Mortal Peril - 19

"How do you know Potter is here?" he asked.

"I'm hoping he's not," Ron said grimly.

"And if he isn't? What do we do then?" Draco asked, his voice rising. "We can't go back to Hogwarts, and they'll all come back here when the battle is finished."

"You seem ruddy certain that they'll win," Ron said, scowling.

"We're here," Hermione said, putting a halt to the brewing row. "I need to go to the room with the Veil."

Ginny watched as the doors in the circular room spun. When it stopped, the door in front of them sprang open. She remembered being shown how to work the doors as they left the Ministry that night with Professor Dumbledore.

Holding her breath, she tried to sprint into the room but Ron held her arm firmly, not letting her rush ahead. When they tiptoed inside the room with the Veil, they found it silent and empty.

"Where is he?" Ginny asked, perplexed.

"I dunno," Ron replied, wildly turning his head from side to side. He held his wand at the ready, but it was for naught. They were the only ones in the room.

"So now what?" Draco asked, staring at the Veil curiously. "Do you have any other ideas where Potter might have taken her?"

"He didn't take her anywhere," Ginny said hotly, rounding on him. Her temper was ready to snap, and she had the perfect target.

"Draco, exactly what did Pansy say when she locked you and Dudley in that classroom?" Hermione asked, puzzled.

"She said that she had something important to do and that she'd be back," he replied, shifting his eyes.

"What else?" Ginny demanded, drawing her wand.

"Put that away," Draco said, taking a step backward.

"She's very worried about Harry, Draco," Hermione said, sounding bored. "I wouldn't push her. You'd better tell us everything."

Draco stared warily at Ginny, keeping a close eye on her wand. "I did tell you," he insisted. "She didn't say anything else about locking us in there."

"But she did say something else?" Hermione asked. "What are you hiding, Draco? We all have to work together if we want to get out of here and help Harry and Pansy."

Ginny was surprised to see color suffuse Draco's cheeks. "It really wasn't anything. Just something about a private celebration when she returned."

"A celebration?" Ron asked sharply. "What does she want to celebrate?"

"She just meant some time alone," Draco said, raising his eyebrows. "Don't you and Granger ever spend any time without Potter in the room?"

"She had something she wanted to celebrate?" Hermione asked, ignoring Draco's comment completely while Ron's ears grew dangerously red.

"Mind your mouth, ferret," Ron said, glaring.

Hermione brushed him aside with a wave of her hand, her eyes wide. "Draco…have you noticed any other strange behavior from Pansy recently?" she asked urgently.

"I heard you two arguing over the fact that she's been disappearing a lot," Ginny said.

"Oh, no," Hermione said, moaning.

"What is it, Hermione?" Ginny asked, fear clawing at her throat.

"What if we're on the wrong track altogether?" Hermione wailed. "What if Harry wasn't the one who decided to go after Voldemort at all? What if Pansy was the one to take Harry?"

"What are you on about, Granger?" Malfoy demanded, his voice wavering slightly. "Pansy wouldn't have taken Potter anywhere. She had nowhere else to go."

"I think Pansy might have been in contact with Voldemort," Hermione said, clutching Ron's arm tightly. To Ron's credit, he never even winced as her nails dug into his skin.

"You're mad," Draco said, shaking his head.