Blaise, Hermione, and Draco sat in front of McGonagall nervously as she patiently listened to their story of events. They had gone straight to McGonagall, who decided to lock Pansy in the dungeons until deciding further what to do with her. A nasty look washed over her face as Draco explained what the potion was for.
"Why didn't you come to me sooner, Mr. Malfoy?"
Draco looked down guiltily. "I thought you wouldn't believe me," he explained. "I didn't think any of you would believe me," he said looking at Blaise and Hermione apologetically.
Blaise placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "We would have." Hermione nodded in agreement. It saddened them to realize that despite their newfound friendship, Draco still felt alone deep down.
"When exactly did your mother stop writing to you?" McGonagall asked, suddenly sitting upright.
Draco thought back to when he stopped receiving letters. "Um…about two weeks after school started?"
"That's about the same time Mr. Potter went missing…" She mused. The timing was too suspicious to be a coincidence.
"Do you think the two disappearances are connected?" Hermione asked.
"I think it's possible. The mirror is a looking-glass into a certain location, but the area where she is being kept could be larger," she said, examining the locket. "Mirror spells are complicated, but perhaps a good curse breaker could sort it out."
"What are we going to do?" Blaise asked. He was extremely worried for Draco and Draco's mother.
McGonagall placed the locket in a small bag and stood up. "I'm going right to the Ministry. The Auror department needs to know about this for the sake of finding both of them if there is a connection. I want you three to stay together. Pansy has been placed in a holding cell in the dungeon under the watch of Professor Slughorn until her parents have been contacted. Mr. Malfoy, you are to stay in in the Heads Common Room temporarily in case Mr. Nott foolishly decides to come back. If he needed you for this long, he may still need you now."
Hermione was confused. "But wouldn't he be safer under the protection of one of the professors?"
"The fewer people who know about Draco's situation the better. I don't want him to be in any unnecessary trouble with the Ministry," she explained. Draco felt relieved that McGonagall wasn't upset with him and was trying to keep him out of legal trouble even now.
"I'll stay with them, headmistress."
"Good. I suggest the three of you go and get some rest. I'll let you know what happens first thing in the morning."
Hermione watched Draco and Blaise with worry. Blaise had helped Draco bring some of his things to the head dorm while Hermione transfigured the coffee table into a bed for him. He seemed somewhat more reserved than usual and was staring out the window blankly. Blaise was sitting at the study area anxiously tapping his quill against the desk. He had tried to work on an assignment but his mind was too distracted to focus. She had settled herself on one of the couches by the fireplace. Draco had been in the common room many times before, but this time was different.
"The three of us will never get any sleep at this rate," Blaise muttered, shoving his essay away.
"McGonagall said she would report what happened to the ministry. There's nothing else we can do right now," she reasoned, hoping that would relax him. Unfortunately, it seemed to have the opposite effect.
Blaise slammed his fist down on the table angrily. "This is ridiculous. Why can't we go to the ministry with the headmistresses? We're not a bunch of children anymore. If Harry and Draco's mom are in trouble, we deserve to help. After all, we were the ones that caught them."
Hermione moved over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "The Auror department will let us know if we can help. It's been a long night. We should all just get some rest."
Blaise considered this for a moment before turning to Draco, who was still staring out the window.
"Draco? You've been unusually quiet," he pointed out. The blonde haired boy finally turned to face them.
"I think…I think Hermione is right. I'm going to get some sleep," he said, nodding to the bed in the corner.
She looked at Blaise who clearly wanted to say something more. "Let's let Draco rest," she suggested, tugging him into her room so they could continue to talk. It was obvious Blaise wasn't ready to sleep yet.
"Let us know if you need anything," Blaise called to Draco before they closed the door. The two of them sat on Hermione's bed.
"So what's really troubling you?" She asked. It always amazed him how easily she could read him.
"Knowing Draco's mother is kidnapped…and hearing her being tortured brought back bad memories," he said, pulling his knees to his chest. He couldn't help but remember how his mother was put under the cruciatus curse right before her death.
Hermione scooted a little bit closer to him. "We will find her. And Harry," she added for her own comfort.
He sighed and brushed a strand of hair out of his face. "I can't even imagine how Draco must feel right now. Probably the same way you felt with Harry being gone."
"I'm glad he's staying with us for now. It wouldn't do him any good to be alone."
Blaise looked at her with admiration. "You know, it's quite nice how the two of you are now. You used to hate each other," he pointed out.
"Things change," she said simply. "Besides…I'm not sure I ever really hated him. His spitefulness towards me was a product of his upbringing. I think somewhere along the way we both realized that."
"Draco and I were never really friends. He only called me by my name once before, and that was right before the three of you saved us in the Room of Requirement. Now, I consider him one of my best friends."
"Well if someone had told me a year ago that my closest friends upon returning to Hogwarts would be Blaise Zabini and Draco Malfoy, I probably would have laughed my head off," she said with a giggle.
Hearing the sound of her laughter, Blaise felt himself relax a little bit as he grinned at her. He loved making her smile.
"Well if someone had told me a year ago I would be friends with the know-it-all Gryffindor and brains of the Golden Trio I would have called them insane too," he teased. She playfully bumped his shoulder in return.
"I have to be honest though, when I came back to Hogwarts I was lost. You've helped me more than you know to find myself again," he said seriously.
Hermione blushed at his words and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You've helped me too."
"I'm glad," he said.
"We do this thing where we say something really serious one second and then something very lighthearted the next."
"It's our thing. Don't ruin the moment, Zabini," she smirked, putting extra emphasis on the use of his last name.
He gasped dramatically bringing a hand to his face. "Back to Zabini am I?" Hermione grinned in response. "Alright then, Granger."
They both burst into laughter before remembering Draco was sleeping in the other room.
"I guess we should try to get some sleep too," Blaise said as he began to get up. Before he could stand, she grabbed his arm.
"Can you…stay here tonight?" She said, blushing deeply. "I don't want to be alone."
Blaise was shocked at her request, but slowly came out of it and tried to hide his own blush. "Erm, I guess."
After the two of them changed into their pajamas, they got under the covers a little awkwardly. Hermione turned to face him. "Thanks for staying. I know it might seem a bit weird…but with everything that happened tonight I just want to feel safe."
He smiled warmly at her. "I understand."
"Goodnight, Blaise."
"Goodnight, Hermione." The two of them quickly drifted to sleep.
When Blaise woke up as he felt something tickling his nose. He then noticed that he was trapped. Hermione was half on his chest and had one leg wrapped around his, her arms draped across his body as she slept peacefully.
Blaise shifted slightly so that her hair wasn't practically shoved down his throat and placed an arm around her. He had to admit, he was surprised when she asked him to sleep in her room, let alone let him sleep in her bed. There was of course a part of him that was incredibly happy at her invitation, but another part that was worried about her.
He had begun to notice that his nightmares had been slowly diminishing over time. Last night was one of the best sleeps he had in a long time. It wasn't the first time they had been in an intimate position, as they had laid on the couch together after Harry went missing. This time felt obviously different though.
As he watched her sleep he admired once again how beautiful she was. The steady rising and falling of her chest as she slept was a comforting rhythm. It was adorable until she suddenly began to wake up and stretch her arm out, socking him in the face accidentally.
He let out a grunt of unexpected pain as her hand collided with his nose rather forcefully. Her eyes shot open as she sat up in alarm.
"Oh, Merlin! Sorry about that," she said, still groggy from sleep. He didn't think it was possible for her hair to look any bushier than usual, but he was wrong. And it was the cutest thing ever.
"Don't worry about it," he replied, rubbing his nose lazily. "What time is it?"
Hermione peered over to the clock on the wall. "It's almost 9am. Shall we get some breakfast?"
Blaise gave her a sly smile. "I don't know…I kind of like being like this," he said, pulling her back down next to him. She blushed deeply before sighing contently and relenting.
"Okay, maybe a few more minutes." Being in each other's arms always seemed more comforting recently than anything else. Although they hadn't talked about this new side of their friendship, he didn't want to push his luck by being too forward. Whatever she wanted from him, whether it be friendship or something more, he would be patient about it and let it develop on its own.
After a few more minutes of rest, he began to sit up. "We should get ready before there's no breakfast left. I'll check on Draco too." She nodded a bit sadly as he untangled himself from her and got out of bed and left the room.
Draco was already dressed and sitting on one of the couches in the common room, twirling his wand in his fingers absentmindedly when he noticed Blaise come in.
"Morning," Blaise greeted and came over to the couch. "How are you feeling today?"
Draco yawned and stretched out his arms before standing up. "A bit more collected than last night…I have a lot to tell you. I should have come to you sooner."
He placed a comforting hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll talk about it later."
He turned to go back into his room to get ready but Draco stopped him. "Blaise…" he began in a confused tone. "Did you just come out of Hermione's room?"
Blaise froze at the question. He hadn't discussed his feelings toward Hermione with anyone, not even Draco. The idea of getting "caught" from whatever they had been doing was a bit embarrassing, though he wasn't exactly sure why.
"Er….it's not what you think," he offered. Draco simply eyed him warily.
"Sure it's not. Whatever though. It's not my business," Draco replied rather curtly. Blaise was surprised by his change in tone but didn't get much of a chance to think much of it before Hermione came out next.
"Morning," she greeted them. Blaise went into his room to get ready.
"Any word from McGonagall yet?" Draco asked as Hermione took a seat on the couch next to him.
"Nothing yet. Maybe she'll have news for us at breakfast," she replied, noticing that he shifted slightly away from her when she sat down. She figured he was still probably edgy from last night. After all, she was still worried as well.
Draco sighed and leaned back against the sofa. "I wish I had come to you sooner. I feel like an idiot."
"Don't feel that way. We all understand your position…Honestly, I would have done the same thing if I were in your shoes."
Blaise came in the room, his hair still wet from a quick shower. She couldn't help but notice the small beads of water dripping down his neck below the collar of his shirt. Blaise noticed her staring and gave her a knowing smirk.
"Let's go," she said, standing up and rushing towards the door in order to hide her blush.
"Get a room," Draco mumbled as he followed them out the door.
Before they could enter the Great Hall, McGonagall called out to them.
"I have news," she said simply. The four them walked swiftly to her office and took their seats.
"Did you find them?" Hermione asked with a hopeful glint in her eyes.
"No, and they have sent a search party for Mr. Nott but nothing has come up so far. However, the ingredients used for the potion are easy to track. If he brewed the potion correctly, we should have his location in a few days."
"What about the mirror?" Draco asked anxiously. His fists were clenched tightly at his side, as if expecting bad news.
"Curse breakers at the ministry are currently trying to gain access to the magical properties of the mirror to figure out a way to use it as a portkey. It will take some time."
Suddenly Hermione had an epiphany. "Wait! I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner. The locater that Dumbledoor gave Ron! Would it help?"
Draco and Blaise looked at her with confusion. "Locator?"
"It was a light that led Ron to us when he…abandoned us for a while."
Blaise raised an eyebrow, unsurprised at Ron's behavior. "Weasley abandoned you?"
"It's a long story."
"I think that might be helpful. I will reach out to Mr. Weasley today and see if he still has it," McGonagall decided. For this, Hermione was grateful. She wanted as much time and space between her and Ron as she could have for the time being.
"So what can we do to help now?" Hermione asked.
"Stay with Mr. Malfoy until we find Mr. Nott," McGonagall said. "Is that alright with you?"
"Yes, Headmisstress." Draco said with a sigh. Blaise frowned at his dejected answer but remained silent.
"Good. Now the three of you can continue on to breakfast and classes. I have some more business at the Ministry to attend to."
The three of them made their way into the Great Hall only to be greeted by whispering and stares. News travels fast in Hogwarts. Before they could sit down, Ginny Weasley approached Hermione. Blaise felt himself growing tense as he remembered the last encounter with the young Weasley.
"Hermione," she said, tugging on Hermione's arm slightly to get her to stop.
She looked at the younger girl with confusion. "Yes, Ginny?"
"Have they found Harry? No one will tell me anything," she asked, sounding stressed. Blaise noticed dark circles under her eyes, suggesting she hadn't rested well since learning of Harry's disappearance months ago and the apparent news about the events of last night.
Hermione was surprised at Ginny's concern, although she supposed she shouldn't be. Ginny and Harry had once been the couple that no one ever thought would break up. "They're still looking, but they think they have a lead. That's all I know."
"Keep me updated?" Ginny pleaded.
A small smile broke out on Hermione's face as a tiny piece of Ginny's old personality seemed to return. "I promise." The girls nodded at each other in understanding and Ginny went back to the Gryffindor table.
As they ate their breakfast, Draco raised an eyebrow. "I thought you and the Weasley girl didn't get along anymore."
Hermione shrugged. "She's concerned about Harry."
He rolled his eyes. "Everyone's always concerned about Potter," he said as he stabbed at his toast, emphasizing his disdain at the name.
Blaise laughed. "Well he is the chosen one," he said mockingly, remembering Harry's arrogance during 4th year. Hermione swatted his arm in disapproval but couldn't help but join in the laughter.
The rest of the day went on somewhat normally for the three of them. They went to class and minded their own business. Blaise and Draco were studying in the library while Hermione was finalizing some plans for the Winter Ball with the house elves.
"Shouldn't you be helping Hermione?" Draco asked, pushing his chair away from the desk and leaning back to take a break. "Planning a school event is a lot of work."
"She insisted that she be the one to talk to the house elves. Apparently she's afraid I'll speak in a condescending tone."
"Is she still running that little club of hers to free the house elves?"
"S.P.E.W. I had forgotten about that until now. I doubt it. We've both been too busy and distracted for other activities."
"Did you have any elves?"
Blaise thought back to his childhood. "Yes. We had quite a few, but we treated them well and gave them allowances each month. My mother never believed in punishing house elves like other pureblood families did."
Draco looked down sadly. "My father was one of those people…I honestly can't remember many of our elves. I freed the rest of them after the Dark Lord was defeated. The only one I remember well was Dobby."
"I remember Dobby. Wasn't he a Hogwarts elf for a while?"
"Yeah. Potter tricked my father into freeing him. Dobby came to work at Hogwarts right after, although I haven't seen him around," Draco mused, trying to think of the last time he saw the little elf.
Blaise felt extremely guilty. Did Draco really not know what happened? Hermione had told him the story of Dobby. "You don't know?"
The blonde shook his head. "Know what?"
"Dobby died."
Draco sighed and looked down sadly. "Yeah…that makes sense. My aunt's dagger must have killed him when she threw it."
"Did you know the elf well?"
"Not really. He was always nice to me though. Never afraid of me like most of the other elves."
In an attempt to lighten the mood a bit, Blaise quickly changed the subject. "So do you have anyone you're going to ask to the ball? It's only a few weeks away."
To his surprise, this seemed to put Draco in even more of a mood. "Not anymore. I don't think I'm going to go."
"Oh. I see," he replied awkwardly. This was going to be a long day.
