"What?" Malfoy breathes out. "Did you have a vision?" He asks. "Yes," I say quietly, feeling suddenly drained of all energy. "What did you see?" He questions. "A street name, a building, and a room number," I say. He raises his eyebrows in surprise.
"That specific?" He asks. My mouth falls open slightly and I spring up from the couch. "What are you-" Malfoy begins but I cut him off. "Do you have a pen?" He looks at me in surprise, not processing my question. "A pen! I need a pen!" I exclaim. He blinks hard. "Oh, right, of course," he says, immediately standing.
There's a small bar in the hotel room, I rush towards the counter, scanning my eyes across the area. I quickly spot a stack of napkins and grab one, turning around to find Malfoy holding out a pen. I grab it, immediately crouching in front of the coffee table to frantically scribble down exactly what I've just seen.
Lexington Avenue, Avalon Towers, Room 323.
I hold the napkin out in front of me, studying the directions. "So are you going to tell me more or...?" Malfoy trails off. I snap my gaze upwards, staring into his intent gray eyes. "Here," I mutter, holding out the napkin.
"This is where he is? You saw him?" He asks as he studies the directions.
"I didn't see him, but I feel like - I feel like he's just there. I felt like I knew that place when I saw it in my vision, I just - I think it's worth a shot," I say.
"So you're not completely sure if he lives there, you're just assuming based on a feeling?" He asks, raising a questioning brow.
"Yes, is something wrong with that?"
"Well, what if he's not there? What if it's just some random vision?"
I roll my eyes. "Okay, how about you come up with a better idea on where you think he is and then we will do things your way," I snap.
"All I'm saying is what if you're wrong?" He defends.
"So what? I'm not saying I'm right. But my visions aren't random. The first one saved your life-" I say as I jab my finger into his chest, recalling my vision of the silver dagger. "-The other one basically hinted that my father would be here, in America. It's not just a random location, there's something important there. I just know it," I say.
"Ok, so basically we are just relying on some crazy gut feeling of yours?" He responds.
"Fine. If you think it's all that crazy, I'll just go alone then," I snap, spinning on my heel as I shove the napkin into my pocket. I stalk over to my pair of shoes sitting by the front door, shoving my feet into them. "What? No! That's even more insane!" He snaps as he follows after me, but I'm already throwing the front door wide open.
I stop, turning around to face him. "Is this some sort of vacation to you? In case you forgot we are here to find my Dad. If you don't want to help, then don't. I couldn't care less," I spit out before turning my back on him and stepping out of the hotel room.
I don't get far before he latches onto me with his iron grip. He grabs my arm, causing me to stop right in the middle of the hallway before he whirls me around to face him. "What do you want?"I say fiercely through clenched teeth. "I want you to stop making irrational decisions for once," He says in a low, demanding voice.
"Try not to sound so much like a father, Malfoy," I sneer as I try to pull away from him.
"You were seriously about to go out there, in some huge city all alone, with three killers running around looking for you?" He urges. I nod my head confidently. "Well, then you're more stupid than I thought," He says quietly.
"What's stupid is that you actually think I would ignore a clue like this. He's my family and I will do whatever it takes to get to him first," I say, my voice emotionless. "Now let go of me."
"No," he snaps, "not until you think this through," he says.
"Malfoy," I warn.
"Ashwood," he mimics.
"I mean it! Let go!" I say with more intensity.
"No."
"Let go!"
"I told you-"
"DRACO MALFOY LET GO OF ME RIGHT NOW!" I shout. He looks at me with wide eyes but it only takes a second to realize he's not looking at me at all, he's looking behind me. I hear somebody clear their throat from behind me and I slowly strain my neck to see whose behind us.
Ron and Harry stand directly behind me in the hallway, watching the two of us with looks of pure amusement on both of their faces.
"We're not interrupting something, are we?" Harry muses.
"No!" I blurt out. "Not at all," I blush furiously before I use all my strength to rip my arm from Malfoy's grasp. I pull away but not before I elbow him right in the ribs, like the child that I am. His reaction is priceless and I can't help the wild smirk on my face.
"Next time let go when I tell you to," I sass. "You're dead, Ashwood," He snarls as he looks absolutely furious and in two seconds, even less, he's taken hold of both of my wrists, and pinned me to the other side of the narrow hallway. My proud smirk doesn't falter in the slightest as I hit the wall and stare endlessly into his gray orbs, filled with fire and rage. I wasn't aware I could make Malfoy this angry, and I love it.
"Uh seriously - We can come back later," Ron says. I tear my gaze from Malfoy, and back to the two boys looking at us in complete shock. "No! Stay! Please!" I say before turning back to Malfoy.
"Let go of me, we can finish this later," I mutter in a low voice.
He looks about two seconds away from killing me but his hold on me relaxes, and he pulls away, moving as far away from me as he possibly can. I turn back to the two boys. "I'm sorry," is all I mutter as I look to the ground.
Harry laughs nervously, "No worries, we just came to see if you two made it back alright," He says.
"Yeah we're all good," I smile. Good timing guys, I think to myself.
"Are you going somewhere else?" Ron asks, eyeing the shoes on my feet.
"Oh! Yes!" I pause, "I um - I think I know somewhere else we can check," I mutter. "For your father?" Harry questions. I nod my head. "Yeah, that's actually why we were arguing," I say, throwing Malfoy a dirty sideways glance. He happily returns it, as he continues to keep his distance, leaning against the wall with both arms crossed against his chest.
"I had a vision, and I saw a place, and I think we should go," I say.
"That's right! McGonagall told us you're a seer! That's bloody wicked," Ron smirks. I smile brightly. "Thank you," I say. "How close is the place?" Harry cuts in. "Not too far," I shrug. "Perfect, let's go then," Harry says.
I look at him with wide eyes. "Really?" I ask. "Yeah, why not?" He says casually. "Well, Malfoy thinks it's a stupid idea," I frown. We all turn to him. He rolls his eyes. "Great. Just great. I'm in another country with the three people that probably hate me the most," he groans.
"That tends to happen when you're an asshole," I retort. "Now are you coming or what?" I add. He looks at me like it takes every ounce of energy not to strangle me. But he slowly takes a deep breath, as he closes his eyes, and then says, "Let me grab my jacket," before turning back into our room.
"Bloody hell," Ron mutters once he's gone.
"What?" I ask.
"I've never seen anyone treat Malfoy like that and get away with it," He says. I raise my eyebrows feeling rather shocked. "He's right, usually they would end up dead if they ever pulled anything like that," Harry adds.
"Well I - I mean he technically can't kill me because his job is to look after me," I reason.
"Maybe, but is it just me or does he treat her differently Harry?" Ron smirks.
"Definitely not just you, I noticed that from a mile away," Harry says, grinning.
I shake my head. "No, no, no. We hate each other, I swear," I declare.
"Really? Because I could swear you two have a soft spot for each other," Ron smirks.
"Oh hell no. I think you might need glasses like your buddy over here," I scowl at Ron, nodding towards Harry.
"Hey!" Harry pouts. "He's not wrong though," He then says smugly. A second later, our conversation is interrupted when the door opens and out steps Malfoy. The air grows tense immediately, and Ron and Harry lose their playful attitude in just a second. "Ready?" Harry asks. We all nod before we turn in the direction of the elevators. Harry and Ron fall into a conversation, and suddenly I feel Malfoy right next to me.
"I'm looking forward to finishing our conversation later tonight," he says in a low, dangerous voice. A sinister chill runs up my spine as I feel his breath on my neck. I meet his threatening eyes and that evil stare, and I suddenly feel like I want to curl up in a ball and hide from him forever. I swallow nervously.
What the hell have I gotten myself into?
* * * * *
It doesn't take long to figure out exactly where Avalon Towers is. It's a nice apartment complex near the Upper East Side and I wonder if my Dad lives here, why he chose such a luxurious place to live in if he was trying to go unnoticed. After a 15 minute walk, with the weather still a bit stormy, we finally arrive.
"What room was it again?" Harry asks.
"232," I say.
We step inside to the main lobby. Tall ceilings, live piano music, a bar in the corner. An extremely large Christmas tree on the other side of the lobby. People sit around on fancy looking velvet chairs and couches, wearing their finest clothes and sipping on their drinks, laughing, and probably bragging about their lifestyles.
I suddenly feel incredibly out of place.
I look down at my current attire. A baggy pair of sweats, and a sweatshirt. How cute. I blush profusely as I look back up and notice a group of older ladies sitting near the front entrance, looking at me like the dirt beneath their Louboutin's. Malfoy however, looks like he fits right in with this kind of environment. It's moments like these that I swear he is always ready for.
We are quick to locate the elevators, finding a small directory on the wall near it. "It says any room in the 300's will be on the 3rd floor," Ron says, pointing to the sign. "What an intellectual discovery Weasley. Almost like we couldn't see that for ourselves," Malfoy sneers. I scowl angrily fighting the urge to hit him.
"And that comment was necessary for what?" I snap.
He simply shrugs, a smug look on his face as he presses the button next to the elevator. "Don't listen to him," I mutter to Ron. "Don't worry, I never do," The ginger smirks. The elevator doors abruptly slide open, a satisfying ding! filling the air. The four of us step inside, an awkward silence taking over immediately. Harry quickly pushes the button to level 3, and in a short amount of time, the doors have slid open once more and we are stepping out.
My heart really begins to race, and my stomach begins to twist. I feel incredibly nervous suddenly as we walk down the hall, searching for room 323. The thought that I could be seconds away from possibly seeing my father for the first time in 16 years, blows my mind. I don't even remember the first thing about him, all I know is I was just a 1 year old when him and my mother had to put me in hiding.
My breath grows heavy as I notice the numbers are rapidly growing larger, meaning we are closer to room 323. I feel clammy, and shaky, and I already know I'm as white as a ghost. And finally, we come to a complete stop, right infront of the door. I feel my heart do a flip. I simply stare at the door, unable to move, completely paralyzed.
It's so hard to breathe, I don't even know how I'm going to manage to speak. "Ashwood? Are you just going to stand there?" Malfoy asks. I blink hard, looking at the door, then looking at Malfoy, and then the two other boys. They're all expecting me to knock.
I take a deep breathe, as deep as I can manage, before I hold up a shaky hand and knock twice. A hollow sounding knock fills the hallway, and I feel my whole body clench. This could be the moment I have been dreaming of since I first discovered my father was still alive. I wait for a few seconds. Nothing. Nothing at all. I grow impatient and knock again.
Now my whole body is reeling with energy, with excitement. I need to see him, I need to see my Dad. I wait just a bit longer and nothing happens. Pure silence surrounds me and a large frown crosses my face. "It's ok Emma, we can always come back," Harry says softly, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. I simply nod, hanging my head towards the ground, and turning my back on that damn stupid door.
An abrupt and distant sound of a latch being unlocked sounds, and then I freeze on the spot as I hear the door slowly open. I let out one short breath before I turn around slowly.
I stare straight into the eyes of the man standing in front of me.
The man who is not my father.