The Unbreakable Vow

Snow now swirled against the icy windows with Christmas around the corner.

Hagrid had single-handedly delivered the usual dozen Christmas trees for the Great Hall; garlands of holly and tinsel now twisted around the bannisters of the stairs; everlasting candles glowed from the inside of helmets of the various suits of armour and bunches of mistletoe hung at intervals along the many corridors. Thankfully, the many nighttime wanderings gave Arthur a good knowledge of the various secret passageways in the castle so that he can avoid the mistletoe between classes. Though he would occasionally go under some with Mike to show off his relationship with him.

David wasn't angry as he was when he told Chrys to leave him alone, but he still became very depressed. And this led to both Arthur and Mike needing to be the ones in the middle between him and Chrys in terms of being with either on their own without the other with them.

"If she wanted to be friends with me, she should've just come clean about the fact that she snogged Krum." He told the two resentfully. "The fact that she felt she had to hide this fact from me is what hurts."

Arthur had to admit that he was right. David would've tried to accept it if Chrys told him, so for her to think she knows what's best, considering how he's acted whenever Krum enters the picture, by not telling him, it just made things messy and problematic.

Chrys, due to her packed timetable, was only able to talk to Arthur and Mike properly in the evenings. And she was absolutely miserable.

She refused to even be in the same room as him, excluding class because she had no choice, so whenever he was in the common room, she'd be in the library, meaning their conversations would have to be in whispers.

"If he doesn't want to talk about it, I don't see why I should as well." She said as Madam Pince, the librarian, prowled the shelves behind them.

She then raised her quill, dotting an 'i' so hard that she made a hole in her parchment. Arthur and Mike didn't say anything. The former simply bent lower over Advanced Potion-Making, making notes on Everlasting Elixirs, pausing to decipher the Prince's notes among Libatius Borage's text.

"By the way, you should be careful." She then said to Arthur.

"What are you talking about?" Arthur frowned.

"Earlier, I went to the girls' bathroom and there were a dozen girls there, including Romilda Vane, trying to figure out how to slip you a love potion -"

"WHAT?" Mike hissed in fury, resulting in Arthur trying to calm him down.

"Yeah, they think Arthur should be with one of them instead of you." Chrys said. "They bought Jack and Kevin's love potions, which do work -"

"Then how come you aren't confiscating them?" Arthur demanded, considering she's a stickler for following various rules, especially with her being a prefect.

"They didn't have the potions with them in the bathroom. I only heard them planning. Just make sure that they know your heart's only for Mike and that you're gay while you're at Slughorn's party tomorrow."

"Oh, don't worry, they'll know." Arthur growled as he held Mike's hand.

"And be careful what you drink as well, since Romilda means business." Chrys added grimly.

She then hitched up the long roll of parchment where she was writing her Arithmancy essay, scratching away with her quill.

"Hold on." Arthur said as he remembered something. "Filch put a ban on anything bought at their shop."

"No one pays attention to what he bans." Chrys replied as she still wrote her essay.

"But the owls are supposed to be searched. How can love potions get to the school?"

"The twins sent them disguised as perfumes and cough potions. Part of their Owl Order Service."

"You seem to know all about this." Mike raised an eyebrow.

"Because it was all on the back of the various bottles they showed me and Mary. Besides, I don't go around putting potions in people's drinks… or pretend to, anyway -"

"Oh, will you let it go, already?" Arthur snapped at her. "Regardless, Filch is being fooled. These girls are getting stuff into the school disguised as something else. Why couldn't Draco do that as well with the necklace?"

"Because the Secrecy Sensors detect jinxes, curses and concealment charms. They're used to find Dark Magic and Dark objects. They're meant to pick up on powerful curses, like the one on the necklace. But something in the wrong bottle wouldn't register. Plus love potions aren't considered Dark or dangerous -"

"Though they really should be." Arthur muttered grimly, remembering how Voldemort was conceived all because of the use of a love potion.

A few seconds later, someone had moved close behind them among the dark bookshelves. A moment later, the vulture-like countenance of Madam Pince appeared around the corner, her sunken cheeks, parchment-like skin and her long hooked nose illuminated in an unflattering way by the lamp she was carrying.

"The library is now closed." She told them. "Mind you return anything you have borrowed to the correct - what have you been doing to that book, you depraved boy?"

"It isn't from the library, it's mine!" Arthur snapped back at her, snatching his copy of Advanced Potion-Making from the table as she lunged for it with a claw-like hand.

"Despoiled! Desecrated! Befouled!" She hissed.

"It was already like that when I got it!" Arthur told her as he tugged it out of her grip before he, Mike and Chrys marched out of the library.

"Honestly, what is with that woman? She's a female version of Filch." He said once they were out of the library, making Mike and Chrys snort.

The three made their way through the deserted, lamp lit corridors back to the common room, arguing whether she and Filch are in love with each other.

"Baubles." Arthur said to the Fat Lady with the new, festive password.

"Same to you." She said with a roguish grin before swinging forwards to admit them.

"Hi, Arthu!" Romilda Vane said when he climbed through the portrait hole. "Fancy a Gillywater?"

"No, thanks. I don;t like it." He immediately turned her down.

"Well, take these anyway." She replied, ignoring Mike's hate filled expression, thrusting a box into Arthur's hands. "Chocolate Cauldrons, they've got Firewhiskey in them. My gran sent them to me, but I don't like them."

"Um… thanks." Arthur said, not knowing what else to say. "If you don't mind, I'm just gonna go and be with my boyfriend, if you don't mind."

He hurried off behind Mike and Chrys.

By the time he reached them, Chrys froze as she spotted David, who sat in a nearby armchair.

"Goodnight." She said before she left for the girls' dormitory.

Afterwards, as Arthur was about to go to sleep, he reminded himself of the fact that there was only one more day of lessons and Slughorn's party to get through before he, Mike and David would depart for Merlon Manor for the holidays.

He also hoped that time away from Hogwarts and Chrys would allow David and Chrys to cool down and realise how they're acting.

The following day lessened his hopes that this would be the case, though.

During a Transfiguration lesson, where they embarked on the truly difficult topic of human transfiguration, they all worked in front of mirrors to change the colour of their own eyebrows.

Chrys actually laughed harshly at David's failed attempt as he gave himself a magnificent handlebar moustache. He retaliated by making a cruel impersonation of her jumping up and down to answer a question, resulting in her being reduced to tears.

When the bell at the end of lesson rang, she raced out crying and leaving half of her things behind. Deciding that her need was greater than David's, Arthur scooped up her possessions and followed after her.

He was able to track her down as she emerged from a girls' bathroom on the floor below, accompanied by Mary, who patted her on the back.

"Hey, Arthur." Mary greeted him.

"Hey, Mary. Chrys, your stuff." He said as he held out her books.

"Thanks." She said in a choked voice, taking her things and turned away to hide the fact that she wiped her eyes on her pencil case. "I'd better be going…."

She then hurried off, leaving Arthur and Mary.

"Let me guess, David?"

"Yeah, he made a nasty impression of her." Arthur replied. "Why did you have to tell him she snogged Krum?"

"I didn't mean to… I was just so caught up in the moment that I slipped." Mary said guilty.

"I just hope that you at least apologised to David and Chrys." Arthur told her.

"I did. Well, I at least tried with David, but he's still bitter." Mary said.

Later during dinner, Arthur was a bit surprised with what David told him.

"You're going to Slughorn's party with Luna?" He said.

"Yeah. I didn't want to go alone, so I asked Luna, only as a friend, of course. She was delighted, saying that no one's ever asked her to a party." David replied.

"Either way, you should say sorry to Chrys." Mike said bluntly.

"Why should I when she should apologise for keeping her snogging Krum a secret from me." David retorted.

"You should still apologise, regardless. Why did you have to imitate her?" Arthur frowned.

"Because she laughed at me!"

"So did we, it was absolutely ridiculous." Arthur pointed out.

Later, at eight o'clock in the Entrance Hall, Arthur and Mike arrived with David, who said that he'd meet Luna here. There was a large number of girls lurking there, all looking at Mike with resentment, since he's dating Arthur.

They spotted Luna approaching them. She wore a set of spangled silver robes that made the onlookers giggle, though she did look quite nice. She noticeably didn't wear her radish earrings, Butterbeer cork necklace and her Spectrespecs.

"Hi." She greeted them.

"Hi, Luna." David greeted her as both Arthur and Mike simply waved. "Shall we get going?"

"Oh, yes." She said happily. "Where is the party?"

"In Slughorn's office." Arthur sad as he and Mike led the way up the marble staircase away from all the staring and muttering. "Apparently a vampire is supposed to be at the party."

"Rufus Scrimgeour?" Luna asked.

"What? You mean the Minister for Magic?" Mike questioned.

"Yes, he's a vampire." Luna said matter of factly. "Father wrote a very long article about it when Scrimgeour first took over from Cornelius Fudge, but he was forced not to publish by somebody from the Ministry. Obviously, they didn't want the truth to get out!"

Arthur found it very unlikely that Scrimgeour was a vampire, but was so used to the rather bizarre views she and her father have that he didn't bother explaining why it ain't true as they were approaching Slughorn's office, hearing the sounds of laughter, music and loud conversation growing louder as they got closer.

Whether it was because it was built that way or because of some magical means, Slughorn's office was much larger than the usual study a teacher occupies.

The ceiling and walls were draped with emerald, crimson and gold hangings, making it look like they were in a vast tent. The whole room was crowded and stuffy, bathed in red light cast from an ornate golden lamp that dangled from the centre of the ceiling where actual fairies were fluttering, each being a speck of light.

Loud singing was accompanied by what sounded like mandolins issued from a far off corner; a haze of pipe smoke hung over several elderly warlocks that were in deep conversation and a number of house elves were making their way through a forest of knees, all obscured by heavy silver platters of food that they all carried over their heads, making them look like roving tables.

"Arthur, m'boy!" Slughorn beamed as he and Mike squeezed in through the door, David and Luna following in after them. "Come in, come in, so many people I'd like you to meet!"

Slughorn wore a tasselled velvet hat, matching his smoking jacket. He then gripped Arthur's arm so tightly that it was like he wanted to Disapparate with him. Slughorn led him purposefully into the party and Arthur seized Mike's hand, dragging him along, wanting him by his side the whole time.

"Arthur, I'd like you to meet Eldred Worple, an old student of mine, author of Blood Brothers: My Life Amongst the Vampires - and, of course, his friend Sanguini."

Worple was a small, bespectacled man. He grabbed Arthur's hand, shaking it enthusiastically. The vampire, Sanguini, was tall and emaciated with dark shadows under his eyes. He simply nodded, looking pretty bored. There was a gaggle of girls who stood close to him, looking very curious and excited.

"Arthur Pendergast, I am simply delighted!" Worple said, peering shortsightedly up at Arthur's face. "I was saying to Professor Slughorn only the other day, where is the biography of Arthur Pendergast for which we have all been waiting?"

"Were you?" Arthur asked, not really knowing what to feel about this, gazing over at David and Luna, who joined up with them.

"Just as modest as Horace described!" Worple said. "But seriously - " his manner changed; it became suddenly business-like. "I would be delighted to write it myself - people are craving to know more about you, dear boy, craving! If you were prepared to grant me a few interviews, say in four or five hour sessions, why, we could have the book finished within months. And all with very little effort on your part, I assure you - ask Sanguini here if it isn't quite - Sanguini, stay here!" He added, now stern, as the vampire was edging towards the group of girls with a hungry look in his eyes. "Here, have a pasty." Worple then seized said pasty from a passing elf, shoving it into Sanguini's hand before turning his attention back onto Arthur. "My dear boy, the gold you could make, you have no idea -"

"I already have enough gold, thanks." Arthur cut him off.

"Besides, I think Arthur would rather have me write his biography, as I know him well and I aspire to be a writer." David entered the conversation, allowing Arthur and Mike to disappear into the crowd, having spotted Chrys disappearing between two members of the Weird Sisters.

"Chrys!"

"Arthur, Mike! Thank goodness."

"What the heck happened to you?" Mik asked as she looked very dishevelled, like she fought her way through Devil's Snare.

"I've just left Cormac under the mistletoe." She confessed.

"Seriously? You came with that troll?" Arthur hissed in disgust.

"I only did it to annoy David." Chrys frowned. "I even considered Zacharias Smith -"

"You considered that tosspot?" Mike hissed in utter disbelief as Arthur was rendered speechless.

"I did, and I wished I came with him instead. How anyone can stand McLaggen, I have no idea. He makes Grawp look mature."

She then wandered off while Arthur and Mike continued on to the other side of the room, grabbing goblets of mead along the way, seeing Professor Trelawney conversing with Luna, who now parted from David. Arthur smelled cooking sherry again, which told him she was still drinking.

"I haven't seen you in my classes lately…." Trelawney said to Luna. They must've just met each other here.

"No, I've got Firenze this year." Luna replied.

"Oh, of course." Trelawney said with an angry and drunken titter. "Or Dobbin, as I prefer to think of him. You would have thought, would you not, that now I am returned to the school Professor Dumbledore might have got rid of the horse? But no… we share classes… it's an insult, frankly, an insult. Do you know…."

She seemed too drunk to recognise Arthur at the moment. And under cover her criticisms of Firenze. Arthur and Mike were about to leave when suddenly, McLaggen forced his way through a throng.

"Seen Chrys?" He asked the two.

"No, sorry." They replied before he went off in search of Chrys.

This drew the attention of Trelawney, who spotted Arthur.

"Arthur Pendergast!" She said in deep, vibrant tones.

"Hi." Arthur greeted her with little enthusiasm.

"My dear boy! She said in a carrying whisper. "The rumours! The stories! The Chosen One! Of course, I have known for a very long time… the omens were never good, Arthur… but why have not returned to Divination? For you, of all people, the subject is of the utmost importance!"

"Ah, Sybil, we all think our subject's most important!" Slughorn said as he appeared at her other side, his face now very red, his velvet hat askew and a glass of mead in one hand with a large mince pie in the other.

"But I don't think I've ever known such a natural at Potions!" He then said, regarding Arthur with a fond, bloodshot eye. "Instinctive, you know - like his mother! I've only ever taught a few with this kind of ability, I can tell you that, Sybil - why, even Severus -"

Much to Arthur and Mike's horror, Slughorn threw an arm out and scooped Snape towards them.

"Stop sulking and come and join us, Severus!" He hiccoughed happily. "I was just talking about Arthur's exceptional potion-making! Some credit must go to you, of course, you taught him for five years!"

Now trapped because of Slughorn's arm around his shoulders, Snape looked down his hooked nose to Arthur, his black eyes narrowing at him.

"Funny, I hardly had the impression that I taught Pendergast anything at all."

"Well, then, it's natural ability!" Slughorn shouted. "You should have seen what he gave me, first lesson, the Draught of Living Death - never had a student produce finer on a first attempt, I don't think even you, Severus -"

"Really?" Snape said quietly, his eyes still boring into Arthur, who used Occlumency to make sure that he didn't know why he's excelling at Potions.

"Remind me what other subjects you're taking, Arthur?" Slughorn then asked.

"I'm only learning the core subjects, so Defence Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology…."

"All the subjects required, in short, for an Auror." Snape said with a faint sneer.

"That's what I want to be after Hogwarts." Arthur replied defiantly, holding Mike's hand, who looked proud for his boyfriend.

"And you'll be a great one, I know it." Mike said.

"Hear, hear!" Slughorn boomed

"I don't think you should be an Auror, Arthur." Luna said, totally unexpected, making everyone look at her. "The Aurors are part of the Rotfang Conspiracy, I thought everyone knew that. They're working from within to bring down the Ministry of Magic using a combination of Dark Magic and gum disease."

Arthur had inhaled half of his mead up his nose, staring to laugh. He was glad that David had brought Luna because of this. And so, emerging from his goblet, coughing and Mike patting his back to help him breathe, he was grinning.

But then he saw something he didn't expect, but did in fact raise his spirits higher: Draco being dragged by the ear towards them by Filch.

"Professor Slughorn." He wheezed, his jowls quivering with the maniacal light of mischief detection in his bulging eyes. "I discovered this boy lurking in an upstairs corridor. He claims to have been invited to your party and to have been delayed in setting out. Did you issue him with an invitation?"

Draco pulled himself out of Filch's grasp, looking absolutely furious.

"Alright, I wasn't invited!" He said with anger. "I was trying to gatecrash, happy?"

"No, I'm not!" Filch said. "You're in trouble, you are! Didn't the Headmaster say that nighttime prowling's out, unless you've got permission, didn't he, eh?"

"That's alright, Argus, that's alright." Slughorn said with a waving hand. "It's Christmas, and it's not a crime to want to come to a party. Just this once, we'll forget any punishment; you may stay, Draco."

Filch was outraged and disappointed, which was expected, yet Arthur noticed that Draco looked nearly as unhappy. And Snape looked at Draco both angry and even a little afraid, which surprised Arthur.

Just as he registered all of this, Filch turned and shuffled away, muttering under his breath. Draco then composed himself and formed a smile, thanking Slughorn for his generosity. Snape's face was back to being smoothly inscrutable.

"It's nothing, nothing." Slughorn waved away Draco's thanks. "I did know your grandfather, after all…."

"He always spoke very highly of you, sir." Draco said quickly. "Said you were the best potion-maker he'd ever known…."

Arthur stared and examined Draco, seeing that Draco looked a bit ill. This had to be the first time he was this close to Draco since the Hogwarts Express and he saw that Draco had dark shadows under his eyes and had a very greyish tinge to his skin. It would seem his mission from Voldemort was having a physical toll on him.

"I'd like a word with you, Draco." Snape then said.

"Oh, now, Severus…" Slughorn hiccoughed again. "...it's Christmas, don't be too hard -"

"I'm his Head of House, and I shall decide how hard, or otherwise, to be." Snape replied curtly. "Follow me, Draco."

The two left with Snape leading the way and Draco looking resentful.

Arthur knew what he had to do.

"Mike, keep them busy while I follow them." He whispered.

"Got it." Mike nodded before Arthur left.

Once he was out of the party, he pulled out his Invisibility Cloak from his pocket and threw it over himself, since the corridor was completely deserted.

It was difficult to find Draco and Snape as he ran down the corridor, knowing the music and loud talking from the party masked his footsteps.

He then pressed his ear from door to door, still dashing down the corridor until he crouched down to the keyhole of the last classroom in the corridor, hearing their voices.

"...cannot afford mistakes, Draco, because if you are expelled -"

"I didn't have anything to do with it, alright?"

"I hope you are telling the truth, because it was both clumsy and foolish. Already you are suspected of having a hand in it."

"Who suspects me?" Draco said angrily. "For the last time, I didn't do it, okay? That Bell girl must've had an enemy no one knows about - don't look at me like that! I know what you're doing, I'm not stupid, but it won't work - I can stop you!"

There was a pause before Snape quietly said "Ah… Aunt Bellatrix has been teaching you Occlumency, I see. What thoughts are you trying to conceal from your master, Draco?"

"I'm not trying to conceal anything from him, I just don't want you butting in!"

Arthur pressed his ear even more against the keyhole, hearing what is pretty much confirmation that Draco is a Death Eater and that he's responsible for what happened to Katie. And it seems that he's on bad terms with Snape, who he had always liked and respected.

"So that is why you have been avoiding me this term? You have feared my interference? You realise that, had anybody else failed to come to my office when I had told them repeatedly to be there there, Draco -"

"So put me in detention! Report me to Dumbledore!" Draco jeered.

There was another until Snape responded.

"You know perfectly well that I do not wish to do either of those things."

"You'd better stop telling me to come to your office, then!"

"Listen to me." Snape said in a low voice, so low that Arthur pushed his ear very hard against the keyhole to listen. "I am trying to help you. I swore to your mother I would protect you. I made the Unbreakable Vow, Draco - "

"Looks like you'll have to break it, then, because I don't need your protection! It's my job, he gave it to me and I'm doing it. I've got a plan and it's going to work, it's just taking a bit longer than I thought it would!"

"What is your plan?"

"It's none of your business!"

"If you tell me what you are trying to do, I can assist you -"

"I've got all the assistance I need, thanks, I'm not alone!"

"You were certainly alone tonight, which was foolish in the extreme, wandering the corridors without lookouts or back up. These are elementary mistakes -"

"I would've had Crabbe and Goyle with me if you hadn't put them in detention!"

"Keep your voice down!" Snape spat as Draco's voice rose excitedly. "If your friends Crabbe and Goyle intend to pass their Defence Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. this time around, they will need to work a little harder than they are doing at pres -"

"What does it matter?" Draco spat. "Defence Against the Dark Arts - it's all just a joke, isn't it, an act? Like any of us need protecting against the Dark Arts -"

"It is an act that is crucial to success, Draco! Where do you think I would have been all these years, if I had not known how to act? Now listen to me! You are being incautious, wandering around at night, getting yourself caught, and if you are placing your reliance on assistants like Crabbe and Goyle -"

"They're not the only ones, I've got other people on my side, better people!"

"Then why not confide in me, and I can -"

"I know what you're up to! You want to steal my glory!"

There was another pause before Snape spoke in a cold voice.

"You are speaking like a child. I quite understand that your father's capture and imprisonment has upset you, but -"

Arthur got a second's warning as he heard Draco's footsteps on the other side of the door, flinging himself out of the way in time before it burst open; Draco then strode down the corridor, past the open door of Slughorn's office and round the distant corner, out of sight.

Forcing himself to keep quiet, Arthur remained crouched down as Snape slowly exited the classroom, his expression unfathomable and returned to the party.

Arthur remained on the floor, still hidden under his Invisibility Cloak, his mind going into overdrive.

The plot is thickening with Draco and Snape.