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.
It’s a couple of hours later. I’m lying in bed, I’ve still got most of the lights on, curse you Draco, I’m not normally scared of the dark! I lay there in bed thinking about the evening, I was very confused. Draco still felt very much like the enemy, he was holding me captive after all but equally he hadn’t forced me to do anything. I could have pulled away any time I liked and I could be having a much rougher time of it here. I’m a prisoner of the Death Eaters, for most people that’d mean death or torture but I’m here in a really nice room, not being hurt at all. They must be up to something.
I pulled out my parchment,
“Harry,
Not much to tell you I’m afraid but Malfoy was working on something that involved a lot of numbers, it looked almost like grid references but that doesn’t make sense as he was adding them up. Any ideas?
Eska.”
I didn’t want to tell him about Draco trying to kiss me, that moment, with the story and the fire seemed very private, and anyway, it wasn’t really that much when you came to try and tell it to someone else. I sighed and got up and turned most of the lights out, leaving a couple of small lamps on. It’s my first night in a strange room, I’m allowed some light, it’s not just me being a wimp… Draco’s story had spooked me and I’d have felt uncomfortable in the total darkness. I was exhausted, it had been a really long day, I started early in the morning at the university and it was nearly 3am now. I fell asleep quickly.
I woke up, it can’t have been much later because it was still pitch black. I wondered what had woken me, when I heard a scraping noise from by the fire place omg! The story’s true! I shrieked and dived under the covers, terrified, the rational part of my brain urging me to be sensible and turn on the light because ghost stories don’t come true but I was so scared. Suddenly all the lights blazed and my covers were jerked back.
It was Draco, looking worried and with his hair all over the place, like he’d just got up. “I heard you scream, what’s wrong?” he said urgently. “I was still spooked by your story and I heard a noise by the fireplace…” We both looked over. A house elf, not Dobby, was sat by it, with a little brush in it’s hand.
“What are you doing?” Draco sounded very angry.
“I’m sorry sir, I didn’t know there was someone in this room” it squeaked, “I was cleaning sir.”
“Get out” he seethed.
It gave him a terrified look and scuttled from the room. Draco stalked over and shut the door. I hastily smoothed down my hair and pulled the covers back into shape. He came back over to me, a softer look on his face now. “Are you ok? I’m sorry, it’s my fault, I shouldn’t have scared you.” “I’m fine, sorry I woke you up.” “You sure? I can stay if you want?” “No I’ll be fine…”
He got up slowly and walked to the door, making to turn the lights out. “No leave them on!” I said quickly. He turned round. “Eska you’ll get no sleep.” “I’ll be fine, I just need to calm down a little, that’s all.” He must have known I was lying. “I’ll stay with you.” “Ok” I said quietly, actually quite glad of his company. He turned all the lights out and came and lay down next to me. “I’ll make sure the house elves all know you’re here so that won’t happen again I promise” he said softly. “Thanks.” I smiled in the darkness. After that neither of us talked, he didn’t try to touch me again. I misjudged him earlier. In no time I fell asleep.
I woke up to sun streaming in through the window, it was very bright, I must have slept in late. Draco was lying next to me, I had my back to him and his arm was round my waist. A very protective gesture. I didn’t want to wake him so I lay still, he was warm against me and close enough for me to feel him breathing. This is so weird. He stirred and I turned round under his arm, he opened his eyes and smiled at me from under his messed up blond hair. “Good morning.” “What time is it?” he yawned, I looked over at my watch that I’d taken off the night before. “Good grief - nearly 11 o clock!”. He jumped up, “I’ve got to go, I have a meeting at eleven-thirty, think you can look after yourself without me?” he smirked ah there’s a return to the Draco I know… “Of course I can, thanks for looking after me last night.” He turned back to look at me on his way out of the door. “My pleasure” and he left.
I got up and went into the bathroom to have a shower. I entertained myself for a short while with the many settings on the shower, you could have any strength of water from a light mist to a veritable waterfall and there was even a setting for dry-cleaning. I tried that one after I got out, jabbing the button and jumping back, nothing appeared to happen though. Maybe it’s a spell and you have to be under it for it to work I mused as I walked to the closet. I chose a pair of dark brown trousers with some black, flat, suede ankle boots and a cream coloured crop top. I’d have loved to wear some of the amazing range of high heels that were in the closet but I figured that if I got a chance I would run, which I couldn’t do in heels and however slim that chance was I should be ready for it.
A house elf had been up while I was in the shower and left me breakfast. I had some tea and toast but I wasn’t really hungry in the mornings so I didn’t eat much. I’d just picked up my book and begun reading again when Draco came back. “Eska, you’re to come downstairs, Father wants to talk to you.”
I got up and followed him downstairs, I must have looked worried because he took my hand and squeezed it. “It’ll be fine don’t worry.” “Why are you being so nice to me Draco?” “Didn’t yesterday evening give you a clue to that?” Before I could respond to that he pushed me into a small sitting room, where Lucius was standing by a window.
Draco didn’t come into the room with me and pulled the door shut behind me. Leaving me alone with Lucius.
“Eska, come and sit down.” He said, indicating one of the ugly green leather sofas, of which there were several in the room. He sat opposite me. I was very nervous by now. I’d never really liked Lucius and there was no good reason to start now.
“I want to ask you some questions.”
“Ok” I answered.
“Harry has been seen around the old Riddle house, what was he doing there?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do you think I’m stupid, Eska? You’re one of his best friends.”
“I’ve been in Germany with my Dad, I don’t know what Harry’s been doing.”
For some reason this seemed to satisfy him. I relaxed, he couldn’t know we were looking for horcruxes.
“Secondly, and I know you know the answer to this. What is your Father’s area of particular research?”
“Well he specialises in transfiguration, I think he’s researching techniques for temporary human-plant transformations.”
“Hmm, may be useful…”
“Does he have close contacts with anyone in artefacts? In particular, we want to find a very old dagger of Gryffindor’s, who does he know who could help us with that?”
“I don’t know I’m sorry.” I whispered.
“No matter, we can ask him ourselves. You may leave. Draco will be outside to take you back.”
“Thank you.” For some reason it felt like I’d just seen a teacher.
I walked out and went with Draco to my room in silence. He left me at the door. “I’ll be back in half an hour.”
I rushed to the fireplace, pulled out my parchment and read Harry’s reply to my last note.
“Eska,
No idea what the numbers mean but thanks. Has Draco tried anything with you?
Harry.”
I scribbled a reply,
“Harry,
Not really, he’s being nice though. I’m being treated really well. I’ve just been talking to Lucius Malfoy and I think I know what the other horcrux is. They’re trying to get hold of a dagger of Gryffindor’s - maybe Voldemort’s lost track of it and is trying to find it?
Eska.”
I tapped it with my fingernail, watched the words disappear and shoved the parchment back into it’s hidey-hole.
“What are you doing Eska?” Draco asked, standing right by my shoulder.
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