Once the initial foreboding sense of doom had sunk in, Draco blinked to rid his eyes of their glassy, terror-stricken appearance and he told Hermione that they should just forget about the Cloak whilst Peeves cackled evilly overhead. She looked as though she didn't have a drop of blood in her face as she realised that she would have to face Harry and tell him what had happened at some point, and she felt even worse when she had taken it from him without permission in the first place. She felt Draco grab her wrist again and he sped down the corridor before Snape would be given sufficient time to see who they were, and he silently prayed that his blond hair wouldn't be too noticeable in the dark. Snape was infuriated when he found Peeves with something hidden behind his back, and the poltergeist refused to say what had happened until the professor said 'Please'. Peeves couldn't believe that the same professors fell for the same trick year after year, and when Snape said please with a curled upper lip, Peeves screeched 'What had happened' before cackling amidst a loop-the-loop and speeding away in the direction Snape had just walked in. After an irritated curse to himself whilst the spectre gradually disappeared from his eyesight, Snape realised something of great importance—he had spotted what Peeves had attempted to hide from him. His lips twisted into a sadistic smile as he knew that only one person in the school had an Invisibility Cloak, which meant that if it wasn't evidence enough to get Potter expelled, it would certainly be enough to give him another detention. He gathered his robes around himself and sought the company of Argus Filch, to tell him to keep a close eye on the Griffindor tower that night.
Seeing that the Slytherin dungeon was closer than the Griffindor tower was, they decided to seek refuge there until they had regained their breath and until Snape would have given up on catching them. Draco panted out the password to the portrait, which made a show of displeasure when it needed to allow a student from another House in, and they collapsed on the black leather couches together. She looked around the common room in amazement, as she was the only one out of her friends that hadn't been in there, and she still had a fear of turning into a cat whenever she was required to drink a potion to determine if it was right. Draco was genuinely worried about leaving the Cloak with the irksome poltergeist—not that he was worried for Potter's safety (in reality it was quite the opposite), but he didn't know what would happen to Hermione when Harry found out what she had used it for. Once their breathing had become more regulated, Hermione asked the question that had been playing in both of their minds:
"What do we do now?"
"I really don't know, and how are we supposed to get it back?"
"It's certain that Peeves will lose interest in it sooner or later, so all we need to worry about is if another student will find it first. Harry's going to kill me"
"Let's not worry about him right now, since he probably hasn't missed it yet. Do you think Peeve told Snape who we were?"
"I sincerely doubt that anything will happen to you anyway if he did. It's clear he lets you away with anything"
"Not any more. Let's just say that I'm no longer his favourite student, and that he wants to get me with everything he can send at me"
"Really? Why is that? I did find it strange that he gave you detention yesterday…"
"I don't want to go into it right now. Listen, I think it might be for the best if you stay here tonight, unless you want to confront Snape in the corridors again"
"I guess you're right, but where will I sleep? No offence, but the idea of sleeping on leather makes my blood run cold"
"I didn't expect you to; you can have my bed if you want it and I'll sleep out here. I didn't intend making you sleep on a couch—you are here as a guest after all"
"That's so nice of you. I really wouldn't have expected anything like this from you a couple of years ago. Heck, even a couple of months ago"
"I'm sorry for acting like such a jerk to you, but I've only recently seen how different my priorities are compared to when we first met"
"I would have never expected you to do anything for me all the time I've attended Hogwarts, so you can imagine what your change of attitude is doing to me!"
"What can I say? Looks can be deceiving"
He stared at her intently for a couple of minutes before breaking eye contact with her and assisting her towards the male dormitories as quietly as they possible could. Once they were in the bedroom, they surreptitiously walked over to the bed and Draco carefully pulled back the sheets to check that a curse hadn't been left there for him. Again. He was grateful to see that there wasn't, and he knelt down to open his trunk under the bed for some light clothes for Hermione to sleep in. When he lifted up the lid on it, a sudden steam of orange light rushed out and covered his face with what looked like toadstools. He felt mortified as Hermione performed the counter-curse and he was glad to see that she seemed more concerned for his welfare than amused, and he muttered:
"Goyle, always the practical joker"
She didn't believe that the curse had been intended as a friendly one, but she knew better than to press for details in case it resulted in an argument in territory that was unknown to her. He passed her the light clothes and quietly muttered that she should probably be careful whilst getting changed in case his 'friends' had decided to play another practical joke on him, and he was avoiding eye contact with her when she touched where the fungi had just been growing. The contrast between her cool fingers and his uncomfortably warm skin created a strange feeling inside Draco; he knew it was a bad situation to be caught in when he was trying to impress someone, but the strange thing was that he didn't feel remotely as uncomfortable as he would have imagined it to be. His glacier-blue eyes turned to her soft brown eyes to see what she was feeling, and he found genuine concern for his welfare in her expression. He looked as if he was about to say something, and he suddenly stopped, after realising that his gratitude would be more visible in the physical form he decided on—another kiss, but this one bore no interruptions similar to those that had hindered their previous attempts. He parted his lips from hers after what had seemed like forever, and he softly whispered that they needed to get some sleep before they woke the others up. It was only when she was getting changed surreptitiously that Hermione become conscious of the fact that she had once again forgotten to ask Draco why he had shown her the parchment, but as she shut her eyes in his bed, she realised that there was always tomorrow…
Meanwhile, Draco was being haunted by a nightmare for most of the night, and to add to his discomfort, it took place in a shadowed graveyard with swirling black figures moving sinuously through the overpowering fog. Nevertheless, a couple of shapes were identifiable, even with all of the lithe figures twisting around him there.
…Those serpentine movements…how am I supposed to keep an eye on him if he won't stop moving? Why is he allowing Nagini to follow me like that? Wait…that figure in the distance…can it be?
"You have disappointed me greatly
Draco. Have you no sense of comprehension of what a decent witch is?"
"Father?"
"Yes Draco. You are a disgrace to our family. YOU ARE ABOUT TO CONTAMINATE OUR FAMILY LINE WITH A MUDBLOOD"
"Sh-she isn't a mudblood, she's different from other muggle-borns"
Step aside Lucius; this boy needs to be taught a lesson.
No…it's as I feared…NOT YOU!!!
Do you think I can't read your pathetic little mortal thoughts, boy?
"Wh-what do you want with me?"
You know what it is; it has been prophesised and there's no point in resisting. Nagini, show him what we can do to convince him.
The large snake suddenly erupted from its position and wrapped herself around Draco tightly, and he feared that his ribs were crushing under the immense strength that the creature bore. He felt light-headed from the excruciating pain that he endured, and suddenly it ended without warning. Nagini pierced his right bicep with her sharp poisonous fangs and he felt a dull throb pound in his ears as the creature that should be human began to talk to him again.
I could kill you now for your defiance whelp, so it's in your best interest to follow your instructions through with this. If you fail to bring…
"I don't want to do anything like this—she hasn't done anything to you"
She has served that Potter brat in each of my previous attacks. If she is eliminated, then I can kill him once and for all. Is it you don't want to be part of my allegiance? I can inflict more pain than Nagini just did, and I can make you long for death beyond death. It's basically this: Stay loyal to me, or die in your defiance.
"I can't let you kill her; she is drifting away from him as we speak. Within a few days they won't be talking to each other at all, and she wont work with him—I have seen evidence of this in action already"
At least you have given her the information. If she were to research the warlock in question properly, she'd see that his descendants were to become my most faithful Death-Eaters of all. It is such a shame that one of them died in Azkaban. At least they were loyal until the end, unlike YOU
"WHAT??? You mean the information I gave her was…?"
I know. I also hear that my old Death-Eater has been causing some problems for you. Not to worry, he'll be annihilated shortly
"Please no"
Why? What has that traitor got that he deserves to survive? Or are you in love with him too?
Shallow laughter echoed all around the macabre setting, and the poison caused Draco to pass out, but he managed to see one final thing before shooting awake in agony, his eyes bloodshot and a far deeper hue than their usual glacier blue: Lord Voldemort raised his bony arm and cast a spell on the weakened youth…