King With No Crown

For a while, I didn't have to worry about Draco or Pansy. After I threatened to hex Pansy, she became quite quiet over there. Draco hadn't said anything towards me, either. Blaise and I had spent some of the Express ride getting to know each other. I didn't know why, but I had neglected to get to know him in the past five years.

I had been laughing when all of a sudden, a black smoke covered the entire train section we were in. People were coughing, you could hear girls and people in the younger years scream in panic. Draco's voice was the loudest thing I could hear, him asking who was there. Of course, no one responded. I froze. I didn't know what to do. Fear just captured me whole. Last time I had been in a cloudly darkness such as this, I had been attacked by a couple of men in the Quidditch changing rooms. I couldn't help but to hyperventilate. Doing the only thing that would make me feel safe, I slipped under the table and curled in the corner, my knees pressed as close to my chest as they could be. I hid my face, tears threatening to spill out. I had never been so scared to be attacked again.

No one had known about the attack that happened in our fifth year at Hogwarts except for Draco. Only reason he knew was because he found me right after the guys left and he had found me in the changing room, my clothes torn apart. I begged him not to tell anyone and he didn't. Not even Snape knew what happened. I was too ashamed to let anyone know what happened that night. Draco didn't even know the details, although, they weren't that hard to guess.

By the time the smoke had cleared up, I didn't even know, my face still hidden in my knees.

"Ava?" I could hear Blaise question. I wanted to speak out, but I couldn't even lift my head up. A few seconds later his voice was heard again, "Ava, what're you doing under the table?"

"Ha! She got so scared so hid under the table!? What kind of Slytherin is she?!" Pansy laughed out. I was still too scared to even get angry. "I feel bad for Snape being related to her!"

I felt another pair of eyes on me as I lifted my head up, my face stained with tears. Draco was also got up and was kneeling so he could see under the table. He knew exactly why I was scared. His hand slowly reached out to me for me to grab. Slowly, but surely, I grabbed it and gripped it tight. Don't get me wrong, I couldn't fuckin' stand that ferret. But when something like this happened to you and only one person knew, you cling to them when you were scared of it happening again. Personally, I found it to be utterly pathetic. But I couldn't help myself. Draco understood why I was scared and didn't make a comment about it. He didn't make fun of me or laugh. He didn't even smirk.

Draco pulled me out from underneath the table and fixed my scrunched up clothes for me. Wiping away the last of my tears, he gave me a look as if to ask if I was okay, I shook my head no. He kept a hand on my shoulder and told Blaise to get up from his seat. Blaise didn't even murmur a word of inquisition as he got up. Draco placed me where Blaise was sitting and had Blaise sit next to me.

"Comfort her." Was the last words that Draco spoke as he made Pansy switch seats with him. I assumed it was so he could keep an eye on me.

I hated this. I felt like I owed something to Draco for protecting me just now. I didn't want to owe that prat anything. Even if he could help me in a situation like this, I couldn't stand him. It made me miss him, something I didn't want to admit.

"Are you okay?" I jumped slightly as Blaise had whispered in my ear.

I moved so my body was facing the window and I could look out of it. I stared as I leaned back against him. I pulled one of his arms and placed it around me, giving him a hint. Within a few seconds, I could feel Zabini move his body so he was facing the same way as he and placed both of his arms around me, holding me tightly against him. I couldn't figure out why he wasn't making fun of me as I could hear other Slytherins on the train do. Professor Snape's cousin was just hiding underneath a table like a pansy because of some smoke. It was hilarious to them. I leaned the back of my head against his shoulder and his head leaned on mine.

"I will be." I whispered back. I just wanted to forget my past that had been unintentionally brought up.

Much to my knowledge, I had fallen asleep on the train ride while I was playing with Blaise's hands.

"Ava." I heard loudly.

I grunted, half asleep as my eyes slowly began to open. I didn't want to be awake. Why was someone even bothering to wake me up? When my eyes finally tore apart and opened, the first thing they had landed on was Blaise's and my hand. Our fingers entangled. I moved my hand away from his to rub my eyes as I sat up.

"Why did you wake me up?"

"We're at Hogwarts."

"Are we?" I inquired before looking out the window, and Zabini was right. We were outside the school.