This is for missing yesterday!
Hermione's panic attack did not seem to be ending anytime soon, not that anyone blamed her. The four students were bunkered down on the sixth floor after having heard the horrified screams of discovery. It was only assumed that the Ministry was contacted and they would be discovered very soon. And Hermione was still having a panic attack.
Luna rubbed Hermione's back while the girl was doubled over, clutching her chest and groaning something incomprehensible. Draco and Blaise paced, watching their respective girls while trying to figure out what to do.
"You're going to Azkaban," Blaise said.
"Thank you, Blaise. And while we're waiting for my imprisonment, can we think of something more helpful to suggest!"
"I told you I didn't like cats and this is exactly why! How the hell did this happen?"
"Blaise, please lower your voice," Luna said softly. "Hermione, please. We have to get up."
"They're going to catch us and then put us all away!"
"Has anyone ever told you how silly you sound when you get paranoid," Draco snapped. "This is bullshit!"
Hermione straightened up, shaking her head. "Draco, what are we going to do? He's in the castle."
"We'll figure this out."
"How?" Blaise yelled. "Not only did it survive the shitstorm of injuries, but it got out of whatever dark hole the Ministry had it in and now it probably wants to kill us all! What is there to figure out?"
"You are not helping!"
"Did you see what it did to Gibbons? Because I'm getting the feeling you didn't get a good look at what happened. It ripped her to shreds! What the hell gives you the impression I am trying to be helpful when there's a bloodthirsty beast in the castle?"
Luna tried to take Blaise's hand, but he pulled away, too upset to be calmed down. "It was all well and good when it was just running around trying to kill itself and Draco, but it's bloody killed someone! And we are all going to go down for it!"
"We wouldn't let that happen," Hermione whispered, meeting Draco's gaze. "We won't let you or Luna take any blame for this."
"Hermione-"
"No." She stood and shook her head at Luna's worried expression. "No, Luna. Blaise is right. I let this go too far. If I had let everyone know about Easter from the very beginning, then none of this would have happened."
"Hermione, don't start this-"
"No, Draco! Don't you dare open your mouth about any of this! You have already…damn it, don't you dare put yourself on the block for me. Not again. This is my fault, okay? She's…she's dead because of me and none of you are going to get in trouble for my mistake, especially not you, Draco."
He grabbed her shoulders, eyes blazing as he glared at her. "They are going to put you in Azkaban, Hermione. They will take you away-"
"I am not going to let someone else die because you're afraid we won't see each other again," she whispered and he released a yell, punching the wall.
"This isn't a trip to the Ministry and an expulsion! This is a trip to Azkaban and a Dementor's Kiss!"
"If you had let me go with Easter at Christmas, then it wouldn't have gotten this far and Celeste Gibbons wouldn't be dead."
"This is not my fault!"
"You're right, it's mine and I let you protect me. I can't do that anymore. I have to protect you. All of you."
Draco looked as if he didn't know whether to cry or strangle her. Unable to figure it out, he punched the wall once again. Luna stood, looking very unnatural with her ashen, terrified features.
"Blaise, we should go," she said with a trembling voice. "We will try to buy you enough time to collect yourself."
Hermione nodded, moving away when Luna reached out for her. "No, it's okay, Luna. Please, just go."
Blaise exchanged looks with Hermione before leaving with Luna. Hermione turned back to Draco, who had sunk into a chair and was now glaring at the wall. She sat beside him, raising her hand to touch his face. He shoved her hand away, turning his stormy gaze on her.
"Granger-"
"I can't." She took a deep, shuddering breath, looking down at her hands. "I can't hide anymore, Draco. I don't…you have to promise me you'll stay out of this."
"They already know I'm-"
"Shut up!" She grabbed his face so that their gazes were locked. "You shut up and listen to me! I am taking all the responsibility for this and you will go along with it. I was a coward letting you fight my battle for me. I'm not letting them destroy your life because I was the one who ran away. I couldn't really care about you if I let you take the blame for me."
Releasing him, she stood shakily and started for the door. She had her hand on the doorknob when his words stopped her.
"You stupid martyr."
She closed her eyes. "Draco, please…I know you care about me, so stay here."
"If you expect me to just sit here-"
"I expect you to act like the old Draco Malfoy."
"How?"
Taking a deep breath, she turned around to meet his gaze. "Call me a stupid, self-sacrificing mudblood and then put as much distance between us as possible."
He went to her side, taking her face in his hands. "You're a stupid, self-sacrificing mudblood," he whispered before kissing her deeply. She broke into tears and, tearing herself away, rushed out of the room. Halfway down the hall, she hit the floor. At first, she had thought she had tripped but when she rose to her hands and knees, her own soft sob destroyed that idea.
"Draco," she whispered as long silver fangs lowered so that she was level with the eyes. The gold burned straight through her and all the air left her.
"Easter…"
He huffed, blowing air into her face before sitting down heavily with a look of mixed distrust and curiosity that only a creature could pull off. She shook her head, reaching up tentatively to touch the unmarred face before letting her eyes fall to his chest. It hummed when she placed her hand on the burned center blue spot.
"Oh my God…"
"I hear something this way!"
Hermione whipped around to see several Ministry officers come around the corner. She felt a rush of air and Easter was gone before the approaching officials saw him. Someone grabbed her, but it all went unregistered. Easter's calm dark unmarked face was all she could think about.
"Miss Granger?"
She started out of her reverie to find herself in the Headmistress' office. McGonagall was standing in front of her, along with the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement Frank Snipely and two officers. McGonagall was pale and angry, two things Hermione did not want to see on her Headmistress.
"Miss Granger, will you please answer the question?"
She flushed. "What was it?"
"Murder, Miss Granger!" Snipely shook his head. "Smartest witch my ass. Miss Granger, where is Draco Malfoy?"
"Why are you looking for him?"
"Well, it might be the mutilated corpse of the daughter of the Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, or perhaps the disappearance of the very same creature that attacked said Head's niece that has me looking for Malfoy."
Hermione shook her head. "I don't know where he is."
"Don't lie to me, Miss Granger." He crouched down so that their eyes were level, glaring at her fiercely. "I do not have time for misplaced loyalties. Tell us where he is or you will be drawn into this whole debacle."
Her eyes narrowed. "I know my rights, sir. And I happen to know that Draco has nothing to do with this."
"Obstructing an investigation is a crime."
"But not remembering information isn't."
"Insolent girl!" Snipely turned to McGonagall. "Madam, I am not playing games. This kind of behavior is not acceptable!"
"Miss Granger-"
"Headmistress, I don't know where he is!"
"We conducted roll call of the student body," Snipely growled. "Yourself, Mr. Malfoy, and two other students were not amongst the rest, prompting me to believe that you have more to do with this than the previous investigation insinuated."
Hermione just turned her head away, glaring at the floor. Cursing, Snipely motioned to his officers.
"Search the whole school."
"Malfoy has nothing to do with this!" she yelled over her shoulder.
"I will hear that for myself when I find him."
Snipely and his officers walked out, leaving Hermione to McGonagall's anger.
"Miss Granger, this is no longer a matter of having a dangerously unauthorized creature on school grounds. A student is dead and you are in serious trouble!"
Hermione shook her head. "This isn't Draco's problem. He took the blame for me last time, but this isn't his fault."
"You must tell me what is going on right now. Hermione, Celeste Gibbons is dead!"
The panicked edge to McGonagall's voice frightened Hermione. First names were not a regular thing for the hard Headmistress and when she spoke, Hermione knew things had gone horribly wrong.
"You, Mr. Malfoy, Miss Lovegood, and Mr. Zabini were all missing from roll call, and when found, Miss Lovegood and Mr. Zabini refused to speak. I am running out of ways to protect you and Mr. Snipely is gaining all of the excuses he needs to haul you all off to the Ministry! In the face of your obstinacy, Mr. Malfoy's absence, and your friends' refusal to cooperate, I am inclined to let him."
Hermione wanted to plead for her friends' case, beg McGonagall not to involve them. But Easter's face loomed in her mind and she knew she had nothing to say. None of them were involved.
Easter was innocent.