'Dark adaptation' refers to the eyes' transition to night vision. It is rapid during the first 5 or 10 minutes after one leaves a well-lit room, but full adaptation for humans requires at least a half hour to two — and can be ruined by a momentary glance at a bright light.

─── · 。ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Our arrival at Hogwarts was more bearable than expected. I had already prepared myself for two reactions - fussing and pitiful sideways glances, or accusatory glares. But oddly, no one was there to greet us at the platform. Well, it was not all that strange - traitors didn't deserve welcoming ceremonies.

House elves ushered us into the castle, lugging our bags with great effort. We passed the courtyard and through the passageways that skirted the compound. I looked out the windows at the mountains, and that was when I saw them.

Gravestones. About a hundred of them at the foot of the slope, springing from the ground like daisies. I thought about Angel, and Fred, and Tonks and Lupin, and squinted for their names, but it was impossible to see anything from so high up. Then, they were out of sight as we began our long descent down a dozen staircases.

Our quarters were simple, furnished with the necessary and nothing more. Despite its humble appearance, light managed to find its way in, and it still smelt of newly-laid brick and mortar. Furniture stood where they should be - a chair, a chest of drawers, and a bed, its dark green sheets smoothed and tucked tightly into the mattress. A stark contrast to the large, private bedroom I used to have in the Slytherin dorms, but it felt like I could breathe for once.

My mother, however, did not bother hiding her distaste. Her nose turned up at its modesty. "Quaint," she sniffed, before disappearing into her room and shutting the door. I made no comment, but I thought it wasn't so terrible. I was beginning to tire of the heavy velvet drapes, and opulent metals that weighed our house down.

The ceremony will begin tomorrow at 3pm, and after that, a feast, the elves informed me nervously. I almost felt a little sorry for them. The Malfoys were notorious for the way we treated our house elves, and of course, they had all probably heard about Dobby. I thanked them, and they scurried away eagerly.

I inhaled deeply, allowing the air to fill my lungs. It felt strange to be back in school. Had it really been a year since then? When a certain dark wizard had tried to take over the world, when I had played the indistinguishably duel roles of both hero and villain - or so they might say. 

A year since I have touched this very stone with someone else. Florals, and a flash of white satin. They were memories I had locked up in the furthest recesses of my mind before throwing away the key. Now, as my fingertips grazed the battle-scarred stone, I opened the floodgates and let myself remember.

Her smile, sparkling like fresh snow in the sunlight. The night sky twinkling from behind her eyes, trapped there for eternity. Long dark hair, soft under my fingers as I played with it. Another image came, one long-branded into my mind. Her dark blue jumper, muddied with dust and dirt, and the way she held out her arms towards me. Come home.

It pained like an old broken bone that never quite healed, or the bruising of a punch to the stomach. Dull and throbbing - benign, but always there. Her absence was a ghost, whispering in the empty air beside me, sitting heavy upon my shoulders. 

I wish I could cry, but my tears have long-ceased, a tide that receded and never came back. There was only the stone that weighed my insides down, and half-empty lungs that never seemed to fill completely no matter how hard I tried. 

There was a knock on my door, and I folded the thoughts of her away like a piece of parchment. It was another house elf, bringing my lunch. I tried to smile at him, but my cheeks hurt from the effort. He bowed and left as silently as he had come. I despised it, the way they looked at me, like I was a monster. Like I was ugly.   

Either way, it was better than having to dine with the other guests in the Great Hall. They were all there now - Hannah, Susan, Cedric, Harry and Company. Hogwarts' Most Valiant, laughing as they ate and drank without a care in the world.

Mother and I? She had requested the food be sent to our rooms, and I knew behind her disdain for my school's inclusivity was a shame she never spoke of. Of what nature was her humiliation exactly, I could not be sure. 

It did not matter anyway - I wasn't in the mood to meet anyone. I could already hear their voices. I'm so sorry about Angel. Has it really been a year? How have you been coping? She would want you to be happy - banging me over the head with a load of eat-pray-love rubbish. That is, if they wanted to speak to me at all.

The first day crawled by in a daze. Like clockwork, I pushed the food into my mouth. For lunch, we had roast chicken salad, cheese and bread. For dinner, shepherd's pie, steak and kidney pudding, and a huge slice of treacle tart. It all tasted like cardboard to me. When that was done, I spent the rest of the day staring out the window listlessly, too afraid to go out for fear I might bump into someone familiar. I would not have been able to bear it if it had been Hannah or Cedric.

That night, I dreamt.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

I'll die, Draco. Her voice was pleading. If you go, I'll die.

My parents were watching me, and so was Voldemort. Come, Draco, mother demanded once more.

I tore my hands from hers, but she gripped my sleeve, sobbing. Draco, please don't leave me, please.

I regarded her only for a moment before turning away. I wasn't in control of myself. Voldemort had enchanted me, or perhaps my mother. I wanted to go back into her arms, but a magic compelled me to keep moving forward, and the distance between us kept growing. On the other side, mother hugged me loosely.

You have condemned her to death, Malfoy!

It was Hannah Abbott, heckling me across the space that divided good and evil.

Traitor! You're no better than Yaxley! You will burn in hell with him!

Angel pushed past the students. She was running to me, her footsteps scuffing lightly on the stone.

Voldemort twisted his body, stretching his wand towards Angel. You have chosen wisely, Draco, he said.

Wait! No! Stop! I was shouting at the top of my lungs, but I could not hear myself. Someone had pressed the mute button on me.

His mouth moved, and she stopped short as if she had run into a wall. I saw it spread over her body - green veins of light sucking the life out of her.

She looked at me - that same look as when she knew some unspoken thing about me, like I was transparent, made of water and air. And then, like trying to stand a piece of string, she fell.

I screamed until my throat turned to sand, pulling against my mother's restraints, but no one could hear me.

Hannah's face was projected in the sky, looking down at me scornfully. How does it feel, Malfoy? Did you enjoy it? Look at yourself, Malfoy.

Almost obediently, I looked down. To my horror, Voldemort's wand was in my hand, pointed at Angel's crumpled body on the ground.

Hannah's voice reverberated around the surrounding mountains. You have no one to blame but yourself. You condemned her to death the moment you left her side.

You condemned her to death the moment you left her side.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

I jolted up in bed, my hair and clothes were damp with sweat. Hannah's words were still buzzing in my ears like flies, and the still air in the room suffocated me despite the open windows. I blindly put on my shoes and hurried outside.

The castle made no sound except for the faint crackling of the torch-lined walls. As I ascended the stairs, I saw them. Draco and Angel. They were breathless and wind-ruffled. He was wearing his tuxedo. Scared, Dawson? She had her white dress hitched up to her knees. Of course not!

Giggling, they gallivanted past me towards my - his - room. I watched them disappear into the darkness before I started my climb again. Up and up, until I was on ground level. The ways of the castle were etched into my memory as I wandered aimlessly, taking in the yards and spires as if it were my first time. As I rounded another corner, three figures stood in the next corridor.

So you did it on your own then? You made a choice to kiss him, behind my back. Have you been shagging him? Cedric's fingers wrapped around Angel's wrist, digging into her flesh. Draco stormed up to them. Diggory! Get your filthy fucking hands off her!

Hesitantly, I ventured over, not wanting to startle them. But of course, they made no reaction towards me. They weren't real, I had to remind myself.

The other Draco tried to touch Angel, but she jerked away and ran off. He chased her. Without thinking, I followed, down the long tunnel next to the kitchens. The entrance that led to the Hufflepuff common room loomed ahead, and the scene melted into another.

This time, Angel's black school robes faded into her yellow Hufflepuff jumper. Other Draco spun her around by her shoulders. Don't ignore me!

She glared at him, eyes glossy with tears. You're so selfish! You never think about anyone else but yourself. But that's is all I am to you, right? A stupid, ditzy Mudblood maggot who was pathetic enough to take you on an ego trip by oversharing and looking out for you and making sure you're alright.

She shoved his shoulder, and I caught a look in her eyes I never realised before. It was strange, like a deep forest pool, or a thick cashmere blanket. Love. But not the kind that happened by circumstance. It was overflowing, as if we had been lovers in a previous life and our passion had spilled over into this.

It hurt as I watched Other Draco kiss her. From afar, I saw the tension in his muscles relax, his features soften. His left arm, which he had always taken extra care to keep out of sight, now raised to her face, caressing and smoothing. I smiled. Even time could not corrupt the memory of how her lips had made me feel, like I had been moulded into existence just for her.

Shaking my head, I forced himself to move on, passing by classrooms and more hallways. My feet seemed to have a life of their own, and I eventually stopped in front of the Great Hall. The doors were tightly shut, but the new hinges were still smooth with minimal wear, and I heaved them open easily.

In the grey darkness, I saw that everything had been set up for the ceremony. The four rows of tables and benches had been cleared. Instead, there were rows upon rows of chairs, neatly lined up like for a graduation or conference. A red carpet trailed right down to the front, leading up to a podium that stood in place of the professors' dining table.

I walked further down the carpet with my wand as the only source of light. It was strange to see the Hall this empty and quiet. There had been feasts here, loud rambunctious laughter of students under the watchful eyes of the professors. Dumbledore in his placid peace; McGonagall, pricked up like a cat's ears; and Snape, ever-bored and stoic, twirling the stem of his goblet between his fingers.

I had just about reached the front when another light seemed to glow from behind me. For a moment, I felt an adolescent sense of guilt, like a deer caught in headlights. But I was no longer a student, and the presence behind me was no professor.

A Patronus bloodhound stood a few paces away, its regal neck poised and alert. It gazed at me; a knowing look, like it saw right through me. Like I was made of water and air.

It held my stare for a few moments before it trotted back down the carpet and out of the Hall. Wait, I wanted to say, but my throat made no sound. So I did the only thing I could think of - I followed it.

It walked out into the night air, glowing pearlescent in the moonlight. It kept a brisk pace as it crossed the courtyards into another part of the castle, but I didn't have to try very hard to follow it. Whenever I fell too far behind, it would pause in its tracks until I neared, and it would start off again. My heart pounded in time with my legs when I soon realised where we were going.

The entrance to the Astronomy Tower came into view. Its heavy doors were wide open. The hound entered the darkness without hesitation, its tail trailing wisps of blue and silver threads. I stumbled after it with wild excitement. A million thoughts coursed through my mind, but I barely had time to dwell on them as it ran up the stairs, its sinewy legs bounding two at once.

But if I had been expecting anything, what I found at the top definitely wasn't it.

The dog had completely disappeared. The landing was quite empty save for the usual equipment lying around and the two globe structures, twisting lazily within their rings.

Outside, the sky was large. The stars and moon peered in, so bright that it lit up the space as if it were daytime. Had I just been seeing things? I must have. Trauma does funny things to the mind, or so mother had warned me. 

"Draco?"