XIV

The remaining days leading up to the holidays were fast and interesting. Romilda's rumours were confirmed when Grega caught Bradley and Anice under the bleachers during Quidditch practice, and things got exciting when she hexed him with the ossio dispersimus jinx and he had to be sent home early for advanced healing. Pansy left early and packed up all her suitcases. It seemed after the duel fiasco, her dignity had been so soiled that she had no choice than to leave, which was good for Hether.

The holidays came, and silence filled the halls of Hogwarts again. Then, January came like a birdsong in the morning, bringing with her spells of warm weather.

Hether has opted to remain in the same dorm with Grega, but this brought with it an unpleasant condition – they would have to accommodate another roommate. She had scowled and made a fuss about it and had threatened to imperio her way through, but had calmed down when it was revealed to lead to other problems.

So, when the new girl came into the room with her two trunks and three bags, she pretended she didn't exist, until Grega arrived.

"Guess who's back!" the latter barged into the room with a loud slam of the door.

"Well aren't you just radiating." Hether wriggled her eyes at her new tan.

"I know." Grega giggled. "We went to Nairobi for the holidays. Uncle had some- heavens, what's this?"

Hether followed her gaze to the straight-haired girl furiously unpacking and sighed. "It's the new roommate. It was either her or the room at the bottom."

"Hether!" Grega said disapprovingly. "You'd think they'd raised you in the gutter. Cho, I didn't realise you were our roommate! It's so nice to have someone other than this uncivilised child to talk to."

"I can hear you." Hether slammed her wardrobe door shut. " I have dined with royalty, and you have the guts to call me uncivilised?"

"Well, you act like it." Grega scoffed. "I'm really sorry about her. She's not very accommodating to new people." A nervous chuckle from Cho.

Hether frowned to her suitcase. Grega wasn't lying. She'd given her a hard time when they had first met. The poor thing was probably distabilised with having to move in with one terror and one excellent hexer. Hether forced a wide smile and whipped her head round to face Cho, who looked terrified at the sudden change of heart.

"You know what, it's a new year." Hether tilted her head. "I really do hope you enjoy your time as our roommate. We're quite lovely people when you get to know us."

"Oh, do put a stopper on it, Hether. You're just about as lovely as thorns get."

Hether's façade fell. "Well, thanks for applauding my effort. I've got somewhere to be, if you don't mind. Don't put anything near the window, Cho. That's where my harp goes."

Hether picked her coat from the floor and left the room. Everywhere she looked, there were students hauling bags and cages and trunks or just catching up. She crossed the grounds and made her way over to the edge of the quad, where she could see a certain shock of white hair sticking out amongst others.

As if he felt her presence, he suddenly spun his head round, and his eyes lit up. As she watched, he excused himself from the group and strode across the quad in quick steps, much to the amusement of his friends.

He had changed his appearance. He looked like a company heir stuck in a teenager's body and forced to go to school, with his hair all gelled up and slicked back. Hether scoffed, impressed. He stopped on the grass in front of her, but still towered over her by a few inches.

"Hello," he ran his eyes over her. She hadn't changed a bit, as if her body had refused to age and decided to stay in one way forever, except her eyes, which looked wiser.

"I see you took a trip to the hair salon." she smirked.

"Well, hello to you too." He stepped closer and placed his nose near her ear, breathing in the heady scent of lavender. He couldn't believe he was so uselessly wrapped around this girl. "You smell nice. Like what you see?" he whispered.

"Very much, yeah. I could eat you now." She whispered back and a sudden heat began in his stomach. He pulled back and gave a small smile.

"I brought you a Christmas gift." He shook his head.

"Are you trying to get us in trouble on the first day of school?" her eyes bulged. "You know we can't kiss out here."

"So, let's go somewhere where we can." He bit her lips and her legs almost gave out.

"Five points from Slytherin and Ravenclaw," a passing voice stated.

Hether looked round to see who had said that but they were gone. She wanted to dig a hole to the centre of the earth and probably seven other planets, and bury all herselves for at least a thousand years. Who gave him the power to make her react like that? Inasmuch as she hated it, she still liked it.

"Ugh." Hether stomped her feet. "How was your holiday?"

"Boring." Draco said scornfully. "Full of nothing but house visits from Death Eaters and him. However, I thought of you whenever I saw you because there's a very likely chance that you could win against him in a duel."

"I feel flattered." Hether folded her eyes.

"You're getting paler." He ran a cold finger down her neck. "Where's that silk coffee gone?"

"Silk coffee's gone on a break because I spent the holiday like you cooped up in my house and without a chance to tan." She snorted.

"We could be cooped up together in my house." He smirked. "Mother and father would love to meet you."

"You told your parents?" Hether raised a brow.

"No, I confessed to mother, who leaked it to father." He avoided her gaze.

"Really, Draco?" she said. She grabbed his arm and steered him into a quieter and scarce hallway "No one outside these walls can know about us. Especially not your parents. If he finds out, that changes everything. Harry Potter will no longer be the threat. I will be the threat, and so will you. Your safety is not to be compromised. Neither is the timeline. Your parents must swear to secrecy, or obliviate them. If you can't do that, then I will."

"Wait a minute," Draco took her hand. "What's the issue? How does this all connect?"

"Marvolo is driven by distraction and immediate will. He is like a cat with a ball of yarn. Give it a bigger and brighter one and the first one will cease to exist to it anymore." She lowered her voice. "If he finds out that there is someone bigger than Harry Potter, he will stop at nothing to either use me or eliminate me. And if he finds out that you stand in his path because we are together, he will eliminate you too."

Draco fell silent.

"In the same way, I will stop at nothing to protect you. Even if it means I destroy the whole world." Her eyes fell to the ground. "that, is what changes everything and the timeline. And after all that, you'll do nothing but hate me because I would have taken everything from you."

"I'll swear them to secrecy. But if it comes to a fight, then I will fight for you. Just teach me what I need to know." He laced his fingers between hers and brought them up to his cheeks, rubbing them against his minute stubble.

"It's about time you learnt, too."