It had been only a month, Draco thought, looking over his ... allies. Comrades in arms, perhaps.** They were a team, now, where only a few scant weeks ago, they'd have split at the first sign of trouble. He... wasn't hopeful. No, he really wasn't. But, they had learned something from Goyle - something of persistence, of the quiet confidence that his hulking body seemed to exude. He thought there was a hope in hell that they could survive.

Draco wasn't deluded enough to even contemplate winning.

"Time out." Draco Malfoy said, looking at everyone in sparring clothes (nothing designer about them, as drab as dun). "We're going to hit the books." He said, starting to pace. The reaction from Vince and Greg was just as he expected, deep frowns, the knowledge that they weren't good at this subject. "You two" he said, gesturing at the large boys, "Keep training. Find three new ways to eat them for breakfast." Draco had been exceptionally careful not to talk about who they'd be fighting. It wasn't the time, and everyone knew it. Now was the time to work on capability.

"What are we looking for?" Astoria asked, her light voice filled with a dark vengeance that seemed startlingly incongruous.

"A way out." Draco Malfoy said, as Pansy nodded, dropping herself in his lap as she pushed both of them into the couch. Draco landed with an "oof." He deliberately stopped himself from cursing.

"House Elf!" He called, and said, "Everything you have on magical transportation, disguise, and deception. As far, as safe and as quick as possible."

The house elf bowed, and asked, "Dimensional Gates?" They were well known to be tricksy even on the best of days, but Draco nodded slowly - it was probably their best chance of surviving. And giving their parents a fighting chance to survive as well.

"Especially those." Draco nodded to the Greengrass girls, who arranged themselves in chairs and waited for the books to arrive. Draco Malfoy devoutly hoped this would work. They weren't ready - weren't going to be ready, even if they ditched school completely and just did drills (and O! Snape would have their heads for that... or maybe not. Definitely wasn't worth the risking, Draco thought.).

**I'm very much reminded of Snape's comments in "Nobody ever asked my birthday" about battlefield comrades. The battlefield has no place for friendship.

[a/n: Tumbling through the summer like thistledown! Leave a review, folks!]