Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe belongs to J. K. Rowling. This fanfic is for entertainment purposes only, and no profit is being made from this fanfic.
Dedication: A Work in Progress is dedicated to lj user moontime, for indulging my own loyalty to Slytherin House.
"I can't believe, after all the moaning you did last night, that we're sneaking out again," grumbled Veronica as they made their way to the west tower. "And this is way worse than just slipping out of bed to go to the common room."
"I couldn't think of any other way to protect the owls," said Mildred, grimly trudging beside her. "You wouldn't want anything to happen to the owls, would you?" she added persuasively. "The poor, fluffy little owls?" She thought it was grossly unfair that Veronica managed to look graceful even bundled in a fluffy bathrobe; her own bathrobe just made her look bulgy.
"But poor Draco!" said Veronica. "If he gets caught in the owlery when he shouldn't be…"
"It won't be as bad as if he does something to the owls, and then gets caught afterwards," Mildred pointed out. "Besides, Pansy will get caught too." Veronica fell silent.
Inside the owlery it was cold and kind of musty-smelling. Laying several sheets of paper on a stone window-ledge, Mildred used her left hand to address a note to Professor Snape, hoping that using the wrong hand would disguise her handwriting. Veronica stopped watching the owls and glanced at the note; in nearly-illegible handwriting Mildred had written Owls in danger—students at owlery—please come at once.
"I'm sending a copy each to Professors Snape, McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout and one each to Dumbledore and Filch," she explained, adding impatiently, "you could help. I need them all ready to go at the same time, so we can get out of here before the first owl gets to anyone."
Veronica sighed deeply, but tied Professor Snape's message to one of the brown school owls and gently coaxed it to wait.
When all the messages had been attached and the six owls had departed, Mildred said, "We have to hurry. We've got to get out of here before Draco shows up."
"We could go meet him and warn him," Veronica said pleadingly.
"No, we couldn't," Mildred said, dragging Veronica across the fewmet-covered straw on the floor and out into the corridor.
Veronica looked furious. "You mean," she demanded, "we've saved Draco from being sent down, and we've saved the good name of our House, and we can't tell anyone?"
It was the first time Mildred had ever seen anyone actually stamp their foot. "Well, think about it," she said reasonably. "Would you like to tell Draco you're the one who ratted him out? Would you like to explain to Professor Snape why you snuck out to spy on Draco? Or were you planning to tell some third person, so they could blab it and both Draco and Snape could find out second-hand?"
Veronica was still pouting. "I know, I know," she said, following Mildred back towards their dorm. "I see what you mean, Millie. It just isn't fair! What did we do it for, if Draco's not going to know I saved him, and you're not going to earn oodles of House points and win the House Cup for Slytherin?"
Mildred shrugged. "I agree; it sucks," she said. But that's the problem with being a minor background character, isn't it? You never really get to save the day, and the important people barely know you exist. The best we can hope for," she concluded, "is that our story might be interesting in its own right."