A/N Hello there! So the next chapter is here, obviously. And I think now we'll be past 70,000 words. Which is a lot. And isn't that book length? :0 Wow. Anyway. This chapter. Uhmmmmmm. we only here from Snape briefly, at the very end. And...would anyone like to see another POV? I dunno like Ron or Dumbledore or Lyra ,before she died like a flashback :'(, Minerva XD. Just lemme know. And...Pumpkin is delicious go eat some. And OMG the word awhile? Stupid grammar can't decide between "awhile" and "a while" I swear it changed like 50 times. And by that time I was like WHYYYY. And as always I'm getting off track. Let's see here. If there's something you would like to see from the fic let me know and I'll see what I can do. Soooo. Yeah. I think that's all. As always thanks for reading and please review!

Special thanks to KK and PearlM21 for being amazing reviewers!

Oh and stay safe!

On with the story

Chapter 26

Hermione

"Oh my God oh my God oh my God." She put a hand over her mouth. Draco wasn't there, he was gone. But where the hell...

"Draco was there and now he's gone, and what the hell the curtain over there is moving!" Ginny gushed, then lifted a hand to point at the curtain that was indeed rippling as someone moved inside it.

"Is that-" Harry started but Ginny cut him off.

"I bet it's Draco! I bet he's following Snape because he wants to know something, or maybe he'd just like a word in private I don't really know. They always were buddy old pals before, well you guys know…" Ginny shrugged. Goodness that was certainly annoying.

"You know what, Ginny we're going to the library to find the counter curse for your...problem. And Harry you go follow Draco, or I dunno do something else. Just don't sit by yourself." she finished awkwardly. Harry looked at her before shrugging and pressing a kiss to Ginny's cheek. Ginny flushed and they both gazed into each other's eyes while Hermione sat there, mentally slamming her head against a wall. She really really hoped she and Draco didn't look like this, because honestly it was so sweet it was gross. A few more seconds before Hermione cleared her throat.

"Not to ruin this long, er, moment but Ginny-"

"Right, library. Although I could just stay here with Harry and you could go by yourself-" Hermione glared at her and Ginny turned another shade redder.

"Mmm. Or not. Bye." She took one last glance at Harry before following Hermione out of the curtains.

"So what do you think Draco wants to ask Snape?" Ginny asked her as they hurried down the hall.

"How would I know?"

"You aren't-"

"I don't know." She swallowed. Hermione did not want to talk to Ginny about that while she was in this state. She had a feeling she would have quite a lot to say about it.

"Well then. I think I'm Harry's girlfriend." Dear Merlin, as if she couldn't guess that from the way they looked at each other. And the hand holding, cheek kisses, and God it was so obvious of course she knew. They practically declared their love to each other when they were about to die. Which was cute she supposed. Just a little.

"He's so annoying, why couldn't he have left the school!" wailed Lavender from down the hall.

"Oh my God it's Lavender!" Ginny said loudly. Ginny! Hermione wailed inside.

"Did you hear that?" asked Pavarti.
"And-"
"In here!" She yanked Ginny into a broom closet.

"I wonder who they're talking about…" Ginny voiced aloud. Well shut up and maybe we'll find out. Hermione said internally.

"It's like he doesn't even see us as real people." Lavender groaned.

"I know! Just people he can torture because he's in a bad mood." Hermione could practically hear Pavarti rolling her eyes.

"Honestly who does he think he is?!" Lavender said.
"Snape can just go sit by himself-"

"Shut up I can hear Mcgonagall." Lavender said quickly.

"Why she puts up with him…" Both of them giggled and their footsteps sounded down the hall.

"They were talking about-"
"Snape. I know." Hermione sighed. "Come on, let's go…"
"Wait." Ginny said abruptly.

"What?" she asked, taking a look around the closet to see if she was looking at something.

"Voices, from this wall." Ginny pressed an ear to the wall. Hermione moved a broom out of the way to join her.

"You don't-" the rest of the words were inaudible.

"I do know, because now a part of me is dead too!"

"Draco." Hermione gasped, putting a hand to her mouth.

"Shhh." Ginny hissed. Like she was one to talk.

"Don't say that." Snape snapped.

"Why not? It's true!" Draco practically screamed. The sound broke Hermione's heart. Snape didn't say anything. Idiot. The least he could do was try and offer a word of comfort. Although Hermione didn't exactly know what she would say either.

Draco

He didn't exactly know why it was important at this particular moment. But it was. It was always going to be important. Because now he was alone. So he decided to follow Snape to see if perhaps it wasn't true. Or maybe just to lash out at him and make him hurt as much as he was. He knew that made him a terrible person. But at this point he didn't particularly care. His feet hit the ground as he moved behind a curtain and towards Snape.

How should he announce himself? Snape was probably heading to his office so he better do it soon.

"Professor." he said stiffly. Then realized he was still in the curtains. Snape paused and glanced around, obviously confused. Draco pulled himself away from the curtains and kept his eyes on the ground.

"I need to talk to you." he said, making sure no one was around.

"In my office." Snape said, clearing his throat.

"Okay, uh." Draco started walking, wondering exactly when this had become so awkward. Lavender and Pavarti rounded the corner at the exact same time they did and Draco nearly broke into a run. Scared they would ask him about his time...wherever he was supposed to have been.

"Oh hello Draco." Lavender said, then she looked him up and down. Parvati made a sound that sounded suspiciously like a snort.

"Ten points from Gryffindor." Snape said tonelessly. Then gave Draco a look that clearly meant keep walking. Well then. Fine by him. Parvati and Lavender turned the other direction, muttering loudly under their breaths.

They arrived at Snape's office and he held the door open for Draco. He slipped inside with a nod of his head, the only thing he could manage at the moment.

"Why did you need to talk?" Snape said, walking to his desk and sitting down. Draco took a closer look at him. He seemed tired and...awkward? Like he didn't want to have this conversation. Too bad, they were going to have it anyway.

"Are my parents dead?" he blurted. Snape flinched, and stared down at his hands.

"It hasn't been confirmed-"

"Are. They. Dead." He curled his hands into fists to keep himself from hurdling something across the room. Snape hesitated, then nodded.

"Right. So who am I going to?" Snape blinked.

"I'm not following…"

"Which of my lovely relatives will get me?" he asked, doing his best to keep his voice steady.

"Draco, there's still hope for your parents. You don't know-"

"I do know, because now a part of me is dead too!"

"Don't say that." Snape said angrily, getting to his feet. Draco swallowed, why did he have the right to be angry?

"Why not?! It's true!" he shot back. Snape was pale, he opened his mouth and closed it. He didn't know what to say now. Should he just leave? That might be the best thing to do in this situation.

"Just calm down." Snape said finally.

"Calm down! Calm down! How the hell am I supposed to do that?"

"Actually isn't there a potion for that?" Both Snape and Draco froze. Who the hell…

"Ow!" A clatter sounded from the wall and Draco stared at it.

"Move!" That sounded an awful lot like Hermione.

"I'm trying! Maybe if you would step off my foot and go out this door then everything would be fine!" Draco felt hysterical laughter bubbling in his chest. And there was Ginny. Of course they were here, listening to his breakdown. Because why not, this really ought to be a party.

"You were the one who wanted to stay here in the first place!" Hermione yelled.

"You always love to eavesdrop, you could've left if you'd wanted to!" Ginny screamed.

"Shut up."

"Why? It's not like-"

"They're not talking anymore you idiot, they probably heard us!" Hermione said loudly. Snape put a hand to his face, looking very tired and frustrated. Honestly Draco was enjoying the audio. It took his mind off things.

"Oh…"
"Yes oh, Ginny!" There was a series of tumbling noises before both girls stumbled out of the wall as it turned and deposited them on the floor at Snape's feet. For a moment Draco was desperately confused. They had been on one side of the wall...And now here they were. How very insane. Snape looked equally confused. The old Snape would have yelled at them, but now he simply stared at them in puzzlement.

"Professor, sir, er. Mr." Ginny swallowed. "You see we're not actually real." Hermione quickly got to her feet and tried to pull Ginny up. Ginny shot her arm past Hermione's hand and Hermione gave Ginny a worried look.

"Gin-"

"See, sir, she can't pull me up because I'm not real. And neither is she. We are...what are they called again? Those see through people in those...moves?"

"Holograms. Movies, not moves. Haven't I taught you anything?" Hermione rolled her eyes. "And we're not-"

Ginny jerked herself in the direction of the door.

"Oh no! I'm catching!"

"Glitching, you idiot. It's glitching! Hey-" Ginny grabbed Hermione's arm and yanked her out of the classroom leaving both Draco and Snape. What the hell.

"Anyway." Draco cleared his throat and tried to remember where he'd left off. Snape had been telling him to calm down. Because that was going to work.

"I think I'll just be off." Before Snape could tell him otherwise Draco bolted out the door and called for Hermione and Ginny.

"Wait!" he hurried up to them.
"What's going on?" he asked.

"Well it's honestly a very long story. Actually it's not that long, but it might take me awhile to tell it because you know, I have this thing with my mouth. And now it just does whatever it wants-"

"Merlin." Hermione muttered. "I have to go look for the spell to fix...this. Have you seen Harry?" she looked around as if he would be standing somewhere around them.

"Uh...no." he said. "Why?"

"Damn. He was supposed to go find you." Hermione shook her head.

"Maybe he just didn't find me." Draco shrugged.

"Maybe...but-"

"I bet you he's sitting by himself or something, convincing himself that it was his fault that Lyra died." Ginny blurted out.

"What she said. Just find him, okay?" Hermione stared at him for a brief second before pulling Ginny away. Draco stood there for a solid sixty seconds wondering where he was supposed to start looking. Harry was supposed to have gone looking for him, so he should go look for Harry in the places that Harry might've gone to find him. Brilliant.

Harry

So maybe he did end up doing the one thing Hermione told him not to do. But in all honesty he had tried to find Draco. Just not very hard. Okay so maybe that made him terrible because it was probably best to find him before he did something stupid. Although Draco didn't do too many stupid things. He seemed to have a rather good handle on himself. Most of the time anyway.

Harry was sitting in the library behind the curtains. He was well aware that Hermione and Ginny were going to be coming in here to look for books, but he was safely concealed by the curtain. He'd just come here to...think. Or try not to. It really didn't matter much at this point. He just hoped Hermione didn't think a book was behind here or something. And that Draco hadn't got lost in the curtains. Anything was possible, he thought to himself. Although he was wondering what Draco had gone to talk to Snape about.

"Harry?" The curtains pulled back and there was Draco. He swallowed a gasp of surprise and motioned for Draco to sit next to him. This had all turned very backwards. He was supposed to have found Draco not the other way around.

"So were you looking for me?" Harry decided to ask.

"Uh, yeah I was." Draco shrugged then said. "Were you looking for me?"

"At one point." Draco snorted softly. "Did you go talk to Snape?"

Draco stiffened for a brief moment before nodding.

"I needed to make sure of something." He said slowly. Harry nodded, deciding not to pry.

"It sounds like they're having a heart to heart." Ginny said. Harry whipped his head around, looking for her. Though that was a tad dumb as the curtains completley surrounded him.

"Ginny, oh my God shut up!" Hermione yelled.

"I can't help it!"

"I just took the spell off!"

Snape

The conversation with Draco was continuing to circle around his head. And nothing it seemed would get it out. He had gone back to teaching today, and was surprised to find the class more subdued than normal. Which was nice he supposed. He could've used something to take his mind off everything.

It turned out Minvera was not very happy with him at the moment. It was his fault the protections around his flat hadn't been strong enough, he shouldn't have waited so long to tell Harry, he should've told her, and blah blah blah. Honestly. He didn't particularly want to think about that at the moment. Everything was very much a disaster and he was nearly 100 percent sure there was no way to fix it.

A/N What did y'all think? And Ginny being hit by the blabbering curse (is that what it's called I can't remember) will be explained next chapter I think. And any opinions of Snupin? Lemme know! Thanks so much for reading! And please review!