Chapter 25 Chamber of secrets
Author notes: I would like to thank all of you for the follows and favorites. It's what keeps me going! Reviews would keep me going more but what the heck! I will take what I get.:))Well for someone who wanted to start with a one shot 25 chapters is a long way, so without further ado the chamber of secrets awaits primarily from Draco's POV.
Huh ! A small point here though….my longest chapter yet and I really hope you like it considering that a ton of work went into it! I am pretty bleary and cross eyed at the end of it and I hope that would warrant a few reviews as well!
Legal disclaimer
I own none of the characters of Harry Potter and the credit goes to Madam Rowling.
Severus Snape strode down to his rooms where Draco was awaiting further instructions. Broomstick indeed! Why on earth Potter would want a broomstick on hand, he wondered. It had been many years since he had flown but the skills never really disappeared he supposed or rather hoped.
Presently he was at the entrance and he let himself in with a quick password. Draco who had been seated on the sofa rose, keeping the newspaper he had been having aside. "So when are we going to the chamber?" he asked. "This afternoon and Draco, Potter wants us to have our brooms with us" he added. "Brooms?" Draco asked quizzically "why would we need brooms?" he asked.
"Merlin knows what Potter is up to! Let us be prepared in any case .You will have to borrow a school broom I suppose" Severus said. "Actually my Nimbus is in the Slytherin locker" Draco responded "Do you suppose I can take that?" Draco asked with longing in his voice.
Severus nodded "I will retrieve it for you as I go to get one of the school brooms for my use" he said. "In fact I will do it right away so that we can have a light lunch and make our way to wherever we have to meet Potter. I assume Dumbledore will let us know the meeting point sometime now so keep an eye on the floo alright"? he asked. Draco nodded while Severus made his way to the Slytherin locker rooms where the brooms were stored.
Within a few minutes he was back, laden with two brooms thankfully without attracting too much attention, to find Draco standing with a piece of parchment in his hand. "Potter will be meeting us at the entrance to the abandoned girl's lavatory on the second floor" he supplied.
"Very well let us get going then, and Draco I trust that you remember what we discussed. No riling up Potter and friends" he reminded. Draco smiled "Oh it's quite alright. I can hold my horses but can you restrain yourself around Potter?" he asked snidely as they made their way to the second floor. Severus had cast the precautionary disillusionment charm again. They did not need any hexes their way from aspiring death eater wannabes.
"I suppose I will have to try", Severus said in response to Draco's question "basilisk ingredients are worth it" he said equally snidely. Draco snorted "No one can mistake you for anything but Slytherin Uncle Severus" he said.
Soon they found themselves in front of the abandoned lavatory to see the golden trio gathered with brooms in their hand as well. Draco idly noted that Hermione was carrying a school broom. Come to think of it, he had in all these years never actually seen her fly. So what was she going to do with the broom he wondered?
"Good afternoon Professor, Malfoy" Potter acknowledged, as Severus responded with his own curt "Potter". Draco merely nodded as the other two did the same.
Hermione acknowledged him with a smile he noticed, that made Draco feel warm. She really did have a beautiful smile that reached her eyes and he knew that it came from her heart. He felt a slight flutter in his heart and felt gratified that the smile was for him. For some reason he was very possessive of that smile and relished in it. He idly wondered how he had never noticed that until now.
However the moment was broken as he heard his professor's voice. "So what are we doing in front of a girl's lavatory Potter, with brooms in hand no less?" Severus asked with a slightly caustic tone. However much he tried he could not completely control his ire at Potter, Draco supposed. This was rich he thought asking him to be controlled when he could hardly do the same.
"Oh! The entrance to the chamber is in the lavatory Professor" Potter responded. "And pray tell me, why do we need brooms?" Severus asked drily. Potter paused before launching into an explanation.
"Professor, the last time we were down there the exit got caved in. There are no stairs to climb out. Professor Dumbledore's phoenix actually got us out in fact. But I am afraid there are too many of us this time and we might have to fly out ourselves" he responded making the whole thing sound like a fantasy.
Severus nodded as dimly as Draco, with the thought of "what the hell had happened in the chamber" ringing in his head. Out loud however he said "lead the way Potter. There is no time to get into the whole story, however heroic it may be". Potter simply rolled his eyes while Ron gritted his teeth and they all walked in
"Oh Harry! It has been such a long time since I saw you" a feminine voice gushed as Potter went red in the face. The group turned to see the ghost of a young girl with glasses looking at Potter. "Hi Myrtle" Potter greeted her as Severus raised his eyebrows in disdain. "Are you going down there again? You know the invitation to share my toilet in case you die is still open" she purred.
Draco snorted while Severus regarded a blushing Potter with raised eyebrows.
"I did not know that your fan club extended to the undead Potter" he observed sarcastically. An annoyed look passed over Potter's face as the Weasel became red too, possibly from anger Draco surmised. Hermione herself had set her lips in a thin line which Draco was guessing to be annoyance. Really that had been uncalled for he had to admit. The man was not doing anyone a favor, and coming from Draco that was quite an admission.
Potter hesitated for a moment before saying "Sir, if this arrangement is not to your liking, perhaps you should consider letting us go alone" in a courteous but firm voice. Draco was stunned. Damn! Potter was good. He didn't think Potter had it in him and going by Severus's reaction it appeared that neither had he. Strike one for Potter he thought mentally, his respect for Potter having gone up just a teensy bit more.
Severus knew lost ground when faced with it and so he had no choice but to acquiesce. "No, it's quite alright Potter. I realize that was uncalled for so shall we not waste any more time and proceed forward?" he offered. Potter knew the victory for what it was but did not play on it and moved in response to the sink at the center of the washroom.
On looking closer, Draco noticed the small snake carvings on the tap but he was nevertheless surprised when Potter hissed at the tap in parseltongue. "No wonder only Potter had managed to open the chamber" he thought as the sink moved aside to reveal a hole.
Weasley who had been silent for all this while, which in itself was unusual spoke up for the first time. "Harry, instead of sliding in and landing on the goo, why don't we fly in instead and land on our feet? He asked addressing Potter.
"Yeah you have a point. That is a brilliant idea Ron" Harry exclaimed before adding an explanation for the benefit of the newcomers. "Sir, Malfoy, you see there is a chute beneath the sink on which you would have to slide to get in. The problem is that you have no control when landing and the floor is covered in slime…I am sure you get the picture?" he asked hesitatingly.
Draco shuddered at the picture; no he would definitely not be coated in slime thank you, especially when he was wearing brand new clothes. Severus had apparently realized the same as he said "Yes we get the point. It makes more sense to fly in". Only Hermione was looking uneasy at the prospect, Draco realized.
Potter got on his broom ready to take the plunge when he turned to Hermione who had also remained silent all the while. "Mione, can you handle this or would you rather ride with one of us?" he asked. Draco gave Potter brownie points for the consideration in as much as he hoped that she would ride with him.
He just could not help his wayward thoughts which had come roaring back as soon as he saw her. His resolve to be just friends was a dim thought somewhere in the recesses of his mind as the passionate kiss he had shared with her was playing on his mind. Sweet merlin! What was wrong with him? Here he was in the chamber of secrets and all he could think of was how it would be to feel her body pressed against him as she sat with him on the broom!
But of course there was no reason for her to choose him when her friends were there. Perhaps she even had feelings for one of them. He really did not know much about her he realized apart from the fact that she was kind, sweet, non-judgemental and very pretty. As he listed it off in his mind he snorted, that was worthy of a mushy Hufflepuff, no less.
Hermione gave him a curious look at the snort and for just a second her gaze focused on his. It felt like she was looking into his soul and she was thoughtful for a minute before composing herself and saying "I will ride with you Harry" and quickly got behind Potter.
For just an instant a wave of jealousy swept through Draco as he saw her hold onto Potter with her hands on his shoulder. She had shrunk her broom and placed it in her pocket. He fought to fight the jealousy and told himself that at least it was Potter and not the Weasel. Thank goodness for small mercies. He glanced at the Weasel to see a disappointed look on his face as well and could not help grinning to himself. It looked like he had been hoping for the same and Draco wondered what the story there was.
Once Hermione was comfortably settled, Harry led the way in, swooping in and gently gliding to a stop where Hermione got off first. The weasel went in next followed by Draco and Severus. Draco had entered the chute which was shrouded in darkness and it had been an effort not to touch the sides or any part of the slimy chute.
It had been an almost vertical drop and he could see Hermione closing her eyes and burrowing her head on Potter's back as he made the descent. For a person not used to flying this must be hell he realized. He had to however acknowledge Potter's flying skill as he controlled the speed superbly and glided to a stop a scant few feet from the ground.
He had then levelled out so that they could balance themselves better. That he had done all this while carrying one other person was laudable.
The Weasel however was not so smooth Draco noted; he came in too fast and had to brake suddenly to avoid falling into the slime totally. As a result, his legs were splattered with the slime and he wound up splashing a bit of it as he landed. Not very smooth at all indeed.
Draco was at an advantage as he had seen the previous descents and therefore made the necessary adjustments so that he also glided in smoothly and levelled out before sliding off the broom. He turned to see Hermione had got off and was now waiting for the last member to join them.
She smiled at him and he could not resist asking "You don't; like flying?". She shook her head in the negative before adding "Not one bit", she confessed "I am scared of heights and don't feel comfortable on a broom at all" she said.
Draco nodded to show he understood but not could not resist adding "Perhaps you have not ridden the right way, one day we will show you the beauty of it". He had almost said I instead of we but this was neither the time nor the place. He could already feel the Weasel's glare directed at him.
Severus had surprisingly been quite at home on a broom and had landed smoothly as well and was now casting a scourgify to clear his shoes off the muck. Everyone followed suit and paused to take stock of the place.
Draco, Hermione and Severus looked around curiously never having seen it before as Potter and Weasley moved forward. The place was dark and damp, and was littered with what looked like animal bones, probably devoured by the basilisk long ago. There was a musty smell to the place which was definitely not inviting and everyone was happy to move quickly into the ante chamber.
They had moved as a group and Draco was happy to note that Hermione had unconsciously moved to his side as the darkness of the chamber pressed in. It seemed an almost natural instinct to hold her hand and make sure she was alright and it was with a great effort that he restrained himself. She was now walking so close to him that their shoulders almost touched and he could almost feel the heat radiating off her robe.
As they moved forward they could now see something long and thick in the shadows ….that had the shape of a bloody hell! Was that snake skin? he thought startled. Everyone paused as they took in the discarded snake skin and unconsciously they drew close to each other. It was as if they were afraid that the snake would pounce on them from somewhere.
The atmosphere was almost ominous as the aura of the basilisk lingered. Draco cursed mentally as they ventured closer to the snake skin. Only Potter seemed unaffected, maybe because he had seen the real thing after all. As they took in the size of the snake skin they stood as if petrified.
Never in their wildest dreams had they imagined that a snake this big could even exist. Draco sucked in a breath and he unconsciously turned to Hermione to see if she was alright. She had turned white and was looking transfixed at Potter with wide eyes. Draco could not resist himself as he gently took her hand in his as he took in the spectre of the snake skin.
"Honestly! This was the size of the basilisk that Potter killed"? he wondered. This put Potter in a wholly different light indeed. Out loud however he restrained from commenting, not that there was anything appropriate that he could have said.
"WOW! That is a really big basilisk" seemed impossibly inane after all.
With nothing to say he settled for squeezing her hand in support as she turned to him and roused herself from the stupor. For a second he felt her tense and thought that she would surely take her hand away. But she however made no move to take back her hand and let it rest in his larger hands as she extended her other hand and gently clasped Potter's in a show of support herself.
For that matter, even Severus looked startled as he also mentally reassessed Potter and for once could not find anything disparaging to say. Draco's concentration was however focused on Hermione as her eyes were misted as she grasped Potter. When she did not say anything he tore his eyes away from her reluctantly, to see the Weasel's eyes boring into him. There was rage practically emanating from that look.
"So this is Slytherin's secret chamber huh Potter?" Draco spoke up in an attempt to diffuse the tension. "Yeah this is, but not all of it. There is another chamber we have to get to where the body lies" Potter replied easily. There was a shadow in Potter's eyes but none of the tension showed in his tone. Draco had heard in passing that Potter had almost died in here and for the first time the enormity of what Potter must have faced hit him.
"So shall we?" he gestured, reluctantly relinquishing Hermione's hand and moving forward when he was halted by the Weasel's glare. "You stop giving instructions" he snarled.
Draco was tempted to put the immature imbecile in place but he had told Severus that he would not bait the git. So he raised his hand in supplication and stepped back to allow Potter to lead the way once again. He however got his reward for good behavior when Hermione gave him a smile before stepping next to him as they moved forward.
The group moved forward before they once again faced a huge door with the image of a serpent engraved on it. Potter once again spoke in parseltongue to gain entrance to the chamber and they watched fascinated as the door slid open to reveal the entrance to a huge cavernous chamber.
They stepped into the chamber and were awed by the sheer size of it. Unconsciously their eyes were drawn to the huge body of the basilisk lying half in the water and half out of it. Even when dead, Draco felt nervous as he stepped a little closer to the basilisk.
It seemed to dominate even the huge form of Salazar Slytherin carved into the wall or the number of serpent statues lining both the walls. Granted that Salazar Slytherin was a parselmouth but really did he need so many reminders of a snake? It was downright spooky even to a Slytherin like him. Excesses must definitely run in that bloodline he thought wryly.
Looking at the real thing however Draco had to concede that it was terrifying and by the collective gasp that went up he was not the only one to think so. "Bloody hell! This is the basilisk you fought with?"Weasley asked turning to Potter. Potter shrugged in answer as Weasley burst out again "this damn thing bit you and you survived?" He asked in an incredulous tone.
Severus Snape looked up sharply at Potter while Draco himself felt a bit stunned. What? His mind questioned. Potter on the other hand seemed to be a bit embarrassed by the attention and sought to mask it as he said "Professor perhaps you should start your search" neatly redirecting the moment. He then turned to his friends and said "come on let us gather the fangs" he said.
Severus nodded and stepped forward but not before drawling "sometime perhaps Potter, you could enlighten me on what exactly happened here" much to the astonishment of everyone. His tone had lost some of his bite and seemed almost civil.
He stepped forward pulling out several vials and pouches and approached the dead basilisk as the others followed. They all knew that technically it was dead but looking at the sheer size of it, it just seemed so alive and real and terrifying as well.
Draco crouched near Severus as he made a small cut on the body to take the blood of the basilisk. The eye of the basilisk was gouged out he noticed and there was an indent on the head. Probably Potter's work he thought as he held the vial directly under the cut so that the blood would get collected.
As Severus got ready to take some of the skin and other ingredients, Draco could not help but look at what Hermione was up to. Hermione seemed to have conjured some kind of a leather pouch and they were engaged in wresting the fangs from the basilisk. Weasley and Potter had managed to dislodge the fangs and dropped them carefully in the bag.
Once they had collected all the fangs Hermione had snapped the pouch shut and they stepped carefully away. Hermione then conjured a pitcher of water which they used to wash away any remnants of the venom or other things they might have touched in the process of removing the fangs.
Hermione feeling Draco's eyes on her turned to look at him. Draco looked away quickly, caught in the act even as he saw Severus's raised eyebrows-look and continued with packing away the basilisk ingredients himself.
In due course of time Severus scourgified his own hands and stood up. "Well we have harvested what we can right now, but obviously a basilisk this size warrants more trips. Potter I might need to make some trips in the future too. Will that be possible?" he asked addressing Potter.
Potter took a breath and seemed to consider the possibilities before slowly acquiescing. "Yes I suppose it can be done" he said. "Very well, we are done then. We can go back now. I trust your job is completed as well" Severus said looking meaningfully at the bag. "Yes Professor we can leave right away" Potter said and started moving to the exit as all of us followed swiftly behind him. No one wanted to remain in the chamber any longer than necessary.
They retraced their steps until they were standing under the chute once again. If getting down was tough, going up seemed twice as much. It was practically a vertical ascent with no holds whatsoever. Hermione looked almost green and even the Weasel looked doubtful.
"Oh my god! I should never have come, this was a dumb idea" Hermione muttered her face creasing in distress. Her hands were clenched and her eyes were clouded in worry and fear. She turned to Harry and said almost in tears "I can't do this Harry, I am going to just bring you down" .
Potter looked thoughtful "It's a vertical ascent, she can't obviously ride with one of us, the added weight will bring us down." He turned to Hermione "What if we ride alongside you and kind of pull you along?" he asked.
"I don't know Harry, I don't think I can…I am soo sorry" she cried. Draco wracked his brains for an idea and the solution occurred to him. He turned to Potter as well.
"Potter what if you go on up and throw down a rope? You can haul her up" he suggested. Before Potter could say anything however, the Professor said "it's a long way up Draco; it will be very difficult using just manual means".
"What if one of us stays here to cast a levitation charm to help things along?" he said. The Professor looked thoughtful. "That might work. do you think you can try it?" he asked. Hermione nodded shakily "Yes Professor I will try it. I really don't want to be a problem" she muttered.
Draco wanted to separately tell her not to be afraid but he dared not say what was on his mind. The Professor once again addressed the group "so Potter you and Weasley go on up and throw down a rope. We will help with levitating and you can pull her up. Is that acceptable" he asked.
Potter however looked sheepish as he raised his own concern "Sir, we don't have a rope and our transfiguration is not really on par. We will need your help" he finished. Severus gave an exasperated look at the pair and sighed "very well I will accompany you. Draco are you able to handle the levitation charm by yourself?" he asked.
"Yes sir, I can handle it" Draco responded. Severus turned to Potter and Weasley "Let's go now without wasting any more time" he said taking charge. Potter moved under the chute and positioned himself with the broom but Weasley held his ground.
As Severus made to question him he burst out "I am not leaving Hermione with him" the words coming out rather petulantly. A flash of irritation crossed Hermione's face as Severus responded in his drawling tone "Did it not occur to you that hauling up a person will be quite cumbersome and the three of us will be required to take turns so that the strain is lessened? I for one am not quite looking forward to the manual labour, you see".
"Why can't he haul her up and I stay here?" he questioned. Severus looked at him with disdain as he bit out "are your levitation charms good enough to carry her weight?. If you think you can do that you may stay here".
"Fine, you win, I will come with you" Weasley admitted grudgingly as Hermione added "it will be fine Ron". "Yeah sure" he responded sarcastically before mounting his broom .Severus followed suit and soon they were airborne.
Judging by the slow speed and muttered oaths it must have been very difficult and Draco was relieved when he heard Potter call out "Okay we made it. Get ready". His voice sounded far away and Draco realized that it was quite a distance indeed.
He looked at Hermione and by an unspoken agreement they moved to stand under the chute. He reached out for her hand and held it in a firm grip "I am here Hermione. You will be fine. I won't let anything happen to you" he said.
Hermione took a shaky breath "I am scared Draco" she said in a small voice. Draco had never seen her so vulnerable and it tore at his heart. She seemed fragile and he felt his protective side rear it's head. Heck! He didn't even know that he had a protective side until that moment. She was bringing out a whole new side of his personality that he did not even know existed and he rather liked it.
He could not help himself as he laid a hand on her shoulder and drew her close. He held her gently as she turned and buried her face on his chest. Her eyes were closed and her hands fisted in his robes "Draco I am scared" she murmured.
It was hardly romantic but it could very easily be the most beautiful moment of his life he reflected. He placed his left hand behind her head and brought his right around her waist and drew her against him even closer offering comfort. Her body felt warm and alive in his hands and he felt a plethora of indefinable emotions, holding her against him.
The moment was however broken by the sound of Potter's voice calling out "What are you guys waiting for?". They had been so lost in the embrace that they had not realized that the rope had been let down. Hermione lifted her head from his chest and slowly stepped back from him.
"I am here okay, behind you and I am not going to let anything happen to you. Now go on" he reassured her. When she still looked nervous he bent forward and lightly brushed his lips against hers. "Go on" he softly he urged holding her gaze with his own.
Hermione took a deep breath and steeled herself before grasping the rope. She hooked her legs around the rope and looked at him with steely determination. "Potter she is ready" he called out and watched carefully with his wand drawn as the rope started going up inch by inch.
It was a slow ascent and a quarter of the way up he could see Hermione's arms quivering with the effort of holding on. That was his cue and he immediately raised his wand and cast the levitation charm.
He felt the strain on his own arms as his wand twitched with the effort. He had never before levitated a heavy object with the spell and he felt the strain of it. At the same time he felt gratified as the strain on Hermione's face relaxed as the charm moved her up a couple of feet without any effort on her part.
She looked down and saw the strain on his face and nodded to him to show that he could let go off the charm now. Acknowledging her gesture, he slowly lowered his wand. His breath was already coming in gasps and he dimly realized that this was only the first spell and he would have to do this many more times in the next many minutes.
The progress was slower than he thought but she was slowly rising higher and soon she would be out of his vision range. From where he stood, he could see the panic rising on her face as the height increased and he called out in a calm voice "Don't look down Hermione. Just keep thinking of something else and how soon this is going to be over".
"Draco I am scared. Please come up, please…." Her panicked voice came back to him with a pleading tone. It would be hell managing his ascent and casting the spell but he could not ignore the fear in her voice.
He could not deny that he was tense with worry and admitted anything would be better than that. In any case he needed to keep her in sight in order to cast the charm he told himself. He knew that it was a weak excuse but he was not going to argue with himself over this.
"Draco Please…I am scared" Hermione called out .Her voice was totally panicked and Draco could hear the underlying hysteria. He also heard Potter and Weasley call out assurances and called out his own. "I am coming Hermione, hold on".
Grasping his wand tightly in his hand, he mounted the broom and made his own ascent trailing the rope. It was highly disorienting to make a vertical ascent into the dark chute but he really had no choice. Hermione was struggling with her fear that was sure to be heightened by the darkness.
"Can someone cast a lumos in here? I need to be able to see her" he called out. He heard a grunt and a strobe of light streamed in. He saw Hermione a few feet ahead and she seemed to be at the end of her tether already. He whipped out his wand and cast the levitation charm again.
It was almost impossible to fly and keep up the charm so he stopped and balanced himself against the side of the chute. It was damp and possibly dirty but there was nothing that could be done. He saw Hermione go up some more and slowly let up the charm to rest his aching arms.
When he felt some of his strength return he once again made his vertical ascent made somewhat better with the light and drew almost level with Hermione. They were more than halfway up the mark and both of them were rather tired.
She smiled at him tremulously and he gave back an encouraging smile. "Just a little more to go Hermione. I will boost you up and it will all be done" he said and readied himself for another casting. He knew that she could not keep with this much longer and decided that he would give one final boost and get her over the edge.
He took a deep breath and held his wand steady. "Potter I am going to levitate her over the edge, grab her will you?" he called out. He heard Severus's shout out "Of all the asinine ideas, who will levitate you after that?". Of course the Professor would know how taxing this was.
"This is taking too long sir, I have to try" he called out and added "Now Potter" before Severus could object anymore.
"Draco don't take a chance, please don't hurt yourself on my behalf.. I will manage" Hermione called out but Draco knew what he had to do. He knew that the current pace will tax him even more and he was not sure that he could sustain the spell at all. He might give out before she even reached the top. "It's alright Hermione. I will be ok" he smiled reassuringly and aimed the wand at her.
"wingardium leviosa" he called out with all the remaining power he had and watched with satisfaction as she was pushed almost to the edge. He saw a pair of hands reach out for her and grip her wrist before lowering his wand slowly. His energy was totally gone and he was totally exhausted. That last spell had demanded all his power and now he was drained.
There were white spots dancing in front of his vision and he swayed on the broom. Desperately he reached to find something to hold on but the smooth walls of the chute gave him no purchase. Through a haze he thought he heard Hermione calling out for him and a faint light seemed to shine from somewhere.
His mind seemed incapable of thought and his vision was starting to tunnel. Just as he gave up the fight and started to slide off his broom into blessed oblivion, he felt a hand clasp around his own and jerk him upright back on his seat.
He heard a frantic "Draco, wake up, come on …" as Potter's voice penetrated the fog. Of course the golden boy could not let him fall, and yet he was grateful that he had come. That would have been a nasty fall.
Potter was still holding onto his hand and Draco was grateful for the contact. He focused on the grip as he struggled back to awareness.
"Draco are you alright, talk to me?" Potter's worried face swam in his consciousness and he vaguely nodded to show that he was alright. "I am letting go now. Hold on to the rope okay? I am going to go back up and we will pull you out" he said. Draco nodded to show that he understood as he was still feeling a bit disoriented.
He watched Potter rise up again and made his way to the rope. He tucked his wand in his waistband and took a hold off the rope while entwining his legs around it. His movements were slow and sluggish as he tugged on the rope to let them know that he had it.
"Okay now" Potter called and slowly he was being pulled up. Draco kept his eyes closed as he was still dizzy. The rope was spinning and he was becoming nauseous. He tried to help by moving up the rope but even the slightest movement caused pain to erupt behind his eyelids and he gave up the idea as soon as he had tried it. He simply held onto the rope and waited to see the edge of the damned chute.
As the end came near he saw Severus lean down and cast a levitation charm and felt himself lifted straight over the edge.
He went sprawling on the floor of the bathroom only dimly aware of what was happening around him. He felt hands on his body turning him and placing him on someone's lap. His jaw was forced open and he felt a cool liquid working it's way down his throat.
It was a quiet few minutes until he opened his eyes to look into the worried faces of Potter and Hermione. He realized that he was still lying on Severus's lap and slowly supported himself as he made to get up. He sat up still a bit unsteady and took in the worry on his godfather's face. He knew that a furious lecture was on the cards at some point later on.
"Seems I am more unconscious than conscious these days" he griped before he was engulfed in a hug. His hands went around Hermione as she hugged him fiercely, her bushy hair right under his face "I am sorry" she muttered before leaning back and giving him a fierce glare "don't you dare frighten me like that again" she scolded.
Draco did not know what to say for a moment but the feeling of being worried over was rather nice. "I am alright" he muttered before looking over her head at the others. Severus had a rather curious look on his face with raised eyebrows while the Weasel was almost spitting fire. Potter's look was non-committal and difficult to read at the moment. "How are you feeling Draco?" Severus asked. "Much better Sir" Draco responded.
" perhaps if you let him get up we can make our way out" Severus commented drily. Draco gently disentangled himself from a flushed Hermione and got up. He bent down and retrieved his broom as all the others got to their feet as well.
"So where to now?" he asked the room in general. "The headmaster's room I suppose" Severus said and gestured for them to make their way out of the bathroom.
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