Harry was rushing through the halls, leading Kyra, Neville, Hayden, and Draco toward an unknown location. He claimed to have found somewhere for the group to practice but wouldn't tell them where or what it was. They followed closely behind as he weaved through the halls, dodging students who were scattered around the school. They shot up the marble staircases. One staircase, then two and three, then another three.
Kyra's chest was heaving and she was out of breath, a burning in the back of her throat. Harry stopped abruptly in front of a small wooden door. It was only half her height and made of a dark, red, polished cedar. Kyra doubled over, choppy breaths hardly escaping her mouth. She could see Draco smirking at her out of the corner of her eye. Standing up straight, she shut her mouth, forcing herself to breathe through her nose, hoping she would appear less strained for breath. She scowled at Draco, and he chuckled to himself. Harry paid no attention to Draco as he fumbled with his wand, waving it in a bizarre fashion. The door slid open with a creak so loud, Kyra thought, it must have been a decade since this door had been opened.
Kyra peered inside, though it was blanketed in darkness. Each of them raised their wands, muttering 'lumos', several streams of light striking through the blackness. They cautiously stepped through the doorway and were met with a swift rush of air as the door slammed behind them. The thin jets of light from their wands were doing little to illuminate the space. Hayden huffed.
"For Merlin's sake." She griped, her shadowy figure swinging her arm up, the light of her wand gliding across the space, exploding 200 feet from them. Kyra turned around, shielding her eyes with her forearm. Her body shook in anticipation of the inevitable pain the explosion would cause. Kyra noticed a bright, muted light seeping in along the edges of her arm. Cautiously unfurling her body, she glanced up to see that once-dark room had revealed itself to a long, steep, upward slanting hallway. The walls were adorned in Victorian paintings with intricate, gold frames. The paintings were muggle portraits, unmoving, of 19th century aristocrats.
"What is this place, Harry?" Kyra mused, gazing at the paintings in wonder. Harry was grinning smugly, watching Kyra, Hayden, and Draco react to his hidden hallway. It was a stark contrast to the sterile halls of the school. The floors were covered in a plush, burgundy carpet that was forming around Kyra's feet.
"This is just the way there. The potions professor seems to have an interest in me so when I asked if she knew any spacious, private areas, she was quite helpful." Draco snickered.
"You hooked up with a 60 year old woman to find this room, Potter?" He cackled, hardly containing himself after what he believed to be an ingenious and hilarious joke. Harry glared at him and shook his head.
"Can we go now or do you need a break to start your career as a comedian?" Harry spat. Draco smirked, raising an eyebrow and lifting his arms to encourage Harry to lead the way. Rolling his eyes, he shoved past Draco, bumping his shoulder in the process. He stormed across the floor, pausing in front of the small wooden door. Raising his wand, Harry swung the door open, a set of iron stairs spiraling straight up on the other side of the door. Kyra stepped with caution toward the stairs, leaning across the threshold and peering up to only see endless stairs. She eyed Harry with suspicion but he wasn't paying attention to her, he was merely beginning the trek up the stairs.
Hayden brushed by her, bounding up the steps, which creaked precariously under her. Kyra hesitated, still attempting to catch a glimpse of what she would be climbing toward. She jumped as she felt a hand graze her lower back, electricity surging across her skin. Draco was gazing at her, his eyes sharp and playful.
"You coming, doll?" Kyra narrowed her eyes. She wished he would stop saying things like that. He was infuriatingly consistent, he clearly was not going to back down any time soon. Smirking at her, he started up the stairs, his hand trailing across her skin before finding a tight grip around her hand. Draco pulled her up the stairs but climbed them slowly, savoring every second she didn't pull out of his grasp.
The stairs were narrow and climbed up nearly one hundred feet. Draco could feel the resistance against his hand as they reached fifty feet and stopped, turning around. Kyra halted abruptly, not expecting the stop. He raised an eyebrow.
"Tired, love?" Kyra flinched, his pet names difficult to ignore, "Come on, hop on." He turned back around, using both his hands to reach back and pat his shoulders. Kyra shut her eyes hard, attempting to form an excuse as to why she wouldn't do that but came up empty.
Sighing, she let a minuscule smile form in the corners of her mouth before wrapping her arms around his neck and hopping up, her legs wrapping around his waist. His hands fell to her thighs, helping hold her in place. Heat rose to her cheeks at his touch, a knot the size of a dragon egg forming in her stomach.
Draco bounded up the stairs effortlessly and Kyra grasped at his chest, balling his shirt up in her fists. He climbed the remaining fifty feet, keeping his hands firm around her thighs. He pushed open the door at the top; it was identical to the one at the bottom. They ducked through the door and into an enormous room. The walls were covered in a yellowing wallpaper that peeled along the edges. There were heavy golden curtains lining the windows that were coated in a thin layer of dust and the corners of the room had cobwebs stretching across them. The curtains blocked most of the light so the fixtures were muted in darkness. On the other side of the room, Kyra could just make out an intricately carved, marble fireplace. There were dusty couches placed around it with patterns she couldn't distinguish in the dark.
Kyra loosened her grip on Draco, attempting to slide down his back but he held on tight to her. She squirmed slightly but soon gave up and focused on Harry's shadowy figure. His silhouette was visible twenty feet from them and he was raising his wand, not bothering to look at them, though she was certain he would not have been able to make out what was happening. He murmured a word under his breath and thin beams of light shot from his wand into every corner of the room. The room was instantly filled with light and Kyra's eyes flew shut. She reopened her eyes slowly, adjusting to the light and taking in the room. The couches she had seen were a horribly dated floral pattern with a massive tear through the center of one. The fireplace had been sculpted into enormous lion heads on either side. On one wall there was a picture frame that was empty with the exception of the mounted head of a stag that had fallen off one hook and was now hanging lopsided. A chandelier of antlers swung overhead the couches in a slow, threatening manner.
Draco turned to examine the wall closest to them and in turn, Kyra's attention was shifted. There was a full wall bookshelf with books of all colors. A globe sat, alone, in the corner on the battered wooden floors. The room, it seemed to Kyra, would have been quite lovely once but had clearly not been touched in years. This left a stale, depressing atmosphere to hang in the air, mourning the magnificence this room once held.
"This room is ours to use. It needs a little love but I think it is going to work pretty well. What do you think, Kyra?" Harry turned to her then, his eyes widening for a fraction of a second. He didn't ask questions and Kyra knew Draco was disappointed he didn't have a chance to respond with a smart comment.
"I think it's perfect! A little run down but nothing we can't fix! When do you want to show the others?" She asked, optimism oozing from her voice.
"Tomorrow," He spoke definitively, "It's getting late and I think we can wait until after classes tomorrow." Kyra could see Hayden uncomfortably pursing her lips beside Harry. She raised an eyebrow and Hayden sighed.
"Is there any way to get up here without climbing a thousand stairs?" Kyra smirked, she had been wondering the same thing. Harry chuckled and took large strides across the room, lightly patting the fireplace.
"You might not be able to use the floo network in and out of the castle but you can use it to get around inside." He beamed, quite proud of himself. Kyra could see now why he had led them here with such fervor. "Come on, let's use it to get back to the dorm." He picked up a miniature cauldron off the mantle and grabbed a handful of floo powder. Stepping inside, he turned to face the others and forcefully declared, "Dorm room 32." With a puff of smoke he vanished, leaving the fireplace empty for Hayden to follow his lead.
Hayden grabbed a handful of powder and turned to them before she stepped inside, "This is safe, right? I've never used the floo network before." Draco nodded and Hayden sighed, "Well it's now or never. Dorm room 32." And just like Harry, she was gone.
Kyra attempted to squirm down off Draco's shoulders once more and this time he allowed it, though he turned to face her. His magnetic, blue eyes locked with hers and she was frozen in her spot, gazing up at him.
"So did you quite enjoy your date with Longbottom?" He mused with a smirk.
"I was rather enjoying it, yes. That is, before someone interrupted." She narrowed her eyes, though she couldn't wipe the vague smile off her face.
"Oh, I'm sure you were. It looked like a lovely time- a whole lot of fun." He was smiling his crooked smile now and Kyra couldn't quite place what his plan was.
"It was a lot of fun. I love picnics. It was very sweet and very romantic." Draco nodded his head in understanding, the smile still plastered to his face; he was making Kyra quite nervous now.
"I'm glad you had a good time, princess." She glanced at the ground, attempting to piece together what game he was playing. "It's good that he is setting your expectations so low. It's going to make our dates seems like a dream. They will be, of course. I wouldn't think of doing any less for you, but it will seem even greater in comparison." Kyra rolled her eyes.
"Right, of course, our dates—the ones that aren't going to happen." She scoffed. Draco simply continued as if she hadn't responded.
"You know, I almost feel bad for Longbottom. He doesn't stand a chance, really. You should probably break the news to him sooner rather than later. Let him down easy, okay? He's a fragile kid that Longbottom." Kyra clenched her jaw in irritation.
"I don't need to let him down easy because I won't be letting him down at all. Neville is great and he makes me happy. I'm not ending things with him so you can come off it." Draco's eyes softened, a genuine smile on his face.
"Look, Kyra, I have no doubt that he makes you happy, and that's fine for now. I'm glad you are happy and if he makes that happen then so be it but he doesn't make you feel the way you do with me."
"Constantly agitated?" She fumed.
"No, you know the feeling I mean. His touch doesn't send shivers down your spine; he doesn't fill your skin with electricity. You don't spend your nights lying in bed, thinking about him—dreaming about him. You don't feel that way about him so it is only a matter of time before you realize that there is only one person who makes you feel like that." Kyra could feel her heart in her throat, she could hear it pounding in her ears. He was right, whether she could admit it or not.
"You don't know what I feel." She muttered, the words escaping in short breaths. Draco smirked and raised an eyebrow.
"Okay, darling, whatever you say." Kyra's hands were shaking heavily as she made her way toward the fireplace. She could feel his eyes on her so she quickened her pace. Hastily grabbing a handful of powder, she clamored into the fireplace.
"Room 32." She declared mightily, his face twisting away in a puff of smoke. She might not be able to run from him forever but she would certainly try.
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~~~Author's Note~~~ Hi everyone! I'm so sorry its been a while since i've updated. School started back up and my work is in its busiest season so things have been a bit crazy! I'm hoping to be updating more often but we'll have to see. Thank you so much for everyone who is still reading and commenting, I love you all so much! Let me know if you have any ideas or suggestions for the story, I love all of your feedback!