Something New
Dementor’s didn’t bother him, he didn’t know if it was because he shared a cauldron cake with the one that had come into his compartment on the way to Hogwarts, and it passed on the message to leave him alone – or if they had like a hive mind or something, maybe it was something else completely – but they didn’t bother him, or even try to like so anything to harm him. If anything, they come up to pat him on the head whenever he finds himself alone with them. It was weird, but Draco had heard that they caused Potter to faint, so he was glad they decided not to affect him.
It is because the Dementors seemed to like him that he decided to visit them in the Forbidden Forest sometimes. He’ll bring them something sweet or something bitter, but nothing with meat. Draco doesn’t know if they can eat the stuff he brings, but it’s the thought that counts and if bringing them food keeps them from sucking out his soul then he’s fine with sneaking a couple of desserts from the Great Hall.
On one of those expeditions to visit the Dementors, he ended up lost. He didn’t really know how, because most of the time he just followed the feeling of cold that they give off, but this time he followed a different cold feeling. It wasn’t the Dementors, it was something else. He followed it anyways like the idiot he was and it led him deeper into the forest than he had to previously travel. It was when he reached what looked like the start of a clearing that he heard a giggle. It was a child’s giggle that’s for sure, definitely younger than him. Startled he looked around the forest, but couldn’t catch sight of what made it.
There are many creatures in the forbidden forest, but Draco had never heard of one of them imitating the giggle of a child. He spun around at the sound of another giggle, and this time he caught a flash of bright green. There was another one, and he ran towards it, thinking maybe a Slytherin followed him into the forest, but when he got to were he saw the figure they were gone.
There was another giggle and this time when he turned around, he could definitely make out the figure of a child, maybe 10 or 11 ducking behind a tree. They were wearing the green sweater.
“Hello?” it wasn’t often that Draco actually felt the need to speak, but this was one of them. His voice was rough from having barley used it over the summer and then not at all when he reached Hogwarts – for some reason the teachers didn’t mind him not speaking and they allowed him to write down answers on parchment whenever he needed to answer a question.
“You’re back, I’m so happy!” came the childish voice from behind him. He spun around, but once again no one was there. It was then that he realized that it was strangely foggy in this specific part of the forest, but there was none when he first walked in. Even now he could see a cut off in the fog that did not look natural from where he came from. Looking into the clearing he could see that that was where the fog was coming from, but he could also make out shadows in the fog, or figures. Did someone leave statues here? None of them were moving.
“DON’T IGNORE ME!” came a distorted scream that chilled him to his bones. He decided to appease the devil child.
“I’m not ignoring you; I was just looking for you. I can’t really see you in all this fog.” Draco called out, taking a step closer to the clearing to see if the child was going to do anything. When it didn’t, he breathed a sigh of relief.
“You know, you normally don’t talk this much.” Draco froze. Had whatever this thing really is, had they been watching him. Did they lure him to this part of the forest, was he going to die? A flash of green to his left, and then nothing. He decided to keep his back to the tree behind him.
“You know me?” This caused the child to start laughing. Not really a good sign, but it’s not immediate death. Draco will take it, he could work with this.
“Know you?” This time the voice came from above him. He looked up to see the form of a child hanging from the branch just above him. They were wearing dark brown shorts, and no shoes, their toes covered in the mud of the forest. The lime green sweater they were wearing had a single pale-yellow stripe through it. Their brown hair was long and for the most part it shielded their face, but Draco kind of wished it covered their face to be honest. Two gaping black holes pouring blood where the eyes should have been looked down at him, a demonic red glow shining from the hole as only just the barest prick of light from the obis. Their mouth was twisted into bright sadistic grin as its blead out more blood. Even seeing all of this, Draco couldn’t help but notice the child’s rosy cheeks. Unblemished by all the blood. “I AM YOU!”
Draco woke up with a small shout as he threw himself from the bed. He couldn’t make it far as he got tangled in the covers, but he still managed to not fall on his face. He was panting as he took in his surroundings, his dorm mates were still sleeping having been left undisturbed by his nightmare, and a quick tempus let him know that it had just barely starting to show daylight.
It was weird he had never had that dream before. It just had the child, it didn’t have any of the other colors, just the only one that he could actually see normally. He had never had a dream about only one person before. He always had the others in them, even if it were one of the darker dreams where sometimes the colors would disappear in a flash of white. There would always be everyone in it all the colors would show. He had also never had one that he could remember that vividly. Normally his surroundings would be fuzzy when he tried to remember it, but this time he could remember the Forbidden Forest so clearly. It was almost as if he was actually there. Draco didn’t understand it, and he knew that he would not be getting back to sleep anytime soon.
In the morning when all the other Slytherins awoke they would find Draco Malfoy sitting on one of the couches staring into the empty fireplace.