Thanks JK for the characters, except Eska who is my own invention and entirely fictional – except she looks like me and owes her name to a character in Robin Jarvis’s The Whitby Witches. Thank you Susan Hill for The Woman in Black, still the scariest book I’ve read and play that I’ve seen, whose story Draco tells Eska in this chapter.
I had a look around the room, a door at the end opened onto a bathroom, so I had a wash and found some spare clothes in a closet. I put on some boy’s jeans and a white crop top, a colour which looked good against my olive skin and dark hair – the attic was so hot. I tried the door but it wouldn’t open. I didn’t think it would. I tried to apparate out but couldn’t. I guess they must have had anti-apparition charms on the place. I’d been alone for about an hour before I remembered Hermione’s parchment.
I am so thick, I should have sent Harry a message straight away…
I was composing a letter in my head, ready to jot it down quickly when I heard foot-steps outside the door. I hurried to the window, and was sat on the same seat Malfoy had been on when the door opened and he came in.
“Come on, I’ve got your room ready. Had to put some charms on the door you see, stop you running” he said.
“My room? You mean I’m not staying up here?”
“Eska, if I have to spend large amounts of the day with you I am not spending it in this hole.”
“You really don’t need to spend that much time with me Malfoy, it’s not like I’m going anywhere” don’t let me be stuck with ferret-boy for ages!
“I have to guard you.”
“But as you’ve just pointed out, I’ll be locked in a room, I won’t take much guarding, you don’t need to be with me.”
“Don’t need to, but maybe I want to. It can get dull here, I’m going to have fun with you Eska” he smirked. Oh goody. It’ll be like potions only 24/7.
I got to my feet and he took hold of my upper arm and steered me out the door, down some stairs and into a corridor. About 5 doors along (and the end of the corridor not in sight, this place is huge!) we went into a room. I was stunned, the room was beautiful. It was all decorated in blue and white, with a large bed and soft dark blue suede sofas.
“Wow, where is this?”
“Your room” he rolled his eyes.
“Well I guessed that, I meant the house – it’s huge”.
“It’s a secret. Just enjoy it” he said. “I’m going to go get my work to bring in here. I’ll be about half an hour because I need to talk to father. Amuse yourself as best you can without me” he sneered and left the room.
I got my magic parchment out and quickly wrote a letter to Harry:
“Dear Harry,
I got kidnapped by Lucius Malfoy and Snape but don’t worry because I’m alright and apparently I’m not going to be hurt. They’ll use me to try and get to you so whatever you do or whatever they tell you don’t come looking for me. I can look after myself. I didn’t find out anything useful in the University, sorry, but go talk to Professor Rao, he was going to give me an interview about Horcruxes. I’ll pass on any useful information I get while I’m here, may as well be helpful.
I’ll see you soon and DON’T message me back till tonight cos I seem to have Draco Malfoy with me for the day.
Eska.”
I tapped it with my finger nail and the words vanished. I looked around for a place to hide it, I was just lucky I hadn’t been searched before this. I spotted a crack underneath the fireplace mantle and shoved it in there. Perfect. I went to sit by the window. It was a beautiful day outside and I could see snow-capped mountains. Where was I? Probably not in England anymore that’s for sure. The door creaked and I heard Malfoy walk in. I wasn’t too worried at the moment as I didn’t seem to be in any danger so I didn’t bother to get up.
“Admiring the view Eska?” He said in my ear. I jumped, I had no idea he was so close.
“Yeah, it’s lovely”. He put his hand on my shoulder and pushed me round to face him.
“You can do something useful. Come add these figures up for me” He walked over to the table, letting his hand trail down my back as he left me. I got up and followed.
“Haven’t you ever heard of a computer?” I groaned when I saw the stacks of paper with endless numbers on them.
“Muggle invention? I could use a counting spell but why bother when I can make you do it?” he smirked.
“What if I refuse?”
“Maybe I’ll let Snape try his new potion on you. He has been wanting a human guinea-pig, I believe it’s a poison.”
I sighed, “fine, give me the papers” and got to work. I’d been doing them for about twenty minutes when I realised Draco was staring at me. “What?”
“I’m not really going to make you add that up by hand, idiot, for one thing they’re far too important for you to make a mistake”.
“What are they?”
“Never you mind” He pulled the papers to him and muttered some incantations, the numbers started adding themselves up. “You’ve not got much to do have you?”
“Well I didn’t really have time to pack”.
“Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit Eska”.
“You’ve got a nerve!”
“Careful Eska” His eyes flashed angrily. “Don’t annoy me or I’ll make you pay.”
I bit my tongue. I really really wanted to slap him but I was in a house full of dangerous murderers… I should really be diplomatic if I wanted to come out in one piece. “Sorry Malfoy.”
“Call me Draco.” He sat watching me for a minute, it was beginning to get very uncomfortable.
“Is there a good reason why you’re staring at me?”
He smirked. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” That doesn’t even make sense! Ignore him, he’s trying to phase you.
“Fine, well if you don’t want me to do any work, can I go and read or something?”
“Be my guest” he said, pulling his report back over to him. I wandered over to the fireplace. On the mantle piece were some old books. I picked one out that just happened to be my favourite book, “Wives and Daughters” by Elizabeth Gaskell (Kate: My fave book too!) and sat down to read.
I was about ten chapters in when I realised Malfoy was standing over me. “I’m going down to dinner. The house elves will bring you something shortly. I’ll be back up to see you this evening.” He swept out the room.
Oh good he’s gone.
I got the parchment out and wrote a quick note. “Harry you can reply now”. About five minutes later I got this letter:
“Eska,
I’m so sorry you got kidnapped, it must have been awful for you. Especially seeing that slimy git Snape. BE CAREFUL, I never told you in school because it didn’t seem important but I know Malfoy fancies you, watch out for him. Any information you can get will be helpful but don’t put yourself in danger.
Harry”.
I was rereading it, stunned when I heard a tap at the door. I shoved the note quickly into it’s hidey hole and called “come in.”
A little house elf came into the room. It sure looked familiar. “Dobby!”
“Miss Kristaler! When Dobby heard you was here he volunteered to bring your food.”
“Dobby, why are you here? I thought you were working at Hogwarts.”
“I was miss but Dobby volunteered to work for Mr Malfoy again and now I is a spy miss!” The house elf giggled nervously. “Dobby has to punish himself every time he gives Mr Lupin information miss but I is proud to do it.”
“That’s great Dobby” I grinned, “I guess that makes two of us spies but at least you volunteered for it!”
“Dobby must go now miss but I will come and see you again”, he disappeared with a loud crack.
I looked at the food he’d brought me. It was all stuff I liked. I’m a vegetarian and Dobby had brought me quorn instead of meat. Thank you Dobby. I ate it all, I never saw the point in books of heroines starving themselves to get their captors to let them out of jail, for a start I didn’t think Malfoy would much care if I starved. Unless what Harry told me is true? I shuddered, if Malfoy did fancy me then that put some of today in a whole new perspective… And did explain why he wanted to spend time with me…
Night fell and it began to get very cold. I went to the closet, which seemed to be full of clothes in my size (I’m a slender size 8 [that’s small in British sizes, I don’t know what the American equivalent is – Kate]). I picked a beautiful crimson chenille jumper and pulled it over my head, then smoothed my hair down. I went back to the sofa and curled up and picked up my book again.
“It’s freezing in here, shall I light a fire? Incendio!” I jumped, I hadn’t even heard him come in I’d been so deep in my book. He dropped down onto the sofa next to me, the fire crackling in the hearth. “What are you reading? Never heard of it, is it a muggle book?” he sneered, inspecting the cover.
“Yes. It’s my favourite book. You wouldn’t like it though.”
He sniggered, “no, I doubt I would. Stop reading now I’m here Eska.”
I sighed and put my book down. “What shall we do then?” and regretted the words as soon as they left my mouth.
His eyes, icy blue with the flames from the fire dancing in them, gleamed and he said softly “How about I tell you a ghost story?”
“Think you can scare me?”
He smiled, “It’s a true story, about a woman who haunts this house,”
“Ooh spooky” I said sarcastically.
“We should have the lights down really, nox!”. All I could see now was him, the flickering flames making him look strange and menacing. I had to admit it, he knew how to set a scene. “The story is about an accident that happened here many years ago…”
He told me an awful tale, about a woman who had an illegitimate child which was adopted by her sister to make it respectable. She was sent here, alone and depressed, pining for her son. Occasionally he was allowed to visit her at this house. One day as the coach bringing the child and his nurse to her approached there was an accident and, lost in fog, it crashed and the nurse and child died. The poor lady, known only as the woman in black, went mad with grief and is said to haunt the house to this day.
“Occasionally she appears, and whenever she does, a child dies…” Malfoy had got closer and closer to me and he was face to face with me, staring into my eyes as he told me this. I shivered, it was an awful tale. “Is that really true or did you just say that to make it spookier?” I whispered concentrating on his face, not wanting to look away from him into the surrounding dark. He smiled “yes it’s true, and do you know where she’s most often seen? In the old nursery, the room you were in earlier.” I shivered again. “Scared Eska?” “You’re a good story teller” I admitted, “can we turn on some lights now?” “No” he breathed, putting his hand on the side of my face, so close to me now I could feel his breath on my face. The flames made him look ethereal, his eyes holding mine, his hair casting sharp black shadows on his face. He brushed my cheek with his thumb, “you could have seen her when you were in there, weren’t you lucky I didn’t leave you?”. “Please lets turn on some lights Draco” I whispered, “Scared?”, “Yes” I admitted ashamedly. He smiled and leant in to me, his lips just brushing mine, dry and warm, making mine tingle. Oh, Harry was right I was frozen, too scared to move away from him into the dark. It only lasted a second or two, then he pulled away, smirking “Lumos!”.
Write a Review Inside Information, a Draco Malfoy story: A ghost story
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