Wonder // Draco Malfoy

31. The Daily Prophet

"After I told you to stay away from that filth, you willingly walked away from your friends to talk to him in private?" Draco asks. We're outside right now, barely before curfew. The only light is from the moon, its many stars, and the dim light from within the castle. "Valentine, he could have hurt you!"

I reach out to grab his hands and he sighs. He bites the insides of his cheeks as he looks down at me in anger. "Weren't you also curious about why he would help me like that?" I ask. Draco scoffs and takes a step away from me. He begins to pace and runs his hands through his hair.

"Valentine, I mean this with every fiber of my being," Draco seethes. He's standing firmly in front of me now, the moonlight lighting up only half of his face. "There is nothing I wouldn't do to keep you away from men like him. Nothing. Do not make this harder on me than it already is."

Draco paces again and his hair becomes messier by the second. "Did he touch you in any way? Even if his hand touched your shoulder, I will cut it off Valentine I swear-"

I throw my arms around Draco to stop his mind racing. His chest heaves against me as I try to calm him down. "Draco, he didn't do anything! And, Hermione and Rue watched the entire thing. I would never go anywhere alone with him. Please believe me!"

Draco looks down at me as he slowly calms down. He wraps his arms around me and hugs me tightly. "Valentine, please don't talk to him again," Draco begs. His voice is barely above a whisper and I can tell it's paining him to have to ask me. "I couldn't control myself if he decided to lay even a finger on you."

I stretch to kiss him sweetly. "I promise I won't," I say. Draco nods, but I'm not sure if he believes me. "Come on, we have to go before it gets too late." I grab his hand and lead him back to the castle. When I glance at him, his jaw is tense and his eyes are unfocused. I let it go, knowing there isn't much I could say to stop him.

-

The owls swoop down during breakfast, delivering everyone's mail. Today's copy of The Daily Prophet and a letter from my father arrive in front of me. I open the newspaper first to see if there are any new articles about the tournament. There's a large segment of a recap, but two large pictures stand out. One is Harry and Hermione jumping into each other's arms in an embrace, and the other one is Draco and I kissing before the task. The title is Admirers of the Champions and Harry's section is quite a bit larger than mine.

I skim through the rubbish Rita Skeeter wrote about Harry and Hermione since I know there's nothing between them. When I find the paragraph about me, I slow down to fully read it.

Valentine Walker - brilliant young witch and love interest of Draco Malfoy, son of Lucius Malfoy. When I approached the two, it was difficult to pry them apart from one another! Young love is blossoming between the two and there seems to be undeniable chemistry between the lovely, bright Valentine and the intelligent, handsome Draco.
Although Valentine is not as well-known as Harry Potter, the other youngest Triwizard Champion, they seem to have similar heartbreaking pasts. Valentine's mother passed when she was only a child and she was raised by her muggle father, very similar to the story of Harry Potter. What is to come of the youngest champions is unknown, but it is looking bright for both.

"She couldn't keep from mentioning Harry in every segment, eh?" Marcus asks, folding his own copy and setting it aside to eat his breakfast.

"How did she know about your mother? This woman knows no boundaries!" Rue exclaims. The seat beside me is suddenly filled, and I am surprised to see who it is.

"Valentine, I had no idea about your mother!" Seamus says. He is joined by a few other students who offer their condolences. This is exactly why I didn't want anyone to know. "I'm sorry. I couldn't imagine not having a mother around."

A small firework explodes over us and startles us; the students scatter at the aftermath. I look around and find Fred and George Weasley cackling with each other and shooing off my unwanted attention. I mouth a "thank you," and turn back to my friends. I'm not sure why, but they've definitely been helpful since I passed the first task.

The seat next to me was filled yet again, this time with Marcus handing me a letter from his parents. I'm unsure why he had to sit next to me instead of his usual place in front of me, next to Rue, until he points at a specific part of the letter.

Please alert Valentine of the potential dangers this brings. We are undeniably proud of her for succeeding in the first task, but there is danger lurking, unknown even to us. Please be sure to warn her to stay away from Karkaroff and any student under his influence. Stay with her and make sure she is nowhere alone. We love you, son. Please alert us of any strange behavior.

Another warning against the Durmstrang headmaster? What am I missing?

I shake my head to get the negative thoughts out and tuck my father's letter in my cloak. Rue and Marcus lean in as we conspire what could be happening this year.