Draco, Theo, Crabbe, and Goyle lingered in the courtyard breezeway where Draco leaned against the stone half-walls, the others gathered around him and talking quietly after a particularly troubling Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson in which Carrow had taught them Fiendfyre.
"I can't wait to try it," Crabbe said, his eyes lit up with glee. Goyle nodded, grinning like a fool.
"Don't be daft," Theo tossed out. "You'll just set yourselves on fire."
"I won't," Crabbe argued.
"You weren't even payin' attention," Theo pointed out, and Draco recalled how Crabbe had been so excited that he began practicing the wand motion while Carrow was still lecturing, and everyone knew Crabbe was incapable of doing two things at once.
"I was, too," Crabbe insisted, and the two boys started arguing until Goyle turned his head and went rigid. One after the other, Theo and Crabbe went silent.
Draco followed their gaze to see Amaris coming down the walkway with Coral and a couple other Hufflepuff girls. It seemed all it took was her being sent to the hospital for them to remember they had once been friends. The girls stopped when they saw the Slytherins, and as Amaris started toward them, they reached out and pulled her back, whispering urgently to her. Probably telling her to stay away from the Death Eater. But she came anyway, even as the girls stared in horror, watching with wide eyes and ghastly expressions as though, at any moment, Draco might transform into a werewolf and maul her to death right in front of them.
"Hello, love," Theo said as she approached.
"Hello, Theo. Vincent, Gregory," she said. Crabbe murmured a greeting and Goyle just nodded. She looked at him. "Hello, Draco."
Draco put his hands in his pockets, eyeing her for a moment before he said, "Amaris."
Goyle suddenly walked away. Crabbe looked torn for a moment before he went after him. Amaris's mouth twisted to the side, her expression guilt-ridden.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean—"
Theo immediately intercepted the moment before the mood could shift too awkwardly. "Feeling better?"
"I am, much," she replied with an nod. "Thank you for asking. How are you?"
"Me? I'm perfect, as always," he answered.
Draco knew it was a lie. Theo was just as stressed and troubled as they all were, but he hid his feelings behind a cheeky grin. He rarely let his mask slip, and only when he was with someone he trusted, but never in the presence of more than one person.
"Not skipped lunch, have you?" he asked. She shook her head. "No missed breakfastses or anything?"
"No," she promised with a bit of a playfully exasperated smile. "I promise."
"Good. I'll let you two lovebirds alone, then," Theo said, winking at her, before he sauntered off. He waved at the Hufflepuff girls, who shrank away from him, except for Coral, who just gave him a strained smile. And then they were alone.
Amaris cleared her throat. "How are you?"
"Are you really going to make small talk?" he asked, eyeing those nosy Hufflepuff girls still ogling them.
"That's not—" She stopped herself, fighting a smile. "I'm really asking. I want to know how you are."
Draco reached forward and clutched her hips, drawing her in. Her hands flattened on his torso to keep herself from falling against him. He bent the rest of the way to put his mouth next to her ear, his eyes locked on the Hufflepuff girls. They were frantically whispering to one another, knickers all twisted up in righteous fury. He gave them a lazy smile that nearly caused one of them to burst a blood vessel.
"Fantastic," he told her before leaning back. Amaris's brow furrowed with confusion before she risked a glance over her shoulder and sucked in a breath at her friends' dismay.
"Draco," she gently scolded him. "Why do you antagonize them?"
"They started it," he scoffed, but he didn't let her go, "acting like I might hex you any moment now."
"They're just scared like everyone else. They've all heard the rumors, but I've told them you never laid a hand on me."
"Well… Not that you didn't want, anyway," he retorted softly. She blushed, drawing her hands against her torso. He finally released her and she took a single step back.
"A-are you going home for Easter?" she blurted, and he wondered how she could still be shy after everything that had happened between them.
Draco nodded. "I doubt mother has anything planned this year, what with everything going on. Why? Is your uncle making you do something?"
"Oh, no, I'm not going home," she told him.
Wait, what? Draco frowned as he pushed off the stone wall, standing up straight. "What do you mean you're not going home? You can't stay here."
"I don't have a choice. My uncle doesn't want to see me."
"What the bloody hell does that mean?" he balked. "Amaris, you can't stay here," he said again, remembering Alecto Carrow's unhealthy interest in her. "It isn't safe."
"It isn't safe anywhere," she whispered, dropping her gaze.
Draco clenched his jaw, narrowing his gaze. Was she talking about the rumors of kidnappings and killings? Or was she being more specific—her tutor's murder, perhaps? The unspoken topic was still a gaping chasm between them—that woman's death and his family's role in it.
"Why haven't you asked me why my aunt killed your tutor?" he asked tightly.
"Because I already know why," she replied. Draco stiffened. "My uncle told me everything. That you've known how Ms. Brumley chose to discipline me since fifth year." Her gaze fluttered to meet his. "That you tried to stop her." She shrugged. "He says you passed the information along to your family."
"Then why didn't you blame me?"
"You've always been the type to declare yourself. If you had anything to do with what happened, you would have told me to my face," she said bluntly. "You would have been proud. But that day, you looked as surprised as I was." She shook her head. "I don't believe you ever intended for this to happen."
Draco looked away. It was this kind of logical acceptance that he had become so fond of. If she had been Pansy—or any other girl he had ever indulged in—he would have considered her under his spell. But she wasn't. At all.
"I don't think you would ever hurt anyone," she said so quietly that he wouldn't have heard if they weren't standing so close.
But he had hurt people. He had tortured Rowle, had cast the Cruciatus in detentions to keep Carrow from turning on him. He hated every second of it, but he'd done it. Did the why really matter? Was he really so different from his aunt?
"She did it for me," he murmured, as though it were a secret. "Whatever she is, whatever she's done, she does love me. You're my match. You were being hurt. In her mind, it was justice."
Amaris just meekly nodded. He wanted more—wanted her acceptance, her forgiveness, something! He wanted her to tell that even if it was wrong, it wasn't unforgiveable. But suddenly a scream set them both on edge. She whirled around, bumping against him, and his arm moved protectively around her without thought. They stared down the hallway until Alecto Carrow appeared, swaggering, a smug grin on his face. He glanced over and saw them, and his smirk widened before he moved on.
What had happened? Who had been hurt? Coral and the others rushed past and Amaris started to follow but Draco held her back. He shook his head when she met his eyes, warning her not to draw attention to herself.
"But—"
"Don't," he insisted. She relaxed into his grip, letting him draw her close again. Draco swallowed the lump in his throat. "You can't stay here."
"I don't have a choice," she sighed. "There's no where for me to go." When she met his gaze, she assured him, "I'll be fine. I'm more worried about you."
"Don't be," he started, but she interrupted him.
"That's impossible."
Draco felt a firework of happiness burst inside his chest, rapidly warming him. "I know how to take care of myself. Is anyone staying behind with you?"
"No one in my room. I'm not sure about the whole dorm."
Draco wondered if he should try to stay himself. The idea of Amaris being alone for a whole week in this place, with wizards like Carrow around… It made him nervous. Perhaps he should ask Theo if he was staying behind. He knew his friend would watch out for her.
"Never go anywhere alone. Stay in your dorm as much as you can." He shifted closer and hissed, "And stay away from Carrow."
Amaris nodded. "I won't go near him."
But Draco didn't feel reassured.
Author's Note: This was actually an impromptu chapter, completely unplanned. I had an interaction between them pop into my head and decided to squeeze it in right before Easter break. I also felt like it would set up some tension before Draco goes home. We're getting close...