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Alanis nervously paced up and down the corridor in front of the DADA classroom.
She knew she was able to handle opposing Snape or Draco, but how to face them both at the same time? Anyway, where was Draco? Alanis didn't see him going to the dinner and even now he wasn't present. If Draco didn't mind to go to their detention, she had to keep in touch with him in other ways. And that would just complicate everything.
"Where so fast, Miss Dumbledore?", she heard the low and angry voice of Snape sound behind her. She didn't recognize herself stepping closer to the portrait which led to the staircase.
She turned around quickly, suppressing her strange but strong urgency to visit the Room of Requirement and look for Draco.
"I do like that portrait, Sir.", Alanis stuttered and backed away from the professor. She really had to find out quickly if he was still likely to brainwash her.
"Thank you little girl, but there is no portrait of more gorgeousness than the portrait of Sir Cadogan, don't you think?", the Lady on the portrait chanted.
Snape curled up his lips, grabbed Alanis' arm and pulled her to the classroom.
"I guess you can tell me where Mr Malfoy is?" he asked and Alanis rubbed her arm as he pushed her to a table full of boxes of little black shining beans.
What did Snape want? He should better know where Draco had been and it was obvious anyway that Draco'd skipped the detention.
"I think he won't show up, Professor."
"That is not the answer I demanded from you! As Professor Dumbledore wants you to look for and help Draco, as I am originally supposed to do, I thought you'd know exactly where he is, because you still came that close.", he barked, but calmed his voice down. Alanis should have known. Snape just wanted to tease her, like it was his natural behaviour. He wanted to show her how less Alanis knew Draco and how ridiculous her relation to him had been.
"I don't know, Sir."
"As I supposed, you're useless. And additionally I think that you barely could serve to Draco's pleasure, with that lack of intelligence and beauty."
Alanis tried to defend herself, but Snape did anyway ignore her and told her to sort out these little black beans, without using any gloves. These little legumes were sensitive and burst easily whenever she touched them an released as sticky liquid which burned her skin and smelled awfully.
"Unfortunately Madam Pomfrey was never able to discover a cure for that itchiness and pain they cause. ", Snape said and sat down at his table and smiled wickedly at her.
He continued to mock her, while she burned her hands with that black liquid and filled bottles with vain endeavour. She would never be finished with that! She would certainly pay Draco back for leaving her with this rubbish!
But suddenly Snape went silent and she dared to look up. Snape's face grew pale of pain and he pressed his right hand on his left arm. Alanis frowned. Was Snape being summoned? What the hell was happening?
"What are you staring at, girl?", Snape's voice sounded oddly pressed.
"Nothing, Professor.", Alanis answered hastily and looked down to her abhorred black beans.
Hours later, it seemed, she finally managed to fill one little bottle and corked it.
"I've finished one bottle, Sir.", Alanis growled and hopefully looked up.
"That seems to be a miracle, but a very pitiful work. I fear you have to continue tomorrow evening."
Alanis looked at that bunch of beans which still remained, she would be sorting them the whole year!
"But I would free you from your detention if you promise to absent yourself from Draco.", he said and Alanis took a deep breath because of his exorbitant ridiculousness. Was Severus Snape actually negotiating with her?
"I can't! Professor Dumbledore told me to help Draco! I will help him to finish his task! And if it would be necessary, I will skip your detention too!", Alanis protested.
Snape smirked.
"You think Draco skipped his detention?"
Alanis hold her breath.
"Yes, I do, Sir. He's certainly got far better to do than sorting out beans!"
"Don't you dare to become impertinent, Dumbledore! You have no idea what it would mean to be in Mr Malfoy's position! You have no idea!"
Snape just laid emphasis on every single word he threw at her as if he wanted them to dig in her mind and make it absolutely clear that she knew how much he disdained her and judged her just to be a little foolish lovey-dovey girl.
"But Professor, I will never-"
"Beware, Miss Dumbledore, there could always be an unexpected moment in which your thoughts will blur and your memories will be extinguished, letting behind a mind which even can't remember to speak or behave better than a three year old child.", Snape warned Alanis, but she didn't think him being serious.
Dumbledore would always know that Snape would have brainwashed her. But she never could be cured of that and that was the main aim of Severus Snape, frightening her.
She was a danger to him, knowing his real position, knowing that he had to murder Dumbledore instead of Draco, just to take off the burden of Draco Malfoy and make Voldemort trusting him. She even knew that Dumbledore would be dead anyway in several months. If she told Harry about all of that, Dumbledore's tactic would be blown up and Snape would be a dead man for sure. Alanis supposed that Harry would lose a lot of his trust for Dumbledore.
That's why Snape wanted to watch her and prevent Draco and her from getting close.
"Take that bottle to Professor Slughorn. And don't forget to apologize to have him been waiting that long.", Snape ordered slowly and finally waved his hand to give her a sign that she was allowed to go.
Alanis didn't wait any longer, grabbed the bottle and hurried away.
She loved the corridors of the castle and was pleased that her way to the seventh floor made her walking around in half of the castle. They seemed to invite everybody to dilly-dally around and Alanis was happy that she now was able to dwell on her thoughts without ruffle or excitement.
She just quickened her pace to get faster to Slughorn's office and -
"Not again!", Alanis cried out, as she bumped into Draco Malfoy. The glass of that black beans fell down and burst into hundred pieces, the beans bursting too and dispersing their malodorous substance.
"I'm sorry.", Draco said and quickly pulled his wand out, "Reparo."
He handed her back the bottle, but the beans were on the floor.
"What happened to your hands?", he asked and took one of her hands, which caused her to whimper in pain.
"Just ask Snape!", Alanis lamented and cleaned up the floor with a quick flick of her wand.
"I guess I have to be glad that I didn't come. Just hoped you would tell Snape that I won't come to his stupid detention, or to whatever he wants to exert his authority with. I don't care. I've got better to do than this.", Draco said, but he ended up coughing and he bend as if he his whole body ached.
"I hope you used your time well?", Alanis asked irritated and Draco suddenly stumbled back and let her hands go, which was as much a pain for her.
"In fact, I guess I wasted it as much as you did.", he said and this was the first moment that Alanis really looked at him.
And then she began to see him.
He looked much worse than he ever did, his face just a painful grimace, his body hunching down, loosing it's erectness, as if he was suffering great pain and his eyes had a most atrocious look. Because his gaze was empty, as if he was just looking through her.
"Is everything alright with you, Malfoy?"
Draco hastened to Snape's office as he bumped right into that Dumbledore girl.
He knew he shouldn't have cared less about that Dumbledore girl at the moment, but something deep inside him urged to remain and look at her, just if he had to make sure that she even did exist. His thoughts were still blurred with fear and he knew that just quick look at little Dumbledore's smooth features would calm him down, ease his temper, extinguish his fear.
That all was such a mess! Was he somewhat like addicted to her glances?
He almost stumbled across his own feet, as is bloody thoughts reminded him of almost kissing her that afternoon.
So why had he been so urgently wanting to kiss that girl in particular? She was just one of hundreds he liked to kiss. He always had to have some possibilities to becalm himself and he always knew how to get that kind of possibilities a man needed the most. But why her?
She was different.
Because of all that circumstances that separated, but even connected them, she seemed to be the last one on this earth he would ever dare to kiss, but he couldn't help himself wanting it.
It was almost like she digged her way in to his mind and heart and never cared to leave. She was some kind of an ever present object of his desire which never disappeared. Additionally she seemed to be likely to appear at every place he moved to.
But then, at her anxious question about his welfare, he just realized what he was doing and what had just been happening to him before.
He stumbled back as if a Cruciatus-curse had beaten him again.
He had to stop it.
Everything had to stop.
There was no way he could ever even look at that little Dumbledore girl again.
Voldemort made it exactly clear what he thought about Draco's life and didn't even care about it.
Draco had to change.
That was the only way to keep himself and even that little girl safe.
Forget everything, Draco.
Forget.
"Leave me alone, Dumbledore.", he mumbled and still backed away, trying hard to hold himself up as his maltreated body urged to rest.
"That was weak if you actually wanted to pay me your defeat back. But don't forget, we're even since I disarmed you." she said.
Draco sighed. She seemed to be prepared facing him.
Prepared?
What did he think of?
Although he wanted to snap back at her, he turned around and headed to the portrait whose secret path would lead him right to the staircase.
"Lucid dreams..." he mumbled to the portrait, which immediately swung open to reveal a hidden corridor behind it.
But as he stepped forward, he had to stop and look back.
She blushed, but looked him right in the eye.
He was used to their glances they shared, especially since Christmas, but even apart from their little scene in Myrtle's Toilet he never felt himself being overlooked from her like this.
It was uncomforting, but only caused him to hesitate, to remain, and left the urgency to go on with what they have been starting earlier in that bloody toilet. But he would quit with whatever that was, this was the time to focus. Or even to leave everything behind what did not fit with his mission.
"I still did and will do.", he answered shortly.
Dammit, he thought.
He just admitted to himself that both of them were related to each other.
And this was the last thing on earth he could have needed.
Alanis clenched as she looked at Draco. The forlorn look in his face seemed to invite her to follow him into that little corridor behind the portrait.
Should he follow him? Should he begin that what Dumbledore had been asking from her?
Would Dumbledore accept her ignoring Professor Snape's orders by obeying his'?
Additionally something between Draco and Alanis changed another time as they looked at each other. But he broke their eye contact as if something had roused him and disappeared in that little tunnel. His wiry figure merged with its darkness and the portrait closed silently behind him.
Alanis breathed out heavily. He was gone.
And even if she didn't really want to admit it, it just seemed to her as if he said goodbeye.
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