Chapter 22: Draco

Chapter 22: Draco

"This is really going to take some getting used to," Draco groaned, pushing away his dinner.

A couple Slytherins looked at him, perplexed. He groaned again. "Forget food," he said, standing up. He looked over at the Gryffindor table, seeing exactly what he expected to see; Ron and Hermione were looking lovingly at each other. He scowled, staring hatefully at Ron. Suddenly, the two Gryffindors looked up, straight at Draco. The boy quickly looked away and headed out of the Great Hall.

"What was that about?" Ron asked, staring after him.

"You felt it, too?"

"Ultimate loathing? Yeah, I felt it."

"I don't know what is with that boy," Hermione sighed, "Oh well. Let's get to Magic in the Home."

"This is stupid!" Lavender Brown exclaimed after her food, once again, looked more like burnt rubber than bread, "It's not even important! I mean, when will cooking ever save your life?"

Moody's normal eye sparkled with enthusiasm. "You just never know, Miss Brown. Would you like some assistance from Mr. Longbottom there?"

"From him?! Arg!" she shrilled, marching out of the room.

"Poor Lav's snapped," Harry smiled, pulling out his third loaf.

"Bread can do that to a person," Azar nodded with phony seriousness, "But it doesn't look like you're going nuts any time soon. I see you've made cuisine fit for a king, as usual."

"Can I help it if I'm actually good at this?" he smiled, taking off his oven mitts.

"No, I guess not. Plus there're not too many guys who can pull off the flowered-apron look."

"What, you expect me to get flour all over my robes?"

Azar just smiled and shook her head.

"Hey Ron," Hermione called from the refrigerators, "Where'd you put the rest of the yeast?"

"Rest of it?" Ron asked, perplexed.

"Oh, I've got to see this," Azar laughed, heading over to Hermione and Ron's oven.

However, she quickly lost the bounce in her step and slowed to a stop. Ron and Hermione stopped right in the middle of a soon-to-be argument. Harry didn't need to wonder why, for he felt it, too. Well, not really felt it, but more sensed it. It was something dark, glum; something he hadn't felt since the Rileys had died. Yet there was something mixed with it… Terror.

"What's with Draco?" Azar asked, walking back over to Harry.

"I don't know, but it can't be the best of feelings. He's all alone in his room."

"Yeah, the one behind Dumbledore's fireplace."

Harry's eyes widened. "How did you know about that?"

Azar furrowed her brow a bit. "I'm not sure, but I think it just came with the feeling."

Just then, Moody announced that it was time to clean up. The four friends did this, then headed glumly off to bed.

****

From the Entrance Hall door, Alicia Spinnet watched the practicing Gryffindors sadly. She wanted almost nothing more than to be out there…but no. It'd only make it worse. With a sigh, she closed the door and turned to head up the stairs, but someone stood in her way.

"Ron!" she smiled, "You startled me. Hey, why aren't you out there?"

"Because I was looking for you," he said seriously.

"Oh, really?" she tried to sound casual, "Well, you found me."

Ron didn't smile.

"S-so, what did you want?" she asked, biting her lip for she knew the answer.

"You have to play in the game tomorrow."

"I think that choice is up to me, Ron."

"It is. I just want you to make the right one."

Clouds seemed to pass over Alicia's eyes. "Look, I'm not playing."

She moved to get around him, but he held out his hand and stopped her.

"Alicia, if you won't come back, then at least help me to be better," Ron said sternly, "I'm sorry. I really am. But don't make Gryffindor suffer. We need you, Alicia."

"I lost my only sister, okay?! You can't possibly under-… Oh. Oh Ron, I'm sorry."

"It's okay," he said quietly, smiling encouragingly, "We're in the same boat. But life doesn't end with death, Alicia. Just because someone we loved is gone doesn't mean we should stop living. Life is a gift, and you should treat every second as so. If you don't, then one day you'll look back at all the things you could have done."

Alicia sighed, turning away. She thought a moment, her gaze eventually resting upon the window.

"You're right. I want to look back at all the things I did."

Harry was near panic. His team was falling apart. For some reason, they just weren't working together.

"Come on, people!" Harry yelled to the Gryffindors, "Keep focused! And where is Ron? We can't practice with only two chasers!"

"Think I could step in?" called a voice.

Everyone turned around and nearly fell off their brooms in joy. There was Alicia, broom in hand and quidditch robes on. The whole team zoomed down to her, Harry reaching her first.

"Does this mean you're back?" Harry asked with a smile.

"Yeah. I decided I've been moping too much; Cara wouldn't have wanted that… So, are we going to play or not?"

The team gave a resounding cheer, soaring back into the air. That night, Gryffindor had the best practice they'd had in a long time. When Harry and Hermione exited the dressing room, Ron was waiting for them.

"Ron, where were you?" Hermione asked, "Alicia came back!"

"I know," he said, smiling sadly.

Harry and Hermione felt awkward. They wanted to comfort him, but Alicia was, without a doubt, the better player.

"Hey Ron!" Alicia called, waving for him to join her.

"Yeah?" he asked, walking up to her.

"After dinner tomorrow, meet me here with your broom," she smiled, "Since you're going to be a chaser next year, you may want to work on your skills a bit."

Ron grinned. "You got it."

The eight Gryffindors headed for their tower, confident that tomorrow they'd have a victory.

****

"Okay, team," Harry said, giving a very Wood-like prep talk, "I don't need to remind you how important this game is. We have to beat Ravenclaw by 200 points if we want that quidditch cup. But just play your hardest, and whatever the outcome, we are winners."

They walked onto the quidditch pitch. It was sunny with a slight breeze; ideal quidditch conditions. Azar waved to Harry from the sidelines (Ackerley having brought his grades up) and yelled something. Although he couldn't hear it over the crowd, her lips read "You're going down!"

"Mount your brooms!"

And with a whistle, the fourteen players rushed into the air.

Harry was beaming from ear to ear as he watched the team. The chasers flew with a precision that he hadn't seen since Angelina left; Hermione and Tyron were working as if they could read each other's minds; and Jamison was letting nothing by him. Within thirty minutes, the team was up 60-0. Two more scores, and then Harry had to catch the snitch.

However, things rarely turn out so easy. After Gryffindor had scored once more, Katie was bashed pretty hard by a bludger. She was fine and kept playing, but things just seemed to keep going downhill. An hour in, Hermione dived at the Slytherin stands, fury in her eyes. She claimed Draco had jinxed her bat into hitting her, but Madam Hooch just gave Draco a reprimand and Gryffindor a penalty.

Another hour passed, the scores rising but Gryffindor always in the lead. Alicia raced down the field, quaffle in hand and Katie right behind her. The intensity in Alicia's eyes was deep; so much so that the Ravenclaw keeper didn't notice when she let go of the ball, it falling nicely into Katie's waiting arms. Alicia raced right by the keeper, and Katie took the girl's momentary distraction as a chance to score. The cheer from Gryffindor was deafening.

"240-160…Yes! Eighty points ahead!" Harry thought happily, "Now all I need to do is catch the snitch."

From that moment on, Harry was in his own zone. To him, the chasers, beaters, keepers, and fans all disappeared. It was just he, Ackerley, and the snitch. When those determined green eyes finally glimpsed that fleck of gold, Harry did everything automatically. He dove straight for the goalposts, Ackerley at his heels. Just when it looked like he'd run head on into the ground, Harry pulled out of the dive, skimming the grass. At just the right moment, he pulled up toward the snitch, grasping the golden sphere.

Harry landed lightly on the ground, the team rushing up to him. Their faces weren't as joyous as he would have thought, considering the circumstances.

"Come on, buck up!" he grinned, "We won!"

"Well, we won the game at least," Katie smiled weakly.

Harry's eyes widened and it was then that he finally heard Moon announcing the score: "360-170!"

Those numbers echoed over and over in his mind…360-170. Just ten points off… He felt his stomach tightened, looking at his team, both triumphant and defeated.

"I just lost us the quidditch cup…"

"Ah, c'mon, Harry," Hermione tried to console the seeker as they walked up to Hogwarts long after the crowds had gone, "We still won. So what if we don't get the cup this year?"

"That's not the point," Harry muttered, "I should have paid more attention. Then I would have known Ravenclaw scored."

"It's not the end of the world, Harry legs."

"Yeah, but-"

"Hey, it happened. Let's just forget about it and get on with our lives. So, who's up to going to the kitchen for some post-game partying?" Ron asked eagerly.

****

The end of April soon turned into the middle of May, and the O.W.L.s were so close, Harry could almost feel the stress escalating in the halls. Life went on as normal, though Gryffindor was quite a bit behind in the house tournament. It wasn't until one peaceful night that the world was turned upside-down.

Harry's eyes snapped open suddenly, and he found himself clutching tight to his bed in a cold sweat. He didn't need to wonder why. The fear that had wrenched through his heart moments before, and then followed by the rush of pain… He hadn't actually felt the pain, but more sensed it, as if he were experiencing it through someone else. He scrambled for his bed curtains, peering out of them at the same time as Ron.

Giving each other a meaningful look, they said at the same time, "Draco."

They rushed out of bed, snatching on their slippers as they headed for the door.

"Shouldn't we bring your cloak, Harry?"

"No, it won't fit all three of us."

"All three?"

"Hermione must have felt it, too."

He was confirmed when they almost collided with the girl as she rushed up their staircase.

"Draco!" she gasped.

"We know," Harry said with as much calm as he could muster.

They all rushed out of the tower, not even having to ask where they were going, for they all knew. They were running down a hallway when Snape exited from one of its many doors.

"Potter, Weasley, and Granger, what is the meaning of this?" he yelled, stepping in front of them.

"Get out of the way, Snape!" Harry yelled back.

"How dare you speak to me in such a manner! I-"

"Shut up!" Harry interrupted him, "You stood in my way once, Snape, and a man died because of it! I won't let it happen to Draco!"

With that, he brushed past the potions teacher, Ron and Hermione at his heels. Snape rushed right after them.

"What do you mean that it might happen to Draco?"

"Did I or didn't I tell you to shut up?! There's no time!"

They ran into the Entrance Hall, seeing Azar open its doors.

"Azar!"

"Harry! It's Draco!"

"We know."

The group, now grown to five, rushed out the door and onto the grounds, heading straight for the Forbidden Forest near the lake. When they reached there, they stopped.

"Look for him," Harry told them, "We have to find him."

A chorus of "Draco"s rang through the air as they split up and searched. Snape, however, stayed right with Harry.

"Why would Draco be out here?" Snape snarled, "He's not like you, Potter. He doesn't just walk into a trap."

Harry glared at the man, but quickly turned back. "I don't know why, Professor, but he was out here."

They searched for what seemed like hours, though in truth it was only five minutes, but yielded nothing. A dejected Azar walked up to Harry.

"You don't feel him anymore, do you?" she asked, a bit hopefully.

"No," Harry sighed, "Not since the pain…"

Snape stared at the two, extremely confused, but his own thoughts were interrupted when Ron called out.

"I found something!"

Everyone rushed over to his place, a little into the forest. There, snagged in some tree branches, was an invisibility cloak. Draco's invisibility cloak. Ron and Harry had a bit of a time pulling it out, for it was snagged pretty snug. When they finally pulled it loose, the found that the clasp was broken. The four friends instinctively put their hands to their throats.

"So that's where that choking sensation came from," Hermione whispered.

"I don't know what's going on, but you four have some explaining to do," Snape said.

"Yes we do, but not to you," Harry snapped, "We're going to Dumbledore's office. Draco's in danger."

~*~*~

A/N: Ah, I know, short chapter. It's not my fault! Nothing was coming out right! And I could have made it longer, but this seemed the best place to stop.

Well, I'm giving no lamentations about how choppy and *gr* this chapter is, for I'm sure you can see for yourselves. *sigh*

Thank you my lovely, wonderful, superb reviewers! I'm sorry, but right now it's late, so these may not be the most detailed thank yous.

Kelly: If you thought that one was short… *sigh* At least my chapters are longer than they were in fic 5. I hope this is a bit more of a cliffie. ^_^ Thanks!

Sweets: Ah, thanks. It's nice to know I can make as many chapters as I want. (I'll try not to make you regret that statement. ^_^)

Raven of Death: *gr* I've got WAY too many things going on in this! Now's the time to start tying up loose ends…if only I could find them all… ^_^ Thanks!

Kelly bee: Wow, thanks!

Princess: Thanks! To think I didn't like Draco before… hehe…

Dilandra: Yep, yep, yep. ^_^ Thanks.

Jona: I swear I'm not being humble; I actually am bugged by this stuff. Not the plot, just the writing. Well, thanks!

Moon Warrior: Oh, don't worry. Plenty of people do the backwards-mixed-up language. Thanks, M.W.

Desert Hacker: My pleasure!

Juliana Black: ^_^ Thanks!

Allison: Do you really want me to go into the reasons I am not so happy w/ these chapters? Not unless you want to read 200 pages of sorrowful babbling. As for 'by golly's, after reading your review, I asked a few of my friends here if they thought we (the people of my state) said golly a lot. Most agreed, no. However, I'm a lovely odd exception. I have tons of substitute swear words, especially ones I derive from books. Believe it or not, my substitute for "sh*t" is "pigwidgeon". I often shorten it to "pig", but it's the same thing. In 7th grade, after reading a story about this wacked out town called Chaleve (not sure on spelling), that became my substitute. If you go further down, there was a time when I actually said "holy guacamole". Girl, I live in the 50s. That's just my style, by golly, and if you don't like it, you can just sit on it! (a wonderful phrase I want to start using; comes from the total coolio show "Happy Days", with the Fonz, and Mrs. C., and Potsie. Ah, wonderful memories…^_^) But believe you me, there are plenty of kids here who enjoy cussing their freakin' little heads off. Anywasy, thanks for the review!

Julia: Thanks!

Herm: Thanks, I will!

Erin: Wow, thanks!

Lucky Woods: lol. The funniest thing about that is "Ady" means "noble and of kind spirit". ^_^ Thanks!

Lord_Soth: Best fic of all time? *grins so much her cheeks hurt* Thank you oh so very much!

*hugs self with glee* By golly, (I'm gonna say that a lot now, Allison ^_^) after a bad day at school, these reviews just make me feel all warm and fuzzy. Thank you!!!!!!

Be excellent to each other!

-Ady