Chapter 26

Potter approached him the day after the unsuccessful meeting to tell him that the Lovegood girl and the other Gryffindors were still with them. It was four more days before they were able to gather again for a second attempt at planning. This time it was after dinner on Saturday evening in the same secret room that they had used before. It was dark out and the glass in the windows was black and mirror-like. Draco had taken up a seat in the corner, sitting half in shadows, as if hoping that would hide the green and silver colours of his uniform. He spoke quietly and even breathed carefully, trying to take up as little space as possible. He tried to be polite enough for the both of them, because Pansy would bite back her venomous words when he had asked her to, but she would not apologize for her presence. If he wanted friendly cooperation, it was all on him.

The atmosphere in the room was tense. Granger and Longbottom had greeted them with polite hello's, Ronald had just nodded stiffly. Ginevra arrived later with the Lovegood girl, who floated in and glanced vaguely at them, but didn't say anything. Draco didn't know her well enough to say whether her strangeness became more pronounced when she was uncomfortable, but it seemed possible. Pansy had been vicious to her when they were younger, and even though Draco hadn't had anything to do with her when she was kept at the manor, that episode probably didn't make her like him any better.

Draco watched Potter, who had positioned himself by the window again instead of sitting down. Suddenly Draco wanted to apologize for putting him in this position, where he had to try to build a bridge between his friends and Draco. They must have been angry with him. Draco hadn't even thought about that, because their hatred was centred on him and Pansy, but Potter looked anxious and his eyes kept darting to the Weasleys, to Granger. He remembered that Potter had not spent Christmas with his muggle family since he was eleven, how appalled he had looked at the idea of reducing friendships to alliances, and how many of Potter's people were dead. He wanted to apologize and then he wanted to leave because, he had asked for Potter's help, he had not asked him to risk his friends.

But he remained seated, and when they were all gathered, Potter crossed through the room and locked the door. Longbottom hadn't sat down either, he was walking around the room, muttering silencing spells at the windows. Granger was pulling quills and parchment out of her bag. She had settled herself with her legs pulled up in one of the chairs and was taking down notes. He couldn't read what she was writing from where he sat, but he suspected it might be an agenda for the meeting. It was incredible how that girl would turn everything into a school project. He wondered if she had made time tables and to-do lists for taking down the Death Eaters and defeating the Dark Lord. She probably had. But she wasn't the first to speak up.

"Neville, do you think silencing spells are enough?" asked Ginevra.

Longbottom finished his incantation and went to sit down.

"Yeah, I think it'll be alright for now. I checked, there aren't any detection spells and no one would be looking for us, so I think we're good."

Weasley nodded. Something about the exchange felt familiar to Draco, though at first he couldn't figure out why. Then he realized that they reminded him of the aurors at Azkaban. The way Longbottom reflexively cast the protection spells, the way Ginevra checked with him, not because she doubted his judgement, but because that was their routine. Longbottom, of all people, had reminded him of an auror.

"That's probably the first thing we should figure out," said Weasley, bringing their attention back to her. "I mean, I suppose tearing down Azkaban is illegal, so we don't want the wrong people to find out what we're planning."

She glanced in his and Pansy's direction – he supposed they were usually the wrong people.

"I like this room," said Lovegood in a dreamy voice that made Draco unsure if she was actually following the conversation, or if it was just an accident that her comment seemed to fit.

"Yeah, it's good," said Weasley. "Big enough to hold all of us, and if we push back the furniture, I think there'll be space for practising spells."

"Do you know if its safe, Harry?"

Longbottom had to twist around in his chair to look at Potter.

"I think so," he said.

"How did you find it?"

"The Marauder's Map."

Draco didn't know what that was, but the others seemed satisfied with the answer.

"Is there anything else on this floor?"

"No, I'm not even sure the floor actually exists except for this hallway."

"That's good, we won't have people accidentally passing by. It's not the room of requirement, but I suppose it'll have to do. We'll need to figure out a couple of different routes to get here, though, so people don't see us wandering off to the same, empty part of the castle every week or however often we'll be meeting. Do you have the map with you?"

Potter nodded and went over to the table. He pulled out a grubby piece of parchment and laid it on the table between them. Draco only had a moment to wonder what the point of it was before Weasley placed the tip of his wand against it and said:

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good!"

Immediately, words spread across the paper: Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and…

One of the others began unfolding the paper, hiding the message before he could read the rest, and instead revealing a detailed map of the school. That in itself was impressive – Draco had never seen a map of Hogwarts before, because even though the castle looked like a somewhat tangible building from the outside, its insides didn't seem to follow any of the rules that usually applied to architecture, such as space, direction or permanence. The map had several extra flaps to accommodate the impossible construction, such as the non-existent floor they were currently on, but still it must have taken a tremendous amount of work to create it. And as if that wasn't enough, Draco then noticed the dots. There were eight of them in the room they were currently in, each labelled with a name. The dot called Draco Malfoy was in the corner next to Pansy Parkinson.

He felt a thrill as he turned his eyes to one of the crowded corridors at the other end of the castle and saw that the dots there were moving around, each of them labelled with a student's name.

"How long have you had this?" he asked incredulously.

"Since third year."

Draco nodded nodded.

"Well," he said. "That explains a lot."

Ginevra reached out a hand and traced a path on the map.

"This is the obvious route that we've all taken the last two times, right?" she said. "And the first alternative would be to go down the east staircase from here instead…"

Draco kept quiet and mostly listened as they began working out the alternative routes and who should take which ones at what intervals. He had never liked Potter's friends much, but it was hard not to be impressed by them. They hadn't been exactly friendly this time, but they were not hostile either. As soon as the planning had begun, they all became business-like and practical.

He knew they had only come the first time because Potter had asked them to, and he hadn't even told them that Draco and Pansy would be there. He wasn't sure why they had come back. Potter still looked tense, almost apologetic, so clearly he felt responsible for them being there. But they did not have the air of people who had been talked into something they didn't want to do. Three of them had led an army, a freedom movement and a refugee camp within the school last year, which had not been easy. He knew that because he had been fighting them. They didn't just do Potter's bidding anymore, if they ever had, and if they were here it was of their own accord. So it was possible that the Gryffindor heroes had decided, that this was a worthy cause.

"So everyone knows what to do next time?" asked Longbottom, looking around when it seemed they were done.

They all nodded.

"Good."

He reached out and folded up the map, then handed it back to Potter. He took it, and Granger cleared her throat.

"Right," she said, looking down at her notes. "So now that that's settled, there is quite a lot that we don't know yet and a lot of questions we need to answer before we'll know what the best approach to the situation is."

Draco knew without looking that Pansy was rolling her eyes.

"First off," continued Granger. "I think we should discuss the option of a political solution to this. If there is any possibility at all of getting legislation passed to remove the dementors, then that is definitely better than turning this into some dangerous, illegal mission. We have to at least consider the option that we don't have to do this all by ourselves."

She turned to Malfoy.

"Honestly, I'm surprised that this wasn't your first thought as well."

"It was," he said. "But I don't think it would work."

"Really? I mean, considering the parts we played in the war, I think some of us could have some political influence if we tried?"

"You definitely would," he said, mirroring her polite tone. "But I don't think it would help in this case."

He briefly explained the theory he had previously presented to Potter, about how Azkaban had somehow turned itself into a blind spot. Granger listened carefully. Twice she noted something down on her parchment.

"I can't say for sure," he finished, "but it's the only way it makes sense to me. It would also explain why there hasn't been any public debate about removing the dementors even though they joined the Dark Lord during the war. The safest way to avoid any discussions of an uncomfortable issue would be if everyone agreed that it was fine as it was and nothing had to change, right? And as far as I know, it was a unanimous vote to keep them as guards of Azkaban. Unanimous votes don't happen on the Wizengamot, so that in itself is a sign that something is wrong."

Granger nodded slowly, taking down another note.

"Well, that's a hypothesis," she said. "We'll have to check up on it when we start researching. I think we should keep the option of a political solution open until we know more, but I suppose we can put it aside for now and focus on a practical intervention..."

"How are we supposed to kill the dementors?" asked Longbottom. "Is that even possible?"

He was looking at Lovegood when he asked, but she didn't say anything and it was Granger who answered him:

"No, they're amortals, they're not alive to begin with. I don't even know how sentient they are…"

"But that just means "kill" is the wrong word. We should still be able to destroy them, right?" said Ronald.

"I don't know if it's ever been done. The patronus charm just drives them away, and that's the only dementor-counter curse I know of. I suppose we'll have to research that too."

"If they're pure evil, maybe they can be destroyed the same way as Voldemort's horcruxes? Basilisk venom or fiendfyre?"

Granger nodded.

"Maybe," she said.

"I don't think it will be enough to just kill the dementors," said Draco carefully. "I think… there might be something wrong with the place itself."

"What do you mean?" asked Longbottom.

"I don't know," he said. "I just think – even if all the dementors were removed, there might be something evil left. Something deeper. Like the walls would still drive people mad."

"Aren't we putting an awful lot of trust in Malfoy's gut feeling about Azkaban?"

"No, we're not," said Granger. "So far the only thing I've noted down in our "things we know" column is that Azkaban is evil. All the rest is in "things to research". So the first thing to do is obviously to visit the library."

"We know about the security too," said Malfoy. "The island itself is unplottable, but there is a house for the guards on the coast, and it's possible to apparate there. When I went, there were only six aurors stationed at the prison, four at the tower and two at the house. The tower is hidden by some sort of disillusionment, so it's invisible until you get close. And the dementor's pit is at the bottom."

Granger looked at him for a moment and he didn't have time to figure out what that expression meant before she composed herself and nodded.

"That's good," she said looking down at her notes. "I didn't get all of it, so do you think you could write it down later? As well as anything else you remember. Maybe draw some of it for us too, that might be useful."

"Sure," he said.

"And then, in case we do end up having to go there ourselves, Harry should probably start teaching Malfoy and Parkinson how to cast the patronus charm."

"Why just us?" asked Draco, forgetting himself for a moment.

"Because all the rest of us already know it. We learned it during fifth year."

"Oh," said Draco.

"There's no need for him to teach both of us," said Pansy. "I don't have to learn it."

"Why not?" asked Ginevra, and there was some spite in her tone.

"Because I won't be going to Azkaban with you. I've thought about it, and I'll help you all I can with this part, planning and research and everything. I have an internship at the Prophet, so I can probably get into their archives, that might be useful. But I won't be of any help in a battle situation, and honestly, I don't want to risk my life for this."

"And you think we do?"

Pansy shrugged.

"No one has forced you to be here."

"Alright," said Hermione before the two of them could start fighting again. "It'll just be Malfoy, then."

Draco looked up at Potter, who turned away the moment he noticed his glance. Still, the brief eye contact was enough to send a jolt through him. He was reminded of why he had left so suddenly yesterday. And again he wondered how long this had been a factor, how long this had been pulling at his decisions.

He had been seeking Potter out all year, hadn't he? He had deemed him his absolution at first, and then he had thought he might be his friend.

He allowed himself to watch Potter for a moment – the sharp lines of his face, the way his hair had grown too long and was curling around his ears. The way he held himself, like someone who had had to carry heavy things his whole life, but with his uncrippled conscience shining out of him. And he thought that maybe it wasn't so strange that he had come to feel this way about him. It was just a natural extension of his jealousy. And it was not a constructive feeling. It would only get in the way, and he did not need that. So he folded it up and put it away in a corner of his mind where it would not bother him. He would leave it there until it went away.

Granger stood up and when he turned his eyes away from Potter to look at her instead, he no longer cared about Potter's conscience or his neck or his hands, about the shape of his jaw or the white of the scar against his dark skin.

"So I suppose that's as much as we'll be able to do for now, then," she said.

She picked up her bag and slipped her notes into one of the schoolbooks.

"I'll head down to the library," she said and then added to Pansy: "And I think it would be great if you could look at The Prophet's archives. Pull out everything you can find about Azkaban, I think especially Sirius' escape and the mass breakout in '96. Those are the only breakouts I know about and they're too recent to be in any books yet, but of course practically anything you can find on Azkaban would be helpful. If Malfoy is right, there might not be a lot of literature about the place…"

Pansy nodded.

"Of course," she said.

"My father writes a lot about magical creatures in his Magazine. I don't know if he's ever done anything on Dementors, we mostly do more useful or interesting creatures, but I could write and ask him about it…"

"I don't know if dementors actually qualify as creatures-" Granger began, but the Weasley girl cut her off.

"Yes, that would be great, Luna," she said.

"I should probably come with you to the library," said Draco.

"Thank you for the offer," said Granger, more polite but also much colder when she was speaking to him. "But I am perfectly capable of doing research on my own."

"I don't doubt that, but I can borrow books from the restricted section."

"So can I."

"But you'll need to get permission from Madam Pince, right? And she will be watching you like a hawk while you're in there and she won't let you take out more than two, maybe three books, if you're lucky."

"What, and none of that applies to you?"

The polite tone had gone from her voice.

"Look, I'm not saying any of this to offend you, it's just that the houses of Malfoy and Black have donated about half the books in there, so she has a lot of respect for my family and usually just lets me go in there and take what I want."

"But that's not fair," said Granger indignantly.

"Well, I always return the books on time and I've never damaged any of them, which is more than can be said for most other students in this school."

"Yes, but I return my books on time, too. I've never damaged a book either and I've probably used the library more anyone else in this school."

"She lets you into the restricted section and she lets you read the books there – that's probably more than she allows any other of the other muggleborn students to do."

"She's a blood purist?" asked Granger, and Draco realized what he had said.

They were all staring at him, except for Pansy who was looking away and probably either suppressing a laugh or hopelessly ashamed of him for making such a stupid mistake.

"Well…" he said hesitantly. "I mean, no, not really. I think mostly she's just old. From a time when it was more… common for the noble families to… have certain privileges. It's not that she has something against muggleborns or anything…"

He stopped talking. He was just making it worse.

"Fine," said Granger. "I'll meet you down there."

Granger left. There was a moment of silence before Longbottom stood up.

"Don't sit too close to her," he said. "I suppose you'll have to be at the same table, but it would attract attention if it looked like you were studying together."

Draco nodded – he wasn't an idiot.

"Actually, that applies to all situations," said Ginevra. "We shouldn't talk to each other outside of this room in case people notice. Obviously we don't talk much now, but we'll need something like the coins for arranging new meetings."

Draco winced. He remembered those coins from back when he and Pansy had been in Umbridge's Inquisitorial Squad.

"I might still have some of the old D.A. ones somewhere, we could just use those?" said Longbottom.

Weasley shook her head.

"No, we don't know if any of last year's members still have theirs. We'll make new ones, find a way to get them to the Slytherins."

She turned to Ronald, who was sitting on the couch next to Lovegood and hadn't said much during the meeting.

"Do you and Neville want to leave first? Luna and I will go in a bit."

"Alright," he said and glanced back at Potter.

"It's fine," he said. "I need to talk to Malfoy quickly about the patronus charm anyway. I'll meet you back in the common room."

Pansy stood up too.

"I'll just leave with you," she said. "We're not headed in the same direction, and Draco is just going to the library after this anyway."

ø

Pansy, Longbottom and Weasley left. Lovegood and the other Weasley followed shortly after. When the door had closed behind them, Draco waited for Potter to speak, but he didn't say anything. He was just leaning against the windowsill, looking tired.

"You don't look like you're up for teaching me the patronus charm right now," he said when the silence had stretched too long.

Potter smiled vaguely.

"No, I suppose I'm not."

"So what did you want to say?"

Potter shrugged.

"Nothing, really. Just wanted to check that everything was alright."

"I'm alright."

"Good."

He fell silent again.

"Potter, I don't think they're mad at you," Draco said. "You didn't talk them into coming here, they decided that for themselves."

"Yes, but what about what Parkinson said? About them risking their lives? I never wanted them to put themselves in danger again because of me…"

"It's not because of you, and Pansy isn't exactly the brave sort. I felt bad about asking her to come too, but I shouldn't have, I should have trusted that she would pull out when she wanted to, and she did. I'm really glad that your friends still want to help, but if it ends up being just me going to Azkaban, then that's fine."
It really wouldn't be fine, but it was the right thing to say. Potter nodded.

"I suppose you're right. I'll come with you, though."

In a corner of Draco's mind a feeling stirred. He pushed it back.

"You should probably teach me the patronus charm first," he said.

"Right," said Potter. "Do you want to meet back here tomorrow and get started?"

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A few minutes later, Draco left the secret room and headed towards the library to study with Hermione Granger.