Draco’s mind ran through these thoughts, trying to put two and two together. She’d never said who those letters had been from, if only he knew. The envelope had never had a return address, and that one note he’d looked at wasn’t signed. Draco wondered for the hundredth time that day why’d he’d been so insisted on kissing her. Making her trip over his own foot probably wasn’t the best way to start a relationship, and it might have been the action that led to her death.
Thinking about it again, now, he recalled a letter from his mother he had gotten. The signature had been different, she never signed her letters ‘Mom’. It was mum, or mother. He hadn’t thought much of it until now, knowing that being shunned in England had caused her to make new friends in America.
Had his mom even written that letter?
It was nearly the end of History of Magic, which had turned into the perfect thinking time lately for Draco. Binns was explaining something involving a picture and a woman, boring stuff. He didn’t care about his N.E.W.T.S., more like not getting arrested at the moment.
“…picture…” Draco realized that one word, and remembered a vague conversation about a photograph of Hermione, her sister, and the girl Alyssa. As class was dismissed, Draco quickly found Blaise and Pansy, pulling them over to the side.
“We can eat in my dorm, I need to talk to you two.” Draco urged the two towards the stairs, running ahead. Pansy and Blaise followed him, each confused. Running up the stairs and into the Heads’ dorm, Draco shut the door, looking around paranoid for people.
“Draco, what is it?” Pansy whined. “I’m starving.”
“Shh.” Blaise clapped his hand over Pansy’s mouth. “This might be important.” Blaise nodded to Draco.
“There was this one picture Granger had,” Draco explained, “Of her, Kay, and another girl, who was one of Granger’s best friends.”
“Get to the point.” Pansy whined.
Draco sighed, crossing his arms. “We need to talk to her. Maybe she knew something we didn’t.”
Blaise looked Draco up and down. He could detect something in Draco’s voice and immediately knew there was something that he wasn’t being told. “Mate, what’re you not telling us?”
Draco stuttered. “I…” Taking a deep breath, several thoughts ran through his mind. He wasn’t trusting his friends, this was tearing them all apart. “Just one second. Think about all this. Pansy can’t stand one more word on the subject, you’re being suspicious, and I’m not telling you guys anything.”
“Anything?” Blaise almost shouted. “Draco, just –“
“What I’m trying to say is that we need to stay together. Whoever this freak is that’s leaving us notes is trying to tear us apart.” Draco was stopped by an angry Pansy.
“What is it that’s so goddamn important?” Pansy screamed. “I want to know!”
Draco rolled his eyes and leaned on the wall. “At the beginning of the year, Granger was getting these weird letters. Every time she read one of them, her face got all pale and she ran up to her bedroom. When I asked her about them, she got all secretive and wouldn’t tell me anything.”
“So?” Pansy asked, crossing her arms. Her tone was unmistakable. She didn’t want to be here, she’d rather be anywhere else. Pansy continued to glare at Draco until he decided to stop thinking and start talking.
“Maybe she knows something.” Draco offered. “We have to find something out. She’s not dead. It’s just….who else would know these things?”
“Draco’s got a point.” Blaise said, looking up from his feet. “I mean, think about it. Besides us three and Astoria, Granger’s the only other one who knew about the kiss.”
“She never told Potter or either of the Weasleys,” Draco’s tone was positive, although Pansy heard a slight bit of doubt. However, she chose to remain silent and not say anything.
“I can believe that.” Blaise muttered before going on, “I just don’t get how she’s doing this. Nothing makes sense. Everything we find is only more confusing.”
“I’ve never wanted a goddamn note anymore in my life.” Pansy complained. “But, I guess you’re right.”
“We may have killed Granger, but it was an accident.” Draco said in more of a whisper than he had been using the rest of the conversation. “And…I dunno, something just seems wrong about all this.”
“Draco,” Pansy said, brightening up for the first time through the entire conversation. “What if those notes are still in her bedroom?”
The three raced for the stairs, like kids running for candy. Pansy reached the room first, and immediately looked underneath the mattress. She pulled out a few things, examining them closely.
“These?” She asked, showing Draco five manila envelopes, each with Hermione’s name written on them. They were torn and wrinkled from being under a mattress, and each of them was opened. Pansy slid one of them out. Her eyes scanned the torn yellow parchment, and after she had read the few words, her hands began to shake.
“Oh Merlin…” She exclaimed in a whisper, reading the notes over and over again. Dropping that one on the bed, she opened two of the other three.
“Pansy,” Blaise asked, examining the girl. Her skin had turned white, and she was trembling. “Are you alright?”
“I…” The girl stuttered. So many thoughts and memories ran through her head, confusing the girl even more. If these notes were what she thought they were, then Granger wasn’t who they all thought she was.
“Draco, did Granger eat?”
“What?” He was confused. She shook her head, sitting down on the bed. They wouldn’t get it. “I dunno, I never watched her eat.”
Pansy sighed. “Guys, these letters are all about losing something. Two words on every sheet of parchment.”
“Losing…” Blaise asked.
Pansy’s expression turned angry as she thought of her own struggle with anorexia just two years ago. “Weight. She’s got an eating disorder. Or…” A new thought dawned upon Pansy, one that made a lot more sense. “Or she did. Think about it. These notes don’t have a signature. What if maybe she had one in the past, and now someone’s threatening her…holy shit…”
“What?” Both the boys asked, jumping up. Pansy was even paler now.
“You guys, I…don’t think we killed her…” Pansy whispered. “I…we don’t have 20/20 memory from that night, do we?”
Blaise gave Pansy a look. “I think I remember the night we accidentally killed an innocent person very well, Pansy.”
Pansy shook her head. “That’s not what I mean. You guys…I…I…heard someone else in the forest that night…URGH! This doesn’t add up!”
“Wait,” Draco stopped her, “I saw someone.”
“Then why didn’t you say something?” Blaise shouted, jumping up.
Draco sighed, “It was dark and I...I guess I didn’t think it was real.”
Pansy continued to mutter to herself as she shoved the five letters back underneath the mattress. This time, she pulled out something else. A small piece of paper.
“Oh lord…” Pansy said, opening it up. She read the words out loud.
Hmm. Slytherins are much smarter than I thought. Good job Pansy, I’m very impressed. Want help? I’m getting tired of hiding anyways. Alright. So you know I’m not who I pretend to be. You’ve got that much down. Although someone should have figured it out months ago.
As I was saying, talk to Lyss. She’ll help you, she knows everything. I did have an eating disorder Pansy; I was bulimic for three years. And was again this year after getting B.E.D. The thing is, it wasn’t me.
Someone made me.
Pansy, I have a question – Where do girls go to cry when people are mean to them?
H.G.
Pansy sighed. “Wow.”
“B.E.D.?” Draco asked.
“Binge eating disorder,” Pansy explained, “It’s when you eat too much in one period of time, it makes you gain weight really fast. So that’s actually why most people end up anorexic.” She stopped herself. “So we need to talk to Alyssa. Then…” Pansy stepped into Hermione’s bathroom, which was actually rather small. Looking around, she searched through cabinets until she found something.
“Guys…” Pansy said. They came into the bathroom, waiting for what Pansy had to say. She held up a thick black book, which was covered in dust. She turned it over and brushed the dust off the spine, reading the title aloud for the boys to here.
“Demons.” She whispered, turning the pages from the book. One of the yellowed, faded pages towards the end of the book was folded down, a paragraph marked with a star. Pansy scanned it through, then read it aloud to the boys.
“’The girl is gone,’ The man said, his tone grave and solemn. ‘She passed nearly a year ago.’
‘Then whom is that?’ The younger one replied, pointing to a young, beautiful woman standing in a corner. The ebony haired woman began to walk towards them, her pace slow, graceful, yet horrific and staggered at the same time.
‘Then who am I?” The woman asked in a voice as soft as silk. And with that she faded, disappearing into thin air, never to be seen again.’
Pansy set the book down, walking out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. A figure was sitting on the bed. Pansy screamed, backing herself up against the wall.
“Boo.” The girl whispered.
Hermione could never have been more identifiable.
Write a Review Regret: Chapter Eleven-Third Person
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