TRAINING WHEELS—
HONORARY SLYTHERIN.

030

Talk of Crouch's death replaced the gossip and rumours surrounding Amora's attack, but that didn't mean it was over for the brunette. It had been a week since, and tonight was the second time she had woken up from a traumatic nightmare, resulting in sweat trickling down the side of her skull and her heart hammering as if she had just run a marathon.

Tonight, after being thoroughly freaked out by Professor Moody in the library, she had experienced her worst one yet. A nightmare that bad hadn't occurred since the Whomping Willow incident last year.

This one had been so bad that Amora refused to go back to sleep, despite the fact that it was three in the morning and she had classes in a few hours. She trekked down into the Common Room, gulping down a glass of water and settling back into one of the armchairs.

It was so soft behind her, the pillows cushioning her shaking body, beckoning her into a land where she was drowning and drowning in icy water on a continuous loop. Amora had to lurch herself up a few times, even pinching her hand when her eyelids fluttered too far down. She couldn't fall back asleep-- not when she was so scared of it happening again.

The bad dream reminded her of the Whomping Willow, memories of the event accompanying her most recent trauma. In her dreams, she would be dragged back to the surface of the icy lake, only for Harry to leave her there. Withering and cold and practically lifeless on the floor, whilst Harry ran off to save someone else. Someone more important than her.

Three days ago, when Amora had awoken from her first nightmare, she had been unintentionally quite distant from the Golden Trio. Giving them blunt responses, making no plans to sit with them first at breakfast. She thought she had moved past the small grudge she held for them. After all, Harry had saved her life a week ago. Yet, for some reason, past feelings were all coming back.

Amora tugged the oversized tee she had worn to bed closer to her body. It had been one of her father's shirts that had somehow gotten mixed up with her luggage at the start of the second year, and Amora often found herself sleeping in it, even if they lacked the father-daughter relationship that she wanted. It was soft and it reminded her of her childhood, back when they were comfortable around each other and he used to chase her on the beach, tickling her sides until she cried from laughing, and sneaking her sweets before bed.

She wasn't really sure what happened. Her father was a reserved man. He rarely showed affection to his own wife, his daughter being no exception to his rule. Amora often assumed that he just didn't know how to talk to her. As she grew up, they shared nothing in common and her father became stricter and didn't know how to hug her or say goodnight properly anymore. She even considered herself closer to her Uncle Amos nowadays.

It hurt Amora, but she would never tell anyone. She loved her father, just like she loved her mother. She knew he must love her too, somewhere beneath his solemn exterior and lifeless eyes.

Thoughts of her father had nearly pulled Amora into another sleep. She pulled herself off of the armchair, ignoring the screams of her exhausted body to just find somewhere comfy-- anywhere-- to settle and rest.

Amora refused. She could go and find Madam Pomfrey and ask for some Dreamless Sleep Potion, but it was far too late into the night and she didn't want to be a burden.

Amora thought maybe some cold air might wake her up. She knew Filch and Mrs Norris mainly hung around the Gryffindor Tower these days, waiting for a member of the Golden Trio to sneak out of their beds, so Amora thought she would probably be safe. Nevertheless, she tightened her wand in her grip and left the Common Room, instantly feeling the cooler air of the castle's corridors.

Amora headed up the staircase that led towards the foyer outside of the Great Hall, her heart nearly stopping when she heard footsteps. The brunette pressed her body against the wall next to her, flattening herself out against it as she waited for them to pass. Amora's heart dropped at the realisation that they were heading for the staircase she was on.

As the footsteps grew closer, Amora tried backing down them silently, her entire body tensing when she heard the person pause at the top. Amora dared herself to glance over her shoulder, her entire body shuddering in relief upon finding that it was Leon.

"Leon?"

"Amora?"

The pair of best friends stared at each other for a few moments before Amora did a small jog up to the top where he was. Leon grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the wall so they wouldn't be caught in the middle of the room.

"Where are you going?" Leon glanced her up and down. Amora would have noticed that he was eyeing her up rather suspiciously if she wasn't in utter relief that she wasn't about to receive a detention from Flich.

"To clear my head," Amora replied, "Go outside."

It was something Amora did maybe once a month or so, and Leon knew that. Especially when she first arrived at Hogwarts. Finding out that the Hufflepuff dormitories were in a basement was a little disheartening, considering Amora spent most of her life outside on a beach or at least looking out the window, bathing in the fresh, salty air. She wasn't used to it like Leon was used to his cramped flat in London with polluted air.

"Oh." Leon raised a brow.

"What are you doing out of bed?" Amora frowned.

Leon's neck became a home for hot red splotches as he grew embarrassed. "Nothing," he said quickly. "Just... Clearing my head. Like you."

"Oh," Amora repeated him from earlier, not in the mood to derive a real reason out of him. "Okay."

"Your eyes are red," Leon realised.

"Yeah," she shrugged. "Nightmare."

"You should see Madam Pomfrey about those--"

"They'll leave naturally," Amora interjected, using both hands to tuck her hair behind her ears. "I just want to be alone right now."

"You've been saying that a rather lot recently."

"It's what's best for me."

"How can you be so sure?" Leon raised a brow. "Maybe what you need right now is the support and unconditional love of your friends, or a shoulder to cry on."

Leon knew fully that if Amora was going to cry on a shoulder, it wouldn't be his. They weren't like that with each other. They didn't cry with one another or talk about relationships, especially as they grew older. This year they had spent more time apart than ever, what with Leon now having Kathy and Amora... Being quite distant with all of her friends, actually. It was strange, but both had just pinned it on the natural factor called growing up.

Besides, Amora was terrified that the unconditional love Leon spoke about wasn't as unconditional as either of them thought. If he were to find out that Draco Malfoy was her boyfriend and that she had kept their rendezvous from him for months, then she wasn't too sure he would be able to look at her the same anymore.

Part of her wouldn't blame him, but she hoped that when the day came, if it ever came, then Leon would hear her out. She was pretty sure Harry wouldn't. Definitely not Ron. Hermione would definitely at least listen before drawing conclusions-- Kathy too.

"I think I know what I need," Amora swallowed, brushing past him softly.

"Where are you going?" He asked although it came out fiercer than either of them had expected.

Amora turned, her brown eyes narrowing in confusion. "Why?

"Are you going to see someone?"

His question was like a bucket of cold water over her head. Her facial expression didn't change, but she felt like a cupboard door had just been yanked open to reveal her hands in Draco Malfoy's hair whilst he assaulted her neck with his lips. She hadn't even made plans to go and see Draco tonight though.

"No," Amora squeaked.

"Are you sure?" Leon pushed.

"I said I wanted to be alone!" Amora snapped suddenly. "Are you completely thick, Leon? That means I would be by myself."

Leon said nothing and Amora took that as her cue to leave. As she moved through the corridors, Amora felt her heart clench. She'd been so aggravated with her friends recently, and it wasn't putting her in any better mood than it was putting them in. She wasn't even sure if they had noticed that she had been acting this way, but if they had then they hadn't mentioned it to her yet.

As she moved through the castle, Amora froze when she saw Theodore Nott and a Ravenclaw girl by the window. He kissed her lips before she left, heading in the opposite direction of where Amora had frozen from the shock of bumping into yet another person in the middle of the night. Theo turned as if he had sensed her presence, sending her a small smile and a nod.

"Buckley," he greeted before walking past her, his hands in his pockets as he casually made his way towards the Slytherin dungeons.

Amora made her way to the top of the Astronomy Tower. Despite her fear of heights, she had good feelings attached to the place. She'd had her less-than-perfect first kiss here, and it was where Draco would take her when they wanted privacy, considering most students had warmer places to be in the winter months.

The cold woke her up immediately as she sat down on the wood, hugging her arms together. April was coming tomorrow, and Amora hoped it defrosted the school and hopefully helped to raise her spirits. She looked out at the pitch-black sky, watching the stars that twinkled above, competing with Hogwarts own lighting. Whilst most windows were as dull as the sky, a few windows dotted about were candle-lit, and Amora took comfort in the realisation that other people must be awake in the dead of the night too. That all the people in those windows had lives just as intricate and complicated as her own.

She wasn't sure how long she was sat there for, all she knew was that when she heard the hatch door open, she was screwed. No way would she get lucky for the third time. She sighed, expecting to turn and find Snape or somebody else equally as terrifying standing there, but her breath hitched in her throat at the sight of Draco.

The blond boy's skin was paler than ever thanks to the months of being cooped up in the castle or beneath a sky that was covered in thick grey clouds, but Amora decided it suited him. His features all seemed to blend together handsomely, his silver eyes striking and glittering as they harshly contrasted the black robes that he was wearing, and the other one that he had in his hand.

"Amora Buckley," Draco tutted, "Are you aware it's past three in the morning? You're lucky I haven't been chosen for prefect yet, otherwise, I'm afraid I would have had to of given you detention."

For what felt like the first time in a couple of days, Amora smiled. It felt foreign on her face to lift her muscles in such a way, a way where she wasn't forcing it weakly to get her friends off her back.

She realised that he was wearing his silk green pyjamas beneath his school robe as he sat down on the wooden floor beside her, extending his hand and handing her what she assumed was one of his spare robes. Amora accepted it as he folded his legs, their knees brushing through their pyjamas.

She felt slightly embarrassed sat next to him now, sat in nothing but one of her father's old shirts and a pair of baggy pyjama bottoms that she'd had for over two years now. He looked so expensive sat beside her. His pyjamas most likely cost more than her usual day-to-day outfits. She would be lying if she said that she didn't find Draco's lifestyle intimidating.

Amora shrugged on the Slytherin robe. She was thankful to be warmed up and to shield her boyfriend from the mismatched pyjamas she wore.

Draco's lips quirked up at the sight, his hand extending to adjust it so that the green was clearly visible on top of her body. Amora glanced down at herself as he did so, her hand moving to brush against the Slytherin crest.

"How do I look?" Amora teased quietly, though Draco picked up on the fact that her voice sounded duller than usual-- her entire being felt off.

"Like it was a shame you weren't sorted into Slytherin," Draco joked back, his voice barely above a murmur, but deep and scratchy.

Amora realised he'd been asleep. His hair was messier than usual, appearing nearly wavy around his face, and his eyes had small bags beneath them.

"How did you know I would be here?" Amora asked.

"Nott," Draco replied, "He woke me and told me you looked... sad."

Amora's brown eyes widened a little bit. "Theo? Why would he..." Her brows shot up in realisation.

"Only he and Zabini know," Draco sighed, "Zabini had been suspecting my feelings for you for a while now and Nott pieced it together from the way I've snuck out twice this week already to see you. But they're the only ones. We can trust them, I'm sure of it."

"Pansy knows too," Amora mumbled.

"Parkinson?" Draco repeated in disbelief. "As in, she knows we're official?"

Draco knew that Pansy knew they had feelings for each other, which he considered dangerous since their parents were friends, and one slip of the tongue from the Parkinson girl could have Lucius forbidding Draco from ever speaking to Amora again. However, he had not known just how much Pansy knew.

"Yeah," Amora admitted, "We're friends... kind of."

"Look at you," Draco teased, "It seems you've become somewhat of an honorary Slytherin."

"I have the robe to prove it," Amora played along half-heartedly. "I'm pretty sure I'd be the worst Slytherin in the world though."

Draco's face fell a little when he remembered how worried he had been about her. "Besides that, what's going on?"

"Nothing. Nothing bad. Just... a nightmare."

Amora had mentioned that she'd had a nightmare to him three nights ago when they met up before curfew, but it dawned on Draco then that these nightmares weren't as small and silly as she had initially made them out to be. The dark circles around her brown eyes proved it.

"What are they about?"

"Drowning," Amora said, "And the Whomping Willow sometimes. Harry leaving me there to just... die, I guess."

Draco went silent as he thought. Amora didn't mind the silence. She liked to just sit beside him and get her words out. She hadn't told any of her friends about the Whomping Willow part. As much as it irked her sometimes, she didn't really want Harry, Ron, and Hermione to feel guilty about the incident. It wasn't in her nature to do so.

"Sounds like you have unresolved conflict," Draco said, "Did you ever tell your... friends how them leaving you there made you feel?"

"No," Amora admitted, suddenly mad at her past self. She had so much she could have said. "I mean, they apologised when Ron was taken to the Hospital Wing after me, but they seemed so worried about other things and apologetic that I just... I don't know, I didn't want to make them feel bad because it would just make me feel worse too."

Draco's face hardened slightly.

"In a way... Maybe I am still mad at them because I never said what I truly thought," Amora whispered, smoothing out the soft material of Draco's robe that she wore.

"And what did you truly think?"

"That they didn't care about me," Amora suddenly choked on her words and Draco glanced at her wearily, unsure whether or not to wrap his arms around her. "L-Like what you said after Madam Pomfrey healed my arm. That they had higher priorities than me... and I thought they were... complete arseholes for just leaving me there when I tried to help!"

Amora took a deep breath before any tears could fall. Draco watched her close her eyes and compose herself. In a matter of seconds, her eyes peeled back open and her brown eyes no longer shone with sadness but were dull and miserable.

"You should tell them," Draco said.

"No!" Amora exclaimed, "That was last year. It's old news and I... already told them it was fine."

"You let them walk over you, Amora. You accepted their apology far too easily when you should have made them beg for your forgiveness."

Amora went silent again as she considered Draco's words. His Slytherin self-preservation was something that perhaps she could learn from. Often, Amora liked to believe that she was kind and thoughtful so she didn't need to change her ways, but maybe if it was making her weak then she needed to think again.

"I'm not normally a push-over," Amora admitted, "It's just when it comes to the people I care about... I'd rather that they were happy than me."

There came her Hufflepuff loyalty. A true curse sometimes, especially when your loyalties lied with somebody else rather than yourself.

"You shouldn't tell people that," Draco said firmly, "They'll use it against you."

Amora frowned. "But you're...." She blushed a little. "You're my boyfriend. I know you wouldn't use it against me."

The corner of Draco's mouth lifted a little as he nodded, sighing a little and reaching forward hesitantly to grab her hand in her lap.

Draco realised that he was just trying to help her, to protect her from being harmed again in the future, but he was starting to sound like his father, giving her lessons every Malfoy heir would go through before they could even pick up a wand. Draco wasn't exactly sure how else to help.

"I could hex them," Draco offered.

"No," Amora snorted, shaking her head and leaning it against his arm. "No. I think... I don't know. I just want the nightmares to stop."

"Madam Pomfrey could get you some Dreamless Sleeping Potion," Draco suggested, his finger tracing up and down the back of her hand and reaching a ring he had never seen on her before. It was beaded and had a small green jewel in the middle-- peridot. "Unless you'd rather hex them yourself?"

"No hexing of anyone," the brunette demanded, "But you are right that maybe I have some unresolved conflict that's triggering the Whomping Willow nightmares. Perhaps I should write Harry a letter. Tell him how it's been upsetting me recently."

"That's one way of handling it, I suppose...." He sighed, fiddling with her ring. "This is new."

Amora glanced down at it. "Yes. My mother gave me it the other day. Peridot is my birthstone."

"No, I think the gemstone is green is for Slytherin," Draco grinned, teeth and all as he watched her eyes roll playfully.

"Hm, well what are the yellow teeth for? Hufflepuff?" Amora played along with just as much fire.

Draco didn't take it as a joke. His grin faded and he scowled at her a little, but Amora instantly offered him a 'sorry' smile, making her brown eyes appear wide and innocent. It worked, Draco's anger fading as quickly as it came as his shoulders sagged and he sighed in defeat, unable to stay angry at her.

"I was joking," she murmured, maintaining her playful smile and wondering when Draco had managed to make her feel better. "Your teeth are perfect."

"I know," he muttered, grabbing her jaw and planting a kiss to her forehead. "You're annoying."

Amora beamed, feeling his arms wrap around her as she was pulled into a hug. "Yeah, yeah. I like you too, Malfoy."

She felt him smile against her neck.

When Amora retreated back to her dormitory half an hour later, she only had a few hours before she had to wake again for breakfast, but she drifted off anyway, memorising how comforting Draco's arms had felt around her, and the solution that he had helped her come up with.

Still, Amora had another nightmare.

But this time, as her body was dragged to the surface and she shivered, crying out for Harry who took one look at her before leaving her there, she was saved by somebody else. Draco Malfoy.

....

they really do be falling for each other doe :)))) i love how draco can teach amora as much as she can teach him too. like,, not all of draco's qualities are necessarily evil or bad, and he can help amora in certain places, just like she can help him 🥺🥺

im dying my hair (as long as i don't chicken out) this week and narcissa malfoy is my inspo,,, but my hair is dark and ive never bleached it before so im nervous ahhhh. any hair bleaching tips would be vv appreciated!

hope you guys enjoyed this chapter !

dyiansobrien <33