A/n: thanks for the reviews on the last chapter! They really motivate me to write these chapters as quickly as possible :) As always, if anyone has any suggestions, feel free to comment or PM me :) And if anyone wants a shout out for a story, PM me!

A cold wind gusted across my room, making me shiver. I stirred and glared at my open window. What the hell, I didn't open that. I flipped off my covers and padded across the freezing floor, stepping gingerly. I closed the window with a snap, and saw a letter resting on my desk. Hmm, an owl must've popped the window open and dropped it off. I reached over and flipped the envelope over, gazing at the seal. It was a dark black wax, with a gold snake wrapped around the letter M embossed onto it. That was my father's seal.

My fingers began to tremble involuntarily. What did he want? And how could he get this letter to me? He was supposed to be locked up to rot for the rest of his miserable life. Biting the bullet, I tore open the envelope, and flicked open the paper.

Draco,

I bribed a guard and he slipped me a key and a wand, allowing me to apparate out. I've taken your mother and we are in hiding. I will update you when I can. I trust you to tell no one, or there will be consequences.

LM

I stood there, rooted to the spot in shock. How the hell did he bribe a guard? The Ministry of Magic had done a full overhaul of Azkaban, getting rid of the dementors, and employing aurors instead. They all had a rigorous trial period before being let to guard there, and got a very in-depth history search. I shook my head, perhaps someone imperio'd them.

I scanned the letter again and my stomach dropped, rereading the part about my mother. I had told her to leave the manor and never return, out of feat him or one of his friends would come looking for her. Plus, I hated the thought of her walking those lonely halls all by herself. And here we are, one of my worst fears have come true. Fuck.

I crumpled the letter in my hand angrily, tossing it back onto the table. I shrugged on a green jumper, pulled up my black trousers, slipped on my socks and shoes and took off out of my room. Granger was curled up in her typical spot by the fire and I rushed by her, barely giving her a second glance. Barely...but I still did, I noted angrily. She was wearing her over-sized orange sweater again that made her brown eyes twinkle. Get out of my head Granger, I huffed, continuing my march down the hall. Before I knew it, I had arrived outside the Transfiguration classroom. I knocked once and heard a come in, to which I quickly turned the door knob and strut in.

McGonagall sat at her desk, a quill in hand, appearing to mark papers. She raised an eyebrow upon seeing me. But how could she have expected this.

"Hello Professor, there's something I need to tell you," I blurt out. She left her brow raised quizzically and motioned with her long black quill for me to take a seat. I spent the next few minutes filling her in on the letter, the situation with my mother, and my developing fear of what Lucius was plotting to do. It felt wrong to call him my father after everything he had done. That sick bastard was never a real father to me.

McGonagall looked at me with a fearful expression on her normally cold features. "Well , thank you for bringing this to my attention. I will alert Kingsley right away. In the meantime, don't leave the school grounds under any condition, and let me know of any suspicious activity." I nodded. "This must be very hard for you," her expression grew soft, and she gazed at me sadly. "You did the right thing, telling me this. Thank you . If you need to take tomorrow off of your studies, that is not a problem. Let know and I'll have her collect your work for you."

I nodded again and stood up, gazing down at the ageing woman before me. Her hair had turned mostly grey over the summer, and her clothes appeared more wrinkled and worn than usual. I couldn't imagine the things she had been dealing with since school started again. There were surely many students coming to her to discuss their traumas, repairing the castle, and dealing with the fearful parents, especially of the muggleborns. She was a strong woman, it had to be said.

With that last thought, I turned on my heel and left, closing the heavy wooden door behind me. I trod back to my dormitory and found Granger still sitting where I left her.

"Well that was quick. I thought you were hiding from me again," she mused, flipping the page of her book and not even sparing me a glance.

"I had to go see McGonagall," I replied shortly, heading towards my room. Her eyes remained glued to the page, allowing me to take in her soft features, illuminated in a soft glow from the fire. Her cheeks had gotten more defined and almost regal since the previous year, and her hair was much more tame than I remembered. Her eyes snapped up, gazing straight at me and catching my stare. I looked into her chocolate coloured eyes, and noticed a few specks of gold in them. They were mesmerizing.

I cleared my throat and dropped my eyes. "Thanks for breakfast the other day," my voice came out far more timid than I intended, causing me to cringe. God, was I a pubescent boy too scared to talk to girls again? Fuck this, it's Granger. Just book-wormy, know-it-all, beautiful Granger. No, average at best, not beautiful, I corrected. I gazed back into those honey coloured eyes and felt something in me stir. Beautiful was exactly what I had meant.

A/N: Two chapters in one day! :) Would you guys rather me take a few more days and write longer/combining chapters, or continue updating every day-ish with just over 1K each time? Let me know! Thanks. I hope you all enjoyed :)