Chapter Twenty-Four
Draco
I wake up in my common room, with only darkness surrounding me. The clock in the corner tells me that it is midnight. My heart beats slower than usual, and my mind has trouble creating thoughts. McGonagall must have used some sort of tranquilizing spell. I pull out my wand and point it where the fireplace would be, if I could see.
"" I shout. Flames transfer quickly from my wand to the fireplace, and the room illuminates. It comes in and out of focus many times before settling.
I notice that the place is untidy, so I begin to clean to clear my mind. I put the books in the bookshelf, wipe the spilled ink off of the desk, and fold the blanket on the couch, all in an effort to keep myself from thinking about what could be happening to Hermione. But as I finish, I do succumb to these thoughts. Is she okay? Where is she? I know that it is my dad that kidnapped her. However, now he is in Azkaban...
Immediately, I nearly run out of the door. It is past curfew, obviously, but I am the Head Boy. And it's not like it would matter if I got in trouble after this, anyway. I step into the corridor, which is eerily silent. The only light comes from the dimly lit torches on the wall. All of the portraits are sleeping, and I wouldn't doubt that I am the only one awake in this castle.
I approach the bronze griffin that leads into McGonagall's office. My brain tries to think of the password to enter, but it is unable. I think as I say the old password aloud. I wait impatiently for it to ascend, but it doesn't. Frustrated, I run my hands through my hair.
"I just need to see McGonagall!" I say, exasperated. At that moment, the griffin begins to spin upwards. Surely that wasn't the password? I hear McGonagall's voice calling me from the top of the stairs, and I ascend to her. How did she know it was me?
"Merlin's beard, Mr. Malfoy, it's midnight." She sighs, her hair in a long braid down her back.
"Yes ma'am, it is, but I didn't think I could wait."
"Have a seat," She instructs, and I sit in the chair in front of her desk. "And I do apologize for using magic on you today, but I believe the situation called for it. Now what is it that you need?"
"I would like to withdraw myself from Hogwarts." I tell her, staring at the floor. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see her eyes widen.
"Why?" She asks, "You're Head Boy! We're already missing our Head Girl." She realizes this may have been the wrong thing to say.
"Don't remind me," I tell her, my voice an unintentional hiss.
"What I mean to say is this: Everyone knows what happened last year, of course, but that ended. Now, everyone has entered a sense of security, which, given the events that have occurred recently, may be false. We can't let them get scared again. We have to keep morale up, make them think that everything is still alright."
"I don't know who this 'we' is, but I know I'm not included. I can't stay here under a false sense of security like the others. I can't convince myself that nothing is wrong, because, in reality, everything is wrong; and I'm not just going to sit here and watch as it gets worse."
"But Mr. Malfoy... You have such talent. It would be a shame to see it go to-"
"I'm withdrawing from Hogwarts, Headmistress. And I'm afraid there's nothing you can do to stop me."
* * *
Within a few minutes, I am at my apartment. The Hogwarts Express was- obviously- not running, so I had Apparated here. When I reach the door that says 394, I reach into my pocket to retrieve the key. To my dismay, the key is not in my pocket. I should have known.
After searching through my Hogwarts trunk without any luck, I decide to visit the landlord, who works on the first floor. The large trunk I'm carrying emits a loud noise as it falls from step to step. I'll undoubtedly cause quite a few complaints. When I reach his office, I see that the light is on, so I knock on the door. A rather disheveled young man answers.
"Can I help you?" He asks.
"Yes... but I don't believe you're the landlord, are you?" I say, trying to sound as polite as I can.
"Temporarily, yes. I'm his son," He says, giving me a once-over, "and I believe you're, ah... Dragon Malloy?"
"Draco Malfoy, actually." I correct him, trying not to roll my eyes.
"Why are you here?" His eyes narrow.
"To get into my apartment. My key is gone."
"You said you were moving out. You came on September 2nd to say you weren't coming back." He says, with more energy than he had a second ago.
"September 2nd? I never said I wasn't coming back, and I was gone to Hogwarts by then!"
"If you're trying to get excused from rent or something, shove off. My dad told me that, should you come knocking, I should just shoo you away. We've already gotten your key." He crosses his arms, and I feel my pockets once again.
"How did you even...?"
"No matter. Just get off of my doorstep, and don't come back." With that, he slams the door in my face.
Great. My girlfriend is missing, my parents hate me, I dropped out of school, and now I have no place to live. Where else am I going to find a wizard apartment?
The sign on the diner next door reads in flashing red and blue letters. I walk over to it, still carrying my trunk behind me. I step inside to escape the bitterly cold air, which makes me realize that I had forgotten my coat at Hogwarts.
The old, sour-looking waitress looks at me, at the clock on the wall, then back at me. She motions to a booth by the window for me to sit there. I do, and for the next few minutes, I drum my fingers on the table. She's acting like she's busy to punish me for being here so late, even though they're open. When she finally shows up, she offers me a menu, but I don't need it. I don't have any muggle money.
"I don't have any money, I can't order anything." I say without meeting her eyes. When I do, to my surprise, she looks upon me with sympathy.
"Lad, where's your coat?" She inquires, and I blush.
"I lost it." I admit, embarrassed. She purses her lips as her gaze falls onto my left arm.
"My stars, boy. What is that awful scar from?"
"I used to, uh... I used to work at a restaurant, and I had an little accident with a knife." I lie. I feel bad about not being able to tell her the truth. She nods solemnly before turning around and walking away.
For a few minutes, I lay my head down on the table, my mind swimming with thoughts. I said I was going to help Hermione, and I am. But where do I even start? Lately, life has been so overwhelming. If it wasn't for Hermione, I'm not even sure I could continue with it; but because of her, I have something worth fighting for.
I am startled away from my thoughts as a large plate is sat down in front of me. It carries eggs, bacon, toast, and two pancakes. A warm cup of coffee is beside it.
I look up to the waitress, trying to make my eyes reflect the gratitude I feel, and exclaim, "Thank you! Thank you so much. I wish I could pay you."
"It's the least I could do, dear," She says endearingly. "Come back any time you need anything."
"Thank you. So much."
* * *
Hermione
I'm in a place that I do not recognize, and the little boy that brought me here is nowhere to be found. Everywhere around me is pure darkness. I have no way to know how long it has been since I was taken, but the hunger I feel in my stomach tells me that it must have been at least a day or two.
The pain in my head has yet to go away. I struggle to get up, but my knees buckle beneath me. I crawl around the unknown room. My knees ache as if both of them have been scratched up.
I put my hands out in front of me to prevent running into the wall. Once I find it, I run my hands along the perimeter of the room. I find that it is very, very small.
Although I didn't run into anyone, I cannot shake the feeling that someone is here. I hold my breath for a moment to listen. Sure enough, I hear slow, raspy breathing. From what I can tell, if is not coming from this room, but it is close.
"Hello?" I call, wanting to hear an answer, but also dreading a response. I am answered only by the clank of metal on metal in the distance.
I may not know where I am. I may not know who I'm with. But one thing I know for certain: