Chapter 17 - Chapter 17: Rue the Day

TW: Language, Mild Sexual Content, Blood.Demian finished his monotonous morning classes. The year was coming close to an end, and he knew that with only a few months left he should be focusing more on his studies, but he was finding it so hard to concentrate lately. He hadn't seen Higgs since the incident and Malfoy was clearly going through a lot since receiving the dark mark. His heart was confused and aching for some sort of stability. But he did have one thing to look forward to, his birthday, which was ina little over a weeks' time on February 13th. He always felt inferior to the rest of his class, being one of the youngest 5th years around. Though he did always feel a bit more mature than the rest of them. He was sitting in the great hall, eating lunch during the bustling commotion, but the world felt silent to him. The conversations of those around him drowned out as he spent the entire time searching for a familiar sight that never came. "Hellooooooooo" A hand waved in front of Demians face and snapped him back into his reality. "Fuck there you are mate. I was worried we lost you for a second." Peter said. Mordered just laughed. "So anyways, are you coming to the Valentines party next week or what? It's the 11th. Saturday." Demian just shrugged and scooted some of his food across his plate silently. "I swear on my mum if you don't cheer up, I'm going to schedule you for a lobotomy with Pomfrey." He joked. Demian finally smiled and rolled his eyes before shaking his head in agreement. "Alright, I'll go. But if you fuckers don't get me something for my birthday, I'll perform a lobotomy on you lot myself." They all shared a laugh for the first time in a while before heading out of the great hall to their afternoon classes. *.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*After he finished his classes, Demian let his curiosity get the best of him. I'll just go look if he's there...make sure he's okay. He rationalized to himself. After all, as long as he didn't actually speak to Higgs, he would be safe, right? He quickly made his way down the corridors towards the nurses' office, avoiding eye contact with everyone he passed to avoid suspicion. As he approached the door, he heard a familiar voice emanating from within."He won't buy it." the voice said. "Fuck it, I'm doing it." Another feminine voice replied. And he turned the corner into the nurses office, running directly into Pansy who was hastily leaving. She dropped a small vial, and quickly snatched it up off the ground, stuffing it into her robes. "Watch where you're going, fucking faggot." She hissed, just loud enough for Demian to hear, pushing past him and stomping off towards the Slytherin common room. Who was she talking to? Demian thought to himself. He peered into the nurses office, most beds were empty and even Madame Pomfrey was nowhere to be found. It was seemingly empty, except for the last bed, where he finally laid eyes on Higgs. He was badly beaten but his cuts and bruises were being tended to daily, and even though it had only been a few days since the incident he was healing nicely. Demian looked around, scanning the hallway again before he crept closer to Higgs. He leaned over and studied his face, gently tilting his chin towards him to get a better look. He was peacefully asleep, one of his eyes badly swollen still and small cuts littered his face, scattered between the freckles Demian had always adored. He brushed his hair back and felt a pang of sadness in his chest before he turned to leave. A comforting grip reached for his arm. "V-Valentino..." He said weakly under his breath. And Demians stomach dropped, a wave of nausea overcoming him as those nasty words whispered into his ear again. I'll kill him. Demian kissed his fingers, pressing them against Higgs lips before turning away. "Wait...Demian please." But he didn't turn around. "Goodbye Higgs." He choked out, sadly. And he left back to his own room. *.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*That night, Demian decided he would confront Malfoy. Not only because he missed him, but because he needed to know where they stood with one another. He dressed in some casual clothes, a striped black and white t-shirt with some black jeans, he reached up for the comfort of his raven necklace and the sting of Malfoy ripping it off him flooded his memories again. He sighed and tried to shake off his nervousness as he made his way towards the Slytherin common room. You can do this.He confidently repeated the word, "Basilisk" and entered the common room, which was thankfully empty around this time of night. It was just past 11, and he knew most people would be in bed, their studies taking priority. The fireplace was lit, and he scanned the couches. Perfect. Empty. But before he had a chance to make his way down the hallway, the door to the common room was opened again and his heart lurched in anticipation. He hid around the corner and watched as a group of Slytherins funneled in. "Ugh can you believe how boring this school year has been." one of them said. "Tell me about it, the most interesting thing to happen all year was finding out Draco Malfoy likes fucking with boys." they shared a laugh, and one Demian recognized was louder than the rest. Astoria. "Come now, children. Let's not make fun of the unfortunate taste of others." She said in a snarky tone, several other laughs emanating from the common room. Demian swallowed hard, holding back his emotions. He turned his back to them, not wanting to deal with an altercation tonight. It was going to be hard enough to face Malfoy, let alone deal with all of those idiots too. He started his walk towards Malfoys room, quietly knocking to avoid the attention from those closest to him in the common room. Silence. He knocked again, this time slightly louder. Silence. He whispered into the doorway. "Malfoy? It's me..."Silence. Oh fuck this. His thought to himself before he took out his wand and whispered Alohamora. The lock remained shut. Of course it wouldn't be that easy, right? Demian sighed. He had no choice but to do the walk of shame out of the common room, passing Astoria and all her goons. He mustered up what little courage he had and turned towards the exit. He attempted to look down at the floor the entire time, but as he turned the corner towards the painting a voice called out, "Well well well, look what we have here. You know we were just talking about you darling come sit with us." Astoria said. Demian sighed audibly. "I don't think I will Astoria, I'm rather busy tonight." "You are?" She inquired. "Because from the looks of it, you didn't have the chance to get busy tonight." Pansy chuckled under her breath. Crab and Goyle looked confused, their intelligence levels lacking the ability to understand the joke. "Very funny." Demian replied dryly. "Don't you want to have a drink with us? Or do you need permission from your daddy to do anything of your own free will? She said harshly. "If you think for one second I would trust any drink you handed me, you're sorely mistaken. You can all just go fuck yourself." "The kitty has claws." Astoria said, smiling. "You're wise not to trust us, little lamb. Hurry home, you never know which one of your boyfriends might be there waiting for you." she scoffed and motioned with her hand for him to leave.He rolled his eyes, and turned around, marching all the way back to his dorm, defeated. He could he hear laughter echoing from the Slytherin common room and his cheeks burned with embarrassment. *.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*Dracos POV Draco hadn't felt like himself since the dark mark stained his body. Although he once wished for it, begged and pleaded for it, the thought of serving someone else when he now had desires and wills of his own both scared him and infuriated him. He was suspended from classes since the incident with Terrence, but he didn't tell anyone. Not even Demian. His sleep schedule was severely thrown off, the insomnia of anxiety and fear keeping him up most nights and he was asleep for most of the day, waking up around 1 am. He rose from his bed and stretched, yawning once before grabbing a t shirt draped over the small end table next to his bed. He walked to the mirror, examining himself.  The various marks on his face were almost healed, he ran his fingers through his hair turned to walk towards his bathroom when he felt a sharp sting in his foot. Ah fuck. He cursed under his breath. He leaned down, picking up the Raven necklace. He sighed and rolled it around in his fingers. Demian...Draco slipped the necklace in his pocket, determined to return it to it's rightful owner. Tonight. Flashes of his night with Pansy flickered in his mind and he quickly shook them away, determined to prove he was a better man than what was depicted on that day. He left the common room into the desolate halls and made for the Ravenclaw dormitories. He heard a rhythmic squeak emanating from a hallway adjacent to him, it grew louder and louder. What the fuck is that? He found himself mesmerized, tracing the noise and eventually he found himself standing in front of Charms classroom, the door shut and locked tightly for the evening. Although the window was frosted, he could make out two figures in the classroom. A mans face contorted in pleasure as someone kneeled in front of him, their head rhythmically moving back and forth up the length of his shaft. Dark locks were twisted in their fingers, and he moaned out without shame. "Demian...fuck."A rage burned in Malfoys chest and without thinking he tried to enter the room, which was tightly locked. "Open the fucking door, now." He commanded. He feverishly turned the knob, wildly pulling at the door to no avail. "I said open the fucking door!"He heard rustling and continued banging on the door shamelessly. "If you don't open the door now, I swear you'll both rue this day" He threatened. But silence was the only thing he was met with. "Fine, have it your way you fuckers." He pulled out his wand, pointing it at the door. "Alohomora." He spoke, but the lock remained shut. "Fucking damnit."In his moment of desperation, the fire in his chest guided his next decision, he balled up his fist and swung it hard against the glass window, it sliced the top of his hand up mercilessly, but the pain was miles away. The sheer adrenaline in the moment left Malfoy clawing at the door handle on the other side of the classroom, where he finally managed to undo the lock, throwing the door open, "Demian I swear to fuckin-" But no one was there. The classroom was empty. Malfoy looked around curiously, Lumos. He said, and his wand lit up the darkness. Blood dripped down his arm as he walked around the room, he heard a creak and turned around suddenly, facing a full wall of books. As he approached it, something shining caught his eye, reflecting in the light from his wand. He walked over to the bookcase and picked up a ring. It was a thin band and rather small. It hardly fit on any of Dracos fingers.Yet as he toyed with it, it felt more and more familiar to him. He flipped it around in his fingers and saw a small inscription on the inside, it just read:"D.V"And his heart sank. So he was here. He thought to himself. He squeezed the ring in his hand, the blood pouring from his knuckles even more profusely from the pressure. With little remorse and not a single word, Draco walked back to his dorm in silence, leaving a mess in the charms classroom but being mindful enough not to leave a trail leading back to him. The rage he was so adamant to quench was fueled, evermore. *.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*Demian woke up the next morning and felt for the first time in a long time, he had actually slept. After missing Malfoy last night he came home and directly went to bed, leaving him feeling somewhat refreshed almost 9 hours later. He dressed quickly, tucking his hair behind his ear and reaching again for the comfort of his necklace that was still missing. He sighed once more, picking up a black ring and placing it on his finger.Hey, where's my thin silver band? He thought to himself. But didn't have time to look, class was approaching quickly. The next day, whispers were all around the common room. Demian didn't understand why, but he stood curiously next to a group of younger Ravenclaws who were speaking freely amongst each other. "Apparently someone broke into the charms classroom yesterday, left a huge mess and there was blood everywhere!"Blood? Demian thought to himself. What could have possibly happened? "Yeah but no one is missing and no one reported being hurt. The teachers were also saying they think nothing was stolen." "Then why would someone break in?" "Hell if I know." What the fuck happened last night? Demian had charms class this afternoon, and he was hoping the professor would have some more answers to what might have happened. He eagerly went to class, waiting for the clock to strike 11. *.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*When Demian finally reached his charms class, the room was full of chaos. Everyone chatting amongst themselves with theories of what happened. Rumors of murder. Adultery. Crazy stories being thrown around by the entire class.Demian just took his seat next to Peter and Penny who were no better than the rest of them. "So what do you think happened man?" Peter said, and Penny laned forward inquisitively. "Yeah, I really want to know what you think." Demian just shrugged his shoulders. "Guys I came home last night and for the first time in fucking months got some sleep. Who knows what happened.""You're no fun." Penny said. Headmaster Dumbledore came in suddenly. "Everyone take your seats, immediately." The classroom finally fell silent. Demian scanned the room but of course, neither Higgs nor Draco was there."I'm sure all of you heard there was some commotion in the castle last night." Some people nodded; others whispered to their neighbors. "Well, thankfully, everyone is accounted for. There were no killings." Some sighed with relief."However...." he paused briefly and the anticipation grew. "No one has come forward with any information about last night, and we worry for the safety of everyone here. If you are afraid, fear nothing, we only wish to help. Whether it was an accident or a prank, you will not be at fault if you come forward."But no one dared to budge in their seats. "On another note, you may be wondering why I am here instead of Professor Flitwick. After last nights excursions, the Professor has decided to retire." Some audible gasps could be heard throughout the room. "And we of course have no reason to deny him that wish. So as of Monday, his replacement will be teaching the class. Please, come join me." Dumbledore held out a hand and another man who had been waiting by the front door entered and came forward. "Hello everyone." He said, with as much confidence as he could muster. He stood tall, with piercing blue eyes and light brown hair. He was older than them, sure, but not by that many years. He was dressed elegantly, in a white button down covered with a black satin vest, a gold chain from a pocket watch tucked into the front. He had fitted black trousers on, and a leather satchel strap was across his chest. His cheekbones were prominent, and although he had a clean-shaven face you could clearly see some shadow peaking through. "I am Professor Valor. Christian Valor." Demian could hear the whispers of the girls in the class. "Wow, he's so cute. How old do you think he is?" Demian studied him closely, he was very attractive, especially when compared to their last teacher. And he did look rather young to be a professor. He wondered how he managed to land such a prestigious career at his age but then he assumed he was just another boy with a silver spoon in his mouth. Here because daddy knew someone. For a brief moment their eyes met, his heart skipped a beat and he quickly looked down at his desk. Did he notice me studying him? For the rest of the class he avoided his gaze heavily, focusing on his book until he could slip out unnoticed. *.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*The rest of the week flew by, he saw no one over the weekend and the silence made him question what was going on. He had gone by Malfoys room multiple times to no avail, he was either never home or was choosing not to answer. He saw little of Pansy or Astoria all weekend too, curiously. Monday had come and his Charms class was being taught by the new Professor. Demian entered the classroom and for the first time in close to a week, Higgs was sitting in his seat. He boldly waved at Demian when he came in and smirked, his recent badges of honor fully healed. He flashed him that perfect smile again and Demian tried to hide the fact his face was flush. He sat down and opened his book, pretending to finger through the pages while the moment passed. Professor Valor finally entered the room, "Sorry I'm late class I'm still trying to get my footing around here." He said before walking to the front of the class. A silence overcame the room as all eyes were on him, waiting for some sort of instruction."Erm...right." He said, his voice seemingly echoed from how quiet the room was. "Today, we will be working on the growth charm, I know earlier this year you were all working on the color changing charm, so you'll be all too familiar with its notions. They're very similar as most people would say and are easily confused for one another." He continued to speak but Demian simply couldn't focus, his thoughts trailed off as thoughts of Draco burned into his mind. "Which would be?" Demian suddenly looked up, turning his head behind him to look at Higgs who was nodding in the other direction. He looked forward and Professor Valor was standing directly in front of him. "Similarities?" He annunciated. "I....uh." Demian stammered, but he hadn't a clue what the professor was speaking about. Demian just stared up at him, his cheeks stained pink with embarrassment. He studied his professors face, getting a good look at him for the first time. He had a mix of both strong and soft features, elegantly long cheekbones but a prominent jawline, piercing blue eyes but soft wispy lashes, his light brown hair was kept short on the sides with some length on top, although it looked messy, Demian knew it was just styled that way intentionally. He was dressed rather casual for a professor, a satin white button up tucked loosely into his fitted black trousers, his sleeves rolled up to reveal his muscular arms. He even had a small tattoo on his left arm, it looked like a lotus flower. "I'm sorry professor but the moment you called on me my mind went blank." Demian admitted in his embarrassment. Professor Valor laughed under his breath, "Yes I can see that...my question was, why are the two charms spells considered so similar?" Demian thought to himself quietly for a moment, the flashes of the color change charm came to him immediately. He saw Draco on that day, changing the color of his necklace. He reached again for it but it wasn't there and then he spoke suddenly, "Because the incantations are similar?" He said. Professor valor just smiled and clapped a few times. "That's correct. Your name again?" "Valentino. Damien Valentino." He spoke. "And your house?" "Ravenclaw." "Well then 10 points to Ravenclaw" He exclaimed. Demian just smiled, the rest of the lecture went on without a hitch as they practiced their incantations.