{ important author's note at the bottom }

             THE TIME TO GO BACK to Hogwarts had arrived. After a summer full of death eater meetings, and Daily Prophet articles that conveyed the news of the deaths of hundreds of deaths of muggle families, Ophelia and Draco were finally glad to get away from Malfoy Manor.

Their home didn't feel like home.

No, instead it was a dead, fragmented version of the place they grew up.

Ophelia was chosen to be a prefect this year. She was elated. Draco had told her prefects got special privileges, and the blonde was looking forward to them.

Narcissa was proud of Ophelia, even though she didn't show it, and gave Ophelia a small bracelet of pure white gold and diamonds as a congratulations gift.

There was one thing Ophelia also looked forward to; rubbing her prefect badge in Ginny's and Mariana's faces.

On September the First, Narcissa took Ophelia and Draco to King's Cross Station, and after she said goodbye to the pair, she left quickly.

Ophelia knew her mother was crying.

Narcissa had been crying softly ever since Draco became a Death Eater, and it broke Ophelia's heart to see her mother reduced to nothing but a lifeless, weeping figure instead of her usual poised and elegant self.

"I'll get that for you," Draco muttered quietly, as Ophelia began lifting her heavy trunk. He picked up his younger sister's trunk, and entered the train, looking for an empty compartment.

Ophelia had also noticed Draco was much more quiet. He didn't talk to her, or anyone else for the matter, unless it was absolutely necessary. He had been skipping his meals, and over the past week, had grown paler and skinnier. Of course, both siblings had shot up miraculously over the summer, but Draco looked tired and weary; judging by the dark circles under his eyes.

The only thing Draco had was lavender tea; every night.

Ophelia was glad that Draco finally treated her a bit better. It wasn't a perfect relationship, but it was way better than it originally was. The blonde knew that it was only some time before Draco would start to push her away.

For now, she would get so close to him that he would find it impossible to live without her.

The Malfoy siblings were seated in an empty compartment, in absolute silence, Ophelia holding Draco's hand in her smaller one, as she looked out the window.

Draco sat slouched in his seat, looking at the floor, not saying a word.

"Draco?" Ophelia asked softly, tentatively, in case he'd snap at her. He seemed to be doing that a lot; snapping.

"Hmm?"

"Are you okay?" she whispered, tightening her grip on his hand. She could feel him squeezing her fingers as he shook his head.

"I'll be fine," he muttered. "Are you?"

Ophelia shrugged. "I'd prefer it if you were free."

"Me too."

There were no more words exchanged between the two.

Ophelia decided to apply her makeup while she waited for the train to start moving. She took out a tiny mirror and got to work.

She had grown over the summer. She had matured into a young woman, who made the right choices and didn't back down on her word. She was fierce, brave, and above all, she fiercely protected and defended those who she cared about.

But she had also grown physically. Her hair had grown longer than ever, the ends of her shiny blonde waves ended right below her waist, her eyes were a more prominent shade of bluish gray, and her figure had filled out.

Narcissa was right. Eating less did give one a perfect figure. Ophelia's waist was slim and delicate, and she had gotten quite curvy, giving her the perfect hourglass shape that her mother possessed as well. Her cheekbones and jawline were more prominent, and her skin was no longer deathly pale.

"You look nice," Draco murmured, once Ophelia was putting away her cosmetics.

"Hmm?" she asked for a minute, before his words sunk in, and her heart swelled with pride as she smiled. "Oh, thank you."

As usual, Ophelia had to wear something pink. In this case, she wore a long-sleeved white cotton shirt, paired with a pair of baggy, flamingo pink cargo pants. She wore pearls gifted to her by Lucius, on her fourteenth birthday, by Lucius, and the matching earrings that Blaise had given her on her fifteenth birthday. Her shoes were white sneakers, pristine and clean, matching with her top.

She had left her hair down, her blonde bangs coming into her face from the sides, which she kept having to brush away with her fingers. Her makeup was very minimal, but Ophelia liked it that way.

"You should leave your hair down more often," Draco continued. "When it's up you look too much like Mother."

Ophelia blushed, with a small smile. "Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?" she asked.

"A bit creepy, if I'm being honest," Draco replied quietly. He would have been smiling if it weren't for that stupid mark on his arm, Ophelia thought.

"Creepy how?" Ophelia chuckled softly.

"As in the sense that I have mother coming on the train to Hogwarts with me..."

"I wouldn't mind that," Ophelia replied. "At least she'd be away from all of that...." She struggled to find the right word.

"Fucking madness," Draco scoffed bitterly, finishing her sentence for her.

Ophelia agreed with that. There was no better way to put it.

The train began moving, and Ophelia leaned her head on Draco's shoulder, holding his hand in her own.

"At least we'll be together," she said softly. "It would... It would have been harder for us to do this alone."

Draco merely nodded and squeezed her hand tighter. "Ophelia, I.." Draco sighed. "Thank you. For everything."

Ophelia's eyes glimmered with tears. Sure, it was just a simple thank you. But it meant the world to her. She swallowed thickly, looking for the right words to say.

"Don't leave me," she finally whispered. There were a thousand other words she wanted to say; a million other things she wanted him to know.

But for now, the three words that she had uttered were enough.

The train had been moving for about ten minutes, and Ophelia and Draco sat in the compartment quietly, until they were interrupted by the door opening.

"Hey!" Accompanied with a smile.

Ophelia's breath hitched. There he was, standing before her in all his gracious glory. Messy hair, an unforgettable smile, a cheerful grin, and... camera around his neck.

He looked the same as ever, and so, so much more attractive than she last remembered. Her eyes were transfixed on him, lips parting as she looked for words to say.

Draco seemed to have caught on that Ophelia was momentarily out of service.

He looked at Colin Creevey with a glare, whose eyes widened when he noticed Draco in the compartment.

"Leave," Draco growled, causing Colin to quickly mutter an apology and leave the compartment, closing the door behind him.

Ophelia's breathing went back to normal, and she tried to calm herself down. All the bittersweet memories came to memory when Colin had walked into her compartment pretending everything was alright.

Draco gave Ophelia a bottle of water, which she was grateful for.

"You okay?" he muttered, after a few minutes.

Ophelia shook her head. "I... Draco, I..." she began. "I need to tell you something—"

But Draco never got to hear what Ophelia wanted to say, because the compartment door had slid open once more, interrupting their conversation.

Blaise and Theodore stood in the doorway, both wearing similar smirks.

"Malfoy," Blaise greeted Draco, clapping him on the back. "Ophelia, good to see you," he noticed the blonde. "You look pretty," he observed, winking at her.

"I'd appreciate it if you could stop flirting with my sister, Zabini," Draco drawled.

"Right, sorry," he muttered, but sent another secret wink to Ophelia, causing her to stifle a giggle. She knew that was just how Blaise was. He flirted with everyone.

"Baby Malfoy," drawled Theodore, his dark eyes glittering with amusement on seeing Ophelia. "Not so baby anymore," he continued, his eyes raking her sitting figure from head to toe.

Ophelia felt uneasy. She felt a strange sort of tightness in her throat and ignored Theodore.

"Good to see you too, Nott," Draco added sarcastically, and Ophelia sighed in relief when the Nott boy's attention was off her.

She opened her book, and began to read, as Draco conversed with his two friends.

"Ophelia, I'm going to go sit with my friends," Draco told her quietly.

Ophelia nodded. This was good. This meant Draco was slowly getting comfortable with his situation. It would do him good to be normal for a little longer.

"Bye," the blonde murmured, as her brother left with his friends and left her alone in the compartment.

Ophelia then went to fulfill her prefect duties on the train.

The Hogwarts Express reached Hogwarts an hour after sunset. The sky was dark, tiny twinkling stars littered across the cloudy sky, the air smelling tranquil and peaceful. The moon hid behind the clouds, casting a dim glow over the night sky.

Ophelia found a carriage for herself, occupied by that Lovegood girl. She made no move to speak with her. Instead, she opened her book and began to read.

"You look different," Luna's dreamy voice interrupted her. "How was your summer?"

"Fine," Ophelia replied curtly, ignoring Luna's previous remark.

"Would it be alright if I asked you a question?" Luna asked calmly, tilting her head slightly, her blue eyes slightly darker in the moonlight.

"Sure," Ophelia shrugged monotonously.

"Who's that boy you sometimes talk to?" she asked. "The one that's your brother's friend?"

Ophelia furrowed her brows. Her heart beat even faster, and she could feel her chest tighten. "You mean... Nott?" she asked unsurely.

"No, the other one," Luna shook her head.

"Blaise?" Ophelia asked softly, raising a brow.

"Yes," Luna smiled. "Could you give this to him? He dropped it on his way to Slughorn's compartment..."

"Slughorn?" Ophelia asked, taking the Slytherin scarf from Luna's hand. She put it around her shoulders, making a mental note to give it to Blaise later.

"Yes, he's the new potions Professor," Luna smiled dreamily.

"But, Professor Snape..?"

"Oh, he'll be taking Defense Against the Dark Arts," Luna explained. "I don't know whether to be happy about that or sad..."

"He's a nice teacher," Ophelia defended her godfather.

"I suppose," Luna replied. "Not many people like him though. He can be a bit biased sometimes..."

Ophelia merely shrugged.

They reached the castle. Ophelia briefly nodded to Luna in farewell, before entering the huge castle doors and sitting at the edge of the Gryffindor table.

Ophelia was very conscious of Colin staring at her, trying to make eye contact with her. And she tried her best to keep her head down and ignore him, no matter how much it was killing her inside. She knew that if she looked up, she wouldn't be able to stop.

The sorting took forever. There were ten new Gryffindor students, and they all came to sit on Ophelia's end of the Gryffindor table, where there seemed to be an ample amount of space after everyone moved away from her.

She noticed a new Gryffindor girl beside Ophelia, silently crying and sniffling, not eating anything.

Ophelia looked down at the little first year. Was she really that short when she was in her first year? They seemed to grow smaller each year.

The little girl seemed to have trouble breathing and was trembling slightly.

Ophelia took a deep breath, and gently placed her palm on the little girl's back. "Is everything okay?" she asked.

The little girl looked up at Ophelia with wide, tearful, apprehensive eyes, and shook her head, her cheeks stained with tears.

"What's wrong?" Ophelia asked calmly, slowly rubbing the girl's back.

"I'm... I'm... I'm in the wrong house," she squeaked, choking on her breath and drowning into another fit of sobs.

Ophelia felt a pang of sadness. All too suddenly, she remembered her sorting; how she felt when she was in Gryffindor. For three years, she never felt like she belonged in Gryffindor, until her fourth year, when she discovered her Patronus was a lioness. 

That was when she realized she wouldn't have done very well in any other house except Gryffindor.

She smiled at the girl, a rare smile. The smile she reserved only for her very special occasions. "I don't think you're in the wrong house, my love," she said softly. "I think you belong right here; in Gryffindor."

The girl only shook her head harder. "I... no...." she sobbed. "My father.... my father will be so angry..."

Ophelia's heart melted. She instantly pulled the little girl into an embrace. "What's your name, love?" she asked gently, stroking the girl's back.

"A-Adrienne," the girl stuttered. "Selwyn."

Ophelia felt something in her heart flip, and it was like she was looking at her younger self in the mirror.

"One of the sacred twenty-eight," she murmured. "Of course..."

The girl looked startled. "H-how do you know?" she asked, wiping her eyes.

"I'm also part of the sacred twenty-eight," Ophelia replied with a small smile. "I'm Ophelia Malfoy."

Adrienne's eyes widened. "Ophelia.... Malfoy?" she whispered, her eyes widening.

Ophelia nodded. "I also thought I was sorted in the wrong house when I was put in Gryffindor," she admitted quietly. This wasn't something she told everyone. She kept these sorts of thoughts to herself.

"But now I see... Slytherin would have killed my flower before it even began to bloom... Gryffindor lets your flower blossom and grow," Ophelia told Adrienne. "Give it a little bit of time, and you'll see... You'll soon feel at home."

Adrienne wiped her tears and looked up at Ophelia. "Really?" she asked in a small voice.

"I promise, love," Ophelia smiled softly. "You'll be a brilliant Gryffindor."

"Thank you," Adrienne sniffled. "You're really kind."

It was Ophelia's turn to twinkle her smile at the younger girl. "Thank you, love."

"And so pretty," Adrienne added.

Ophelia blushed slightly, in embarrassment. "Thank you," she tapped the Adrienne's nose.

"You're the prettiest girl I've ever seen," Adrienne told her. "And the kindest."

Ophelia laughed shyly. "I'm sure there are others out there," she smiled modestly, her inner self glowing with pride and happiness. "Such as yourself."

Adrienne's mood was fine now, and she began to eat.

Ophelia ate a little. Seven bites, to be precise.

Once she was done, she did not have any dessert.

Professor Dumbledore's speech was about Voldemort, and how strong he was getting, day by day.

Ophelia snuck a glance at Draco, who was levitating his fork in midair, not paying attention to his surroundings.

She made her way to the Slytherin table.

"Blaise," Ophelia called the Zabini boy softly, handing him his scarf.

"Thanks, where'd you find it?" he asked, wrapping it around his neck.

"A Ravenclaw gave it to me.." Ophelia shrugged. "Lovegood."

"Oh, okay."

The blonde turned around and went to do the prefects' job of shepherding the first years to the Gryffindor common room.

Adrienne followed her closely, while Ophelia gave the first years a tour of the castle.

"The library is that way," she began. "And make sure you watch out for the staircases. They like to change. If you're lost, do not trust Peeves for directions. Ask the portraits."

The first years oohed and aahed at the wonderful sights of the castle corridors, and Ophelia fought to hide her smile at the little things they found fascinating.

Before she reached the common room, she heard someone call her.

"Malfoy!" Ophelia turned around.

Granger jogged to where she was. "Just came to tell you..." she breathed. "Professor McGonagall's looking for you. I'll take the first years up to the common room..."

Ophelia nodded, then turned to go back into the Great Hall to where Professor McGonagall was.

Professor McGonagall merely wanted to congratulate her on becoming a prefect and ask Ophelia if she still wanted to take advanced Transfiguration, to which the blonde instantly agreed.

On her way out of the Great Hall, Ophelia noticed Draco was still sitting by himself on the Slytherin table. She waved to him.

He didn't see her.

Reading her book as she walked down the corridors, she decided to take a secluded shortcut to the Gryffindor Common room instead of the main corridor.

What she didn't expect, was someone to grab her waist gently, and pull her close.

"I've been trying to talk to you all night," Colin told her quietly.

Ophelia's breath hitched. 

She gulped. 

She was staring right up into his eyes with her vulnerable gray eyes, swallowing thickly. The air around her seemed dense, and thick, refusing to let her breathe freely.

He had grown a bit taller this summer too.

Suddenly, every single time that she had avoided him, and forced her feelings to go away... All those months of keeping distance from him... All those summer days she didn't write...

It all came crashing down.

All the distance she tried to keep: utterly useless.

All the heavy defenses she had built around herself against him... Shattered.

Instead, her love for him burned stronger than ever. Raging against her heart, awakening the fiery monster that resided in her chest.

Ophelia closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, trying to ignore the woody scent that surrounded her senses.

"I... prefect duties..." she mumbled, trying to avoid eye contact with him and scoot away.

His hand tightened around her waist, and he pressed himself closer to her, causing her to gulp, her heart fluttering intensely with nervousness and anticipation.

"You've never really been a good liar, Ophelia," Colin lifted her chin with his finger, his hazel eyes staring intensely into hers.

Ophelia said nothing, her lips parted; at a complete loss for words.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" he murmured, wrapping both his arms around her waist, pulling her into an embrace, resting his chin on her shoulder, his lips inches away from her ear.

Ophelia couldn't help herself. Not when Colin was involved.

Especially after avoiding him for months.

Not when he held her like this.

She sunk into his embrace, inhaling his familiar scent like it was her only salvation from death. She blinked back the tears that threatened to fall from her watered eyes.

"You know why," Ophelia whispered, trying to convey a thousand emotions through those three words.

"I missed you," Colin whispered into her ear, his warm breath hitting the shell of her ear.

"Me too," Ophelia whispered, a tear slowly trickling down her cheek.

Colin pulled away from their embrace.

He gently brushed away her tears by wiping them with his scarf.

"Colin," Ophelia breathed, pulling herself away from him entirely, squeezing her eyes shut as tears spilled down her cheeks. "I... I need you to stay away. Please. For your own safety. We.. can't be seen together."

"Are you sure there's not another reason you want to avoid me?" Colin asked quietly.

"I'm sure," Ophelia whispered shakily.

Colin let out a soft chuckle. He didn't believe her. He could see through any of her lies.

"Still?" he asked quietly, leaning against the wall, hands in his pockets.

Ophelia's head snapped up to look at him. His hair was messy, his tie was crooked... He looked so effortlessly chaotic, yet so perfect.

They both knew what he was referring to.

Ophelia could practically hear the question spoken out loud.

Do you still love me?

The words weren't spoken out loud, but they might as well have been.

Ophelia's mind played the question in his voice, over and over again, torturing her mental state to the brink of insanity.

Tears spilling down her cheeks, Ophelia stood there before him. She said nothing; she didn't even indicate that she had heard his question.

Internally, she was fighting a war with herself. Her mental armies set her common sense on fire, letting it burn to ashes, while her heart took over. Triumphantly, her heart thudded in her chest loudly, like a war cry, that it had won against her head.

All of a sudden, Ophelia's delicate hands cupped his face, and she looked into Colin's eyes.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

And then, she kissed him.

{ so, erm... that happened. what do you think? dramatic enough for you guys?
i swear, the next chapter will leave you sobbing.
i sobbed while writing it. me! me, who has a heart of stone c.r.i.e.d. while writing the next chapter.
challenge for you all: whoever manages to guess my favorite taylor swift album (and my favorite taylor swift song for a bonus) will get to know a hint about the next chapter, and, if you get the bonus right, then you get to know a little SPOILER about the chapter.
this is the one of the saddest and most heartbreaking chapters in this book. it is also the one with the biggest plot twist.
but, you must be sworn to secrecy: AKA no sharing what you learn.
so, comment here your answers, and i will pm you if your answer is right.
also feel free to drop your favorite taylor swift song, i'd love to hear your opinions.
anyway, please spam me with comments, vote, comment, follow, and share.
also follow me on spotify; username is dessertoholic ,, and don't forget to like/heart the 'blood like gasoline' playlist please :)
i won't update until next week, as i have exams, so please enjoy this early update; and the BLG playlist.
i love all you guys so much. take care of yourselves.
love, jasmine. }

{NOV 19. 2023}