AN: Haha! I bet that you all thought that I was dead, hmm? Well...I'm back. And with me comes Draco, Fred and George. So, since I made you wait so long for an update (over two months!!) I won't make you wait any longer by writing and unbelievably boring AN.
Draco Malfoy stumbled breathlessly into the school Library. He leaned against the door in exhaustion, trying to catch his breath after running all the distance from the Quidditch Pitch. He had to find Granger! He had to find that Mudblood before she completely ruined his life. He had to get that book and get rid of it.
Even before he had fully regained his composure, panic shoved its way back to the front of Draco's mind and he started his search through the dusty rows of books. Creeping quickly between the shelves, Malfoy peeked his head around each one before turning the corner. He didn't know what he was going to do if Hermione already had the book, but he had to get it from her somehow.
It wasn't long before he saw a familiar head of bushy brown hair, bent intently over a large manuscript. Granger sat cross-legged in the midst of several small stacks of books, from lessons on Potions to a list of poisonous fungi growing in South America. She sighed heavily, closing the large book on her lap, and set it aside onto a neat pile next to her before reaching for another. Draco strained his eyes to see the title before she opened it.
"Magical and Mythical Creatu – " Draco jumped quickly behind the shelf that he was standing next to when he accidentally gasped out loud, causing Granger to turn her head. Of course she would find the book before he could. Of course.
Malfoy covered his face in despair. What the hell was he supposed to do now? Maybe he could just askGranger for the book? Right, a Slytherin ask a Mudblood for something? Because that wasn't suspicious. Draco winced as he heard Hermione flipping through the pages, and did the first thing that came to his frazzled mind. Grabbing a large hardcover titled, "How to Raise Troll Infants Without Losing an Arm", Malfoy pitched it around the shelf in the direction of Hermione's head.
He held his breath at the dull thunk of the book hitting its target, and Granger's quiet inquiry: "Who…the hell?" Draco peered through the books on the shelf separating him from the offended Gryffindor, and then hurried to hide behind the opposite end of the shelf as Hermione stood to search for her attacker. He turned the corner just as she stepped into the aisle he had been observing her from.
Hermione glanced up and down the seemingly empty rows of books, while Draco tried his hardest not to breathe. After looking in all directions more than once, Hermione seemed satisfied that whoever had been there was now gone, and settled back on the floor with a haughty expression. Picking up the book that she had been reading, Hermione tucked her hair behind her ear and resumed her research.
Draco shut his eyes tightly and tried to think. The distraction hadn't worked, but at least he still hadn't been found. He just needed to get Granger to put down his book so he could grab it and get out of there!
Malfoy's head shot up as Hermione gasped excitedly and leaned closer to the page that she was reading, her hair dropping out from behind her ear and blocking Draco's view of the book.
"That's it," she whispered loudly to herself. Draco could hear her mumbling under her breath as she read, "…angered easily and behave offensively, sometimes to the point of violence…of course…"
No, no, no, no!! Without thinking, Malfoy withdrew his wand from his pocket and lifted it toward the shelf opposite him, and directly in front of Granger.
"Accio," he whispered sharply. Obedient to his magic, a series of thin novels abandoned their place on the old shelves and zoomed toward Draco in a straight line, hitting Hermione in the face on their way. She jumped up from the floor and stalked in the direction that the books had flown from, determined to find her attacker.
Malfoy seized his hard earned opportunity an dashed from his hiding place, reached down, and grabbed the small red book that Granger had discarded. He was about to turn and run when he spotted another, almost identical, book on the floor next to his foot. He grabbed that one as well, and straightened as he looked from one to the other - frantic to find which was the one he truly wanted.
"Malfoy?" Draco jumped and raised terrified eyes. He found himself staring at a thoroughly pissed off Hermione Granger.
Without another thought, Draco turned and ran from the library, both books still in hand.
Shoving past students standing outside the library, Draco charged for the end of the corridor, blind with panic and purpose. He was going to be rid of this entire mess! He just had to destroy this bloody book.
"Malfoy! Stop!" Granger's voice reached Draco just before he turned out of the second floor hallway and onto a side staircase. He froze with his foot on the first stair and looked across his shoulder in shock. She was following him?!
Confirming Draco's thoughts, Hermione quickened her steps when she saw him pause, and opened her mouth to speak again. Before she could make a sound, though, Draco ducked around the corner and started quickly down the stone steps. His heavy breathing echoed around him between the narrow walls, but the unnerving sound was interrupted by another set of quick footsteps on the top of the stairs.
Malfoy ran into the clear light pouring in through the window in the nearly empty corridor below, and wheeled around to slam the stairway door shut behind him before continuing down toward the dungeons.
Running towards the door to the Grand Staircase, Draco glanced down to the books that he was gripping as he ran. Which was the one that he wanted? Before he could detect the difference between the two, he was grabbed from behind and turned roughly around. Captain and beater of the Slytherin Quidditch team glared down at him.
"What made you think that you could walk out on practice?" Marcus leered, while Bole repeatedly hit his beater's bat into his palm in an intimidating way. The implications of this action were not lost on Draco.
Flint continued, his eyebrows forming one thick line as he bared his teeth menacingly. "This team doesn't belong to the Malfoys. You think you can ignore me and stay seeker, think again."
While Draco opened his mouth with an indignant reply, he cast a glance over his team captain's shoulder. Granger had apparently run into Potter and Weasley during her pursuit, and now the three of them were rapidly approaching Draco, clearly livid.
With renewed desperation, Draco turned away from his furious teammates and completed the distance to the Grand Staircase, descending the steps as quickly as he could bring his legs to carry him.
Fred realized as he entered McGonagall's office that this was the first time that he was there and wasn't in trouble. At least, he wasn't yet. Though with the way George was acting, he wasn't sure how long that would last. Fred didn't dare leave his dazed twin alone in the halls, but he was reluctant to try and bluff his way through a conversation with his Head of House with him there.
"Thank you both for coming up here," Minerva offered from across the room. "Please sit down first," she said in reply to Fred's innocent questioning look.
McGonagall took her seat behind the desk in the center of the room, and Fred followed his brother to the two chairs set up in front. George plopped into his in a rather un-graceful manner, still maintaining his pleasant smile. Fred attempted to match his expression so that however absurd it would usually appear on a Weasley Twin's face, it could pass as normal. He doubted that he was being very successful, but no questions had been asked so far.
"I received a letter from your mother," Minerva started, her expression already showing signs of sympathy. In spite of the growing excitement that his plan was working, Fred masked his face with a look of concern, and George in turn looked concerned at the sight of his brother seeming unhappy. McGonagall took a breath before continuing, "she says that an Uncle of yours has…passed on."
Fred's well-trained acting skills took charge immediately and a pained look overcame his features. "Uncle Mortimer?" he asked in an exaggeratedly sorrowful voice.
Professor McGonagall pulled her lips into a bracing smile and turned her gaze from Fred to George, who thankfully had remained blank and quiet.
"I…I can't believe it," Fred said shakily, anxious to pull Minerva's attention back to him. George nodded slowly, and Fred looked to him, willing him to keep quiet. But George had no such intentions.
"I am very sorry to…" Minerva began, but was soon interrupted by a now distressed looking George.
"But Fred," he said quietly, "what about the lavender colored tea pots?"
Fred, entirely confused, paled at McGonagall's clearly alarmed features. "George, uh, George it…they really don't matter right now," he shot out hastily. His brother was going to spoil everything. Fred just knew it.
George raised his eyebrows in surprise at Fred's answer, then simply leaned back in his chair, apparently appeased. McGonagall visibly composed herself after the surprise of George's bizarre question, and addressed Fred once again.
"Your mother requested that you be able to attend the funeral. So, I will arrange for Hagrid to wait for you in the Entrance Courtyard just before breakfast tomorrow morning and escort you to Hogsmeade, where you will meet your parents."
"Thanks, Professor," Fred said, with a much sincerity as he could muster.
"Of course, Mr. Weasley. But now," Minerva motioned for the twins to stand, "you both should pack what belongings you wish to bring with you, and consider retiring to your dormitories early tonight, before your walk in the morning."
"Right, Professor," George agreed, causing his twin to wince apprehensively. Fred held his breath, begging silently that George wouldn't say anything more. "We have to put the socks to bed, after all," George finished with a shrug.
Fred urgently grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him toward the door. Wherever George's mind was right now, it wasn't doing them any good in McGonagall's office. With a last expression of thanks, Fred stepped out through the door and closed it between him and his slightly bewildered Head of House.
As soon as the door had latched, Fred turned and grinned at his brother. Everything was ready. Their roommates wouldn't notice them missing. It was hardly unusual for the twins to be out of their dorm past curfew. And no one else would realize that they were gone until at least after breakfast when Hagrid would have to tell Professor McGonagall. It seemed that Fred's ridiculous plan was somehow going perfectly.
In the familiar halls of the dungeons, Malfoy passed the Potions classroom and continued toward the Slytherin Common Room, never once breaking his run.
Nearing his destination, Draco sped up, the entrance to the Common Room growing nearer. His fast-paced run was interrupted, however, when the top of his foot caught on something solid and he slammed face-first to the floor.
Draco shoved himself back up under the mocking stares of his fellow Slytherins in the crowded passage and turned instinctively to find the cause of his fall. He found himself facing an extremely smug Millicent Bulstrode. Before he had time to even be nervous about what could have caused her to be so joyous, she smirked into his face: "I've found it Malfoy. I've seen it. You're dead."
Oh, Fuck…Draco stumbled back a few steps as Bulstrode turned the corner with a last triumphant sneer in his direction. New mission…destroy book, and get rid of creature.
Draco turned and ignored all else until he reached his dorm. Both of his trunks were open on his bed, his possessions scattered across the blankets and the small black creature scuttling restlessly in its cage. As Draco neared the bed it turned toward him instantly, letting out a high-pitched squealing noise.
Draco's stomach clenched in revulsion at the sight of the creature struggling against its cage to reach him. Why had he bought the bloody thing in the first place? He was more than ready to get rid of it and forget any of this had ever happened.
Quickly and clumsily, Draco dropped the books he was carrying and undid the latch to the small metal cage. Immediately, the creature launched itself out and onto Draco's palm with a squeak of delight – it even seemed to be waggling its short, pointed tail at the joy of being near Draco again. Wincing, Malfoy ran hurriedly to the center of the room and jerked open the rectangular door on the small pot-bellied stove that warmed the dorm.
The fire inside crackled out toward Draco's fingers, and he pulled his hand back sharply. There was only a moment's hesitation, while the creature nuzzled further against his thumb, before the disgust and fear welled fully in Draco and he ripped the creature off of his hand and hurled it into the licking flames.
A truly awful series of squeals and shrieks emitted from the stove as the heat devoured its victim. Draco momentarily shut his eyes tightly, unexpectedly overwhelmed and disturbed, before shakily standing and returning to the side of his bed. Picking up the two identical library books that he had left there, he hastily compared the two, tossing the text titled "Potions Before Charms" aside. Andella Samry's account of the Magical animals populating the earth quickly followed one of its own creatures into the fire, and Draco slammed the stove shut.
He allowed himself a shallow sigh of relief as the last protesting cries from the authoress' photograph on the back of the book faded, leaving silence.
Malfoy retrieved his wand from his pocket, and with a quick Evanesco disposed of the creature's cage, clearing the last bit of evidence against him. At a sudden commotion from the Common Room, Draco rapidly shoved his belongings back into his trunk, and with a steadying breath exited his dorm.
Phew...I can't believe that I finally finished it. Well, I learned my lesson. I make no promises about when the next update will be, I can only promise that I will work on it as quickly as I can. I need to say thank you to everyone for being so patient with me, and especially much thanks to Wondering What Breakfast Is for making me feel guilty by writing so much. And thanks equally much to Severusly for being the wonderful beta-person that she is. Anyway... hope you enjoyed. Stick around for the next update sometime soon (at least within the next year...heheh).