Chapter 14
Draco slunk down the hallway, careful not to make a sound. He approached a door he knew led to Slughorn's office, as he had been there not too long ago to plant the poisoned wine on his desk. As he picked the lock with an unspoken spell, and started to open the door, he heard a soft noise. He froze, listening in case it started again. He turned the knob, and there it was again. An annoying, whiny meow, and when he looked over his shoulder, a longhaired dark tabby cat had her eyes on him.
Draco recognized it as Filch's cat and said, "Go away, you stupid thing! I don't want anyone to know I'm here!" He shooed the cat, but it only got louder. He crept into the corridor, unfortunately not closing the door all the way in his haste. He walked down the hall, reminding himself where each turn in the hall led. He wasn't paying attention to what was behind him, his mind on other matters.
Finally, he heard footsteps behind him, and began to walk faster, almost forgetting where he was going. He found the door he needed, and when he turned the knob, it was locked! He panicked, trying to unlock it. "Alohamora!" he muttered. It jerked, but didn't unlock. "Blast! It unlocked last time!" The footsteps got louder, and Draco looked for an escape. He jumped to the other side of the hall, into a dark passageway, and hid in the shadows, holding his breath.
Within a few seconds, he heard Argus Filch, the groundskeeper appeared, passing in front of Draco. Luckily, he was in the shadow, so he wasn't seen. When the footsteps faded, Draco went back to the fussy doorknob. He tried again to open it, talking louder, "Alohamora!" Filch's cat approached Draco, meowing indicatively, calling attention to the intruder. Draco didn't start running in time.
As he tried to escape, he felt a strong grip on his arm. "Going somewhere, boy?" Filch nearly growled.
Draco tried to wrench his arm from the strong hand, but without avail, "Let go of me! I was invited to Slughorn's party, and I got locked out. I was only trying to get in!"
"Were you now? Skulking around in a corridor leading to his office? We'll see what Slughorn thinks of this." Filch pulled him along, leading him into the door Draco was so furiously trying to open. He saw some tacky decorations and heard casual voices Filch burst into the room, the groundskeeper practically dragging Draco along by his shoulder.
"Take your hands off me, you filthy squib!" Draco protested, angrily.
"Professor Slughorn, sir," Filch announced, a little pride in his voice, "I just discovered this boy lurking in an upstairs corridor. He claims to have been invited to your party."
"Okay, okay, I was gate-crashing! Happy?" Draco retorted, shrugging forcefully out of Filch's grasp.
"That's quite all right, dear boy, stay a while! It's a holiday party, you're more than welcome, I…" Slughorn began, but when he caught Snape's refuting glance, he faltered.
Snape was the next one to speak, coolly, to Draco, "I shall escort him out. I need to have a word with the boy."
Draco looked back at Snape with disdain, "Certainly, professor."
Draco walked purposefully out of the party, tired and thoroughly embarrassed, but not about to show it, Snape following right behind him. The minute they were a safe distance from the party, Snape glanced around, making sure they were alone, and pulled Draco aside in an urgent manner.
"What are you doing?" Draco demanded, startled and more than a little irritated.
"The cursed necklace was you, wasn't it?"
"And if it was? What of it?"
"You have to be more careful. Once Granger, Weasley, and Potter accused you, McGonagall began to suspect. It took a lot to get her off your trail, to make it seem like you weren't a likely suspect. Make wiser choices in the future, if you're capable of it."
"Shut up! I'm doing fine. Now can you leave me be?" he retorted, squirming a bit. Snape held fast.
"Listen to me, Draco. I am trying to help you. I made a promise to your Mother, I swore to her that I would protect you." He paused, and added, "I made the Unbreakable Vow. And your recklessness is making my job very difficult."
"Looks like you'll have to break it then, because I don't need your protection! It's my job, He gave it to me, and I'm doing it. I've got a plan, and it's going to work. It's just taking a bit longer than I thought it would, that's all!" Draco snapped.
"Why won't you let me help you?"
"I don't need anyone's help, especially not yours! Leave me alone."
"You're being reckless, denying the help of someone so close to the headmaster." Snape shook his head, "No better than a little child, trying to make up for his father's mistakes that landed him in Azkaban."
"Don't you say a thing against my father, you stupid Half-Blood!" Draco pushed Snape backwards, causing him to stumble. Draco stormed off, leaving Snape alone in the hallway.
Draco was rather upset. What Snape had said made him furious. He was doing his best to get rid of the Headmaster, wasn't he? Well, he couldn't do anything right then, he'd heard recently that Dumbledore wasn't even at Hogwarts at the moment.
He walked quickly away from Snape, not entirely paying attention to where he was going. He eventually ended up in the study he and Charlotte used on a nightly basis. He sighed, collapsing on the couch. He felt so angry and stressed; he'd been embarrassed in front of a crowd he desperately wanted to get into, and Snape made him feel inept in the duties the Dark Lord had bestowed upon him. He wanted to feel better, but he was at a loss as to how.
He stuck his hands in his pockets, mulling over it all in silence. He felt his hand close around something small in his left pocket, a piece of paper, and when he brought it out, there was a series of numbers on it, along with a few words. He smoothed it out, and held it up so he could better examine it. It read:
'Draco, if I'm ever gone, and you ever need to call me to talk about anything, I'm here. No matter what. Here's my number at home, and how to call…' and it went on to give a series of eleven digits, and basic instructions on how to use a phone and who to ask for if he called. Draco felt a little ray of hope. He had someone to vent to, who would make him feel better. He decided to find this "telephone" and attempt to call Charlotte. It wasn't too late in the evening, only 7:30. He found it, looked around to make sure he wasn't seen using this contraption, and read her directions one more time.
Meanwhile, at Charlotte's humble abode a few hundred miles away, there was quite a lot going on. Charlotte was in the kitchen, helping her mother, Grace LaRocque, put away dishes. With everything in its proper place, she went to go amuse her cousins, visiting for the weekend.
Five little voices called her name, and she went to sit on the living room floor with them. "Hey guys! Did you like dinner?"
"Yes! Now can we do something fun?" A little girl with light blonde hair was asking, eagerly.
Charlotte smiled, "Of course we can! What shall we do, mes amours ?"
They begged her to show them some more magic. Charlotte entertained them with a few little charms, conjuring little enchanted tops and things that spun and moved on their own. They all were in awe, wishing they could do as much as she could. "Maybe when you're older," she'd reassure them, an empty promise. Soon, Charlotte's grandmother, a caring woman who always had a smile on her face, told the children it was now time for them to go to bed. They reluctantly consented, and hugged their big cousin good night. It was at that moment that the phone rang.
It was Charlotte's mother that picked up the phone, "Hello? LaRocque residence." She paused, a strange look crossing her face, "Uh, sure, hold on a moment." She called Charlotte, "There's someone on the phone for you, Charlotte, and he seems rather confused."
"What?" She took the phone from her mother, "Hello?"
There was a pause, then a voice said from the other line, "Charlotte? Did I get this phone thing right?"
She laughed, "Draco? Yes, you did." Charlotte caught her mother's eye, and the woman raised an eyebrow curiously, mouthing, "Draco?" Charlotte frowned and waved a dismissive hand at her mother.
"Hey, don't laugh at me! I've never used one of these before. Do you have a minute? I want to vent… and talk to you." Draco sounded a little reluctant.
Charlotte changed her tone to one of concern. "Sure, what's going on?" She listened, and interjected jokingly, "Great. I'm not even gone 24 hours and you already get yourself into trouble… Oh, hush, I am not. Then what?" She sat down, and listened as he told her of his trouble. He left out the part about the Unbreakable Vow and his important task, but he did mention his unsuccessful crashing of the party, and Snape's reprimanding of him and bringing up of his father. At the end of his rant, she said, "That sounds tough. What are you up to now? Feeling any better?"
They talked for a bit more, and when Draco decided he felt much better, he said he'd let her go. "Are you sure?" Charlotte asked.
On the other line, Draco sounded calmer, but also very tired. "Yes, I'm finished. Thanks, um, for listening."
She heard him yawn and smiled to herself, "No problem, Draco. Anytime. You sound exhausted. Time for bed?"
"I suppose," he sighed, "Remind me, when will you be back?"
"Sunday. Now keep on with the homework so we're not working all night." She glanced absently out the window at the slowly falling snow.
"Fine. Wish your great-aunt or whoever a happy birthday for me. Good night, Charlotte," He yawned again.
She rolled her eyes, "If you mean my grandmother, then I surely will. Now go to your dormitory before you fall asleep on the phone!"
"I'm not that tired!" she could practically see him frowning as he whined.
She sighed, "If you say so, Draco. Good night, and see you on Sunday. Now you can hang up, if you're done talking."
"Okay, bye Charlotte."
Once they both hung up, she went back to the living room, where her mother and grandmother were chatting. They looked up when she entered, and Charlotte's grandmother was the first to speak. "Who was that, dear?" she asked congenially.
"Draco, a friend of mine. He wishes you a Happy Birthday, Grandma."
"What's this boy like? Is he the one who asked you to the Ball?" Charlotte's mother asked, ever so curious.
Charlotte sat down, a little embarrassed by all the sudden attention. "He's in Slytherin house at Hogwarts, and he's a good friend. Kind of a tough guy, but I see right through that façade, and I think…" she caught her mother looking at her suggestively, and added, "No, Mother, it's not like that. We're just friends. I was nice to him, started helping him out with his homework, and we became friends. That is it, and there's nothing else."
"For now…" Mrs. LaRocque teased.
"Oh, Gracie, leave her be," Charlotte's grandmother gently chided her only daughter, "I think it was lovely of that boy to ask you to the Ball, Charlotte, what with your being such a good friend to him. He obviously trusts you, to call you when he's having a tough day, to have you cheer him up. Now, shall we continue discussing the progress on your dress, my dear?"
"Yes, let's!" Charlotte nodded excitedly. She purposely failed to tell Draco that one of the reasons she was going home was to get fitted for the dress her mother and grandmother were making for her, by hand.
Once Draco hung up the telephone, he looked at it, amazed that it could work so well, and without a bit of magic –or at least, with no magic he was familiar with. He stood, stretched, and went back to his dormitory. He realized he felt much better after talking to Charlotte, and how grateful he was that she was there. If she hadn't been there, he probably would've gone and done something rash and gotten himself into more trouble. The knowledge that Charlotte was there, the fact that she would listen to his problems and try to help him no matter what, gave him a feeling of solace.
He was reminded of what Snape told him, and began to feel angry again, but calmed down when he knew that Charlotte was only a phone call away, to support him if he needed. The amount of stress on him was growing, but he felt as though having Charlotte there with him would make it more bearable.
When Charlotte returned, Draco was waiting for her at the train station. He pretended to be preoccupied, yelling at a station-worker about some part of the station that he found less than adequate. Charlotte stepped off the train, and when she saw him there, scolding the poor man for something he didn't have any control over, she just laughed.
Draco heard her, and instantly stopped yelling. He stood up straight, attempting to keep his nonchalant expression.
"Draco? Is that you?" she spoke cheerily, and when he turned to face her, his normally aloof expression was back, and she could only smile. She continued, "You came to meet me here?"
Draco had to try very hard not to smile back (as her expression was sweet, and he found the way her brown hair was woven into braids around her head to be rather cute), and replied, "I merely had business to take care of here, I had no idea you'd be here." He took a breath, trying to figure out what to say, and finally added, "Shall we, um, get back to school?"
"Your business is finished here?" she raised an eyebrow.
He became flustered, "Yes, well, um, it's quite finished. Shall we go?"
Upon returning to the school, Charlotte helped Draco with his remaining homework, which to her surprise, wasn't as much as she expected. Draco walked with Charlotte to Ravenclaw house commons, as she told him of her cousins' antics.
"They are so sweet, and are so amused when I conjure the littlest things!" She paused, "Was the rest of your weekend all right? No more drama?"
"Yes, it was much better. I was productive, but I can't promise I didn't stir up some mischief here and there." He smirked to himself, pleased.
She rolled her eyes, "I should expect nothing less, I suppose." They had nearly reached the portrait doorway into Ravenclaw, so Draco slowed and she said, "Until tomorrow, then, Draco!"
"Yeah, see you." She went inside, and Draco turned to leave, but as he wasn't as tired as Charlotte appeared to be, he wanted to take a stroll to clear his head. He effectively snuck out of the castle without being detected, and wandered down to the Forbidden Forest.
As he walked, he heard some rustling and heavy footfalls in the trees near him. He brought his wand out, and held it at the ready. He searched for a way out of the forest, but he saw thick forest on every side. Suddenly, a towering centaur appeared out of the dark in front of him, wielding a bow and sharp arrows, a sentry on either side of him, drawn bows in their hands as well.
"What do you want?" Draco demanded, startled, and feigning confidence.
"You and your friends have been killing my kind: all of you with that mark of death on your arms—but none so much as the man with the eyes and face of a snake. You share that mark, human, and you shall pay for what your friends have done."
"What? But that wasn't me! I've never killed a centaur-I didn't even know there were centaurs in the forest!" he cowered, afraid for his life.
The centaur ignored him, and began to draw his bow. Draco shut his eyes, and waited for the sting of the arrow, but it never came. Draco slowly reopened his eyes, and saw a magnificent horse standing between him and the menacing centaurs. It had arched its neck and pinned its ears to its head, snorting angrily, almost protectively. The centaurs hesitated, as if they were contemplating something. The horse then shook its mane, lowered its head, and pawed the ground, threateningly.
The lead centaur lowered his bow, "You're lucky this mare was here to protect you. If she hadn't appeared and made your purpose known to us, you wouldn't have been able to leave this glen. Until we meet again, human." The three centaurs retreated to the depths of the forest once again.
Draco stood up slowly, and watched the horse cautiously. It turned to face him, and walked straight up to him. He noticed its russet brown fur shone in the moonlight, and the lone star on its forehead stood out in a very striking way. The horse nudged his side, pushing him in one direction. "Hey now! Quit it, you stupid animal!" he snapped. At his comment, the horse pinned its ears and pushed him harder. After a few more nudges, Draco realized the horse was leading him out of the forest.
He ended up right outside the forest, Hogwarts castle in plain view. The horse then bobbed its head, snorted impatiently, and trotted back the way it came. Draco sat down in the snow, sighing, suddenly tired. He was also rather befuddled. Why did that horse come to his rescue? It was as if it possessed a certain amount of human-ness in its actions and reactions, more so than any horse he'd ever encountered. He buried his face in his hands, rather confused.
Moments later, he heard someone approaching. Panicked, he looked up. Emerging from the Forbidden Forest was Charlotte, clad in the outfit he'd left her in only a bit ago, Ravenclaw scarf and all, her braided hair let out into wavy locks that shifted lightly in the breeze.
"Draco," she scolded, "you have to be more careful when you go into the Forbidden Forest at night!" She was a little short of breath, and when she reached him, she folded her arms, accusingly.
Her sudden presence puzzled him. Instead of replying, he stood, looked over her shoulder, and examined the trail of her footprints. He couldn't help but notice they led from the Forbidden Forest, and a few feet from the edge of the forest, the prints made by her boots became hoof prints. All he could do was look from Charlotte to the Forbidden Forest and back, in utter bewilderment.