Half-Blood Princess Book Four

Chapter 6 - Ferret

"I've asked them not to wear the badges." Harry and Tilly shake their heads, telling him not to worry about it.

Tilly folds her arms as Harry and Ron fight again. Harry comes back over to her when Malfoy calls out.

"My Father and I have a bet; I don't think you'll last 10 minutes," Draco says from the tree, where he sits. Draco jumps from the tree saying. "He doesn't think you'll last five." Draco and he group laugh, but Harry has enough and stalks over to the blonde.

"I don't care what your Father thinks, Malfoy." Harry shoves Draco, now Tilly walks over, not wanting anyone hurt. "He's vile and cruel." Harry leans closer to Draco, making sure he's the only one who hears the next few words. "And my bet is, that if he hits his son, he's hit Tilly too. Am I right?" Harry smirks, pulling back and seeing the flash of pain in Draco's face. Harry turns, having enough, but turns around wanting to hurt Malfoy once more. "Actually, I think you'd help him. You'd help him hurt-"

"Stop! Shut up, Potter." Harry opens his mouth to keep speaking after Malfoy's interruptions, but Draco pulls out his wand.

Moody, who had been lurking in the shadows, acts fast and stops Draco from using his wand. He stopped him by turning Draco into a ferret.

"No!" Tilly yells as Draco is tossed in the air, and everyone laughs around them. Minerva intervein to help, but it is too late. Tilly's anger has hit a new level, so high the ground is shaking, and winds are blowing small kids away. Tilly's uses everything she has to lift Moody in the air while setting Draco on her shoulder.

"Never hurt my best friend!" Tilly yells as everyone dives for cover, Draco in Tilly's inside pocket. Tilly loses control and even with Severus calling out to her from the side, nothing is registering in her mind. All she can focus on is hurting Moody. Moody can cast one spell and boy does he make it count. Moody use the Cruciatus curse on Tilly, for only a few seconds, but the pain is able to reach Tilly, and she lets go of the man.

Even with the extreme pain from the curse, Tilly could fight it and show no pain. Tilly lays on the ground as the adrenalin leaves her body, and the pain kicks in. Snape, is the first by Tilly, holding her hand, as she comes too. "Dad." Tilly pulls Severus in for a hug missing her Dad and his hug, more than anything. Tilly can feel Draco moving his way up her body to her shoulder and into the crook of her neck. Tilly looks at the white ferret then changes him back to Draco. Tilly stands shakily, but that doesn't last long, as Draco lifts her into his arms, spinning her around. "Bubs, can we go back to your room and cuddle, please?"

"Yes, that is exactly what we need." Tilly smiles, kissing his cheek, then turns to Moddy.

"If you ever hurt him again, I will end you. Just so you know if you hadn't used that spell on me, I would have killed you." Moody nods but asks a question.

"How come you didn't react to the spell I shot at you?"

"I can hide the pain. And obviously, I'm great at it. Bye now." Tilly hugs her Dad goodbye then drags Draco's with her. "See you later, Dad. You to James." Tilly and Draco run through the halls, but as they turn off to the Slytherin Rooms, Tilly sees Harry with Moody and chooses to follow.

Once Tilly is out the front of Moody's office, she tells Draco to wait outside for her. Tilly knocks on the door and goes inside, sitting next to Harry.

"I was just telling Potter about your competitions, but that was more for him than you. You'll do just fine in these games. You're most likely the strongest, and smartest, along with your determination. You're going to win." Moody says matter of fact, while Harry sits quietly.

"That might be so, but I'm going to help James any way I can." Moody smiles and nods, knowing that is precisely what Tilly was going to say.

"Now, what are each of your strengths?" Moody looks between the two students as they fumble over their words.

"James is an amazing flyer. He could use his broom."

"Lill... can do any spell, transform into any animal, and do wandless and wordless magic. And she can fly." Tilly chuckles realising that she may have a good chance of winning this thing.

After about an hour of planning, Tilly left with Draco to his room.

"That took you forever." Draco sighs lying down on his bed and pulling Tilly with him.

"Your just jealous." Tilly jokes as she rests her head on Draco chest. Draco wraps his arms tight around Tilly's waist, holding close. Draco looks down on the resting girl in his arms, and know she's the one who owns his heart and forever will. But, I don't have her heart. All she sees me as is her best friend. That's all she'll ever see. Draco thinks as he sighs. Hearing Draco sigh so heavily made Tilly want to go into his mind, but she held herself back, knowing the invasion of privacy that can be. Tilly turns serious fast, lifting her head to looking down at Draco.

"In two week, I'm fighting for my life. I need to know that if something happens to me-"

"Nothing is going to happen to you. I'll make sure of it." Draco snaps not wanting to have the test of this conversation.

"Bubs, I need to know you'll be there for my Dad and anyone else. You are the person I'm closest to, I trust you." Draco nods with a sigh.

"We have two weeks so, lie back down and cuddle with me." Tilly chuckles at Draco pout, and how his eyes went all big. Tilly snuggles her head into Draco as he tightens his hold on her. The two drift off into a peaceful sleep in each other hold.