nineteen : SILENT DEATH

chapter xix : silent death

"the desperate need for air."

THE GREAT HALL WAS QUIET with only a few early risers scattered across the long house tables. Valerie Potter sat alone at the Slytherin table, a steaming cup of hot chocolate warming her hands. She was exhausted, the kind of tired that seeped into your bones. The vision from last night had left a residue of fear and a physical ache in her hands, making sleep an impossibility. She hadn't even bothered with makeup, the dark circles under her eyes serving as a testament to her sleepless night. Her focus was entirely on the open pages of her black leather drawing journal, a gift from Hermione last year. She was sketching with the magical silver pencil Dumbledore had given her, an artifact he claimed was made by Rowena Ravenclaw herself. It was meant to help people like her express their visions.

Valerie was drawing a hand, not her own, but a the back of the hand being carved open by an invisible blade, the lines on the page raw and painful.

Just as she was sketching on the paper, a familiar scent of expensive cologne filled the air. She didn't look up, but a small smile touched her lips.

"Hi babe." Draco's voice was a soft murmur from beside her. He leaned down and kissed the side of her head, his touch a gentle reassurance.

Valerie's eyes finally left her drawing. "Hey," She said, her voice tired. She closed the journal and set it aside, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hands.

Draco sat beside her, Theodore Nott taking a seat across from them, filling his plate with scrambled eggs. "What's wrong? You look like you haven't slept." He gently rubbed her back, a simple gesture that made her feel a little less alone.

"It happened again, Draco. Last night," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "It was so scary and painful."

A frown creased Draco's forehead. "Maybe we should talk to Professor Trelawney about it. That's her area of expertise, isn't it?"

Valerie nodded, stifling a yawn. "Yeah. I will. I'll go during lunch."

After breakfast, Valerie made her way to her first class, Transfiguration. The class itself was a blur, but a quick conversation with Harry during a break stood out. He had looked at her with an intensity of concern, "Are you okay now?" He had asked, his voice low. She managed a quick nod and a smile, not wanting to worry him any more than she had to.

At the start of lunch, Valerie bypassed the Great Hall and made her way to the Divination classroom. She found Professor Trelawney sitting in her usual plush armchair, surrounded by scarves and tea leaves. The room was stuffy and smelled of incense. Trelawney listened with a sympathetic, albeit dramatic, expression as Valerie described how her body would react from a vision.

"Oh, my dear," She said, her large glasses magnifying her eyes. "This is a profound gift, a rare ability indeed. The pain... it is the cost of seeing so deeply. You are not meant to have control over such things. You are merely a vessel." She was unhelpful, offering no real solution, but her sympathy was genuine. "My only advice is to continue expressing it by drawing. It may not stop the visions, but it will help you process the echoes they leave behind."

The day's classes finally came to an end, and a small group of friends gathered by the Black Lake. The late afternoon sun was warm and golden, a perfect contrast to the gloom of the dungeon classroom.

Valerie Potter, Draco Malfoy, Eric Lewis, Theodore Nott, Blaise Zabini, and Miranda Lim all stripped down to their swimwear, ready to jump in.

Meanwhile, on a large red and white squared picnic blanket, Daphne Greengrass was passing around a plate of her famously delicious brownies. Her boyfriend, Neville Longbottom, was sitting beside her, a look of utter contentment on his face. He took a bite of a brownie, his eyes lighting up.

"Daph, these are amazing," Neville said, his voice full of genuine admiration. "Seriously, you're a better baker than any of the house-elves."

She smiled, a soft blush coloring her cheeks. "Oh, stop," She said, but she was clearly pleased. She leaned her head on his shoulder, and he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close. Their love was a quiet, stable kind of magic that was easy for everyone to see.

Millicent Bulstrode, who hated swimming, was also on the blanket, chatting with the cute loving couple.

Blaise gave Millicent a brief, knowing look before turning back to his friends, a secret shared only between the two of them and Valerie.

Ivory Davis was nowhere to be seen, off somewhere in the castle with her Hufflepuff boyfriend.

Valerie felt a genuine smile spread across her face for the first time all day. The cool water felt amazing against her skin, and the laughter and splashing around her were a welcome distraction from her anxieties.

The energy by the Black Lake was high, filled with the carefree joy of the last days of summer. The group of friends had fully embraced the playful spirit of their swim.

Miranda Lim, ever the competitive one, had clambered onto Theodore Nott's broad shoulders.

The equally adventurous Eric Lewis, had also perched himself precariously on Blaise Zabini's shoulders.

Before he had gotten on, Eric had crowned himself with a messy circlet of bright green seaweed, a testament to his enthusiasm.

"Alright, Lewis!" Miranda called out, her hands clasped together with his, ready for action. "Prepare to be dethroned!"

              Eric, equally determined, mirrored her stance. "Oh, I don't think so, Lim! This seaweed crown is going nowhere! Blaise and I are an unstoppable tower of power!" He wobbled slightly, and Blaise chuckled beneath him.

"Careful up there, Lewis," Blaise teased, deliberately swaying a little.

"HEY!" Eric yelped, regaining his balance. "No sabotage, Zabini!"

The two 'towers' circled each other in the shallow water, Miranda and Eric exchanging taunts and playful threats.

"Your seaweed crown is about to fall, Lewis!" Miranda shouted, lunging forward with her clasped hands, trying to push Eric.

"Not if your whole castle crumbles first, Lim!" Eric countered, pushing back with equal force. Their hands strained against each other, their faces determined, while Theo and Blaise tried their best to remain steady despite the bursts of movement from above.

Valerie and Draco watched from a little further out, laughing at the spectacle.

With a sudden surge of energy, Miranda pushed hard, and Eric, caught off balance, let out a surprised yell as he tumbled sideways and went crashing into the cool water with a loud splash.

Miranda, triumphant, threw her arms up in the air, nearly causing Theo to lose his own balance. "YES! I'M THE QUEEN OF THE BLACK LAKE!" She declared, laughing.

Eric surfaced, sputtering and wiping water from his eyes, a wide grin on his face despite his dunking. He pushed his soggy seaweed crown back into place. "Okay, okay, you win this round, Lim!" He called out, swimming towards the shore, where Daphne and Neville were chuckling on their picnic blanket. "But I demand a rematch!"

Draco, his toned torso bare and glistening with water, was a constant presence beside his girlfriend. He was playful, splashing her and teasing her, but his eyes were always on her, checking on her.

"Having fun, love?" He murmured, pulling her a little closer to him.

         "Yeah, I am." She breathed, her hormones flaring at the feel of his skin against hers. A familiar, intoxicating heat coursed through her, the kind of heat that was quickly becoming a constant presence in her life.

It was during a moment when she was a little separated from the group that she saw it: a small, treasure-like trunk, wedged between two large rocks at the bottom of the lake.

It shimmered with a strange, ancient magic.

A sense of urgency, both familiar and foreign, washed over her, and she swam down to retrieve it.

The moment her fingers brushed against the metal, her world tilted.

The water was gone, replaced by a blinding, bright light.

It was a girl, with black hair flowing around her.

The girl was drowning, the water rushing into her lungs, the fear and pain so intense Valerie could feel it.

She felt the girl's terror, the cold, suffocating pressure, the desperate need for air.

"Valerie?!?" Draco's voice was a distant, frantic yell.

The vision snapped away. Valerie Potter was back in the lake, coughing up water, her lungs burning. Draco had her in his arms, his face a mask of pure terror and concern. He held her tightly, pulling her to the surface. She was shivering, not from the cold, but from the lingering feeling of drowning. The tiny trunk was clutched tightly in her hand, a small, dark object.

"Love, talk to me," Draco begged, his voice shaking. He helped her out of the water, wrapping her shivering body in his towel. She didn't respond, her mind still replaying the terrifying vision.

A few feet away, Daphne Greengrass called out from the picnic blanket, "HEYY, IS EVERYTHING ALRIGHT?!"

         "We're fine!" Draco yelled back, his eyes never leaving his girlfriend's face. He knew she wasn't. He knew the grey, distant look in her eyes. He had seen it before, but never like this. "Just cold!" He lied, pulling her closer and wrapping the towel tighter.

Valerie's head was spinning. She felt overwhelmed, the fear and pain of the drowning girl still fresh in her mind. Her silence wasn't a choice: it was a symptom of the curse. She felt a choked, painful feeling in her throat, a physical manifestation of her inability to speak of her visions. The tears came then, hot and stinging against her cold cheeks.

Draco felt her sobs and held her even tighter. "Shh, it's okay, I'm here. I've got you," He whispered, his voice a steady anchor in her chaotic mind. He looked at the trunk still clutched in her hand. "Did that thing... did it do that to you?"

Valerie could only nod, tears streaming down her face. She couldn't tell him about the drowning girl and her silent scream. The secret was a physical weight in her chest.

         "We have to get rid of it, Val. Throw it back in the lake." His voice firm with concern. He reached for it, but Valerie pulled back instinctively, hugging the trunk to her chest.

Valerie Potter felt that she couldn't abandon the object. She believed it was a key to understanding her abilities. Her thoughts were a torrent, but her lips remained sealed. She felt the trunk pulse with a faint energy against her body, a pull she couldn't deny.

"No," Her voice a raw, choked whisper. "I can't."

Draco's face softened. He saw the desperate fear in her eyes, but also a strange, determined light. "Why not?"

"I... I don't know," She confessed, her voice shaking. "It's like... it's a part of me now. I feel like I have to know."

He sighed, running a hand through her wet hair. "Alright," His voice heavy with reluctant agreement. "But we are not doing this alone. We're in this together."

The group left the Black Lake soon after.

Back in her dorm, Valerie and Draco tried to open the trunk, but it was locked with a magic they couldn't understand. Spells and charms bounced harmlessly off its dark surface. Hours passed, the sun setting and casting long shadows across her room.

Draco Malfoy let out a frustrated sigh as he tried a complex unlocking spell. However, the small unopened treasure chest remained stubbornly on the bed, a silent, menacing presence.

Valerie's gaze was fixed on the object. Her mind was racing, replaying the vision from the lake over and over. Who was she, the girl in the vision? She felt the girl's terror, the cold of the water... her desperate fight for air. Valerie's heart ached with the memory, and her hands clenched into fists, a choked, painful feeling in her throat a physical reminder of her curse. She couldn't tell Draco what she knew, couldn't voice the haunting image.

Draco put an arm around her, pulling her close. "You're still thinking about it," He said, his voice quiet. "Whatever that thing showed you, it wasn't good." He then stifled a yawn, "It's late, babe. We should get to bed."

Valerie's head snapped up. She looked at the bed, then back at him, her eyes wide with fear. The memory of last night's vision, of being alone and in pain, came flooding back.

Draco saw the alarm in her eyes. "What's wrong?" He asked gently.

Valerie's voice was small and fragile. "I'm scared, Draco. I don't want to be alone. I don't want to... to be trapped in the pain again."

His heart ached for her. He reached out and took her hand. "You don't have to be, Val. I can stay with you tonight."

A wave of relief washed over her, followed by a rush of surprised giddiness. "Really? You'd... you'd do that?"

"Of course, your my girlfriend." He said, smiling softly. "I'll go get ready. You do the same."

Valerie felt a nervous energy bubbling up inside her as she watched him leave. This was their first time sleeping together, a milestone she hadn't expected. She took an extra-long shower, scrubbing away the cold lake water and the lingering phantom feeling of drowning.

She emerged in her soft, pink silk pajamas and looked at herself in the mirror. She felt a mix of anxiety and warmth, a sense of safety she hadn't felt in days.

She dried her hair, her gaze lingering on her reflection. A shy smile touched her lips. It was true, she felt terrified by her visions, a curse she had only just begun to understand. But tonight, for the first time in a long time, the fear was not her only emotion.

A different kind of warmth was blooming in her chest, a giddiness that made her feel so impossibly young and normal.

She thought about Draco's shirtless body at the Black Lake, the way the muscles in his arms had flexed as he helped her out of the water.

She thought about the way he had looked at her, all concern and no judgment.

The fact that he was staying with her, not out of passion but out of a need to protect her, felt so much more intimate. It was a silent promise.

She fluffed her pillows and straightened the sheets, the soft, clean scent of her dorm a comforting blanket.

Valerie felt so vulnerable, but also so cherished, so seen.

A few minutes later, Draco came back, dressed in his grey pajama pants and, to her utter delight, completely shirtless. He was quiet, the usual playful glint in his eyes replaced by a gentle, steady concern.

He turned off the lights, plunging the room into a comfortable darkness.

"Turn around, Val," He murmured softly.

She lay down on the bed, her back to him.

The bed dipped as he got in behind her, the warmth of his body a comforting presence against her.

He didn't speak, just waited.

After a moment, she felt his arm gently snake around her waist, pulling her close against his chest. His other hand settled on her arm, tracing soft, slow circles.

Butterflies fluttered in Valerie's stomach, a new and exciting sensation that pushed back against the lingering fear. "Hey," She whispered, her voice a little breathless, "I was a little nervous about this."

"Me too," He confessed with a soft chuckle. "I'm not going to let a single nightmare get to you, okay?

She smiled, the giddy feeling growing. "So you're my guardian angel now?"

"Yes I am," he said, his voice laced with affection. He nuzzled his face into her hair. "I love you so much, Valerie."

"I love you too," She whispered back.

With his arms wrapped tightly around her, the lingering fear of the visions slowly faded, replaced by the soft, steady feeling of Draco's heartbeat against her back.

˖ . ݁𝜗𝜚. ݁₊

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( authors personal notes ) published — 8:00am august 30th 2025current amount of reads — 61.5kword count — 2,796