~ EXILED & RETURNED ~
Draco could hear Filch's footsteps coming around the corner. He slowed down some more, and then came to a complete stop in front of a portrait of Helga Hufflepuff. Draco began scratching at the oil painting. Helga Hufflepuff screeched at him.
"There you are laddie!" Filch growled. "What're you doin'?"
"Vandalizing." Draco grinned at Filch. "You ought to try it sometimes."
"That's it." Filch took Draco by the ear and dragged him down the corridor, to a remote corner of the castle that Draco had never been before. Filch opened a door. The place was little more than a broom closet. It contained a metal board with handcuffs attached, a noose and a rack, and other various sorts of ancient torture devices.
"Wait a minute Filch," Draco stuck out his arms and braced himself against the doorway. "What is this place?"
"The old punishment room." Filch smirked. "Too bad we aren't still using it." With a push, Filch shoved Draco into the room. "But remember, I can always use it, and nobody will know Draco Malfoy ever died in the old punishment room."
"Are you threatening me?" Draco widened his eyes. "My father…"
"Your father is a person of non-importance now." Filch sneered. Draco clenched his fists. It was true…his father was now in Azkaban, jailed for his Death Eater going-on's. Draco hadn't meant to say it, but 'My father' was the first thing that had got to his tongue. "Watch yourself Malfoy. If you're not careful, you'll be stuck here forever." With that, Filch shut the door. Draco heard a click from outside, and knew that Filch had looked the door.
Draco kicked the door a couple of times, but all he accomplished was in bruising his front toes. Sighing, Draco fell back on the stretching board. It wasn't so bad as a bed, really, as long as Draco didn't look at the hand and feet cuffs. Draco closed his eyes and sighed.
What had he gotten himself into? He could have easily took off on his own and left the other four on the line. But instead, he had sacrificed himself. Why had he saved the other four at his own risk? Was it Macmillan's pathetic face, Potter's approval of the sniffler, his guilt in the way he treated Daisy's sister, or Lavender Brown's green eyes?
Draco's eyes popped open. Dammit, Lavender Brown may act like she was a royal princess when her family hadn't two galleons to rub together, but Draco couldn't deny the fact that he found her (or at least her looks) extremely attractive. It was a pity that after this detention, he wouldn't be able to get anything but fleeting glimpses of the back of her head in Potions and Care of Magical Creatures.
That was one of the reasons why Draco found himself pushing the stretching board against the wall. Draco scrambled up the edge of the board. He pushed hard at the pipe covering in the ceiling. The covering popped upward. Draco pulled himself up, and was immediately greeted with a smell of rotting fish.
"Disgusting." Draco muttered. Then, he began to crawl forward. He crept slowly and silently through the pipelines. Thank goodness he'd memorized the way Filch went when he dragged Draco off. Skillfully, Draco crawled to an opening that he was certain opened to the detention room. Draco pulled at the lid, but it refused to come off. Draco tightened his grip on the lid, and then pulled harder…
~
"AHHHHH!"
Harry, Lavender, Daisy, and Ernie all whirled around to see Draco Malfoy come falling from a hole in the ceiling. He landed on a table, looking more shaken than Harry had ever seen him.
"Malfoy!" Lavender cried in shock. "What are you doing here?"
"Shh…" Harry hissed. "Filch's coming." They could all hear the footsteps down the hall. "Quick Malfoy, under the table. Harry moved aside to allow Malfoy to scramble under their desk. Malfoy didn't hide a moment too long. The door swung open and Filch stomped in.
"What was that noise?"
"What noise?" Harry said, looking innocent.
"That noise! That loud crashing sound!" Filch looked exasperated. Just then, there was a bump under the table.
Harry immediately pounded his fist on the table.
"I just heard something there…" Filch narrowed his eyes. "The noise."
Suddenly, Lavender let out a loud squeal. "Damn!" Could be vaguely heard under the table. Harry began coughing, Ernie and Daisy followed his example. "Do you mean that noise, sir?" Lavender asked, she was bright red and breathing hard.
"No!" Filch threw his hands in the air. "I will NOT be made a fool of. I'll catch you all next time." Pointing a finger at Lavender, then at Harry, Filch stomped out, slamming the door behind him.
"You! Get out of there!" Lavender pushed back her chair. Malfoy began climbing out, and Lavender gave him a series of slaps. "You are the most disgusting, most filthy…"
"Calm down, Lavender." Harry jerked Malfoy away.
"Calm down? He…he put his HEAD between my leg!" Lavender pointed an accusing finger at Malfoy.
"I'm sure I wasn't the only one!" Malfoy retorted. At this, Harry and Daisy began laughing. "Look," Malfoy pulled the bag of snifflers from his pocket.
Harry's eyes widened. "You still held on to that?"
"Of course. C'mon!" Malfoy tipped his head, and headed to a remote corner of the room. Grinning, Harry followed.
"Harry!" Lavender grabbed Harry's arm. "Are you actually going to smoke Malfoy's snifflers?" Harry nodded. "But you can't! You're quidditch captain…"
"Don't be so naïve, Brown." Malfoy rolled his eyes, then he slung an arm around Harry's shoulders. "Glad to see that Potter here isn't afraid to have fun."
Lavender puffed up indignantly at this. Harry grinned. Malfoy was a good manipulator. "I do too know how to have fun. Give me the snifflers." Lavender snatched the bag of snifflers from Malfoy and led the way.
Draco could hear Filch's footsteps coming around the corner. He slowed down some more, and then came to a complete stop in front of a portrait of Helga Hufflepuff. Draco began scratching at the oil painting. Helga Hufflepuff screeched at him.
"There you are laddie!" Filch growled. "What're you doin'?"
"Vandalizing." Draco grinned at Filch. "You ought to try it sometimes."
"That's it." Filch took Draco by the ear and dragged him down the corridor, to a remote corner of the castle that Draco had never been before. Filch opened a door. The place was little more than a broom closet. It contained a metal board with handcuffs attached, a noose and a rack, and other various sorts of ancient torture devices.
"Wait a minute Filch," Draco stuck out his arms and braced himself against the doorway. "What is this place?"
"The old punishment room." Filch smirked. "Too bad we aren't still using it." With a push, Filch shoved Draco into the room. "But remember, I can always use it, and nobody will know Draco Malfoy ever died in the old punishment room."
"Are you threatening me?" Draco widened his eyes. "My father…"
"Your father is a person of non-importance now." Filch sneered. Draco clenched his fists. It was true…his father was now in Azkaban, jailed for his Death Eater going-on's. Draco hadn't meant to say it, but 'My father' was the first thing that had got to his tongue. "Watch yourself Malfoy. If you're not careful, you'll be stuck here forever." With that, Filch shut the door. Draco heard a click from outside, and knew that Filch had looked the door.
Draco kicked the door a couple of times, but all he accomplished was in bruising his front toes. Sighing, Draco fell back on the stretching board. It wasn't so bad as a bed, really, as long as Draco didn't look at the hand and feet cuffs. Draco closed his eyes and sighed.
What had he gotten himself into? He could have easily took off on his own and left the other four on the line. But instead, he had sacrificed himself. Why had he saved the other four at his own risk? Was it Macmillan's pathetic face, Potter's approval of the sniffler, his guilt in the way he treated Daisy's sister, or Lavender Brown's green eyes?
Draco's eyes popped open. Dammit, Lavender Brown may act like she was a royal princess when her family hadn't two galleons to rub together, but Draco couldn't deny the fact that he found her (or at least her looks) extremely attractive. It was a pity that after this detention, he wouldn't be able to get anything but fleeting glimpses of the back of her head in Potions and Care of Magical Creatures.
That was one of the reasons why Draco found himself pushing the stretching board against the wall. Draco scrambled up the edge of the board. He pushed hard at the pipe covering in the ceiling. The covering popped upward. Draco pulled himself up, and was immediately greeted with a smell of rotting fish.
"Disgusting." Draco muttered. Then, he began to crawl forward. He crept slowly and silently through the pipelines. Thank goodness he'd memorized the way Filch went when he dragged Draco off. Skillfully, Draco crawled to an opening that he was certain opened to the detention room. Draco pulled at the lid, but it refused to come off. Draco tightened his grip on the lid, and then pulled harder…
~
"AHHHHH!"
Harry, Lavender, Daisy, and Ernie all whirled around to see Draco Malfoy come falling from a hole in the ceiling. He landed on a table, looking more shaken than Harry had ever seen him.
"Malfoy!" Lavender cried in shock. "What are you doing here?"
"Shh…" Harry hissed. "Filch's coming." They could all hear the footsteps down the hall. "Quick Malfoy, under the table. Harry moved aside to allow Malfoy to scramble under their desk. Malfoy didn't hide a moment too long. The door swung open and Filch stomped in.
"What was that noise?"
"What noise?" Harry said, looking innocent.
"That noise! That loud crashing sound!" Filch looked exasperated. Just then, there was a bump under the table.
Harry immediately pounded his fist on the table.
"I just heard something there…" Filch narrowed his eyes. "The noise."
Suddenly, Lavender let out a loud squeal. "Damn!" Could be vaguely heard under the table. Harry began coughing, Ernie and Daisy followed his example. "Do you mean that noise, sir?" Lavender asked, she was bright red and breathing hard.
"No!" Filch threw his hands in the air. "I will NOT be made a fool of. I'll catch you all next time." Pointing a finger at Lavender, then at Harry, Filch stomped out, slamming the door behind him.
"You! Get out of there!" Lavender pushed back her chair. Malfoy began climbing out, and Lavender gave him a series of slaps. "You are the most disgusting, most filthy…"
"Calm down, Lavender." Harry jerked Malfoy away.
"Calm down? He…he put his HEAD between my leg!" Lavender pointed an accusing finger at Malfoy.
"I'm sure I wasn't the only one!" Malfoy retorted. At this, Harry and Daisy began laughing. "Look," Malfoy pulled the bag of snifflers from his pocket.
Harry's eyes widened. "You still held on to that?"
"Of course. C'mon!" Malfoy tipped his head, and headed to a remote corner of the room. Grinning, Harry followed.
"Harry!" Lavender grabbed Harry's arm. "Are you actually going to smoke Malfoy's snifflers?" Harry nodded. "But you can't! You're quidditch captain…"
"Don't be so naïve, Brown." Malfoy rolled his eyes, then he slung an arm around Harry's shoulders. "Glad to see that Potter here isn't afraid to have fun."
Lavender puffed up indignantly at this. Harry grinned. Malfoy was a good manipulator. "I do too know how to have fun. Give me the snifflers." Lavender snatched the bag of snifflers from Malfoy and led the way.