Chapter Text
"Don't stop."
I reach for his face and trace the muscle of his jaw, feeling his hair tickle the ends of my fingers. His breathing becomes more rapid and I can feel his heartbeat quicken against my chest.
I lean my head in the crook of his neck as his hand slides higher. I breathe in, drinking in his smell. Did he get a new cologne? I lean back, letting my hands roam across his chest.
He presses a kiss to my jaw, trailing up to my mouth. I shake off the thought, deepening the kiss. The sinking feeling in my stomach doesn't disappear.
I tentatively run my hands over his face, feeling the unfamiliar rises of his face under my finger tips.
Frantically, I grip the hand under my skirt, yanking it away from my leg. I push the person away from me, crashing back into the table behind them. "Who are yo-"
Someone mutters the cleaning charm and with a sharp flash the smoke clears as quickly as it flooded the classroom. My hands grip the table behind me until my knuckles turn white. Draco dusts off his robe to the left of me, arguing with Mattheo.
I can feel the sweat building on my palms and the sinking of my stomach is overwhelming. My breathing is rapid and I hold myself up on the table, keenly aware my legs about to give out.
The boy in front of me pushes his hair back with a lay back slide of his hand. I'm trapped in place by his blue eyes, drilling deep into my own. "Why didn't you stop." I hiss, drawing him to the side of the classroom with great protest from my shaking legs.
"You told me not to."
I fling his arm out of my grip, crossing my arms and putting as much space between us as possible.
"You knew what you were doing." I seethe, searching his face. Theo scoffs, stuffing his hands in his pockets. I flick my gaze back to the rest of the class when I meet Draco's concerned gaze. I freeze up, dread filling my veins. Theo leans into me, locking eyes with me. "Don't pretend to be innocent here Y/N," He whispers.
I flinch, my mouth involuntarily hanging open. "Excuse m-"
"Are you sure you didn't know it was me?" He asks, watching me before swiftly making his way back to his table with Blaise. I stand frozen, completely still.
I wring my hands together, willing the shaking to end. I knew. I knew. I knew something wasn't right. I knew and I kept going.
I notice Draco approaching me, shaking soot from his hair. He reaches for me and brushes off some that landed on my face. My body tenses and I'm acutely aware how rough Theo's hands were compared to the tender skin of Draco's. "What's wrong-" He begins.
Snape coughs and the collective stare of the whole class is on us. "If everyone has settled down?" He asks, only moving his gaze from us when he begins his next sentence, "I will be coming around to check your potions."
Me and Draco make our way back to our table in silence. I notice the frequent glances he shoots at me as we wait for Snape to reach our table. Despite his obvious concern he doesn't speak a word.
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"You seriously didn't know?"
I groan inwardly, regretting even telling Peyton at all. "I'm sure you would've made the same mistake, it was dark and everyone was wailing like children." I say, chewing on the skin around my fingernail.
"Uh, no," She says, pressing a defensive hand to her chest. "I wouldn't be making out with someone in the middle of class, as soon as no one can see us." She finishes, chucking her bag onto her bed as we enter the dorm room.
I glare at her and she shrugs, busying herself with unpacking.
I don't bother responding, knowing she already won this argument. I wouldn't have had time anyway as a knocks sounds at the door. I turn around and see Theo standing by the open door.
"Why is it whenever someone knocks on this door it always has something to do with me?" I groan as I walk over to him.
He shuts the door behind me as we make our way into the common room in silence. We make ourselves comfortable in the table in the corner, shielded from the rest of the room by a large bookshelf. I run my fingers over the familiar carving of a 'L+N' scratched into the corner of the dark wood table. I remember finding it first-year and the prefects telling me it's been there since they were in first-year as well.
"Just because we're in the spot where everyone makes out doesn't mean I'm going to willingly do it with you." I huff, leaning back in the plush sofa-bench hybrid I sit on.
"Of course," He says, "You can see me this time."
I scoff, letting my mouth gape open. He interrupts my retort with a raise of his hand and the slam of books on the table. I didn't notice the bag slung over his shoulder until now.
He pushes the leatherbound book towards me like he did before. I look up at him, skeptically. "Seriously? This again?" I ask, sliding it back.
"Look, you were right." He admits, glaring at me through his eyelashes.
Despite, my triumphant look, my chest constricts. "As happy as I am hearing that come out of your mouth... do you mean?" I say, leaving the question hanging. He nods.
"Someone planted it there. Someone who knew something Draco doesn't, and someone who wanted me to find it." He answers, flicking through the pages of the book. He points to the dog-eared page, bookmarking the page about the dark mark. My wrist stings looking at it and I glance down at the scars, and the memories flood back...
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"Get off me!"
"It is the greatest honour sweetheart." My mother whispers in my ear. I struggle against her arm wrapped tightly around me, binding my arms to my side. I thrash, tears flowing down my cheeks, leaving trails in the muck on my face.
A woman in a robe stands before me, a mask covering her face. "The dark lord chose you to bare this mark of honour, do not disobey child." She croaks out, as if she's been crying. crouching down to me she reaches out her surprisingly smooth yet weathered fingers and grasps my wrist, ever so gently.
I glance towards my father who watches, his face impassive and bored. I shriek as the cloaked woman presses her wand to my skin.
My mother's grip tightens and I feel the shifting of her own mark against my skin. It squirms in anticipation at another joining it's ranks.
Sweat beads on my forehead as I continue to throw my body against the vice-like grip of my mother's arms. I feel an unparalleled sizzle on my skin as the woman begins to form the mark. Whispers fill my mind and no matter how loud I scream I can't seem to drown them out.
I'm still screaming when people break down our door and burst into our house. I'm still screaming when they grab my parents and restrain them with iron clasps. The lady in the robe seemed to disappear in this moment. I'm still screaming when someone grabs me and wraps me in a scratchy blanket.
"Y/N?"
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"Y/N!"
I jump, slapping a hand over my wrist. "How do you know?"
"What?" Theo says, his face crinkled with concern.
"That someone planted it?" I ask, finishing my question and swallowing a shaky breath, then wiping my sweaty palms on my skirt. He searches my face for a moment before sighing and finishing his explanation.
"It was placed in a way that only I could find it, the title tilted towards my bed next to his," He says, drawing the layout of their beds on the table with his finger. He shows how his bed is in the furthest corner and Draco's is next to his. The book was placed under Draco's bed so only he could see it. "Plus, this page was folded over, meaning they wanted me to see it." He says, casting his gaze over the page.
I squeeze my arm as I stare at the dark mark of the long dead lord. "How does that prove anything?" I ask, not able to tear my eyes from the page.
"If Malfoy was trying to hide it, he would've hidden it. Not left it in the open for me to see. He's isn't that stupid."
"Why can't we tell the rest of the group?" I ask, changing the subject of Draco's innocence. Theo glares at me as if I'm stupid.
"Because," He begins, closing the book. I blink rapidly and finally meet his eyes. "Peyton would freak and shut down permanently. Enzo would probably blab about it. Blaise would ask Draco and ruin the in-conspicuous part of it. Mattheo probably wouldn't care so I guess we could tell him, but he'd also knock Draco out knowing his.... tendencies. Tom would be the only rational one," I open my mouth to suggest telling him but Theo interrupts me, already guessing my words, "Although, he wouldn't be the most sympathetic to Draco about it and then you'd get upset." He finishes with a quirk of his eyebrow.
"Fine." I groan, pressing the heel of my palm to my eyes.
"It's not like there's a time limit to this little investigation anyway." Theo sighs, leaning back in the chair.
"I guess..."
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"Did you know Neville would give Potter the gillyweed?" Mattheo asks, a victorious smile tugging at his lips as we walk back to our dorms from the second task.
"If I knew I wouldn't have given him it." I grumble, handing over a few notes of money into Mattheo's palm. The first and the last time I bet on anything with Mattheo. I only bet on it because I was certain Harry would fail the second task when it was announced they had to rescue someone underwater in the Black Lake. Everyone knows all sorts of creepies live there.
I nearly broke my hand when I slammed it into the seats of the grandstands when Harry and not one, but two other people breached the surface of the lake. Leave it to Harry Potter to be the hero and nearly kill everyone he's trying to save in the process. And to rub salt in the wound, I wouldn't have lost my money if I didn't give Neville that jar of Gillyweed.
"You were your own downfall." Blaise mumbles through a mouthful of fudge beside me. I glare at him and he raises his hands that hold the bag of fudge. "Just saying."
"He's suspiciously good at these tasks." Fred says behind me.
"Yeah, you weren't the only one who lost money today, Y/N." George mutters angrily. I slow down and fall into step with the twins, walking between them.
"You bet on him losing? I thought you guys were 'family' or something like that." I say, flicking my head between them.
"Look, we were on the same page as you missy." Fred says with a jab in my side.
"We knew the other three would finish the task, I mean, Fleur was a bit of a dissapointment." George adds, with a wave of his hand.
"But Harry was never going to do it." Fred says with a snicker.
"Guess we were all wrong, huh?" I say with a huff. They both nod dejectedly.
I'm aware of them casting wary glances at each other as we walk together. George even shrugs when Fred mouths something at him.
"Okay," I groan, grabbing their shirts and dragging them around a corner, "What is it." I say, crossing my arms.
They look at each other, smirks growing on their faces. They lean onto the wall behind them, completely in sync. The glance down the hall and after they deem it safe they whisper, "You and Draco aren't really dating are you?" They both ask together. George cocks and eyebrow and Fred crosses his own arms.
"W-what?" I sputter out, glancing towards the floor. Looking anywhere but at them.
"There there, Y/N," Fred says, pushing off the wall and placing a hand on my shoulder, "You can't help me and George being this incredibly smart." He adds, leaning towards my face. I shiver as he runs his hand down my arm before returning his hand to its crossed position.
"You didn't tell anyone did you?" I ask desperately. This situation is more messy than it needs to be and I don't need the Weasley twins making it worse.
Despite their confidence, Fred and George's eyes widen in shock. "Perhaps our skills lie in investigation, Fred." George says to Fred.
"You were guessing?!" I gap incredulously. They ignore me for a moment as they discuss their 'incredible skill'.
"Or gambling." Fred says. They both nod, pleased. "Lucky guess I 'spose." Fred adds with a shrug.
Their whole demeanor changes when they push off the wall. They watch me carefully, their gazes roaming my face.
"Oh, but tell us more Y/N." George says, approaching me. Fred follows suit.
"You grow more entertaining by the second." Fred says, tucking a hair behind my ear.
I swat Fred's hand away and he huffs out a laugh. "You two are painful." I mutter, shaking my head in frustration.
They look at each other briefly before smirking, "We get that a lot." They both say, wiggling their eyebrows at me.