Healing // d.m.

| 57 |

  "I did not know there was chocolate in it!"

  She placed her cup of coffee with a loud thud, zeroing her eyes at him, "They had labels and a fucking chocolate drizzle on the outside!"

  A hand softly caresses her hair and moves down to her shoulders. "Simmer down you little chimaera... and Blaise fuck off you're in my seat."

  "No." Blaise even went to stick his tongue out at him and Draco sighed. He took Catherine's coffee in his hands, "When I get back you better be gone."

  Pansy's laughter rang again and this time Neilson was edging closer to her. He was looking down with lust in his eyes, no doubt focusing on her chest instead. Blaise wanted to say something but stopped dead, when Neilson began to place a hand on Pansy's hips.

  "Not on my watch." He muttered and left her side.

  Catherine chuckled and watched the scene unfold. Blaise flicked his wand and Neilson was sent a few feet away, which made him spill his wine onto his white dress shirt. He slid his hands around Pansy's waist and no one could miss the redness on her face. A few banter of words were exchanged and the offender left.

  "What did you do?" Draco sat on the chair that Blaise once occupied.

  "Nothing, it was all Neilson." Catherine pointed to the poor man who was searching for clean napkins.

  Draco handed her the perfect blend of milk coffee with a splash of cream. She sipped on the warm drink slowly, savouring the taste. Coffee was indeed ruined. Even the same blend would taste different if it was made by someone else.

  "I never asked how you knew how I liked my coffee."

  He placed an arm on the back of her seat and leaned closer, "Trial and error, or maybe it tastes good because you're drinking it with me."

  "Don't push it." She threatened and he smiled. There was a hardness on his face today, on everyone's faces for that matter. A gloomy fog has settled upon them all, making each conversation dull and difficult. No one would laugh for too long and the smiles were partially forced.

  Catherine won't lie, she had been feeling the extreme dread since early morning. At first it was the nerves for the test but when she saw Draco waiting for her outside the Hospital, instead of feeling better, the dread only multiplied.

  She could lose him. She could lose everything tomorrow. Something just doesn't feel right.

  Gabby told her it was just her anxiety, but what if it was more than that?

  "Alright everyone let's make this quick and brief." Harry used his wand to magnify his voice and everybody shuffled to their seats. "We will run through our plans one last time."

  He cleared his throat before continuing, "Protocol A. Catherine, you will be placed right outside the Mansion territory and Klaison will accompany you. You will only need to tap into the stone's power, enough to lure them out. Then Klaison will apparate you to the Clock tower located at the far Southern border. You cannot be in that building when Protocol B starts, or else they could use the stone's powers. Are we clear?"

  "Crystal." Klaison chipped in.

  "Right then, Protocol B. We have divided you all into three main lines. Each will enter upon my signal. We wipe the whole Mansion clean and obtain the stones. Kill whoever is in your way, disarm when you can and take in willing prisoners. Whenever a stone is in our possession a signal will be released as well. Protocol C, is the destruction of the whole Mansion, that is my responsibility."