The Half-Blood Princess

Chapter 51

         "Paige said she has mentioned them to you," She says. "That's what Harry and the others are trying to find."

        I look down at the article, then back up at Abbie. "And that's what you think they were trying to get out of Bellatrix's vault?"

       Abbie shrugs. "I mean, why else would they go through all of that trouble?"

        Her words linger in my brain and take me back to the day at Malfoy Manor. Hermione had something in her bag that Bellatrix thought she had stolen from her vault. But that was before all of this.

          If they had something of hers then, what else could they want from the vault now?

                            "How many horcruxes are there?"

           They both look at each other awkwardly.

         "I don't even think Harry knows the answer to that." Abbie sighs.

       Just as I'm about to ask another question, someone's hand grabs my shoulder aggressively.

         I turn around and see Draco standing over me with an aggravated expression.

                       "Is everything alright?" I ask him.

        He looks at Neville and Abbie sitting across from me at the table and decides to stay quiet.

                    "You're welcome to sit down." Neville says politely.

       Draco tries to respond with attitude but I give him a look letting him know he'd regret it.

                         "Draco, what's wrong?"

          His eyes move from mine and travel down to the paper sitting in front of me. Then without hesitating he pulls me up from the table and out of the great hall.

          I try to fight him but when he doesn't let me budge I realize he's being serious. Normally, he always has something to say. Whatever has his speechless now must be bad.

        When we reach the hallways he spins around to face me. He glances around to make sure no one is near, then breathes in deeply.

                         "Draco, you're scaring me." I say nervously.

          He exhales and gently places his hand on the side of my face, moving my hair behind my ear.

           "My mum sent me a letter this morning, practically begging me to come home."

                            "Why?" I ask even though I feel like I know the answer.

           "Potter and his friends stole something really valuable from my aunt's vault." He tells me. "And now The Dark Lord thinks they're in Hogwarts."

        I feel my heart starting to get heavier and heavier. For months now we've been expecting this but now that I can feel it starting to happen I don't think I can fake being strong.

                        Draco says one last thing,

                                   "He's coming."

           And right as he says those two words I feel my body getting thrown to the side and my back slamming against the hard stone wall.

          A ringing grows loudly in my ears, making it hard for me to understand what's going on around me.

        I keep my eyes closed for a long moment so I can get my breathing back to normal. When I open my eyes again I'm face to face with Draco, who is gushing blood from his forehead.

            His mouth is moving quickly and I try to comprehend the words he's saying. Slowly, my hearing comes back and I can hear him asking me,

                                               "Are you okay?!"

         I rub my finger across the wound on his head. He flinches and pulls my hand away.

                      "We have to get out of here." Draco says frantically.

        He starts to pull me up with him and once I'm standing I see all of the students running around. Some of them are screaming, others are trying to fight. Although Draco just mentioned that The Dark Lord is coming to Hogwarts I still can't fully understand what just happened.

                    "Come on." He says while pulling my arm.

           "No," I rip my sleeve from his grasp and he gives me a confused look.

                      "Remember what you said in the common room?"

       Draco scans the hallway and focuses on every single student that passes by us. I put my hands on each side of his face, forcing him to look at me.

                         "Don't you want to help stop this?"

           I can see multiple emotions in his eyes; Confusion, doubt, fear. But the one that sticks out more than the others is the anger.

           While my hands are still pressed to the sides of his face he grabs onto them and pulls me in close, pressing out lips together.

     When they disconnect, he lets out a heavy sigh and pulls his wand from his back pocket.

                                        "Okay."