She ascended the stairs alone. She'd left dinner early, only having eaten a biscuit, and taken another with her as she left, though the second one wasn't for her. Her determination to make Draco eat more was cutting back on her own food intake. Not that it bothered her any. She was at a healthier weight than Draco was, she was sure. For how little he'd eaten that year...
She tugged the door to the Room of Hidden Things open, surprised to find Draco on the other side, having been just about to grab the door handle. Before she even had a chance to speak, he was kissing her.
Immediately, she knew something was up, but it was impossible for her to deny him - and herself - the opportunity to kiss him. They broke apart only when it reached the point where they'd certainly earn more than a detention for how tightly they were pressed together, and for where his hands were going.
After a moment of near-silence as they caught their breath and let their minds clear slightly. "You fixed it, didn't you?" She breathed, still a little jittery from the kiss.
"Yes." He replied under his breath, still holding her around the waist.
"Now what?" She asked quietly.
"Now nothing." He replied. "But you-" He said, "You should really get some sleep. You're going to look as bad as me pretty soon." He commented.
"Doubtful." She responded. "You need sleep far worse than I do."
"I will, alright?" He said, "But I'll walk you to Gryffindor Tower first, if you like."
Her eyes searched his. She felt a strange difference in his behavior, though she wasn't sure if it might have just been because the weight that had been on his shoulders all year was finally gone. "I would." She said, "If you promise you'll go to your dorm and sleep."
"I promise." He assured her.
When they reached the portrait, however, she paused, "You're sure that's all for now?" She asked.
"Of course." He said, pressing his lips to her forehead and lingering there for a moment before looking at her again, pointedly. "Goodnight."
She eyed him, "You too."
"Don't worry, Rem. I'll get some sleep." He insisted. She looked at him for another moment, flashed a quick smile and entered the portrait.
She couldn't get the question out of her head. What now? The Cabinet was fixed, a death still needed to occur, but whose? And what was it that the Cabinet was needed for? She had come to the conclusion that someone needed to be smuggled into the castle, likely the Dark Lord's followers. They would be there, perhaps, for backup. Or a distraction.
But the really pressing detail, was now the who rather than how. She couldn't imagine that Draco would be ordered to kill Harry. She was sure that the Dark Lord - him being the sort of controlling, maniacal, twisted sadist he was - would not allow someone else to end Harry's life. But who else could be a target? She didn't think that any of the students could be considered a threat to Voldemort. And how could he possibly place Draco in charge of killing an adult, when he'd only come of age earlier that month?
Not to mention, there was hardly any time left. Only a couple days.
Only a couple days left before she knew she probably wouldn't see Draco for a couple months. And for that fact, he'd been a bit quick to rid of her, suggesting that she go to her dormitory.
When she walked into the common room, she found that it was fairly empty, everyone else seemed to have moved on to their dorms already. She saw Hermione and Ron sitting near the fire, talking.
Recently, she hadn't been one to search out her Housemates to speak with them, but the fact that Harry wasn't with Ron and Hermione surprised her a bit, and with a bad feeling already seeded in her gut, she brought herself to walk over by them.
"Where's Harry?" She asked conversationally, leaning against the back of a couch near them.
Both of them turned to look at her. Ron's eyes were fixated in something awfully close to a glare, obviously still begrudging over her attachment to Draco.
"He went to go see Dumbledore, why?" Hermione responded, her voice at least reaching amiable notes.
"I was just wondering." Rem replied. "It's getting kind of late, is all... Fay already go to bed?"
Hermione nodded, "Something about a headache and exams tomorrow."
"Right." Remington remarked, maneuvering around the couch to sit. "Exams. Gross."
"I know." Hermione agreed. "I should be studying." She said, looking a bit worried.
"You'll be fine, Hermione." Ron said, sounding a touch exasperated.
Just then, Harry burst back into the common room through the portrait hole. Hermione and Ron nearly jumped out of their seats. "What does he want? Harry, are you okay?" Hermione quickly asked, but Harry sped right past them, answering that he was fine.
"I've got a really bad feeling." Ron commented. Remington looked at him for a moment. He hadn't any idea how bad it could be.
When Harry reappeared, he went straight to Hermione and Ron, explaining that he and Dumbledore were going on some sort of mission. Remington had turned her eyes on the fire, half-listening in. "... So you see what this means?" Harry said when he finished, "Dumbledore won't be here tonight, so Malfoy's going to have a clear shot at whatever he's up to-" Both Ron and Hermione looked ready to object, but Remington beat them to it.
"Will you stop targeting Draco?" She snapped, glaring at Harry, though she'd paled slightly.
"Don't even try to deny it, Remington." Harry rounded on her. "We're both aware he's up to no good. Whatever he's doing..." Rem stared daggers at him, but said nothing. He returned the look with a similar amount of venom. "So... you've got to watch him, and you've got to watch Snape too." He continued, turning back to Ron and Hermione. "Use anyone else who you can rustle up from the D.A."
"Harry-" Hermione began to say.
"I haven't got any more time to argue." He said, shooting a sour look at Rem. He shoved a sheet of parchment and a bottle of something into their hands, instructing them to split the Felix Felicis between themselves and Ginny before he left the room.
Remington had remained seated throughout the ordeal.
"I'll try the D.A. right away-" Hermione said, pulling a Galleon from her pocket, the same as what all of Dumbledore's Army had the year before to tell them when the next meeting was.
"So whose side are you on?" Ron asked Remington, giving her a look.
"I want to be on yours." She said honestly. But it wasn't exactly that easy.
"Thing is, we can't trust you." He said.
"I know you can't." She replied, standing up. "But I'm not going to fight against you guys. I hope you know that."
"Doesn't mean you won't fight for them." Ron muttered.
"I sure as hell won't fight for them." She snapped. "I'll fight for Draco."
"I still don't understand what-" He began to argue sharply before Hermione interrupted their confrontation.
"Hey!" She said, "We don't have time for this!" She thrust the map at Ron, "You go get Neville, I'll get Ginny. Some others might show up- We'll go to the Room of Requirement first and then I'll take a couple people to Snape's..."
Remington had started heading to the portrait, which caught Ron's attention, though he listened to what Hermione was saying.
