I groaned as my ears were assaulted with the 'time to wake up' music of cheery sounding trumpets, the increasingly familiar tune automatically turning my insides to ice.

It took me a few moments before opening my eyes to realise that I was not alone, that the heat of another body was holding me close, the steady beat of another heart making me feel safe and secure.

Arms tightened around my torso as Draco stirred against me. Instinctively, I too grasped him that little bit harder, wanting that comfort just a little bit longer, not wanting to be hit by the reality of what we were waking up to.

As the dormitory came sombrely to life around us, we held onto one another tightly, my face remaining buried into his chest, not wanting to lift my head and see yet another missing bunk where Ronald Weasley had been found hanging in the night.

"Hey," Draco's voice murmured sleepily above me, "we best get up."

I froze, squeezing my eyes shut tighter, almost trying to hide myself inside of him in a childlike notion: if I could not see them then they could not see me.

But of course I knew that was not true. So, reluctantly, I lifted my head - only to be met instantly by a pair of silver eyes, twinkling warmly beneath a mop of tousled white-blonde hair which I couldn't help but reach up and brush aside with my fingertips.

This small tender act of mine caused his lips to twitch up into a half smile, revealing cute dimples which I had never noticed before. His smile was so infectious that I could not help but return it, despite the horror of our situation.

Embarrassed by being caught off guard like this, I quickly dipped my head and hid my smile into his neck. I could feel the immediate lift of his jaw and knew he was smiling harder.

"Don't be shy," he chuckled softly, tangling his fingers through my hair as he cupped a hand to the back of my head. Cool lips pressed to my forehead, leaving a pleasant tingling sensation against my skin.

"I'm not shy-" I muttered, lifting my head and looking pointedly at the other players around us, "-it's just... this feels inappropriate."

"We screw in the bathroom and yet this feels inappropriate?" His eyes caught mine, flashing in amusement.

I could not help but teasingly poke out my tongue. "We don't have an audience in the bathroom, though."

"You don't know that," he smirked, his body still chuckling beneath me, "just because they can't see us, doesn't mean they're not in the end stall getting a good audio play."

I rolled my eyes and playfully swatted his arm.

"And besides," Draco continued, dipping his head to rub the tip of his nose against mine, "we're just cuddling: fully clothed and strictly no heavy petting. No different to what you were doing with Pansy-"

"Nico."

"You called?"

Both Draco and I guiltily sprang apart, the bed covers instantly falling down around us as we sat up to face our visitor.

Nico was standing over us, his arms laden with breakfast supplies, and lips twitching amusedly upon our flustered reactions.

"Thought I'd return the favour," he drawled, dropping the croissants and bottles of water down on the bed. "At least it's an improvement on a crappy old potat- woah!" he jerked his head down towards Draco's lap, "Down boy."

In a double-quick movement, Draco went to hastily cover himself up with the bedsheet, only to find his crotch was already hidden safely beneath. His face flushed a furious shade of pink as he glared at a grinning Nico, realising he'd been had.

"Perhaps that'll teach you not to get my name wrong in future... ferret boi."

"Fuck you, Parkinson," Draco gritted so fiercely that I could see a tiny muscle pulse along the ridge of his clenched jaw.

"Oh, you already did, and it wasn't very good," Nico said airily, waving a dismissive hand in the air before he threw himself down uninvitedly onto the bed between us.

The look of horror upon Draco's face as Nico squeezed his arms around our shoulders was priceless.

*****

"The fifth game will begin momentarily. All players, follow staff's instructions and proceed to the game hall."

Slowly, I lowered my half eaten croissant, suddenly no longer with an appetite.

"Well, fuck," Nico spoke thickly through a mouthful of food, spraying bits of pastry all over the bed. "I guess this is it, then."

"Shame," Draco muttered stiffly under his breath, his arms folded tightly over his chest.

"Get that stick out of your fucking backside, blondie," Nico tutted. "This could be our last day on earth. You really want to spend it in one of your famous Malfoy Moods?"

"No one asked your opinion, you filthy-"

"I dare you to finish that sentence!"

I said nothing as they continued to bicker back and forth, my focus, instead, fixed solely upon my sister who was sat on the other side of the dormitory.

Hunched over on her bunk, with raven hair falling around her face, Padma had not moved a muscle all morning, not touched the croissant which lay still wrapped in front of her.

She looked desolate, hollow... guilty.

My chest tightened as I recalled what Draco had told me the previous night. Was Padma really capable of betraying Parvati in that way? Her own twin?

I recalled a time when I could not have been older than five. We were at a playground, playing on the roundabout: myself, Padma and Parvati. Padma was pushing us, but carefully so, because she knew I was too young and that Parvati was afraid of going fast. But then these big kids came along - two older boys. They began to push the roundabout faster and faster, and Parvati and I began to cry. And even though they were a hell of a lot older, Padma ordered them to stop... practically screamed at them that she would murder them in their sleep if they did not let her sisters off. They were so shocked by the force of her anger, that, in the end, they did as they were told.

She was so protective... so fierce.

And yet, she threw that all away in the marble game to save her own skin.

"Alia?"

All I could hear was the buzzing in my ears as I climbed out of the bed and headed for my destination.

Who could I trust?

"Hey, girl - where are you going?"

I had spent too fucking long in the sewers, trusting no one... being alone. I had been mugged, fucked, abandoned and double-crossed.

I could trust no one but myself.

As Draco and Nico continued to call after me, their voices panicked... concerned, the edges of my vision began to blur as I focused on nothing but the pink guards at the doors, waiting to escort us to the fifth game.

Waiting to take me to my fate... to my destiny... whatever that may be.

All I knew was one thing - and one thing only.

Trust no one.

*****