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Lacy here with our next Sabrina chapter! I apologize for the lack of update last week. I found out I'm having surgery next week and I didn't take it too well. Kinda went monotone for a while and didn't really process anything until a few days later. But I'm back, for now, and am looking forward to giving you a new chapter. In this, we see the aftermath of sending Norbert off, just how Slytherin reacts to Sabrina and Draco losing them house points and their detention in the woods. Hint for that, Harry's not the only one in need of saving. Read on!
Disclaimer: I own only Sabrina.
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Sabrina was sure there wasn't anything worse than getting detention for doing something good. And then she saw the look on Neville's face when McGonagall announced what she thought they were really up to. That was the worst she'd ever felt.
"I'm disgusted." McGonagall said. "Five students out of bed in one night! I've never heard of such a thing before! You, Miss Granger, I thought you had more sense. As for you, Mr. Potter, I thought Gryffindor meant more to you than this. Miss Black, I had hoped," she shook her head. Sabrina hated that the Transfiguration professor couldn't think of anything to scold her with. She was definitely living up to her name. "All four of you will receive detentions, yes, you too, Mr. Longbottom, nothing gives you the right to walk around the school at night, especially these days, it's very dangerous. And fifty points will be taken from both houses."
"Fifty?" Harry gasped. Sabrina knew he was thinking about the lead Gryffindor had just gained over Slytherin.
"Fifty points each." McGonagall said, her breath coming out heavily through her long, pointed nose.
"Professor, please-"
"You can't-"
"Don't tell me what I can and can't do, Potter. Now go back to bed, all of you. I've never been more ashamed of Gryffindor students."
Sabrina didn't say a word to any of her friends as they left McGonagall's office and headed back to their separate houses. Taking the stairs down to Slytherin one at a time, Sabrina fought back tears of rage, humiliation and guilt. Neville's face was still so clear in Sabrina's mind, as if he was still standing beside her. He had been so stunned and hurt by McGonagall's suggestion that Sabrina had wanted to yell at the professor that she had it all wrong. But she couldn't, not without getting Hagrid into even more trouble than they were in.
And the fact that McGonagall had looked at her as if only seeing her trouble-making uncle, or even her former Death Eater father, the knot in Sabrina's stomach just wound tighter and tighter.
"You okay?"
Sabrina looked up, realizing she was right outside Slytherin and Draco was waiting. "Why do you care?"
Draco huffed. "Your taste in friends may be terrible, Sabrina, but you're family."
Sabrina scoffed. "What does that matter? Harry's family, as well. You still treat him no better than you do Dobby." she brushed the tears off her face. "I've got detention and lost our house another fifty points. And McGonagall thinks this was all a prank and that we set Neville up to get caught, too." she shook her head. "She didn't even see me standing there. Just Uncle Sirius, or Dad. I'm no better than those that came before me. Just like everyone thinks."
"That's not true." Draco walked up to Sabrina. "I know that's not true." he blew out a breath. "Look, we don't get along. That's no secret. But you're better than the others in our house, and I don't just mean by birth or blood. You don't care about houses or family and that's what makes you better. Don't let one mistake change that. Don't let me change that."
Stunned by her cousin's words, Sabrina just stared at him as her tears flowed free.
"And don't cry." Draco used his sleeve to awkwardly dry Sabrina's face. "You remind me of Gran when you do and I hated seeing her cry."
Sabrina gave a wet laugh, gently pushing Draco away. "Thanks, Draco." she finished wiping her own face. "Really, thank you."
Draco shrugged. "You're family."
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As time rolled on, and Sabrina and Draco both became pariahs within their house, Sabrina found herself focusing intently on her studying for exams. There were spells to remember wand movements for, potion ingredients to keep in the right order, dates of magical discoveries. Plenty to keep Sabrina's mind off how much people hated her, how much she really didn't like herself and her impending detention.
Until the note from McGonagall at breakfast about a week before exams.
Your detention will take place at eleven o'clock tonight. Meet Mr. Filch in the entrance hall.
Professor M. McGonagall
Sabrina sighed, exchanging resigned looks with Draco, and Harry and Hermione when she saw them after breakfast.
At eleven that night, Sabrina and Draco made their way back up from the dungeons and met Filch in the entrance hall. The caretaker looked entirely too pleased to be there, but he did enjoy making students miserable.
Before long, Harry and Hermione joined them.
"Follow me." Filch said, lighting a lamp and leading them outside. "I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule, again, won't you, eh? Oh yes, hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me. It's just a pity they let the old punishments die out, hang you by your wrists from the ceilings for a few days. I've got the chains still in my office, keep 'em well oiled in case they're ever needed. Right, off we go, and don't think of running off, now, it'll be worse for you if you do."
The group marched across the grounds, Sabrina sticking close to Harry and Draco. Even with how they felt about each other, the students stayed in a tight formation. Neville's sniffing was the only sound, aside from their steps on the grass.
Ahead of them, they could see the lighted windows of Hagrid's hut and they heard a distant shout.
"Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started."
"I suppose you think you'll be enjoying yourself with that oaf?" Filch said, his words aimed at Harry. Of course he did. They all knew Hagrid wouldn't be hard on them. "Well, think again, boy. It's into the forest you're going and I'm much mistaken if you'll all come out in one piece."
Neville moaned as Draco stopped in his tracks.
"The forest?" he repeated. "We can't go in there at night, there's all sorts of things in there. Werewolves, I heard."
"That's your problem, isn't it?" Filch said as Neville clung to Harry's sleeve and made a choking noise. "Should've thought of them werewolves before you got in trouble, shouldn't you?"
"There aren't any werewolves shifted at this time of month." Sabrina shot back at Filch. "The full moon was more than a week ago. Stop trying to scare us."
Before Filch could do more than step towards Sabrina, Hagrid came striding towards them out of the dark. He had Fang at his side, his crossbow in hand and a quiver of arrows over his shoulder.
"Abou' time," the large man said. "I bin waitin' fer half an hour already. All right, Harry, Hermione, Sabrina?"
"I shouldn't be too friendly to them, Hagrid." Filch said, his tone cool. "They're here to be punished, after all."
"That's why yer late, is it?" Hagrid frowned at Filch. "Bin lecturin' them, eh? 'Snot your place ter do that. Yeh've done yet bit, I'll take over from here."
"I'll be back at dawn." Filch said. "For what's left of them."
"I'm not going in that forest." Draco said as he turned towards Hagrid.
"Yeh are if yeh want ter stay at Hogwarts." Hagrid said fiercely. "Yeh've done wrong an' now yeh've got ter pay fer it." he looked at Sabrina. "Heard wha' yeh said to Filch. Good on yeh fer standin' up to 'im."
Sabrina shrugged. "My mother was a werewolf, and a good witch. I don't like people using them as monsters in the dark."
Hagrid smiled proudly, before turning back to Draco's complaining.
"-if my father knew I was doing this, he'd-"
"-tell yer that's how it is at Hogwarts." Hagrid growled. "Copyin' lines! What good's that ter anyone? Yeh'll do summat useful or yeh'll get out. If yeh think yer father'd rather you were expelled, then get back off ter the castle an' pack. Go on!" Draco didn't move, just looked at Hagrid furiously, then dropped his gaze. "Right then, now listen carefully, 'cause it's dangerous what we're gonna do tonight, an' I don' want no one takin' risks. Follow me over here a moment." He led them to the very edge of the forest and pointed down a narrow, winding path that disappeared into the thick black trees. "Look there," he said. "See that stuff shinin' on the ground? Silvery stuff? That's unicorn blood. There's a unicorn in there bin hurt badly by summat. We're gonna try an' find the poor thing. We might have ter put it out of its misery."
Sabrina heard Draco ask about the thing that hurt the unicorn, but all she could think was, they were going into the dark forest, looking for something injured and whatever was brave enough to harm it. She didn't have a good feeling about this.
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Sabrina hadn't stopped shaking since their run in with Voldemort in the forest. She could still hear Draco screaming and running away, Harry crying out in pain as he clutched his forehead and the icy cold terror that had frozen Sabrina until the centaur, Firenze appeared and saved them. Much to the annoyance of his fellows. Ronan tried to see Firenze's side of things, but Bane was enraged at his friend's actions, especially letting two humans ride on his back.
Pale as the whitest egg shell, Sabrina jumped when Draco placed a hand on her arm. She faced her cousin, eyes wide and glassy. Not looking around, for once, Draco pulled Sabrina close and hugged her tightly.
"It's over now." he whispered. "We're okay."
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Okay, so a serious turning point with Sabrina and Draco in this chapter. As the stories go on, we'll see more of this. Much like Heidi was in book six, Sabrina, throughout the entire series, is going to be the light Draco needs to see which side he truly belongs on. Not sure if that's going to change his story line any, but we'll see. And that's about all I've got, so let me know what you think, flame policy stands and thanks so much for reading.
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