Per our usual routine, we took up the same sofas in the common room, a study table sat between them. The best spot, of course, right by the fireplace to keep us warm. Now that December had arrived, Theodore and I decided it was time to discuss some of the resources we would need for the upcoming holiday. I lay myself down on one of the sofas as our bags rested on the other. Theodore sat on the floor, books and notes sprawled around him as he searched for our next study topic. Lev nuzzled closer to me, resting his head on my chest as I rested mine on the cushions beneath me. I watched him breathe in calmly, petting his head, before another thought came to mind.
"Should we make a schedule?" I asked, watching my puppy's ears move back and forth as I pet his head. I heard Theo hum in response.
"I doubt that will be necessary," he answered more clearly after a moment, looking down at the parchment resting on his side. "I trust we can both do what is asked of us without needing a specified timeline to restrain ourselves."
"That's fair," I answered in turn, giving him a struggling nod. We would both be busy during the break, and we knew how to manage ourselves by now. We normally gave ourselves a schedule if it related to our usual tutoring of Daphne or Draco. Neither seemed to have developed the same time management skills, but they weren't part of this. "So then, aside from trying to gather new text, we're also going to have to think of a proper workplace within the grounds for—"
"Excuse me!" a loud, high pitched voice called from our side. From the sound of it, it seemed as though this wasn't their first attempt at getting our attention. Turning my head up, angling it so I could see over the armrest, I found a child staring down at me. Behind her two other, much more timid-looking, Slytherin waited. The prior, who upon closer inspection looked to be a second year, cleared her throat.
"Did you need something?" I asked with a small frown, not sure what it was they wanted.
"The sofa," she spoke, her voice a huffy tone. Noting my frown deepening, now confused as to what they could need the couches for, she spoke up impatiently. "We want a seat!"
"There's some chairs over there," Theo pointed his quill at a corner of the room, not bothering to look up. I giggled at him, seeing there were some students already sitting in the area he had suggested. The second years didn't seem to enjoy that as much.
"There's only two of you," the haughty one insisted, the other two still watching silently from behind. "You can't take up two entire couches when there's just two of you."
"Well we did," I spoke slowly, so maybe then she'd understand.
As she looked down at me, I stared back stubbornly. I didn't recognize these children, so I wasn't sure why they thought it appropriate to speak to us that way. Apparently one seemed to think the same. He pulled on the prickly one's sleeve but she didn't budge. Something seemed to be giving the little girl some courage. Her cheeks puffed out, looking about to complain again, when a voice interrupted.
"Prefect here, I can help sort this out."
Recognizing the voice, I rolled my eyes and turned to look down. At my feet, opposite to where the girl stood, Draco watched us with not so subtle amusement on his face. After taking a second to make his expression more serious, he crossed his arms, taking in the scene. He then nodded his head, and walked until he was leaning against the armrest by my feet. I raised my head slightly, ready to tell him off if he decided to try one of his prefect lectures on me. Instead Draco leaned down, hooking his arm under my knees, and pulled.
I made a sound as I felt myself be pulled towards his side of the couch. Draco let go of my legs, resting them on the armrest I was now pressed against. The bends of my knees lay against the armrest and my legs dangled off the edge. With a frown, I turned up to look at him just as he fell into the newly created empty seat near my head. Unaffected, Draco smiled down at me. Making himself comfortable, he leaned an arm against the back of the couch before turning a gallant smile towards the children.
"There, better?"
Apparently not, the second years took that as their cue to leave. They moved to sit themselves in a corner. No chairs, but it's not like they were going to get ours, and now they knew that. I watched them for a moment, not entirely sure what their problem was. They could have easily gone to study in one of their rooms, instead of pouting and bothering us. We were in our fifth year now, for all they knew we were studying for our O.W.L.s exams. That was, in a way, what we were doing. As if reading my annoyed thoughts, or seeing them clear on my face, Draco smiled cheekily down at me. But it was Theo who spoke first.
"It's nice to see the power hasn't gone to your head," Theodore mumbled sarcastically, still not looking up. Draco chuckled at him.
"Did you have to do that?" I groaned, looking up at him. From his place on my chest Lev let out a soft growl as if agreeing, having been dragged along with me.
"Were you going to move if I didn't?" he asked in return, looking down at Lev. My puppy looked back for a moment before stopping his growling. He snuggled himself higher up to my neck. "Either way, I thought it'd be funny. And it was. Besides, more and more these damn children are getting on my nerves."
"Not enjoying your prefect duties?" Theo smiled to himself. Draco gave him an exaggerated fake laugh before making an unpleasant hand gesture.
"Obnoxious little buggers, all of them," Draco went on, ignoring my hand as it tried to slap his out of the air. "Being kept inside 'cause of some bad weather is making them think they're trapped in Azkaban or something. It reminds me of having to deal with you all those years ago."
"I was not that bad," I protested as he looked down at me, his expression stating otherwise. I turned to hit his leg, the one nearest my head. From across us Theo let out a snort of a laugh, making Draco chuckle in return. Shooting them both a look I sat myself up. "I was not."
"Whatever you have to tell yourself," Draco said calmly, watching as I readjusted Lev against myself. "But having to babysit, patrolling corridors, supervising decorations… We're not even going to be here over holiday, why should I care what the castle looks like then?"
"Of course, why care about that which doesn't involve you, right?" Theo smiled at him, finally looking up. Draco made a face that Theo missed, looking down again placing a bookmark in one of the texts. He took a moment to glance through his work. Seeming happy with how things were he began to roll some parchment and looked up at me. "I promised Daphne I would help her with something tonight. She's about ten minutes late, meaning she should be here soon."
"Did you finish the copy, then?" I asked, placing Lev down on the empty space beside me. Theo nodded and handed me the parchment he had just finished rolling. I took it with a smile.
"I still can't believe you two are assigning yourselves homework during holiday," Draco shook his head at us from the other seat beside me. He eyed the scroll carefully, as if afraid of being assigned some work himself.
"Some of us actually find value in learning, and don't simply think of it as a means to an end," Theo commented, now finished with his cleaning. He turned for a moment to look behind Draco and smiled. "You have impeccable timing."
Turning behind us, to where he was looking, I found my roommates. The three girls were making their way down the stairs of the dormitory, one having noticed Theo's call. The other two looked to be too involved in their conversation to notice. Still without a glance they followed after Daphne, and she came to us.
"I didn't know if you'd still be here," Daphne called unapologetically.
She skipped forward a little faster than the others to reach him. At that, Pansy looked up to who it was she was talking to. When she saw us sitting together, she paused. Pansy leaned in to whisper something to Millicent before quickly shuffling out of the common room. That motion seemed to garner Daphne's attention. She turned to give Millicent a curious look, who answered it by leaning to whisper something back. Watching her shuffle off after Pansy, I let out a frown of confusion. I turned to Daphne, but she continued as though the exchange hadn't happened.
"So are you ready?" Daphne asked cheerfully, albeit taking a second glance at the common room entrance.
"What's with her?" I asked Daphne, since she wasn't providing the information herself. Daphne opened her mouth but quickly shut it, watching Draco. I turned to him as well but by the time I caught his eyes his expression had changed. Draco gave me a shrug and Daphne mirrored his response.
"I'm ready," Theo spoke, also noticing she didn't look like she was going to answer.
Glancing around the stacks we had built, he checked once more that he had everything he needed. Standing up, Theo grabbed the bags on the seat behind him. He draped his own bag across himself before making his way around the table. Theo placed my bag by my feet then walked the remaining distance to Daphne.
"Did you two have a fight or something?" I asked Draco, curious as to why no one seemed to be answering me.
"They—"
"Don't you two have somewhere to be?" Draco interrupted, giving Daphne the same warning look I was sure I'd missed before. This time she gave him a frown in return but otherwise remained silent. Noting my curious look, Draco rolled his eyes at me. "It's none of your business, really. Stop being so nosy."
"This, coming from you?" I returned but decided to do as he suggested and drop it. Looking down, I kicked my bag closer to me. I didn't like being involved in their relationship, but there was obviously something there. Daphne seemed to be thinking the same thing as she glanced between the two of us.
After the two headed out, Draco and I didn't say much. I scooted myself down from the sofa to sit on the floor. Lev gave me a happy bark and jumped down to rest on my lap. Careful not to disturb Lev's new seat, I reached across the table to turn one of the books Theo had been looking through, pulling it towards me. Draco sighed, pushing himself up from his own seat. He walked around the table, deciding to take the place Theo had just left. As he sat back against the couch, I saw the children from before watching us from behind him. The second years made a face in our direction, not looking too happy about our apparently stagnant seating arrangement.
"So is this going to be something I'm supposed to help you with during holiday?" Draco asked, glancing at the work on the table. From his expression, the real question he was asking was would I also be assigning him homework. I gave him a smile.
"No, I feel as though revising on my own would be better. I might eventually suggest help, but by then we might have returned to the castle so I'll have Theo," I reassured him. "Besides, I have other things planned for the holiday. And I told you I wanted to continue with my internship at St. Mungo's again. Trying to schedule all of that in three week's time, then with you too, it might be a little much. Think of it this way, now you don't have to feel guilty about spending time with me instead of Pansy."
"I don't think that's something you have to worry about," Draco spoke softly at the idea. There was something in his tone. I turned up from the book to give him a serious look.
"Listen, I would rather not but… Do you want to talk about what's going on there?" I asked, nodding to the common room entrance.
Pansy usually worshipped the ground he walked on. Even as much as they did before, recently they had been arguing more and more. Ever since the Quidditch match against Gryffindor there had been some distance there. But I didn't dwell too much on whether this was really my place. It was, that's what friends were for.
"While I appreciate the sacrifice," Draco began, noting my expression, "I'm alright. We just… need some time from each other, that's all. Christmas came at a good time."
"If you say so, but just know, I'm here to listen," I insisted, reassuringly. He looked at me for a moment, then let out a smirk.
"Are you sure you know how to listen? Not sure you're too familiar with the—"
"Alright," I interrupted, but his widened smirk proved his point. I stuck out my tongue in return.
Draco distracted himself as I read through the curriculum Theo and I had just finished organizing. I glanced from book to book curiously. It was annoying to think we had essentially become our own Professor. Things might have been better this way, but would it kill whatever curse had been placed on our school to work its magic a little faster? If Umbridge disappeared halfway through the year, there might be some way to salvage the remainder of her class.
Lev let out a sudden bark, distracting me from my internal grumbling. It was a bit more high pitched than normal, one of surprise. He barked a couple of more times before I noticed he was yelping at my robes. Draco frowned slightly at my puppy. I gave him a confused look too, before realizing what it was causing this reaction. Reaching into my pocket I felt it. It was the D.A. galleon, the one I had gotten from George.
Instinctively, I pulled the coin out for a closer look. The date had changed. Now that the warmth it was causing wasn't disturbing him, Lev settled silently back into my lap as though nothing had happened. Unfortunately, Draco did not do the same. He gave me a frown, looking down at the galleon. I gave him a small frown in return, placing the galleon in my bag, knowing where this was going.
"So are we just going to keep pretending I haven't noticed that coin of yours?"
"If I haven't brought it up until now, what makes you think I will after you make that face?" I asked with a look. Draco repeated the unhappy expression. "Don't worry about it for now. It has nothing to do with you. Stop being so nosy."
Draco paused for a moment before giving me a frown, hearing his own words be used against him. But he seemed to drop the matter after that.
A few days passed before I found out more about the date. George, after insisting once more that I join their little army, mentioned that it would be the last meeting before holiday break. Though I declined, I was still curious about what they would be working on. George had been forthright about the details of their meetings so far, but it couldn't hurt to hear more. Part of me wondered if Potter would consider adding something new to their curriculum. We agreed to meet the day after the D.A. meeting to discuss what he had learned, just before breakfast. If there was more to discuss we could plan a second meeting, but we agreed on the first for the time being.
Thursday morning I lingered waiting at the Great Hall's entrance. It was the day after their supposed meeting, and we were supposed to talk about it. But George was nowhere in sight. Most students were already eating their meals; he'd kept me waiting. I let out an annoyed breath expecting he'd slept in. Not wanting to miss a meal because of his inconsiderate behavior, I turned into the dining area. If he made a fuss that was on him, and breakfast was starting to smell very good.
"What took you?" Draco asked as I took my seat next to him.
"Nothing," I grumbled, still annoyed. Now I was beginning to suspect he had left me on purpose. He was clearly still upset no matter how he tried to hide it, but leaving me waiting like that was just immature.
"Doesn't look like nothing," Pansy noted from across me on the table. I chose to ignore her, which was a lot harder said than done now.
The seating arrangement between us had changed again. Whatever the issue was with Draco and Pansy they had gone from arguing to simply ignoring each other within the last few days. Curious as to what was causing it I tried asking Daphne, but to no avail. Draco had gotten to her first.
I sat annoyed for a number of reasons, watching the Gryffindor table, only to realize George didn't appear through the entirety of breakfast. Scanning outside of his usual spots, neither he nor Fred were among the sea of red. Instead, I found Hermione, alone. Ronald and Potter were not there to keep her company either. She sat mumbling to Longbottom about something; not her usual choice of companion.
I wasn't the only one to notice. Draco made a comment to the group, also having seen the latter as missing. After his little joke at Potter's expense, the others continued to chat amongst themselves, having already forgotten about the other house. But I found this a bit more concerning. My mind stayed fixated on the subject even as we made our way to class. Picturing those that seemed to be missing, a thought occurred.
"Does Gryffindor know what they're going to do yet?" I asked before realizing I was interrupting the conversation. But considering it too late, I continued. "In regards to their team, I mean. With them now down three members they might be in a rough spot."
"I didn't think you'd care, after your failure as a Chaser, Volkov," Blaise teased with a smile.
I gave him a fake laugh in return. Truly I didn't care. But the few missing all appeared to be members of their team, so it was possibly Quidditch related. Draco looked down, carefully at me. He knew I wouldn't be asking without reason. He didn't speak for a moment.
"Montague says they've already been replaced," Draco spoke slowly, still suspicious. "They've added another Weasley, since apparently there's an endless supply of those—"
"Can't you ever answer a question properly?" I interrupted before giving him a sigh. Draco smirked at me.
"Shouldn't your boyfriend be answering all of this for you?" Blaise spoke up first. Daphne nudged at his side, and they shared an expression between them.
"Normally he would, yes. But we've been staying off the topic of Quidditch recently. And that's as much as I'd like to say on the matter," I added with a look, noting his smile. With that, I turned back to Draco. "You were saying."
"Before I was rudely interrupted," Draco spoke with a specific tone. Despite that, he gave me a smile. "The last of the Weasley beggars, she's their new seeker now; Potter's replacement. Apparently Kirke and Sloper are the new beaters, replacing the other two oafs. Haven't seen much of them in practice though, so that's as much as I can tell you."
"Thanks," I nodded, trying to remember who else was sat at the Gryffindor table.
During lunch I watched their house table once more. Still empty, at least of anyone that mattered. I wasn't sure who the other two Draco had mentioned were, but I searched the table for Ginny. She wasn't there, and neither were the other four from before. That had to confirm it, this was Quidditch related. Maybe that's why George hadn't brought it up before. We had been avoiding the topic, after all. Even so a warning would have been nice.
By the time dinner came, he still wasn't there. I let out a frown. That was the final straw.
I finished eating quickly, but waited. Among the other Slytherins eating I feigned interest in their conversation, glancing every so often at the Gryffindor table. It took a moment but eventually Hermione finished her meal. Trying to seem uninterested, I excused myself from the table, moving quickly towards the exit. The Gryffindor stood just outside the great hall, making her way to the stairs. Seeming distracted it took me longer than I would've liked to get her attention. She was near the top of the stairs before she noticed me following her.
"Sorry," Hermione called as I reached her.
"It's alright," I let out a quick breath, trying not to make it obvious how annoyed I was. Calming myself, I looked at her. "How are you?"
"I'm fine," she nodded, clearly something was on her mind. By her expression, she seemed to think the same of me. "How about you?"
"Annoyed," I answered honestly. She gave me a giggle in return.
Hearing footsteps, I turned back to the stairs. A couple of Ravenclaws were chatting their way up. As they passed they gave us a curious glance. Taking that as a sign I nodded up the stairs. Giving me a nod in return Hermione followed as I climbed. We stopped at the top of the steps, standing to one side. Not the best hiding place, but there wasn't much of a delicate matter to discuss this time. Still I caught myself glancing down at the Great Hall's entrance and let out a sigh.
"So there's something you want to talk about?" Hermione asked, probably guessing if I wanted a simple hello I wouldn't have pulled us off to the side. I gave her a small smile.
"Yes, there is," I answered, but didn't start right away. Hermione nodded encouragingly and waited. Still deciding on what words to use, I spoke slowly. "I'll spare you the details, but it seems George decided not to tell me about today's Quidditch practice. I know he's technically banned but I'm assuming he's still present, if for any reason, at least to annoy Umbridge. Anyway, next time you see him, please tell him to come find me, before I begin to think he's avoiding me."
"Why do you think it has to do with Quidditch?" Hermione asked carefully. I let out a frown, both at her tone and her words. I hadn't considered there to be other options.
"Fred, Ron, Harry, and Ginny were all missing as well," I chose to answer her question, putting the other thought aside for the moment. "I heard she's the new Gryffindor seeker. I just figured they set up some kind of training, a welcome party, or something. He's been gone all day, or at least through all of his meals. But, considering your tone, I'm assuming that's not it."
"No it's…" Hermione began but trailed off as another set of students passed. Hermione grabbed my wrist, pulling me to a corner of the wall. It was farther, sure, but not much better of an option in a high traffic area like this. Still, I felt it best not to bring that up at the moment. "No, that's not it."
"What is it then?" I asked curiously. Hermione's face told me she was mulling over a lie. With a sigh, I decided it might help to give her a bit more honesty. Something to work with, so maybe she could share some honesty of her own. "We were supposed to meet for a moment before breakfast today, but George never showed. After I took part in the Slytherin match he's been a little upset with me, so we haven't really talked about Quidditch. I figured that's why he hadn't brought it up, but if it's something else, I'd like to know."
"It's not Quidditch…" Hermione muttered as if to herself. She paused for a moment, still trying to decide what to say. "The thing is… he's gone."
"Gone? What—" I began but paused, hearing someone pass once more. Waiting for them to take a few more paces, I lowered my voice. "What do you mean George is gone?"
"There was a… family emergency… last night," she continued, sounding like she was choosing her words carefully. "Dumbledore sent them home for the holiday, before the rest of us, to deal with… the emergency."
"And what are they dealing with, exactly?" I asked sharply, perhaps more upset about it than I should be.
To start, I couldn't be sure what the emergency was, or whether I believed there was one. There could be something going on but Dumbledore could have well made up that excuse for Umbridge's sake. After all, whether or not he liked to talk about it, his family was often involved in the kind of sensitive matters Dumbledore liked to put himself through. But maybe that was just me being overly sensitive. I had caught myself doing that a number of times now with George. But he had been doing the same to me. It was as if our argument had torn down some sort of barricade we hadn't realized was there. Sensing my anger, Hermione spoke softly.
"I told you, it's a family emergency. I'm sure he would have told you if he had the time. But they all left… in a bit of a… hurry…"
Hermione's words began to slow until they stopped, her expression focused on something behind me. Seeing it more clearly her shoulders straightened back, defiantly. Turning to where her glare was focused, I found Draco near the hall entrance. He looked around for a moment before meeting my glance. I gave him a frown. If Hermione was planning on saying anything before, it wasn't going to come out now.
"Well, thank you, that was all I needed to know, for now at least," I sighed, turning back to the Gryffindor. "I'll ask him the rest myself, whenever that ends up being. But if you see him before I do, would you make sure he knows I have some more questions."
"I'll pass along the message," Hermione gave me a small smile. Her expression stiffened, turning back to the stairs, but she didn't wait long before storming up. Turning away from her, I began to climb down.
Draco had stopped climbing. He stood in the middle of the stairway, frowning up at the departing Gryffindor. Ignoring his unpleasant expression I met him, standing one step above, also ignoring the unhappy noises made by passing students. Without saying a word I decided to adopt an old method of calming him down. I raised both hands to his face, squeezing lightly, forcibly changing his expression. For a second I smiled at him, watching the new faces I was giving him. Draco grabbed hold of my wrists and pulled my hands away. Still his expression softened, but not enough to completely erase the scowl.
"So how was your meal?" I asked casually, both of us knowing he wouldn't answer. Draco let go of one side of me, still quiet. He gave one more glance up the stairs before tugging my wrist, pulling me down the stairs with him. Nearly stumbling, I frowned down to him. "Where are we going?"
"To the dungeon," this time he did answer. "Tomorrow is the last day of term, we need to finish packing."
"I've got all my stuff sorted," I grumbled, trying to pull myself free, knowing nothing would come of it.
"Good, then you're free to help me with mine," Draco gave me a carefree smile, and I couldn't help but give him one in return.
Together we continued on our way down to the Slytherin dungeon. Inside the common room there were a few students scattered about, but it was still a little early to get the full crowd. The ones that were sat ignored us as Draco led the way to his room. Inside the dorm was messy, but it was easy to note most of that wasn't coming from Draco or Theodore's side. Letting go of the wrist he had still been holding, Draco lingered by the door and watched as I stepped further in.
"So what was it that you wanted to talk to… Granger about?" Draco asked, closing the door behind him. I chose to ignore the obvious pause he took, in search of the least insulting name.
"Just girl talk," I shrugged simply, and looked deeper into the dorm. He rolled his eyes at me.
Draco watched me for a moment, but I stayed focused on the room, particularly its windows. I'd always loved the look of the water from the lake. The way that it whirled itself against the sunlight, both illuminating and hiding what lived within. From the other side of the glass I watched as something swam away. I squinted, trying to see if I could make out its shape, until my eyes focused instead on the shadow now covering part of the glass. Draco stood by my side, searching the waters for what had grabbed my attention. Not finding what it was I had been looking for, he turned down to me.
"Really, what were you two talking about?" he asked again.
"Why so interested?" I asked through feigned innocence.
"You really think I'm stupid, don't you?" Draco shook his head at me. I frowned back, not knowing from where he had jumped to that conclusion. "Why do you keep forgetting I've known you for almost a decade now? I know the stupid faces you make. And I saw how you were watching her during dinner."
"Can't you just let me keep one secret from you?" I sighed.
"Fine, I'll let you keep this one secret," Draco gave me a smirk and leaned himself against the glass. "But in exchange, how about you tell me one of the other dozen you have stored away."
"What dozen?"
"What you did during the last Hogsmeade," Draco began, raising a finger to start the tally. As he spoke he continued to use them to count. "What that coin is that you're always hiding in your bag. Why you suddenly seem so interested in Sirius Black. All that the Beggar has told you to keep from me. What that one book in your library is that you never let me open—"
"I've told you before, it's a first edition text, centuries in age. It's old and delicate and I just don't want you ruining it," I quickly answered, finding that the one I felt safest answering. Draco leaned himself closer to me.
"And?"
"And I was curious to know if she would tell me why George was missing," I sighed, knowing he would be too stubborn to let this go.
"Was he? Hadn't noticed," Draco said his lie with a smile. I was sure he had noticed too, by dinner if not sooner. I pushed on his shoulder lightly, making sure he knew he wasn't fooling anyone, not that he was trying hard to. With a nod, he turned back to look into the lake. "That was why you asked about Quidditch then."
"I thought it might have something to do with it," I answered, realizing he had probably known since breakfast.
"I wouldn't worry about meaningless filth, and by that I mean him," Draco smiled out onto the lake. "He probably did something stupid and got caught in the middle of it. Umbridge probably has him writing lines in a hovel somewhere, you know, somewhere he'd feel at home."
"You sure know how to reassure a girl."
"I try," Draco shrugged, ignoring the obvious sarcasm in my tone. For a moment I didn't say anything, unsure of if I should. But I felt the need to think out loud, and Lev wasn't around to bounce off my ideas.
"George isn't so stupid as to get caught like that. And I think Umbridge would have tried to make an example of anything he would have been caught with anyway. No, it's not that simple. Besides, we were supposed to meet before breakfast, to talk about… something," I muttered the last bit. Draco turned back from looking out the window. He slowly raised his hands and wiggled his fingers, adding to the count he had before. I gave him a smile but shook my head. "The point is he didn't show up."
"Maybe he just didn't want to see you," Draco gave me a sarcastic smirk.
"No, I considered that," I answered honestly, making him roll his eyes at me. "Then I considered he was just being irresponsible and slept in. But he didn't show for all three meals. All of his siblings were absent, and Potter as well. Since they're all involved with the Gryffindor Quidditch team, I thought it might be related to that."
"But it's not," Draco spoke, making it clear it wasn't a question. I gave him a solemn nod.
"Hermione says there's been some sort of family emergency."
"What kind of emergency?" he pressed. I frowned at his tone.
"A family one. More than that, I don't know. Unfortunately, someone," I emphasized the word with a pause, "interrupted before I could find out more. But it seems like Dumbledore ushered them out last night, possibly in a hurry."
"They rushed out in the dead of night, and took Potter with them," Draco mumbled to himself. He stared at a clear spot on the wall, as if he could visualize the puzzle in his mind.
"They're close," I shrugged, but frowned to myself, feeling sure this was why Hermione had chosen her words so carefully. "Maybe they asked for him to come along."
"But wasn't it a family emergency? They must have been lying then. They may all be trash, but that doesn't make them related. He's a sad little orphan, Potter," Draco chuckled lightly at his own joke. I frowned, thinking of something else.
"He has a family, doesn't he?" I tried to remember, walking away from the window. "He's staying with relatives… muggles, I think."
"Better off with none, if you ask me," I heard Draco call.
"I didn't ask, thank you," I called back with a tone.
Turning back I saw Draco was much closer than I had realized, having followed me away from the glass pane. He stepped past me taking off his cloak. Once off, he grabbed the piece and tossed it on me. With a look, one he ignored, I took the cloak off my head trying to decide if I should put it away for him. Not wanting to be made his maid for the day, I decided against the idea and threw his garment on the floor. Turning back up to him I saw Draco had already moved on, hovering over his luggage.
After a moment of consideration, I decided to join. Next to him I sat myself down. Hugging my knees, I watched him work. I wasn't really sure how to help, but figured he just wanted the company. Besides, if I hadn't come to supervise he probably would have already gotten distracted and sauntered out of the room by now. A few times I did help pack, but mostly sat back and watched. There wasn't an urgency in it, he could well leave everything here if he wanted to. He had plenty of clothes and such back home, the more he took with him the more there would just be to unpack.
Leaving him to handle things himself, I eventually wandered over to his storage chest, mostly out of curiosity. He didn't need to pack anything there, just the things he wouldn't like to have to replace. Freely searching his belongings I noted he hadn't brought many important things. He really didn't need the help.
Among the muck of boyish objects and other things he used to entertain himself, I saw a few familiar items. There was the scarf I had given him last year on Christmas. The Quidditch repair kit I had gifted him after he threw a fit when I purchased one for George. A quill set he definitely didn't steal from my home desk. I smiled, realizing just how many things I recognized. Then, seeing the old scrap of parchment, I paused. It was his share of the piece; the two parchments linked together by the Protean Charm we had exchanged a couple of years back. I had mine too, of course. I always had it with me. But the pause was for more than that. His piece was worn and damaged, far more than mine, and from more than just simple use.
I stood from where I'd sat rummaging and walked slowly towards the bed. Frowning, I sat down on it. Besides the obvious wear on it, the piece of parchment reminded me of something else. Hermione had also learned how to use the charm. The very advanced, expensive to craft, charm. Regardless of her skill, it was a heavy reminder that I had fallen behind. During holiday I had already thought of how to start making up for it. It might keep me busy, meaning Draco wouldn't have a chance to be around much then. He'd surely grow bored of watching me work from the corner. I would have to find him something else to do. And that thought led me to another, less pleasant one.
"So, really, what's been going on between you and Pansy?" I asked, lowering the parchment. I didn't want him spending his holiday alone, after all. If I was going to be busy I wanted him out, even if it meant with her. Draco didn't say anything, just let out a very audible groan. From his side of the room, I saw him roll his eyes. "Look, this has been going on for a while. It even seems to have gotten worse. I just want to make sure you're okay."
"I'm fine, alright. I'm okay," he grumbled, standing himself up. "And if I wasn't okay, you constantly asking if I'm okay, isn't going to miraculously make me okay."
"Well excuse me for being concerned—"
"Drop it," Draco interrupted. I crossed my arms and gave him an exaggerated pout.
"But we're best friends, aren't we? We're supposed to tell each other everything," I moped, not actually thinking he'd fall for it.
Draco stood at the other end of the bed, watching me with a particular smile on his face. Not saying a word he raised his hands, holding up the number of fingers from his previous count. Sure that I saw them, he wiggled his fingers at me. Point made. Wanting to make my own I grabbed one of the pillows from his bed and threw it at him. It bounced off his face, and I was a little surprised to see he didn't dodge it. Picking up the pillow from the floor, he tossed it back to where it had been. I stuck my tongue out at him but remained quiet. No matter what I thought I shouldn't push, the past had proved that sometimes it was best to leave things quiet.
Draco walked what little distance remained towards the bed. With a groan, he threw himself on to it, making me bounce a bit from the fall. He landed himself at an awkward angle, but rolled so he lay on his back, taking up the majority of the bed's diagonal. I watched as he draped his arm over his eyes, groaning once more. I rolled my eyes at him. He was acting as if putting a few articles of clothing away was the end of the world. But, for him, it may as well be. We weren't really the type to resort to that sort of simple work, there was always someone around who could do it for us. But I let out a smile, seeing his rolled up sleeves and his messy blond hair falling just off the corner of the bed. For a moment I reached out to touch it but stopped myself. It would only make him get up, and I liked him where he was.
I much preferred him this way. He always seemed to act differently when it was just the two of us. He had no one to put on airs for, he could act the way I always believed the real Draco was. It might also just be him trying to be on his best behaviour, but still. Draco took a deep breath, and I watched as he slowly let it out. After another moment I realized he was watching me from under his arm. With a small frown I turned away. I wasn't sure for how long I'd been watching, or how long it had been since he noticed me.
"What?" Draco asked defensively when I didn't say anything. It was clear he thought I was about to lecture him. I took in a breath, getting up from his bed before answering.
"The parchment is damaged," I frowned down at the scrap I was still holding. Draco gave me a frown.
"It still works fine. You got my message the other night, didn't you?" Draco raised his hand, placing it over his face again.
"So what you're telling me is, it's been in this state for a while now," I frowned down at him. Draco gave me a chuckle.
"Merlin, you just have to find something to complain about, don't you," Draco moaned, swung his arms, and sat up with the motion. He ruffled the back of his head before standing with me.
"You know this is important to me," I frowned, watching him close the distance towards me. With a loose grip, he ran his hand through his hair in an attempt to tidy it up.
"It's important to me too," Draco sighed. Leaning down he snatched the piece from my hands, with it a few strands fell from his recently tidied hair. Ignoring them, and parchment in hand, Draco turned back to his luggage tossing it into his suitcase. "I've kept it this long, haven't I? If it wasn't important I would have thrown it away by now."
"You wouldn't dare," I warned, remembering just how much trouble the little bits of parchment had been. He gave me a smirk from where he stood.
Draco crouched down in front of his luggage. He didn't reply as he rummaged through what was already packed, seemingly trying to find a proper place for it. Finding my own distraction, I sat back down in front of Draco's storage chest. I looked through a few more things before hearing footsteps. My glance shifted towards the bed, where I imagined he'd throw himself again, but the sound came from behind me. Draco's arms wrapped around mine before I could notice, his legs outstretched on either side of me. With his grasp on me, Draco pulled me back and leaned himself against my back. Arms still wrapped around me, he leaned his head on my shoulder.
"Draco—"
"There's something I want to talk to you about," Draco spoke slowly. I took in a breath, feeling his arms move with me.
"What is it?" I asked carefully in turn. Draco chuckled behind me.
"Don't worry, it's nothing like that," he answered, making me sure he knew the position he had us in wasn't the most proper. Still, he didn't move an inch. "I wanted to talk to you a bit… about Pansy."
"I thought you didn't want to talk about it," I remarked, albeit relieved at the subject matter.
"So I changed my mind, I can do that, can't I?" So he said, but he didn't speak right after that.
Draco sat behind me, leaning his head on my shoulder. I didn't say anything either, letting him find his words. Although, part of me couldn't keep from worrying about what this would look like to any unsuspecting roommates who might stop in. Not that they should have anything to suspect. But I didn't think Draco had thought to lock the door. Not that he should need to, we weren't doing anything worth—
"Listen," Draco spoke, making me jump a bit. Ignoring the motion, he went on. "I know it's not exactly a secret Pansy and I have been… arguing lately."
"Really? I hadn't noticed, since every other time I took a look, her face was attached to yours," I grumbled, but heard Draco chuckle.
"Don't tell me you're jealous," he spoke, and I heard the smirk in his voice.
"Shut it," I pushed my back against him. He chuckled once more, tightening his grip on me.
"My point is…" Draco's laugh settled as he spoke. "Go easy on her, okay?"
"I've been trying," I spoke honestly. Daphne had asked the same of me. And I had to admit, now that I knew her side of things, it made sense why I wasn't Pansy's favorite person.
"Surprisingly, I can tell," he admitted, but I heard the hint of sarcasm in his voice. "But we both know you could do better."
"I said I'm trying," I mumbled. Draco squeezed lightly on my arms.
"Look, apart from everything else, Pansy's my friend. She's been my friend since before we started dating and…" Draco paused to sigh. "I just want to keep it that way, alright?"
"You pick lousy friends."
"Says you," he argued flawlessly. I turned to give him a look but stopped, noting he was closer than I had expected. Draco gave me a small smile and leaned in a bit more, just enough to kiss my forehead. "I've let you have your awful decisions, let me have mine."
"My decisions are not awful," I grumbled at him.
"They are, now quit trying to change the subject," he argued. "The point is, regardless of whether we fight or… whatever else happens, I still consider her a friend. And you two constantly picking fights isn't helping. So, just tell me you'll try harder."
"Fine, fine, I'll keep trying," I frowned, turning to look away from him.
"Thank you," Draco answered softly, resting his head on my shoulder once more.
After that we stayed sat for a moment, just as we were. I reached a hand up slightly to rub his arm. It was true that the people in my life, the ones he always complained about, weren't necessarily around. On the other hand, here he was constantly having to deal with those disagreements, and in our own common room. Sometimes they even took place in his own room. Turning to him, I saw his expression fixed down, in front of us. If my hands could reach I would have run them through his hair, I had the sudden impulse to do so. But my arms were pinned down by his, so the choice wasn't there. Noting my stare Draco turned to look at me.
"You should know," I began, turning to look forward, "you're asking for a lot. I doubt it'll come to anything but I'll pretend, for your sake. But frankly I think you could do better, so I don't know why you're trying so hard."
"Is that an offer?"
"No," I turned and spoke quickly. Even before seeing his face, I could hear the arrogant smile in his tone. "It was simply a remark. One that I felt the need to make because clearly you can't see it for yourself. You've always made bad choices, you know, now including this. I just wanted to make that clear. Thought you should know, is all."
"Really? From where I'm sitting I think my choices are pretty good. But you tell me," Draco leaning in, the smile stretching across his face. "And, you should know, you've been blushing since about three rants ago."
"Alright, I think that's enough!" I swatted at his arms, working to set myself free. Draco gave me a laugh, but let go.
"So is that a no?"
"I think you can handle the rest of this yourself," I huffed, and stood myself up, ignoring the question. Turning down to him once more I returned a frown. "I'm going to go pack my own things now."
"I thought you had all your things sorted," Draco called sarcastically from the ground, but made no attempt to stop me as I grabbed my things. With another huff I threw my bag over my shoulders.
"So I remembered something else! Now, if you'll excuse me," I called back, heading towards the door.
"I think you have plenty of excuses saved already," Draco smiled over at me. With a glare, I slammed the door behind me.
I stood outside the closed door for a moment. Inside I heard Draco let out a faint chuckle. So, yes, that might have been an excuse, and maybe I was running away, but Draco was acting differently too. Regardless, I still considered this progress. But he had grown much too comfortable considering what he had told me. And the more time passed, the harder it was for me to remember if it had been like this from the start, and I was simply unaware of it, or… if this was something new. Either way, it wasn't funny, certainly not as funny as he kept making this out to be. Letting out a quick breath I pulled my bag closer against me, and headed down the stairs.