Recall
"Where do you think she's going?" Blaise asked.
"Find Potter and Weasley," Draco said with contempt.
"She won't find them here."
Draco heard the tone that Blaise was sure of what he said. "Where are they?"
"They left last night," Blaise said.
It bothered Draco more than his confusion that Blaise knew a lot more than he did. "How do you know?"
"The Dark Lord found out," Blaise continued.
Draco had a lot more questions but what Blaise said made him understand why the attack was tonight.
Harry Potter made his move and it was time for the Dark Lord to make his as well.
(o_o)…(o_o)…(o_o)
Chapter 36
Deadbolt
(o_o)…(o_o)…(o_o)
Blaise stood up and brushed his clothes like he had all the time in the world. Draco watched him as if he could tell what side Blaise chose by staring at him.
"Let's go," Blaise said in an unusually lively tone.
He had the wrong reactions at the wrong times, Draco noticed.
"Where to?" Draco gripped Blaise's arm and pulled himself to stand up.
"To the battlefield," Blaise said exaggeratedly in a lower tone and ran his fingers through his hair.
"You seem happy," Draco voiced his observation.
"Seem is the key word. Let's enjoy our last moments," Blaise said and threw an arm around Draco's shoulders.
"What last moments?" Draco asked.
"Do you think we'll survive this war?"
"It depends on how well you defend yourself," Draco said.
"Don't answer like that," Blaise sighed.
"Negative thinking, that's new," Draco muttered and Blaise chuckled.
He pulled Draco out the door and they both walked the length of the hallway; Blaise's arm was still around his shoulders.
"I'm going to look for Hermione," Draco was about to pull away from Blaise but he stopped him.
"Why?" Blaise asked.
Draco snorted. Shouldn't I?
"Do you want to put her in danger?" Blaise asked.
"Of course not," Draco said in defense.
"I won't let her fight if I were you," Blaise shook his head slightly and they both walked on even though Draco moved in slight motions to try and get away from Blaise's grip.
"She's as stubborn as you," Draco said. "I can't convince her not to fight."
"Then let my stubbornness equal hers," Blaise said and Draco questioned the statement in silence.
Blaise huffed and removed his arm from Draco's shoulders. Draco massaged the back of his shoulder where Blaise gripped the tightest. They walked down to the third floor.
"Get ready," Blaise said and took his wand out.
Draco did the same. They walked so leisurely that as soon as they approached the steps leading down to the second floor, they could hear the shouts and the screams as well as the blasts that followed.
"It was nice knowing you," Blaise smirked and ran down the stairs shielding his body from the spells that flew around the castle.
Draco stood there, not knowing how sudden the events occurred. Just less than an hour ago, he was with an unconscious Hermione and now he was worrying about how to find her in the middle of the war.
"Petrificus Totalus."
Draco heard the spell just in time to dodge it. He turned around to see Cho Chang behind him.
"Try casting it nonverbally," Draco said and threw a body-bind curse at her.
Cho Chang dropped stiff on the floor. He ran away and took cover behind the metal armor at the side, waiting for other students to pass, hoping to see Hermione.
(o_o)…(o_o)…(o_o)
Hermione rested her forehead against the cold wall, suddenly remembering the time when Madam Pomfrey was killed.
At that time, she felt her head was heavy with something (the potion) that sedated her and all she could see were glimpses of the moment but it was enough to raise the hairs at the back of her neck.
She felt her heart beating against her chest.
She remembered the horrible scene when she was on the sixth floor on her way to the Gryffindor tower while trying to remember where she left her wand. She moved to the wall when she saw an image of Madam Pomfrey sprawled on the floor, lifeless.
She knew where her wand was and it would take most of the strength she had to go and get it. She took a couple of deep breaths and walked out of the classroom, hoping not to meet anyone on her way to the Hospital Wing.
It was wrong for her to wish it but she knew that meeting someone along the way would be likely, considering that everyone was running, hiding or fighting. She listened to sounds that would warn her of someone approaching or someone leaving but heard none. She hurried down the steps and cautiously made her way through the empty halls.
She felt naked without her wand; it felt like being an exposed target and having no way to defend herself.
She heard a loud bang from the next corner so she chose to avoid it in case it was someone she couldn't fight at that moment. The double doors of the Hospital Wing made her take in more air than usual.
She couldn't imagine seeing Madam Pomfrey with a clear mind.
She gulped and opened the door, being as quiet as possible. She closed her eyes and turned to move to the bed she occupied more than an hour ago. She groped for the sides of the beds, kicking some of the privacy screens accidentally as she made her way to the table where her wand was. She patted the table and felt that there were no objects on top of it.
She whimpered slightly and opened her eyes slowly to look for her wand.
The things were scattered on the floor, like someone was in a hurry to leave the place. She couldn't blame that person. It was horror to stay in such a gloomy room with a dead body nearby of someone who didn't deserve her demise.
She saw a part of her wand sticking out from under the bed so she bent down to pick it up. Without looking, she levitated the sheet of one of the beds and turned her head slowly to see where to place it on. She saw Madam Pomfrey's legs, the view of the rest of her body obstructed by the bed next to hers. She held her breath and tried to stop her tears as she placed the white sheet over the nurse's body.
She strapped her wand to her sandals and quietly walked out of the large hall, a large lump stuck in her throat as she refused to cry. She opened the door and saw the ropes flying to her just before it rendered her unable to reach for her wand in defense.
Two cloaked men with masks covering their faces approached her.
Hermione struggled with the ropes but couldn't free herself, not even move the ropes the slightest inch. One of the cloaked men carried her and she made it difficult for the person by moving a lot, making him drop her twice.
"Can you carry her?" The shorter one asked.
"She's just wiggly," the taller one answered.
Hermione recognized their voices but she couldn't fit faces right away since the man carried her again.
"Where are you taking me?" Hermione tried to jerk herself free from the person but it proved hard when he gripped tighter.
They walked up the stairs and Hermione feared being dropped down the steps so she stopped struggling and hoped that they won't drop her off the window. She bit her lip and shut her eyes tight when she felt the man's arms slacken. She felt the air escape her body when she hit the floor.
Hermione looked up at them.
"Are you sure it's her?" The shorter one asked.
"She was with Malfoy at the party," the taller one replied.
"Crabbe! Goyle!" Hermione thought aloud, realizing who the two cloaked men were.
The two glanced at each other and Goyle shrugged.
"How did she know?" Hermione heard Crabbe whisper just before the door closed in front of her.
Where am I? Hermione looked around and saw the familiar wooden doors and the chipped sinks.
The floating white figure with her head tilted to one side confirmed her observations.
"Those two spent a lot of time here... practicing the spell that would trap anyone here," Moaning Myrtle said. "Anyone, except me, of course."
"Help me."
"I'm not capable of doing so," the ghost replied and floated towards her.
"You sure could flood this bathroom but you can't help me with ropes," Hermione muttered.
"I can flood it now if you want," the ghost said with the intention of doing so.
"No! No! I was just kidding," Hermione said and forced a laugh.
Hermione stood up by pushing her back against the wall. She looked down at the ropes that wrapped her body. She bent down and tilted her body to the side, stretching her fingers to reach for her wand that was strapped to her sandals. She strained a bit more, hurting her skin that rubbed against the tight ropes.
She could almost laugh with joy when her fingers caught the end of her wand. She smiled and pointed it towards herself.
"Alantare," Hermione whispered and she felt her blood circulation return to normal when the ropes loosened and disappear when it hit the floor. "That wasn't so hard."
Moaning Myrtle floated around the room and sat on top of one of the worn wooden doors of the cubicles.
Hermione tried to open the door but she could not, so she pointed her wand towards the door and tried her luck with the spell she knew wouldn't work if they really planned to lock her in the bathroom: "Alohamora."
Nothing happened.
The ghost's laughter echoed in the empty bathroom.
"I knew that wouldn't work," Hermione said.
"Right," Myrtle teased.
Hermione frowned when she turned her back towards the ghost and wondered why she explained herself to the floating ectoplasm (muggle term).
"Confringo," Hermione said with an air of confidence that it would work.
The spell hit the door and reflected to the door that Myrtle was sitting on. The door blasted into pieces but the main door remained intact. Hermione gaped and faced Moaning Myrtle.
"They did this?" Hermione asked. "They set up a number of spells on the door!"
Myrtle nodded slowly, teasing Hermione with an annoying grin.
"Finite!" Hermione pointed her wand at the door. "Alohamora."
Nothing happened.
"That's impossible," Hermione muttered as Moaning Myrtle went through the routine of laughing and flying around every time the spell she cast didn't work.
"That wasn't so hard… wasn't so hard," Moaning Myrtle sang and flew around the room. "Wasn't so hard..."
"Oh stop it," Hermione said and blasted a curse she didn't intend to release towards the laughing ghost.
The ghost laughed harder when the spell went through her, hitting the wall behind her.
"Oh no, I'm sorry," Hermione said, shocked by the spell that shot out of her wand.
Hermione tried blasting the walls and using every spell she knew (that would be a lot) but the results were the same: nothing.
"You can only open it from the outside," Moaning Myrtle breathed to Hermione's face. She was thankful that Myrtle was dead or else that would have smelled bad.
Hermione leaned against one of the sinks and tried to figure out how to get out of the bathroom. She looked up at the window beyond her reach. As she watched Moaning Myrtle float and fly around, singing to her, she wished she was a ghost.
"Wait, help me. Go and find Draco Malfoy," Hermione said to Moaning Myrtle.
"Draco Malfoy?"
"Yes! Go and find him. Ask around if you have to."
"Why should I help you?" Moaning Myrtle asked and sat on the windowsill, making it a point to stay above Hermione's head.
"Help me or else… I'll tell Harry… not to give you the gift… he wrapped for you," Hermione said, improvising as she said it.
The ghost chuckled like she won the war.
"Do you think everyone's dumb?" Moaning Myrtle said with horror in her tone. "Do you think I'm dumb?"
Myrtle flew towards Hermione and drew her pearly-white face near Hermione's. Hermione felt the cool sensation on her skin but she did not back down.
"No, I'm telling you, Harry will not give it to you if you don't help me."
The ghost didn't answer but she floated around again and settled in front of Hermione, making her take a step back.
"Come on, you have to help me. I can't be stuck here while people are killing each other outside," Hermione pleaded.
"It can't be that bad. At least you won't get hurt," the ghost said.
"I have to help Harry and Ron… the Order. I want to see my parents… Malfoy," Hermione said and traced the snake-shaped handles of the sink. "Please. Help me."
Moaning Myrtle floated around above her and passed through a wall. Hermione stared at the empty air for a while, wondering if the ghost gave in to her request.
(o_o)…(o_o)…(o_o)
"How can you hit me like that?" Blaise said as he dodged the next spell that Kia Mizan sent towards his direction. He didn't how but he somehow ended up near the lake when Kia chased him out of the castle.
"Next time, don't tell someone you like them when you plan to hex them later," Blaise said as he hid behind a large rock.
"Defodio," Kia whispered and the rock exploded into tiny pieces.
Blaise stood up and shot a binding spell before Kia could hit him with another spell. Blaise sighed and went over to the restrained Head Girl. He picked up Kia's wand.
"I don't really want to hurt you," Blaise whispered. Blaise pulled Kia into the Forbidden Forest.
"Stay here," Blaise said and tied Kia to the tree.
"Very romantic," Kia drawled, trying to pull her arms free.
Blaise smiled and said: "Don't worry. I'll marry you if we survive this war."
Kia's eyes widened then in a moment, her eyes narrowed. "Don't mock me."
"Defend well, honey," Blaise said with sarcasm and placed Kia's wand in the space between her skin and her gown.
Kia gasped and glared at Blaise. "You pig!"
Blaise hushed her as he smirked. "They'll find you if you make too much noise."
Blaise walked back to the castle, hiding behind trees and bushes as he passed dueling wizards and witches. He managed to sneak back into the castle but not after avoiding the spells that were thrown at him.
"This is discrimination," Blaise muttered to himself.
"What is?" Goyle asked and it was only then that Blaise noticed him hiding in the classroom he just entered.
"Just because were Slytherins, we get hit by every other House in the school," Blaise complained and Goyle laughed.
He actually got it, Blaise laughed along.
Laughing in the middle of the war makes death scarier than should be; it was reminding them how much they'd miss if they would die defending themselves.
The irony, Blaise thought as he remembered that most of the seventh year death-eaters' sons and daughters were now on the field fighting against their schoolmates.
Moaning Myrtle's head came through the door and it startled both living beings in the classroom.
"Do you know Draco Malfoy?" The ghost asked.
"Yes," Blaise said and brushed his dress robe as he walked back to the place he was occupying before she surprised them.
"Where is he?" Moaning Myrtle asked.
"Why do you need the Head Boy?" Blaise asked.
"She can actually fly out of her bathroom," Goyle thought aloud.
Moaning Myrtle looked up at him. "You…"
"Me?" Goyle took a step back.
"You're the one who locked her up," she accused and ignored the fact that she passed through Blaise to move towards Goyle.
"Don't pass through me like that," Blaise said and rubbed his left arm.
The ghost ignored him and floated in front of Goyle who look scared. "Are you Draco Malfoy?"
"N-no," Goyle said and held his hands up in front of his face.
Moaning Myrtle turned back to Blaise. "Are you Draco Malfoy?"
"No," Blaise said, still feeling the cool sensation that Myrtle left when she passed through him. "But I can pass the message."
"Tell him to go to the bathroom on the second floor," Moaning Myrtle said. "The lady's crying her eyes out and flooding my bathroom."
And with that, she left. She went through the closed door and left the two wondering.
"I didn't know someone could flood that bathroom other than her," Goyle said and Blaise rolled his eyes.
Explaining to Goyle that it was just an exaggeration would take a lot of time and effort.
"Where's Malfoy anyways?" Goyle asked.
"Probably looking for his fiancée," Blaise said and shrugged.
(o_o)…(o_o)…(o_o)
"Did you find him?" Hermione asked expectantly as soon as Moaning Myrtle passed through the wall.
"No," she replied.
Hermione's shoulders slumped.
"But I found a dark skinned boy. He said he'd tell him," the ghost said and sat on the sink.
Blaise. "Thank you," Hermione smiled at the floating mist.
She walked towards the door and knocked a few times. "I hope he finds me soon."
"Alohamora," she whispered and pointed her wand towards the door.
Hermione growled when nothing happened.
She stepped back. "Confringo."
The same thing happened. The spell bounced and blasted another door into pieces.
"How many times will you try? Are you not convinced that you can't open it?" Myrtle's voice echoed.
"I'm sorry," Hermione turned to the ghost. "I'll fix those."
She pointed her wand towards the broken doors and the pieces floated and got back together.
Why did they lock me up? Hermione asked herself. Why didn't they just kill me?
(o_o)…(o_o)…(o_o)
Blaise saw a pale blond head running away from the Great Hall and up the stairs. He followed the only indication he could find of Draco.
Draco entered the Hospital Wing and was quite sure that someone was staring at him. He looked back and saw Blaise running after him.
"Where have you been?" Blaise asked as soon as he caught up.
"I can't find Hermione," Draco said, slightly panicked.
"Did you check the ones lying dead?" Blaise said with no hint of humor in his voice.
Draco glared at him. "That wasn't funny."
"I was serious," Blaise shrugged.
"The professors are already fighting back," Draco said, ignoring Blaise's tactless comment. "McGonagall requested for back-up."
"Hm, nice," Blaise smiled at him appraisingly. "Your attack is diff'rent."
"I'm not attacking," Draco said. "I just defend."
Blaise slapped his forehead. "I meant you dig for information from the other side."
"It was accidental," Draco said. He saw the Weasleys arrive and watched them come out from the direction of Professor McGonagall's office as he hid behind a classroom door.
Draco moved down the row of beds and found the white sheet over an unmoving figure and he didn't have to raise it to see who it was. The two white shoes that were sticking out from under the sheet were evidence enough that it wasn't Hermione. He sat on one of the beds and stared at the floor like it held the answers to the world's questions.
"Don't worry," Blaise said. "She's alright. She's capable of defending herself."
"You don't need to defend yourself when you're dead," Draco muttered.
"Why are you suddenly playing saint?" Blaise asked. "Are you not worried about your parents?"
"Of course I am," Draco said matter-of-factly. "There are some people who are within my reach."
Blaise chuckled and Draco couldn't find what could cause such a reaction.
"So you're looking for Hermione because she's the easiest to find?" Blaise sat beside Draco.
"No," Draco admitted.
Draco was worried about his parents but he knew that they would both protect each other if needed.
Hermione, on the other hand, was alone.
"Are you going to challenge her to a duel?" Blaise asked.
Draco glanced at Blaise and raised an eyebrow. "What's running through your head?"
"The usual," Blaise said matter-of-factly. "Kia attacked me a while ago."
"Did you kill her?" Draco asked.
"Yes," Blaise lied, wondering why Draco asked such an unusual question. "You're not worried about me?"
"I see you alive and well," Draco explained his lack of concern for Blaise.
"Let's leave this place before someone finds us," Blaise pulled Draco's sleeve.
Just when they were walking back to the Great Hall, the Patil twins passed carrying Lavender Brown so Draco and Blaise moved to the wall and slipped into the classroom of Muggle Studies.
"We're lucky it's dark," Blaise said and moved away from the door.
Blaise noticed Draco staring at the last vial of Acua in his hands.
Draco took the cork off the bottle and sipped the light pink liquid.
(o_o)…(o_o)…(o_o)
Author's Note: *sighs* a few more and goodbye.
Thank you for the reviews! Review again and make me smile like an idiot. :D
Crazy school, they don't want me to attend my classes yet. ^^
This is about to end...
I want to know, which should I continue?
...Prank or Seal the Deal or one of the unwritten ones in my profile?