29

"What's your excuse this time?" Pansy rolled her eyes in annoyance, almost dismissing me completely as she diverted her gaze and propped her elbow up on the table to rest her head in her hand.

Her eyes roamed the great hall, though she was hardly paying attention to anything around her as she waited for me to reply.

"Don't say that—"

The raven-haired girl huffed, head snapping back towards me only for her eyes to narrow in on mine. "—Well, it's true. Isn't it?" She spat.

My brows knitted together tightly at her words as well as the tone she used them in. Nose scrunching up in annoyance and my hands balling into light fists before they fiddled with the ends of the black jumper I was wearing, I grumbled back;

"It's not my fault I actually care about my grades and education instead of being satisfied with an acceptable, Pansy." I tried to keep my voice low, not needing any more attention on the fact I wasn't going to Hogsmeade with them. Especially not from a certain silver-haired boy who could surely put two and two together.

Unfortunately, Pansy Parkinson wasn't known for keeping her voice down.

"Fuck off."

"You fuck off—" I retorted, diverting my gaze only for it to snap right back onto her when the next words left her mouth.

"I know you're hiding something." Before I was able to reply, she went on. "You don't even have any assignments due because you've already done them all, Adreanna! I don't know why you're lying— but either way, it's stupid of you to do so—"

"Oh, really?" I snapped, nose twitching as I snarled, "So it's not you who's been disappearing night after night? It's not you who continues to disappear during the days, too—?"

Pansy's brows raised in surprise before immediately twitching into a grim glare accompanied by a frown on her features. "—Adreanna," She warned, her voice suddenly no more than a harsh whisper.

Her brown eyes flickered over the table, my own gaze following to see a few glances our way. Theo watched our interaction with a worried frown on his face. Pansy's attention snapping back onto me, I continued.

"Don't talk to me about keeping secret's and lying when you keep your own and do the same, alright?" I hissed before I propped my hands onto the wooden table and pushed myself up.

Theo — face still distorted in worry — took that as his cue to chime in, immediately gaining himself glares from the both of us as he said, "Alright, why don't we all just... calm down a little—?"

His hands immediately raised in surrender at our expression, and he shook his head lightly. "Alright, alright. I'm just saying—"

"Don't."

My eyes darted over to Pansy as the word left our lips simultaneously, my glare deepening before I turned around without another word, eyes catching Malfoy's gaze in the last second; a slightly amused, smug expression on his face that made me almost turn around with my wand in hand, ready to hex him.

Instead, though, I continued to my dorm and didn't leave it until everyone else had left for Hogsmeade.

I knew they did once all the girl's swarmed into the room, hastily packing a small bag and throwing on jackets before practically running back out. Pansy was a little slower than the rest of them, though she didn't dare even throw a glance in my direction.

And so, eventually, even she had left silently— but not without loudly throwing the door into its hinges on her way out. I simply rolled my eyes at the gesture, waited a couple more minutes until the clock hit 11 AM and then got up.

The halls and common room were quiet when I peeked out of my dorm, a glance to my left and one to my right confirming that it was empty.

Gwen's dorm was only two doors over, and so I stood in front of it, my wand in hand, mere moments later. An "Alohomora" slipping past my lips, I rolled my eyes when the door wasn't even locked in the first place.

The room was arranged exactly the way ours was. Five beds stood opposite each other, three against one wall, two against the other; A chest with the Slytherin logo sprawled across the top-side of it standing in front of each single, four-poster bed; curtains drawn on two of them.

Neither of them were Gwen's, of course.

Even if I hadn't been in here countless times before, her bed would've just been as easily identifiable either way. Freshly washed robes, a few jumpers, skirts and socks scattered over her bed as well as the chest were basically spelling out "This bed belongs to Gwendolyn Ophelia Hayes" with the state it was in.

I knew she kept the round music box in her nightstand, and the first thing in my field of vision when I opened the drawer was the pale white coloured box, golden details lacing the outside of it.

I was out of the room just seconds after; there was no need to occupy her dorm any longer. I would've considered joining my friend's in Hogsmeade — seeing as this took a lot less time than I had anticipated — if Pansy wouldn't have acted the way she did.

Now, I made it a point to piss her off by not going.

Closing my own door behind me with a sigh, I leaned against it with my eyes closed. Clutching the music box in my hands and throwing my head back.

I was another step closer, now; another step closer to fulfilling my duty and reestablish my family's name. Make up for my mother's failure— the only reason she failed in the first place those damned Malfoy's—

"I wonder what Pansy would say if she knew what secret's exactly you've been keeping from her."

My eyes opened, immediately landing on Malfoy's casual position on my bed. Legs sprawled out over the entirety of it, shoes still on his feet. I pushed myself off the door, my brows furrowing as I took him in once more.

One of my books in his hands, casually flipping one of the beige pages as his eyes darted back towards them, once more acting like I just walked into his dorm rather than the other way around.

Lips slightly parted in surprise, I shook my head to force a reply out of myself, his words still ringing in my ear.

"You know what happens once you do anything that even hints at the possibility of—"

"—Of course," He quickly cut me off. "I go down with you."

"And you might hate me, but you love Pansy too much to do that to her." Growing accustomed to his presence, I leaned against Tracey Davis' bedpost. I didn't dare divert my eyes off of him in fear he might send a spell my way, similarly to how he had the last time he was in here.

Even if this time, there was an entire room still between us.

At my words, he swiftly snapped the book close, fingers absentmindedly tracing the spine before he put it down, his eyes snapping up to mine.

"I don't hate anyone," He cleared up, head tilting with a smirk on his face as his gaze travelled up and down my body once. "Hating, Hayes, would actually require for me to care, in the first place."

I clicked my tongue at his words, watching him as unfazed as ever as he got off my bed to walk closer to me.

"Don't tell me you don't care about me, Malfoy. You're breaking my fragile, little heart," I muttered, a playful pained expression on my face that immediately melted into a stern glare as he took one step after the other.

His eyes trailed down to the music box still in my grasp, and I pushed my hands behind my back — hiding the box from any further inquiring glances — as soon as I noticed.

"Stealing from your own sister now, are you?" He wondered, his stormy grey eyes piercing into my own as his eyes batted open again. He lifted a brow when he added, "Though, I remember when it was still in your possession."

The boy was entirely too close to me now, though I didn't dare take a single step back as he came to a halt before me.

"Do you?" I questioned, a half-hearted smile on my lips and my brows raised in interest. Instead of answering, though, he simply leaned in closer, head lowering to level with mine as he stopped only inches from me.

My attention entirely on his porcelain-like face and the way his minty breath fanned against my lips, I didn't notice his hand casually grabbing around me until the box was wrestled out of my loosened grip without much of a struggle. I yelped at the motion, a grim expression taking over my features as he brought some distance between us with a victorious smile on his lips.

He scanned the object intently, twisting and turning it while simultaneously moving it out of my way without much of an effort whenever I reached for it. An annoyed grunt escaped my lips when he raised his arm, the box in his hand over his head with no way for me to get to it.

"Cut the crap, Malfoy. Just give it back," I huffed, annoyance lacing my voice as I crossed my arms in front of my chest in silent defeat.

"What? Where did that big mouth of yours go?" He asked in a condescending tone, a smug smirk on his lips as he looked down on me with a brow quirked. Blonde hair hanging into his face and swaying with the motion of his head tilting. "That's what I thought."

His gaze fell back on the box in his hand, head angling upwards and my eyes steadily on his Adam's apple bopping when he swallowed thickly. "What could you possibly want with this that requires you to steal it rather than just ask?" He wondered out loud.

"That's none of your business—"

"Oh, but trust me— I'm dying to know," He drawled, his tongue flicking over his lips absentmindedly.

I scoffed. "You will if you keep this up."

His eyes connected with mine at the words, narrowing in on them as his brows slightly furrowed. A smirk grew on his lips then, corner of it tilting upwards and revealing the faint dimple on his cheek.

A singular, amused huff passed by his lips before he diverted his eyes and said, "Let's hear it, then—" wand in hand just moments later to have it play.

A simple tap against the box opened it almost soundlessly, revealing my family's manor in gold in the middle of it. The calming music started playing just a second or two after.

As soon as Malfoy attempted to lower his hand, I took my chance to tear it out of his firm grip without a second of hesitation. He didn't try to struggle against it; gave it up willingly, almost.

The familiar, pleasant melody coming from the box the only sound filling up the room. It made me feel safe despite Malfoy's threatening presence. It made me almost forget about him completely as I brushed past him and placed it on my bedside table.

Low, calming melody still playing in the background.

"It's almost a shame I'll have to destroy it."

My wand was by his throat mere moments later, a threatening gleam in my eyes and a mildly amused one in his.

A/N: hehe :)

Thoughts?