Chapter 21

After eating a quick lunch Allegra slipped outside to the front courtyard to meet Draco. It was an average frosty February day, and she wasn't dressed for it. Allegra couldn't have brought a coat with her without alerting Hermione, Ron or Harry to the fact she was planning to go outside. She probably could have shrunk one… but she was only realising that now.

Because it was freezing.

Draco was standing on the opposite side of the courtyard from the doors, looking over the wall out onto the grounds. Allegra tried to ignore the urge to shiver and walked the distance to him.

"Hey," she said. He turned to her, and they both suppressed a smile.

"Hey."

A moment of silence passed, not uncomfortable, just to allow them to collect themselves. Allegra knew what she wanted to say, she just didn't know how to start.

"So," Draco breathed in deeply, "I think I should tell you something."

Allegra watched him and waited, thankful that he had something to say.

"I can't tell you anything concrete," he said, eyes flicking from hers, out to the view, and back again.

"I didn't expect you to," Allegra said. Draco relaxed at this, and his shoulders lowered.

"I am doing something… stupid. Incredibly stupid, but there's just no other way."

Allegra nodded and then shivered hugely, as though all of the repressed shivers had surfaced.

"You're cold," he said, immediately shrugging off his jacket and trying to hand it to her.

"So will you be if you give me that," she said, stepping back.

"I'm a man, we run hot. I couldn't bring you a spare, when I went to the wardrobe Blaise asked me what I was doing." When Allegra didn't move he draped it around her shoulders and she wrapped it around herself. "Blaise knows about you."

"I guessed that," Allegra said. "He's marked the same way you are."

That sent Draco's eyes darting around the courtyard again, but he seemed reassured that the few other students outside were minding their own business.

"Yes, but neither of us knew to what extent, and I haven't told him. I've learned Occlumency," he said.

Surprise passed over Allegra's features and then disappeared, "That makes a lot of sense."

"I've tried teaching him some but he can't keep things hidden like I can. Realistically, we have to keep him in the dark about all of this."

Allegra nodded, "I thought that, too."

"The problem will be if he guesses. Whatever he thinks of you and I he can keep hidden, but I don't think he could if he was scared."

Allegra looked at a couple of Ravenclaws hurrying across the courtyard.

"Do you think you could play it off as trying to get me close enough to – er," kidnap wasn't quite the right word.

"At the moment, yeah. But if he knew how I really… what has happened… no. I don't think that would be possible. Even if they believe that it is all a lie, they would want to know why I hadn't just found a way to get you away from Hogwarts."

"Because I'm not an idiot?"

Draco grinned, "It's probably best they don't know that."

"So we keep more secrets," Allegra turned and looked out toward Hagrid's hut. Draco swapped to her right side and looked out the same way.

"Yeah," he agreed softly, sounding about as pleased about it as Allegra. They watched birds fly above the grounds and over the Forbidden Forest, and then the cold forced her to get her words together.

"We can't – we can't be together."

"No," Draco agreed grimly, not looking at her.

"That would be stupid."

"Stupid," he nodded.

"Not with the way things are and not with how they are going."

They stood in silence.

Draco turned to look at her, "I can't do that. Not completely."

"Good," Allegra smiled. "Neither can I."

"So, we aren't together… unless we are literally together – and alone."

"Yes. Things are no different to how they were the day before yesterday."

"Unless we're alone."

"Unless we're alone," Allegra repeated.

They looked back out to the forest again, trying to resist the urge to use each other for warmth. They probably would have done that before… but still.

"I'll try and get this ready," Draco mumbled, without looking at her. "Give us some time." Allegra found that so vague that she just waited for him to come back to her. "Those books will make it easier for us."

"Yes," Allegra agreed, a quiver in her voice from a shiver. The sound of it got Draco's attention and he stood up straight in front of her.

"Then I guess we'll be missing; better get back," he said reluctantly, glancing around the courtyard and wishing that the few students there would leave.

Allegra nodded, doing the same. She took off his jacket and handed it back to him. He took it and her hand at the same time, and walked the twenty-feet to a pillar and archway that together provided just enough wall to hide them.

She smiled as he pulled her towards him and they kissed again, just long enough to be sure they wouldn't get caught, then they separated and walked together back inside and then in separate directions; Draco to the dungeons and Allegra up the stairs.

The next day was Saturday and day of their first Apparition lesson. Allegra walked down to the hall an hour after breakfast with Harry and Hermione. Harry had managed to ditch Ron and Lavender, though they'd seen them walking down the stairs ahead of them and Allegra thought Ron looked distinctly distant and sullen.

The tables and benches had all been pushed against the walls and the Heads of House were standing on the small stage at the front of the room, plus a small man who Allegra assumed was the Apparition Instructor. He was the kind of man who you might only notice because they are so beige. His hair was a wispy blonde, along with his eyebrows, eyelashes and even his skin seemed to be a similar colour. His eyes were very pale blue so that he had to squint even in the light of the hall, with the dark rain lashing against the windows.

Once all of the students on the list had arrived the pale man began.

'Good morning, my name is Wilkie Twycross and I shall be your Ministry Apparition Instructor for the next twelve weeks. I hope to be able to prepare you for your Apparition test. As you may know, it is usually impossible to Apparate or Disapparate within Hogwarts. The Headmaster has lifted this enchantment, purely within the Great Hall, for one hour, so as to enable you to practise. May I emphasise that you will not be able to apparate outside the walls of this hall, and that you would be unwise to try.

"I would like each of you to place yourself now so that you have a clear five feet of space in front of you."

Everyone moved around to get the space they need. Allegra spotted Draco and Blaise ahead of her, and feeling the eyes on the back of his head Draco turned, caught her eye and smiled.

She felt heat on her cheeks – goddamn, that never happened before! She was going to have to stop doing that or people would guess that something had changed.

"Good. Now then," Twycross waved his wand. Old fashioned wooden hoops instantly appeared on the floor in front of every student. "The important things to remember when apparating are the three Ds! Destination, determination, deliberation! Step one: fix your mind firmly upon the desired destination, in this case inside the hoop in front of you. Kindly concentrate upon that destination now."

Allegra glanced around at everyone, who seemed to have the same idea, and then settled down to stare at the floor inside the hoop.

"Step two: focus your determination to occupy the visualised space! Let your yearning to enter it flood from your mind to every particle of your body!"

Allegra didn't know how much she yearned to be inside the hoop, considering it was just a step away.

"Step three: and only when I give the command… turn on the spot, feeling your way into nothingness, moving with deliberation! On my command, now… one –"

Allegra looked up – most other people had too, they were just suddenly going to do it?!

"- two –"

Allegra looked back at her hoop, a moment ago she thought it was stupid to only go that far but now that she was being asked to try it seemed just fine.

"- THREE!"

Allegra spun – a moment of black – and appeared inside the hoop. Almost everyone else had stumbled or flat-out fallen over.

Professor McGonagall seemed to have seen and came bustling down between the other students to Allegra. A few other people had seen Allegra's success, but most people were busy standing back up.

"Well done, Allegra," she whispered. "I'm not surprised you have found it so easy, just don't overdo it, we don't want to arouse suspicion… especially from –" she made eyes towards the Instructor.

Allegra nodded, tried to ignore the fact that McGonagall's rushing over had drawn more attention, and focused back on the class was McGonagall returned to the front.

"Never mind, never mind," Twycross said. He didn't look like he'd expected anything more. Allegra thought he glanced in her direction for a fraction longer than normal, but the way he squinted she couldn't be sure. "Adjust your hoops and get back to your original positions.

Allegra looked at the hoop, started to turn – and appeared in the hoop. Looking around it seemed no one else had done much better than the first time, but more people were eying her. Draco and Blaise were looking back too.

The third time was the same.

"God, Allegra," Pavarti said, and Allegra turned around to see her. "Are you bad at anything?"

Allegra couldn't think of anything to say, so just turned around, stepped out of her hoop and tried not to catch anyone's eye.

The four time was different. The fourth time when Allegra appeared within her hoop there was a terrible scream behind her. She spun to see that Susan Bones, a girl in Hufflepuff Allegra hadn't had much contact with, was wobbling inside her hoop with her left leg five feet behind her.

The teachers ran from the stage and converged on her, and with a great bang and a puff of purple smoke, Susan was reunited with her leg.

She was sobbing openly, looking horrified.

"Splinching, or the separation of random body parts," Wilkie Twycross said dispassionately, "occurs when the when the mind is insufficiently determined. You must concentrate continually upon your destination, and move, without haste, but with deliberation… thus."

Twycross stepped forward, turned gracefully on the spot with his arms outstretched and vanished in a swirl of robes, reappearing at the back of the hall.

"Remember the three Ds," he said again, and Allegra turned off. Okay, this man was starting to get seriously annoying.

Another six times of apparating and appearing five feet away in the hoop and Allegra was positively bored. After Susan's accident people were hesitant to try, and when they did they were so vigorous with their turns that they often spun away and hit someone else.

Allegra sat down cross-legged in the hoop. If McGonagall hadn't warned her, she probably would have tried for the whole hall, but since she'd told her not to show off she decided it was probably better to just sit it out.

After an hour it seemed that no one else had got it, even a little.

"Until next Saturday, everybody, and do not forget: Destination. Determination. Deliberation." Twycross waved his wand and the hoops disappeared, and he walked out of the hall with Professor McGonagall. He gave Allegra a good looking over has he passed, but presumably he already knew who she was anyway.

"Well, look who's best at everything as normal," Hermione said, not looking particularly distressed. They had predicted before the lesson that Allegra would find it unbearably easy, and they hadn't been wrong.

"Hey, I can't help it if I'm perfect in every way," she grinned, joining Hermione in leaving the hall.

"Allegra, could you be bad at magic for once?" Dean called, giving her a shoulder-squeeze as he passed with Seamus. He shot her a good natured smile and moved off.

"Oh good, everyone's noticed," Allegra said.

Once in the Entrance Hall Blaise and Draco caught up.

"Merlin, Allegra," Blaise said. "I might as well not bother learning, you can just take me everywhere."

"Only if you pay me obnoxious amounts of money," she said. She looked up and caught Draco's eye, held it, and looked away.

"Talk to you later," he said, Allegra nodded, and the two boys moved off in the direction of the Dungeons.

Allegra followed the non-Slytherins up the stairs.

"That was a little curt," Hermione said, moving out of the way for a young matching pair of blonde Ravenclaws that were on their way down.

"What d'you mean?"

"Ma-Draco, he's been more… talkative, recently."

Allegra shrugs, trying for complete nonchalance.

"He's probably on his way somewhere." Plus when he says "Talk to you later" he means in our notebooks, Allegra thinks, but she's not going to tell Hermione that.

"Mmm," Hermione doesn't look placated, but doesn't seem to push, either.

A week later, hours after their second Apparition Lesson (which was about as successful for everyone else as the first), Allegra came down from her dorm to find Harry and Hermione in a dark corner of the common room, looking at the Marauders' Map.

"Allegra, come over here," Harry said. Hermione looked up, saw Allegra, and her whole face tightened. Allegra stiffened, she was so not going to like this.

"What is it?" She joined them in the corner.

"Look, I've been keeping an eye on the map and seeing where Malfoy and Zambini have been off to, they keep disappearing – look!" On a part of the map Harry is pointing to, Allegra saw Draco's name and footprints appear, seemingly out of a wall and start down the corridor.

Allegra saw Hermione glance at her out the corner of her eye.

"What does that mean? Is the map working properly?"

"We don't know, and yes, I think so," Hermione said. Allegra frowned at it, watching his footsteps start down the stairs and –

"I'll have to talk about this later," she said, backing away from them.

"Wait, no, Allegra – I want to talk about this –" Harry said, wanting to follow her but fortunately for Allegra, there were enough other students in the room that he couldn't follow with the map out.

"Later," she emphasised.

Hermione mumbled a "Sorry, Harry," and quickly followed.

"Where are you going?"

Allegra pulled a folded piece of paper from the back pocket of her skinny jeans and passed it to Hermione, who unfolded it.

"Good for one walk outside," she read. "These are a good idea." Hermione passed the note back to Allegra and she tucked it back in her pocket.

"Yep." Allegra had shared Draco's present with Hermione after she asked Allegra how many hundreds of galleons he had spent on her this time.

"I think it shows a better side of him," she said as they stepped out of the portrait and stopped on the landing. As though she had timed it perfectly (and she had seen him on the map), Draco had just arrived outside.

Hermione saw him and immediately flushed pink.

"I'll be in the library," she said very quickly, and practically ran down the stairs.

"She was talking about me, wasn't she?" Draco smiled.

"Yeah, she likes the coupons," Allegra said, and they both started down the stairs.

"I'll remember that for her next birthday, Good For One Week of Complete Avoidance."

Allegra pulled a face at him, "She doesn't hate you, you know."

"Well, I don't think she wants to take winter walks around the lake with me, either."

Allegra pretended she had to think about it, "No, probably not."

They spent the next hour taking a walk around the lake in the complete grey day near the end of February. Allegra was pretty pissed to find so many other students had decided to do the same thing. Sure, it was about the only thing to do outside these days, but goddamn it! All she wanted to do was have a private stroll so she could at least take his hand!

They managed it for all of five minutes, and at the end of the walk she had say goodbye without a kiss. Saturdays were apparently not a good day to find a quiet spot to be together.

The first day of March arrived, and seemed to bring with it better weather, and Ron's seventeenth birthday. After breakfast, in which Ron and Harry had not appeared, Allegra had an Animangi lesson in which she managed to turn her foot into something that looked like either a bird or reptile claw, freaked out, and couldn't do it again. Before she left McGonagall's office, the Professor had been sure to remind her to not show off in front of the Ministry Apparation Instructor in the Apparition lesson they would both head down to in about an hour.

It wasn't that she was trying to show off, it was just that she found apparating as easy as every other magic she had been asked to produce so far that year. The problem was, she was good at it, but she also wanted to practice, and that meant being good at it every time. It seemed to translate to everyone else as showing off.

Allegra trudged up the stairs to the common room for the second time that morning (well, at least she was going to be fit) and found Hermione rushing out of the portrait to find her.

"Allegra!"

"I'm not late, Hermione, we've got an hour until –" Allegra caught sight of Hermione's expression. "Hermione what's wrong?"

"It's Ron," she said shrilly, the bottom lids of her eyes barely keeping hold of the tears hovering there. "He's been poisoned!"