The Secret We Share In Dark || Draco x Reader ||

Previously:

He looked between us both. "Can you do it?" Harry and I exchanged a brief glance, then nodded firmly. "Close your eyes," Lupin instructed gently.

.......

Harry and I obeyed, the room falling silent around us.

"Concentrate. Explore your past," his voice guided us deeper into memory.

I searched through the mess of my life, until one memory rose clearly. We were eight. Harry and I had snuck out of the Dursleys' house, stealing just enough spare change from the kitchen counter. That small rebellion felt like freedom. We bought ice cream from a corner cart, played in the park, laughed until our sides hurt. It was one of the happiest days of our childhood no shouting, no locked cupboards. Just Harry and me, being kids.

"Do you have a memory?" Lupin asked.

I nodded.

"Let it fill you. Lose yourself in it," he said softly. "Now say the words Expecto Patronum." "Expecto Patronum," Harry and I said in unison. Lupin stepped toward the large box, glancing back at us. "Shall we?" We nodded, gripping our wands tighter. "Wands at the ready."

He opened the box and immediately, the cold rushed in. Two Dementors flew out, dark and cloaked, gliding through the air like death itself.

My chest tightened. The air grew heavy. But I pulled the memory forward again ice cream, sunshine, Harry laughing.

"Expecto Patronum!" I shouted.

Nothing.

The fear pressed harder, but I wouldn't give in. Not this time.

"Expecto Patronum!" I yelled again, louder, stronger.

A faint silver light burst from my wand, not quite a form but enough to make one Dementor flinch.

It wasn't enough.

Before the cold could overwhelm us, Lupin stepped in and raised his wand. A brilliant silver light erupted, forcing both Dementors back into the box. He sealed it shut and turned to face us, his expression calm.

I collapsed onto the floor, completely drained, like the strength had been pulled right out of me. "Here this'll help," Lupin said, offering a piece of chocolate.

I took it, letting the familiar sweetness melt in my mouth, slowly bringing some warmth back to my limbs. My head was still spinning, but I managed to glance over at Harry. He was slumped on the floor, completely out.

"Harry..." I shuffled over and gently shook his shoulder. "Hey, come on." "He'll be fine," Lupin reassured me, his voice calm. "Just give him a minute."

I nodded, sitting back against the wall as I tried to slow my breathing.

"You nearly had it," Lupin said after a moment. "That memory it had weight. It did something. Just not enough to push them away entirely. And keep in mind those were only boggarts. The real Dementors are much more dangerous."

I nodded again, more firmly this time. "Next time, I'll be ready."

....

After a while, Harry finally woke up. Apparently, that idiot had been thinking about the first time he rode a broom. Seriously? A broomstick memory? I rolled my eyes. Lupin, of course, gave him a whole lecture about how the memory needs to be strong and meaningful, blah blah basic sense that finally seemed to knock its way into his thick head.

So here we are again, round two. And this time, I know exactly what to think of.

I let myself drift back to my first year at Hogwarts, the first time I looked into the Mirror of Erised. Mum and Dad were there me, Harry, and them, all together, all happy. It felt warm. Real. Like the kind of moment you'd do anything to live in again.