And if we dream - Draco Malfoy/ OC

Chapter 10- Harry's gone again

Summary: Like some magnetic force, like some unbreakable bond she was drawn back to him again and again. And now, staying away was an inconceivable notion. "Always." she murmured, one hand finding his, the other tangling into his platinum hair, "Always."

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Just quickly before we start, some ones review reminded me that it was in fact Slughorn that was photons teacher this year and it made me bang my head against the table- hard- because I had a total blank moment and didn't realise. My bad, I'll remedy that soon. Please remember though that this fic will be going just a tiny bit AU.

Thanks guys!

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Shrugging off the questions that immediately popped into her head about the haggard potions professor and his favourite student Avery ambled her way back to the Gryffindor common room, unable to take the weight of her robes on her shoulders for much longer, she muttered "Moonbeam" tiredly to the portrait who looked more than a little unhappy at the interruption of her grooming in her hand held mirror that Avery was sure she had broken a few years back. "Thanks" she called back as she stepped through the hole to find the common room relatively empty but for a few fourth year students studying in a corner and Hermione and Ron sat close together on the usual couch by the fire, Hermiones eyes looked more worried than usual, Avery frowned, "What's wrong?" she asked as she took the seat on the far end of the couch, "Where's Harry?"

"We don't know," Ron answered, "Dumbledore came by not long after you left for detention."

"Said he needed Harry for a meeting about assignment help this year. A pretence of course, Harry isn't too bad at his assignments of course, something is going on." Hermione took over.

"That's-"

"Hey people, have any of you seen Harry?" Ginny's voice interrupted as she moved to take a seat near them, "I cant find him anywhere."

"He's off somewhere with Dumbledore." Ron said tiredly.

"Another mission?" Ginny asked, a hint of worry lacing her voice.

"He'll be fine." Avery piped in, "I'm sure they haven't even left school grounds, it's like illegal or something isn't it?"

"How was your classes today?" Hermione asked in a motherly way, still under the idea that Ginny needed protecting from the world, changing the subject tactfully.

"The usual" the youngest Weasley replied with a shrug, "Except DADA, we had a supply, apparently no teacher was appointed this year and I don't remember Dumbledore mentioning anybody in his speech." Now that Avery thought about it the DADA professors place at the head table had been empty at the sorting ceremony.

"The guy looked like they had just pulled him off of the bloody street, scared he was, said our real teacher should be here soon though."

"Hopefully." Ron said ruefully, "Merlin knows we need all of the defence we can get these days."

Avery swallowed, remembering the newspaper clippings that she had seen over the holidays of wizard attacks in muggle cities. Things were getting worse, anybody could see that. She felt herself pulled roughly back to reality at the memory, all the fear and pain that had been evident in the moving pictures. She suddenly felt very childish that her latest worries had been a detention with Draco Malfoy. There was much bigger problems. Bigger even than education and exams, she thought, though she knew Hermione would reverently disagree.

"I wonder who we'll get?" Hermione mused, "Someone good I hope."

"Yeah, not like that poncey Lockhart guy." Ron scoffed and Avery found herself smiling as she remembered how most of the male students had resented the guy and how most of the female students, herself included had fancied him something mad, despite his complete in competency as a teacher and as it later turned out, as a wizard at all.

"He wasn't so bad." Ginny grinned raising an eyebrow towards Avery.

"Yeah" Avery said slowly as she caught on, "and he was awfully handsome wasn't he 'mione?"

"Oh yes," the smart girl replied with a grin and a sly glance at a quickly reddening Ron, who crossed his arms over his chest, "Very handsome."

"Ha Ha." Ronald mumbled grouchily.

"So I take it you guys are going to be keeping an all night vigil until Harry's return then?" Ginny questioned knowingly. Ron nodded immediately and Hermione replied with the affirmative. Avery sighed and nodded, "I'm going to go and get changed." she said, noticing that the other three were already wrapped up in comfortable pyjamas and dressing gowns. "Oh Avery, an owl bought a package for you tonight, pecked at our dorm window, its on your bed" Hermione called, Avery nodded and silently made her way to the room she shared with Hermione and the other girls. A few slept soundly under their quilts and Avery was thankful that no one was awake, far too tired to participate in unnecessary conversation. She flopped down onto her bed and stretched tiredly. She blinked as he head hit something hard, "Ow." she grumbled, reaching behind herself to catch what must have been the parcel that Hermione had mentioned. It was a large square, wrapped in brown paper and string, in the exact way that Matilda was known for. Avery smiled in anticipation, as she read the small piece of parchment attached. Avery, the note read, I was doing some sorting at the house and came across this, I wasn't sure what to do with it and as you are spending the Christmas holidays with the Weasleys I thought it prudent to send it to you now, you may decide what you wish to do with it. If you wish to keep it left here then simply send it back. I hope to hear from you very soon, preferably in the next few days. I miss you terribly! All my love, Matilda.

Avery smiled and placed the letter, and her wand from her pocket on the small table beside her bed and sat up to rip the brown paper from the package. It revealed a familiar looking red book with Averys name scrawled across the front. Her writing she thought, when she was roughly eight? She could just make out words above her name and reached across for her wand, "Lumos" she whispered and read the words as 'property of' Avery Greenwood. She opened the first page with her wand hand and moved the light over the photograph on the page, it was of her, what must have been weeks after she was born, cradled in the arms of a red headed man she knew to be her father. She smiled thinly, having never met her father at an age she could remember she didn't particularly feel much, maybe an emptiness, but nothing emotionally crippling, at a younger age she had cried over the lack of a father figure in her life and how it wasn't fair that others had what she didn't but eventually it had become of little importance, after all there were people like Harry who had neither parents and no adult presence to look up to. She turned the page, confronted with an image of her mother and father and herself at the age of two, her father was looking at her mother adoringly and her mother was smiling, something that Avery hadn't seen in a long time. There were pages and pages of pictures in the book, as she grew older throughout them, her father disappeared and her mother stopped occupying the pictures to be replaced with other nannies and eventually Matilda. There was one picture however that caught her eye more than the others, she must have been five or six, sat uncomfortably in a wooden chair in an unfamiliar room, behind her stood her mother and next to her, no way, was that? Yes it was, Snape and next to him Lucius Malfoy, Narcissa, Greyback? A regular death eater meeting it seemed, bloody hell. Also, standing awkwardly in front of his fathers cloak was a little blonde haired boy the same age as Avery. Draco. Glaring at the camera, shrinking away from his fathers hand on his shoulders. Avery blinked, well she guessed all death eater parents were the same then. She marvelled at how much it no longer hurt her that her own mother was the enemy, at how her entire childhood had been spent with these people. She sighed and closed the book, and moved to place it in her trunk, making a mental note to reply to Matilda at breakfast the next morning. She undressed quickly and pulled on her bed clothes before heading back to the others downstairs.

Ginny sat slumped in the chair watching Ron and Hermione with a small smile on her face, eyes tired , Hermione, when Avery looked, was sleeping, gently snuffling against Rons shoulder and Crookshanks had at some time appeared on her lap. Avery vaguely wondered where Dragon was at this moment but was soon distracted by the bright red blush that swam its way up Ronald Weasleys cheeks and neck. Ginny caught her eye and smiled knowingly. "Anything?" Avery whispered so as not to wake her smart friend. Ginny shook her head mutely and Ron moved to shrug but instead mumbled a small "No."

Avery sighed and dropped to the ground in her usual spot and settled down for a long night, thankful that she didn't have any homework or assignments right then, no doubt if they had Hermione would have stayed awake and threatened them with curses until they were working diligently. She belatedly noticed that the fourth year students had already retired to bed. They were safe to speak freely, "So you have no idea where he's gone?"

"Knowing Dumbledore he's on another planet." was the returned reply to which Ron hummed softly.

"Not quite." Harrys voice cut through the contented silence.

"Harry!" Ginny exclaimed, "Where did you go?"

Hermione shot from Ron's shoulder, eyes wide, "Harry!" Ron looked a little affronted at Hermione's attention shift but stood nonetheless, "Was it something to do with, well you know mate."

"It wasn't anything to do with Voldemort this time Ron." Harry replied, touching Hermiones arm reassuringly and glancing at the others, "Dumbledore took me to find the new potions master, said he had wanted to go weeks ago but he'd been too busy"

"New potions master?" Avery asked, pulling herself off of the ground and moving towards the group.

"Horace Slughorn." Harry supplied.

"Slughorn?" Hermione asked, immediately slipping into information mode, "Ive heard of him, he was head of Sytherin in the, uh 40s? And potions master, he went into hiding when this whole Voldemort fiasco began, why did he come back? Why did you have to go?"

"I'm the reason he is back." Harry sighed, "Dumbledore took me as an incentive for him to return, apparently he likes to have connections to- important people." he sounded uncomfortable.

"You're the most important mate." Ron said, none of the fifth year bitterness present, thankfully.

"Yeah, well." He coughed, "For some reason it was important for him to become the potions master. He seems a tad weird, but he's got to be better than Snape yeah?"

"Course." Ron scoffed. "But then what will Snape do? Maybe he's leaving."

The excitement in Ron's voice was only a little contagious until Hermione rolled her tired eyes, "No Ronald, there's no DADA professor remember?"

Avery and Ginny groaned in unison. "You don't think-"

"Of course, that's the job he's always wanted isn't it?"

"Great." Harry sighed, "I've had a hand in making a death eater our defence teacher."

"This day just keeps getting better and better." Avery sighed.

Harry grinned, "Oh yeah, how was your detention with Malfoy?"

"Shut up!"

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Thanks for reading! More up soon!