Just Not Cut Out for Torture (HP - Drarry)

Chapter 26: Slytherin Scheming

Draco POV

Draco was brought rudely back to consciousness by an insistent tapping at the window. He groaned and shoved at Harry until he shifted the leg that had been trapping Draco to the bed. He stumbled to the window, fumbled with the catch through the bars, and took the letter. Or tried to.

"Ow!" He pulled his fingers back, startled, and glared at the evil ball of fluff. "What was that for?"

"Hmm?" Harry mumbled sleepily.

Draco turned to him, indignant. "Your bloody owl bit me. Bit. Me." He scowled.

Harry scrubbed his hand through his hair – even more tangled than usual, Draco noted, eyes softening as he recalled what had made it that way – and then stood up. "Sorry. Pig's a bit temperamental. I'll get it." Harry reached expertly through the bars and snagged the parchment from the tiny owl's leg. He offered it an owl treat, and the bird hopped up and down, hooting its excitement. Draco felt his lips curling into an unwilling smile at the little thing's antics, and coughed to cover it. "Let's have it then," he said gruffly. Harry grinned at him as he handed the letter over, obviously seeing through his charade, so Draco gave it up. "Where'd you find such an, er, enthusiastic owl?"

Harry snorted. "Ron."

"Of course. Where's yours?"

"Not sure, actually. I lent Hedwig to 'Mione for the summer - it's a shame to keep her caged here, and 'Mione hinted at some mission the Order was sending her on. I felt better knowing she had a way to reach me, if necessary.

"Hmm."

"His name's Pigwidgeon." Harry added helpfully, as Draco's nimble fingers unrolled the parchment. "Pig for short." Then he launched into some tale of how Ron had ended up with the daft little thing, but Draco was no longer listening. His attention had been snagged by the first lines scrawled in Severus' spiky hand. "Fuck," he said softly. He repeated it with more feeling as he scanned the page. "Fuck, fuck, fuck."

"Draco?"

Harry leaned toward him worriedly, and Draco lifted his eyes to meet Harry's, fury at Severus' denseness causing him to crumple the parchment violently.

"He has no right!" he spat angrily.

Harry sat down next to him and covered Draco's hands with his own, gently disengaging the parchment from his grip and setting it aside on the bed beside them. "Draco. Tell me. What's wrong?"

Draco sighed, massaging his forehead wearily. "It's Severus. For whatever reason he's... Well." He dropped his hands and looked earnestly into Harry's eyes. "I thought for sure he'd listen. I gave him plenty of reasons. But, no. He still thinks you're exaggerating."

"Which means..."

"Which means," Draco said glumly, "we have to stay here. Oh, he says he'll get us 'earlier than they'd planned,' as if he's making some great concession and rearranging his schedule. As if your horrid muggles aren't the most important thing, or even that important at all, and – "

"Draco." Harry put his hand on Draco's knee, squeezing gently. "He's right."

"What? But – "

"Shh. Listen to me. My aunt and uncle may be vile, but they really aren't that important, in the grand scheme of things. There's a war going on, remember? Voldemort is moving, the Order is probably scrambling, and he and McGonagall and the others probably are really busy."

Draco held up a hand to stop him. "Wait. Go back. What did you just say?"

Harry frowned. "Er, which part?"

Draco just stared at him. "The Voldemort part, Harry, what did you think? How do you know that. Is – Have you been having visions again?"

"Er – "

"You have, haven't you." Draco stood up and started to pace angrily around the room. "Dammit, Harry, I told you to tell me the moment you had another one of those. This is important. Now, when did you last have one of these visions?"

Harry sighed. "I know it's important Draco. I don't know exactly why, since you won't tell me, but I trust you, OK? And no, I haven't kept anything from you. I really hadn't had one until just now – and I'd have told you already except I got distracted by Snape's letter."

Draco frowned. "Really?"

"Really."

He sighed. "OK, Harry. But this does change things. I need to write to Severus." He looked around. "And where's that bloody owl?"

"I'll just call him for you, shall I?" Harry said, rolling his eyes. Draco ignored the sarcastic tone, mind already focused on what he would say to Severus.

"You do that. I'll be writing," he said absently.

---

By the time Severus' reply arrived, carried by a very tired Pig, Draco was frantic with worry and had paced the length of Dudley's Second Bedroom exactly 3,523 times. Harry had just about driven him to distraction with his pestering and questions Draco wasn't ready to answer – especially not if what he suspected was correct – and had eventually thrown up his hands and taken up a book.

Draco snatched the letter from Harry as soon as he'd wrested it from the exhausted owl, and left Harry cooing inanely over the creature as he threw himself onto the bed and began to read.

He'd managed to read it three times before Harry stopped fussing over the owl and settled himself beside Draco.

"Well?" Harry asked expectantly.

Draco chewed his lower lip. "Severus agrees that this changes things, and he's reluctantly moved our departure up. We leave tomorrow."

Harry's eyes sparked with interest. "Fabulous. Where are we going?"

"It seems they don't trust any of the safe houses to be entirely safe enough, so Severus is taking us back to Hogwarts."

Harry frowned. "Really? Dumbledore never let me stay there during the summer..."

Draco made a face. "Severus makes it very clear that we'll be under his strict supervision, but he also says that your vision agrees with their other reports." He blew out a breath, feeling his tension ratcheting up again. "Voldemort is definitely on the move. The Order expects him to engage them soon – possibly even before term starts, although several of them think he'll move during the Banquet, since he's big on drama." He scanned the letter, looking for one particular paragraph... ah. "The Order members are therefore gathering at the castle as we speak. Your Weasel and Granger will be arriving shortly after we do. We'll be staying with them, and with the other students who are opting to arrive early."

He didn't say why they were arriving early – he didn't need to. They both knew that, in the coming battle, the Order could use all the help it could get.

He looked up at Harry, then. "Says here that the Weasel told them of your DA. Apparently McGonagall wants you – and Longbottom, for some reason – to organize as many of the students as possible, both those already members and any others who wish to join, and to conduct combat training."

Harry looked stunned, and not a little alarmed. "But – "

"Of course, he also says he 'doubts the veracity of the rumors of your teaching prowess, and will withhold judgment until he has had the dubious pleasure of witnessing your lessons firsthand.'"

Harry cracked a smile at that. "Why, Severus, how touching. I never knew you had such faith in me."

Draco smiled back at him, tucking the letter into his back pocket. Of course, Severus is just doing as I asked and getting Harry out of the way so we can figure out a way around his connection to Voldemort without Harry – and by extension Voldemort – getting suspicious. But Harry doesn't need to know that – in fact, he can't know that. Draco rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on. And now I really need to talk to Granger. There's no way I can pull this off without her help.