The Pact

As I sit in potions listening to professor Snape drone on, I can feel Draco’s eyes burning into the back of my head. He wasn’t in class yesterday, so I haven’t had a chance to talk to him about everything that happened.

I was actually really worried about him not being there yesterday, but I didn’t “feel” anything bad happen, so I’m hoping he just skipped to have some time to himself.

I rest my head on my hand before a little note in the shape of a swan flutters onto my desk. Immediately, I know who it’s from.

I open it quietly, being sure not to draw attention to myself. The last thing I want is to make Snape mad at me again.

The note reads, “We need to talk. Bring your ring and your pointe shoes to the seventh floor after class. Don’t ask why. -DM”

The seventh floor…? Pointe shoes…?

I’m guessing he wants me to go to the Room of Requirement, but I don’t know how that’s going to help him. As far as I know, I’m the only one who’s been able to go in and out of it. Unless, of course, he’s been able to and just hasn’t told me yet. Only one way to find out, right?

As class ends I give Hannah a lame excuse about not feeling well enough for divination. She ushers me off to the medical wing with a hug and a smile and I make my way over to the stairs after she turns the corner.

I’ve never snuck into the Room of Requirement this early in the day, so I’m just hoping no one notices. Thankfully, though, the door appears on a different wall, one that’s much more concealed from the general public. I take a look around to make sure no one else is there before stepping into it, the door disappearing behind me.

“Lavigné.”

I jump. My head snaps to the right to see Draco, arms crossed and leaning against the wall. I take in the rest of the room quickly and realize that the ballet studio has added a grand piano. 

“You scared me,” I say breathlessly, hand on my heart. He just smirks slightly before walking over to me.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to.”

I shake my head, a playful smile on my lips. “Don’t worry about it. You’re good. So… what did you find out?”

He raises an eyebrow. “I was going to ask you the same question. I saw you studying with Granger yesterday.”

“Saw me?” I ask, furrowing my brow. “I didn’t see you. Speaking of, where were you yesterday? You weren’t in class.” I raise an eyebrow, crossing my arms.

Draco’s smirk falters, his expression turning serious. “I had… things to handle. You know how it is.” His eyes shift, as if he’s weighing how much to tell me.

I narrow my eyes, not letting him off the hook that easily. “Things? Malfoy, after everything we’ve been through, you can’t just disappear and expect me not to worry.”

He sighs, running a hand through his hair. “I didn’t mean to worry you. I just… needed space. My father’s been pushing harder than ever, and after the duel—” He stops, his eyes flicking to the floor. “I had to think.”

I nod, my gaze softening. “I get it, just don’t disappear on me. Everything you do affects me now, so when I don’t know you’re okay it freaks me out.”

His face softens as he looks at me. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Just… fix it, okay?”

“Okay,” he replies softly, straightening up. “So… what did you find out?”

“Right!” I snap my fingers before grabbing my bag and pulling out a piece of parchment with notes scribbled on it from my research in the library. I hand it to him, explaining each and every point in detail, telling him everything I can.

“That’s everything I know,” I say, tucking the parchment away. “This is so much deeper than I thought. But I got to thinking… I don’t remember ever seeing you or your family before, like when we were really young. So I doubt our parents bound us together that way. You know, like doing it on our behalf.”

He clenches his jaw, which I’ve learned means he’s thinking. “But we also didn’t agree to this consciously. How else could this have happened?”

“Hear me out. It is a blood pact, right? What if our parents took it and bound themselves together, but the magic got passed down to us without them knowing?”

Draco’s eyes widen slightly, and I can see the gears turning in his head. “You mean… like an inheritance? Magic tied to the bloodlines rather than the individuals?” His voice is careful, but there’s an edge of urgency.

“Exactly.” I nod, feeling my pulse quicken. “It would explain why we’ve been experiencing these… connections without fully understanding them. If the pact is rooted in our families’ blood, then when we were born, we might’ve automatically inherited the bond.”

He runs a hand through his hair, clearly troubled. “That would mean our parent’s might not even know what could happen.”

I swallow hard, the weight of that realization sinking in. “And if they don’t even know it’s affecting us directly, then they could be playing a dangerous game without realizing what’s really at stake.”

Draco’s gaze darkens. “Or maybe they do know, and they’re testing us—seeing how far the magic will go, what it’ll do if we push the limits.”

The thought sends a chill down my spine. “If that’s true, we can’t just wait around to see what happens next. We need to figure out how to control it, or at least understand its limits, before they do.”

Draco nods, his expression set. “Agreed. We need answers, and fast. We’ll have to dig deeper—look through old family records, anything that might give us a clue.” He hesitates, then meets my eyes. “And we need to be careful. If our parents suspect we’re onto them…”

I nod, understanding the unspoken warning. “We can’t let them know. Not until we do.”

Draco holds my gaze, and for a moment, I see the vulnerability and the fear in his eyes. I soften, understanding the pressure he’s under. “You don’t have to go through this alone, you know. We’re in this together now.”

He looks up, his gaze intense. “That’s what worries me.”

I blink, caught off guard. “What do you mean?”

He rubs the back of his neck, walking closer. “The more involved you get, the more dangerous it becomes. My parents are starting to suspect something. They’re watching us. Every move we make.” He gestures to the room around us. “Even this—meeting here—it’s risky.”

I swallow hard, feeling the weight of his words. “Then why did you ask me to come? Why the pointe shoes?”

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his wand, then gestures to the piano. “We need to test something. That bond between us… it’s more than just magic. I think it responds to our emotions, our… connection.” His voice softens on the last word, and I feel my cheeks heat up.

“You think the Room of Requirement can help us understand it?” I ask, trying to keep my voice steady.

He nods. “It’s given us this place for a reason. When I’m here, it’s… different. I can feel the magic around us, tied to us.” He glances at my ring. “I think it wants us to use it.”

I slip off my cloak, revealing the pointe shoes I brought with me. “So, what? You play, I dance, and we see what happens?”

His lips twitch into a small smile. “Something like that.”

I walk over to the center of the room, sliding on my pointe shoes. As I tie the ribbons, Draco sits at the piano, his fingers brushing the keys with a familiarity that sends a shiver down my spine. I stand as the first notes fill the room—soft, haunting, beautiful.

I close my eyes, letting the music guide me. The familiar steps come naturally, my body moving in time with the melody. The air around us seems to hum with energy, the magic crackling beneath the surface.

When I open my eyes, I see Draco watching me, his expression unreadable. But there’s something in his gaze—something that makes my heart pound. The music swells, and for a moment, it feels like the room is alive, the magic wrapping around us like a thread, pulling us closer together.

The runes on my ring begin to glow softly, and I see Draco’s eyes widen as he looks down at the pendant on his chest. The magic is responding—just like he said.

I stop, breathless, as the final notes fade. “Merlin… did you feel that?”

He nods, his voice barely above a whisper. “It’s stronger than I thought. We’re not just connected by blood or magic. It’s… deeper.”

“I just have this feeling that even our parents don’t understand how much this means.”

He looks off to the side, chewing on his bottom lip. “Can we try something?”

I look at him curiously, wondering what he means. “I suppose. Try what?”

“Give me your ring, and I’ll give you my pendant. I wonder what happens if we trade.”

I shrug my shoulders, sliding my ring off my finger before holding it out to him in the palm of my hand. “I don’t know if it’ll do anything. I think the jewelry is more like a symbol.”

“Just humor me,” he says quickly, handing me his pendant.

I slip the chain over my neck and he puts my ring on his pinky— the only finger it’ll fit on— and we wait.

“Hm. Nothi—”

Suddenly a white light emits from the pendant on my neck, shimmery and warm, and it surrounds me like a bubble. I look at Draco wide-eyed, and the ring emits the same light, enveloping him in it too. After a moment the bubbles dissipate, leaving me feeling a warmth spread throughout my body.

“Woah,” I say in awe.

“Wicked,” Draco murmurs, his face lighting up like a giddy toddler.

“If that’s anything like the shield that popped up during the duel…”

“Maybe it’s a permanent shield?” he says breathlessly, a genuine smile on his face.

“This is mental.”

He chuckles lightly, the sound light and pleasant as it hits my ears. I really, really like this version of him. “It really is. Bloody hell, this is not how I anticipated fifth year to go.” He runs a hand through his hair, smiling at his own joke.

“We need to test it somehow. But we can’t cast at each other, it’ll rebound regardless.”

He nods, his face settling back to something more neutral. “Until then, we should probably switch back. Just in case.”

He pulls my ring off his finger, and I suddenly feel colder, more exposed. The flicker of confusion on his face makes me think he feels it, too. “Maybe not, then.”

He puts the ring back on and our respective pieces glow again, this time only for a brief moment, before the warmth settles back over us.

“We should probably keep them until we figure out what’s going on. I don’t know what that was, but I feel much more secure with them on.”

He hums in agreement, then clears his throat. “Right. Maybe Granger can find out more.”

“Speaking of Hermione,” I add cautiously, backing up just a step, “I need to ask you about something. You’re not going to be happy, but I need you to consider it anyway.”

He gives me a suspicious look, slowly saying, “What did you do?”

“Nothing! Nothing,” I assure him, holding my hands up in defense. “I just… look, there’s no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to spit it out. Hermione knows, she knows it’s you and she knows about the duel. But she said we should really talk to-”

“If you say Potters name right now, I’m going to—”

“I know! I know,” I cut him off, trying to reason with him. “But he’s dealt with these kinds of things before. Almost no one is more qualified to help.”

“Potter will try to kill me if you tell him. I’m being serious about that, Lavigné. Besides, I despise him. I’d rather figure this out completely on my own than—”

“Stop,” I say gently, placing my hand on his arm. He clamps his mouth shut, eyes wide. “I know it’s not ideal. I know you hate him. I just… I need you to trust me. Okay? I’ll have Hermione break it to him with me, so hopefully she can make him see reason. If all else fails, you know I won’t let anything happen to you.” I squeeze his bicep gently before dropping my arm back to my side. “We need his help, whether you like it or not.”

Draco’s jaw clenches, his eyes narrowing as he processes my words. The tension in the room feels almost palpable, the soft hum of the Room of Requirement’s magic seeming to fade into the background. Finally, he takes a deep breath, his shoulders relaxing just a fraction.

“You’re really willing to go this far for me?” he mutters, almost to himself. His voice is softer now, the usual edge replaced with something I can’t quite place—uncertainty, maybe even vulnerability. My gut tells me it’s laced with anxiety.

“Of course I am,” I reply, my voice firm. “We’re in this together, remember? And if we’re going to survive whatever our families have planned for us, we need all the help we can get.”

He looks away, his fingers playing with my ring on his finger, just like I do. For a moment, he seems lost in thought, his brows drawn together in that same contemplative way I’ve seen so many times before. Finally, he looks back at me, his eyes searching mine.

“Fine,” he says, the word heavy with resignation. “But if Potter tries anything—”

“He won’t,” I cut in, shaking my head. “I’ll make sure of it. Besides, Hermione will talk to him first. She’ll help him understand.”

Draco scoffs, a bitter edge returning to his voice. “Granger? The last thing she wants is to help me.”

I sigh, stepping closer. “She doesn’t want to help you, Malfoy. She wants to help me. And once she knows how serious this is, she won’t let personal grudges get in the way. We have to trust her.”

He stares at me for a moment, and I can see the conflict playing out behind his eyes. Finally, he nods, almost imperceptibly. “Alright. But if this goes south…”

“It won’t.” I offer him a small, reassuring smile. “Trust me.”

He huffs, running a hand through his hair again. “You say that a lot.”

“Because you need to trust me for any of this to work. And I know deep down that you do, or you wouldn’t still be here.” I look down at the pendant around my neck, feeling its reassuring warmth. “We’re going to figure this out. I promise.”

Draco doesn’t say anything, but the tension in his posture eases just a little. For a moment, we stand there in silence, the weight of everything unspoken settling between us. Then, he clears his throat, breaking the silence.

“Let’s get out of here before someone finds us,” he mutters, already heading for the door. “We’ll deal with Potter… tomorrow.”

I follow him, the pendant warm against my skin, and for the first time in days, I feel a flicker of hope.