A/N: I'm sosososososo sorry, readers. I know it's been two months. I hope you guys don't think I've given up because as I've said before, I'm not one to give up. I will finish the story. Definitely, definitely. And again, so sorry about the gap in updates. I will try my absolute very best to wrap up year 3 within the next couple of weeks and get started on year 4. Lots of stuff going on in my life and another fanfic to write, so I've been busy, busy.
A friend of mine, Trusted Trouble, has released a new story I think you guys should check out. It's called "Of A Brother's Love" and it is oh so worth your time! It's still in its early stages but I know it's going to be amazing because I'm beta-ing it and I've seen what the author can do and she's brilliant so do check her out while you're waiting for my updates!
A message for Nilpferd1880: thanks so much for your review, it is GREATLY appreciated and I hope you enjoy the rest of the story! (And my other fanfic of course)
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. Thanks
PREVIOUSLY ON "AN UNKINDNESS OF WIZARDS"...
"When Voldemort discovered the famous Prophecy that marked you as his next victim, I advised your parents to go into hiding in the village where I grew up myself. Sirius told your parents it would be safer for them to select a keeper like Peter—someone who the Dark Lord would likely overlook."
"Yeah, except Pettigrew wasn't on the good side anymore," said Harry.
Dumbledore smiled. "No one could have known."
"But why didn't they die? Wasn't it impossible for anyone to escape him?"
"Your parents and I had known for quite some time that he'd be coming after them eventually. We took precautions."
—
"Hagrid," Harry said. "We went out last night to see him."
"How's he doing?" said Ginny.
"Not good," said Hermione.
"How do you know?" said Ron.
"I've been visiting him," said Hermione, sheepishly.
"Since when are you and Hagrid best pals?" said Ron.
"Since it's not a crime to visit one of your teachers and see how they're doing," said Hermione before turning abruptly away from him.
"That was a little insensitive," Neville told Ron.
"Oh whatever," said Ron, shrugging. "It's not my fault she takes everything way too seriously."
"Ron, you're such a pinhead!" said Ginny.
—
"He is being a child," said McGonagall, irritably. "Surely you must know that, Mr. Malfoy."
Draco stared at her. He'd really never seen this side of her before.
"I..."
"There is nothing wrong with you wanting to be friends with your cousin," she continued. "There is nothing wrong with you even loving him—after all, you are family."
"Severus is my family too," said Draco, softly.
"Of course he is," smiled McGonagall. "But like your parents, he has no right telling you not to associate yourself with the rest of your family...like Sirius..."
—
"She's always so emotional and extra weird around me and...I just...don't pretend like you don't know because I'm almost certain she's told you."
"She hasn't," said Longbottom, instantly. "I promise you."
"Well then why...?"
"I can't be sure," said Longbottom, pausing. "I...I have my theories, but I can't be sure."
Draco stared at him.
"You have your theories?" he repeated.
"So do you," Longbottom observed. "And anyway, if there is something going on, it'll be something she'd have told one of her girlfriends, not me."
—
"You okay there?"
"Yeah," she replied, softly. "I'm just really worried..."
"He'll make it," said Avery, his own voice uncharacteristically soft. "It's Draco, for crying out loud. When has he ever not made it?"
Hermione chuckled lightly.
—
"So both of us passed out then?" said Harry. "Not just me?"
"You both fell off your brooms," said Ginny. "Fred caught yours but Malfoy's flew into the Whomping Willow."
—
"I want to take these lessons with Sirius. I'm going to."
Narcissa took a step towards him.
"I forbid you to," she said, her voice as cold as ever.
Severus placed his hand on her shoulder but couldn't bring himself to say anything. His expression was still the most pained Draco had ever seen.
"I—don't—care," he said to his mother.
She rounded on Sirius.
"I suppose this is what you've been feeding my child?! Brainwashing him into hating me and wanting to get away?"
"Oh no," said Sirius, "You did that all on your own, without needing any of my help."
"You want to say that again to me?" she said, now pulling out her wand.
"MOTHER, NO!" Draco shouted, suddenly pulling himself out of bed.
But before he knew it, his mother's hand flew in his face and smacked him. Hard.
He fell back on his bed, his hand now holding the cheek that was stitched up. Narcissa leaned forward.
"I will do the commanding around here," she reminded him.
—
Sirius' eyes went round as Lily said, "What girl?"
"Just a girl," said Remus, giving Sirius a knowing look.
"Who was the girl, Professor Lupin?" said Ginny, who looked to be in a very bright mood now. Ginny, Harry noticed, was eyeing Lupin with the utmost respect.
"She's an auror in training," said Remus, simply.
"So what happened then?" said Harry.
To his great astonishment, Remus said, "We...hit it off, actually."
—
"What memory did you use?" Draco asked him. "Up there, when we were with the Dementors..."
Harry hesitated. "It was more of a story that my parents told me a bunch of times...the story of how they got together."
"How sweet," said Draco, rolling his eyes.
"Well what about you?" said Harry. "What memory did you choose?"
"The day I met Hermione," said Draco, simply.
Harry cringed.
"Pettigrew broke into the castle the other night," he blurted out.
Draco's head snapped up. "When did this happen?!"
"Just last week. Ron and I saw him and then we went to tell Dumbledore."
"You actually saw him?"
"In his animagus form, yeah..."
"HE'S AN ANIMAGUS?!" cried Draco. "But then what would he be doing at Hogwarts? What's he after?"
Harry took a deep breath. "Me."
Draco stared at him.
"Dumbledore thinks he's escaped to find his master again...and I might be part of the plan to find him."
"So Pettigrew needs you in order to find Voldemort..." said Draco...
CHAPTER 26: YEAR 3—HO-HO-HOGWARTS
Harry
Harry stared down at the piece of parchment in his lap for a long while, desperately trying to understand what on earth was going on in his mother's mind now and whether it was too early for her to be having a midlife crisis or whatnot.
"You need to re-evaluate some of the academic choices that you have been making and I know Hermione will be perfect in helping you to achieve this."
What bloody potion was she on when she wrote this?!
"Your father agrees..." Well, that was a lie, surely. If there was one person Harry knew well, besides Sirius, it was his father.
"Come on, Lils, leave the kid alone, he's only being a guy," James would surely have said.
Harry could see it perfectly in his mind now.
Ever since he and Lavender had made the announcement that they were going out, it had gone viral throughout the school and, thanks to Fred and George, spread to the older students as well. It wasn't long before the teachers got a hold of this news and Harry was receiving heavy mail from his mother, demanding to know what was the meaning of this. Seriously, it was like she'd never been a teenager herself.
But now this letter...kindly informing him that Hermione was his newly appointed tutor for the remainder of the school year...
Surely his mother didn't think he was an idiot! He knew perfectly well what this was about (he'd seen the way his mother had eyed Hermione back in the hospital wing) and quite frankly, he couldn't understand it. His mother barely knew Lavender—how could she just shoot her out completely without even getting to know her first? That wasn't the mother he'd known all his life. This strange, intrusive, and judgmental version of her was not one he liked very much. And Lavender had been nothing but nice to her in the hospital wing after the November match. She was not the problem here.
The only good thing about the letter in Harry's lap now was his mother's request that he and Neville stay at Hogwarts for the holidays because apparently, she and James wanted to renovate the house.
"But how long does it take to do that?" Ron wondered when Harry told him and Neville together at dinner. "Just a couple of flicks of the wand and you're done."
But Neville shook his head.
"My mother is muggle-born, Ron," Harry explained.
"So?" said Ron.
"So, she'll be wanting to do this the muggle way," said Harry.
As far as Harry was concerned, this was the single normal thing about the letter his mother had sent.
"Lily has always prided herself with her ability to astonish James in various muggle tricks and tactics," said Neville.
"Your parents are weird," Ron told Harry, who smirked back.
It had only been about a week and a half since Harry had left the hospital wing, but Malfoy had needed to stay a bit longer since he'd been injured more. A lot had changed since then. Harry now had his first official girlfriend, and Ron couldn't be more distraught. Both Harry and Malfoy received badges for their great pursuit of the Dementors and the rematch had been cancelled because the last game was called a tie. Wood and Flint were obviously devastated by this, but Harry didn't care much. He had a girlfriend now. Everything was different.
As the weather got colder and the snow became heavier, students began packing up for the holidays or writing down their names on the list of those staying. It seemed that the news of Harry and Neville staying together at the castle was very upsetting to Ron because every time one of his brothers mentioned going to the burrow for the holidays, Ron got very quiet.
"You're not...jealous, or anything, are you?" Harry asked him, amused.
"No," said Ron, looking away from him all red-faced with furrowed eyebrows.
Harry laughed. "Come on, your family's great. You can't seriously be upset about going home."
"I'm not upset about that," said Ron. The boys looked around to make sure they couldn't be heard by anyone in the common room. Then, Ron continued. "I asked mum a week ago if you guys could come home with us and she said that Dumbledore warned her not to let you go anywhere, under any circumstances."
"What?!" hissed Harry, frowning. "Why would he say that?"
"I'm willing to bet that it's because of Pettigrew," said Neville, cleverly.
"That's what I thought too," said Ron, "But then it hit me—Harry and I saw Pettigrew here not long ago, right in the castle!"
"SHHHH!" said Harry, looking round at Ginny who was sitting not far from them, talking to Hermione. He really didn't want anyone to find out about the Pettigrew sighting. He'd promised Dumbledore they wouldn't.
"Anyway," said Ron, "If Dumbledore was so concerned about Pettigrew, wouldn't he not want Harry hanging around in the very place where Pettigrew broke in not even two weeks ago?"
"He makes a point," Harry observed, but Neville only shook his head.
"Dumbledore probably reckons it's better for you to be either at home where your parents can protect you, or here at Hogwarts, where he can," he said.
But somehow, Harry didn't feel much better about this.
"Suppose you'll just have to stay here then," sighed Ron, "with Lavender to keep you company."
"Shut up, Ron," said Harry. "Lavender is going home for the holidays."
"She's gonna keep you cozy!" he giggled.
Harry rolled his eyes at him. Ron was being awfully childish about the whole thing and it was kind of starting to annoy Harry, whereas Neville was more "I'll support you whatever you do" about it.
Truth be told, Lavender actually had invited Harry to her house for the holidays, but he felt a little too awkward about the idea. It would just be him and her and her parents there for like a full week. He wasn't sure he was ready for that. So he settled for the idea of being at Hogwarts for Christmas with just Neville, a couple of other kids, and of course, Sirius.
And soon, the time came for Harry to say goodbye to his classmates and Ron as they all hurried through the doors of the Entrance Hall with their trunks and pet cages, and out into the snowy grounds for that long walk up to Hogsmeade Station.
Harry and Neville said their goodbyes and their "Merry Christmas"'s and waved their friends off, watching them descend down the path to the village. And then the cold wind swept over them and they decided it was time to return to the common room. Only when they got there, they realized that they weren't the only two Gryffindors who had stayed behind for the holidays. Hermione was too.
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked her.
She looked up from her book and shrugged slightly. "My parents are going on a trip to France for the holidays."
Harry looked round at Neville before replying, "And you don't like the French...?"
"No," laughed Hermione. "It's not that at all! I adore France. In fact we go nearly every year."
"Well then what's the problem?" said Harry.
"Yeah, why aren't you going with them?" Neville added.
"Well there's just so much to do!" she began. "I have to start preparing for next term or I'll really fall behind in my studies, and I need to think about what classes to sign up for next year because it's the fourth one that really counts—"
"It is?" said Harry.
"—and I've been helping Hagrid crack this Buckbeak case so I'll need to prep him for the trial and his pitch, no offense to Hagrid, really does need a lot of work, and—"
"—And, you know Malfoy's staying so that's really why you've put your name down to stay too," Harry rolled his eyes.
Hermione frowned at him.
"Oh come on, Hermione, your tricks aren't new to anyone," he went on. "But you don't have to lie about it."
Hermione's mouth fell slightly open.
"We won't make fun of you," Harry assured her. "I mean everyone knows about me and Lav so there's no reason why they should make fun of you—"
"—Who said Malfoy's staying for the holidays?" Hermione finally said, her expression completely different.
Harry paused. "Uh...Malfoy did."
"When?"
"When we were in the hospital and don't pretend like you didn't know, you're not fooling anybody..." but Harry's voice trailed off because Hermione's expression now told him that she in fact didn't know.
"Excuse me," she said, her voice breaking slightly, as she jumped up, tossed her book to the nearest couch and hurried out of the common room.
Harry looked back at Neville. "Whoops."
Neville shrugged.
They spent most of that first evening quietly, enjoying the peace of the suddenly still common room which was otherwise always filled and crowded. Hermione didn't show up until much later and by then, they were all too tired to argue about anything.
Harry and Neville spent most of the next day exploring the quiet castle and enjoying the fact that they could hang out in any hallway, any room and at any table that they wanted, without being bothered by anyone. The teachers had gotten rid of the four house tables in the Great Hall, replacing them with one large round table where all the teachers and students who had remained dined together each day. Normally, this would've been quite awkward for any teenager, but having Sirius there made it actually cool. And Sirius was not at all surprised when Harry confided in him what Ron had said.
"It's very Dumbledore-like of Dumbledore," he explained. "And Ron's right—your parents are weird."
Harry grinned.
He still couldn't believe that his mother was insisting on renovating the muggle way. But at least not having to see her would make it easier for him not to talk about Lavender. Sirius at least had the decency not to bombard Harry with questions or even tease him like he knew his father would if he were there. Sirius was way cooler than that.
So for most of the first couple of days, Harry and Neville just hung out with Sirius. They even took a trip with him to Hogsmeade one of the days and had a snow fight there because of the huge snow storm that came in overnight and left thick white sheets everywhere. Harry was having so much fun that he was able to forget all about the events of recent weeks. He knew that the time to worry would come and that this wasn't it.
Hermione rarely showed herself in the common room—she was either busy with Hagrid or off somewhere with Malfoy, so Harry and Neville were never bothered by anyone in the common room and could do whatever they wanted there.
On Christmas morning, the boys awoke in their dormitory to piles and piles of gifts on their beds' sides. Harry knew who the biggest ones were from of course. His father and Sirius always seemed to be in competition as to who could get the bigger present. His mother and Remus had each gotten him interesting books which he knew he'd eventually read, but for right now, he was only interested in the cool new quill that Lavender had gotten him, or even better, the broom cleaning kit that Hermione had gotten him. Harry stared at the present for a good couple of minutes, not understanding if there had possibly been a mistake and she'd perhaps meant this for another boy...one who was in Slytherin...
"Watcha looking at?" Neville wondered from over his bed where he was peeling wrapping paper off of some rectangular object.
"Nothing," Harry muttered, sliding the broom cleaning kit out of view and reaching for the next present.
He made a mental note to find Hermione later and ask what the hell the expensive present was all about. They weren't even friends...as far as he knew, anyway...
"What'd you get from Lavender?" said Neville.
Harry rolled his eyes. "Do you really have to say her name like that?"
"Course I do!" said Neville. "Well?"
"A quill," said Harry, simply. "Hey, what did dad get you?"
"I haven't opened his yet," Neville said, but Harry knew it was a lie. James' gift was always the first one that Neville opened because he was closest with him. So, Neville not telling Harry meant that it was something very personal this time.
"Hey Harry," said Neville, suddenly sitting up. "Do you think that maybe you started dating a little too early?"
Harry looked up. "How do you mean?"
"Well...you're thirteen years old, mate. Isn't that a little too early? Y-you and Lavender are the first to announce that they're a couple in our year..."
"I dunno," said Harry, shrugging slightly as he looked down again. "I mean, she's not really my girlfriend..."
"Uh, yeah, she is!" said Neville. Harry looked up again. "She holds your hand every time you're together, she follows you everywhere you go, and she always introduces you as her boyfriend. Let me tell you, Harry. You guys are in a relationship."
Harry looked down again.
"Look, we haven't done anything...and I like her...I'm good with taking things slow."
"You sound like such a grownup," Neville scoffed.
Harry grinned. "You'll get it someday."
Harry actually felt as though having Lavender for a girlfriend, even if it had only been for a week so far, had really made him grow up. He was seeing things in a new light. Things that he'd previously thought were cool now seemed annoying and childish. He felt very above all of the things he used to do and according to Neville, there wasn't really anything wrong with that, as long as Harry remembered who he was and didn't lose sight of that.
But truth be told, he did feel slightly weird...like his friends were now worshipping him for something that he wasn't even sure he was ready for. And would Lavender start trying to...do stuff soon? Harry had never even kissed a girl before...what if he'd be bad at it and she'd use his fame against him to tell everyone in the school? Or even worse, the entire Wizarding world? He could see it now...the sea of Daily Prophet reporters fighting over who gets to print the story.
Hermione was gone again so the boys spent the morning fighting in the snow outside and then goofing off with the "other house" students who had stayed behind. A nervous first year boy in Hufflepuff and Hermione and Malfoy were the only exceptions to that.
Harry tried looking for Sirius that day to thank him for the amazing three books on Dark Arts and autographed cloaks from his team, but for some reason he couldn't find him.
"He's probably doing some stuff with the other teachers," Neville pointed out when he finally got Harry to confess why he was always looking around. "Don't worry about it."
So Harry tried his best not to worry about it. But when the time for the Christmas Feast arrived and Harry and Neville arrived in the Great Hall, the first abnormal thing occurred. And a little while later, another one followed.
The boys arrived in the Great Hall for the big Christmas Feast, only to find that Dumbledore was not there at the head of the table like he was supposed to be. And when all the teachers settled into their seats and began feasting on the delicious Christmas food, Harry realized that Sirius had failed to show as well. He only gave Neville a questioning look which his friend reciprocated right away, but they said nothing to each other because Professor Slughorn was in the middle of a very dull Christmas story.
Hermione was sitting across from them, right next to Malfoy who was also sitting next to Snape. Together, they watched Slughorn tell his story, but even Malfoy looked nervous. He glanced once at Harry and they shared their worries silently. Dumbledore and Sirius being absent from the feast was far from good.
Hagrid had failed to show up too, but that was probably understandable, under the circumstances. Harry and Neville exchanged a quick look, silently agreeing to visit the hut before bed that night. Ever since the whole deal with Buckbeak became public, Hagrid seemed to have lost his voice. He was barely speaking anymore…at least in public.
And every time Harry thought about why…about how Pansy was doing this to him…and Malfoy was helping her, it only made him angrier.
The Christmas Feast was indeed very delicious but Harry found that he was unable to enjoy it, for fear and anxiety of what Dumbledore and Sirius could possibly be up to, that they both had to be absent.
About halfway through, Professor Trelawney arrived at the feast, looking as strange and as weird as usual. Professor Slughorn seemed to be the only one there pleased to see her.
"Come, come, Sibyll, join us! We're just getting started on the nutmeg pies."
But Trelawney only stared at the table with round eyes, not moving from her spot.
"What's the matter now?" sighed Professor McGonagall.
"I dare not sit, professors," began Trelawney. "If I join the table, we shall be thirteen! Nothing could be more unlucky! Never forget that when thirteen dine together, the first to rise will be the first to die!"
"We'll risk it, Sibyll," said Professor McGonagall impatiently.
Professor Trelawney hesitated, then lowered herself slowly into the empty chair, eyes shut and mouth clenched tight, as though expecting a thunderbolt to hit the table.
The professor behaved almost normally until the very end of Christmas dinner, two hours later. Full to bursting with Christmas, Harry decided he needed a minute to clear his head. Strangely though, Malfoy had decided the same thing because the pair of them got up at the same moment, and Professor Trelawney shrieked loudly.
"My dears! Which of you left his seat first? Which?"
"I..." said Harry, looking down uneasily at Neville.
"I doubt it will make much difference," said Professor McGonagall, coldly, "unless a mad axe-man is waiting outside the doors to slaughter the first into the Entrance Hall."
Even Malfoy let out a laugh at that. Harry frowned at him, while Professor Trelawney looked highly affronted and crossed.
"You're going already?" Neville whispered to Harry.
"I just...need a minute," Harry mumbled, giving Malfoy a look before exiting the Great Hall.
He stood in the Entrance Hall for several minutes, just thinking. Then, Malfoy finally appeared, followed closely by Hermione, and seconds later, Neville joined them.
"Do you know where he is?" were the first words out of Malfoy.
Harry shook his head.
"Guys, Professor Dumbledore probably just has some important headmaster business to attend to," said Hermione.
"Not him, Sirius!" said Malfoy.
"I'm sure he's fine," said Neville, calmly. "We shouldn't get ahead of ourselves tonight. Just find him tomorrow and ask him where he was."
Harry nodded, but Malfoy didn't look convinced.
"...no I think I'll stay a while," Hermione finished. Neville shrugged and turned for the stairs, but when Harry didn't follow him, he put his hand on his shoulder.
"I'm right behind you," Harry lied.
When Neville had finally gone, Harry turned to Malfoy. "Could you give us a sec?"
Malfoy raised his eyebrows, but not as far as Hermione did.
"Us?" she said.
"Yeah, us," said Harry. "I need to talk to you."
"Uh...okay..." said Malfoy, frowning but not moving very far.
Harry lowered his voice to that of a whisper.
"I got your gift."
"Did you like it?" said Hermione.
"Well...I mean, yeah I did, but what's it all about?"
Hermione frowned, clearly not understanding why they were whispering. "Well you see, it's this thing that cleans your broom. I'd have thought a Quidditch player would recognise such a device."
"I'm not talking about the kit, I'm talking about you giving me an expensive gift," Harry hissed. "I mean we're not even really friends."
"We're not?"
"Well..." Harry glanced over at Malfoy who was hanging about near the entrance to the dungeons. "I don't know...I don't think so..."
"I think so," Hermione argued. Harry looked at her and she sighed. "Look, you saved me…twice now. We're connected through the people we're around...we're in the same house...I don't see why it's so weird. I guess I got you the gift because I never properly thanked you for all of last year."
"You know, I really don't wanna be reminded of it," Harry answered.
Hermione laughed.
"So I take it my mum's told you about...well about..."
"About her wanting me to tutor you," said Hermione, still smiling. "Yeah, she wrote to me a few days ago."
"Yeah, I'm sorry about that," said Harry, quickly. "It's not usually like my mom to interfere in my life like this."
"No, don't be. I think it was actually rather sweet."
"Y-you do?"
"Yeah, she obviously cares a lot about your education," said Hermione. She glanced over at Malfoy. "Well I'm gonna go but we'll start sessions after the holidays."
"Kay," said Harry, watching her move across the hall to where Malfoy was leaning against a wall. He gave Harry a strange look over Hermione's shoulder and together they descended into the dungeons.
Harry sighed again and began to climb the stone steps to Gryffindor Tower, thinking that at least Ginny didn't go all out on his Christmas gift...in fact, she hadn't even gotten him one.
Ever since the news of Harry and Lavender getting together spread throughout the castle, Ginny had lost her voice. She was still showing up to Quidditch and hanging out with her friends and talking with Hermione and doing all the things she usually did, except now, all of those things excluded Harry. Whenever he complimented her on her flying, she just smiled vaguely and that was it, whereas before, she'd giggle or say something clever that made Harry think for hours about how she could possibly be related to her brothers.
Having her off his shoulder was definitely a relief. But yet for some reason, Harry felt a little angry about how she was ignoring him. What did he ever do to her to receive this silent treatment?
"What's up with you?" Neville asked when Harry finally met up with him in the dormitory.
"Girls are weird," Harry mumbled.
Neville didn't seem up to discussing it tonight because he fell asleep fairly quickly. Maybe it was because of the hefty feast. Either way, Harry was wide awake and worrying. He waited until Neville was surely asleep before creeping out of bed and slowly pulling a coat and scarf on. He picked up his wand, then changed his mind and put it back on the bedside table. Once he was finally out of the common room, he could hear eerie caroling from a couple corridors over. Nearly Headless Nick must have started a choir because they'd never done that before.
Harry found himself out in the courtyard in the cool evening air, slowly making his way through the freshly-fallen, untouched snow. He knew the risks of being out here at night—the dementors could sense his presence and attempt to suck out his soul, or even worse, Pettigrew could try to show up again. But somehow, Harry hoped it would be the latter. He hadn't told anybody this—even Neville—but he felt angry. Betrayed. Pretty much everything his parents should have been feeling now but for some reason weren't.
And then, somewhere between the falling snow and the sparkling decorations, it hit him.
Was there more to the story than Dumbledore had led on?
The next day, Harry woke bright and early to go and bang on Sirius' door. Naturally, it worked. Sirius cracked it open, eyes squinting and hair standing up. He was wearing a pair of pajamas that only Harry's mother could have knitted for him, and Harry was now beginning to wonder just when Sirius had the time to go exchange presents since this was definitely a new pair.
"Harry?" he said, sleepily, eyes still squinting. "What are you...?"
Harry pushed past Sirius and waited until his Godfather shut the door.
"Where were you last night?" Harry demanded.
"What do you mean?" said Sirius, still sleepily.
"Well you weren't at the feast," Harry observed. "And neither was Dumbledore. Where were you guys?"
"Dumbledore wasn't at the feast?" said Sirius.
Harry stared at him.
"How long are you gonna keep doing this?"
"Keep doing what?"
"Answering every question with another question!" Harry bellowed.
It was then that Sirius finally woke up. His eyes went round, as though he'd been jinxed from the back or something, and he was suddenly fully alert.
"Sorry Harry, it's been a long night," he said. "Up until five seconds ago, I was sure I was still in bed."
Harry sighed. "So where were you then?"
But the answer he got from Sirius was not one he'd expected...and it only made him feel worse.
"Hogsmeade," said Sirius.
Harry's mouth fell slightly open at the answer. "W-what were you..."
"A couple of buddies of mine from the team apparated over for some drinks and...well you know me...drink after drink...I was barely able to haul my drunk arse back over here without any students seeing me."
Sirius laughed it off and then sunk into an armchair at the corner of his office and sighed deeply.
"And Dumbledore?" said Harry, softly.
Sirius met his eyes. "Ah, Dumbledore had to visit the Minister last night for some very important business. I'd have thought he'd have made it back in time for the feast, but guess not..."
"What business could they possibly have on Christmas?"
Sirius shrugged. "Who knows?"
Harry tilted his head at him.
"What?" said Sirius.
"Dumbledore's never missed the feast before. NEVER."
But Sirius only smiled.
"Harry, there's a first for everything. And why are you so upset? Did you not like the books I got you? Was it too Remus of me?"
Harry forced a grin. "Yeah. Totally."
Sirius grinned back.
"Well, I'm gonna go wake Nev up. Er, breakfast, you know..."
Sirius nodded but did not stand up. Harry moved across the office and opened the door. Then he paused, added "Nice jammies, by the way," and left without looking at Sirius.
The entire way back to the common room, he thought of only one thing. Sirius was with his parents last night...and Dumbledore too probably. And the only way that Dumbledore would miss the feast was if it was something really bad. And really important. And the only thing Harry could think of that would be important enough was definitely something Pettigrew-related.
Either that or Sirius was having an affair with his mother. Even the thought of that made Harry laugh out loud.
When he finally got back to the common room, he found Neville by the fireplace, reading a book Lily had gotten him. Neville looked up as soon as Harry arrived and slowly shut the book in his lap once he noticed the look on his friend's face.
"So did you see him?" he asked.
"Yeah," said Harry, taking a seat on the couch across from him. "I saw him."
"Did you ask him where he was? Where Dumbledore was? What they were doing if they were together?"
Harry only nodded, eyes on the fireplace.
"And?" said Neville, anxiously.
Harry finally turned to look at him.
"H-he lied to me," he said.
Draco
"No," said Draco.
"But you'll regret it if you don't!"
"I don't care."
"But your mother probably won't be happy—"
"Crabbe, Goyle, shut up," Draco concluded.
The boys fell silent at once.
It was Sunday night—also known as Draco's last night in the hospital. Potter had been released that morning, but Madame Pomfrey had insisted that Draco stay another night. So, his friends had taken it upon themselves to skip dinner in the Great Hall and eat with him instead. And this was actually nice, considering that tomorrow everyone would be on the train back to King's Cross so they could spend Christmas with their families.
Well in Draco's opinion, Christmas was highly overrated.
"But I don't reckon anyone else is stayin' for the holidays," Avery went on. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"I've already decided," Draco said, restlessly.
There was no way in hell that he was going home for the holidays…not after that little stunt his mother had pulled in front of everyone.
"You know you can't hide forever, mate," said Theo. Draco looked up at him. "You're gonna have to go back sometime."
"Yeah, like this summer, when school's closed and you have no choice but to go home," Blaise pointed out.
"I'll worry about that when we get there," said Draco, calmly. "Guys, I'm not in the mood to discuss it now."
The boys nodded.
"Well are you sure you don't want us to—?"
"Positive," Draco told Crabbe, smiling slightly. "You guys go on home. I'll be fine." He paused. "It might actually be nice to be in the castle with almost zero people around."
"If you say so," sighed Avery.
And the next day, when Draco watched from a window up on the third floor as his friends and housemates battled their way up the snowy path leading to Hogsmeade with all their things, he realized just how right Avery had been. No one else in his house had chosen to stay behind at the school. He'd made all his friends go, and Regina and Pansy too (he needed a break from all the research on hippogriff slaughtering). He knew that Potter and Longbottom had chosen to stay for whatever reason, but other than them and a few other people from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, that was it. He, Draco, now had the whole Slytherin common room to himself.
Feeling mischievous, he casually made his way back to the dungeons and let himself into the still and silent common room. He stood on one leg at the center of the room and looked around. The only sounds were that of the fire cackling in the back, the ticking of the grandfather clock in the far left corner, and the whirling of some weird snow globe that someone had left behind on a desk table. Draco picked it up and shook it lightly, then set it back down and tossed his crutches to the carpet before collapsing on the couch comfortably.
Madame Pomfrey had promised him that his ankle would heal soon enough, so he didn't expect to be stuck in the castle all day long for the entire break. He hoped to soon get outside and enjoy the snow a little bit. It felt like it had been ages since he'd been out. Potter had of course been released from the hospital wing sooner than he, given his lack of injuries and such. But Malfoy honestly didn't mind being there alone. At least he didn't have to face anybody after what his mother had done.
And his friends knew better than to mention it.
Then, Draco remembered Crabbe and Goyle's secret stash of chocolate frogs. He hurried over to the window ledge as fast as he could hopping on one leg, and moved the pillows aside so he could open the box underneath. There lay the most scrumptious pile of sweets he'd ever seen. Feeling reasonably happy, he collected as much as he could in his two hands and hopped his way back to the couch. And hearing no sounds whatsoever—no footsteps and no nothing—was the most peaceful thing he'd had in a long while.
Sure, it hadn't exactly been his year so far...but at least he and Potter weren't fighting anymore...
...sort of...
They seemed to have reached a silent understanding which was good enough at least. And having Sirius at school had been both amazing and torturous. Snape wasn't a very good sport about it, but ever since the incident with Narcissa in the hospital wing, Snape had actually been pretty absent, no surprise there. Draco sighed, doubting he'd ever actually have a chance at a normal family.
He was just through the fourth chapter of his book (and on the 8th chocolate frog) when he heard it...loud, irritating banging on the common room door and a usually-soft voice shrieking from the other side, "OPEN UP, DRACO! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!"
"Oh no," he muttered, getting up as quickly as he could and rushing to open the door.
Yep, there she was indeed. Hermione stared at him, eyes round with fury—or was it confusion?
"What are you doing here?" they both said at once, and Hermione's expression only got angrier.
"I'm sorry, wasn't there any doubt in your head that I would be going home for the holidays?"
"But I had no idea!" she squeaked, pushing past him and into the common room.
"But won't you come in," Draco sighed, letting the door shut after her.
He could feel the portraits up on the walls glaring down at him with fury. Well, at least Hermione had had the decency to dress in muggle clothes before showing up here.
"...and I mean, look..." she said, turning on her heel to look at him, "Don't you just find it a little strange that you didn't tell me, your best friend, that you'd be staying?"
"Well right back at you!" said Draco. "What are you doing here anyway?"
"My parents are going to France so I've decided to stay," Hermione said, simply. "And I would've told you, only every time I tried to visit, your friends were there."
"So?"
"So they don't like me very much," she said," ...clearly."
"Oh come on, that's not true," said Draco, taking a seat on the couch again.
Hermione frowned suddenly and turned around.
"What?" said Draco.
"This..." she said, turning her head back and glancing up at the snake-like mural up on the ceiling which stretched down to the edges of the walls. Her eyes wandered from the green fireplace to the carpeted floors to the stone-cold stairs leading up to the dormitories at the back of the large room. "This is...different."
"You mean from your gold and red cushion chairs and completely circular dimensions?" laughed Draco. "Yeah, I'd say it's different. At least our common room looks like how a normal room should. I can't imagine always having to hang out in a circular room. It goes against all conventional forms of architecture."
Hermione frowned again and Draco grinned.
"Look at what being friends with you has done to my vocabulary," he added.
But Hermione was still frowning.
"What is it now?" Draco sighed.
"When were you ever in the Gryffindor common room?" Hermione demanded.
Finally, Draco's smirk left his face and he looked up at her. Crap.
"I..." he began, fighting through his mind for an excuse—any excuse—that would convince this completely logical girl. "Well I...you know, that time when..."
"I can't believe you!" Hermione suddenly shrieked, and just as soon, Draco was on his feet again, stopping her from leaving the common room. "SO WHAT, DID YOU SNEAK YOUR WAY IN? YOU HAVE AN INVISIBLITY CLOAK OR SOMETHING?"
"No—"
"AN INVISIBILITY POTION OF SOME SORT THAT I'VE NEVER HEARD OF THEN!"
"Not exactly—"
"WELL UNLESS YOU TRANSFIGURED YOURSELF INTO SOME ANIMAL TO POSE AS SOMEONE'S PET...OR BETTER YET, YOU TOOK BLOODY POTION TO MAKE YOURSELF ANOTHER STUDENT, I CAN'T SEE HOW YOU WOULD'VE GOTTEN IN…"
Her voice trailed off and her eyes widened before Draco. He said nothing.
"Oh my God, you did, didn't you?!" she cried. "YOU STOLE POLYJUICE POTION! YOU—"
"Will you keep your voice down?!" he hissed at her. "In case you haven't noticed, these walls are covered with portraits that can talk."
"Portraits that aren't too pleased about this girl intruding in on our common room!" shrieked a witch on one the walls, who had a pointed hat on top of her head and a smug look on her face.
"Okay, okay, we're going!" Draco promised, and he pushed Hermione along with him until they were out of the common room and in the main corridor of the dungeons.
"It was last year and I only did it to protect you, okay?" he began, his voice calmer now.
"What are you—?"
"I did what I had to do because I had my suspicions about Potter and I was sure he was the one after you."
"Are you—?"
"Serious? Yeah, I am, but you know what, I did it to protect you so you're welcome."
Hermione stared at him.
"It's not like we hurt anybody…"
"We?" said Hermione.
Crap.
"Who's 'we'? One of your pals helped you perform this highly illegal operation?"
"Blaise..." Draco muttered. "And anyway, we didn't bother anyone so it's all good."
He leaned against the wall and looked at her in the darkness. She folded her arms and looked away.
"Come on," he said. "Lighten up! Haven't you ever gotten tired of living life predictably all the time?"
"Predictably?" Hermione scoffed. "What part of Hagrid being sued for Buckbeak sounds predictable to you? What part of me breaking my arm or my leg or any other—"
"Okay," Draco cut off. "Alright. I hear you."
Hermione sighed.
"Jeez, why is it that every time we talk, we end up fighting?"
"That's not true," Hermione said at once.
Draco shrugged slightly. "And besides, you're gonna be spending a lot of time in my common room this break so what's the big deal? It's all the same rule breaking."
"Well that's different," Hermione said, immediately.
"How exactly?"
"That's during the break so it doesn't really count. No one's here. It's not rule-breaking per say... more like bending the law instead."
"Whatever you wanna call it," sighed Draco, now leaning back against the wall and closing his eyes. "Do you hear that?"
"What?" said Hermione.
"Nothing," said Draco, eyes still closed. "It's silent. Isn't that so nice?"
"Yeah," said Hermione, softly. "Yeah, it kind of is. Like...the castle is so calm and peaceful now."
"It's ours entirely," Draco added, opening his eyes now.
Hermione gave him a smile.
The next day, she met him in the Great Hall bright and early and they finally did something they hadn't been able to do in a long while—they sat together. Seeing as how so few students had chosen to stay for the holidays, the teachers had gotten rid of the four house tables overnight and replaced them with a large round table at the center of the hall. They'd even surrounded the table with bright and sparkling Christmas trees to add to the festivities. Draco had to admit even to himself that the trees combined with the red and green bows all along the walls and the snow falling from the ceiling made him feel kind of warm inside. Draco didn't even mind that Potter and Longbottom were there with them.
After breakfast, Hermione insisted on a walk about the grounds, and even though Draco's ankle was still healing, a walk sounded really nice. So they returned to their common rooms and met up in the Great Hall a half hour later, all bundled up and ready to go. With Hermione's help, Draco managed to get through the heavy snow and all the way to the courtyard on one foot. They took a seat on the bench just near the big tree that Hagrid had set up earlier that month, and together, they just sat there for a good two hours and talked. And when they were finished talking about one thing, they immediately found another thing to discuss. It was amazing. Draco was sure they hadn't done this since probably that first summer before school. Too many things had gotten in the way since and while they may have talked and hung out a couple of times, it was never like this.
"So how come Potter and Longbottom stayed?" Draco finally asked.
It wasn't that he was curious or anything...but it was rather odd, given that Potter was practically worshipped by his family.
"Harry's parents are renovating the house and Neville usually goes to their house for Christmas so they just asked them to stay at Hogwarts this time so that they wouldn't bother with the renovations," Hermione explained.
"Why does Longbottom—"
"Neville—"
"—go to the Potters' for the holidays?" said Draco. "Why doesn't he just go home?"
"It is his home."
"Wait I don't get it."
Hermione hesitated. "Well Neville's parents don't live with him. His grandmother takes care of him."
"Are they dead?"
"No," said Hermione, quickly. Draco raised his eyebrows. "They're just...they're in special care at St. Mungo's."
"Whoa, what for?"
"I don't know for sure."
Draco hadn't known this about toad boy.
"And so how do the Potters connect to this?"
"Well they're his godparents, you see."
"Ah so the two of them are like brothers basically."
"Sort of, yeah," said Hermione. "I-it's a really complicated history."
Draco only nodded, while silently wondering how Weaslebee felt about all of this. He was no doubt jealous of Potter's connection with toad boy…kind of like how Hermione was with basically all of Draco's friends. Draco suddenly turned to look at her.
"What?" she said, noticing.
"Avery," he blurted out.
Hermione reddened slightly.
"What about him?"
"And Blaise," said Draco. Now, Hermione frowned. "And Crabbe. And Goyle. And Theo and Pansy and Regina and Marcus Flint."
"What about them?" said Hermione, impatiently.
Draco smiled. "You know you're no match for them, right?"
Hermione let out a breath and turned to look back at the snow. "I know."
"You do?" said Draco, eyebrows raised.
"Of course," said Hermione. "You couldn't survive without me even if you wanted to."
"Oh is that right?"
"It is," Hermione nodded. "I'm a major part of your life and you know you can't deny it."
"Well someone's grown cocky over the last few months."
"Oh whatever, you know it's the truth."
Draco let out a laugh and put his arm around Hermione so as to keep them warm from the chilly wind that came in from the south now. They didn't stay in the courtyard for long because it started to get really cold. Back in the castle, Draco got out a deck of cards and he and Hermione played in the Great Hall right until lunch. Then after lunch, it was Wizard's Chess and then another walk outside. Finally, at bedtime, Hermione helped Draco to his common room and he passed out on the couch, feeling happier than he'd felt probably in a long time.
The next day, they did all the same things as the day before and the day after that and the day after that. And dinnertime in the Great Hall with the teachers wasn't actually all that awkward, given that Sirius was there to cool things down. It was actually pretty nice. The only times Draco had to worry about finding something to do were lunchtimes when Hermione insisted on going over to Hagrid's to "take care of important business". Draco didn't bother asking what because he knew exactly what they were up to and he really didn't want to have that fight with Hermione. Not during the holidays.
So he resorted to staring out the window of his dormitory or roaming around the castle some more to exercise his leg. It was really starting to heal. Hermione had been right. Using his leg more instead of sitting around waiting for it to heal like Madame Pomfrey had suggested really did sound like the better idea. Who would've thought?
As Christmas drew nearer and Draco and Hermione had more and more fun each day, he couldn't help but stare at her sometimes and resist the urge to blurt out, "What's been up with you lately?" She'd been acting weird all year, from getting sick all the time (or faking it) to getting all cozy with Avery and then Blaise and then Potter and Longbottom...it wasn't like Hermione to be this...direct with people. Or was Draco just imagining it all?
"So you and Avery..." he said one morning to test her.
She reddened instantly and looked away from him.
Ha. Just as he'd suspected.
"...are the weirdest people I've ever met!"
Hermione breathed.
"Hey, you're not so normal yourself there, mate," she told him.
Draco smiled weakly, but was still not content with her answer or with the way she was handling the situation.
"Look, I saw you guys at the hospital wing," he finally said. Hermione looked up, eyes slightly worried.
"Y-you did?"
"I saw him put his hand on your shoulder and it might have looked like something it wasn't but I'm telling you how it looked. Wrong. That's how it looked."
"W-wrong?"
"And I'm not just saying that because I disapprove—I totally do—but I'm saying that to be truthful. You don't wanna get caught up in a Gryffindor/Slytherin mess, Hermione. Trust me."
"I..."
"Yeah, yeah, I know what you're gonna say. 'Draco, you're crazy!' 'Draco, the thought hasn't even occurred to me!' 'Draco, how could you even think?!' But you know what, I'd feel so much better if you'd just say it so go on with it."
Hermione stared at him.
"Come on, I won't even argue, just tell me I'm crazy and we'll move off from the subject altogether."
"Draco..."
"Look, you don't even have to say it like how I said. Just say 'you're right' and I'll never mention it again."
"Draco..."
"Why can't you just say it, dammit? What's the problem?"
He finally looked at her and Hermione opened her mouth slightly but no words came out.
Oh no. Was she gonna...?...did she actually...?
"You're right," she said, smiling weakly.
Draco breathed.
"Good. Man, it took you long enough to say it."
"Yeah."
Good then. So now that all that was cleared up, Draco could finally go on with his life without any worries from that department. He couldn't even imagine the awkwardness if Hermione and Avery started going out. He was sure he'd flip out, and not because he wanted Hermione. That was not what this was about. It was because no one deserved her. Especially not a bloke like Avery. And she needed to know that.
The next day, when Hermione went on her usual trip to Hagrid's, Draco decided to make a trip down to the Trophy Room. He hadn't done that in a while and he was starting to wonder if it still looked the same. To say that he was surprised to see Snape standing there once he finally arrived was definitely an understatement. And Snape looked just as equally surprised to see him there.
"Hey Sev," Draco said, softly, letting the door shut behind him.
"Hi Draco," said Snape. "How are you feeling? How's that ankle of yours doing?"
"Fine," Draco mumbled, remaining at the door. "W-what are you doing here?"
"I was just looking around..." Snape said, turning back to examine a silver trophy on a dusty old shelf. Draco joined Snape's side and examined the award. It read:
Medal for Special Services to the School
Awarded to one Thomas Marvolo Riddle
1942
"What..." said Draco, but Snape only shook his head.
"So, have you spoken to your mother since—?"
"No, I haven't," Draco said at once.
Snape nodded again.
"That's understandable, I suppose."
"Glad you agree," Draco muttered, turning away from him. It was surprising, really, that Snape was even talking to him. He wasn't an idiot of course. He knew that he felt guilty for how Narcissa had acted and so he was trying to make up for it now. Draco wondered if Snape had actually said anything to her that day, after she'd administered the hateful slap to her own son in front of his friends, teachers and archenemies.
"Do you reckon Pettigrew is somewhere out there now?" Draco blurted out, his eyes still on the trophy.
"I really don't know," Snape answered after a moment's silence.
Draco gulped nervously. That wasn't a comforting answer.
"But I do know," said Snape, suddenly turning to look at Draco, "that if he is, those dementors out there will dig their own graves and then crawl into them before they'll let anyone else get their hands on him."
Draco let out a weak smile.
"He's a dead man if he goes anywhere near the castle," Snape added momentarily.
Draco sighed. Clearly Snape didn't know anything about Pettigrew's recent break-in to the castle. Now that he thought about it, Draco doubted any of the other teachers besides Dumbledore knew. And perhaps McGonagall too.
On Christmas morning, Draco awoke to a large pile of presents at the foot of his bed. He smiled down at them and then flicked his wand to levitate them together in the air. He then proceeded down the stairs in his pajamas, his hair still ruffled and standing in all angles. He settled the presents on the nearest table and slowly made his way over to the common room door. When he opened it, he found a smiling Hermione standing before him, her own pile of presents levitated just behind her.
"Merry Christmas!" she exclaimed, running into his arms.
Draco yawned into her bushy hair. "You too."
Hermione pushed past him, the pile of presents following after her, and settled herself on the couch. Draco shut the door and followed.
"Come on, let's open them!" she squeaked.
"You first," Draco sighed, still thinking of his dream where he and Pansy were the ones sitting in the snowy courtyard. Why the hell was he having all these weird dreams all the time?
Hermione excitedly reached for a gold-wrapped package and began to tear it open. A book. Obviously.
When they were finally done opening presents, Draco had come to three conclusions. A) Hermione always knew which book to get him and it still amazed him how well she knew him. B) He was really, really, really, really lucky to have amazing friends in Slytherin. And C) Sirius was the coolest man alive.
Draco looked for Sirius at breakfast time to thank him but not all of the teachers had come together. He tried Sirius' office afterwards but he was either still asleep or off somewhere doing something important. Or illegal. Or both. So Draco resorted to waiting until evening, for the Christmas Feast, where he could thank Sirius properly. Because never, in a million dreams, would he have ever thought that he'd be the proud owner of a Firebolt. A bloody firebolt!
Now, the Slytherins would surely win the Quidditch Cup, whether Draco's ankle healed in time for the next match or not. It didn't even matter that they never got their rematch. The Slytherins were headed for that cup for sure. There was no question of it.
But funny how sometimes things just turned out not how expected...
Draco and Hermione entered the Great Hall in time for the big Christmas Feast, only to find that two very important people were missing from that big round table...Sirius and Dumbledore.
Without even thinking about it, Draco looked round at Potter and gave him a questioning look which the boy reciprocated at once. Well, thought Draco, at least he didn't know something Draco didn't. At least they could both be clueless for once.
Unfortunately though, the two main figures' absences made for a rather dismal Christmas Feast, because Draco tuned out most of everything that was happening. He barely even ate, but only Hermione seemed to notice. And Snape of course. He was sitting just at Draco's side and kept shooting him worried looks. Draco was sure the other teachers would start to suspect Snape of becoming a softie or something. McGonagall didn't seem too concerned with Dumbledore's absence however, so at least there was that.
Oh and that Trelawney hag...she was acting really weird. She started rambling something about how 13 can't dine together and how it's bad luck and everything. And then when the feast was nearly over and Draco and Potter stood up at the same time, Trelawney let out a shriek and cried, "Which of you dear boys got up first? Which?!"
Draco had to fight the urge to yell, "CALM YOURSELF, WOMAN!" But he really, really, really wanted to.
But it seemed that Professor McGonagall had decided to take matters into her own hands.
"I doubt it will make much difference," she told the poor professor, coldly, "unless a mad axe-man is waiting outside the doors to slaughter the first into the Entrance Hall."
Draco let out a laugh before he could stop himself, while Professor Trelawney looked highly affronted and crossed.
Potter whispered something to Longbottom and then proceeded out of the Great Hall. Without hesitation, Draco followed, with Hermione just behind him. Once in the Entrance Hall, they turned to look at Potter, who was waiting there for them.
"Do you know where he is?" were the first words out of Draco, even though he already knew the answer from the look on Potter's face.
Still though, he had to hear it to believe it.
Potter shook his head.
"Guys, Professor Dumbledore probably just has some important headmaster business to attend to," Hermione offered.
"Not him, Sirius!" said Draco. "You dork," he added quietly to her.
"Oh," she mouthed.
"I'm sure he's fine," said Longbottom, who'd now joined them three. His voice was the calmest out of all of them. "We shouldn't get ahead of ourselves tonight. Just find him tomorrow and ask him where he was."
Draco wasn't convinced. He had to find him tonight. He had to know what the hell was up. It wasn't like Sirius to disappear like this without saying anything to anybody.
And the Dumbledore thing…that was weird too.
"...no I think I'll stay a while," Hermione finished telling Longbottom. Toad boy shrugged and turned for the stairs, but his pal Potter didn't follow him.
When his friend finally left, Potter turned to Draco. "Could you give us a sec?"
Draco raised his eyebrows, but clearly not as far as Hermione did.
"Us?" she said.
"Yeah, us," said Potter. "I need to talk to you."
"Uh...okay..." said Draco, frowning but not moving very far so that he could at least eavesdrop on some of the conversation Potter so desperately needed to keep private.
What a git.
Unfortunately for Draco, he couldn't overhear anything because of how hard his heart was pounding against his chest. He knew it was silly to worry about Sirius but he couldn't help it. Finally giving up on any chance of hearing what Potter was saying, Draco moved to stand near the entrance to the dungeons and leaned against the wall, his hands slipping into his pockets and his eyes shutting slightly in attempt to calm himself down. And before long, Hermione was tapping him on the shoulder and the two of them were alone in the corridor again.
"What did he want?" were the first words out of Draco's mouth, but Hermione only smiled.
She led the way to the dungeons (she'd gotten to know them fairly well over the break) and waited as Draco uttered the password and let them both into the common room. They then settled down on the carpet by the fireplace and cracked open Blaise's Wizard's Chess set which he'd left behind.
"So...his mother wants you to tutor him?" Draco concluded once Hermione had finished talking.
"Pretty much," she said, moving a pawn to the side and sighing deeply. "She's actually a really nice lady, from what I saw when I met her."
"Yeah but..." said Draco, who couldn't understand it. "Potter has a girlfriend for all that, why you?"
"Hey," said Hermione, looking up at him. "A girlfriend and a tutor mate are not the same thing."
"Well then clearly you and I need to have 'the talk' again, because I have news for you, Granger. Yeah, they are."
"No, they're not!"
"Yeah, they are!"
And just like that, Hermione tackled Draco, letting the chess pieces fall to the side and complain noisily while the two friends tickled each other practically to death. When they were tired of playing, they settled down on the couch to catch their breaths and Hermione wiped tears from her face.
"That was fun," she breathed, turning her head slowly to look at Draco. "We haven't hung out like that in a long time."
"Yeah," Draco agreed. "Feels like it's been years."
"More like several lifetimes," Hermione added. She then frowned. "Why is it that no matter how much time passes between intense hangout sessions, each one is stronger than the last?"
"How do you mean?"
"Well...it's just always so easy to get back to that place…no matter what happened beforehand..."
Draco thought about it for a minute and then took Hermione's hand. "I guess that's how you know that it's real."
Hermione looked at him.
"It should all be easy," he sighed, letting his eyes close slightly.
Right now, being here, he was really happy. It didn't matter how much he would have to worry about tomorrow. He was content.
"Merry Christmas, Draco," Hermione suddenly whispered.
Without opening his eyes, Draco whispered "Merry Christmas, Hermione," and then let himself drift off to that beautiful land he wished he could live in.
Hermione gently squeezed his hand.
Let me know what you guys think will go down with Pettigrew! You know it's coming...
Also, he's not gonna be the version of Pettigrew that we know from canon. That was low-self-esteemed, betrayed-everyone-so-everyone-hates-him, cowardly Pettigrew. But THIS is going to be post-Azkaban Pettigrew. Think... Azkaban-Sirius-combined-with-Bellatrix-combined-with-Crouch Pettigrew.
P.S there was some strange technical difficulty when i tried uploading the chapter...dunno what happened...sorry about that, people