"Headmaster, think of what the boy is saying," Snape said. "He wants to stay in the castle during the full moon."
"Inside the Room of Requirement," Draco said for what seemed like the fifth time that evening. He had told Snape of his idea on their way up to Dumbledore's office after the feast. The feast had gone on far too long what with all the Slytherins giving him wary and condescending glances. No one had even spoken to him, and that was without his secret in the open. He was grateful that he wouldn't be spending any time with his house outside of classes. Most of his friends were parts of families that were good friends with his parents, and association with an ex-heir of a powerful, respected pureblood family was essentially taboo.
"The Room of Requirement is not foolproof," Snape said, shooting him a look clearly meant to make him shut up.
But Draco wasn't having it. All of his respect for the man had evaporated when Snape had replied with disgust to his letter that summer. Draco had written him the instant he had overheard his parents discussing the probability of needing to disown Draco to save themselves. He had asked, practically begged, Snape to let him stay with him until the start of the term. But, Snape had sent back an emphatic no.
He still wasn't sure whether that was because Snape was truly disgusted by his condition, or because Voldemort had commanded all Death Eaters to shun him, or because a newly bitten werewolf could not enjoy the benefits of the Wolfsbane Potion until after his first whole year of transition was done and would be extremely wild and dangerous. Probably all three. Regardless, Snape's letter was so worded that it punched a hole in his gut, and he had spent much of the night wondering if it would be easier to run away, to disappear.
Then he had thought of someone else to write.
"The Room provides whatever the user needs," Draco said, getting up from the chair in front of Dumbledore's desk. "If I ask for the Room to imprison me from dusk till dawn, it will."
"But it has never been tested against a new werewolf's strength."
Someone cleared their throat, and Draco, Snape, and Dumbledore turned their attention to the door. Professor McGonagall and Hermione Granger were standing in the doorway.
"Werewolf?" Hermione asked, her eyes wide and searching every face for confirmation of some joke. Then she gasped, and her gaze locked onto Draco. "That's why your parents..." She trailed off as if realizing how awful it would sound out loud.
Draco rolled his eyes. Dumbledore and Snape had already told him that his condition would be kept secret from the school, but the other professors and the Head Girl had to know for safety reasons. And he had never doubted it would be Granger.
"Yes, Granger, I'm a werewolf," he said, "and you're pregnant." She wasn't showing yet, but he could smell it. Just enough of a hint in her scent to tell him her hormones were different due to a growing baby. The scent was the same as his pregnant caregiver's from the summer, so he had no doubt.
Her eyebrows rose. "How-"
"Miss Granger, your pregnancy is not the most pressing thing right now," Snape said. "Sit down and be quiet." He paused. "Both of you."
Begrudgingly, Draco took his seat again as Hermione settled into the second seat. Dumbledore was still seated behind his desk, completely unbothered, almost smiling. Snape and McGonagall remained standing.
Now, Dumbledore did smile as he looked at Draco and Hermione. "Seventh year is such a magical time," he said, and his eyes twinkled in silent laughter at his own joke. "You are concentrating on your N.E.W.T.s and looking ahead to a bright future." Here, Draco snorted and crossed his arms over his chest, but Dumbledore continued as if there hadn't been an interruption. "This is an opportunity to put last year behind us all and move on with forgiveness and understanding."
As soon as Draco saw Hermione's puzzled look, he knew Dumbledore would tell her. He huffed and spoke to beat him to it. "I spent last year trying to kill him."
Again, her eyes went wide. "What?!"
"No need to worry," Dumbledore said calmly, and he smiled brightly. "Voldemort tasked Draco with murdering me. And I, as I'm sure others are, am exceedingly grateful that he failed."
Hermione was staring at Draco. "You...you-"
"I didn't want to, ok?!" Draco snapped, and an animalistic growl rose in his throat. He swallowed it down, forcing himself to calm a bit. "I didn't try that hard. But, yes, I still tried. Voldemort...he said if I failed, he would make me wish for death. I thought that meant torture or killing my parents. I never thought..."
"That he would have Greyback turn you," Hermione finished for him, and he nodded.
"As touching as confessions are," Snape said, "this doesn't solve any problem, Headmaster."
"I agree, Albus," McGonagall said. "What will we do for his transformations?"
"The Room of Requirement will work," Draco said.
"You don't know that," Snape said. "First year werewolves are stronger, wilder, more lustful than successfully transitioned werewolves."
"And he can't take the Wolfsbane Potion the first year," Hermione said.
"Yes," Snape answered curtly. "The Shrieking Shack has worked-"
"No." Draco shook his head. "No, I won't go there."
"I don't think you get a choice," Snape said with venom. "Your preference will not be catered to if it endangers the lives of a thousand young wizards."
"I think," Dumbledore said, "the Room of Requirement will work just fine." He held up a hand to silence Snape's ready retort, and Draco's shoulders relaxed. "We will post two teachers outside every full moon just in case. Now, I would like to get on to discussing the duties of Head Boy and Head Girl."
Draco swallowed, the tension in his muscles easing. It was settled, and Snape wouldn't go against anything Dumbledore said.
"Your duties this year as Head Boy and Girl will include nightly rounds of parts of the castle as assigned by myself or other professors." Dumbledore absently adjusted a quill on his desk so it was properly aligned with his parchment. "You will check in periodically with all Prefects of every house and report any arising problems to me or the Head of that house. Additionally, you will assist first years with settling in and act as counselors for any troubled students that come to you."
Both Draco and Hermione nodded.
"We also ask that the two of you watch out for each other," McGonagall said. "I know you do not particularly like each other, but given the circumstances of a transitioning werewolf and a pregnancy, I think it's best to put differences aside now. Understood?"
They both nodded again. Draco wasn't terribly fond of this idea as he and Hermione had a long history of bad blood between them. But, he supposed that was mainly his fault. What did blood matter anymore? His family had kicked him out, and he was a werewolf, so he basically ranked below Muggleborns now if anything. Best to let it go, though it would be a hard habit to break. For Potter and Weasley though, there would be no such truce.
The door to Dumbledore's office burst open, and Filch hobbled inside. He clutched a stitch in his side and wheezed, "Peeves...Ever-Bashing...Boomerangs...fifty...of...them."
McGonagall huffed and swept form the office with Snape close behind. Dumbledore rose slowly with a chuckle. "Oh, poltergeists." He moved to the door and looked back. "Your dormitory is down the hall behind a painting of Merlin. The password is 'licorice wand'. Goodnight."
As Draco and Hermione left the office, Hermione cleared her throat. "I was just curious-"
"Because you're nosy."
She huffed. "Never mind."
Draco sighed, trying to heed McGonagall's warning to put their differences aside and behave. "No, you...uh, had a question?"
She gave him a cautious, almost skeptical glance. "Um, yeah. A few actually. If your parents disowned you, where did you go this summer? What will your parents do without an heir? It seems so drastic."
Draco shrugged. "I guess that's just how embarrassing and shameful they find me now. But, really, I think they'll just have another heir. I won't be surprised if my mom's pregnant by Christmas."
"Oh." Hermione trained her eyes on the floor as they walked. "And where you stayed?"
"I stayed with my cousin and her husband," he answered. Then he smiled slightly. "We all became close. It actually rather felt like a real family. Like someone actually cared about my well-being more than reputation." Then, as if realizing how much he had revealed, he cleared his throat. "Well, what about you?" His gaze dipped to her stomach. "Weasley?"
Hermione shook her head. "No, no. We're still on you. You're telling me you stayed with Remus and Tonks?"
"Yeah," Draco said somewhat sheepishly. It was well known within common society and the Order how much Draco's family disliked Andromeda, her daughter, and the werewolf. "Remus has been a huge help."
"I would expect so," she said. There was a pause, and she asked, "So, what do I call you now? I can't use Malfoy."
"Draco will be fine," he answered.
"Then you have to call me by my first name too."
"Fine." He stopped in front of a portrait of an elderly wizard surrounded by books. "Licorice wand."
The portrait swung forward, and they climbed through the hole.
"That's going to get really difficult in the next few months," Hermione said, looking back at the portrait hole as Merlin swung shut behind them.
"Right, you didn't answer my question," Draco said. She wasn't paying attention though, and he turned to take in the room as she was doing.
They were in the lounge area, which was done in dark wood furnishings and their houses' colors. A fire crackled in a large fireplace on the far wall. Plush couches and armchairs were situated around a coffee table laid with a wizard's chess set. Two doors on opposite sides of the lounge led to their bedrooms, one with a gold lion on the door and the other with a silver snake.
"Sorry, um, yeah," Hermione said, turning back to him. "It's Ron's. But, he doesn't want it, so we aren't really on speaking terms."
"Figures," he muttered. He had always hated Ron, and now, he felt like separating all his limbs from his body. Abandoning children was terrible. He would know, and he had been greatly humbled because of it and his condition. "Well, I need some rest. Goodnight." He turned to walk to his room.
"Wait," Hermione said, and he turned back, raising an eyebrow. "If you're no longer a Malfoy, did you adopt a new last name?" She paused as if trying to find some excuse for why she was asking this. She found one. "Harry will want to know. He won't want to call you Draco."
Draco laughed and grinned. "Oh, yeah. I'm a Lupin now. So, you tell Potter good luck with that." Still grinning, he strode into his room and shut the door.
I had so much fun writing this chapter, so I really hope you guys are enjoying it so far! If you're liking this story, please consider leaving a review!
