Fortunately, I didn't have to wait long for a chance to talk to Draco.

A week had passed since the night I had accidentally heard him and Snape arguing. Draco came to my office himself, much to my surprise.

"Good morning, Miss Weasley," his voice shook me out of my thoughts and I looked up from the Quidditch timetable that I was preparing.

"Good morning, Malfoy. What brings you here?"

He stepped in after I nodded and I was just wondering that he was being too polite. But then, of course, I was no longer a student. Perhaps that was the way he was with all the teachers.

Except Hagrid.

He was particularly foul-mannered toward Hagrid.

But then I shook that thought off, knowing Draco had changed since then. As he stood in front of me, he looked nothing like the obnoxious little brat I remembered.

Quite similar to the feeling I had gotten on the train when I saw him, he simply didn't look well.

His skin was paler and his eyes were sunken. Something was wrong with him.

"I came to ask you if you could remove me from the Slytherin Quidditch team," he spoke up, "I have asked our Head of House and he said that you would officially do that as the Quidditch instructor..."

Remove him from the team?

"Take a seat," I remarked, putting aside the timetable, "why do you want to be removed from the team? From all I know, you were quite fond of Quidditch."

"I... I don't think I can manage any extracurricular activities this year," he replied, reluctantly taking the seat I offered him, "the subjects are tougher this year. And I want to do better than I did in my OWLs so I have to dedicate all my time solely to studying."

I observed him before saying anything. He seemed to fidget uneasily under my gaze as if he was hiding something else behind that studying excuse.

"Draco, what is going on?" I asked and saw him look up at me in surprise.

"I'm sorry, what?" His eyes were wide in shock as if he had truly not been expecting me to call him by his first name.

I erected a muffling charm around us to block any sounds from escaping so that he could talk to me freely if he wanted to without the risk of being overheard. Ever since he had helped me last year, I just felt the need to repay him.

I wanted to help him out of whatever mess he was throwing himself in. It just didn't seem right to turn a blind eye to his current state.

"I have been noticing that you don't look well at all," I began cautiously because it seemed as if he didn't want me to continue on that topic. "I know you are good at studies and you have never failed a subject so taking up a lot of pressure this year just doesn't sound right. If you are sacrificing your sleep and your meal times just to study, you will end up compromising on your health."

He looked down at his slightly fidgety hands, "I am fine, Miss Weasley. I just... Never mind."

Something was bothering him, I could see it in the way his eyes shifted nervously and how he clutched his left arm as if he had been injured previously.

But as soon as I thought about the way he was holding his arm, it hurt my head a little. Quite similar to the way it hurt each time I got a vision.

Now certainly isn't the time to delve into the future, Katerina... I reminded myself, trying to keep my focus on the present.

"You've helped me before when I was going through a very terrible situation," it stung my heart as I spoke, recalling that terrible day when I had envisioned Sirius' death, "and right now, I feel like you are going through something similar. I just want you to know that I will be here if you ever feel the need to... To have a safe space. That's all."

His eyes softened at the offer and I don't know why, seeing him like that made me feel a strange way. It was almost as if something bound us to each other, an invisible connection that somehow led us to find each other at our worst.

An obligation, his words echoed in my mind. He had said it was an obligation for him to make sure that I was safe.

I don't know why but right then I could understand how he felt.

"I... I don't know what to say," he was trying his best to keep his expression neutral and prevent himself from breaking down in front of me, "it means a lot to me that you are making such an offer... Thank you."

"You're always welcome," I reached forward, patting his hand gently to reassure him.

For some reason, he just looked badly in need of comfort. But right when I touched him, a strange zap repelled my hand back.

I looked at him in confusion but found him as confused as I was. Neither of us knew what had caused that sudden painful spark.

"Miss Weasley..." His features had started to swirl into darkness and his voice was also getting distant. "Katerina... Can you hear... Wake up..."

I couldn't quite hear what he was saying nor could I see him anymore. I knew what it meant; I was going through a vision again.

When the darkness cleared, it seemed that I was at the Astronomy tower and Draco was in front of me but no longer the Draco I remembered. He was wearing dark robes, his face was even more distraught and his hand was shaking.

He was holding his hawthorn wand and tears were streaming down his cheeks. I had never seen him like that before and for some reason, seeing him in so much pain churned my heart.

It was almost as if I could feel the pain he was going through.

"I'm so sorry... I have to do this... I can't be helped..."

I knew it was a vision and Draco wasn't saying that to me right then. But seeing him so distraught, and sensing the hostility of the atmosphere made me feel just as terrible as I had felt each time a Dementor was close by.

"Avada Kedavra!" A voice uttered the killing curse but it wasn't Draco's.

I couldn't get to see who got struck by the killing curse nor who uttered it. The darkness cleared right that instant and I found myself back in my office, my hands trembling violently and my voice stuck in my throat.

A common aftereffect of just going through a vision.

"Katerina, what happened to you?" Draco hadn't left and he looked quite genuinely worried as he stood close to me, his hands gently holding me by the arms.

"I... I'm sorry, I just..."

He seemed to understand, much to my surprise, "Did you see something? A vision?"

Wait, what?

I am quite sure Draco would be the last person to know that I could have visions of the future. Then how could he ask that as if he knew already?

Seeing the confusion on my face, he sighed softly and stepped back, "Miss Weasley, I will come back again someday. You should rest."

I still felt my head spinning as the snippets of that awful vision haunted me. So I didn't stop Draco and retrieved the muffling charm.

"I'll remove your name from the Quidditch team," I remarked after I had gotten myself to calm down, "but you should give my words a thought too. Don't neglect yourself. It will affect your studies if you're not taking care of your health."

He nodded, "Thank you. I will keep that in mind."

He left shortly after but my head was throbbing and I no longer felt like resuming with my work. That wasn't a good sign so I decided to go to Madam Pomfrey and ask her for something to soothe my frayed nerves.

***