Finding the Lost Diadem - 7

The time since had been spent searching the castle to no avail.

Another chorus of loud snoring shook the room, causing Harry to fling his belongings back inside his backpack with disgust. There was no use trying to sleep here tonight. Pulling his woolen blanket around his shoulders to combat the night's chill, Harry padded down the stairs toward the common room.

As he passed the room that Draco and Dudley were sharing, he could hear them arguing in harsh whispers. Staying hidden in the shadows, Harry cautiously peered into the room.

The two boys were sitting cross-legged on one bed, a deck of Muggle cards splayed out between them.

"So, this Imprus Curse can make anyone do anything you want?" Dudley asked, leaning forward.

"Imperius," Draco said, sneering, "and yes, that's the idea. The Ministry deemed it an Unforgivable after the last war, but I'm certain the Dark Lord has changed that."

"Im-per-i-us," Dudley said slowly.

"How can three of one card possibly beat two separate matches?" Draco asked, scoffing. "Are you making these rules up as we go along?"

"No. I'm not making it up," Dudley replied, exasperated. "It's Poker. Three of a kind beats two pairs. Everyone knows that. It makes more sense than that game you showed me that explodes in your face no matter what card you use."

Draco chuckled, obviously relishing the memory of Dudley's introduction to Exploding Snap. "Fine. If that's the way you're going to play," he said, rolling his eyes and aiming his wand at his cards.

Dudley flinched and shut his eyes.

"There," Draco said, laying his cards between them.

"That's not fair," Dudley shouted. "That's cheating. You can't use magic in Poker!"

"I think I just did," Draco replied, folding his arms behind his head.

"It's not possible to have two sets of three of a kind," Dudley shouted, his face turning alarmingly red.

Harry pulled his head out of the door and continued toward the common room. He had to shake his head several times to process what he'd just seen. Who would've ever imagined that Draco Malfoy and Dudley Dursley would become mates? Harry was certain it was only due to circumstances, but still…

Dudley had adapted much better to life at Hogwarts than Harry would have imagined, although his fascination with the Dark Arts, while expected, was alarming. The teachers who had remained behind had all taken him under their wing, and he was receiving a private magical education while he was in hiding. The rift between Dudley and his parents appeared to widen everyday. Harry wondered what would happen when this war was finally over and everyone went back to their own lives. What would happen to Dudley?

Scratching his head, Harry stopped in front of the one and only empty room left in the boys' dormitory. What would it hurt if he just slept in there instead of using the couch again? He slipped inside the dorm and plopped down on one of the empty beds, pushing the thoughts of Dudley from his mind. He neither cared nor felt responsible anymore. He didn't want the Dursleys to be killed in all his mess, but he didn't feel any desire to know their future plans, either.

Curling into a ball, he tossed and turned before finding a comfortable spot and once again fell into an uneasy sleep.

*~*~*

On a mid-March evening, Harry once again sat in the library with Ron, Hermione and Ginny, reviewing their notes about which parts of the castle had been searched. Harry had brought his backpack with the Pensieve stored inside, and they'd viewed the memory of Tom Riddle's visit to Hogwarts.