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Chapter 6

Draco groaned and shifted uncomfortably as the voice of his mother nagged at him from the contents of the howler that had just arrived via falcon post. It was enough that His father died in the Great Battle, did his mother have to go on and on about how they needed to wash their hands off him and everything connected to him, even, Hogwarts?

"I'm going to Italy. There is a Witches Reform Group there who will help me, help us, to cope. Send in your letter and book a ticket to Italy alright? I'll be going first to arrange – " Narssica Malfory explained but Draco tuned out again.

Even though things were steadily going downhill for him and his reputation, Draco didn't want to leave the school just like that – it would be seen as cowardly, as running away. And besides, as his mother ranted on about coping with the loss of a loved one who was a criminal, Draco didn't know how to tell his mother this, but he was just as criminally minded as his father, and he thought that the further he strayed from his mother, the less heartbreak she'd experience once Draco's true nature came into being and manifested itself. No, he was never going to send in his letter of leave, and no, he was not going to disappear off to Italy to escape the horrors of this place. He would live it through, and one day, perish in his misery, just as his father did.

After burning the howler, Draco decided he'd rather skip dinner than face his classmates in the state of distress that he was in. He walked down a corridor leading him towards the Potions class. He could feel a strong body of magic moving down another corridor, heading towards the hall and for a moment, he thought to follow it and find out what it was. Then he sighed and shook his head. He didn't want to turn out power hungry like his father. He turned down the other corridor and into the Potions Room.

"Ron wait! Stop running! Slow down!" Harry called out urgently after Ron's fleeing figure.

After Gerdion had disappeared, Ron had bolted out of the hall like lightning.

He did not want to explain himself, not to the whole entire school, what the conversation between Gerdion and himself was about, and that he may or may not be a freak of nature.

Harry and Hermione had immediately got up and run after him, but as fast as they were, they could barely keep Ron insight.

"Oh stop already!" Hermione growled and whipped out her wand.

After a few quick strokes and a mumbled of words, Ron bounced off an invisible wall and fell on his rump.

He was so shocked that he sat there blinking, as though he couldn't believe what had just happened.

Harry grabbed hold of Ron while Hermione rounded on him and took him by the other arm. They both hauled him to his feet, but didn't let go of him, just in case he attempted to run away again.

"Ron seriously, what is with you?" Harry asked, shaking Ron slightly.

"You've been hiding something this big from us! What has gotten into you, and what was all of that about?" Hermione snapped, shaking the arm she had a hold on.

Ron refused to look up at Harry and Hermione and shook them off, backing up as he did so. Only there was no place to back up to, as Harry and Hermione had cornered him against a wall.

"Look I don't know myself. I don't understand all this ok? My mother just said…she just said that I shouldn't do this in public, I shouldn't show anyone, or it would attract the wrong attention " Ron replied, looking down at his feet.

"Do what in public?" Harry probed.

"Does it have anything to do with becoming invisible in the rain, and water dissolving from your very skin?" Hermione asked.

Ron's head whipped up and stared "You noticed?"

Hermione and Harry both took a step back.

"Ron, your eyes. They are so, blue" Harry said first.

Ron's eyes widened in surprise and his hands shot up to cover them " Oh god…now I can't keep a lid on it!

KABOOOOOOOMMMMMM!

The three of the all jumped at the same time.

"What was that?" Hermione gasped.

"Let's find out," Ron said and ran towards the sound of the explosion. Finally, something to distract them from asking any more questions!

"Ron wait!" Harry said, but gave up and followed after Hermione as she ran after Ron.

The fire was coming from the Potions Room. The professors were trying to bank out the flames with no success.

"Whatever this is, it's not an enchanted fire. Could there be a salamander inside there?" Professor McGonagall said to Professor Snape as they both backed away, their spells visibly fraying and frizzing up at the end.

"Students, clear out of the area! There's enough commotion going on here, clear off immediately!" Professor Binns was saying to a whole flock of students who had been attracted to the explosion.

"A salamander?" Ron said out loud. Some of the other professors were creating a ring of magic to contain the fire within the lab and corridor area.

Before Harry and Hermione could catch up to Ron, he dissolved into a huge body of water, exactly like what Neville saw, and just in time, made it through the last bit of the magical circle, and into the midst of the Professors.