The next week went by with mixed emotions. By the day the Slytherdors looked happy, discussed marriage, politics and anything else they disagreed on, (and of course helped Dumbledore and the Professors round up all the people who were trying to kill themselves, or were so happy it was blinding to look at them). And by the nights? The nights were spend looking for the book Snape got the cure for the expressions from, monitoring the hallways for activity and conspiring to break out the school and rescue their Potions Master.
The Marauders Map had been unfolded and stuck to the wall, permanently activated causing Harry to sit in front of it for hours to make sure no-one was out of bed or more importantly if anyone else came back into the castle. But they weren't having much luck. And Draco was spiraling down into a depression that even Hermione could not help. But magic could, so he was being pumped with cheering charms every few hours.
Currently the eight of them were sprawled around several parts of Cronan Tower. It had just turned 11pm and none of them were yawning yet due to the energy potions that Hermione had made them; they were of course completely legal, because everything Hermione Granger did was good, right? So she hadn't got the potion from the restricted section. Of course not! And when she had told them this, Draco had so not choked on it at the shock of what his girlfriend had done because Malfoy's don't choke, (Of course).
Hermione and Blaise were sat in front of the fire reading from huge potion manuals searching for any trace of the cure for the students. Goyle, Ron and Crabbe, (who were getting on surprisingly well) were on their beds eating sandwiches and also researching but Hermione suspected they were just turning the page very now and then.
Unfortunately Pansy wasn't much use for anything because much to the dismay of her room mates they had found out Pansy's expression was talking. And once she started she never stopped, giving her something to do would be chaotic and last time Hermione put a silencing charm on her she had really regretted it as Pansy had seeked revenge by telling Professor Trelawney that Hermione was interested in palm reading. So Pansy was pampering herself in the bathroom.
Harry and Draco, like most nights, were found in front of the desk in the corner, where they were trying to make blue prints of Malfoy Manor, Snape Manor and Riddle Manor from memory; and as you guessed were failing miserably. Both of their eyes were constantly flickering at the Marauders Map that was pinned on the wall close by them.
Draco stared and stared at the map and didn't even realise that Harry was talking to him until he clicked his fingers in front of his face; he lightly jumped and turned his grey eyes to Harry's green ones.
"Sorry, what did you say?"
"I was just saying, do you think we should just owl his wife?" Harry was obviously referring to Arazona.
"I told you, if it goes to the Manor and there's deatheaters there, we won't get it back and they will know were desperate for the cure."
"But what if we…" Here Harry dropped his voice and glanced over his shoulders looking at his friends. He returned his gaze to the paper in front of them, Draco did the same, both of them picking up there quills pretending to be engrossed in their blue prints. "Why don't me and you Floo there and check, only for a second it won't hurt, he might not even be there."
"Are you suggesting we go without them to Snape Manor?" He replied in an equally hushed tone. Draco was genuinely shocked, but he didn't disagree at all. After all, the Snape family was very close to him and he wasn't sure if Arazona even knew her husband had gone missing or not. And if she was sat at home on her own with only little Jacob she was in danger, and even though Amelia and Robert were at school they would not be safe, it was nowhere as near as secure as Hogwarts and there had easily been a breach of security.
"Kind of… Just to check if the book is there and to see if Snape's wife is alright. Or if Snape's there; just a quick in and out. No-one will even know we're gone."
"Unless the place is overrun with deatheaters then we'll be in the middle of no-where with no-one to hear our screams."
"Do you have to be so morbid?"
"I think the spells wearing off."
"Well, before we go to Snape's you'll have to ask Hermione to renew it, I don't want you giving away our position by singing a funeral march." Normally Draco would have laughed but he just wasn't himself at the moment. This potion was making everything unbearable for him.
"Suppose so." Draco stared at the marauders map again, looking at all the details. He leaned his chin onto his hands after he dropped his quill.
"So you'll do it then?"
"Of course." Even though Hermione would kill him it was totally worth it, Snape was like his second father. Or well, the father figure he never had. Lucius had been good at buying gifts and keeping Draco popular and entertained. But when it came to the really important things, like even birthdays sometimes, his dad couldn't be there because of Voldemort or some business trip or over time at the ministry. Why did he even do over time? It wasn't as if they were poor, they were exactly the opposite! Draco just knew he stayed to snoop around and mess everything up. Try get into the Unspeakable's heads. Why did his dad have to be a deatheater? It just ruined everything, and it was probably what was sending the school into chaos at the moment; Draco really wouldn't be surprised if his father was behind all of this. And if he was, then he had betrayed a friend. Would Lucius really hurt Severus? Someone he had known for so long? He honestly didn't know.
Although, he knew that was pretty horrible to think of his father, he did care, he just forgot to show it sometimes. But he did show it in other ways, it was just the wrong ways sometimes.
"If only we had a safer way to get in though…" Harry drummed his fingers on the desk deep in thought.
"That would help." Draco and Harry jumped. Hermione didn't look up from her book. "Even whispering in here is too loud, we were silent." Harry and Draco blushed. "So unless you two come up with a safer plan that floo in and floo out, then you're not going on your own." Draco almost sulked.
"So much for secret." Harry muttered under his breath. "So," Here he spoke at normal volume again. "We need to get into Snape Manor, or whatever it's called, but we need to know if it's safe. If we could only find a way of checking if it was safe first…"
"That's basically impossible Harry."
"Oh but Blaise, nothing is impossible."
"But that is."
"No, it isn't."
"Oh, yes it is!"
"Oh my god, there at it again." Over the past week everyone had learned that squabbling and childish bickering was completely normal for Blaise and Harry.
"Hey, Potter?" Draco interrupted them; he had suddenly had a brain wave, how? He didn't know because the idea he just came up with had nothing to do with what he was thinking.
"Hmm?" He turned back around in his chair and picked up the quill again. Blaise tutted and went back to reading.
"How was this map made?" Draco turned to Harry, eyes literally sparkling with excitement. Harry's head shot straight up from the blue prints and a huge smile broke out on his face.
"That's it! You're a genius, you're an absolute genius!" Draco and Harry then started to squeal like school girls in excitement. Blaise and Hermione looked over from the couch.
"Possibly delirious?" Blaise questioned looking to Hermione.
"I believe so Blaise…" They both started reading again. Harry and Draco ran up to them beside themselves with joy, Harry was actually bouncing on the balls of his feet. Which was really surprising seems he hadn't slept in 2 days.
"Hey, Hermione?" Draco said flashing her a dazzling smile, which was also very surprising because his cheering charm was wearing off. Draco kissed her nose before sitting next to her and taking her book off her and throwing it across the room.
"Hey, I was reading that Draco!"
"Do you know how the Marauders Map was made?"
"Don't be silly why would you want to kn… oh my god. You're a genius. You're a complete genius!" Hermione then grabbed Draco and kissed him passionately giving Harry and Blaise a close up which was kind of scarring.
"Oi, you two get a room!" Ron said as he came over with Crabbe and Goyle to see what all the commotion was about.
"We're in it." Draco said before leaning in to kiss Hermione again but she jumped up and pushed him out the way.
"No time for this, loads of work to do." Hermione ran over to the map above the desk and stared pursing her lips in thought leaving Draco looking crestfallen at the spot on the sofa where Hermione had just been.
"Does anyone want to explain what's going on?" Goyle said frustrated. "You always leave me out just because I'm not as smart as you."
"Goyle, if we left you out, then you wouldn't be here right now!"
Silence.
"Oh yeah, Draco you're so smart." Draco wanted to bang his head, but instead wondered to himself what he had done in his life to deserve all the crap that was going on at the moment. Actually, no-one answer that.
"Someone write this down! Listen," Draco scrambled for the ink and parchment on the table. "We'll need some huge parchment, a tracking spell, a monitoring spell, some Veritaserum, some permanent ink, the standard book of spells grade 7, an identity potion and a spell which could update something, I don't know of one but it must exist."
"The monitoring spell will do that." Hermione nodded turning around. Ron still looked confused. "Someone explain to him, I'm going to get that parchment, Vector will have some. Be right back." Hermione just reached the portrait before she heard, "You haven't got the cloak!" That might come in handy. She turned to get it only to find it hit her in the face. She pulled in on then finally walked out.
"So what's going on then?"
"We're making a map; one like the Marauders Map, but except it's for Snape's house so we can see what's going on in there. Who's in there and stuff."
"Harry are you mental, it took your dad and them years to do Hogwarts."
"That's because Hogwarts is a castle Ron, Snape's house won't even be the size of the great hall." Harry argued back starting to yawn slightly, he leaned his head onto Blaise's chest and the other boy wrapped his arms around him. Draco suddenly felt really cold without his lady snuggling up to him.
"Of course it will, all these snobby ones have huge houses, I mean look at Malfoy, and I bet he has a whole floor to himself." Ron leaned back in the arm chair, yawning as well.
"Close Weasley, I've got the west wing, and no you're wrong, Snape's house is only three stories and is actually fairly small." Draco stifled a yawn.
"Erm guys? When did we last sleep?"
"'Bout 2 days ago. Potion should be wearing off." Goyle yawned. Crabbe had fallen asleep already.
"Hmm…" Blaise agreed. The heat in the room was making their situation worse, it was too comforting. Blaise snapped his eyes open. "Where's Pansy?"
"Erm… Bath…" Draco mumbled before falling to sleep.
"BATH! SHE'LL DROWN! PANSY!" Everyone jumped up as Blaise ran into the bathroom while Ron mumbled something to do with being sorry he ate all the pumpkin pies.
Fanfiction is by Faith Valconbridge . This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.