-Chapter 11-
"Let me show you what I've been working on," he said, leading me deeper into the room. There were piles of old furniture and books, things left here to be forgotten. Somewhere an old record player was skipping and playing on repeat. Draco stopped in front of a tall triangular box hidden underneath an old rug. He reached up and pulled the cover off in a dramatic flourish. I coughed as a shower of dust rained down on me. "It is a Vanishing Cabinet," he informed me.
"Where is the partner?" I asked.
"In Bourgin and Burke's, but this one is broken. It is unreliable. That is why someone left it here in the first place." He said hesitantly.
"Is this how you plan to let the Death Eaters into the castle?" I questioned him. He looked away from me, but I never took my eyes off him. I knew he hated the situation.
He answered firmly without turning back to me, "It's the only way."
"What if we talked to Dumbledore? He could help us find a way out of this situation," I suggested.
"No. I don't trust that old lunatic," he paused, "but Professor Snape knows. He has been helping me all year."
"That is a good start," I knew I sounded timid, but I hoped my words were true.
"Snape won't tell me what he knows, but he seems to think the best course of action is to follow the Dark Lord's orders," he concluded.
"Ok, we can work on the cabinet. That seems like the low hanging fruit here." I said. When presented with a problem, my father had always taught me to take a step back and survey the entire scene. I glanced at Draco then took a physical step back. The wood was dark. It appeared to have been stained at some point, or at least oiled. Definitely not recently though, as the wood was splintering around the corners. "Are there any missing chunks of wood?" I inquired.
"No, I think I've found all the missing chunks," he said thoughtfully. I circled the cabinet. The cabinet itself was taller than Draco, I estimated it was at least seven foot tall. I momentarily allowed myself to be distracted by the tall, lean figure that Draco struck. It seemed to me that he matched the cabinet. Tall and straight at the edges, and yet the details were delicate and beautiful. "Did you hear what I said, Em?" Draco's voice brought me back into focus.
"I'm sorry what?" I muttered.
"I was wondering if we might find a book in the library about it?" he repeated.
"Oh yes, we can look for that," I agreed, "Do you know what kind of metal the details and handle are made with?"
"Iron. It supposedly holds the magic more effectively, but I've had to strip off almost all of the old spell work and re-charm it," he told me as he ran a reverent hand along the metal. The iron outlined the cabinet. A sharp edge that gave way to an intricate pattern of swirls that all seemed to lead to the long handle on the door. Still, the beauty was hidden under a layer of dust and grime. That seemed like the first obstacle to me, and interesting that Draco had been working on this for weeks and hadn't thought to simply clean it up a bit. I pulled my wand out, pointing it at the cabinet, and cast a scourgify. Quickly the dust flew off and the rust scrubbed itself off the iron. The wood was much darker without the dust.
"Huh, didn't think of that," he laughed as he walked around it seeing it clean for the first time.
"Men," I muttered, and then louder, I reassured him, "You seem to have made good progress with it."
He shook his head in reply, "Not enough, he isn't pleased. He wanted it done sooner."
"We need a strategy," I said, plopping down on a nearby chair. "We should do more research on it."
"I think we need to keep fixing the wood," he added also.
"Yes, I am sure we can formulate an oil to restore some life back into the wood," I agreed, "and that just leaves replacing the spell work."
"Oh yes, sounds like a walk in the park," he smirked. I could tell he was getting irritated, but behind his eyes I could see another emotion, fear. This was not the Draco I knew. Somehow the strong self-assured Draco Malfoy had lost confidence in himself. I cursed Voldemort under my breath. He would have heard me, but luckily his stomach growled at the same moment.
"Come on, Draco, let's go get some lunch," I suggested. He nodded and tossed the old rug back over the cabinet. Taking my hand, we walked downstairs to the Great Hall. We took our place at the Slytherin table. I sat on one side of him and Pansy sat on the other. Across from us sat Blaise and Theodore Nott. I stayed quiet as Draco and Theodore discussed the quidditch match with Ravenclaw on Saturday. I let myself wander back to the lodge, to a more carefree side of Draco. As if he read my mind, he reached under the table and squeezed my knee. His touch made my heart flutter. I wasn't entirely sure how I had managed to snag him, but at the same time I had a nagging feeling that I was already losing him. I made a mental note to check my tea leaves in the morning for any signs of foreboding.
I was tucked into an armchair in the common room when Astoria came screaming into the room, tears streaming down her face. "Aemilia, Aemilia!?" she called for me, I looked up from the book I was reading. She flopped down next to me and grabbed my hand. "Draco is hurt, we need to go to the hospital wing right now." I pulled her by the hand asking her, "What happened?" as we ran down the hallway.
"I don't know, Em. Professor Snape carried him out of a bathroom on the third floor. He was covered in blood," she sobbed.
"Oh no," I gasped. It felt like time was moving slower than normal as we hurried to him, but we finally made it to the hospital wing. I hesitated at the door, not sure if I could handle what was on the other side. Astoria tightened her grip on my hand and pushed open the doors. Draco was laying in one of the stark white hospital beds. Astoria ran to the edge of the bed and threw herself down dramatically with a sob. I approached more cautiously. Fat tears rolled down my face, and I felt like a stranger here, watching the situation through a thick glass wall. I just knew that if I moved any closer the glass would shatter around us. I moved forward tentatively and sank into the cold metal chair next to the bed. Astoria was worrying with the sheets, as if she could fix him if she wrapped him up tight enough.
I took his hand in mine and gently reached out to him with my mind. I was a terrible legilimens, but Draco was exceptionally talented. If his walls were down, I stood a chance of reaching out to him. I was pleased to find that Madam Pomfrey had not given him a dreamless sleep potion. His dreams were only dark emotions, not pictures, so I attempted to create one for him. I projected into his mind the wide grassy field next to the lake. I put him under a shady tree and sent a soft breeze to ruffle his blonde hair. The sun warmed the skin in his dream and he reached up and unbuttoned the top two buttons on his shirt. I came running across the field towards him in a kelly green sundress. I sat down next to him and pulled his head in my lap. I stroked his hair.
"What happened," he asked me.
"You are sleeping in the hospital wing, Draco. You were hurt," I explained gently.
"Oh, well thank you for creating this dream for me. It is nice in here," he said as he snuggled into my lap more comfortably.
"You have to wake up eventually or Astoria will kill you," I teased.
He groaned, "Is she here too?"
"Yes, do you want me to let her in here with us?" I asked, hoping he would say no.
He obliged, "No, I don't think I want any more pain today."
"Your wish is my command," I quipped.
"I wish you would kiss me," he said.
"Oh," I said dumbly. He had caught me off guard. Still, dream me leaned down and planted a chaste kiss on his lips.
"That's all I get?" he whined with false outrage, "You would think a dying man would get a little bit more action than this."
Smiling, I leaned in again this time allowing myself to taste his lips, crisp like the green apples he loves to eat. Suddenly remembering this was a dream of my own creation, I pulled away before I let it go too far.
"You need to rest," I said with as much authority as I could manage while looking into his grey eyes.
"Thank you for coming, Em," he said. I smiled and whispered, "Goodbye," as I pulled out of his mind. There was a ghost of a smile on his lips now, but I wondered if he would remember this when he woke up. More importantly, while I had been distracting Draco with sunshine and kisses, I had done some digging and found his attacker in his memory.
"I have to go, Astoria, will you be ok here on your own?" she nodded once, barely paying attention to me.
I headed towards the Great Hall, hoping that she would still be sitting there after a long lunch. Sure enough, I spotted her red hair from the entrance and went to her. "Ginny, can I talk to you?" she scooted down the bench away from some of the other Gryffindors.
"Sure, Aemilia, what's up?" she asked casually.
I wasted no time sugar coating it, "It's the book. Harry almost killed Draco with a spell he found in the book, Sectumsempra it was called."
I watched disbelief and fear wash over her face. "Are you sure? He wouldn't have used it if he had known," she whispered.
"I know, Ginny, Draco is alive, but you have to get that book away from Potter. I'm afraid it might contain more dark magic." I told her seriously.
"What should I do," she asked. Really, this was exasperating. I had just told her to take it away from him. Bloody Gryffindors.
I put a supportive look on my face, "Harry will listen to you. Tell him he has to destroy it, or I know, take him to the Room of Requirement to hide it. No one will ever find it there."
"Brilliant! I will go do that right now!" she jumped up and ran out of the hall. I moved over to the Slytherin table. Astoria had been kicked out by Madam Pomfrey, so she sat across from me pouting. She kept asking no one in particular, "Who could have done such a thing to poor Draco?"
I let her wonder aloud. I wasn't ready to give up this particular secret. Frustrated with her attitude, especially considering it was my boyfriend that was laying in the hospital, I stood up and stalked out of the hall. I wanted to go check on Draco, but I didn't want to show up empty handed. I headed towards the Room of Requirement, hoping Ginny and Harry had hidden the book already. I stopped and watched the ornate doors materialize. I opened them and caught my breath at the pile of forgotten things. I saw a pile of books, and I walked excitedly towards them. The potions book wasn't there. I sighed in frustration. Then it hit me, "Accio Potions textbook." I held my hand out expectantly, as the book came floating towards me.
"Draco is going to love this," I said to the empty room.
Back in the hospital wing, Draco was already awake and sitting up.
"Miss Buchanan, what are you doing here at this time of night?" cried Madam Pomfrey, "Off to bed!"
"I'm just dropping off Draco's potions textbook so he doesn't get too far behind," I told her. She seemed to accept this as a reasonable excuse and shuffled back into her office.
"A textbook, really Buchanan, couldn't you bring me some chocolate cauldrons instead?" Draco chimed in.
"As you wish, Mr. Malfoy," I pulled a package of cauldrons out from behind my back. His grey eyes lit up as I tossed them onto the bed.
"You read my mind!" he exclaimed.
"Not this time," I claimed innocently, batting my eyelashes at him in an overly grand show of affection.
"Well what's this about a textbook?" he asked. I plopped the book onto the bed next to the chocolates.
He looked disgusted at the tattered state of the book, "Ugh, couldn't you have brought me a decent one? You could get the one from my book bag in my room."
"Just open it and take a look, Draco." I commanded. He did open it, holding it gingerly. I watched with satisfaction as his eyes got wider and he flipped through the pages faster.
"Is this…" he started.
"Yes," I interrupted.
"How did you…" he asked.
"Now, now, Draco, secrets are never free," I teased.
"Name your price," he was serious.
"I haven't decided yet. I will let you know when I think of something good." I told him. He smiled. He appreciated that I wanted to maximize the value of this exchange. He probably did not fully understand that his love was enough of a price, but I was willing to let him think I wanted more.
"Thank you, Aemilia. I am always amazed at how easy you make it look when you get what you want, or in this case, what I want." He reached for my hand, but I simply patted it and stood to leave.
"Keep resting. Just don't let Wonder Boy and his friends see you with the book. It is supposed to be hidden." I said over my shoulder as I left. It was quiet but I thought I heard an, "I love you," from the bed behind me.
A couple days later, Madam Pomfrey kicked Draco out. Apparently he had annoyed her with his constant complaints, so she turned him lose early. We were sitting quietly in the library. Draco was scribbling on the parchment in front of him. I had a feeling that he was going for speed of completion on his homework, rather than accuracy. His long green quill would tickle my hand every so often. It was rather frustrating considering that I wanted it to be his hands not his quill touching me. I quickly scanned the library to make sure no one was close enough to overhear us. Hermione Granger was the only other person nearby, but she had a tall stack of books in front of her. On the other side of the room, Madam Pince was lecturing Seamus Finnegan for tearing a page out of a book. Satisfied with the surroundings, I opened the leather bound book in front of me. The Vellum pages crackled in protest at being turned. I inhaled a deep breath, loving the smell of the old text, The Wizard's Guide to Practical Furniture. It contained an interesting assortment of information. The chapters were sorted by living space, so I skipped past the kitchen and the bedroom chapters. Draco had not noticed what I was reading. Even though he had told me his secret, he was still keeping me at arm's length to keep me safe. Well he could think whatever he wanted, I was going to stay involved whether he liked it or not. Returning my attention to the task at hand. On page 232 I found a passage on Vanishing Cabinets.
"The vanishing cabinet has been a stylish addition to the wizarding home since their inception. Made of mahogany wood, the cabinet is carefully spelled at each step of the construction process. Cabinets are made in pairs, as the user can only travel from one to the other. Each set is unique. The intricate metal detailing on the exterior of the cabinet is a clear indicator of the quality and reliability of the cabinets. It is well known that vanishing cabinets are temperamental in nature. For this reason, it is vital for the owner to practice regular maintenance including; oiling the wood, removing rust, and repairing scratches. Even the slightest of issues can result in faulty cabinets. Malfunctions could result in splinching of the user or complete loss of the individual into an unknown dimension."
"Using your vanishing cabinet is simple. The witch or wizard simply steps into the cabinet, securing the door firmly behind them. Next the user turns the handle counter clockwise until it locks into the upright position. The handle will slowly turn clockwise. When it returns to its original position, the witch of wizard is free to step out at their new destination. Handy for visiting close friends or family, commuting to work, or even going on vacation, the vanishing cabinet is a functional piece of furniture."
"What are you reading, Aemilia?" by the tone in his voice, I could tell he had seen the contents of the book in front of me and was not pleased.
"It is never too soon to start thinking about how I want to redecorate the Manor when we are married, Sweetie," I smirked.
"Yes, I can tell by the lovely cabinetry you are admiring, Dear," he was positively dripping venom as he emphasized the pet name. I had no intention of letting him intimidate me. Draco might be the Slytherin Prince, but I was his Princess. Turning back to the bedroom section in the book, I flipped it around to face him.
"I've also found this lovely enchanted bed. It is designed to assist wizards who have trouble with limp wands in the bedroom," I teased him with a wink. The vein in his forehead was starting to stand out and he looked positively outraged at my implication.
"I haven't heard any complaints about my wand from the future Mrs. Malfoy," he said pointedly. My brain had stopped working at his words. Even if he was just kidding, the idea was blissful.
"Well I suppose we could find a different bed," I conceded, but I still stuck my bottom lip out in a pout. Draco looked far too triumphant as winning. Determined to at least regain a little ground, I gathered my things into my bag and shrugged off my school robes. Underneath I was wearing a form fitted black dress that was a little shorter than regulation. I had a Slytherin tie on loosely around the collar of the dress and instead of socks, I had worn sheer black tights. I stood up, then made a show of "accidently" dropping my quill, then slowly bending to retrieve it, allowing Draco a nice view of my derriere. I could tell the classic move had worked based on the way his jaw hung slightly open. "I think I will go for a run," I announced to the slightly dumbstruck boy. He nodded and I could feel his eyes follow me all the way out of the library.