And if we dream - Draco Malfoy/ OC

Chapter 13- Wordless.

Summary: Like some magnetic force, like some unbreakable bond she was drawn back to him again and again. And now, staying away was an inconceivable notion. "Always." she murmured, one hand finding his, the other tangling into his platinum hair, "Always."

-….-

I'm re writing it to my story so the dialogue is not that same as it is in the books or films in the scenes you may recognise =]

-….-

"Excuse me!" Professor Dumbledore's voice rang out across the hall from where he now stood on his podium. The hall quieted immediately, most students too engrossed in their dinner to have even realised he was standing until he spoke.

Avery turned to the front of the hall expectantly. Harry and Neville to her right continued to talk earning a harsh "Shut up!" from Hermione who was still slightly hurt at Avery's outburst the previous evening.

"Many of you may have noticed that my speech at the beginning of this year was rather short and vague." Avery had to agree, she hadn't been paying much attention but it had seemed shorter than usual, "This is because some things have been put into place over the week we have been back that were not ready at the beginning of the term. Some changes. You may notice that there is a new addition to our staff table. Some of you have already had lessons with him, for those of you who haven't this is Horace Slughorn. He is returning to Hogwarts this year to resume his post as potions professor." Dumbledore paused and gestured to Slughorn who looked tiny wedged in-between Hagrid and McGonagall. He gave a small wave at the smatterings of applause through the hall, mostly overshadowed by the many questions.

"What will Snape teach?"

"So who's this new DADA teacher then?"

"Why is he here?"

"Obviously, this means that Professor Snape will no longer be teaching potions, he will be moving to the post of teacher of defence against the dark arts." Dumbledore continued leaving another pause for the students reaction.

The Slytherin table erupted in applause, but the Gryffindor table couldn't have been further opposite, "What?" Harry shouted, loud enough for students on the Ravenclaw table to turn around.

"It makes sense I suppose." Hermione mused, eyes wide in shock, "with Slughorn taking over potions and no other new teachers. We should have guessed."

"Ol' bat face has been gunning for that job for ages!" Ron hissed, "Is the old coot mad?" he asked referring to the headmaster.

"Ronald!" Hermione hissed.

"Ron might be right 'Mione." Avery added, "Putting a death eater as the defence teacher? That is crazy."

"Please return your attention to me!" Dumbledore called, waiting a moment for complete silence to fall, "I understand this is a change, but I assure you it is for the best." his twinkling eyes seemed to linger on the group of Ministry fighters where Avery sat a little longer than necessary as he scanned the room, prompting Avery to think that there was some message meant for them. She shook the thought away as the headmaster continued to speak, "As we all know the threat of Lord Voldemort grows larger every day and we must all do all we can to keep ourselves safe."

Avery found her eyes drifting towards the Slytherin table where Malfoy and his cronies sat smugly, obviously pleased at the thought of Snape in such a position as DADA teacher. She sighed and returned to listening to the headmaster talk. " As precaution, the castles magical fortification has been strengthened over the summer, we are protected in ways we have never been before. However, I must urge you as students to be cautious in your own safety and abide by any rules and restrictions that your teachers may impose on you, no matter how much it may irk you, just like the rule that says you cannot be out of bed after hours."

Avery smirked, knowing of at least four people who had broken that rule already this first week, herself included.

"If you see anything, suspicious of out of the ordinary within the castle or on any castle grounds then please report it to the nearest teacher immediately. As always I expect you all to conduct yourselves with the utmost regard for your own safety and for the safety of those around you, in lessons and out of lessons, this includes behaviour in classrooms. I do hear of all detentions and punishments in this place." His eyes scanned the room again, lingering on Avery, Harry and a few other students who had already broken rules or been given punishment. "Anyway, after all of that, I believe curfew is coming and your beds are waiting and I wish you all a pleasant weekend. Off you go."

The usual enormously deafening sound of benches scraping against wooden floor sounded as hundreds of students made to leave, as they joined the throng of movement, eager to return to the common room before bed Harry whispered, "Did you see Dumbledores hand?"

"No." Ron frowned, Avery shook her head no.

"Yes." said Hermione joining them, bending low against listening ears, "It was blackened it looked-"

"Dead." Harry finished, "Like a curse?"

"Or an incurable potion or disease?" Hermione added.

"I think that there's some- What?" Harry shot the question loudly to some fourth year students who were openly watching him, eyes awed, sometimes glancing to Hermione, Ron, Avery and Neville who moved behind them, all of whom had been immortalised in the prophet for months after the ministry event. The fourth years started and moved through the doors.

"It's like I'm in a bloody gold fish bowl." Harry groaned.

"They all want a glance at the chosen one." Ron said bitterly, "Bloody nosey gits. I don't envy ya mate."

"Yeah well, as far as anyone else is concerned the prophet lied." Harry murmured for only his friends to hear, "the only people that need to know are those of us that were at the ministry."

"Of course." Hermione agreed dutifully, "Look Harry I have to go over there." she pointed to where two first year Gryffindor's were arguing with a Slytherin. Avery smiled and found it strangely reassuring that even in these times the old rivalry still hung. "I'll go with you." she said to the prefect as she moved.

"Okay," Hermione said hesitantly, she moved quickly an with purpose, "Excuse me!" she called, "What's going on here?"

The first years stopped arguing immediately, and stared guiltily up at the, now, quite frankly terrifying Hermione who began to scold them accordingly.

Avery took a step back, biting back laughter at the fear on the first years faces and came into contact with a small body. She whipped around and grinned as she took in a familiar sight of black hair and big blue eyes in Hufflepuff robes. "David right? From the book shop?"

"Hi Avery." the small boy replied quietly.

"We have a habit of running into each other huh?" she grinned, "Hufflepuff yeah? Seems fitting I guess."

"Gryffindor." he pointed to Avery's own red robes, "Mum always said the heroes came from there, you're friends with Harry Potter right? You were at the ministry when You know who was there." he questioned.

Avery nodded, "Yeah."

"So she was right, heroes are from that house." he smiled.

"Well I wouldn't say that, I know some pretty brave Hufflepuffs."

"I hope I can be a hero one day." he said wistfully, "My dad is an auror you know. He catches bad guys."

"Does he now?"

"Yes. I'd like to be like him."

"I'm sure you will David," she smiled softly, "Now you'd better get to your common room, before you get into trouble, stay away from the Slytherin Gryffindor fights yeah? Take it from me, they can get dirty, hexes flying everywhere and all that. See you around David."

"Bye Avery!" he said, proudly tugging on his robes and turning towards the few remaining straggler students.

Avery blinked sadly, it was students like David, first years who would suffer the fall out of the Voldemort problem.

"Avery. You coming?" Hermione asked from behind her.

"Yeah." She smiled, "What'd you do to them?" she asked of the noticeably absent first year students.

"Detention Monday with their house heads. Should be scary enough for them." she smiled.

"Yeah, McGonnagal is terrifying! More than Snape I reckon." Hermione laughed awkwardly.

"Listen, Hermione, I really am sorry for the way I acted, it was wrong of me. Sometimes everything just builds up and I made a mistake okay. You know I love you guys."

"We love you too Avery. I just had no idea that you felt that way." She replied sadly.

"Sometimes." Avery said softly, "sometimes."

-….-

The weekend moved far too quickly for Avery and before she knew it she found herself half asleep at the Gryffindor table in the great hall over breakfast Monday morning. "Defence." Ron mumbled. "With Snape. Defence with Snape."

"No matter how many times you say it Ron, it wont change." Harry grumbled bitterly.

Avery sighed, trying to imagine just what they would be taught in Defence for the next two hours. Surely Snape wouldn't get away with not teaching them anything and there was no way any students would keep quiet if he tried to teach them the dark arts instead of how to defend against it. She truly had no idea.

"Hello 'Arry!" Hagrid's distinct voice boomed across the hall as he meandered his way down from the staff table where a few later rising professors sat, " 'Ermione! Ron! Avery!"

"Hi Hagrid." Harry grinned automatically.

"Everyone alrig't?" Avery winced as she nodded the affirmative, noticing a few students glaring their way, probably not only because of the loud interruption to their quiet morning but also at the fact that there was no doubt these four students were Hagrid's favourites. "So none of yer are taking my class." there was a hint of sadness in Hagrids voice that made Avery wince, guilty. The four of them had only shown so much interest in his class because they liked Hagrid, not his lesson, in fact Avery had been almost as bad at Care of magical creatures than she was at Herbology. Thankfully McGonagall hadn't decided that she had to top that up too. Probably because Avery had always suspected that Hagrid gave her higher marks than she actually deserved, especially counting the amount of times she had been bitten and that one time she had accidentally released one of Hagrids more dangerous creatures into the forest. It had taken hours for it to be caught again.

"Sorry Hagrid." Harry started, "I didn't have time to do it with all of the stuff I needed to become an auror."

"We're all very swamped Hagrid." Hermione said, "We promise we'll come and visit you and buck- uh, Witherwings. Promise"

Avery nodded in agreement, "I would have taken it Hagrid, along with Potions, Astronomy, Runes, Charms and Defence but Professor McGonagall made me retake Herbology, something about my over all grades being downed by a T." She didn't miss Hermiones disapproving glare, whether it be because of the awful grade or because she knew for a fact that Avery had no intention of taking Hagrids class. A little white lie, Avery thought, never hurt anyone in fact it seemed to be making Hagrid feel a little better, "Personally I would have taken it if I could."

"Me too." Ron said cottoning on.

"Well that's alright! I got a few Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws with a hand for the creatures. As long as yer come to visit me."

"Definitely." Harry breathed, relieved.

"Now, yer better get to yer classes, don't want to be late do yer?" Hagrid grinned hugely behind his beard, before he ambled his way out of the hall, his step considerably lighter, well if that was possible for a half giant such as he.

"I feel horrible." Avery sighed, "I wish we could have taken it y'know."

"You'd have probably ended up crushed by some sort of half illegal thing Hagrid found." Ron stated with a grin around a mouthful of his sixth piece of toast, "You were a bloody nuisance in that class, worse than Neville in potions!"

"Worse than you in potions." Avery snorted throwing a piece of her own toast towards Ron's flame hair, "Idiot."

"He's right though, Hagrid I mean. We really should get going. Snape wont need much of a reason to take house points from us." Hermione said, sounding put upon with a downturn to her lips.

"I don't want to." Harry whined, "It's my top subject he'll fail me on."

"Just do your best Harry. He can't down grade you if you do that!"

They grudgingly made their way from the hall and up the four flights of stairs that found them at the defence classroom, along the way a sort of gloom seemed to fall upon them, reminiscent of the dungeons Snape had once occupied. Once they had reached the door Harry's shoulders seemed like they couldn't slump any lower and even Hermione seemed to be grimacing worse than usual. All of the sixth year students that had been part of Dumbledore's army last year were present, all seemingly not looking forward to the thought of Snape teaching them this year. This year all houses were present as it was NEWT level classes so Ernie Macmillan of Hufflepuff and a few Ravenclaws including Luna who smiled and greeted them serenely were present. Also, much to Avery's chagrin Malfoy and a number of other Slytherins were present.

"How much homework do you think bat face will give us?" Ron mumbled just as the door opened to reveal the ever sallow face of the teacher in question.

"Inside." he said impassively, "Take your seats immediately."

The now silent group of students filed in immediately, most, Harry as the exception, avoiding eye contact with him. Avery moved behind Hermione, eyes adjusting to the dark gloom that had taken over the once bright room. Avery found herself immersed in staring at the new pictures adjourning the walls, photos of people writhing in pain, disgusting boils and abrasions covering the bodies of others, she shivered and wished that the heavy curtains drawn over the windows were open to dispel some of the darkness that had residence in the room. "Miss Greenwood." Snapes voice sounded loudly behind her, "If you would kindly take your seat like everyone else has managed." She suppressed a growl as she moved into the classroom, narrowly missing smacking her knee against the desk where Hermione had saved her a seat.

"Why does it have to be so bloody dark in here?" she whispered to Hermione as she took the seat.

"Hush Avery!"

"I did not ask you to take out your books." Snape said, beady eyes trained on Hermione whom Avery noticed from her place was the only student with everything set up and sorted. Snape moved around behind his desk as Hermione dropped her copy of Confronting the Faceless back into her bag hastily.

"I want your undivided attention."

Well you have it, Avery thought glancing around the room again.

Snape drew in a deep breathe and began, "You have had five teachers in this subject this term, not all of whom have been very… adequate. Saying this I am surprised any of you managed to scrape an OWL in this subject, considering all of these teachers would have had different methods of teaching. I will be shocked if any of you manage to keep up with the much more advanced NEWT level work."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." she heard Terry Boot say from the table next to her.

The teacher moved from his place and moved to one of the first photos on the wall, robes billowing behind him, "The dark arts" he began thoughtfully, wistfully, "are eternal. Varied, constantly changing. Unbeatable if you will. Each time you think you have conquered your enemy, they come back stronger, more advanced than ever before. You are fighting the impossible."

Avery swallowed, knowing full well of the things Snape spoke of, nervous, she had never heard such longing in the professors voice. She could see Harry's tense shoulders on the table in front of her and knew he must be thinking the same.

"Your defences must therefore be the same, every changing, flexible as that that you wish to defeat. These pictures-" he gestured to the pictures that had enthralled Avery in morbid curiosity just moments ago, "are examples of what can happen to people under the influences of the dark arts. This one for example is what happens when under the cruciatus curse." He indicated a picture of a young woman, writhing on the floor. If there had been sound Avery knew they would have heard her shrieking in agony.

"This one," he pointed to a picture of a blank looking wizard, in a heap on the floor, cold and staring into what seemed like the abyss of nowhere, "is a representation of someone who ha felt the Dementors kiss." Avery shuddered and thought she felt Hermione doing the same, remembering their own run in with Dementors in the past.

"This one is what happens to those whom have the inferius curse placed upon them," Avery closed her eyes against the picture of a bloody mass of what had once been a witch or a wizard on the ground.

"Is he using that again sir?" A girl questioned from the back, "The dark lord? Has it been seen again?"

"He has used it in the past yes. So it is safe to assume he may do so again." the professor replied coldly, unemotionally, unphased.

"Now," He said, having moved back behind his desk in the time it had taken for Avery to reopen her eyes, "I assume you are all completely unlearned in the art of non verbal spells am I correct?" He waited for no answer and instead asked another question, "What is the advantage to a non verbal spell?"

As expected Hermione's hand shot into the air, and Snape waited until he realised that no one else, not even his prized Slytherins were volunteering an answer before he let her speak. "Yes Granger?"

"You adversary has no idea what spell you'll lose and it gives you a split second advantage."

"An answer read straight from The standard book of spells grade 6 I've no doubt." the professor snarled, earning chuckles from Malfoy and his seat companion Theodore Nott. Avery moved her glare between professor and students as she felt Hermione sink into her chair.

"The book is correct." Snape continued, "those who manage to complete spells without saying the incantation aloud often have the element of surprise, not all wizards can do this of course." his gaze moved to the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors in the room, "It is a matter of mind control and concentration and power, which some," he concentrated only on Harry now, "severely lack."

"Now. Pair up. The person on the right will attempt to jinx the person on the left in silence and the other will attempt to block that jinx in equal silence. Is this understood? Now go."

Avery cringed as she found herself partnered with Hermione, knowing full well that the smartest witch of their year would easily be able to cast wordless magic. She was fairly confident with shield charms, she had been good at it before the DA and helping Harry, Ron and Hermione teach others had been a lot of help and practice. However, and she could see that Harry and Ron who were partnered together were thinking the same thing, they had never done so wordlessly. She could almost feel the jinx on her already and hoped that Hermione picked something nice and well, harmless.

"Go easy on me 'Mione." Avery smiled softly, pulling her wand from her robes as Snape pulled his own from his and wordlessly moved all of the tables, chairs and bags against the wall.

"Bloody show off." Ron mumbled, and Avery could almost detect awe in his voice, of course this was covered by extreme hate and disgust.

"Get to work!" Said professor shouted.

Avery moved the correct amount of space away from Hermione and braced herself, vaguely aware of Snape moving around the room, keeping vigil and arrogantly correcting his students. Avery found herself suppressing laughter, as she heard Neville mutter his jelly legs jinx under his breath and Luna repel it in much the same fashion. She found herself watching other students in the class as Hermione struggled for the first few minutes, frowning in contempt as Malfoy managed to jinx Nott within the first few minutes, earning a greatly exaggerated fifty points to Slytherin. This was who Avery found herself watching when Hermione's jinx hit her. Hard. Avery shrieked as something solid bashed into her stomach and fell to the ground with a whoosh of breath. "Ow!" she cried looking up at Hermione incredulously. She heaved in a deep breath, feeling completely winded.

"Everybody stop!" Came professor Snapes voice.

The noise began to fizzle out as all of the other students turned their unwanted attention to the direction where Avery sat on the ground.

"This is a prime example of a wordless spell gone wrong." he indicated the two girls, "I've no doubt that Greenwood here was not paying adequate attention, however, I also know that Granger did not intend to inflict such damage on her opponent."

"Of course not sir." Hermione breathed guiltily.

"Lots of damage." Avery mumbled, earning a round of laughter from the Slytherins.

"Now," Snape continued, without admonishing the laughter, "without complete concentration, the spell can go wrong, of course when facing a true enemy this is fine, but when facing a fellow student it is not. You need to completely focus on your wording, your strength of magic, everything you need to focus on when performing a spell out loud. This Affligo shot by Granger is a prime example of this." Once Snape was sure that there was enough attention on them he said, "Carry on." before gliding away.

"I'm so sorry Avery!" Hermione gushed, helping her off of the ground, "I was trying to just slap you on the arm but then I heard Harry say something to Ron and then you were on the floor. I should have concentrated better. I'm so sorry!"

"It's fine 'Mione." Avery groaned. "I'm okay. Lets keep going! Just use a less painful charm yeah?"

Hermione laughed and moved back to position the tension diffused at her comment.

It took another ten minutes before Avery was able to block Hermione's jinx, doing so with much glee.

The lesson wrapped up rather quickly after that, Ernie being the only Hufflepuff able to perform wordless magic, Neville, staring blankly at the wall, still paralyzed, Ron, red in the face and furious at his inability to complete the task and Harry looking terribly bored. "Of course you guys would be able to do it." Ron grumbled as they were dismissed from the class, "Bloody females, studying is all you ever do!"

Avery could not even muster up the energy to feel affronted, feeling exhausted with her head pounding angrily from so much over excursion that lesson. She thought that putting it at the start of a Monday was a ridiculous idea.

"I learned something." Hermione stated, "Snape actually taught me something."

"Me too." Avery added if a little begrudgingly, frowning as she felt something rubbing against her ankle and foot. "Dragon? How did you get out of the tower?" She asked, bending down stiffly, wincing at the remaining pang of pain in her stomach as she did so to pick up her cat. His new collar sitting delightfully his midnight black fur.

The cat purred happily and rubbed his head against her shoulder, "Yeah I missed you too Dragon."

"Bloody women and their bloody cats." Ron sighed, "I told you Harry!"

"Shut up Ron." Avery said, hissing as the cat in her arms wiggled slightly, a paw pressing against her tender stomach. "Ouch."

"I really am sorry Ave!" Hermione began, only to be interrupted by the pretentious voice of Draco Malfoy.

"Boy Greenwood, the mud blood really knocked you over in there! You looked so graceful."

"Ignore it guys." Avery said, doing so herself as she noticed Harry and Ron simultaneously tense up, "I've said it before, he's not worth it."

-….-

So late! Must sleep! Will continue soon! =]

Thanks for reading! More up soon!