my words from last night and I cringed. "I know you're the one who hexed Faye too."
"So it's Faye now," I sarcastically retorted.
He rolled his eyes again, "Harper. Does that make you happier?"
I sniffed, rubbing one of my eyes. "Yes," I grumbled.
He sighed and sat down on my bed with hands held out wide. "Come here," he said, his voice giving up enmity. Tears started to fall as I quit the tough and outraged act. I caved, dropping to his side and letting him smother me in the required cuddles. The sniffling started to slow down as my emotions cooled.
"I don't know what's wrong with me," I confessed whilst looking down at my hands. "I feel so bitter and heavy all the time, then I get this fever on my chest."
"Like something is weighing you down?"
I nodded.
"It's not me, is it?"
"What?"
"That's weighing you down." He asked tentatively.
"No..." I said as I thought over what he was assuming. Weighing me down in what way? He couldn't have possibly meant because Tom had bribed me with his life to kill Dumbledore. "Merlin no! Not at all, Draco. If anything, you make me feel lighter, taking some of the weight off. I can talk about this with you."
He let out a breath of relief and nodded. "You're just stressed, love. You're letting it get to you too much."
"Yeah," I agreed and instinctively raised a hand to my locket. "It's just stress."
✩✩✩
The world spun as I ran down the hall. I almost wanted to vomit while an unrelenting headache plagued my mind. I'd had it ever since I woke up. That's where my real issue was though - from waking up. I'd slept in and was five minutes late to D.A.D.A. Any other class, I would have skipped, but Snape would notice my absence and worry. Then he would hunt me down and give me one of his neverending 'safety is imperative' speeches. The pain in my head was flashing hard and hot as the soles of my feet hit the hard pavement. I didn't know what was causing it, but I figured it had something to do with going to bed with such a tense mind, right? Yesterday had been a test ever since my dramatic morning and spat with Draco.
As feared, class had started without me and I was bothered to see no spare seats between the Slytherin's. Draco, Crabbe and Goyle were all missing - he had told me last night he had some business to attend too that he promised wasn't violence. By the Polyjuice Potion book in his hands before bedtime, I believed it had something to do with that. I breathed a defeated sigh and beelined for the last free seat with Hermione, Longbottom and one of the Patil's.
"Good of you to join us, Miss. Taylor," Snape's voice was sharp, delivering the fact he would tolerate even my tardiness.
"Apologies, Professor," I said as I slipped into the seat next to the Patil twin. I think it was Pavarti, but I didn't know either of them well enough away. Which one was in Gryffindor again?
I followed suit of everyone else in class. We spent the next 20 minutes copying notes off the blackboard while everyone sat with their friends enjoyed small chatter. I wasn't even listening to Longbottom's story, but I didn't have too to know it was something irritating. My head continued to pulse along with the locket around my neck weighing more by the minute. I felt like some soaked sponge that wasn't being relieved at all, only getting heavier by the weight of more water. If only I could constantly rub ice blocks over me to keep my body temperature somewhat normal. Ever since I had spoken to Draco about my experience with Ginny, my locket continued to hurt. Anyone logical would have told me to take it off, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it.
I didn't want to take it off.
Without realising, I pulled on my collar, trying to relieve myself from the tightness. The locket fell loose and it was then, to my horror, the Patil twin noticed it.
"That's a beautiful amulet, Melody," she smiled.
I froze in my actions, realising what I had just done. I saw Hermione eye the Slytherin decorative before I managed to stuff it back under my jumper. I shot a smile at the twin, so quick and fake, "thanks."
"That's certainly interesting," Hermione said as her sight lingered on me. "I didn't think you were so House proud."
"I just like the necklace," I said as I pretended to busy myself with writing more notes.
"I didn't think it was your type of style, either," she added.
"Well it is," I shot and stared daggers into her. I knew how defensive I was coming off as but if it would put a cork in her mouth then it was necessary.
The day dragged on, especially with my blinding headache.
Every class was as painful as the next. I started to struggle seeing in brightly lit rooms. Therefore, the girls were forced to sit in the dark back corners with me which started to take a toll. Faye complained her eyesight wasn't well enough to see the chalkboards, but I could almost guarantee it wasn't the chalkboards she was trying to see.
I didn't see Draco throughout the whole day either until dinner. He worried if my headache was from the Occlumency lessons, but Snape had never caused one in the past. Despite that, our last lesson was days ago. The headache wouldn't take that long to kick in. On the topic of what he had been up too all day, he was very brief. He stressed he was working on a way to protect our secret and didn't want to reveal to me the details until he knew it would be a success. I was skeptical, especially after our heated conversation on trust, but he had a confident air about him.
We held hands as we walked through the halls back to the Slytherin Common Room. I was still aware at the looks thrown our direction because of our relationship. Some feared us and moved out of the way - as if we were parting seas. Others gossiped about the deathly combination due to our blood-lines and others envied us... or maybe me.
Draco was handsome, wealthy and talented. A possessive veil swept over me when I felt girls eyeing him. In those moments I could see his angle when he hated Dean for being too friendly. I had certainly felt that yesterday with Faye, one of my best friends.
"So you're not going to tell me anything else about this 'protection'?" I asked again. He curved his lip, thinking about his words. "Please don't tell me it's just Crabbe and Goyle. I mean, they were with you all day." I droned.
"It's them, but in a more... evolutionary state," he smiled down at me as we walked through the dungeons, the green lights shone a cool tinge to his pale skin.
"Evolutionary? Are you doing some experimental spells on them or something?" I quirked a brow.
"Potions, maybe." He thought.
"Well if it makes them smarter, please share. I need all the smarts I can get this year. N.E.W.Ts are looking impossible at this stage."
He threw an arm around my shoulders and pulled me into the crook of his body as we walked. "Don't be ridiculous. Besides, we have far more important things to trouble ourselves with."
I sighed, rubbing my face into his chest for a second. "I'd rather not think about it." I mumbled against the cotton.
"We'll pull it off, love. I'm confident after my discoveries today," again, his voice was punctuating confidence.
"Can I know a little about your discoveries?" I asked.
"I haven't forgotten what you said to me on the train," he smirked and I noticed his voice went down a valve. "About the Room of Requirement."
"You found it then?"
"I did," he said before reaching the Slytherin stones to the Common Room. "Viridi Serpens," he said the password and the stones began to shift.
"And?" I urged eagerly with a tight grip on his jumper.
He looked down at me assuredly. "It's there," he said.
"I knew it would be," I smiled to him.
"Many things can be achieved in that room," Draco said and pulled me in for a proper hug. I sighed into his chest again, feeling blissful, yet the blazing chasm still sat in my chest. "Believe in the possibilities, love."
✩✩✩
Not only were we learning non-verbal magic in D.A.D.A, Flitwick had us practicing it in Charms too. There was improvement over most students, but it was apparent who were quick learners and who were slow. Snape had revealed to I placed too much reliance to perform magic based on my emotions. If my heart wasn't in the spell, I struggled to perform it non-verbally. It made sense considering how easily I made things happen when I wanted it to happen. Particularly times where I couldn't control my temper. My mind drifted to moments such as Pansy's collapse, Seamus's constriction and even tightening Goyle the other day.
Furthermore, my headache still hadn't shook. I ended up revealing it to Madame Pomfrey who supplied me some vials that did temporarily put the pain at bay, but in a few hours I'd find myself struggling with the hammering ache all over again. This had become an issue that hindered me in several ways. My assassination plotting had come to a halt as it seemed to trigger the anguish the most. Once I allowed my mind to delve into dark schemes, it would return with a force. Occlumency lessons had also ceased to Snape's great displeasure. With everything else halted, I attempted to get N.E.W.T work done, but even my headache barricaded that.
"Many of you seem to be gripping the expertise that is required to do speechless spells," Flitwick continued as I tuned back in. "From now on, I'll expect most, if not all, magic conducted in our classes to be performed wordlessly. How does everyone feel about that?" He asked from his pedestal.
There was a chorus of groans accompanied by some optimistic agreeing. I was sitting beside Draco who was pleased to continue learning non-verbally. In D.A.D.A we had partnered together for most exercises and he had shown me how proficient he was with them.
"Of course you're happy about that," I teased with a slight eye roll.
He taunted me with a small grin, a lift to his chin. "You heard Snape, you just need to be less emotional with your casting."
"Very good, then!" Flitwick piped whilst clapping his hands to bring the attention of the class back. "We'll continue non-verbally, I'd like to move forward with duelling. And do keep it friendly," he said with a trained eye on the Slytherin's.
I heard Payton and Pansy begin slandering the Charms Professor under their breath as they partnered together and moved to a spot in the room. I looked over to Draco, expecting to partner with him as always, but his eyes were concentrated on something behind me. I glanced back to see Harry approaching, looking determined with closed fists.
I puffed a sigh, here we go.
"Potter," Draco sneered and I looked blankly up at the clock, not in the mood for these shenanigans.
"Malfoy." He addressed in return. "Melody, I'd like to partner with you today."
The request shocked me out of my mood. "Me? But what about Ron?"
"He's with Neville," he said.
Draco snorted, "what a dangerous duo."
He glared at Draco before returning to me. "I need to talk to you, it's important. Can we please work together?"
I turned back to Draco who didn't seem agreeable one bit, but I wasn't going to be one of those girlfriends who needed their boyfriends permission. "Just this lesson," I said and his crystal eyes grew in surprise. I placed a hand over his heart and leant in to his ear. "If it's important then you and I both know what it's about. I want to know," I whispered.
I could see the anger visibly boiling within him. With a rigid neck, he nodded to me and then it was Harry's eyes turn to grow in surprise.
I smiled softly at him before following Harry to a far corner in the room. It wasn't hard to notice the distance he was putting between us and others, no doubt whatever he needed to talk about was sensitive. This was bound to be juicy.
"How do you do that?" He asked once we positioned each other in a dueling set up.
"Do what?"
"Control him," he nodded his head towards Draco who was now pairing with Blaise.
I shrugged whilst pulling my wand out. "He loves me, he'll do anything for me."
Harry's eyes idled on me for a while longer as he considered my response. "It's hard to believe that prick could love anything besides himself," he muttered.
"You hate him, I get it," I deadpanned.
He shot a small green spell at me which I countered and he dispelled.
"Yes, and I have reason too, Melody."
"Full name today," I pointed out. "And yes I know, he bullied you."
"I don't care about the bullying," Harry said with a touch of bitterness.
I threw a Freezing Charm at him, but he shielded it.
"Seems like it," I winked.
He threw a similar spell back which immediately jolted my bones and chilled me.
"He's evil," Harry said whilst my arms slowly started to ice over. "I just wish you could see that. I wish you could see what I could see, Mel. He's going to hurt you." All I could do was blink as my body froze inch by inch. "I'm onto him." He said as if victorious. Finally, he non-verbally took the spell off and I warmed myself with the Hot-Air Charm. "Sorry," he smiled sheepishly.
I glared back at him before shooting Bluebell Flames in his direction which he actually had to physically dodge. "He is not evil," I sounded stubborn, but I didn't care. "You're convinced because his father is."
"That's not all I'm convinced by," Harry retorted. "I think he's one of them, Mel. I think it happened."
I didn't know how to feel about Harry's sudden revelation to me. I knew he had these beliefs already due to Ginny, but I was warmed to know he trusted to tell me himself. He trusted me not to go running back to Draco and telling him. It was confusing. I was angry he believed he was a Death Eater (in the end it was truth) but Harry wouldn't understand the reality. Then I was glad he trusted to confide in me, but still angry he acted like Draco was going to reign terror on the whole school soon.
But we were.
I breathed in deeply, feeling the fire brew again around my locket. "You're making assumptions," I tried to close the conversation, annoyed at the self-reflection he was imposing on me.
A bolt of lightning bounced from his wand to me, which I redirected into a wall. "You're not even the slightest bit worried or suspicious he is?" Harry asked in disbelief.
I threw a stronger bolt of lightning back this time, zapping him in the calf. With a grunt, he leant over seething and rubbing his leg. "Did it ever occur to you that Draco is too young to be one?" My attitude was betraying me.
"Haven't you noticed he's different this year, less of a bully and more focused on something else. I heard him say it himself, he was onto 'bigger things.'"
I bit my lip, annoyed again that Harry had eavesdropped on us to hear that. This time I fired a full powered Deprimo at him which he only just shielded. "Maybe I'm having a calming effect on him?"
"Or maybe he had something on his mind, like being one of them." Harry's voice pinched and it was clear he was annoyed at my so-called 'blindness.' "Has he been distant or quiet around you?" He interrogated before launching his own full powered blast of energy which I jumped out of the way of.
"No," I fired back. "I can't believe this is what you needed to talk to me about!"
"I figured if anyone would have noticed he's becoming one, it would be you." He said.
"So you're using me as some sort of informant? Like a sneak? Like a rat?!"
"Well aren't you!?" Harry's volume met my own. "He's not on our side and you are!"
So many visions flashed through my head from the summer where I deliberated whose side I was on. Moments of me crying in Draco's arms and times I spoke with Camille. Dinners I shared with Tom and nights with Nagini.
I was so annoyed I forgot we were doing non-verbal duelling and spoke out loud. "Everte Statum," I called.
"Protego," Harry shielded.
"Miss. Taylor and Mr. Potter!" Flitwick then called. "Please remember duelling is a friendly match and while you may talk with your partner, you're not expected to say your spells out loud."
We paused.
Both our minds slowly returning to remember we were in a classroom. Harry and I then observed our surroundings to see singed marks on the ground and some denting. Our spells seemed to have progressively becoming stronger and more intense.
"That sums up our lesson everyone," Flitwick called from the front as he dismissed us.
We stayed standing in our distant corner as everyone filed out, both of us shocked by the damage we caused around us. It looked as if two enemies had just duelled. I awkwardly raised my eyes to see him looking at me with that odd look again. It was distant and greyed, like he was trying to see me through thick foggy glass.
"Something is different with you," he said out loud, more to himself than me. His eyes scanned me from top to bottom, like he was looking for what was out of place. A flush of insecurity heated me, I couldn't help but shuffle on my feet. He then frowned, deep and confused, like he didn't understand his own words. "You've forgotten who you are."
I shifted my eyes down to the floor between us, an almost amused expression surfacing on my face. "No," I breathed, "I just really wish you'd let me."
I know, fuck this locket, right? I'm worried some people might not understand what it's doing exactly to Melody, so I wanted to include in the Authors Note this; Slytherin's locket is a Horcrux that evokes negative feelings to the one wearing it. With Ron, it picked up and exploited his jealousy and inferiority feelings. With Harry, it picked up his frustration and anger. I've read from others that with Hermione it picks up on her attraction and desire she was harboring for Ron. In my universe, I believe it picks up Melody's paranoia and temper. The locket seems to sap all happiness anyway, making her extra emotional. So it's making her quite sporadic and extra moody, like period x10. I hope that clarifies any confusion - if you have any more questions, please ask!
Also, who has seen Crimes of Grindelwald? What did you guys think? 🐍🐍🐍🐍