A/N: Fun fact: The scene in the classroom? I've written it back when I started the fic. So back in 2016. It was waiting to be used in my notes, with a few other scenes already written for Deathly Hallows. But I thought I would have to wait a little bit more before using it. In the end, it came in handy now. I can't wait to introduce how everything's gonna go down with the D.A. and the I.S.
With all the work they had, Draco and Hermione could barely spend time with each other. So, every time they could, they were both avoiding serious subjects. He hadn't told her anything about his thoughts on what she had said about Luna, and she hadn't told him anything about her thoughts on what had happened with Harry because of Hagrid. But it was finally the week-end, and after having spent a part of the day knitting new hats for the house-elves, Hermione had finally left the common room to go to the library. Draco had told her he would be working there, hoping he would see her that day. The full-moon was for the next day, and he always liked seeing Hermione before the cycles.
And he was indeed in the library when Hermione walked in. He was with Pansy and Theo, working on his Charms essay. She sat down next to Draco, getting a glance from him, a smile from Theo and a little nod from Pansy. She smiled at them and that's only after a moment that Draco seemed to realize who had sat next to him, too tired to really react a moment before. He turned, leaning slightly to kiss her cheek before writing again, Pansy grimacing as she looked away. Hermione smiled at him but let him work not to distract him too much.
It was only later, when he was done with his homework, that he leaned on his seat and got closer to her to speak quietly to not disturb the other students working there. Theo was focusing on his essay for Snape because he had refused to copy either Pansy or Draco's work. It would have helped him, since he was a bit behind with his work, but he wanted to do it by himself. Pansy was also finishing her Charms work and wasn't paying any attention to Hermione and Draco who were muttering from accross the table.
"I'm not saying you have to like her," Draco said very quietly, annoyed, "But you don't have to speak to or about her this way..."
"You're one to talk," she said with a little smirk. Draco tilted his head, giving her a weak smile.
"I know, and that's the point. I'm trying to... do better. You've been spending your time scolding me because I'm mean with them, but you're mean with my friend too," he mumbled. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"I'm not mean, I was just stating facts."
"Why don't you like the fact that she can believe stuff that's not written in books?" Hermione frowned a little as she shrugged. Draco was never minding Hermione's attitude, he liked seeing her bossing around her own friends, and he liked it even more when she was disaggreeing with them, but he didn't like when this behavior was used towards one of his friends. Yes, it was selfish, but he didn't feel like there was anything wrong with that.
"So she's that close of a friend to you?" Hermione asked, slightly annoyed. It was Draco's turn to shrug as he sighed, looking down at Hermione's fingers. He had been playing with them distractedly during their talk. "A few months ago you were telling me she was weird and that you didn't know her that much."
"I know," Draco sighed. "I know what I said and I still think she's weird. But it doesn't mean she's not nice. Or that people can do better than her," he said as he met Hermione's eyes again. She raised an eyebrow.
"Is that it?" She asked. "Is it because I said that? I didn't mean to insult you, to say that you couldn't have better friends than her," Hermione said as she got even closer to be sure Theo and Pansy weren't listening, just in case one of them would want to jump in. Draco rolled his eyes as he shook his head.
"No, I know you didn't mean that. It's just... The whole thing is... Has she ever done anything to you, besides reading The Quibbler and believing in stuff you don't believe exist?"
"Because it doesn't exist, Draco. I don't believe it exists because it doesn't," Hermione whispered.
"I'm not saying it does, I'm saying that letting her believe that is not hurting anyone. Maybe she needs to believe it," he said. Hermione frowned, quite concerned, now.
"What do you mean?" She asked, trying to meet Draco's eyes. He was now determined to avoid Hermione's.
"Nothing," he just let out in a whisper. Hermione knew it wasn't it, but they were all so stressed out lately that she didn't dare ask again what he had meant. She knew he would be on the defensive again if she did. Tiny things were able to change his mood quickly before a cycle, she had to be careful.
"So you're asking me to... change the way I behave with her? It's not like I was talking to her much, why are you so concerned?" Draco shrugged again and Hermione sighed. She didn't want to talk about it anymore that day. And apparently, Draco didn't want to either.
"I went and tried to make the potion for the first time yesterday," he said quietly after a moment of silence, completely changing the subject without answering. Hermione was fine with it. She nodded. She knew it had been the only day he had been able to take some time to go down Snape's office and work on it. He had had too much work before, and had to be present to the Quidditch tryouts on Thursday.
"How did it went?" Hermione asked, resting her free hand on his thigh. Draco shrugged and glanced at her.
"Not well. Not that it was a surprise, and Snape wasn't mad at all. But I don't really want to get in trouble because I can't do it," he said. "Besides, they're not wrong. It would be good for me to know how to do it."
"You're not a burden," Hermione whispered. Draco had told her in more details what Umbridge had told him after the first feast. He gave her a sad smile.
"I know," he said, not convincing her. "But one day I'll have to be able to do it myself. It's important..." She only slightly nodded, knowing what Draco was really thinking. But she didn't want to disagree with him, she knew it would bother him.
"Did you ask your father about her? You didn't really tell me, the other day," she said. Draco looked away.
"Yeah, that's because I didn't really... I just asked if he knew about Umbridge being there. About the Ministry interfering... He told me what I told you, that they were taking things in hand. He's not happy with Fudge choosing Umbridge to do it, he doesn't like her either, but he can't do anything about that. I just have to stay in my lane, even if I don't want to, I guess."
"It's unfair," Hermione said.
"Loads of people would disagree with you." Hermione tried not to sigh and she looked at his homework, pulling his parchment towards her, looking like she was reading it. She wasn't, she spoke instead.
"Anyway. Do you know... if your father's the one who told the Ministry about Snuffles?" She asked even more quietly, if that was possible. Draco stared at her until she looked at him again. That morning, in the paper, they had read that apparently, Sirius Black was hiding in London.
"It wouldn't surprise me," Draco whispered. "I told you he knew... He should have stayed safe in the house, isn't that what Dumbledore wanted?" He didn't look sorry about the situation, probably because he didn't care more than that. Hermione knew it and felt bad about it, but she couldn't blame him for something like that, she guessed.
"Yeah... I guess that's all he will do now anyway, stay in that horrible house," she said as she glanced at his homework again.
"And you've seen about Podmore?" He asked, still staring at Hermione. She suddenly looked at him.
"Yes!" She let out. Sturgis Podmore, a wizard form the Order of the Phoenix, had been arrested and sentenced to six months in Azkaban after having tried to break in the Ministry in the middle of the night. "Do you know anything about it?" Draco shook his head.
"Nothing, I learned about his arrest by my father, and I read the article in the Prophet this morning, but that's all. D'you reckon he was on a mission?"
"That's what Ron asked. But I don't think so," she said. "Remember, I told you we were a lot on the platform of the Hogwarts Express because Harry needed a guard?" Draco nodded. "Well, Harry reckons Podmore was supposed to be with them but that he didn't turn up. Seems like they didn't know where he was. I have to say, Ron might be right when he says it was probably a set up... I told them I'd talk to you about it. They're still pretty upset with you for now..."
"Good thing I'm upset with them too," Draco said as he looked away, getting a glance from Hermione. She knew that he was getting angry easily, especially when provoked and before a cycle, but still, she was upset about what had happened.
"Draco..." Hermione sighed.
"I heard Weasel's the new Keeper," he then said with a little smile and just loud enough for Theo and Pansy to finally hear the conversation. They were both done with their work but they hadn't disturbed Draco and Hermione. They looked at Draco and Pansy couldn't help but smile a little, leaning on her seat. "Should be funny enough," he said.
"Don't go and annoy him, now," Hermione said firmly.
"Why would you assume something like that?" Draco said, his smirk still on his face. Hermione just stared as he turned to face his friends and he leaned on his seat too, resting his arm on Hermione's chair. "Actually, Theo made the team," he said. Hermione raised her eyebrows as she looked at Theo.
"Why the look of surprise?" He asked calmly with a little smile as he felt Pansy's hand going up and down his back for a second.
"It's not that, it's great," Hermione said. "Congratulations. Keeper or Chaser?" She asked, remembering what the Captain had said to Draco in the Entrance Hall when he had reminded Draco of the tryouts.
"Chaser," Theo said, smiling proudly. Draco looked at Hermione who couldn't help but give him back his smile. "I wouldn't have tried if Draco hadn't convinced me," he added more quietly. "That's why you were surprised, wasn't it?"
"What d'you mean?" Hermione asked, feeling rather embarrassed.
"Why would they choose the blood-traitor? That's what you were wondering, right?" Theo said. He was still smiling, so it was hard for Hermione to tell what he was thinking. And she wasn't going to lie, she had wondered how he had been able to make the team.
"You know I didn't think of it like that. But yeah, it's surprising..." Theo shrugged.
"That's why I didn't want to try, even if I love Quidditch. He told me I should," he said, nodding towards Draco, "that they didn't throw him out of the team despite everything, so maybe there would be a place for me."
"They just want to win, they don't really care about who's in the team, to be honest," Draco said. After all, Draco was the best Seeker they had in Slytherin. Maybe he couldn't beat Harry, but he usually was the only Seeker he couldn't get past. As long as the person had the talent, they would take them in the team. "I told him he just had to show the same spirit during the trainings so they wouldn't be hard on him."
"Well, you did good," Hermione said as she slightly pressed his thigh, content with Draco's behavior with his own friends. She knew he had been a bit hard himself on Theodore in the beginning. So, even if he wasn't getting along with her friends just yet, at least, he was definitely trying to make things right with the others.
.
She was definitely in a good mood when she went back in the Gryffindor common room. Despite Harry and Ron's morose mood after their Quidditch training, in the end, it seemed like things were back to normal between them. After an offensive letter to Ron from Percy, she had even proposed to correct their essays for Professor Sinistra.
She was finally done with her work when Harry told them he had seen Sirius' face in the fireplace, and when the man really appeared in it, finally able to talk to them. It was his only way to answer Harry's letter efficiently. They soon started to talk about Umbridge, Harry saying that Umbridge was foul enough to be a Death Eater.
"Yes, but the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters. I know she's a nasty piece of work, though, you should hear Remus talk about her."
The trio all thought about what Draco had said, about the legislation, about her words on dangerous half-breeds.
"What's he saying?" Ron asked.
"Nothing you should hear," Sirius said with an amused smile. "She was a part of the anti-werewolf legislation two years ago that makes it almost impossible for him to get a job," he said.
"Yeah, we know, Draco told us," Hermione said quietly.
"Remus's been asking me to ask you how he's doing. He won't risk writing about her to him," Sirius said, now looking at Hermione.
"Well, you know, he'd feel better if she wasn't talking about dangerous half-breeds in the middle of a lesson," she said as she rolled his eyes. God, she hated that Umbridge woman so much. "She forces him to attend her class even after a cycle, told him he was a burden so that he should learn how to make his potion by himself, she's just despicable," she explained, sounding angry. Harry and Ron exchanged a look, not knowing about the burden part. "What's she got against werewolves?"
"Scared of them, I expect," Sirius said, still smiling, seeing how angry she was about that. "She loathes part-humans," he said before explaining what she had wanted to do against merpeople the year before. Then, he asked them what her lessons were like and explained that Fudge didn't want them trained in combat. It only made Hermione be more angry.
They all listened as he then talked about Hagrid, saying that they weren't sure what had happened to him but that Dumbledore wasn't worried, before stating that he wanted to see them at Hogsmeade. The three of them promptly refused, explaining that Draco's father knew about his disguise and that he would only be taking a risk.
.
"I told you she had been forced on us!" Hermione said, pushing the Daily Prophet away. High Inquisitor... And now, they had learned that it was because of another decree that the Ministry had to choose someone to teach at Hogwarts. And now, Umbridge had to inspect the other teachers? Hermione was furious as she looked over at Draco's table. Pansy and Theo were reading the Prophet but Draco wasn't there. She knew he was in the hospital wing, but still. Theo glanced at her table when he stood up with Pansy and he slightly waved the newspaper. Hermione nodded. Yes, she had seen. She showed him that she had the paper too and Theo gave her a strained smile, pointing a finger at the ceiling to tell her they were going up. She understood that they were going to see Draco before their first lesson.
She knew he was afraid that if she had more power, she would abuse him in some way, maybe expell him or something. She sighed. Would they ever have one calm year in this school? Knowing that Voldemort was back, probably not before quite some time.
She and her friends walked in Umbridge's classroom more slowly than usual, later that day. She hadn't visited Draco, knowing that he needed to be fully rested because of Umbridge's demand. And when she walked in, she wasn't surprised to see the back of Draco's head and as she sat at her desk, she turned to give him a glance and an encouraging smile. Draco tried to return it, but he looked exhausted. Pansy actually looked quite concerned, next to him, when she met Hermione's eyes.
Soon after the beginning of the lesson, and because Hermione had read the whole book already, Draco watched as she stayed with her hand in the air once again until Umbridge walked directly in front of her desk to speak quietly to her. Hermione was loud enough for everyone to hear that she was disagreeing with what had been said in the book while Umbridge had been trying to keep the conversation between them.
Draco couldn't help but roll his eyes when Umbridge took five points away from Gryffindor because of that. He didn't mind the house losing points, really, but it was coming from Umbridge, so he wasn't even able to fully appreciate that. And Harry couldn't keep his mouth shut, obviously. Draco wanted to laugh when Umbridge mentioned Quirrell, saying that he had been their best teacher. Then, he couldn't help but wince and stay silent when Harry talked about Voldemort being on the back of Quirrell's head, which only got him anoher week of detentions.
And, like the week before, with the exception that Harry was still in class this time, they all started to read again.
Annoying. That's all Draco could think about. That this book was annoying, soporific. He felt like he had never been more bored in his life.
"Come on Draco, try to stay awake... You'll sleep during History of Magic, I'll take notes for you," Pansy whispered as she looked at her friend. Draco blinked, not really aware of what she was saying as he tried to keep his eyes open. But his eyelids were so heavy, it was so hard. He couldn't help but take a really deep breath that sounded more like a sigh. Umbridge stopped writing, looking up, her face still facing her parchment.
The more Draco was blinking, the more he felt like he was going to fall asleep. The more he was blinking, the harder opening his eyes again was. Umbridge finally slowly raised her head as she noticed Draco in the back of the classroom. With Hermione, he was the only one not looking at his book even though he wasn't really looking in front of him either. Umbridge could see it and her lips curled up as she watched him lean a bit more on his desk.
Pansy glanced at him again.
"Draco, seriously... You're gonna get in trouble," she whispered, not even daring to look at their teacher at the moment. Draco slowly crossed his arms on the desk before he let his head rest on them. He couldn't do it anymore. He couldn't stay awake, he was exhausted, his head was aching and his eyes were stinging. He slowly blinked again and didn't open his eyes. Pansy closed hers when she heard Umbridge's chair make some noise as their teacher stood up. She slowly walked towards Draco and Pansy's desk before she stopped in front of the sleeping student. Everyone was looking, now.
"Hem hem." After a few seconds and a look at Pansy, Draco's friend elbowed him without looking at him. Draco opened his eyes, more annoyed than anything and not even noticing Umbridge.
"Sleepless night, Mr. Malfoy?"
He didn't say anything, he just slowly looked up at her as he raised his head.
"Surely, Mr. Malfoy, you aren't sleeping in my classroom," she said with the same little smile she always had.
"Oh, no, obviously," Draco said with a drawling voice and a polite smile. "Who would be sleeping during such an interesting lesson, besides half the class?"
Some students tried not to laugh and Pansy looked away as she bit her lip to stop herself from smiling, while some other students looked horrified.
"Maybe you could tell your classmates why you feel entitled to sleep during my class, Mr. Malfoy?"
Draco slowly stopped smiling. He thought about answering back with "maybe you could shove your book up your ass and leave me alone" but he knew better than to talk when he was in this kind of mood. He was too tired anyway. He blinked really slowly, knowing he would totally be capable of falling asleep in the middle of the conversation. He wasn't able to think clearly.
Hermione gritted her teeth, watching them from her seat. She was barely able to see Draco behind Umbridge but from what she could tell, he had a defiant look reminding him of Harry's before he had had his first detention. And then, she caught Pansy's worried look.
"I wouldn't dare taking that pleasure away from you," Draco said calmly. Surprisingly, he sounded confident. Pansy frowned and so did Hermione. But Draco knew that Umbridge probably knew better than saying what he was in the middle of the classroom. With his father being so close to the Minister, she probably wouldn't. Umbridge's voice became a bit more high-pitched but she kept smiling.
"I tought I had been clear with your Head of House, the Headmaster and yourself, Mr. Malfoy."
"Did you, now?" Draco asked, not minding his own tone. He was way too annoyed for that, now.
"If you want to be treated as equal to the others," she said, getting really annoyed by Draco's impertinence, "You will have to act like the others, wether you are worthy of being here or not."
Draco narrowed his eyes for half a second. He didn't want to show how offended he was. Pansy glanced at him, biting her lip from the inside of her mouth. Everyone was quiet and only six students in that room knew what she was meaning. Draco, Hermione, Pansy, Theo, Harry and Ron.
"I do not care about your other professors, you do not get a special treatment in my classroom," she said as she turned around, finally leaving Draco's desk. The boy wished he could kill with his eyes as he watched her walking between the desks. "I am sure you all already knew that, am I right?" She asked as she glanced at Harry.
He had his jaw clenched too, he was angry too. Not exactly because Malfoy was getting scold, he didn't exactly care like he hadn't cared for himself, but because of the way she was insulting him. Even if he wasn't really friend with Draco, he was close to Lupin. And he knew his situation, he knew that he couldn't find a job because of this woman, he knew how mistreated the werewolves were. Maybe they weren't all like Lupin and Draco, but it didn't change anything. Harry didn't care if Draco was not his friend, she couldn't act like that. "So, Mr. Malfoy, I assume you are not going to sleep in my classroom again."
All eyes went on Malfoy, who was still giving her a nasty glare. Umbridge smiled.
"Or what? You're going to give me detention? That's all you can do, and you will be the only one to approve," he said. Everyone was lost, except for those in the confidence, once again. Draco knew she didn't have enough power just yet to really do something against him just because of his condition, and he knew the other professors wouldn't approve of her ways of treating him because he was a werewolf. She was the only one forcing him to come to the classes the very next day of a full moon, he didn't know how she was expecting him to stay awake. But obviously, it was just another little sadistic game for her.
"Ten points from Slytherin, Mr. Malfoy. And you will join Mr. Potter in my office indeed," she said. Draco raised an eyebrow before he glanced at his book again.
"Can't wait," he muttered and Pansy shook her head as she looked at him. Draco met her eyes for a second before he looked away to meet Hermione's eyes. She tried to show that she wasn't too worried but she knew exactly the way Umbridge was punishing the students and she didn't even want to imagine what she was going to tell him to write.
.
"Can't you go and talk to Snape or something?" Hermione asked. They were in an empty hallway, they had left Umbridge's class and were supposed to go down for dinner before Harry and Draco's detention. But before Draco could go any further, Hermione had gripped his robes and pulled him with him. She knew he wanted to avoid talking to her at that very moment, but she wouldn't let him. She had to warn him and to find a solution.
She had explained what her detentions were like, she had told him about the quill, about Harry's hand. Draco had looked perplexed for a second, but it seemed like after a short moment, he had thought that it was possible. Umbridge was evil enough for that.
"I won't go talk about this to Snape, are you kidding?" Draco asked, sitting on a low wall. Hermione stayed in front of him, arms crossed.
"And why not? She's nuts!" Hermione said directly.
"What do you think he's going to do? Kill her by replacing her pink wardrobe by a black one?" Hermione didn't want to laugh and as a side of her mouth curled up, she turned her head to look away. Draco smiled a little, putting his hands on her crossed arms. "And what is she going to make me write? "I must not sleep in class"?"
"This is not a laughing matter, Draco!" Hermione said as she looked at him again. "Why are you acting this way lately?"
"I'm not acting like anything," Draco said quietly. He would have loved to be in his bed right about now but he couldn't go back to the hospital wing. Soon, he was going to have to go to Umbridge's office.
"You're acting like you don't care. I know you do," Hermione sighed before shaking her head.
"So what if it's killing me?" Draco asked, not smiling anymore. Hermione clenched her jaw, tilting her head a bit as she narrowed her eyes. "I'm supposed to go cry about it?"
"You sound like Harry," she said quietly.
"Great," Draco said as he rolled his eyes before he glanced at Hermione.
"You're always telling everything to your father. Buckbeak was sentenced to death because you didn't listen to what Hagrid said, why won't you tell him about that? You know he'd do something."
"If only he could get her sentenced to death, you're right," he muttered, looking away, pensive.
"Stop that," Hermione said, still not in the mood to laugh. Draco finally looked down as he tried to stop his sigh.
"Look," he said, looking up at Hermione. "I can complain about whatever I want, whenever I want, and he will always do something. Yes. But don't count on me to complain about the way she's treating me because of... because I'm a half-breed."
Hermione closed her eyes, finally uncrossing her arms. Draco's hands were still on them and she slowly moved them to meet his hands with hers. Of course, it was because of that. She had told him times and times that he wasn't a burden, but she also knew that Draco would never stop thinking that every time something was going on with his condition, he was feeling like he was pushing it on people.
"This has nothing to do with your pride," she said. "It has to do with your rights."
"Alright, let's say it's about my rights. Then I can just leave school now and go back to the Manor, doing nothing for the rest of my life. No thanks." He pursed his lips after a second, letting go of one of Hermione's hands. His fingers met her chin as he made her look down at him. "Would you want me to have to leave you?"
"Don't put it this way, it's not-"
"Because I don't want to leave here," he said more quietly. "I don't want to leave you or my friends. I just want everything to be like it was. That's why I let it slide. That's why I act like I don't care when I obviously do," he said, slowly moving his fingers to rest his hand on Hermione's cheek. "Because if I start showing that I care as much as Potter does, I'm not gonna be able to live with myself."
Hermione closed her eyes again, taking a deep breath. She let go of Draco's other hand and rest hers on his shoulders, near his neck. Her thumbs slowly caressed it as she met his eyes.
"We need to do something about her," she almost whispered.
"We will," he answered on the same tone. She kept staring at him for a moment, her hands going on his cheeks.
"I'm sorry she's treating you like this," she added. Draco gave her a faint smile.
"I'll survive," Draco said. "I've done it before, right?"
Hermione gave him his smile back but she could see he wasn't doing well. He wasn't trying to hide it, this time, and his tired expression was making it worse. Slowly, Draco leaned forward and her hands slid from his cheeks to the back of his head and neck as he rested his head against her.
She looked down at his blond head and softly kissed it, her fingers slowly moving in his hair.
.
After getting down to the Great Hall to try and eat something before his detention, he went up the stairs again to go wait in front of the door. When he arrived in the hallway, he saw Harry who was waiting too, leaning against the wall. They hadn't talked since their confrontation the week before. Draco didn't say anything, he only glanced at Harry and leaned against the other wall after he had put his bag on the floor.
After a moment of silence, Draco looked at Harry again.
"She's not there?" He asked. Harry glanced at him.
"She is, but it's at five o'clock, so..." Draco only nodded, understanding that she would make them come in at this time, that they didn't have to go in by themselves. Again, silence fell for a moment.
"Did Hermione tell you how detentions are like with her?" He asked, glancing at the other boy. Draco kept staring in front of him and slightly nodded.
"She did."
Silence. Harry opened his mouth but the door made noise first as Umbridge opened it.
"Come in, dears," she said with a smile. They both picked up their bags and walked towards the office. "Please, sit," Umbridge said as the door closed behind her. Harry took his usual seat as Draco looked around him. What a horrible place. All this pink was making him nauseated. He then glanced at the table next to Harry's. His lips were forming a thin line as he sat down. Umbridge approached with two quills for them. She put them on their desks and smiled at them, joining her hands in front of her.
"Well, let's hope this will both teach you the lesson. Maybe the message will sink faster for you than it did for Mr. Potter," she added, glancing at Harry who was in there for his second week of detention. He didn't say anything, nor did Draco. He just took his quill, hoping it wouldn't last long.
Umbridge walked around the desks, stopping behind the boys.
"Mr. Potter, you know by now what you have to write," she said with her annoying girly voice. Draco felt like flipping the table and storm off, he didn't even want to hear her speak. But he didn't move, he kept staring at his blanck piece of parchment. "Mr. Malfoy, since you seem to believe you should receive a special treatment," she said and Draco was certain that she was smiling widely, "Let us hope you will now understand that it is not the case. You will write half-breeds have no rights until I tell you to stop, that should do," she said.
Draco felt dizzy as he looked up at the pink wall on the other side of the room. He could feel Harry's eyes on him. He was still breathing quite calmly, but he could feel his hearbeat in his ears. His fingers were more tight around the quill and his head was spinning as he felt like throwing up.
"Well then, what are you boys waiting for?" She asked. Harry directly stared at his parchment and started to write, his hand hurting again. Draco swallowed and, after another moment, he slowly looked down at his own parchment before finally starting to write.
He was tired and sad. At least, he could say that the pain in is hand wasn't that terrible. He had known so much worse not even 24 hours earlier that he didn't feel much. Which satisfied him. Umbridge wanted to make them suffer? He wouldn't give her the pleasure. Harry did not complain either, not a sound got out of his mouth, but by glancing at him, Draco could see his hand move with every line he was tracing on his parchment.
By the time the detention was over, Harry's hand was bleeding again. Draco, just a little, as it had only started to be craved in his skin. But when Umbridge let them go, he didn't wait one more second, he didn't want to spend any time with Potter. He picked up his back, kicked his chair aside and stormed off the office. Soon, and after Harry had close the door behind him, he heard him call his name.
He did not stop, reaching the end of the hallway in a few more strides. He turned left, hoping Potter wouldn't follow him. He could hear his own steps echoing in the huge and empty hallway as he turned right. Furious, he wasn't even sure of where he was going. All he knew was that he stopped abruptly at some point, at the end of a hallway. Instead of continuing his way on the left, and because of all the anger he had been keeping in him, he threw his bag violently against the wall in front of him as he let out a groan of anger. He head the dull sound his bag made as it fell on the ground and he took a few steps backwards, staring at it. He stopped, closing his eyes as he held his head a little higher.
He let out a long breath and slowly moved towards the wall on his left, letting his back bang against it. He let his body slide against the wall and ended up sitting, his legs close to his chest. He took deep breaths, his hair falling in front of his eyes as he looked down at his hand. He didn't know how long he had stayed there but after a moment, he heard footsteps coming his way. He was too tired to think much of it and he didn't move, not even when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
Since he didn't seem to be about to move, Harry squatted down in front of him, his hand still on his shoulder.
"You should go back to the hospital wing," he said after a second he used to stare at Draco. "Get the rest you were supposed to get."
Finally, Draco slowly raised his pale face to look at Potter from behind his hair. He let out a short breath and used the hand that wasn't hurt to remove his hair from his face, Harry seeing the scar near his hairline as he noticed a drop of sweat rolling down his temple. He then examined his face for a bit longer. His red eyes, his pale complexion, the dark rings under his grey eyes.
Harry finally stood up, knowing that Draco was often uneasy when Harry was too close. He still didn't exactly know why, even if he himself thought a lot about the day he had found him in the Forest when they were spending too much time near each other. But still, he didn't know how ashamed Draco still was because of that morning.
After putting his bag properly on his shoulder again, Harry held out his hand. He didn't smile, he didn't show pity, he tried to stay neutral. He knew that Draco would react badly if he was taking this gesture the wrong way. And he saw Draco's eyes going from his face to his hand and he stared at it, considering the proposition. He looked back up at Harry's face and, after another moment of hesitation, his hand grabbed Harry's firmly.
Harry's grip also became tighter, even though he was careful not to touch the new scar on the back of his hand, and he pulled Draco before glancing at the bag on the floor.
Draco walked towards it and picked it up, sighing as he straightened up. He then turned to face Harry who was approaching. Harry nodded in the direction of the hallway leading to the stairs, as an invitation for Draco to walk with him.
They started to walk silently in the corridor, at first. Then, as they were about to reach the end, Draco spoke.
"Don't tell Hermione," he said quitely.
Harry, hand on the handle of the door, glanced back at the end of the hallway. Was Draco talking about what he had just witnessed? Draco licked his dry lips and showed him his hand.
"What she said," he said promptly. Harry opened the door and they both walked towards the moving staircases, climbing on one of them.
"She will want to know. Even if I don't tell her, she will ask you," Harry said, glancing at his own bleeding hand. Draco opened his bag, getting a black handkerchief from it. He handed it to Harry.
"I know, but then I'd rather talk about it myself. If I want to," he said, meeting Harry's eyes. In the end, he nodded and took the tissue from Draco's hand, soon pressing it on his wound to stop the bleeding. As he looked at it, he tilted a bit his hand, seeing an emerald M embroided on one of the corner. He couldn't help but smile. He was finding this kind of things so silly, but it was so natural for Draco. He looked up at him.
"I won't, I promise," he said. Draco nodded, now looking away, embarrassed. Harry did the same. They both moved to get on another set of stairs. "Actually, speaking of Hermione," he said. "She'd like for us all to meet tomorrow," he said. Draco didn't have to think about it too much to know that he was talking about the classroom they were using.
"With Pansy and Theo?" He asked. Harry nodded.
"Yeah, she thought about it during dinner, I think. She told me to tell you, just in case you wouldn't see each other in between classes tomorrow, since she's not sure you're going to come," Harry explained.
"Alright," Draco simply said as they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. Harry stopped there while Draco went on another staircase that would lead him to the right floor to go to the hospital wing. Harry watched as the staircase moved with Draco on it and, when he looked down at his hand, he noticed that he hadn't give it back his handkerchief. "Wait, your-"
"Keep it," Draco interrupted him, "I don't want it if it's got your blood on it," he said, smiling to himself. Harry quietly snorted. He would never change. He shook his head and turned towards the portrait of the Fat Lady.
"Mimbulus mimbletonia."
.
Indeed, the next day, Draco only got out of the hospital wing to go to his detention. He felt extremely bad, since he had a lot of work already and that this year, missing twice the classes he was missing the other years wasn't a good plan. Not with the O.W.L.s approaching. Pansy had come to see him in between two classes, just long enough to ask him how the detention went and to tell him she would let him copy her notes.
He lied about the detention, saying that he had had to write lines. In the end, it wasn't really a lie, was it? It was just not the entire truth. He had been careful not to let her see his hand. And this visit had given him the opportunity to tell her to meet him with Theo in the usual classroom, after his detention, that evening. As soon as she left, he fell asleep again.
After the detention, at almost midnight, when Harry and him left the classroom, Draco watched as Harry was wrapping his hand in a scarf he was bleeding so much.
"You should go see Madam Pomfrey," Draco said as he wrinkled his nose for a moment. "She'd know how to stop the bleeding."
"I'm sure she won't ask me how I got a full phrase craved in my hand," Harry said sarcastically, glancing at Draco who rolled his eyes. "How's yours?" Draco looked at his hand. He had started bleeding too, after all this time in the office. But it hadn't been as much as Harry. Still, he could now make out easily what he had had to write for Umbridge, and the sick feeling that was so often taking control of his body lately came back. He felt like throwing up as he looked away.
"I'm good," he just said. "It doesn't hurt that much." And so Harry had noticed. It had been hurting so bad every single time, for him, that he was barely able to contain a sound, sometimes. But Draco was just writing in silence. His hand was just clenched hard, but his expression wasn't changing that much.
They kept walking in silence, soon reaching the sixth floor.
"By the way," Harry said, getting out Draco's handkerchief from his bag. "Hermione had a good spell for that, Tergeo," Harry said. "So don't worry, it's clean." Draco glanced at the tissue before taking it from Harry's hand. "And I didn't tell her anything, I told her I shouldn't be the one telling her about it," he said, nodding towards Draco's hand. He didn't tell him that she had looked delighted when she had seen that Draco had given Harry his tissue to help him, as he knew they would both feel embarrassed again.
They reached the classroom and as soon as they entered Hermione walked towards them, wanting to see their wounds. But especially Harry's, as even the scarf was stained by his blood.
"Here," she said as she took a small bowl filled with a yellow liquid in it. "Soak your hand in that, it should help." She put the bowl on a table and Harry removed the scarf before doing as he had been told. He directly felt better. He didn't mind Crookshanks coming on his lap to lay there and he started to pet the cat as he thanked Hemione. She only nodded, turning to walked towards Draco. She greeted him with a kiss, as they hadn't seen each other that day, but she quickly asked about his injury. "Show me your hand," she said. Draco got out of her arms to put his bag near the desk Theo and Pansy were seating at and he slid his hands in his pockets, leaning against the table.
"I'm fine, don't worry, I'm not bleeding like him. It stopped," he just said. Hermione was about to ask him to show him anyway when Ron talked.
"I still reckon you should complain about this," he said, staring at Harry's hand.
"No," Harry said directly. Ron glanced at Draco who just slowly shook his head.
"Stop that," Draco said as he frowned a little, still looking at Ron as he felt Hermione trying to pull out his hand from his pocket.
"Why won't you show me? You should take care of it."
"Draco, you lied to me," Pansy said. She had stayed silent since Harry and Draco's arrival but before that, she had spent a long time with Theo, Ron and Hermione in that classroom. And during that time, she had learnt about their real punishement.
"Well, you know what's going on, now," he said, annoyed.
"Why don't you want to show us? You just slept in class," Hermione said. Draco glanced at her, meeting her eyes as he spoke more quietly. He was still heard by the others but it felt more intimate already.
"That woman's a nutter, alright? Let it go," he said.
"I won't," Hermione said on the same tone, her fingers still wrapped around Draco's wrist. He blinked slowly and looked down at his hand. Hermione always wanted to have what she wanted, it wasn't new. She wasn't happy when she wasn't getting it. Draco slowly raised his hand and, keeping one of hers on his wrist, the other under Draco's hand, she looked at it carefully, narrowing a bit her eyes to make out his handwritting. All eyes on them, the others saw her slowly gaping at Draco hand before she closed her mouth, looking up at him and meeting his eyes.
He gave her a weak smile, a smile of supplication. He didn't want her to say it out loud or to talk about it now. He seemed to be about to break down. She carefully slid his hand in his pocket again but stayed clutched at his arm, staying close to him. She felt like she hadn't been in his arms for such a long time, even if they had been even closer the day before.
"She's an awful woman," she just let out quietly. "Awful. We've got to do something about her. We were talking about it before you guys came in."
"I suggested poison," Ron said, staring at Harry's hand again. He was surprised to hear a quiet laugh coming from Draco and when he looked up, he could see the amused smile on Theo and Pansy's lips. He just smiled to himself as he looked away. How weird was that?
"Too bad I wasn't talking about murder," Hermione said, still serious. "I was thinking today," She glanced at Harry and Draco could feel her grip on his arm becoming slightly more tight. "I think we ought to learn defense by ourselves."
"We've already got so much work, do you even realize how behind Harry and I are? And it's only the second week!" Ron said a bit louder.
"It's way more important than homework!" Hermione said, getting a glance from everyone.
"Since when is anything more important than homework?" Draco asked quietly, a little smile on his lips.
"Don't be silly," Hermione said, looking incredibly serious, "of course there are things more important! Like you said during her first lesson, Harry, it's about preparing ourselves for what's waiting out there. We need to make sure we can defend ourselves!"
"But we can't do much, by ourselves," Ron said with a grimace. "We can try to look up jinxes and practice them, I guess, but-"
"No, you're right, Ron", Hermione said, finally letting go of Draco's arm. She sounded so passionate, Draco knew she wouldn't let go of this idea. "We've gone past the stage where we can just learn things out of books. We need a proper teacher, who will show us how to use the spells and correct us if we're going wrong."
"Who are you thinking about? I doubt Lupin will be able to do anything for us right now," Harry said. He heard the familiar tut sound she was so often making.
"It's obvious, Harry, I'm talking about you!"
There was a moment of silence. Damn, Draco would have liked for Lupin to teach them. He glanced at Harry as he crossed his arms, waiting to see how this would go. It was this kind of moments where he and his friends weren't saying anything, because they wouldn't be able to convince anyone of anything. They just had to wait and see. But if he was thinking about it, and even if he didn't want Potter to teach him anything, it was clearly a good idea. And Ron was thinking the same.
"That's not a bad idea," he said, gazing into space as he thought about it.
"You're the best in the year at Defense Against the Dark Arts," Hermione said.
"Of course I'm not, you're the best in-"
"I'm not, not when it comes to this class," she said. "But we're not talking about test results, Harry, look what you've done!"
Now, Harry seemed completely lost and Draco couldn't help but smirk when Ron said he didn't know if in the end, he wanted someone that stupid to teach them. That's when he talked about everything Harry had done and that the Slytherin trio exchanged a gaze. Quirrell in the first year, a giant basilik in his second year, hundred dementors in their third year, Voldemort again the year before. Harry was objecting every time, talking about the help he had got, even mentioning Draco in their third year along with the Time-Turner, making him feel more uncomfortable than ever and even interrupting Ron in the end, sounding more angry than before.
He refused to accept what Ron was saying, because he had been lucky every single time. Clearly, he seemed like he was going to refuse, so the Slytherins couldn't tell why Ron and Hermione seemed amused. Even more so when Harry became even angrier.
"STOP LAUGHING!" He ended up shouting, making the bowl fall on the floor as he stood up. It smashed, as Crookshanks ran away to hide under another desk. Soon, Draco could feel the cat against his legs. He didn't mind, as he listen to Harry explaining how it was really like, out there. If Draco had to be honest, it sounded scary. He had faced death once, and had been quite lucky to survive, even if sometimes, he was wondering if he shouldn't have died. But Potter had faced it differently. Draco would have never been able to do anything against that werewolf, especially at his age. But Harry hadn't had a choice. And he had never learned what it was like to be a second away from being murdered, no one had ever taught that to anyone in this school.
"Harry," Hermione said quietly. "Don't you understand that it's why we need you? We need to know what it's really like... facing him... facing V-Voldemort."
Harry's expression changed directly as he heard Hermione say Voldemort's name for the first time.
"Please, think about it..." She said quietly. "Please."
And in the end, Harry nodded. He would think about it. Hermione turned around and walked towards Draco before looking one last time at Harry.
"I'm off to bed," she said on the same tone as before. "Goodnight..."
She turned towards Draco and stretched out her arm and her hand. Draco glanced at his friends and nodded towards the door. They stood up and Draco grabbed Hermione's hand with the one that wasn't hurting, picking up his bag before walking towards the door, Pansy and Theo behind him.
Once the door was closed, Hermione stopped and turned to face Pansy and Theo.
"You will participate, right?" She asked. "If Harry agrees," she added. Theo and Pansy looked at each other for a second before glancing at Draco, then at Draco and Hermione's hands. Pansy sighed.
"Yeah, I guess I will," she said, looking as though she was annoyed. She glanced at Draco and smirked. "What I wouldn't do for you," she said as she shook her head and rolled her eyes before walking past the couple. "Theo, come on, leave them alone," she said.
"I'll be happy to participate. It's not like I was about to learn anything with Umbridge," he said with a grin on his face. He pressed Hermione's shoulder as she smiled back before he walked past them, tapping Draco's shoulder. "I'm not the prefect here but don't wander around too late."