Chapter 18
'Horse supplies,' Draco whispered. The lady on the portrait gave him an odd expression but was forced to swing aside. They could see a warm and welcoming common room awaiting them.
'Come on, enter,' Padma ordered. But Draco didn't move.
'I think you will have to go through first,' he whispered. 'People will take you as Parvati. You two look very a like. But they will immediately recognise mean evil Malfoy,' Padma couldn't do anything but agree so she climbed through first. Draco climbed in directly after her keeping his face down. He could see some people look up to see who had entered but no one gave them very much notice.
Draco rushed to a table and picked up the only magazine lying there and hid his face behind it. He opened it and pretended to be looking at it.
'Where are you going to look?' he whispered to Padma.
'I don't know. Maybe I will...' but more she didn't have time to say. Lavender Brown, the real Parvati Patil's best friend came running up to them.
'Parvati! I thought you were out with Harry!' she said and pulled Padma with her up towards the tower. 'You will have to tell me all about it. You are back earlier than expected,' Padma gave Draco a painful look but Draco couldn't do anything but to leave her alone. He just watched her being led away and up a staircase.
He looked around the common room. It was for some reason not very full and then suddenly he saw it. A window! It was at the other side of the room in exactly the direction he wanted it to be. Right in the direction his father had walked in.
'Are you done with that?' suddenly a voice spoke to him. He looked over the magazine and saw a Gryffindor seventh year looking at it. For the first time Draco glanced at it and to his horror realised it was a number of "Play Wizzy", the most popular magazine among Wizard boys.
'Yes,' he hurried to say and handed over it to the boy and walked away careful to make his face turned towards the wall. The boy hadn't even glanced at him! How dull were Gryffindor's really?
After what seemed to be ages he came to the opened window. He had been trying to find another book or magazine to cover him but everything else seemed to be either used or hidden somewhere. He leant out trying to spot his dad. The sky was starting to grow darker so it was harder to make out the shadows now but he was sure he could see a streak of blonde air just beneath the tower. He was about to lean out more when suddenly something big flew up towards him at a vast speed. It was just in the last moment that he moved away and a huge anchorage was now on the place where his body just had been leaning. He gasped and was quick enough to act like nothing had happened again. He stared at the anchorage. Why had his dad thrown an anchorage up towards the Gryffindor Tower? He could only make out one reason.
He quickly walked up to the anchorage and with great difficulty lifted it up and heaved it back out of the window again. He could hear a yelp from the ground. He hoped it hadn't hit anyone. He was about to look out again when the anchorage flew up and landed stiffly on the windowsill again. This time he threw it out without any gasping or thinking. He would never let his dad do what he thought he was about to do.
This time no yelp was heard but instead a long and loud list of swearwords were shouted out by a voice Draco recognised so well.
'Draco, let's go,' suddenly a voice said behind him. He carefully turned around seeing Padma standing there. With her help, Draco was managed to sneak out of the tower unseen.
'Padma! We need to find your sister and Potter!' Draco said as fast as they were out of the tower.
'Why?' she asked surprise. 'Parvati just didn't go because she realised she couldn't dump Harry and didn't want to...'
'We just need to!' Draco said and started walking down the corridor in quick steps. Padma followed him.
'Voldemort is after Potter as you know. But tonight, a kidnapping is planned,' Padma stared.
'How would you know?' she asked.
'I know my father, don't I?' Draco said. 'And I saw him here tonight through the window trying to throw an anchorage or hook up to the Gryffindor common room to be able to climb up,' Padma gasped.
'That must have been why Parvati didn't go to the meeting with the prefect!' she said. 'I know Parvati. She sometimes get these feelings that something is wrong and when she does she always forces herself to do what she knows is right. That must have been why she couldn't go,' Draco listened intently as they hurried through the corridor. He had heard about that sort of thing once. His father had told him a story about a Death Eater that forced himself to step out of Voldemort's inner circle because he had a feeling something bad would otherwise happen to his family.
'Where should we go then?' he asked as they came to the main staircase. Padma looked thoughtful.
'Lavender mentioned something about a secret room by the owlery in the West tower,' she said. 'But I don't know how we are going to be able to find it,'
'Let's try with going to the owlery then,' Draco said and headed for the next floor. He liked the owlery and always had and he tried going there as often as he could as long as his owl was there. But now his owl was of with a letter to his parents and hadn't come back yet.
He rushed up the stairs with Padma after him but they didn't have time to go much further before another pair of footsteps reached their ears. They stopped and saw Parvati and Potter coming towards them deep in a conversation.
'Parvati!' Padma cried and ran towards her. Draco carefully followed her. He knew what Potter was going to say.
'What is he doing here?' Potter for sure said when he catched site of Draco.
'Harry you need to hide!' Padma said instead of Draco. 'Voldemort is after you,' Potter stared.
'I know he is after me. I mean, who doesn't?' he asked sarcastically and made a short laugh. Parvati looked confused.
'What do you mean Padma? Voldemort has always been after Harry...'
'It was Draco. He...'
'I saw my father here tonight trying to break into the Gryffindor Tower,' he said in a dry voice. He hated that he was actually helping Potter. 'That can only mean one reason,' Potter looked very confused.
'Why would you actually tell me this?' he asked in a rude voice. 'I never remember you not trying to insult me,' Draco didn't really understand what Potter was saying but he very well understood what he was coming at.
'I swear that if you not hide now, you will be a dead man. And I think that a specific Moaning Myrtle will be very happy to get some company...'
'Shut up!' Potter snapped at Draco. Draco couldn't believe what a good comeback he had ended up with saying. After all the comeback's Potter had made at him, he actually had said something reasonable.
'Parvati, get him to listen to Draco,' Padma said.
'Yes, Harry, listen to Draco,' Parvati said. Draco wasn't very sure she actually believed him but he knew she didn't want to let down her sister.
'You two can just have your romantic dinner a bit longer,' Draco said. 'And pretend nothing has happened,' Potter gave him a murdering look. 'I am just trying to help,' he said.
'Why are you helping me?' Potter asked angrily. 'You wouldn't even mind if I died,'
'No,' Draco said. 'I wouldn't mind. But I am sure other people would. People who I would mind about if they died,'
'Whom are you aiming at?' Potter said and Draco could hear a tone he didn't like the sound of. Like he suddenly realised something.
'No one,' Draco said angrily.
'Don't tell me you like Padma!' Potter said in a spiteful voice. Draco could feel his cheeks start blushing as Potter started laughing. He looked at Padma. She wasn't laughing. Instead she was having a secret smile on her lips, like anyone would have who just found out someone liked them.
'Oh, Harry stop!' Padma said. 'What about if I like him too,' and to Draco's surprise she went up to him and kissed his cheek. Potter's laughing stopped instantly. Draco could feel his insides turn warm. He turned towards Padma who smiled the most beautiful smile he had ever seen.
'There he is!' a voice suddenly broke the romantic moment.
'Horse supplies,' Draco whispered. The lady on the portrait gave him an odd expression but was forced to swing aside. They could see a warm and welcoming common room awaiting them.
'Come on, enter,' Padma ordered. But Draco didn't move.
'I think you will have to go through first,' he whispered. 'People will take you as Parvati. You two look very a like. But they will immediately recognise mean evil Malfoy,' Padma couldn't do anything but agree so she climbed through first. Draco climbed in directly after her keeping his face down. He could see some people look up to see who had entered but no one gave them very much notice.
Draco rushed to a table and picked up the only magazine lying there and hid his face behind it. He opened it and pretended to be looking at it.
'Where are you going to look?' he whispered to Padma.
'I don't know. Maybe I will...' but more she didn't have time to say. Lavender Brown, the real Parvati Patil's best friend came running up to them.
'Parvati! I thought you were out with Harry!' she said and pulled Padma with her up towards the tower. 'You will have to tell me all about it. You are back earlier than expected,' Padma gave Draco a painful look but Draco couldn't do anything but to leave her alone. He just watched her being led away and up a staircase.
He looked around the common room. It was for some reason not very full and then suddenly he saw it. A window! It was at the other side of the room in exactly the direction he wanted it to be. Right in the direction his father had walked in.
'Are you done with that?' suddenly a voice spoke to him. He looked over the magazine and saw a Gryffindor seventh year looking at it. For the first time Draco glanced at it and to his horror realised it was a number of "Play Wizzy", the most popular magazine among Wizard boys.
'Yes,' he hurried to say and handed over it to the boy and walked away careful to make his face turned towards the wall. The boy hadn't even glanced at him! How dull were Gryffindor's really?
After what seemed to be ages he came to the opened window. He had been trying to find another book or magazine to cover him but everything else seemed to be either used or hidden somewhere. He leant out trying to spot his dad. The sky was starting to grow darker so it was harder to make out the shadows now but he was sure he could see a streak of blonde air just beneath the tower. He was about to lean out more when suddenly something big flew up towards him at a vast speed. It was just in the last moment that he moved away and a huge anchorage was now on the place where his body just had been leaning. He gasped and was quick enough to act like nothing had happened again. He stared at the anchorage. Why had his dad thrown an anchorage up towards the Gryffindor Tower? He could only make out one reason.
He quickly walked up to the anchorage and with great difficulty lifted it up and heaved it back out of the window again. He could hear a yelp from the ground. He hoped it hadn't hit anyone. He was about to look out again when the anchorage flew up and landed stiffly on the windowsill again. This time he threw it out without any gasping or thinking. He would never let his dad do what he thought he was about to do.
This time no yelp was heard but instead a long and loud list of swearwords were shouted out by a voice Draco recognised so well.
'Draco, let's go,' suddenly a voice said behind him. He carefully turned around seeing Padma standing there. With her help, Draco was managed to sneak out of the tower unseen.
'Padma! We need to find your sister and Potter!' Draco said as fast as they were out of the tower.
'Why?' she asked surprise. 'Parvati just didn't go because she realised she couldn't dump Harry and didn't want to...'
'We just need to!' Draco said and started walking down the corridor in quick steps. Padma followed him.
'Voldemort is after Potter as you know. But tonight, a kidnapping is planned,' Padma stared.
'How would you know?' she asked.
'I know my father, don't I?' Draco said. 'And I saw him here tonight through the window trying to throw an anchorage or hook up to the Gryffindor common room to be able to climb up,' Padma gasped.
'That must have been why Parvati didn't go to the meeting with the prefect!' she said. 'I know Parvati. She sometimes get these feelings that something is wrong and when she does she always forces herself to do what she knows is right. That must have been why she couldn't go,' Draco listened intently as they hurried through the corridor. He had heard about that sort of thing once. His father had told him a story about a Death Eater that forced himself to step out of Voldemort's inner circle because he had a feeling something bad would otherwise happen to his family.
'Where should we go then?' he asked as they came to the main staircase. Padma looked thoughtful.
'Lavender mentioned something about a secret room by the owlery in the West tower,' she said. 'But I don't know how we are going to be able to find it,'
'Let's try with going to the owlery then,' Draco said and headed for the next floor. He liked the owlery and always had and he tried going there as often as he could as long as his owl was there. But now his owl was of with a letter to his parents and hadn't come back yet.
He rushed up the stairs with Padma after him but they didn't have time to go much further before another pair of footsteps reached their ears. They stopped and saw Parvati and Potter coming towards them deep in a conversation.
'Parvati!' Padma cried and ran towards her. Draco carefully followed her. He knew what Potter was going to say.
'What is he doing here?' Potter for sure said when he catched site of Draco.
'Harry you need to hide!' Padma said instead of Draco. 'Voldemort is after you,' Potter stared.
'I know he is after me. I mean, who doesn't?' he asked sarcastically and made a short laugh. Parvati looked confused.
'What do you mean Padma? Voldemort has always been after Harry...'
'It was Draco. He...'
'I saw my father here tonight trying to break into the Gryffindor Tower,' he said in a dry voice. He hated that he was actually helping Potter. 'That can only mean one reason,' Potter looked very confused.
'Why would you actually tell me this?' he asked in a rude voice. 'I never remember you not trying to insult me,' Draco didn't really understand what Potter was saying but he very well understood what he was coming at.
'I swear that if you not hide now, you will be a dead man. And I think that a specific Moaning Myrtle will be very happy to get some company...'
'Shut up!' Potter snapped at Draco. Draco couldn't believe what a good comeback he had ended up with saying. After all the comeback's Potter had made at him, he actually had said something reasonable.
'Parvati, get him to listen to Draco,' Padma said.
'Yes, Harry, listen to Draco,' Parvati said. Draco wasn't very sure she actually believed him but he knew she didn't want to let down her sister.
'You two can just have your romantic dinner a bit longer,' Draco said. 'And pretend nothing has happened,' Potter gave him a murdering look. 'I am just trying to help,' he said.
'Why are you helping me?' Potter asked angrily. 'You wouldn't even mind if I died,'
'No,' Draco said. 'I wouldn't mind. But I am sure other people would. People who I would mind about if they died,'
'Whom are you aiming at?' Potter said and Draco could hear a tone he didn't like the sound of. Like he suddenly realised something.
'No one,' Draco said angrily.
'Don't tell me you like Padma!' Potter said in a spiteful voice. Draco could feel his cheeks start blushing as Potter started laughing. He looked at Padma. She wasn't laughing. Instead she was having a secret smile on her lips, like anyone would have who just found out someone liked them.
'Oh, Harry stop!' Padma said. 'What about if I like him too,' and to Draco's surprise she went up to him and kissed his cheek. Potter's laughing stopped instantly. Draco could feel his insides turn warm. He turned towards Padma who smiled the most beautiful smile he had ever seen.
'There he is!' a voice suddenly broke the romantic moment.