CHAPTER ELEVEN:
HALLOWEEN

☍︎︎

STEAM POURED FROM DAISY'S EARS LIKE A FREIGHT TRAIN.

That stupid arrogant prick lied to her cousin and was going to get them in serious trouble. He'd promised Harry and Ron to a midnight duel -- which she'd learned about from Hermione Granger after she confronted Daisy in the library, saying she needed to get her cousin "under control" because he was too reckless with Gryffindor house points -- and then laughed in the Slytherin Common Room about how he set them up.

Just a few hours after Harry was nearly expelled for flying around the grounds to get the remembrall -- Blaise told her the ball could change color if you'd forgotten something -- but in fact, he'd been given a place on the quidditch team. Which, according to a jealous and bothered Draco Malfoy, was nearly unheard of and hadn't happened in nearly a century.

In a blatant attempt to prove himself more worthy than Harry, Draco challenged him to a Wizard's Duel, which would take place at midnight in the trophy room. After getting them to agree, Draco burst into the common room and bragged about how intelligent and humorous he was.

Daisy couldn't catch a break with the pompous boy. Since her blow-up on the field, he'd ignored her, not even so much as glancing at her in loathing like normal. She didn't care. She hoped he'd stay far away from her and her friends. Apparently, he couldn't stay away from her cousin.

Despite not caring for Gryffindor's house points -- she'd much prefer they lose them all so the older Slytherins could stop sending her looks whenever she walked through a room -- she didn't want Harry to get into more trouble. He tested his luck time and time again and she didn't want him to end up in a worse situation.

With a begrudging feeling of responsibility, Daisy found herself sneaking out of the dungeons ten minutes to midnight. With her pajama pants and loose-fitting t-shirt, she looked rather funny walking down the halls past curfew. She hoped the paintings wouldn't rat her out and that she wouldn't run into Peeves, the pesky prankster poltergeist that only feared the Bloody Baron. (The house ghost, she'd discovered, that sat next to Malfoy that first feast. He'd had a terrible duel and ended covered in blood that stained his clothes, even in the afterlife.)

She tripped over her shoelace, cursing quietly. Daisy bent down to re-tie her shoe, wishing Draco Malfoy the absolute worst luck for the next hundred years. She hoped he fell into a steaming bucket of venomous spiders and snakes, and that he burned every time his pale skin touched the sun.

The thought of his misery made her smile and she stood up again, gasping in fear as a quiet meow was heard.

Mrs. Norris -- Filch's cat.

She swiveled around with wide eyes, spotting the would-be-cute-but-is-atually-a-demon cat only a foot away. Without hesitation, Daisy spun back on her heels and raced down the hallway towards the trophy room, hoping to catch Harry and Ron before Mrs. Norris and Filch did.

She heard Filch shouting a ways behind her and saw a flicker of light against the wall. Finding the trophy room on the left, she opened and closed the door as quickly and quietly as she could.

"He's late, maybe he's chickened out."

Daisy leaned against the door, trying to catch her breath, cursing her asthma for making running so difficult. She looked to both sides before ducking out of sight and across the room to where an impatient Harry and Ron stood, both wrapped in bathrobes.

"You idiots," she seethed quietly, "Malfoy was pranking you. He's trying to show you that he's smarter -- and it clearly worked."

Just behind them stood Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom and for a moment, Daisy wondered how they'd both ended up in the predicament as well. Before anyone could get another word out, shuffling was heard in the room over.

"Sniff around, my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner."

Daisy's eyes went wide. Filch and Mrs. Norris had followed her. Horror overtook Harry's face and he waved for them all to follow him quickly. Daisy shook her head, regretting helping Harry in the first place. If they got caught, she'd get detention and lose house points. All she needed was more hatred from her housemates. Stupid Malfoy, this was all his fault. Daisy barely made it around the corner before Filch entered the room.

This felt like one of Dudley's video games. Escape the monster, outrun the villain; only it was real-time and even more terrifying.

"They're in here somewhere," Filch cooed to his cat, "probably hiding."

"This way," Harry mouthed to the group. Daisy followed quickly behind Neville, whose entire body seemed to shake with fear. They crept down through a long hallway filled with suits of armor. Neville nearly bumped into one but she caught him from making any noise, sending him a warning look. Daisy knew they'd get caught because of him. She should've never gone after Harry and Ron -- what was she thinking? He was a Gryffindor's problem, she didn't need to put herself out there for him. Guilt swept through her at the thought. Of course, she had to look out for him, she never did as a kid and she owed it to him.

Filch's footsteps grew nearer and Neville let out a terrified squeak and broke into a run, grabbing Daisy around the waist, tripping, and then falling into a suit of armor. She sent him a harsh glare as the sound echoed through the hall, probably waking the entire castle. Great. All she needed was Snape to appear around the corner and cost her more points.

"RUN!" Harry shouted and they all followed suit, Daisy rushing past Neville, leaving him behind. The odds of him getting caught were high anyway -- she did not need to lose more house points. They swung over the doorpost at the end of the gallery and Daisy followed closely behind Harry and Ron, down one corridor to another. Daisy didn't know where Harry was taking them. She hoped they'd pass the dungeons so she could slip downstairs into the common room and hide until morning.

Harry burst through a tapestry and the rest followed behind, finding themselves in a hidden passageway. Running down the hall, Daisy stopped when they came outside of the Charms classroom, which was nearly the opposite side of the castle as the trophy room. Coughing abhorrently, she glared at her cousin and his friends.

"Stupid," cough, "Gryffindors," she coughed again, "and your stupid problems," she coughed again, trying to catch her breath. Hermione patted her back and she nodded her thanks, tasting iron in her throat. She wished she'd brought her inhaler, but she hadn't used it since school began. It was locked up tight in her trunk. "I am never helping you again!" She whisper-shouted at Harry, pointing her finger at him angrily.

"I think we've lost him," Harry panted, leaning against the wall and wiping his forehead.

Daisy pulled a face. "No, seriously? Thanks so much, Harry, I appreciate you pointing out the obvious."

"I —told — you," Hermione gasped, pulling at the stitch in her chest, "I —told — you."

"We've got to get back to Gryffindor tower," Ron said, and Daisy shook her head. "quickly as possible."

"Not me, I'm done. I'm going back to bed and I'm never doing anything to help stupid Gryffindors again."

"No one asked for your help," Ron glowered.

Daisy scoffed. "Oh, sure, so when Hermione barged into me studying in the library after dinner -- she was just asking politely if I could stop you goons from losing house points. I don't care if you do or don't, but Harry doesn't need to be getting into any more trouble. You could've gotten expelled earlier after the flying lesson. You're lucky, Harry," she addressed him directly now. "Stop pushing your luck. Malfoy tricked you, he's always going to trick you. You shouldn't keep letting him outsmart you."

"Filch knew someone was going to be in the trophy room," Hermione added, "Malfoy must have tipped him off."

"Let's go," Harry didn't respond to either of them, instead turning and leading them down another path. Daisy went in the opposite direction but stopped a few yards from the stairs. A doorknob rattled and something shot out of one of the classrooms. Stopping just in front of Daisy, her heart stopped upon seeing the culprit: Peeves.

Peeves laughed, squealing in delight. Daisy looked down the hidden passageway whence they came and then glared at Peeves.

"Shut up, Peeves — please — you'll get us thrown out," Ron pleaded with the poltergeist.

Peeves cackled.

"Wandering around at midnight, Ickle Firsties? Tut, tut, tut. Naughty, naughty, you'll get caughty."

"Not if you don't give us away, Peeves, please," Harry begged.

"Should tell Filch, I should," Peeves sang in a saintly voice, but his eyes glittered with something very cruel. "It's for your own good, you know."

"Not if I tell the Baron," Daisy spoke up finally, giving the poltergeist a steely look. Peeves turned to her in a flash, the smile dropping a fraction.

"You wouldn't -- Baron doesn't talk to Ickle Firsties!"

Daisy raised an eyebrow, challenging him. "Are you sure? We had a very good conversation last night all about the bad things you've done --"

"--Just get out of the way," Ron took a swipe at the poltergeist, apparently fed up, which proved to be a big mistake.

"STUDENTS OUT OF BED!" Peeves bellowed, "STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!"

Daisy groaned at Ron's impatience, knowing she was close to convincing him but trudged after the Gryffindors as they ran to the end of a corridor -- but it was locked.

"This is it!" Ron moaned dramatically, pounding against the door. "We're done for! This is the end!"

They could hear footsteps now and Daisy's breath hitched in her throat. Filch was close. Only seconds now, she was sure of it.

"Oh, move over," Hermione pushed Ron, grabbing Harry's wand and pointing it at the door, "Alohomora!"

The lock clicked and they all piled instead, Daisy's chest heaving as she breathed in deeply for the first time, closing her eyes.

"Which way did they go, Peeves?" Filch was saying through the door. "Quick, tell me."

"Say 'please.'"

"Don't mess with me, Peeves, now where did they go?"

"Shan't say nothing if you don't say please," Peeves sang annoyingly.

"All right — please."

"NOTHING!" Peeves shouted gleefully, bursting into maniacal laughter. "Ha haaa! Told you I wouldn't say nothing if you didn't say please! Ha ha! Haaaaaa!"

Just as Peeves laughter began to drift away, Daisy opened her eyes but gasped in surprise, reaching over to the nearest person -- it happened to be Ron -- and grabbing his sleeve.

"He thinks this door is locked," Harry whispered, having not seen it. "I think we'll be okay — get off, Neville! What?"

Daisy swallowed, her heart almost thundering out of her chest. This was it. This was how she died. Eleven years old, in front of a ginormous three-headed dog because she was stupid enough to go after her stupid cousin and try to help him from listening to stupid Malfoy.

The dog was massive. With three big heads, each easily the size of her father's car, and a body as large as a small house, the dog drooled on the floor, snarling at them. Daisy whimpered, terror flooding her body.

Harry grabbed the doorknob and they all clambered out of the corridor, pale and shaken, falling over one another. He shut the door with a hard thud and the lock clicked shut again. Filch was gone, the hall was empty again.

"What the hell was that?" Daisy asked, finally finding her voice. She looked between the gaggle of Gryffindors. "No, you know what? It's not my problem. I was never here." She backed up to the Charms stairs, which she could take four floors down to the dungeons. "I am never helping you lot again. Never, ever, ever."

She didn't wait to hear them say anything before she burst into another run, bounding down the stairs, feet almost collapsing under her in fear. She raced through the dungeons and downstairs into her common room. She barely registered to say the password -- nearly bumping into the thick wall keeping the room secure -- but remembered just in time.

Once she was safe on the opposite side of the wall, the shock and fear overwhelmed her. She couldn't move. Her throat closed up on itself and she stood frozen, feet planted into the ground. She gasped for air, taking big, heaving breaths. No one was up, the common room was empty. The fire flickered, barely alive, with small crackles from the big ornate fireplace.

Her hands trembled and she felt tears cling to her eyes. Any longer in that room with that -- with that dog and she could've died. Was her life worth losing for Harry? He had friends -- they were with him tonight. She didn't need to protect him, right? She could protect him from easy things, like Snape's vicious tongue and Malfoy's bullying. But a three-headed dog? Daisy stood no chance.

Her feet collapsed under her weight and she leaned back against the wall, finding it hard to blink. Each time she closed her eyes -- she could see the dog, large, growling, drooling. Wanting to devour them whole.

☍︎︎

Daisy overslept the next day, through breakfast and almost entirely through lunch. She took hours getting to sleep the previous night, staring at her dormmates, checking each corner of the room with her eyes. A new jolt of terror shocked Daisy each time a shadow moved or the curtain flicked. Tracey's cat, Mittens, jumped on Daisy's bed and she almost screamed at the movement.

It wasn't until morning came and the curtains magically opened revealing a brighter reflection on the black lake that sleep finally claimed Daisy. And it wasn't a peaceful sleep.

She dreamt of a snake, green and black, slithering across a forest floor. It hissed and lurked through the canopy of trees, sliding past mice and other creatures. She saw it coming for her, slowly, eerily, stalking her.

Halfway through the dream, she realized she had legs and she was running. Running as fast as she could to get away from the snake -- but she wasn't fast enough. It leapt through the air, hissing, fangs bared and tongue pointed sharp --

And then she woke up in a cold sweat, shivering from head to toe. She'd had the dream a few times before, always the same, but she didn't know what it meant. She'd never been scared of snakes, Slytherin's mascot was a snake, but the dream sent a chill down her spine.

Daisy glanced around the room, eyes flickering nervously from wall to wall. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The sun wasn't in her eyes now, but the lake still shimmered with light. She could see fish swimming around outside, one stopped, staring into the window. It seemed to be staring directly at Daisy -- could fish see through windows? -- but it moved on, shuffling back through the abyss.

Daisy let out a breath, realizing she was alone in the room. The other girls had long gone, their beds made, a sign the house elves had been there. Her robes were neatly folded on her trunk, but it was Sunday and Daisy didn't have any classes. Her neck was itchy and she reached back, realizing her hair was sticking to her skin. Wiping it away, she walked to the shower, legs trembling as she got off the bed.

She couldn't believe last night wasn't a dream. An enormous three-headed monster dog was living on the third floor, only a few yards from her Charms class, and it almost killed her. She wasn't sure what was worse: the nightmare that made her head pound so hard she thought it would split in two, or the monster dog?

The water was hot against her skin but Daisy turned it to cold, wanting to soothe her warm body. Cleaning her hair seemed to take forever and halfway through the shower, Daisy realized how large the bathroom was; how easily something could creep inside and startle her. The thought loomed over her the entire shower and she slowly got out, eyes dancing around nervously.

Five showers. One large mirror. One window to the black lake outside. One hanging light in the center of the room. One big statue of Salazar Slytherin in the middle of the room, the pale marble glinting against the green hue from outside.

Daisy inhaled shakily, reassuring herself that she'd be fine. The cool air nipped against her freckled skin, and she shivered, clinging to the towel around her body. A wet, shivering mess walked out of the bathroom to the dormitory. She dressed quickly, in a pair of black dungarees, thick grey socks, and a dark green turtleneck.

Feeling much warmer than before, she quickly dried her hair the best she could with her towel and brushed through the sprouting curls. After sliding on her shoes, she paused as she knotted the laces, remembering the night before. Trembling, she tried to think about something other than the way Filch chased her down the hall when she tripped, how she met up with Harry and co., then was almost swallowed whole by the big dog from hell.

She closed her eyes, head over her knees, and took another shaky breath, trying to stop herself from trembling. The worst part? She couldn't even tell Theo or Blaise why she was so startled -- why she'd slept in all night. Not without ratting herself, Harry, and his friends out. She couldn't tell anyone what she saw -- why she had the horrible nightmare. She couldn't even ask a professor why there was a three-headed dog in the third corridor because technically, she wasn't supposed to be there in the first place.

Sitting up slowly, she prepared herself for her friend's questions, and maybe even Harry's. She smoothed her face after a few moments, trying not to let her emotions show. She couldn't let anyone know why she was scared. Not only would they ask questions about her whereabouts, possibly report her to staff, and earn her detention -- but she didn't need the other Slytherins knowing what scared her.

Daisy had to keep everything to herself. She waited until her heartbeat slowed to a normal pace and separated herself from the traumatic events and horrible nightmare of the night before. That night belonged to her. No one else had to know.

Walking into the Slytherin Common Room, she found it mostly barren, except for a few older Slytherins and Draco Malfoy. Only Crabbe was with him, she wondered where Goyle wandered off to.

She didn't acknowledge him as she walked past, but she could feel his eyes on her. He knew she'd missed breakfast and lunch. He knew where she was last night. He knew about her dream.

No, he couldn't have, she reassured herself. How could he know? He had no reason to believe she'd go off to help Harry and Ron, not unless they ratted her out. She kept her face neutral as she left the dungeons, trying her best not to show fear. Blaise said she needed a better poker face, perhaps this was the time where it shined out.

"Dursley!"

Daisy turned around, raising an auburn eyebrow and watching as the pale blonde-haired boy came out behind the wall.

"Where were you this morning?"

"Why do you care?"

He scoffed. "I don't. But you better not be up to something. We don't need to lose any more points."

Daisy rolled her eyes. "Malfoy, you're the one who causes problems with everyone. If you just kept your head down and focused on school -- there'd be no need for me to clean up your mess and lose points."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," she heard footsteps down the hall and her heartbeat picked up until laughter quickly followed. She glanced back, fear flickering in her eyes for a moment, but she packed it away. Not now. Not in front of Malfoy. "Just leave me alone, Malfoy, I'm not in the mood."

He did.

Daisy ventured on, heading to the Great Hall in hopes of grabbing some lunch. On her way, she bumped into a familiar third-year Hufflepuff.

"Daisy!"

Daisy's spirits lifted tremendously at the sight of her friend. "Cedric," she greeted, a smile toying at her lips. "How are you?"

"Good," he smiled down at her, leaning against the wall in the Entrance Hall. "Been studying. You look down, are you alright?"

Her face fell. "Is it that obvious?"

"Only because I care," his smile softened, "what's wrong, Daisy? How's Slytherin treating you?"

She shrugged, glancing away from him. She wanted to tell him about the night before. About her horrible dream and how Snape stole points away from her unfairly. She wanted to tell him about the way Pansy and Draco bullied her and how she didn't fit in. She wanted to explain how desperately she wished she'd been placed in Hufflepuff. She wanted to tell him about how every day after class, she spent her time studying feverishly in the library, trying to show everyone that she did belong at Hogwarts. But she didn't tell him.

"It's good," she smiled, looking up at him. "I'm exhausted, Hogwarts is a lot more work than I thought."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I remember when I was a first year. It's a lot to take in at first. Have you been making it to class alright? No unfortunate incidents with Peeves?"

She thought back to the night before -- how it had been his fault they'd ended up in the forbidden corridor in the first place.

"No, not really. Thankfully," she laughed lightly, trying to convince him. "I've heard he's a right nightmare though."

Cedric smiled in remembrance, nodding his head. "Yeah, my second year he absolutely pelted me with dung bombs. I smelt so bad Professor McGonagall asked me to leave and I lost ten points."

"But it wasn't even your fault!" Daisy argued, trying not to laugh. The idea of a younger Cedric getting pelted by dung bombs from Peeves did make her laugh.

Cedric shrugged. "No matter," he smiled, "I was late to class, caused a distraction, and then had to leave early none-the-wiser. I heard you lost a few points for Slytherin."

Daisy's smile dropped. So that's what he was getting at.

"Y'know, last year, in my third year, I lost Hufflepuff 25 points and got a detention on the third day of school."

Daisy's eyes widened. "No way! Not you."

He laughed, nodding his head. "Yeah, really. Clara and I snuck out to the kitchens after curfew and a Ravenclaw Prefect caught us. It took me a few weeks to make those points up."

Whether or not his words were true, Daisy appreciated his telling her. He had made her feel better about losing the points.

"Snape took points from me and I didn't even do anything wrong," she confessed bitterly, "I wasn't even talking when he took a point. It was Pansy. And then he took another five because I did all the work the cure for boils and Pansy took the credit."

"This Pansy sounds like a piece of work."

Daisy nodded. "You've no idea. She's barmy. If there's a chance to ruin my life, she takes it."

Cedric guffawed. "I sincerely doubt that. Maybe she's going through something."

Daisy rolled her eyes. "I don't care," she told him honestly, "she shouldn't take her issues out on me. It's not my problem."

Cedric raised an eyebrow. "Maybe. But being nice is free. If she keeps being mean, it'll come back to bite her. But being nice will always end with you at the top."

She pursed her lips in thought, looking over his face for a hint of dishonesty. The corner of his lips were pulled into a small, amused smile, and his light brown eyes sparkled with mirth. His body was relaxed, leaning against the wall, friendly.

"You really think that?"

He nodded slowly, giving her a meaningful look. "I do," he said. "I have to. Otherwise, there's no reason for Hufflepuff's to be a house." He winked. "It's why we'll knock you out of the park this year when we beat Slytherin for the House Cup."

She scoffed, shaking her head. "In your dreams, Diggory."

Laughing, he held up his hands in surrender. "We'll see. I'm heading to the library to meet up with Sam, you want to come with me? We can help with your homework if you'd like."

She glanced at the Great Hall longingly. His smile widened and a mischievous twinkle entered his eye.

"Did you know the kitchens are right next to the Hufflepuff Common Room?"

She did a double-take. "No, seriously?"

At his affirmation, she smirked. "And you still got caught?"

His smile dropped a fraction and he narrowed his eyes. "I was...preoccupied with something else. Come on," he changed the subject, slinging an arm around her shoulder, "let's get you some food and grab an extra muffin for Sam."

And for a few hours, spending time with Cedric and Sam, Daisy forgot about the dream. She even forgot about the forbidden corridor. But forgetting didn't last. Every night, she had the same dream. Every night, sleep came slowly and every morning she'd wake up in a cold sweat, terrified and alone.

☍︎︎

By the time Halloween rolled around a few weeks later, Daisy couldn't believe she'd been at Hogwarts for two months. She, Theo, and Blaise had grown closer. Malfoy stopped insulting her during class. She seemed to settle into a routine of sorts.

Breakfast, classes, lunch, class, homework in the library -- usually with Theo, as Blaise preferred to do everything the morning of rather than finish the night before, but occasionally with Cedric and his friends or even Hermione -- dinner in the Great Hall, then stay awake reading a book until her eyes couldn't stay open anymore. Fall asleep, have the same horrible dream that only grew more clear each night, take a shower, and repeat.

She didn't mind the routine, despite the small dark circles under her eyes. Sleep came horribly each night and each waking day she grew more accustomed to fleeting exhaustion. Every few days, she'd even fall asleep in History of Magic. Thankfully, she didn't break into a nightmare, but it would only be for a few minutes before someone woke her up.

The castle was decorated for the festivities the week leading up to Halloween, but by the final night, Daisy couldn't believe her eyes. In the Great Hall, a thousand live bats swung from the walls and ceiling and a hundred more swooped down above each table, making the candles in the pumpkins shutter and flicker with life. The feast appeared as it had during start-of-term, on shimmering golden plates.

Daisy dug in, starving and eager to fill her stomach. She munched on a sliver of roast beef and a heap of mashed potatoes when Professor Quirrel burst into the Great Hall, terror written on his face. His bright purple turban was off-kilter on his head as he rushed to Dumbledore.

"Troll — in the dungeons — thought you ought to know."

Then he promptly fainted.

For a moment, it was dead silent. And then everyone began talking and screaming at once. Daisy exchanged a fearful look with Blaise and Theo -- where were they to go? Their dorms were the dungeons. What if the troll surrounded them and they had nowhere to hide? There was loud drumming for a moment and Daisy looked around for the source of the noise before realizing it was her heartbeat.

Could anyone else hear it? Surely, it would burst from her chest and onto the golden plate in front of her. Hunger left her body and an uncomfortable churning sensation took over her stomach. She felt sick.

Then a few loud cracks went off and Daisy's attention snapped to the Head Table. Professor Dumbledore was shooting bright purple firecrackers from the tip of his wand. The Great Hall went silent.

"Prefects," he rumbled, "lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!"

"Where the hell are we supposed to go?" Theo asked with a confused expression. The Slytherin table looked down to the end where the Prefects stood waiting.

"First Years, follow me!" Gemma Farley waved them down. Daisy felt someone grab her hand and squeezed it tight, believing it to be Blaise, who was just next to her. "Quickly now, we're still going to the dormitories, as Professor Dumbledore requested. We have to be quick now, the troll could be anywhere and we'd prefer it not to bash your heads in!"

Perhaps that was meant to be a joke. Daisy didn't laugh. She squeezed Blaise's hand tighter. He squeezed back.

They followed after Gemma and Terrence Higgins, the male fifth-year Prefect outside of the Great Hall. Unfortunately, just outside the Great Hall was such a mess that Daisy and Blaise were inadvertently shoved out of the lineup for Slytherin first years, and she bumped into a couple of Ravenclaw fifth years.

"Watch out, love," a dark-haired Ravenclaw steadied her. She grabbed Blaise's hand tightly, pulling him out of the way.

"Sorry," she apologized to the Ravenclaw, looking for her line. But the first years were gone. Looking at Blaise, her eyes went wide as saucers when she realized whose hand she was holding. "Malfoy?"

Draco let go of her hand quickly. "Thought you were Pansy."

"How? Are you blind?"

"Well, why were you holding my hand?"

"I thought you were Blaise!"

He looked at her dubiously. "What gave it away? Was it my blonde hair or pale skin?"

She scowled. "You got us separated from everyone else," she accused, walking past him to the entrance of the dungeons. She hoped they were just right downstairs. That way, they would meet up with everyone else and be safe.

"Me?" Draco scoffed. "It was your fault, you tripped like an idiot."

Daisy rolled her eyes, looking back at him with a sarcastic laugh. "You probably pushed me just so you could get me lost and feed me to a troll." They were in the dungeons now. No sign of the other students. Just an empty corridor. "Is that part of your brilliant plan to get the mudblood out of school?"

His eyes hardened and he straightened up.

"Of course," he sneered, "get myself killed and get you tossed out. All part of Malfoy's big plot. Very insightful, however, did you come up with it?"

Before she could make a retort, loud, thundering footsteps echoed down the hall. Daisy saw a big shadow and smelled something rotten. Like old fish and stinky socks.

"That's horrid," she plugged her nose, gagging.

Draco grabbed her arm, pulling her closer to him. He shushed her. "Quiet, quiet." She was so close to him now, that she could hear his heartbeat. It was beating almost as fast as hers. "That's the troll."

They exchanged a fearful, wide-eyed look before grabbing hands again.

"On the count of three, we run," she suggested, looking into his eyes. She thought they were darker before, but they were more the color of fog rising over the horizon. A very pale blue, ice grey hue. "Okay?"

He nodded, trembling a bit against her. "Okay. Ready?" At her nod, he peeked down the hallway. They could see enormous legs, leading up at least twelve feet. A much murkier grey, not nearly as pretty as Draco's eyes, lumpy and all brawn, like boulders stuck together atop one single body.

"One," she counted, her breath catching in her throat. They could do this. They just had to run in the opposite direction of the troll as it made its way down the hall, and then straight down the steps to the common room. But if it saw them? Game over.

"Two," his grip tightened on her hand.

"Three."

They said it together and with a moment's hesitation, they were off, running down the corridor in the dungeons, hand-in-hand. There was a grunt and then the shuffling footsteps picked up speed, running after her and Draco. She didn't look back to see if the troll was running after them -- though, she was sure of it. Instead, she squeezed Draco's hand and felt him do the same. Her legs felt numb, she was going to fall over soon, and her hand hurt from his squeezing. The familiar sensation of her lungs threatening to collapse tugged at her chest but she pushed the cough away, trying to keep moving.

They were almost there.

He glanced over at her, worry on his face, as tears slipped down her cheeks from the pressure in her chest. She couldn't breathe. Little red dots lined her vision -- she could see stars. Her legs began to slow and she was running out of oxygen.

Draco yanked her to the left, downstairs to the thick white wall blocking the corridor. The footsteps were still hammering down the hallway.

"Where were you two?" Gemma Farley asked as they approached, looking over them with suspicion, and a hint of worry. "Everyone's inside."

"We -- got --- " Draco panted, still holding onto Daisy's hand as she coughed, gasping for air, "troll--"

The footsteps were only a few feet away. Gemma's eyes widened and she said the password immediately, ushering them inside the Common Room and quickly following behind.

"Dormitories," she ordered them, looking over a sheet of parchment, though her face was much paler than before. "Now. Everyone's in them."

They nodded, still shaking. Daisy's eyes met Draco's again. She wanted to thank him, for pulling her to the side, helping her as her body failed to do. He let go of her hand, face blanking over.

"You almost got me killed," he sneered, though it sounded different this time. "Stupid mudblood."

"Shut up," she took a deep breath, coughing again, "Malfoy. You prick."

They were quiet for a moment. "This stays between us," he said finally, referring to the past fifteen minutes.

Daisy nodded immediately. "As if I'd want anyone knowing you helped me out. Or held my hand. I have to burn it off now, thanks."

Draco didn't reply, just watching her for a moment, and then he was heading downstairs to the boy's dormitory. Daisy did the same, though much slower, trying to regain her breath.

"What happened to you?" Daphne asked in mild amusement as she entered the room, headed straight for her inhaler.

She held it to her mouth, taking in a breath and sighing in relief. She clutched it to her chest. "Nothing," she replied, shaking her head. Nothing at all.

The past two months had been full of nothing that almost ended up with her dead. She didn't know how many more running escapades she could take.

☍︎︎