Disclaimer: All this belongs to JKR. Except the story.
Draco had been sitting in the Slytherin Common room for hours.
He hadn't bothered attempting his defense against the dark arts homework. Reading the textbook was all they were required to do this year.
He knew Harry Potter and his friends were trying to defy Umbridge. He sneered at the thought.
Why be so open about it. Even he thought Umbridge was a joke of a teacher. He was preparing himself for his exams on his own. He knew this useless textbook wouldn't prepare him to get a grade that would make his parents proud. That's not all. A sneaky thought creeped in. he knew better than anyone, knowing defense spells against people who wished you ill was necessary in life now.
Frustrated at the turn of his thoughts, Draco pushed away from his table. The common room was not empty but no one stopped him as he left the common room after curfew.
Draco didn't care about curfew. He would be quiet. He just needed to look out a window, see the sky. The dungeons were too low and enclosed.
He reached the seventh floor of the castle. He wanted a good view. He paced three times and the room of requirement opened for him.
It wasn't a huge room that appeared for him, but the far wall was made up entirely of a window. Where Draco could see the stars and the tops of the tree. It felt so long since he had even been outside, though he doubted it was as long as it felt.
There were bean bags. He pulled one closer to the window and with the view stretching out in front of him he pulled out his wand from his robes.
He began muttering counter curses, trying to envision defending his life. Wisps of colour shot out of his wand.
"Expelliarmus" – red sparks... blue, gold and silver. Each time a shower of magic shot out.
He felt better for the practice. Not that he had wanted to be secretive, but he hadn't felt comfortable practicing spells around the common room – it might get around.
It was late and he was feeling tired. He stood, checked he had his wand and carefully made his way back to the common room.
More and more decrees had been appearing in the Great Hall Entrance banning students from attempting much at all, especially in groups. Draco frowned – most of these decrees were not affecting him, but he didn't want his night time visits to the room of requirement made harder by tighter security. He had been improving both his spell work and his use of the room over the last few months. The room gave him books now and other equipment.
However.
Occasionally, he had found the room unavailable to him. He suspected these were the times Potter and his group were using it. It didn't take a genius to figure out that's where they held the meetings. It was hard to not feel resentful. He supposed they were all improving and if their parents found out they were defying school rules then they wouldn't really mind.
Some days he thought about what his parents might think of him building up his defense against evil. They would probably scorn his attempts – why attempt to defend against the dark arts when we all know there is a man so well versed in them you have no hope.
They would still expect a good grade though, he thought savagely.
He waved his wand in frustration luckily no one saw the sparks in the hall. At least no one important. Draco glared at the group of girls waiting outside the charms corridor.
Later that night Draco went to the room of requirement for his weekly defense practice. He was still in a bad mood about the unfairness of having to do well for his parents without stepping out of line with the teacher.
He was even more angry to find the room wouldn't let him in. He hovered for a while, hoping to watch them leaving.
He laughed to himself at the thought of their stricken faces when they realised people knew about their secret class still going ahead.
Eventually though Draco left, when the room stayed sealed and silent.
The next morning Draco woke in an even worse mood than he had gone to bed with. I didn't help that he was summoned to Umbridge's office that afternoon at lunch time.
He just wanted to eat and then get some study done. He might even sneak to the room of requirement for some peace. The common room was full of stressed students like himself – all bickering and moaning about the amount of work they were expected to finish. The library was almost as bad – it was silent but full and the atmosphere was not relaxing. Maybe if he used the room of requirement he might get some more helpful books for his assignments. There was a potions essay calling out to him to be completed.
First he had to see Umbridge. He took a deep breath, let it out and pushed the door open with a pleasant neutral facial expression.
"You wanted to see me Professor Umbridge?"
Umbridge looked up from her doily covered desk and smiled as sickly sweet as her room decorations.
"Yes dear, please come in and sit down."
Draco did as he was instructed but waited for her to begin the discussion.
"Now Draco as you know, I am the Hogwarts High Inquisitor and I am trying to make this school a better place."
She paused waiting for Draco's agreement. He nodded.
Smiling Umbridge continued.
"Now some students and ahem- staff are resisting my efforts. So. I am using my power to appoint some trusted students, a new role in the school. My inquisitor squad will help me pin point where things are not working with in Hogwarts."
Draco's face was impassive, he knew her speech meant she wanted him to spy on all the school and report back directly to this useless teacher.
She had paused at his non-committed face.
He didn't want to get on her bad side however because she had power within the ministry and she would report back to his father.
"Please continue professor, what Privileges would these special students gain?"
She grinned her widest toad smile and slid a pin across her desk. It was a tiny round silver pin with an "I" in the centre.
"Tell me what you find out about and we shall see. However, this gives you the power to deduct points from students and hand out detentions as a start".
"More students will be granted this privilege in the following weeks however, you came highly recommended – please do not disappoint."
Draco thanked Umbridge and left her office. Slowly heading towards the Great Hall. Then he stopped thrust the badge into his robes pocket and headed towards the room of requirement – he needed to think.
Draco wasn't happy about being used by Umbridge but he couldn't help feeling powerful – the ability to take away house points. He felt a little happy about this.
Draco let the feeling of confidence run through him as he directed spells at the dummy in front of him.
He had gotten better at focusing his spells and had tried some wordless curses too.
He couldn't help wish though that someone was here to help him practice defending from other people.
Behind him the door opened.
"Hello?" a female voice called out.
Draco turned from his position, she couldn't see him – but he could see her. It was Ginny Weasley. Did the room do this? Answer his silent question?
"Harry? Ron?"
Oh realized Draco – she wasn't here for him. Draco stood in the shadows a bit more, she still hadn't noticed him there.
He watched her confused face as she looked around the room.
It was obviously set up for defence practice with dummies and spell books.
"Oh!" She had noticed him finally. "I didn't realise the room was occupied…" she trailed off at her obvious lie.
And Draco felt embarrassed. He had been caught out practicing on his own like a person with no friends. He went on the defense.
"Well the door wouldn't be there otherwise" he sneered. Immediately he regretted his response.
"Oh I am sorry" she replied coolly "I thought my friends might be in here."
Draco flushed. He didn't know how to respond, but Ginny wasn't leaving either. He tried again.
"Look, I didn't mean to sound so rude. I just thought at first that the room was bringing me in someone to practice with – but it was just you, not here for me."
Ginny glared. "Yes just me" Draco flushed again. "Well just me can curse you if you want –"
Ginny removed her wand from her robes.
"No! No, its fine."
Ginny walked around the room, casually caressing her wand.
"You have the room set up very similar to how Harry has the Room of Requirement set up" she picked up a book a flipped through it.
"I'm surprised you can discuss it" Draco remarked.
Ginny shrugged. "I'm not reporting it, it's not like it will get back to Umbridge or anyone." She shot him a sharp look that said tell anyone and you will be cursed till you die.
With a twinge of guilt Draco thought of the little silver pin in his pocket – his inquisitor's badge- the proof of his allegiance with Umbridge.
He felt he should confess to Ginny, warn her of Umbridge's next move. He knew though that as soon as she knew, Ginny would leave.
While he had been thinking of his guilt, Ginny had been continuing around the room.
"Well?" she demanded.
"What?" Draco hadn't realized she was talking.
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Are you practicing defence spells?" She repeated.
"Yeah" responded Draco, he shrugged "Not learning much in class."
"Umbridge is pathetic" agreed Ginny. "Her rules are just forcing people to be more aggressive with defying her" continued Ginny "If she left us alone, most students wouldn't care."
Draco was seeing the tiny "I" badge again. Glinting on his chest, physical proof he wasn't being aggressive or defying her. The tiny badge weighed a ton in his pocket.
Ginny stopped opposite Draco.
"That's so true, but she's still making life hard for everyone" Draco indicated the room he had to sneak off to each time he wanted to learn what he needed to pass his examinations.
"I need to pass my exams, my parents are expecting…" he trailed off embarrassed about seeming to care about his grades and his parents. He knew Ginny didn't like his family.
Ginny was assessing him. "I can help" she offered. "Harry would never let you join his group" she shrugged "But everyone should band together to annoy Umbridge" She grinned.
Draco almost declined, but hadn't he just been wishing he could have a chance to deflect spells and curses, rather than just casting them.
"Sure" he said pushing down the guilt.
For the next half an hour Draco practiced defending against Ginny's curses. He felt more successful by the end of the hour.
Draco thanked Ginny when they left to go back to classes.
It had been a couple of weeks since Draco and Ginny had started to meet, finding time was difficult. They had to slot it in around classes, Harry's Defense classes and Quidditch and everything else including homework.
They still managed it, although sometimes Ginny got snappy, and Draco got stubborn. He thought the secret meetings were working really well. He respected Ginny's wand work and her ability to be honest with him. Sometimes instead of flashes of guilt over not telling her about his new role he had flashes of something else. He loved the way her face was so concentrated on the spell and for a second was lit up but the sparks from her wand. It made her hair glow and her eyes light up. He felt she was more beautiful when she was passionate about defying Umbridge, because sometimes instead of practicing all the time they talked.
Draco knew she was seeing someone and she definitely was not thinking about anything other than giving him skills to show up Umbridge. But. Still he let himself forget these details and the details of the Inquisitors squad.
He hadn't told a soul and never worn the badge. He was dreading the day when more people were added and found out he was part of it. He still had day dreams where he marched to Umbridge's office, slammed the pin on her desk causing some pink plates to break and tell her to shove it. This day dream usually ended in him sweeping Ginny off her feet. Then, reality would set in and he knew he never would carry out his fantasies because what would happen when it got back to his father that he was refusing to help Umbridge. His father's scathing words were even easier to conjure in his mind, the words his father used when he felt Draco was not worthy of anything.
One morning, people began congratulating Draco in the common room. Every time someone reminded him of his new role his stomach squeezed with guilt. He pictured Ginny's smiling face as she declared everyone needed to stand up against Umbridge's unfairness.
He needed to explain to her before she heard about it from someone else. He needed to explain that he hadn't told Umbridge anything and he didn't want to be part of her spy team.
Later in the hall out the front of Charms he saw her. She was laughing with a friend. He couldn't approach her, no one knew they were seeing each other, being friends. Cowardly he tried to turn and pass without her noticing him.
"Congratulations Malfoy" she called out to his back. He turned and saw the scorn on her face. He could read in her eyes that he had just confirmed her past suspicions of him being the weak lap dog of a bully teacher.
Draco felt a stab in his chest.
He hadn't realised how much he valued her opinion, until it had turned to scorn.
It was a moment – a fleeting moment where he thought he would explain, call out to her and say he didn't want to choose his family over her, but he didn't. He didn't want to bare his feelings to her and be rejected either. He couldn't explain anything.
He put a haughty glare sneer on his face, he had inherited from his father.
"Thanks Weasley" he drawled. Draco had a moment to register her anger before he turned without a backwards glance.
He realised as he left, that the room of requirement had sent someone he needed. He knew now that it could never send Ginny again no matter how much he needed her.