Chapter 10
...
The next day, Draco didn't show up to breakfast or morning classes. Yet, none of the sixth year Slytherins seemed concerned. Malinda spent the lessons sitting impatiently, anxiety making her fingers dance across the desk tops and feet tap on the floor. When lunch came and still no sign of Draco, she started to bite her nails, a habit she'd beat years ago. His absence was alarming. Too many things were at risk. If he was contacting his mother or worse, a Death Eater, about what she told him…
"Gross, stop," Daphne reached out and knocked Malinda's hand out of the latter's mouth. Her friend eyed her suspiciously. "What is with you today?"
"Nervous," Malinda muttered.
"What?"
She sighed, "Nothing."
"Obviously it's not nothing," Clare frowned from across the table. "You've looked awful since last night. Not feeling well?"
"Just homesick," Malinda lied with a mumble.
Understanding washed over the young women. They exchanged pitying looks before Daphne wrapped an arm around Malinda's shoulders. "Why would you miss America when you have this wonderful, lovely British weather?"
They all looked up at the cloudy, murky magical ceiling mirroring the sky outside. Malinda snorted, "I've told you how beautiful Hawaii is this time of year, yes?"
"Oh who needs paradise when you have us?" Clare sniffed.
Malinda chuckled. "Riiiiight."
"Oi," a large bag of gold dropped on the table in front of Malinda. Her mood brightened slightly, glad to see her bet winnings actually honored. Blaise sat next to Clare with a nonchalant expression, making it hard to judge if his pride was hurt or not by the loss. "What's the plan for tomorrow then?"
"Drinks on Mal of course," Clare pointed at the winnings. "I haven't forgotten."
"Neither have I," added Daphne with a blinding smile. The young witch was absolutely stunning but Blaise seemed not to notice. Malinda glanced between them in disappointment. Maybe Draco wasn't the only one she could help.
"Let's meet up at the Three Broomsticks then at one," Malinda suggested.
Blaise raised an eyebrow, "Why so late?"
"Need to do some shopping first and I have a floo appointment with my parents."
"Ah," the handsome but completely oblivious boy nodded. "Perhaps you should suggest they come here for holidays? I'm sure my mother would be agreeable to hosting."
Daphne lit up. "What a wonderful idea! You could stay with us too. We're off to Southern France for Christmas if they'd like to take a trip. There's plenty of space in our chateau."
Malinda panicked slightly. She fought it off by crossing her arms and winking with more bravado than needed, "Hawaii, people. Remember sunny and warm Hawaii!"
"I fully expect you to return with a glowing tan then," Daphne deflated slightly. Then turned to Pansy. Things had been tense between the other girls. Pansy was still upset at them for taking Malinda's side and had only started talking to Daphne again. They'd been lifelong friends, playmates from birth, yet they were so different.
"Are you still going to Switzerland then, Pansy?"
The dark-haired girl sighed dramatically. "Father would like to go but Mother is insisting we go somewhere warm. Perhaps we'll visit our manor on the Spanish coast."
"Oh Spain," Blaise smirked. "So many beautiful women, so many good memories. Oi, Crabbe have I ever told you about Maria last summer? She had the biggest tits and-"
"Well before we hear about your disgusting conquests," Malinda stood up. Sometimes, she wondered why Daphne liked him, but to each their own. "I'm off. Need to visit the library."
A quick tour of the library though proved disappointing though. Apparently Draco was hiding somewhere else. She leaned against a bookshelf and frowned. Maybe he was in the dungeons or maybe in the owlery? Maybe she shouldn't look for him. Draco had a lot to think about and Snape said it would take time for him to digest the seer bombshell. Perhaps it was better to just wait it out and see if he came to her… But patience had never been her strong suit. In fact, she was anxious just standing here. She lifted her hand to her mouth, instinctively beginning to chew on her ruined nails.
"Hi Mal."
She'd been so lost in her thoughts, Malinda jumped at the voice and spun, flicking her hand defensively. Alec Jones was thrown against the bookshelf by an invisible force and gasped out in surprise.
"Oh shit," she dropped her hand immediately and Alec fell, catching himself on his knees. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry-"
"Quiet down before Madam Pince throws us out," Alec groaned, standing up. He brushed his uniform off and gave her an awkward smile, his handsome face softening. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."
She scratched her cheek sheepishly, "I can be a little jumpy."
"The bell's about to ring if you want to walk to Defense?" Alec's cheeks reddened a bit and stared at her. He was looking at her differently and it took a long moment for her brain to realize that this was a new and different kind of conversation. Oh no. Instantly the mood changed. They'd walked to classes plenty of times together, especially when Malinda was trying to escape uncomfortable pureblood conversation or Pansy. But he'd never asked her with this tone before.
"Oh," she felt her own face heat up and adjusted her bag. "Sure."
They walked silently out the library. Malinda didn't know what to say, unsure if she misread the situation. Maybe he was just being friendly. Yes, he was a nice guy and he was just being a friend.
"So," Alec cleared his throat. "I was wondering if you wanted to have tea in Hogsmeade this tomorrow?"
Well, definitely not just a friend.
"Oh," she said again, this time truly stunned. Heat spread across her face and chest now and she knew she must've looked as red as a tomato. Malinda peeked up and saw Alec was looking quite embarrassed himself. She took a good look at him then. Obviously, he was fit but beyond that, he was genuinely a nice person. He'd been friendly, if a bit cautious, since their first meeting. He was one of the smartest in their year, top ten if she remembered correctly. But what was most attractive to her was his familiarity with Muggle England. Her world, at least this universe's version of it.
"Sure," she blurted then winced. "Well, I'd love to but tea may need to wait until next Hogsmeade weekend. I promised my parents I'd floo with them and the others want to meet for drinks but I think it would be nice to er, you know, have tea. If you don't mind waiting, but if you do mind then that's okay and I-" Malinda bit her tongue, realizing she was word rambling. "Sorry."
Alec stopped walking and she slowed with him. He started to laugh. "Neither of us are very good at this, are we?"
She slapped her forehead, "Apparently not."
"I don't mind," Alec said with an amused smile. "We can wait until the next trip."
"Great."
An awkward pause came next.
He winced, "Oh Merlin. I made it weird between us, didn't I? Should we just pretend this never happened? Otherwise the next two weeks are going to be strange."
It was her turn to laugh. He had no idea how strange her life already was. The weight of the world lay on her shoulders and being asked out of a date was the most refreshing feeling. She bumped his shoulder playfully. "Doesn't need to be weird. We could always have a few study dates in the meantime."
"Wait," he shook his head. "I came here to ask you out, not the other way around."
"Right. Probably not the most pureblood etiquette move on my behalf."
He rolled his eyes, "As if I care about that. You know, I wasn't sure if I even had a shot. Your parents wouldn't approve of me."
Her good mood diminished substantially at the mention of her fake parents. How many times had she bitterly wished she had parents to introduce a boy to? How many times had she daydreamed about her father warning boys off? She cleared her throat, fighting off the desire to cry suddenly. "They'd like you. They're not like that."
They began to walk again. Alec hesitated then murmured, "You may want to keep all this to yourself though. Your… friends won't like it."
"If they don't, then they're not really friends are they?"
Alec gave her an odd look. "Aren't you supposed to be here making friends though with pureblood society? Your parents won't appreciate you pissing off the most powerful heirs in the country."
Malinda didn't respond and thankfully, he didn't press the issue. They arrived at Defense Against the Dark Arts and the class passed without incident, but of course Draco's empty seat set Malinda on edge. Her anxiety over his whereabouts soon took over the excitement of Alec's interest. As the magical bells rang, she gathered her things into her bag but stopped when Snape hovered over her desk. In his ominous voice, he announced, "Ms. Selwyn, stay behind."
"Oooooh," Crabbe and Goyle whispered but fell silent when Malinda glared their way. The idiots had learned their lesson, keeping their distance, but sometimes they still pressed their luck.
To his credit, Alec waited in indecision but Malinda shook her head subtly at him. So he left with the others, giving her a thumbs up before disappearing into the corridor. As soon as the last student was gone, Snape's wand whipped out and the door slammed shut.
"Well?" he asked, wasting no time. "By Draco's absence, I assume it went as poorly as I imagined."
She scoffed. Sometimes she wished he truly was as old as Alan Rickman. Someone this young shouldn't be such a grumpy prick yet. "Thanks for the faith. Actually he stayed long enough to hear mostly everything. He even let Dobby speak up."
"Where is he?"
"I was hoping you knew."
"Not a clue."
"Shit. Well, maybe it's a good sign?"
He narrowed his eyes at her. "My godson knows nothing but pureblood superiority and he was just told by someone who claims to know the future than not only does his side lose the war, but his family flips. It's unthinkable. He won't believe you."
"With time he will."
"Speaking of time," the potions master crossed his arms. "What about tomorrow?"
"He's in hiding and we have no idea what he's thinking," Malinda paced. "I think we need to go ahead with the plan."
"I agree. I'll ask Dumbledore to summon Ms. Granger tonight."
"Perfect," she paused. "Maybe we should tell Hermoine about me tonight too."
"No. The less people involved, the better."
"She's not just book smart you know. She's the heart and brains of their trio," Malinda defended. "Harry and Ron always take news better when she's already figured it out or is the one to tell them."
"We can't trust her. You know what Dumbledore said. It's far too soon to tell Potter the truth, especially about his fate. The moment you tell Granger, Potter and Weasley will know."
"Not true. She's quite good at keeping secrets from them."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Malinda rolled her eyes. "She's a teenage girl with two sweet but dumb teenage boys as best friends. She's going to keep secrets from them. There's a reason why she's become such good friends with Ginny- there's just some things you don't tell boys."
"And you think this female bonding will help you and her become allies?"
"How many times do I have to tell you, Sev?" Malinda ignored the potion's master scoff at the nickname. "She was my hero growing up. I've read the books too many times, sometimes purposely skipping to scenes with Hermoine. I know her. As long as Dumbledore is there and you play nice, she'll believe us and more, she'll want to help us."
"So you say."
"Have I been wrong yet?"
He merely assessed her then nodded towards the door, "Go. You'll be late."
"Right. Since I need to find Draco and prepare for tomorrow, I'm not going to have time to finish that potions essay due tomorrow. I'll charm some gibberish on the parchment to make it look like it's done so the others won't be suspicious."
"I'll give you an acceptable."
"That's it?!" She gaped. "I can't keep up with school work, private lessons and saving your godson. The other teachers don't know what's going on so I can't skip assignments with them. Come on Sev, give me an outstanding."
"Acceptable."
"Meet me in the middle. Give me Exceeds Expectations."
His nostrils flared, then he muttered, "Fine. Now get out."
Giving him a salute, Malinda grabbed her things and waved her hand. The door flew open and she sprinted to her next class.
…
…
She lay across the couch, her head on the arm piece and her legs across Daphne's legs. Her friend didn't seem to mind as she perused a gossip magazine, eyes excitedly dancing across the words.
"Oh listen to this ladies," she sniggered. "The LaRue family will likely be bankrupt by spring. Rumor is they're desperate to marry off Coralie to a rich family to save themselves. Can you imagine? Who would take her without a proper dowry."
"She can have Draco then," Pansy snorted from her armchair, pausing in her letter writing. "Merlin knows my family is done with him."
An awkward silence followed. Malinda kept her face neutral, but she listened keenly Behind Pansy, Millicent had no poker face and her jaw dropped. "So it's over?"
"Of course it is!" Pansy raised her head haughtily. "You've seen how boring he's been this year and his bloody mood swings are never ending. I wrote Mother, of course, and she-"
Pansy had the good sense to look around, her gaze lingering for a long moment on Malinda, then lowered her voice to a whisper. "She told me that the Malfoys have finally fallen from grace. That… he is furious that Lucious was caught. It's over for them."
The first silent had been awkward. Now, it was a painful tension that fell over the group. Clare cleared her throat, "Well, that aside, we just want you to be happy Pansy and…" The young woman looked at her friends for support.
Malinda wisely kept her mouth shut, keeping her eyes upward at the ceiling. Clare received some reinforcement from Daphne though who picked up and hesitantly said, "... and we think you're better off without Draco. You deserve to be with someone who is going to worship you."
"Absolutely, that's what Mother told Father. He agreed and their letter this morning confirmed the engagement has been broken. Narcissa was agreeable. She's always been a smart one. She knew that just because her name is ruined, doesn't mean ours must be too."
Always eager for drama, Millicent asked, "Have you spoken to Draco yet?"
Pansy rolled her eyes. "No, there's no need. Besides, I haven't seen him all day. He probably skipped classes because he's so embarrassed."
So not only had she dropped the knowledge bomb on Draco, but he'd learned that his engagement since birth was cancelled. Malinda felt her stomach clench painfully- What horrible timing. No wonder he was hiding somewhere, avoiding everyone. She needed to tell Dumbledore and Sev tonight. This definitely meant extra planning for Hogsmeade.
Malinda glanced at the clock and sat up, carefully pulling her legs off Daphne. Her friend said knowingly, "Lesson with Professor Snape?"
"Yes," she confirmed, tightening her green tie and smoothing her shirt. While the others preferred to change out of the uniforms immediately after dinner, she never wanted to take it off. Pun aside, every single day here at Hogwarts was simply magical. Wearing a Hogwarts uniform was a dream come true, even if she wore green instead of blue.
"Term is nearly over," Pansy scoffed. "You'd think a transfer student would be caught up by now."
"Given that there's only one transfer student," Malinda looked directly at the haughty girl, "You can just say my name, Pansy. Or are you scared?"
"You don't scare me one bit," Pansy snapped.
"Right," Malinda said dubiously. "I'm off then. If you plan on shit-talking me, then be sure to hold off until you can say it to my face. You know, since I don't scare you."
Malinda grabbed her bag and exited the Common Room. She passed a few students, on their way back from the library, but otherwise it was a quiet walk. Her anxiety rose though with each step. It was so silly, how Pansy tried to stir the pot, but there were a million other things to worry about than a silly, jealous girl. There had been a time where mean girls like Pansy would ruin Malinda's day, send her running to cry in the loo and hate herself. Hate her life. Hate her parents for abandoning her.
But Malinda smiled. Those days were over. Mean teenage girls were the least of her problems.
"Chocolate frog," she whispered and enjoyed the ride up to Dumbledore's office. She opened the familiar doors and plopped into her favorite chair as usual.
"Evening Sev," she greeted.
The potions master sat silently, his fingers interlocked. He raised an eyebrow and corrected, "Professor Snape."
"That's what real students call you," Malinda pressed her luck.
"According to that uniform you're wearing, you are a real student."
She grinned, "But real students don't know that you're the Half Blood Prince."
His dark eyes narrowed, "Not funny."
"Sorry," she paused. "So have you spoken to Dumbledore about telling Hermoine?"
The door opened atop the office and the headmaster himself came into view. Fawkes flew out from behind him, landing onto his post majestically.
"Good evening, sir," Malinda called out.
"So you call him sir?" mumbled Snape.
"Good evening, Malinda. Severus tells me that young Draco did not take the news well," Dumbledore settled into his grand chair and peered over his spectacles.
"He didn't," she confirmed. "Although, it wasn't a total disaster. He let Dobby get a few words in before storming off."
"More than a few words," Dumbledore smiled slightly. "Dobby was kind enough to stop earlier. He informed me that Draco spent a few hours this morning with him."
"What?!" Both Snape and Malinda exclaimed.
The headmaster held up a hand, silencing them. "Dobby was equally surprised at the visit. Draco wanted to know more about his childhood, the parts that had been hidden from him. Dobby also informed Draco on how his father attempted to trade Ginny Weasley's life for Tom Riddle's through the diary."
"Oh shit." Malinda let out a long breath. "And he found out his engagement to Pansy is off today too. Poor Draco, that's a lot of emotional blows for one day."
"I wouldn't worry too much about the engagement," Snape noted. "Draco has asked Lucius for years to break the agreement. He'll likely be relieved to hear."
"According to Dobby, he was also receptive to hearing about Dobby's abuse and sacrifices. He also seemed surprised to hear how much his mother hides from his father. It was a productive conversation while it lasted. He left quite abruptly when Dobby brought Malinda up."
"Do we know where Draco went after the kitchen?" She asked, worriedly.
"Dobby followed him. Draco spent the rest of the day across the lake. I believe he took some time to collect his thoughts. He's just come back and has retired for the evening."
Malinda felt a weight lift off her shoulders. Draco hadn't gone off to tell his mother or any Death Eaters. But there was still no way of knowing what his next actions would be. Would all this be enough to change his actions in Hogsmeade? Or would he continue his mission to kill Dumbledore?
The sound of the stairwell moving made Malinda turn in her chair. A knock came and the headmaster called, "Enter Ms. Granger."
The door opened and a mess of wavy brown hair appeared, followed by the rest of Hermoine Granger. Malinda forced herself to remain calm, even though she itched to hug her childhood hero as she approached the group nervously. Her eyes widened slightly at seeing Malinda sitting so casually with two staff members.
"Good evening Professor Dumbledore," Hermoine said. "Professor Snape and-"
"Just call me Malinda."
"Malinda," Hermoine said slowly. Her confused expression made Malinda laugh outright, making the witch even more puzzled.
"Come, take a seat," Dumbledore waved the Elder Wand and transfigured Malinda's chair into a long wooden bench. As Hermoine took a seat, leaving as much room between herself and Malinda as possible, he continued, "Did you bring what I asked for?"
"Yes, sir," Hermoine held up her school bag. "The Marauders Map and Harry's invisibility cloak are here."
"And you didn't tell Harry why you needed them?"
"No," she flushed. "I lied, saying that I wanted to test out a theory I'd been working on. He asked but I said I wasn't ready to tell him yet."
"That's it?" Snape frowned, "He just handed them over?"
"Yup. Like I told you, Harry and Ron trust her. She's capable of keeping her own secrets from them," Malinda said smugly. The potions master sneered at her but it only made her smirk more.
Hermoine watched their interaction closely, caught off guard at their familiarity.
"Sir, I think we should tell her," Malinda volunteered, looking to the headmaster.
"I disagree," Snape countered. "I'm grateful for Ms. Granger's help acquiring the map and cloak, but it's a risk to tell her everything."
"She's an asset, not a risk."
"No, she's one more person that we have to track. Her knowing could change the future- It will change her decisions."
"Not necessarily. It'll help speed some things up and-"
"No, she'll slow things down. She'll-"
"I agree with Malinda," Dumbledore interrupted, making Snape groan and lean back in his chair. The headmaster ignored this reaction and looked to Malinda. "Why don't you explain?"
"Right," Malinda said happily and turned to face her fellow witch. "This is going to sound absolutely crazy, but it's the truth. Just hear me out."
And so she told her everything. How she was a normal Muggle university student until Merlin showed up, throwing her into the world of the Harry Potter book series, conveniently skipping the part where Malinda worshiped Hermoine of course, and how her goal was to help Draco. How Voldemort was destined to lose, but with her help, the timeline could be sped up and hopefully, less people would die. Malinda was careful to avoid detailing how Voldemort would die, not wanting to divulge the horcruxes yet. To her credit, Hermoine simply listened but her face paled as the tale went on. Her eyes never strayed from Malinda, even as she listened to how Snape was a double agent, always an ally to Dumbledore and the Order because of his childhood friendship with Harry's mother. Malinda also conveniently left out the fact that he was still madly in love with the dead witch.
At the end, Malinda was nearly out of breath. She spoke rapidly, not wanting to waste too much time catching Hermoine up. She finished with, "So I'm not sure if Draco believes my seer lie, but hopefully he comes around soon. Either way, I need the map and cloak for this weekend. I need to see if he does something that he does in the book."
Hermoine was quiet, clearly struggling to absorb everything. Then she asked, "What does he do this weekend?"
"Not important," Snape answered, leaving no room for argument. "So now you know the truth Ms. Granger."
"Y-Yes," Hermoine considered her words carefully. "Professor Snape, I misjudged you. I'm sorry."
"One of the bravest heroes in the series," Malinda added, pointing at Snape. "Harry eventually names his son after him."
Hermoine's mouth dropped in shock. Dumbledore chuckled, "Now, now, Malinda. Let's not give too much away."
"You're right, forget I said that. More importantly, you have to pretend like nothing has changed. I'm still that Slytherin girl that you ignore, okay? And when the boys complain about how awful Snape is, you just nod your head and agree." Malinda said seriously. "It's essential to keeping everyone, especially Harry and Ron, to the book for the foreseeable future. If they find out and everything changes, then there's no point in me being here. I won't know anything if the future changes too much. Does that make sense?"
"I do," Hermoine laughed weakly. "I had a time-turner for a year. I know more than most that the smallest actions can change everything."
"Exactly. That's why I'm trying to change Draco. If we can get ahead of the worst, we can save him and other people."
"Another world," Hermoine shook her head in disbelief. "I suppose it makes sense. Merlin and other great wizards wrote theories on alternate universes. You're really a Muggle?"
"Ex-Muggle technically."
Hermoint laughed again then sobered slightly. "Do you know when you'll be done with the map and cloak? Harry will probably ask for it after a few days."
"I'll return it after this weekend."
"Well, if you need any help, let me know. Thank you for telling me the truth. It's… a lot to take in, but I won't say a thing."
"I knew you wouldn't," Malinda offered a smile and Hermoine returned it.
…
…
Saturday morning was cold. Malinda awoke before the sun rose, her nerves too strong to go back to sleep, and dressed quickly. Her initial plan was to wait until everyone was at breakfast to sneak ahead to Hogsmeade but she couldn't wait. She would go crazy just waiting here. While her roommates slept, Malinda put on makeup and got dressed, packing the map and cloak into her handbag. She slipped her wand into its wrist holster for a quickdraw, not knowing how the day would go.
Then she was off, closing the door as quietly as she could. The Common Room was empty and cold, the fire long out. With the heavy snowfall outside and the lake iced over, the dungeons were outright chilly during the winter. She murmured a warming charm and waved her hand over her body, feeling the magic sink into her bones, instantly feeling better.
Good thing too because as soon as she stepped outside, an ice-cold breeze slammed into her. Clearly, the winter weather wasn't letting up anytime soon. Being a witch had some serious perks sometimes.
Hogsmeade was gorgeous in fresh snow. Local witches and wizards made their way from building to building. It was rather empty without the wave of students and Malinda took her time walking. This was the first time she was out in the wizarding world on her own. It was almost like being a grown ass adult again, not a pretend student stuck in school.
She certainly didn't look like a student today. No one spared her an extra glance. With her sharp witch attire, fashionable handbag and makeup, she didn't feel like Slytherin Malinda. She almost felt like herself, a nobody in the world, just on her own way, minding her own business.
Except, this wasn't a day for shopping or carefree thoughts. She had a job to do. Yet, it would be another couple of hours until Hogwarts students began to trickle into town. Malinda walked past the Three Broomsticks and instead opened the door to the Hogs Head.
Aberforth Dumbledore spotted her immediately. He frowned, pausing as he grabbed a glass but recovered just as quickly. He poured a dark liquid in and slid the glass to a wizard dressed in disheveled robes. The bar was decently busy, not surprising for a chilly weekend, but it was rather quiet. Everyone kept to themselves, the few groups speaking lowly between themselves.
In here she did get some stares. It wasn't often that a respectable witch wandered into the seedy pub in town. She ignored their looks though, keeping her head held high and walked with the pureblood confidence her friends exuded.
She slid into a bar stool and smiled as Abeforth approached her with a sigh. "Bit early isn't it, Malinda?"
"Never too early to say hi to a friend," she countered. "Got any light ales?"
They'd met several times over the summer. Albus had wanted his brother to meet the young witch he'd taken under his wing. Claimed she was the daughter of a friend in America and friendly to the Order, therefore her relationship with the Dumbledore family was to remain secret. But really, he wanted Malinda to know someone beyond the castle, just in case things went under. That way, she'd have someone to turn to for safety.
"I do," Aberforth gave her a hard look, clearly weighing the decision to serve an underage witch or not. While his brother may run a school with rules, this Dumbledore did not. His resolve broke and he merely shook his head with a chuckle. He waved his wand and levitated another glass over. "Try this. Just arrived from Scotland last week."
She took a swig and nodded, "Pretty good, thanks."
He moved on to another customer. Malinda withdrew the Marauders Map from her bag and flicked her wand out. "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good," she whispered before tucking her wand away. She watched in fascination as the black parchment transformed, lines of dark ink outlining a familiar map. Hundreds of footsteps appeared, but she focused on the Slytherin dorms.
Draco Malfoy was there, his footsteps not moving. She relaxed in her chair, surprised to see that he hadn't gotten up yet. The Malfoy heir did not strike her as the type to sleep in, especially on a day he was supposed to assassinate someone.
She took another sip of her drink, enjoying the taste of a good ale. Malinda glanced around, watching the other patrons enjoy their own glasses. It'd been far too long since she had a drink in a pub. For a moment, just a moment, she felt normal again.
Malinda sighed and settled in, waiting. Soon, Draco would leave the castle and make his way down the path to Hogsmeade where she would be waiting. She'd be waiting, invisible and hiding in the women's loo at the Three Broomsticks. She'd be waiting to see if he indeed, bewitched Katie Bell and gave her the cursed Opal necklace to kill Dumbledore.
To see if he still, even after their talk, went through with attempted murder.