Hogwarts' Shinobi

Chapter 34

When Sakura's green eyes opened to reveal the green drapes that surrounded the bed she was currently resting in, she leapt to her feet in surprise. Miscalculating the size of the bed and the heaviness of the quilt that engulfed her, she found herself, instead of on the floor, cocooned in the blanket.

Arms pinned to her sides, she half-heartedly attempted to wiggle towards the edge of the bed. Exhaustion gone from her eyes as her mind completely blocked off the bad memories of the previous day; desperate to preserve the last remaining strands of happiness that remained.

Finally reaching the edge of the bed, she flapped her arms around as best she could in an attempt to loosen the duvet around her. Sighing in relief as the pressure on her body lessened, she awkwardly removed her arm from by her side.

The cold air of the room instantly rushing to her arm, the slight stinging sensation of pins and needles causing her to wince. Ignoring the pain, she tugged gently at the curtain-like material that hid her from the outside world. Watching as the fabric slid along the rails with a quiet hiss, she was unsurprised to find herself in an unfamiliar room.

The large enchanted windows that displayed only the black lake with a hint of sunlight appearing at the very top drew her eyes instantly. The room around her was painted in its entirety an emerald green colour, with five silver lined canopy beds, not all too different from her own.

But the most impressive feature of the room was undeniable. The large silver snake painted on the ceiling that crept around, weaving and spinning its way amongst various cracks and damp marks. Its green eyes a piercing contrast to the otherwise pale ceiling.

Pulling herself out of the bed, she winced slightly at the icy cold air of the room, before stepping onto the frozen floor. Ignoring the sudden change in temperature, she swung her feet over to where her shoes were. Kicking haphazardly at the polished pumps, she frantically attempted to pull them towards her body without touching the ground.

Sliding her feet into the open-topped shoes, she stood up, legs wobbling slightly as blood rushed to her head causing her vision to darken slightly before returning. Hand reaching out to a nearby desk in order to steady herself slightly.

Balance returned, she walked out the room, feet dragging slightly in apprehension as she passed the empty beds. What was she doing here? How did she get here?

As she descended the stairs, the appearance of the room in front of her confirming her suspicions. The room she was about to enter was the Slytherin common room. How she got here was beyond her, the password was unknown to her.

A certain blonde was quick to collect her from the bottom of the stairs, "Are you alright there Sakura?" his eyes were full of concern, the boy wincing slightly at the sudden stares he received. "Y-yes." Her eyes widening suddenly at the roughness of her voice. It was almost as though she'd been crying.

"How did I get here?" the question that had been spinning around her head was finally about to be answered, "I brought you here, you fell asleep in the corridors. You could have gotten quite sick; you must take better care of yourself."

Draco, instantly catching onto the fact that she couldn't recall the cause of her problems, decided it was better simply not to tell her. The bad memories were hidden for a reason. Of course, he'd tell her eventually, just, not right now.

"Why don't you have a seat, I'm sure your hungry, but the time you woke is rather awkward, see, it is morning break and you have just missed breakfast." Sakura frowned slightly, Draco had been right, she was quite hungry, but what could she do? If what he said was true and she had been unlucky, she would simply have to wait a couple of hours before she could do anything about it.

Sakura sat uncomfortably on the sofa; it wasn't her position that was the cause of this discomfort. On the contrary, she was quite happy to be curled up in a small ball; mythical creatures textbook balanced against her propped-up legs.

No, it was the stares and deathly silence that unnerved her. No matter how much she tried to ignore them, she couldn't brush off the fact that everyone in the room was currently watching her as though she was going to grow a second head.

Flicking the page with a deep sigh, her eyes tried hard to focus on the pages, despite her buzzing mind. Regardless of what Draco had told her, she couldn't help feeling he missed something out, something important.

Then it came to her, hitting her like a bus as she regained her memories in a sudden blur of rapidly passing images. The voice of Umbridge loudly echoing through her mind, "Sakura Haruno, Fail"

Eyes widening in horror as she fell sideways off of the sofa. The thud of her body hitting the floor echoing loudly through the silent room as she bit her lip in order to contain the cry of shock. Green eyes welling with tears as Draco moved to help her shaking form back onto the sofa.

The only thing she could think of right now was the fact that they didn't want her here anymore; that they didn't need her anymore.

Then came the memory of Draco's promise, the thought of staying somewhere strange, whilst unnerving at first, helped in comforting her slightly. Somebody cared for her; someone wanted to help. The thought that she would have somewhere else to go causing her to smile against better judgement.

Turning to look at her companion, she couldn't help mustering up a quiet "thank you" to the boy. At first, he looked at her in confusion, before suddenly coming to a realisation.

Oddly enough, he jumped to his feet, walking over to the low standing desk behind him, he shuffled through a dense pile of parchment. Smiling only when he came across the slip of paper he was looking for.

"My father got back to me. He said the Malfoy Manor will always be your home in a time of need." Draco said, hesitant to show her the actual piece of parchment. While what he said was technically not a lie, he strongly believed that he had worded it better.

Besides, there were some more personal pieces of information on that letter, things that it was better if Sakura didn't see it. Either way, he waved the slip in the air quickly before placing it behind him, looking at the girl for her response.

"Thank you, Draco. If you ever need anything; and I mean anything. Please feel free to come ask me." Draco cursed mentally as his mission came to mind instantly. Silver meeting green as he took a deep breath.

"Actually, there is something I need..."